Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad,
Whatever is done and suffered by her creatures.
All scars she heals,
whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts.
—John Muir
Good Morning Soul Friend! Today, I’m very pleased to share one of my favorites articles with you by SoulfulLiving.com Columnist, Laura V. Grace, called “Spiraling to Higher Ground.”
Laura is a spiritual counselor and author of “Gifts of the Soul” and “The Intimate Soul.” Her article will inspire you to get out into nature and let go and release your emotional burdens into the cradling arms of Mother Earth.
Enjoy ♥
“Spiraling to Higher Ground”
by Laura Grace
Mother Earth is an incredible living entity. She seems to have an infinite capacity to gently take my stress, pain, and anxiety, and I am amazed at how much emotional baggage I am able to release while in her presence. Just the other day, as I was hiking a nearby mountain, I began accessing some thoughts and feelings that unbeknownst to me, were creating a heaviness within my heart. Like old boxes tucked away in the depths of a closet, I had pushed these feelings away and blocked their presence.
I began my climb without any goal in mind and without any intention of how far or high I would ascend. My only desire was to feel the healing energies of Mother Earth. As I stepped onto the trail leading to the mountain’s peak, I found myself in a valley surrounded by several bountiful foothills and felt cradled in the mountain’s arms. Step by step, I ascended and with each footfall I remained focused on releasing the thoughts or feelings that were surfacing. As I stayed in the present and felt my feelings, I sensed myself shedding yet another layer of perception and emotion that had been covering my soul. In fact, at one point during my trek, I remember looking to my right and to a path splitting off from the mountain titled “Rattle Snake Trail.” “How appropriate,” I mused, for I very much felt like a snake exfoliating its next layer of skin. Letting go of some feelings and shifting my perception was symbolic of peeling back another layer so the next level of my soul could shine forth.
While staying centered on my inner self, I was surprised at how much ground I covered. At one point, I stopped and looked around at the land cascading below me, and I found that I had already climbed 1,000 feet. Realizing I was more than half way to the top, I decided to continue. Letting go of my old baggage lightened my load, so to speak, and I felt a newfound perseverance and determination rising within me.
And, so, with the final ascent ahead of me, I set forth once more, at this time, however, with a lightness spreading through my body, mind and spirit. Before long, I discovered that this part of the mountain was by far the steepest. As I continued rising to higher ground, I found that I did best not when I looked toward the top, but rather, when I remained focused on the path directly in front of me. Finishing the journey was symbolic of my spiritual pilgrimage and upon reaching the peak, I was not only filled with awe from the beauty encircling me, but from the healing and self-love I had experienced each step of the way.
Climbing a mountain is a metaphor for our spiritual journey. The beginning of the mountain starts as soon as we set foot on its foothill, something we’re often unconscious of. And so it is with us. Each of us is on a spiritual journey whether we’re aware of it or not. We may be at different points along the mountain, but the fact is, we’re on it, making choices, making mistakes, growing and learning along the way.
Further, we never climb straight to the top of a mountain. Rather, we spiral toward the peak. And so it is with us. While experiencing my own spiral toward the peak, I found myself returning to the same point of the mountain, again and again, but always at a higher level. With each spiral, I was able to see the land before me from a higher perspective and with more vision and appreciation. Through our relationship with our self and others we are given opportunities to grow and awaken. These opportunities allow us to heal old patterns that prevent us from living fully in the present and with an open heart. As we ask for guidance and choose differently, we become more conscious of past hurts and wounds we need to heal…
Click to Continue Reading “Spiraling to a Higher Ground”
Copyright Laura V. Grace. All Rights Reserved.
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Wishing you a peaceful day!!
Soulfully,
Valerie
