Mountains and Moonshine
Deepening the Furrows of Our Soul
Yesterday as I drove to my Holy Hour, right after sunset, I was graced with a truly stunning view of the moon, appearing so full, bright, and close to the earth. I was stunned by the sight, and my very first thought was that I must share this beauty with someone else. At first, I considered pulling over, grabbing my phone and trying to capture the beauty. I also thought of the people I knew who lived close by and could see it from the same vantage point. I contemplated calling them and telling them to go outside and see for themselves. Such beauty couldn’t be kept to myself.
But then I paused and recalled that this was a moment given by God to me in the present and that I would miss the beauty of that gift if I spent my time on my phone, taking pictures, texting or calling people instead of just basking in the glory of the gift. My next thought was that in a better, truer, and more natural way I could share the beauty of the moon with others, by in a sense “becoming the moon,” or rather, by allowing the beauty of the moment to pierce and change me in such a way that my interactions with others going forward are colored by the experience I had as I let the moonshine wash over me.
As I continued down the road, I glanced to my right and in the west the sky was illuminated by orange, purple, and pink as the last bits of sunlight reflected off the clouds. The mountains stood tall and imposing, sharply silhouetted against the backdrop of vibrant colors. The sight was otherworldly in the truest sense, for though my mind thought of other planets, real or imagined, the beauty piercing our little world was shining through a door in the wall of the world,1 tugging my heart upward, to Heavenly glory.
The luminous moon to my left and the dramatic mountain silhouette to my right pressed in around me, overwhelming me with awe and gratitude for the day. One breathtaking sight at the end of the day is stunning, but almost expected. Two breathtaking views at once is simply a gratuitous gift from the Lord.
I am so glad that I didn’t pull over and attempt to capture the beauty of the moment with my phone. I have a Wisephone, so the camera quality isn’t very good to begin with. But even if I had the world’s best camera, I am glad to have let the moment slip away into the evening. The moon rose in the sky and the mountains were dipped into darkness as the last vestiges of daylight finally faded away into the night. But the memory remains etched in my mind and upon my heart. Though I didn’t capture an image to share with you, the moment of wonder was impressed upon my mind and became part of my life.
Every single moment each day we engage with the world through our senses and these experiences create furrows in our mind, starting small and deepening over time. Everything we see, hear, smell, taste and touch creates grooves in our memory, carving and shaping our understanding of the world. When we notice the moon for the first time, we are struck with its beauty, but it passes us by unless we continue to return to it, training our eyes to see and our soul to inwardly acknowledge and desire the perceived good.
The words we hear and speak are imprinted upon our minds, causing us to mull over past conversations or absentmindedly sing songs we haven’t heard in years. Often when we encounter something sublime in nature, snatches of words come to mind as we struggle to describe the moment before us.
The ocean recalls to mind “the turbid ebb and flow of human misery.”2
The expansive night sky reminds us “of cloudless climes and starry skies.3
Contemplating all of Creation and the Word, we remember that “We have beheld his glory… plenum gratiae et veritati.”4
Tradition, culture, loyalty, and love are formed by such grooves in our minds. Each marvelous and joyous moment deepens a furrow in our mind, planting seeds for future generations. However, just as beautiful moments become planted within our minds as we interact with the world, so also ugly, abrasive, harsh, foul, and bitter experiences add to the grooves in our soul. Unfortunately, all too often many of these experiences are out of our control. They range in severity and impact from national tragedy, abuse, betrayal, unmet dreams, haunting words and crippling vices to unpleasant sensory experiences like driving through the potent smell of a skunk, discovering a molding lemon in your fridge or stepping on a bee.
Big or little, these negative experiences also add to the fields of our minds and hearts. Considering that much of the experiences I’ve had in my past and will have in my future are out of my control, I am struck with a renewed resolve to be all the more intentional in deciding how to engage with the world around me. I want to make sure to deepen the grooves of beauty and peace, forming habits of humility, forgiveness and appreciation. This can start in obvious ways, like assessing the music, books, film and internet content that I intake and engage with. In today’s culture, these are the starting points where we can make definite and positive changes to control much of the sounds, words, and images that form our minds.
But I think we should expand our consideration and not limit ourselves to forms of information and media when we consider what we allow to enter our minds. It goes without saying that significant discernment should go into our daily conversations, thoughts and habits. However, in addition to the words we hear or speak, we must also be intentional when it comes to all other experiences that we engage in with our senses.
Though practicality, busy schedules and the utilitarian mentality threaten to choke our lives, we must prioritize simple beauty in everyday tasks. Find a beautiful vase for the lovely bunch of flowers. Choose the fancy tea and savor every sip. Season your meals with generous spices, deepening the flavor and letting your home fill with tantalizing smells. Pick out the luxuriously warm and soft yarn to crochet a blanket. Run your hands through the grass as you walk. Feel the bark of the tree trunks. Inhale the incense at church. Listen to the birds sing, the roosters crow, the children laugh. Adorn the walls of your house with beautiful artwork. Light a scented candle. Sing a song instead of listening to the radio. Pour a glass of really delightful wine and delight in it. Read and reread the same passages of scripture. Make homemade bread instead of buying it. Pet your neighbor’s dog. Use a handrail not because you need to, but to feel the smooth wood beneath your hand. Slow down, pause and choose to intake sensory experiences that are worthy of frequent repetition.
At the still point, there the dance is.5
In the midst of our lives, we must remember to allow the repeated moments to deepen the furrows of beauty within our souls. Slowly, we can begin to heal the wounds of a suffering world and restore tradition and culture as experienced through the senses by repeatedly choosing the good, the true and the beautiful in simple things each day.
Peter Kreeft, Doors in the Walls of the World
Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach
Lord Byron, She Walks in Beauty
John 1:14
T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Just as wonderful the second time around. Thank you for re-posting.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Let's take a look at what it means to dwell on these things.