Heaven and Earth Collapsing: Holy Mountains and High Places

Thin places are those rare locales where the

distance between Heaven and Earth collapses.

-Eric Weiner, Man Seeks God

Part of our conversation in Scripture Seeker’s Bible study last night was about “Mountains and Holy Places” - specifically about the Jewish tradition of Moses receiving the laws/Commandments for the community on Mt. Sinai. We also talked about mountains being places in Jewish tradition where God shows up-whether that be through burning bushes, fire, thunder and wind, or still small voices. Mountains are holy places across time and traditions. They are homes of the Divine and gateways to something bigger than us.  Mount Kailas is the home of Shiva, and sacred to five different religious traditions. Mount Sinai is the high place where Moses saw YHVH. There is the Holy Temple Mount in Jerusalem (sacred to three traditions), Mount Olympus in Greece, Serra de Estrela in Portugal, Odaesan in South Korea, Mount Fuji in Japan, Uluru in Australia, Croagh Patrick in Ireland, and closer to home in the U.S.—Pilot Mountain in North Carolina; Wheeler Peak, Mount Taylor, and Shiprock in New Mexico; and my spiritual homes: Mount Tamalpais, Mount Lassen, Castle Crags, and Mt. Shasta in Northern California. 

According to the stories of the Klamath people, Mount Shasta is the home of Skell, a God-Chief who descended from heaven (Are we discerning a worldwide mythological theme?) to live on the mountain. Skell did not get along with Liao, another God-Chief of the underworld that also descended from the sky and was a resident of neighboring Mount Mazama (now Crater Lake in Oregon). The stories say the two bickered by throwing hot rocks and fire at each other—which is a great legendary description of the violent volcanic history of the Pacific Northwest Ring of Fire.

One of the things Mama Shasta brings to my attention every time I see her is the importance of being grounded and in the present moment. We are notorious for not being fully present because we are preparing rebuttals to what we are hearing, or our minds are somewhere else mulling what’s next, who upset us, or where the next coffee shop might be. But Mama Shasta (and wild places like her) are places of present moment magic. Earth, air, fire, water, and spirit are right in front of you - in your face, on your shoes, chirping in the trees, and soaking your clothes, wherever you turn.

On my recent trip, I received a powerful blessing at a wide pool in Ney Springs Creek, near Faery Falls. I was reminded of so many of the themes that have been part of our worship in recent times. water, presence, thresholds, in-between places, the divine in Nature - and the poetry of Mary Oliver:

At Blackwater Pond the tossed waters have settled
after a night of rain.
I dip my cupped hands. I drink
a long time. It tastes
like stone, leaves, fire. It falls cold
into my body, waking the bones. I hear them
deep inside me, whispering
oh what is that beautiful thing
that just happened?

— Mary Oliver At Blackwater Pond

It is my prayer that you get curious enough to hear the holy whispers inside you - and that you too will experience heaven and earth collapsing together- through the natural world and creation of the divine - whether it is at Mt. Shasta, Mt. Diablo, Mt. Sinai, Ocean Beach, Niles Canyon, Garin Park, or by the raised

bird- feeder in your back yard.