Climbing the Spiritual Mountain

I live at the base of a large mountain, but most people who come to visit me don’t see it, because the gradually sloping mountain top is well hidden by tall trees behind our house.

Visitors notice that when you walk south from our house you descend a long way down to the beach. However, few people realize that if you walk northward you must also climb up almost continuously; in fact, you will ultimately reach a mountain peak if you keep ascending steadily.

From here, you can hardly tell that you are on a mountain side unless you go elsewhere to look at it from a different perspective, where the trees don’t block the view.

I like the picture of a mountain as an analogy for our spiritual life. It is a continual climb to reach the peak of our spiritual potential and many people at the bottom know little about the wonderful heights up above.

The spiritual life is virtually invisible to our normal senses, which is why great spiritual teachers have used parables, symbols and metaphors to speak about this indescribable world of the spirit. These teachers also climbed mountains to get away from busy crowds in order to encounter God directly. Somehow mountain heights make our Creator more visible to our senses and souls.

That is my reason for calling my blog Abbey Mountain. It represents my spiritual quest. This real and metaphorical mountain is located high above my house which I call Blackberry Abbey (also for symbolic reasons). I hope that the Abbey will become a pathway up this mountain.

Mountain climbing requires both serious effort and disciplined preparation. In the mountain heights we are sometimes exposed to raw elements, like thunder, lightning, ice, and unexpected storms. Survival is by no means assured if you get lost in mountain wilderness.

People often don’t realize how hazardous our ordinary lives can be until some catastrophe strikes: a broken marriage, a ruined career, a serious disease, or another major misfortune. Not all of these perils are avoidable, of course, but spiritual strength enables us to survive when we otherwise might give up hope.

Nurturing our spiritual life has lost its dependable form in modern culture. Traditional societies have had well known spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, community gathering, scripture and singing as means of strengthening our spiritual resources and seeking the Presence of God.

Today there are so many innovations in spiritual practice that it is confusing unless you belong to a traditional faith or have some solid anchor. For me that anchor is the teachings of Jesus (although I have also found great wisdom recorded in other faith traditions throughout the centuries).

I delight in spiritual innovation as long as it stays consistent with ancient belief and practice. Unfortunately, there are increasing forms of self-spirituality which seek to elevate us to a near deity level. While I believe that we should become sons and daughters of the Omnipotent Spirit that is far removed from becoming gods or goddesses without reference to a higher power – such belief is fantasy.

God created our universe with loving intention, despite all the evil that has come since. I admire Albert Einstein’s simple quest for truth: “I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details.”

Beyond a finding a basic belief, we also need to practise our spiritual faith daily. We need a sense of mission and purpose outside mere personal survival. We are either working with God’s help to build a better world or else we are becoming lost on the mountain climb.

Spiritual practice should strengthen every aspect of our lives: our relationships, our family and community, our health and emotional well being, our career and our wealth. Spiritual practice is of immense practical value, but it needs to go beyond practicality.

God in whatever form or name you may use is at the top of every real spiritual mountain.

Spiritual mountain climbing should never be a solo enterprise based solely on our own capability and knowledge. We need reliable guides, both in person and through writings to guide us to this higher realm. We also need healthy spiritual disciplines.