Invitation to the Wilderness




Elegant Solitary
Picture by Frank Francis

The Call of the Wild

' I will call you out into the wilderness and there I will speak to you'

Jewish Scripture

Throughout time people have always been attracted to the wilderness, whether it be the great deserts , the high mountains or the woods and forests. Solitude, aloneness and the great expanses of nature have an inherent and natural attraction.

What are some of the 'roots' of this attraction to silence,solitude and the wilderness ? I feel that there are some clues in the experiences of people throughout time and in different cultures and settings.If we look at the great cultures and Spiritual Traditions we can begin to see how these are rooted in both Holy People  , wise men and women, and in certain places; such as mountains, caves, deserts, forests, rivers etc. 



The Himalayas - the home of the Gods



One of the oldest and richest source of spiritual teaching is the Vedic Tradition of Northern India. Here in pre-vedic times the ancient peoples looked up in awe at the vast expanse of the Himalayas. These stretch for over a thousand miles across the northern part of the sub-continent.

I well remember my time spent at the Jeevan Dhara Ahram in Northern India. I went the there with my wife and  others members of the International Satsang Association, to spend time with Ishpriya Mataji in a place that she helped found and also a place that had nurtured her spiritual journey. The Ashram is set high up in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Whilst we were there, each  mornings we arose before dawn to sit looking up at the snow capped mountains and await the sunrise. At sunrise a wonderful and awesome experience occurred. As the sun rose over the Himalayas, it spread a sheet of gold across the snow covered great peaks. From far to the East and stretching West across the great expanse of the Himalayas, we watched the sun as it lit up the mountain peaks. It was as if  a vast golden sheet of silk was spread across the mountains. It was a sight I will never forget.  Consequently, I can well imagine how and why the ancient Rishis, Sages and Sannyassins in India looked up at the Great Himalayas and imagined that these must be the home of the Unknowable Spirit.

Gangotri-
The Source of the Ganges

Mata Ganga   So in the Vedic Times people began to revere the great rivers that flowed out of the Himalayas. One of the greatest of these is these is the Ganges. Mata Ganga( Mother Ganges) is the most sacred river of the Hindus.  Although it has many sources, the one most acknowledged by Hindus is near Gangotri, about 14,000 feet up , where a great glacier feeds the source. Here for thousands of years Holy Men and Women have lived in this place of solitude and silence.





The Ganges North of Muni Kereti - near Rishikesh

And so the Ganges begins its long Journey through the foothills of the Himalayas until it enters the great plain of North India. It exits the mountains just north of Rishikesh, the place of the Rishis. Here near Muni Kereti is reputed to be a place where the  ' Silent Ones' meditated in solitudes along the banks of the sacred river. I have sat, with my wife, near this place for many evenings and watched the sunset and the light of the evening Aarti shine out from the Temple on the far side of the river. These are sacred and holy places, places where one senses the presence of the Holy.

It was from such places that the sages of India began to compose the Vedas - a rich source of Universal Wisdom and one that has given great wisdom and riches to all the spiritual traditions. It was from these places and roots that the great richness of Indian Spirituality sprang forth. It gave to the world the wisdom of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the great tale of the Bhagavad Gita, a tale of the fight between good and evil. From these scriptures  and the lived experience of the holy men and women , we received the teachings of Advaita - non-dualism. This reveals to us the insight that the Mystery, which is Ultimate Reality cannot be named or known fully but paradoxically can be experienced in the Cave of the Heart. It has given us ideas such as Unity Consciousness and great the Sadhana ( Spiritual Practice) of Meditation  and Mindful Awareness. It has also given us the great Sadhana of Ashtanga Yoga.

Out of this great tradition sprang Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and latterly Sikhism. Arguably, the mystics of India who sought solitude and silence and who answered the 'call of the wilderness' have left us one of the greatest and richest treasure trove of  spiritual wisdom the world has ever known

The Desert Traditions

The Wilderness

In the great Western Traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the wilderness places are the deserts and dry lands This is where the great prophets of ancient Israel and  latterly, John the Baptist  and Jesus went out into to gain spiritual wisdom and consolation. It was from these places of silence and solitude that they 'honed' the message and teachings that they then delivered to the people. Silence, solitude and the harsh beauty of nature can be great teachers .

I of oneness with the elements. This, like my experience in the Himalayas, remains as an important milestone and memory on my spiritual journey.

Great Saudi Arabian Desert

In Islam, Mohammed( Peace be upon him) the great prophet found spiritual wisdom and great insight in the great  Saudi Desert. It was here that  he received the message from God. This is written down in that most sacred of Islamic books, the Q'uran. From this setting, Mohammed went on to lay the great foundations and spiritual tradition of Islam.

