Mount Shasta: Hide and Seek with my Beloved

This morning, as always, when I woke up, I walked over the living room window to greet my beloved Mount Shasta.  For the first time in a quite a while, she was hiding behind clouds.   I felt disappointed not to see her.  

Then, I took a moment to drop in deeper and noticed that I could still feel her presence as strongly as if she were visible in her full glory.

For me, Mount Shasta represents and reflects my own Self.  When she plays hide-and-seek, she reminds me that I AM always present, no matter what clouds are moving through.

When a flood of thoughts is coming up, it’s still easy for me to forget what’s real.  But, it just takes an instant to reconnect with the stillness behind the thoughts.

One simple way to do this is to ask “Who’s aware of these thoughts?”  The important thing, when asking a question like this, is not to settle for a conceptual answer in the mind, but to shift focus to the heart and let the answer be revealed there.

Another simple way to recollect myself is to notice the gaps between thoughts.  Each gap, as tiny as it might be, is a window into the Self.

It’s trickier when there’s a torrent of emotions coming up along with thoughts.  Perhaps this can be compared to a big storm obscuring the mountain.  A storm can be quite dramatic and absorb attention.

Still, all it truly takes is a moment of remembering what’s still present in the midst of the emotional storm.

A key step for me to finding the eye/I in the emotional storm is bringing awareness to my body and noticing where the storm is centered.  Often, the storm dissipates quickly when I bring relaxed awareness to it.  

Once again, I’m in the presence of my beloved.

Just now, I see the mountain peeking out from behind the clouds.

Thank you Mount Shasta for being such a beautiful reflection of the beloved which lives in my heart.

Andrew Oser has been offering spiritual life coaching, along with guided retreats on Mount Shasta since 1982.   Through hikes to little-known sacred sites, guided meditations, spiritual life coaching, and time drinking in the silence of the mountain, he helps clients to deeply renew themselves in body, mind, and spirit and receive clear vision for their lives.  www.mountshastaretreat.net

Mount Shasta: Here's Looking at You

(c) MCStrom Photos

Yesterday, I followed my own advice and took a day to retreat after a busy week.  Early in the morning, I found myself standing at the living room window gazing at Mount Shasta.

My mind was doing what it does, cranking out a rapid stream of thoughts.  For a couple minutes, it was like I was looking at the mountain through clouds.  I noticed this and brought my full attention to my beloved Shasta.  Instantly, my mind stopped and I felt the stillness once again.  

During the rest of the day, I had many occasions to look at the mountain, both from my home and on an afternoon hike.    Each time, I made a point of really being with the mountain, rather than with my thoughts.

Whenever  I slow down enough to truly be with the mountain, I connect deeply with that which the mountain reflects, my own Self.  

The very best view of Mount Shasta from my home just happens from my office, where I am sitting right now.  It’s amazing to think of how many moments in the past I’ve been I’ve been oblivious to the majestic presence right in front of me.

Today, coming back to work after my retreat, I’ve re-committed to staying connected with the mountain/my heart while I work.  It’s so simple to pause from writing and gaze at the mountain for a few seconds.  

The more fully I show up to see and feel the mountain during those pauses, the more my movements and words  flow effortlessly and are infused by that pure Love which Mount Shasta radiates and reflects.

Andrew Oser has been offering spiritual life coaching, along with guided retreats on Mount Shasta since 1982.   Through hikes to little-known sacred sites, guided meditations, spiritual life coaching, and time drinking in the silence of the mountain, he helps clients to deeply renew themselves in body, mind, and spirit and receive clear vision for their lives.  www.mountshastaretreat.net

 

Mount Shasta: Be Still and Know

I first heard the famous verse from Psalms “Be still and know that I am God” when I was in my early 20’s.  As soon as I heard these words, I knew that they held a huge key.

At the time, I was doing lots of meditation, so I had some practice at sitting still.  But, I had no clue how to still my mind.  Stopping the endless barrage of thoughts seemed impossible.

I figured that it would take something drastic to learn to be still, so I decided to go into the jungle (I was on Kauai at the time), fast for a week, and focus on those magic words as much as I could

I gave it my best shot, but my mind never stopped.  

 When I came out after the week (I still remember that first dinner at an Italian restaurant), I didn’t feel the least bit transformed.  I was still living in the craziness of my mind, longing for a respite.

Many years later, I heard Adyashanti, a very wise American teacher, say something along the lines of “Don’t try to be still.  Just notice the stillness that is always already present.”

That really helped a lot.  I had such a strong habit of achieving things by efforting that I’d figured stilling my mind was one more thing to accomplish by trying my hardest and not giving up.  That approach didn’t work at all.

The idea that the stillness I craved for was already present was very comforting.  Gradually, I began to let go of my trying habit and relax enough to taste that stillness.

I discovered that in certain environments, it was easier to notice that always present stillness.  When I lived in Southern CA, I spent lots of time by the ocean and in the Anza Borrego Desert.

Over the years, by far the best place I’ve discovered, for finding true peace is Mount Shasta.  This mountain amplifies the silent stillness in a uniquely powerful way.  Just looking at the mountain now through my office window, my mind slows down. 

The amplification gets much stronger when I go up on the mountain.  There are certain spots, such as Ascension Rock, which I mentioned in my last blog, where it’s so easy to drop into the silent stillness, it’s feels almost like cheating. ;-)

I feel incredibly grateful that my desire to experience the truth of  “Be still and know that I AM God” has led me to Mount Shasta.  

Yes, my mind is still pretty active, but I don’t struggle to stop it like I used to.  The mountain’s reflection and amplification have helped me to know who I AM.  When I venture away from Mount Shasta, that sense of stillness is much easier to access than it used to be.

Andrew Oser has been offering spiritual life coaching, along with guided retreats on Mount Shasta since 1982.   Through hikes to little-known sacred sites, guided meditations, spiritual life coaching, and time drinking in the silence of the mountain, he helps clients to deeply renew themselves in body, mind, and spirit and receive clear vision for their lives.  www.mountshastaretreat.net

Mount Shasta: Valentine's Day with my True Love

I woke up Valentine’s Day morning and, went right to my living room window.  My heart stirred as I gazed at the magnificence of Mount Shasta once again.   I felt a strong desire to have an intimate visit on this day to celebrate love.

After lunch, I drove up to a trailhead around 6500 feet.  What a blessing to be able to drive 15 minutes from my home and be high up on Mount Shasta!

I strapped on my snowhoes and walked through the slushy snow to Ascension Rock, one of the most powerful sacred sites on the mountain.  I greeted the rock with a hug and my mind stopped.  Immediately, I tasted deeper stillness than I had for a while.  I sat for about an hour and drank it in.

Then, I snowshoed over to Sand Flat, a bit more than a mile away.  Sand Flat offers a full view of the summit and higher areas of Mount Shasta.  It’s a wonderful spot to sit and bask in her majestic  presence.

After an hour or so at Sand Flat, I headed back to my car.  I felt much more deeply present than I had just a couple hours ago.  My heart was wide open.  Once again, I had been transformed by the pure love Mount Shasta so freely offers.

Andrew Oser has been offering spiritual life coaching, along with guided retreats on Mount Shasta since 1982.   Through hikes to little-known sacred sites, guided meditations, spiritual life coaching, and time drinking in the silence of the mountain, he helps clients to deeply renew themselves in body, mind, and spirit and receive clear vision for their lives.  www.mountshastaretreat.net