On the Summit of a Dream

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Guest Post by RJ McBride

When one has walked the spiritual path for as long as I and many others have, one learns that wherever you’ve been and where you stand now, all places are sacred ground. You accept your awaiting next step to be in your overall best interest, even if at times that “next step” involves the possibility of personal risk or injury. Such was the time I set out to summit Oregon’s 11,228 foot Mt. Hood.

A Ranger Station’s notice to all climbers stated that due to unstable rock slides, a “NO GO!”warning had been issued. It is a day in September, 1990.

In Book Two of The Book of Ray memoirs on page 75, I tell of an adventure which was to form an ever deeper reliance on my Inner Teacher’s directives. This spiritual being, sometimes referred to as “the Mahanta,” had been with this Soul long before it was known such a spiritual power had ever existed.

For those who already know this story from having read my books, I will quote from those paragraphs which help elucidate some of the lessons and insights gained from this man’s earlier expeditions into greater trust and surrender.

Two AM

Standing in the early morning darkness, I listened to the audible click as I closed the car door, breathing in the cold, crisp mountain air and gazing with childlike wonder at the barely visible mountain rising to meet the spray of stars sprinkled like bits of twinkling candy.

I have lived in the presence of this stately monarch most of my life. I have camped in the surrounding woods, walked alongside its pristine rivers and lakes, skirted its rugged base, and visited the great Mt. Hood lodge, all the while knowing that when the time was right I’d seek an audience with this slumbering giant.

Observing the years of erosion, I further thought about my life and the many challenges I’d had to face over the years.

Letting my gaze slowly run the length of the ravine, observing its steep angles and occasional patches of gray-white snow, I took further not of life’s creative forces and wondered about those mountainous terrains within the depths of my own Soul.

Ten AM

Envisioning the love and protection of the spiritual presence that is always with me, I took a moment, sat down, closed my eyes, and centered my inner focus on Holy Spirit. Then, I sang my love song to God. Listening to the whispering winds blowing across the side of the mountain, I become aware of the Audible Sound Current called HU, that brought  calm, healing, and a feeling of well-being to every part of me.

Eleven AM

Turning my attention to the next part of the climb, I saw that I could either climb to the left of where I was standing, ascending a steep section of dangerously stacked rocks, or I could tackle the right side, which appeared to be a little more stable.

Backed by a cloudless blue sky, the summit looked to be maybe 1,000 or so feet above me, Scolding myself for not bringing more water along, I took a bite of my survival bar, drank the last gulp of fresh water, and continued upward. About a hundred feet into the climb, the support I’d been depending on began to crumble under my feet.

Leaping to the only shelf of rocks I could see, I desperately clung to the mountainside, hearing the sound of rocks, avalanching into the abyss below, thundering across the slopes. I realized I was stuck, with no way to go up or go back down.

Words rang in my mind: “You should have turned back when you had the chance.”

Cautiously, I leaned far enough ahead to peek around the narrow ridge of rocks. Warmer weather had begun melting the remaining snow, forming a small but travelable tunnel beneath the ice. A shaft of light illuminated an exit hole at the opposite end. With no other choice available, I took a deep breath, sang HU, and leapt out into the open space separating me from oblivion.

I had landed just outside the entrance to the tunnel, listening to the echo of rocks and boulders bouncing and thundering down the mountain. With a sigh of relief, I filled my water bottle from a rippled trickle of melting snow and continued crawling on my hands and knees through the icy tunnel to emerge upon a shelf of reddish-yellow rocks backed by a stunning crystal clear sky. Nine hours and forty minutes from the time I had left my car in the parking lot, I stood at the summit of Mt. Hood. I had realized my dream.

Twelve-forty PM

At 11,228 feet, this lone climber sat atop a cathedral in the sky, heart and Soul opened to the wondrous grandeur of a dream realized. Call it wanderlust, call it this, call it that, call it what you will, but I’d never felt more alive or more attuned to the sacredness of all life.

Time stood still as I gazed toward the far horizons. Greater mountains had I to climb. Higher summits had I yet to know. Wrapped in wreaths of divine love, I listened to God’s Voice calling to Soul, Its divine presence heard as Sound and seen as Light.

Reflections 

Insights and lessons from this experience would lead to ever greater heights of achievement, yet, you, too, are climbing your own mountain, seeking summits yet to be realized. Keep on walking. Keep on climbing, keep on trusting. Keep seeing yourself where you’ve always dreamed you wanted to be. You already have what it takes. You always have. Dare to take the next step. It’s what we all came here to do.

Wishing you a fulfilling journey!

____________________

Time stands still as I gaze toward the vanishing horizon.
Wrapped in wreaths of golden silence, I listen 
to the Sound Current.
A song of love calls Soul back home to God.
Other mountains and other summits have I to know
and many a mile yet to go. 

RJ

____________________

RJ McBride is an author, memorialist, novelist, illustrator, cartoonist, and former art instructor. His three books in The Book of Ray series may be found on Amazon:
The Book of Ray, Volumn One: The Early Years: One Man’s Journey through Time and The Book of Ray, Volumn Two: The Middle Years: In Pursuit of Fulfillment. The Book of Ray, Volume Three: A Walk in the Light and Sound: Last Will and Testament; A Time to Remember, A Time to Honor, A Time to Forgive, A Time to Heal.