‘The mountain that stands in front of you is the calling of your life, your purpose for being here, and your path finally made clear … In the end, it is not the mountain that you must master, but yourself.’ ~ Brianna Wiest, The Mountain Is You

The Four Symbols of Nature

Nature generates and regenerates because of a simple, yet complexly rich cycle. Simple, because it is easy to follow, and complex and rich because of all the varying combinations of elements that flow through the cycle. When the ideas for the book ‘Ace Egos’ first hit me around three months ago (early April), it started as a re-emergence of a detailed philosophy and appreciation for the way a human walks life. This philosophy was something I was working on ten years ago, but set it aside. Luckily enough, during this download of ideas in April, the ideas of nature and its cycles were able to fit into my world of ‘Ace Egos’ in a seamless way. So, those ten years in between have given me an invaluable understanding to complete the book.

Basically, the Four Symbols of Nature in the book will be:

1. Sun: helps give energy to everything.
2. Mountain: helps shape the earth, and encourages biodiversity.
3. River: transports organic matter to (or return them to) neighbouring locations.
4. Ocean: the enriching of life, and holds the rhythms of life in its gentle sway.

You can see these four symbols in this logo, represented by the circle, triangle, eye, and two wavy lines, respectively.

Of course, there are other major contributing factors to the cycles of nature, but these four fit nicely into my philosophy. It became more clear to me as I saw that First Nations peoples, custodians of the earth, help Mother Nature keep its balance by honouring these four major contributors to the cycle.

Mountain - An ‘Aboveland’ Journey

It feels important for me to share some thoughts about the ‘Mountain’ symbol first. We are so enamoured with the journey where we ‘conquer’ the mountain. It has been written about many times; how the mountain is a metaphor for our journey within, scaling the almost insurmountable challenges of our ‘inherited’ or ‘self-imposed’ limitations. Limitations? Is not going in one-direction only, with no option for failure, a limitation?

I’d like to say that it is also a journey of incredible wonder, where every step is worth rejoicing in. And it’s not always about ‘up,’ ‘over,’ or ‘through’. One can ascend the heights of the mountain at their own pace. They can go back down. They can go half-way. Venture around the perimeter. They can drift off on a tangent; and play in a field, or swim in a lagoon beneath a waterfall, rest in a forest, spend endless amounts of time amongst the trees and the birds. Watching and listening.

Why do we always have to be struggling up the mountain, and supposed to be ‘making progress?’ The journey is the destination, right? Take it easy on yourself. Breathe. Notice what is around. There is nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to be. If we could watch a movie of our journey, and be invested in the journey; through every step, every turn, every observation, we would marvel at the exquisiteness that is in every frame.

Regardless of whether we have a purpose, a mission, or a point to prove, the difference is in where we place our minds. If we stay present, we can fly. We can journey ‘Aboveland’ while also on the ground, no matter how entrenched in it we are.

Mountain - Finding the Richness Within

The idea of being present, or being ‘above,’ to most of us might sound a little lofty. How about I propose something a bit more immediate, and grounding? While we spend so much time struggling up, over, and around the mountain, or even flying ‘above’ it, have we stopped to think that the place we are trying to seek will never fulfil us as much as the richness that is already within us? That inside the mountain, inside you, is an immeasurable richness. Yes, you are graceful, you are dynamic, you are movement. Yet, the unmovable, unshakeable, nucleus of who you are is always with you. Wherever you go, it is there. You don’t have to travel to faraway lands. You don’t have to undergo arduous trials. You just have to look and see that, to yourself, you are unique, brilliant, multi-faceted, and always full of surprises. And for that, you are deserving of love. From yourself. Receive that loving embrace from the inside out. And smile. Therein lies your treasure.