Morningstar Mythic Landscapes: The Mountain That was God

[Mount Tahoma: The Mountain That was God ]


A unique analysis of the question what is this inner need we humans have for the mountain seen within? distinguishes between the physical act of climbing a mountain versus symbolic climbing. Regardless of whether climbing that mountain is a physical experience or a figurative one, both involve a sort of overcoming, or a finding of oneself. The idea that the stillness and new life brought from this mountain deserves a gift in return; an appreciation or blessing in exchange for what it has brought to the observer/seeker. However the realization is that nothing humanly available could be enough to give to this place in return for the reawakening, and new life that has been granted.

A detailed account of what the universe on this mountain was like and described in intricate detail stating "One could almost hear the roar of growth itself-water being heaved up a hundred feet through the phloem fibers in the trunks of trees, oxygen relentlessly pumped through the stomata of fir leaves and moss blades, a symphony of seedlings insistently extending new roots into the soil below." Lane and Lane hint at the mere scientific detail that comprise this universe on the mountain. A new world. One that humans may enter but not be accustomed to stay in for long. The use of scientific detail points to how God has uniquely crafted all things to serve and glorify Him. This mountain was God and all that created it, from the forest floor to the tree canopies above, bow in reverence to the mighty Creator.


Reference: Lane, B.C. (1998). Landscapes of the Sacred: Geography and Narrative in American Spirituality. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

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