A Gift on the Trail

Is the body really solid?  Of course not.  Everything is vibrating energy.  (If you disagree, find an electron microscope and take a look at your hand).  Is this experience we’re having in physical form real?  Yes, of course it is, but only because this physical dimension is where we place our focus.  But what happens when we move our focus away from the body as one does in meditation?  Then we can experience a different reality.  Yesterday, while hiking far above the town of Banff in Alberta, Canada, I had a mind-expanding experience of what is “real.”


Ty and I chose one of the most popular (and also one of the most difficult) hikes in the area:  the Sulphur Mountain Trail.  The summit offers incomparable views of the jagged peaks of the impressive Canadian Rockies.  To get to the observation tower one can pay $40 each for a round-trip ride on the Banff Gondola or truss up a pair of hiking boots and hit the trail.  We chose the latter option, not to save money (although I’m sure I can find something nice on which to spend that $80 at a gift shop in town), but because we were in the mood for a beautiful, challenging hike.  In the process, I received an unanticipated gift.

From the very start, the steepness of the trail was attention-getting, climbing upwards at a 10.8% grade.  To put this in perspective, highway signs warn truckers when the grade ahead is only 6%!  Right away I noticed something unusual:  my vision was playing tricks on me.  If I gazed far ahead, everything appeared normal, but if I lowered my gaze 45 degrees, the ground beneath me appeared wavy. 

At first it was a bit disconcerting to see the ground flowing like water, but I realized that I wasn’t dizzy and I was walking just fine.  When the unusual illusion persisted, I harkened back to the moment I describe in my new book, “Wolf’s Message,” when Spirit manipulated my field of vision to give me the illusion of a book on a store shelf moving.  They did so to call my attention to that particular book for a reason.  With this memory came the realization that the ground appeared to be flowing under my feet for a reason as well.

I tuned in and asked what I was to learn from this optical illusion.  I immediately sensed that if I would move my focus away from the physical world, I would see just how un-real this so-called reality truly is.  I mentally replied, “Okay then, I surrender all operation of this physical body to higher consciousness and I will focus on Spirit.”  I shifted my awareness higher, just as I do when giving a reading, and I began repeating the Moola Mantra, a set of phrases in Sanskrit which allow one to enter into a space of reverence for the Divine.

Ty and I enjoy hiking mostly in silence, and this silence allowed me to focus on the words of the mantra and to simply be present.  The trail crisscrossed ever higher, ascending through thirty-two switchbacks beneath the direct route of the gondola’s wires overhead.  I could hear myself breathing heavily and rhythmically, but it was as if I were listening to someone else’s breath.  I observed with wonder the feeling of my body being breathed for me. 

Time stopped, as did all discomfort as I focused on the sensations in my mind instead of my body.  Waves of bliss passed through my awareness, causing me to fight the urge to cry tears of joy as I focused on the meaning of the Moola Mantra’s words.  Several times I enjoyed the perception that I would physically float above the dirt and rocks if I could surrender just a bit more.  Instead, I remained grounded, yet oblivious to all physical discomfort. 

Both of us were breathing so heavily that several times Ty turned back and asked, “Are you doing okay?”  Each time I smiled and replied, “Never better.”  At one point, after an hour of steady hiking, we passed directly beneath the gondola.   I followed its trajectory to the top and was astounded at how far and how steep the remaining portion of the trail appeared to be.  Instead of experiencing dread, I remained detached and thought, “Oh, really?  Isn’t that interesting!” as I maintained the unusual state of consciousness that had carried me painlessly to that point.  In response, I heard, “This is coherence … the state of perfect alignment between body and spirit.” 

I knew then that if I were able to focus completely on the spirit side of me, I would indeed enjoy a complete out-of-body experience and possibly drift away.  If I were to focus completely on the body, I would experience the physical discomfort of fatigue, muscle aches, and breathlessness.  Instead, having received this special gift of expanded awareness, I remained aware of both worlds.  This balanced state allowed me to enjoy the physical beauty of the trail, the mountains, and the presence of my soulmate and all of Nature around me, along with a far deeper appreciation for the non-physical nature of All That Is.

 

We arrived at the summit after an hour and a half of uphill climbing, which to me felt no more than ten minutes.  Instead of being tired, I felt energized and bounded up the stairs from the gondola platform to an observation tower a quarter-mile beyond the trail’s end.  From there we enjoyed the fruits of our climb:  360-degree views of God’s glory, but the gift to me went far beyond what we could see with our physical eyes.  I had been gifted with a new way of seeing reality, and the tangible experience that where we place our focus is what we experience.  It is true that our physical aches become greater when we focus upon them, as do our emotional pains.  If we remember that we are far more than our physical and emotional bodies and shift our awareness to our higher selves, our experience changes.

The Moola Mantra is a celebration of the Divine, containing within its words the repetition of the powerful words sat-chit-ananda:  truth-consciousness-bliss.  The truth is that All That Is is Consciousness that flows like water.  When we can internalize this Truth and realize that we are all aspects of the Love that is our Source—one with all of Nature—the result is the bliss of pure Being. 

*  * *

The Moola Mantra*:

Om Sat Chit Ananda Parabrahma
Purushothama Paramatma
Sri Bhagavathi Sametha
Sri Bhagavathe Namaha

Translation (credited to Felicity Barrington of Canada):

- We call on the highest energy of all that is, the formless Consciousness of the Universe, pure love, bliss and joy
- Who has incarnated in human form to help guide mankind; who comes to me in my heart and becomes my inner voice whenever I ask;
- The divine mother, the power aspect of creation, together with
- The Father of creation which is unchangeable and permanent; I thank you and acknowledge this Presence in my life.

*For a beautiful musical rendition of this mantra, listen to Deva Premal's version online.