A String of "Holy Instants"

It all finally made sense here in this heavenly, God-Awesome place called Tungnath. The unmistakable Power and Presence of God in these holiest of holy mountains has to be experienced intimately and personally. When you are so high up there, it is very easy to believe in the existence of God.  There is only God.  There is no opposing power called evil.  The concept of evil is a myth, the all time most believed illusion, and the lie that most of us are mesmerized by. Let the question then, "Who are You God. And Who Am I?" be the burning flame in my heart till it becomes the answer that awakens me fully to this simple but the most deepest and profound Truth. 

According to Wikipedia, Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world and is one of the five and the highest Panch Kedar temples located in the mountain range of Tunganath in Rudraprayag district, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.  The Tunganath (literal meaning: Lord of the peaks) mountains form the Mandakini and Alaknanda river valleys. Located at an altitude of 3,680 m (12,073 ft), and just below the peak of Chandrashila, Tungnath temple is the highest Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is believed to be 1000 years old. It has a rich legend linked to the Pandavas, heroes of the Mahabharata epic.

Lord Shiva holds a mighty big place in my heart.This incredible Yogi-God mystifies me. When I am in the mountains I can feel "Him" in the very air we breathe and in the rocks, earth, boulders, mountains, rivers, etc. When travelling up the mountains, the only thing in my mind as I look down at the ground far far below and the mountains high above us, is His Image and His mantra, because there is terror as well as an assurance in my heart as we travel upwards. It is just like the spiritual journey.

A verse from The Bible "But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it" came to mind briefly. The perils of travelling up mountain trails are always risky and yet we are drawn so strongly to The Divine Presence that we forget our fears in our high state of happiness. I also could'nt help wondering about my two girlfriends who joined me on this journey.  We had not met in years.  My two friends did not know each other nor did they know the others too well in the group. I was the common link between everyone. But everyone bonded seamlessly like old friends. Surely there is a design and a calling to all the events that take place in our lives? ... or else why would people from different parts of the country be drawn together at a particular time and moment in space to make a journey together most of us in the group never ever thought we would do together?? Like my friend Sally said "I cannot imagine taking a journey like this with any of the other friends I have now at present.  The question would never arise".

Looking back now I am reminded of a wonderful quote from "A Course In Miracles" called The Holy Instant. It describes the "Holy Instant" as:

"The holy instant is a miniature of eternity. 

It is a picture of timelessness, set in a frame of time."

How mystic indeed!  Who are You God? And Who Am I? The more I ask, the more the question owns me.

Sacred and holy places always take us on a journey to other spiritual realms. The vibrational energies are so high and pure in these mountains, you can only gaze up at the heavens in awe and feel completely and totally humbled with the experiences.  They act and serve as huge reminders of our place in the world and in the universe.  They nudge us deeper into ourselves and we automatically begin to birth a desire for a life that has mystery, miracles and mystic on a daily basis.  For me, it has awakened in me a determination to take bigger and bigger leaps of faith.  It has enabled me to decide to "SEE" Life neutrally, with no agenda ... to ask for the Grace to dare ask God, like St. Francis of Assissi used to ask in his nightly meditations:

Who are You God? And Who Am I?

Whatever the question,
there is ONLY PRESENCE,
there is ONLY BEING,
there is ONLY DIVINITY.

The question Who are you, God? And who am I? will answer Itself as I wake up wider and wider.

And so it is.

~ Lavina ~