Mountains

They have stood since long before us, and they will stand long after. Mountains are the high country of the world, where the rock reaches up into thin bright air and the rivers are born. Snow gathers on the peaks and becomes the streams that feed whole continents far below. The eagle turns on the wind. The wildflowers bloom in a brief alpine summer. The forests climb the slopes as far as they can go, then give way to bare stone and sky. To stand among mountains is to feel, all at once, how small a moment you are, and how welcome in it.

Something in us rises to meet them. People have always climbed to high places to pray, to see farther, to stand a little closer to whatever they hold sacred, and they come down changed. The mountain asks for stillness and gives back a wider view. To pray for the mountains is to reach toward something ancient and enduring beyond you, and to find, in the same breath, that it steadies something deep within you too.

So lift your eyes to the high country a while, today and tomorrow and the day after. See the peaks white with clean snow, the slopes green and forested, the streams running pure from the heights. Offer them what you offer all you love: a wish for their health, their strength, their high and lasting thriving. Let this be your prayer for the mountains, in your own words and your own tongue. The truest ones are already rising in you, steady as stone.

Guidelines for eco-prayer and good will intention featuring a pair of hands holding a small globe of the Earth against a starry sky background with the Ocean below. The text encourages choosing places, plants, or animals to love and praying daily with positive intentions for those and supporting the entire ecosystem.

Snow-capped mountain range during daytime with a cloudy sky and a foreground of yellow shrubbery.

Snow-capped mountains with rocky peaks illuminated by the setting or rising sun, against a clear sky.

A mountain goat climbing on the rocky edge of a mountain with blue sky and clouds in the background.

A marmot lying on a rocky surface with large rocks in the background.

Snow-capped mountains in the background with a valley and green forest in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.

Lupine flowers in a meadow with mountains and cloudy sky in the background.

A panoramic view of rugged mountain peaks during sunset with a sky featuring purple and pink hues.

A person standing on rocky terrain in front of a snow-covered mountain range, with the sky above clear and blue.

Mountain range with rocky peaks illuminated by the setting or rising sun, with a clear blue sky and a parking lot with cars at the base.

Green grassy field with trees and a mountain in the background, partially covered by fog or low clouds.

Snow-capped mountains under a blue sky with pink and white clouds

Large granite cliffs with trees at their base under a clear blue sky, possibly in a national park.

The images here are to help you connect with the Ecosystem. For Additional Photo Resources Visit the Eco-Prayer Resources Page

An Eco-Prayer for the Mountains

Cliff and cornice snow melting into rivers. Inner volcano fire burning earth to ash. Tall form drawing eyes upward to inspiration and goal.

Yak, marmot, condor and pine growing in the heights.

The four directions have a fifth. This is the vertical. Or is it the within? Vertical heavens or interior depths? Above makes below and below makes above. High vision is deepened in the valley. Where is the door to this wonder?

What high inspiration calls you to Eco-Prayer and Good Will?