Thank You John Muir

I look outside the window this morning. The craggy mountains, isolated and alone in their watch, stand as sentinels…guardians of the desert. Their weathered and rough faces are stark against the cloudy, soft arid morning.

It’s been many years since visiting this place and so much has happened between then and now. But the constant remains–my dream of exploring Arizona and other places of the west. There is so much beauty to experience and it feels as if I have barely scratched the surface of amazing places of raw, elemental beauty–not just here but in many places.

Allowing my mind to wander I took pen in hand and allowed the words to flow. “Given the resources I would, at this point, begin an exploration of each of the places I have dreamed of experiencing….Yellowstone, Glacier, Hoh, Sonoran, Antelope, Chelly, Yosemite, Sequoia, Redwood, Badlands, Painted…Hawaii, Galapagos…not to acquire stamps on my passport or to fulfill a mental checklist but to really connect with these places and learn from them and the spirits that reside there.

I remember hiking into Canyon de Chelly, in northeast Arizona, during an autumn snowfall and tapping into the strong magic of that place of Anasazi, the ancient Pueblo people. Reflecting back over 25 years ago, I can still hear the tinkling of Navaho sheep bells echoing off the canyon walls and hear the large snowflakes hissing as they touched the red rock walls. I was transported to another dimension where nature and ancient spirits touched me deeply. I still feel its breath upon my soul.

John Muir’s life led him on many explorations and his love of nature and Spirit motivates me to explore, to love deeply these sacred lands, and to step forward when opportunities arise. His pioneering work and determination helped many places of natural beauty and significance find protection against the ever-encroaching human greed. Yosemite, Sequoia and many other places owe a debt of gratitude to his efforts…as do all of us who care about sacred places.

After visiting Yosemite for the first time John Muir had this to say, “I was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling down steep cliff faces to get closer to waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, jumping tirelessly from flower to flower.” “A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.”

And other quotes….”The mountains are calling and I must go.” “God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.”

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.”

Oh, yes John. I get it.

John Muir, if you are listening from the Place Beyond, thank you for being true to your path and for helping those of us who follow you learn what it means to care and love the natural world. Your work lives on.

This place of desert inspires solitude, a deepening of the inner experience of quiet and contemplation. The elemental energies and spirits of nature call me to learn from them and celebrate this amazing planet on which we live, move and have our being.

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If you haven’t read John Muir’s extensive writings and are interested in explorations of our beautiful country and nature, I would highly encourage it. His writing is deeply moving, not just a dry account of his experiences.  There are many books but a couple stand out for me…A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf (1916), My First Summer in the Sierra (1911).