Journey to the Mountain of Being 2

This second excerpt from my new book, A Journey to the Mountain of Being, happens as she is walking through the meadows on her way to the Mountain. Out of all her experiences, I chose this one as it shows how she is learning how to be with what is happening right now rather than falling into it or turning away, thus continuing the world of struggle. (See last week’s blog for the first excerpt)

“That night as she is washing her dishes in the little stream by her camp, she catches her mind wandering back to the past and then whizzing off into the future. Without the least amount of judgment, she acknowledges that as she is pays attention to the contents of her mind, she completely misses this precious moment, with the sounds of the stream, the smells of the forest, and the intricate movement of her hands while washing the dishes.

As she dips the finger of her attention into the river of her experience, a simple but profound mantra whispers from within, “As is. I’m here.” She appreciates this is a sacred talisman she can tuck into her heart, reminding her to pay attention to what she is experiencing in the only moment that matters, now.

At the beginning of the next day, as this mantra sings to her, she more quickly catches her attention drifting off into her mind and she gently brings it back here. But as the sun begins to move across the sky, fatigue shows up and she still has a couple more miles to go before she arrives at an appropriate place to camp for the night. She notices her mind and body contracting, cutting her off from the ever-increasing joy of energy flowing freely inside of her.

With startling clarity, she sees her mind turning this all into a problem but that just keeps her caught in the quicksand of her mind. Rather than a problem, it is an invitation by life to pay attention, for all challenges, are for her. They are not an indication that something is wrong with her or with her life. Instead, they are her teachers, and her job is to welcome them – to go towards them rather than turning away, profoundly entering their space. For she knows that she cannot let go of anything she doesn’t accept and nothing inside of her can truly let go until it receives the acceptance of her heart.

She realizes this is the art of welcoming what she previously explored. She sees even more clearly that welcoming is a sincere act of saying yes to whatever is here and when she does this, she will gather the gifts that always come with challenges. With a little chagrin, she sees that at times her mind tries to use welcoming in order to make whatever she was experiencing go away.

But this kind of welcoming that comes from her head and has an agenda, doesn’t help much at all. It is when her heart truly knows that whatever is here is supposed to be here and is okay that it is here, that welcoming can work its magic. Welcoming doesn’t mean that she doesn’t do something. But when it is the first step in any situation that brings up contraction, she sees that it allows her to respond to the situation rather than react.

As the truth of authentic welcoming seeps into the marrow of her being, she experiences as an intuitive regard for every single aspect of herself. She recognizes it is one of the most important keys in moving from being caught in a struggling mind into the ease and safety of showing up for life exactly as it is. As her body and mind relax, she is filled with an energy that takes her all the way to her campsite with a peaceful smile on her face. As she crawls into her cozy little tent that night, she easily drifts off into a deep and relaxed sleep.”