And spirituality

incarnation of the Earth spirit and home to Goddess Sengen Sema.

Recently I visited the Phnom Kulen mountain in Cambodia where there are a thousand Shiv lingas floating in a river — a sight to behold amid the waterfalls and lush green vegetation when the river is not dry. With their beauty, silence, pristine air and sheer location, mountains are the ideal spots for meditation, reflection and contemplation. Small wonder therefore that sages retreated to mountain caves for precisely this purpose.

In Christianity and Islam too mountains hold a special place by virtue of their being the site of revelations and miracles. Mount Tabor was where Jesus was revealed to be the son of God while Mohammed is said to have received his first revelation on Mount Hira. As for mountains being witness to miracles, Mount Carmel was where a little cloud rose, grew and replenished the land with copious rain after a prolonged drought and when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah a ram was providentially substituted by divine intervention.

Several people worship mountain spirits to ask for blessings, protection for the dead buried there or for the boon of fertility. Rituals such as fire festivals, spiritual healing and other ceremonies are held atop mountain peaks.

Whenever we city folk and town dwellers are worn down in body, mind and spirit, it is perhaps worth the effort to turn to mountains for inspiration and rejuvenation and a fresh perspective on life.

The writer is a spiritual and tarot card reader