So we can see that many of the traditions both speak of and recognise the importance of the wilderness. But the Mystics remind us that this use  of 'wilderness' in spiritual teaching is symbolic. This is a point often made by Ishpria, the spiritual guide of the International Satsang Association ISA) . Part of the Daily Rhythm at the  ISA Sadhana Ashram at Die Quelle is a daily Pravachan from Ishpriya. Her teaching focuses on the Contemplative Path or Tradition and its many roots. One of these roots is our inherent attraction to the wilderness. This is an interior attraction, a call from our innermost self. But what can this be about?



The Wilderness - a Thin Place

Well, as Ishpriya and other Teachers often remind us, the 'wilderness' is symbolic.  The wildernesses of our planet are places where human interference is at its lowest and thus they are places where natural growth can take place. They are places where nature creates what my Celtic Tradition calls ' Thin Places'     These 'thin places' are so called because they seem to help the sacred to break through into our normal day-to-day world. Thus they are places where we can all sit and 'just be' . And in 'being' we can  more keenly  observe, reflect and learn clearly about life in all  its fullness. Those of us currently on the Journey can learn a lot from this wisdom


The important lessons I, like many others , can learn from this is to   find  places and times to STOP , PAUSE and OBSERVE  and the examine  what grows naturally in my life. This can help to identify and realise what grows naturally in life and thus what  has real value. It is , as Ishpriya reminds us, 'about focusing on what is essential'


Modern psychology  emphasises the concept of Life Stages. These are important stages in our life when either physically, emotionally, cognitively or spiritually we are challenged and faced with choices. At such moments, particularly on the spiritual journey, we need to choose with discernment and wisdom. This is something I have battled with and reflected on during my life. . I am by nature and personality very impulsive. I tend to get drawn into the pressures and business of life. I get involved and can, at times, be creative and intuitive. However, this mix of intuition and impulse can be counter-productive.  


Throughout my life I have struggled to balance these seemingly opposite forces and tendencies. So I have found this quote from Ishpriya helpful ' Hurry and speed are not the same thing '  Her wisdom , which coincides with the wisdom of the spiritual masters, reaffirms the importance of balancing our life with times of STILLNESS and MOVEMENT. This is where the practice of Mindful Awareness is so effective and important. Mindfulness can help us develop the gift of Inner Stillness regardless of our Outer Movement. This on-going and life long practice of mindful awareness helps to keep me alive and awake to this 'inner invitation to the wilderness' .  This inner invitation   reminds me of  that famous quote from the Jewish Scripture ' O That today you would listen to my Voice '  

In the Hindu scriptures this is likened , in the Upanishads, to  the ' Little Flame that burns in the heart'.   Now  in Eastern Spirituality 'the heart' is a symbol. It really refers to a 'Heart of Awareness' . It is a place where, as the quote from the Jewish Scriptures reminds us, we can listen to that 'Inner Voice' ,  the voice where Spirit speaks to spirit. Where the essential questions are posed and in the silence the quiet answers rise up within.


Many of the Teachers remind us that this Mystery, this Ultimate Reality ( God by whatever name) calls to each of us in the depth of our being. However, we must be awake to this call. Ishpriya , in one of her talks reminds us that this Mystery is often seen as a Lover. She referred to that famous passage from the Jewish Scriptures, where God calls on us like a Lover and tries to 'lure' us into a deeper relationship. An excellent example of this can be read in the Song of Solomon ( Song of Songs) Chapter 5 Verses 1-6. In the night the lover ( God) comes in the night but the beloved is reluctant to get up and let the lover in. She gives excuses but eventually  when she relents and opens the door, the lover has gone!


LOVER
Come into my garden , my sister, my promised bride. 
I gather my myrrh and balsam, eat my honey
Drink wine and milk
Eat my friends , drink deep my dearest friend


BELOVED
I sleep, but my heart is awake, I hear my love knocking


LOVER
Open to me my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is wet with dew, my hair with the drops of night


BELOVED
I have taken off my robe—  must I put it on again? 

I have washed my feet—  must I soil them again? 

My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him. 

I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the bolt.

My heart sank at his departure.I looked for him but did not find him. 
I called him but he did not answer.
I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone.

One of the main messages from the quotation above, is our human tendency to resist the call, to resist change and to make a series of 'lame excuses' .  This is clearly shown in the behaviour of the Beloved and when she eventually decides to get up and attend to her Lover, the Lover has gone!


What can we learn from all this, from ancient mystics and poetical scripture readings? Well, it seems to me that we need to stay wide awake on the journey. We need to listen to the invitation of the wilderness .More importantly, the message of the Song of Songs is surely this : When we receive the invitation ( from the Mystery) , then we need to act on it.  Don't wait to be lured . Beware of using feeble excuses, otherwise when we get up to open the door, the Mystery may have moved on !