Sacred Mountaintop Journey:
How Do We Bring The Magick Down to Earth?
Last summer I traveled into the mountainous country of the western U.S.,
flying solo into the crevices and backcountry dirt roads looking for the
unseen nuances of nature. I was awash in butterflies, babbling streams,
huge boulders, elk, bison, birds I could not name, music, sky... I was
on a quest for peaceable space, space in which to get back in touch with
my self, my spirit, my body... the space was a'plenty, and time slipped
away as sunset after sunset brought on the infinite spackling of stars
across my full panoramic range of view. I fancied myself a guru sitting
atop a Himalayan mountain coming one step closer to God, the Infinite,
All That Is... and literally, I climbed mountains and felt such peace.
Something mysterious and wonderful happens atop mountains; whether
purely symbolic or a very real manifestation, I found myself closer to
the God and Goddess than I ever have been.
I have made the relation since then that other "happenings of
good" bring me to the top of the Mountain, the proverbial perch on which
to sit and meditate about the Whole. I find it, at least in part, at
shows. Or when I meet someone who takes my soul for a ride across the
sky.. a Soul Friend, as it were. Whatever takes me to that holy space
where the drudgery of the "ordinary world" slips away, pride and prejudice
have no meaning, and critical judgement has no place.
I feel sometimes like shows (Phish, etc.) take place on top of the Mountain.
Brothers and sisters appear as if from nowhere up here in the clouds, and
create with each other a swirling colourful experience beyond compare. Yet
there seems to be something ethereal about these strands of coloured magick;
they often only exist at the top of the mountain, and when we leave - to
go into the valley and elsewhere, they lose form easily and are forgotten.
We are wild and free up there; why can we not be so "down here"? Can the
pieces of the magickal Dance be performed in their full glory on our own,
in the shadows of our daily awakenings? Or can the magick only be fully
realized up on the Mountain, with our brothers and sisters lending
themselves? Too often I feel defeated, or like I've lost something, when I
come off of the mountain. I guess I feel defeated because I was unsuccessful
in keeping the colourful Dance alive for more than a few moments; indeed
the whole of the Mountain Journey is only a memory, only mine to be recalled,
shared via words and body language but still something which has become an
artifact of the past.
How do you bring the energy of the mountaintop back down into "the valley,"
the experience of "everyday life," the regular routines and shufflings? I
have been somewhat troubled by this question since my return from my westward
journey. Down here in the valley, it gets very lonely. The colourful Dance,
as I have called it, is easier to execute with the presence and sharing of
other brothers and sisters - kindred souls. What I often find of queer folk,
the HipFaeries among us, is that the participants in the Dance are not
in our inner circle, are not part of our regular daily experience. We come
together as in a flash of light at shows, drum circles, potlucks, seminars,
workshops at the local bookstore or metaphysical center - we dance the Dance,
experience the Mountain, then once again find ourselves in the 'real world.'
I recently read an article by Al Cotton in the Gay Spirit Visions
newsletter addressing the issue. The title of the article is
Feeding Gay Spirit in the "Real World".
I found his insights particularly valuable. The truth is, I really don't know
what the answer is, or if there is a valid way of bringing the Mountaintop
to the workplace, the home, the personal meditation space.. I believe that there
is, though I still struggle for the techniques. Or perhaps I am missing the
point altogether, and it's something that just is, if that indeed makes
any sense. I would like to enter into dialogue with folks about this, so hop
onto the list or share with me some e-mail, and let's reach the Mountaintop
space from right here in the comfort of our armchair - down here in the valley,
the 'real world,' the ordinary space to which we have grown accustomed.