The west door of the new adobe building at Little Mesa looks right over this flat-topped mountain. At a height of almost 10,000 feet above sea level, I think it is fair to call this a mountain.
The Tewa people called this formation Tsee P'in, which translates as "Obsidian Mountain". The Spanish call this Cerro Pedernal or "Flint Hill". Pedernal means flint in Spanish.
Stephen said it clearly: "Whenever I am on the land, I take a picture of the same scene." Tsee P'inn.
And, actually, I do the same thing. That's why I can share the above collection of photos!
For some reason, Pedernal or Tsee P'inn captivates our interest. It just makes us want to look. And I never get tired of looking at it. The clouds are always different. The color of the sky around it changes throughout the day. There is the sense that you can never fully absorb what this special mountain is trying to convey. It keeps pulling you in because it's mystery is so great.
Humans benefit greatly by being in awe of nature. Cultivating this feeling of awe aligns us with the experience of appreciating the magnitude of the gift of life.
As I am writing I consider explaining the geological composition of the mountain or the trails that lead to the top, but I almost feel that getting into these mundane facts would debase the experience. Sometimes the best approach to a mystery is not to understand it with the mind but to simply nurture the inner experience of awe - to enter into the pure glory of it. For this experience of life is glorious. The gifts that we have been given are so great. This creation so precious.
The earth and the oceans and sky and stars are so vast and we, as physical bodies, are so tiny. As spiritual beings we ask ourselves the question: How am I to be in relation with all this? On the one hand, we are simple witnesses of something so much greater than us. To live in a state of awe is perhaps the purest way to be. And, when we witness something so precious, it awakens in us a sense of care - that as a two-legged, to be in proper relationship with nature is to treat this glorious creation with the highest level of loving care and protection.
It has taken me eleven years of coming here to see something that was presented to me on day one. After we met Bill and Sonia for the first time, we were given their email address: earthsteward@...
Earth Stewards. Ones who care for the earth. We are stewards of a precious landscape. Tsee P'inn, Plaza Blanca, Polvadera. But let us also remember that the glory we see in nature outside of us, is a reflection of the glory that is life within.
My prayer this evening is to deepen my capacity to walk this path of experiencing this glorious earth with pure humility while also serving as a loving caretaker for something that is so much bigger than my mind could ever comprehend. And then to realize, all this glory, all this loving care is for the very fabric of life which is the same as my soul, my inner Self.
"In the beginning we stood up and became two-leggeds." This is the name Joseph gave the peace chamber here. When humanity first stood up, we became responsible for our lives and our actions. Now as we stand up, let us assume responsibility for living in a state of awe for this great creation, while also stepping into our right relation as a loving earth steward.
The earth and the self are the same. In awe of the earth is to be in awe of the Self. Loving care for the earth is loving care for the soul. This is the dream that we dream when our consciousness rests on the top of the sacred mountain. Perhaps this is why this place calls out to us so lovingly.
The Tewa people called this formation Tsee P'in, which translates as "Obsidian Mountain". The Spanish call this Cerro Pedernal or "Flint Hill". Pedernal means flint in Spanish.
Stephen said it clearly: "Whenever I am on the land, I take a picture of the same scene." Tsee P'inn.
And, actually, I do the same thing. That's why I can share the above collection of photos!
For some reason, Pedernal or Tsee P'inn captivates our interest. It just makes us want to look. And I never get tired of looking at it. The clouds are always different. The color of the sky around it changes throughout the day. There is the sense that you can never fully absorb what this special mountain is trying to convey. It keeps pulling you in because it's mystery is so great.
Humans benefit greatly by being in awe of nature. Cultivating this feeling of awe aligns us with the experience of appreciating the magnitude of the gift of life.
As I am writing I consider explaining the geological composition of the mountain or the trails that lead to the top, but I almost feel that getting into these mundane facts would debase the experience. Sometimes the best approach to a mystery is not to understand it with the mind but to simply nurture the inner experience of awe - to enter into the pure glory of it. For this experience of life is glorious. The gifts that we have been given are so great. This creation so precious.
The earth and the oceans and sky and stars are so vast and we, as physical bodies, are so tiny. As spiritual beings we ask ourselves the question: How am I to be in relation with all this? On the one hand, we are simple witnesses of something so much greater than us. To live in a state of awe is perhaps the purest way to be. And, when we witness something so precious, it awakens in us a sense of care - that as a two-legged, to be in proper relationship with nature is to treat this glorious creation with the highest level of loving care and protection.
It has taken me eleven years of coming here to see something that was presented to me on day one. After we met Bill and Sonia for the first time, we were given their email address: earthsteward@...
Earth Stewards. Ones who care for the earth. We are stewards of a precious landscape. Tsee P'inn, Plaza Blanca, Polvadera. But let us also remember that the glory we see in nature outside of us, is a reflection of the glory that is life within.
My prayer this evening is to deepen my capacity to walk this path of experiencing this glorious earth with pure humility while also serving as a loving caretaker for something that is so much bigger than my mind could ever comprehend. And then to realize, all this glory, all this loving care is for the very fabric of life which is the same as my soul, my inner Self.
"In the beginning we stood up and became two-leggeds." This is the name Joseph gave the peace chamber here. When humanity first stood up, we became responsible for our lives and our actions. Now as we stand up, let us assume responsibility for living in a state of awe for this great creation, while also stepping into our right relation as a loving earth steward.
The earth and the self are the same. In awe of the earth is to be in awe of the Self. Loving care for the earth is loving care for the soul. This is the dream that we dream when our consciousness rests on the top of the sacred mountain. Perhaps this is why this place calls out to us so lovingly.
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