Two metaphors that help ground me during difficult times are the metaphor of a mountain and the metaphor of water. They are both helpful to reframe the experience of chaos around me and prevent me from falling into despair.
On the horizon, the mountain rises above towns and skyscrapers. Guardian of time. The mountain bears witness to the passing of time and the changes that come with it: people coming and going, buildings rising and being demolished, entire cities changing character through time, animals roaming its skirts, birth and death. The wisdom of the mountain lies in its ability to see a bigger picture than others can see from the ground and in its ability to experience time in centuries. It has witnessed so much and it remains there, as a guardian of the wisdom and secrets of time and space.

Water on the other hand is fluid, it moves readily on its course searching the sea. It’s gentle and soothing like the stream in a creek or quiet river, or it can be furious and raging like a river when the snow begins to melt. The water takes on the shape that the environment requires but it never stops being water and when it faces an obstacle, it moves to carve a new path either by going around the obstacle or by building enough pressure and strength to push the obstacle forward.
The Wise Ones have told us for millennia that we are earth, air, fire and water. This means that within us we carry the strength, the wisdom, the courage to face life like they do. That's why, to be a mountain, I stand tall, in body or in spirit, feeling connected to the ground below me and reaching for the sky above me. I become a link between the two and my vision expands; I can see or perceive things beyond my immediate surroundings. I become the guardian of towns and see people come and go, I watch the seasons change and the change that comes with time. My vision reaches beyond my lifetime to those who will be breathing these molecules I now exhale. I know then that life as it is is not without hope. I now understand that Life is greater than anything that threatens it. I can sense in my being the benevolence of Life calling me, moving me, inviting me to see it around me, and I begin to recognize the journeyers that accompany me. Even better, we recognize each other and are no longer solo mountains but a mountain range.
When I am water, I release the rigidity that has for too long guided my life. I soften this flesh I inhabit and begin to move at a different rhythm. I dance through life and become life-giving water. I nourish the earth and the creatures that come close to me. I am life itself flowing. Life miraculously became smaller to see the world from this vantage point. I move with grace but also with determination and courage. Nothing stands in my way, nothing stops me because I know where I am going. I am guided by an inner compass that knows the way and I allow myself to go along in a journey of both discovery and determination for all that awaits me. When I find others on my path, I am no longer a creek, but a river, raging loudly and joyful towards the sea.
The Wise Ones* have also told us that we are never really without options but, on the contrary, that it is in the difficult times that we discover how our agency can expand in ways we had not imagined.
During these times, may we tap into the wisdom within that draws from mountains and water to know who we are, to feel grounded, and to move guided by an inner compass that points in the direction of a world where everyone can thrive and where we can recognize one another as equals and worthy of love and belonging.
*The wise masters and teachers that have spoken these truths for thousands of years; our ancestors, spiritual teachers and gurus, wise elders, etc.
Comments