By Michael Avery
Many summers ago, I moved to Denver, Colorado, to work with some friends. The snow arrived early that year, and I decided to return to rainy old Oregon. Before leaving Denver, I followed an inner nudge and drove south to explore Colorado Springs.
I stopped just north of that city to fill up with gas. As I was getting back in my car, Divine Providence stepped in. A large sign caught my attention. It read: “This way to the Garden of the Gods.”
I imagined a quiet stroll through a peaceful botanical gardens. How appropriate considering the stressful job I was leaving—delivering packages in an unfamiliar city pre-GPS days. However, as I pulled into the Garden of the Gods parking lot, I was greeted by several towering rock formations.
Several signs made it crystal clear that climbing the 300′ rocks without proper gear and previous registration was strictly prohibited. This was to prevent overzealous sightseers from attempting to climb the rocks and fall to their deaths. This made perfect sense.
The trouble was, it soon became apparent that I had found this place, not by accident, but by design. My Spiritual Teacher had guided me here so that I might face not one fear, but two. An inner dialogue also revealed that something special awaited me at the summit.
In the Garden of the Gods, I was given the opportunity to confront both my fear of heights and my fear of death. I’ll tell that story another time, but I’d like to share a short verse that came through that evening once back in Denver.
Journal entry written that night:
My adventure in the Garden of the Gods, while memorable, brought no divine revalations, expansions of consciousness, or bliss, only vague premonitions of things to come. Moreover, it had left me with a terrible emptiness. It was an indiscernible longing for someone or something; maybe even somewhere.
This yearning had been buried deep in my consciousness prior to my experience in the Garden of the Gods. Now, it was only a hairbreadth away. I could almost touch it. It excited me. It confounded me. It haunted me. It made me feel like a man living in the wrong time or the wrong place, a stranger in a strange land. Perhaps that was it—I was longing for home.
You Dressed as the Moon
Deep inside there’s a memory
I can’t quite embrace,
a yearning for somewhere
I almost can place,
when we traveled as One
at the start of the play.
You dressed as the moon,
and I dressed the same.
Gloria Lionz
Michael , you are an Incredibly gifted writer. I feel the essence of the longing and recognize it as the universal pull to that which is holy with us all.
Thank you for sharing your story today. And thank you for being so boldly earnest in the telling
Gloria
Sammie Thompson
Well stated, Michael. Thank you for sharing. It calls up my past memories of living one school year in Denver. My Mom and I went to most – if not all – of the many surrounding places of beauty and historical interest. Last winter/spring, en route winding my way back to Oregon, I revisited the Garden of the Gods. It was breathtakingly beautiful – as though I had never seen it before. Seeing it through adult eyes that have weathered several decades of life in-between was a deeply spiritual experience. What I’d imagined would be a short drive through lasted for hours as I stopped to take pictures of every possible scene, including the joy of other visitors also enthralled by this geographical wonder.
Such is the nature of living the spiritual life. The treasures of beauty appear when least expected, elevating the seemingly ordinary into celestial uplifting gifts of Divine Love, tailored to each Soul individually, as best suited to what each one needs in the present moment. Ongoing blessings daily, deeply appreciated.
Michael Avery
Thank you so much, Gloria. You are also a such a writer with so many amazing stories. We would love to hear more! And your poems with their backstories as well.
Michael Avery
Sammie, you’ve had an amazing life and have inspired so many of us to live boldly with trust in Spirit. I wish you could have been with me at the Garden of the Gods. But I probably would have sent you up there on the climb and cheered you on from the ground!
RJ McBride
Thank you most gratefully, Mike. Forever inspired by your adventures into the Light and Sound of God’s wisdom, love and protection. Free climbing such awesome spires without proper equipment, least of all skills and knowledge to undertake such an attempt is something I’ve personally discovered from my own climbing experiences. Yet, as intimated by your apt account, there is a spiritual presence whose always with us; guiding and watching over our pursuits, and although it may seem to some to be a foolhardy attempt on our part, there’s most always a deeper reason behind such endeavors’, often times unrevealed until we take the time to contemplate on our choices. It’s at this point that reason gives way to perception of knowing. In this light, I’m working on several submissions which will be later sent to you–from SOUL to SOUL…(RJ)
Michael Avery
Much appreciated, RJ. You’re a much better climber than I am and more prepared. From your story about climbing, which appeared recently on our blog, I can see that Divine Providence was with us both.
Through waking dreams that day in the Garden of the Gods, I was shown that risk would be involved and was given a choice as to which way I decided to go– up or remain on the ground. Since I didn’t translate that morning, I’m glad I chose to ascend.
Readers love hearing about your insights and experiences, RJ. I’m happy to know that you’ll be sending us more stories!