All of you here know that I am here because of my devotion to my greatest guide and teacher in life: that being The Mountain, in all Her spectacular forms.
It is the mountain that speaks to me in my waking hours as I look out my window at the open landscape of my home here in Northern New Mexico.
It is the mountain that calls to me daily: come out here, come play! Come challenge yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally) as you are tested and enjoy the greatest of beauties alive on this Planet Earth.
When I launched Upward Slopes in 2020, it was in devotion to The Mountain and the very real, very tangible lessons that all the mountains I have summitted (and those I failed to reach) have shown me.
The mountains teach grounding
The mountains teach discernment
The mountains teach presence
The mountains teach joy
In practice, this takes shape as the embodied path. For the mountain does not teach a way of being that has us stuck up in our heads, minds spinning as we shape a perfect reality with a guaranteed success to some height that we’ve decided to give value to!
Instead, the mountain teaches a holistic way of being present:
- Yes, listen to that dream and desire in your heart – the one that ignites you and gets you in motion heading towards that which brings promise of a brighter, more beautiful moment!
- AND, yes! Be present, here and now, every step of the way!
For the peak… It holds no guarantee. Besides, the moment you get there and experience the glory of standing so tall… well, that moment will be fleeting, and before you know it another peak will call to you, your heart will turn and your sights will shift once more!
Every moment in life in fleeting. Life exists as a moment that rolls in and rolls out. There is nowhere to get to; only a here and now.
Do you choose to spend this moment disembodied as you chase after some idea of a promise for absolute glory?
Or, do we choose a different path: one that roots us into the great gift that it is to be a human being on an infinitely beautiful planet Earth!?
As for me, I see only one of these options bringing us the healing, the joy, and the deep fulfillment that we are all seeking; and, that Planet Earth, herself, is begging us to pursue.
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The Mountain is a Path of Embodied Spirituality
I never wanted to go anywhere near religion. I couldn’t stand how it presented itself with so many rules which, if followed, only brought promise of taking me out of this world here on Planet Earth and into a realm of some idea of infinite light!
I couldn’t stand these ideas because I knew, deep in my own heart, that we have to be present here! We have to be present here, as these very human selves that we are, right now. These times demand it.
Have you all noticed? Our Earth is hurting, and it is humanity’s fault. This is to say, that as a collective, we have amassed such darkness in this world that the very fabric of our reality is now shattering. Our Earth, herself, is being destroyed to a degree that is an extreme rarity across billions of years. This time, it is human caused.
In turn, it is our responsibility to change the patterns and belief systems that continue to perpetuate harm to the degree that we have amassed on this planet.
And, at the same time, we are tasked with remembering, or else calling in new ways of being, that bring in more light, more skill, more connection, more love.
Where, oh where, do we begin?
We begin at the root
That which lives deep, deep down, existing as the matrix that holds up an entire society of humans; each of us living our own paths based on diverse belief systems…
Yes, “diverse” belief systems which, at their root, are really just based on the same flawed ideology:
The way I see it, it is the fault of all the storylines and belief systems that tell us to disconnect from self and set our sights on brighter lights somewhere up above, up ahead, or anywhere “higher and mightier” than what is already right here.
Call it enlightenment. Call it heaven. Call it technology that will come in and save us. Call it the need to use the ingenious of our minds to think ourselves out of any sort of problem (i.e., mind over matter). Whatever the belief system, the root is the same:
When we disconnect from felt, present connection to the here and now, we remove ourselves from any ability to heal, to experience true joy, and to know ourselves for all that we truly are.
The embodied path is one of non-attachment to any dogma
What I recognize, today, is that religion isn’t the problem. I understood this when I realized that the very same festering root that causes so much harm in religion is the same festering root that holds up my traditional field: that of science & tech. I also realized this when I started studying eastern traditions that are taught through a western lens and saw the same thing there too!
Attachment to dogma. Attachment to ideologies that promise you a path to get anywhere but here. Attachment to a need to be somewhere brighter than what is already here, right now.
Attachment, based on idealist logic, brought to us by someone other than our very own wise selves.
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But Katie, don’t religions and science and other traditions have plenty of wisdom to offer us as guidance on our paths?
Of course they do! Please, oh please! Open your eyes and ears and mind to the wisdom that is present in our world! Let yourself be guided by others who may just know something you don’t!
Let all the traditions of the world guide us forward!
And, as we do, let ourselves stay grounded, rooted within the fabric that is our very own knowing; our very own being.
This is the embodied path:
- being open to the guidance that shows up from “out there” – letting it guide us forward as it brings direction
- taking each step with ever-deepening ability to be present to what is here, now, felt and known within
It’s a polarity – a dance!
Listen out there; listen within here.
Move! Now, be still.
Listen. Then, close your ears to what is out there and just be present to what lives within.
Now, go move again! Be in action!
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A moment to alchemize the traditions of old
I never fully embraced any sort of wisdom tradition that was taught to me. Instead, I chose (and continue to choose) to learn all I can about all the vast wisdom traditions that humanity has brought through. From the east to the west, us humans have sourced an immense amount of information that is here to guide us forward.
But none of this means anything if we can’t embody it!
To bring it into form through our very own being, rooted here in these very alive, very human selves that we are!
When we say yes to exploring the mysteries of this reality through felt, embodied connection with self, we become empowered to discern truth from bullshit; to discern that which is useful and supportive from that which is manipulation and power-over.
Our world needs individuals being empowered:
- healing their own wounds
- healing the patterns that wound others
- learning discernment
- embracing the light and love and joy that is here!!!
This is the path of The Mountain Mystic: A space in devotion to exploring the wisdom alive here on this Earth that keeps us grounded, connected, embodied, and pursuing the paths that offer promise of calling in more light here and now.
Sound like something you’re on board for?
If so, I look forward to continuing with you on this journey together.
This week, I am overjoyed to share with you the latest changes here on the wider Upward Slopes platform. Today, this means announcing the change I made to my Podcast!
(Re) Introducing… The Mountain Mystic Podcast!
