Pause and Seek the Wisdom of Life
I first learned about rock cairns when I was on a backpacking wilderness retreat almost 30 years ago in the mountains of British Columbia. I was hiking in an area and altitude of the mountains where the trails melded into the jagged landscape of the mountain tops. This rocky landscape taught me a lot about the need to pause and be intentional in seeking the insights of life.
Rock Cairns
Rock cairns are used to help guide you through unfamiliar terrain. They are piles of rock put together by humans to serve as trail markers for hiking above the tree line in the mountains. The purpose of the cairns is to help you see the trail and find your way by hiking from one cairn to the other.
When you hike and come upon a cairn, you stop and get your bearings, then look around for the next cairn. You do not start hiking again until you know where the next cairn is. Once you find it, then you trace your way back to where you are and begin hiking towards the next cairn. The goal is to keep a line of sight from one cairn to the next and follow that line as much as possible. Repeat the process when you get to the next cairn or until you land back on the hiking trail.
The Landscape of Breathing Space
I remember hiking above the tree line during that wilderness retreat and following a trail via the rock cairns. The cairns force you to take your time when hiking. You need to stop at the cairn, pause, and then take your time focusing across the landscape until you find the next cairn. Hiking this way is a deliberate process, meant to keep you safe and minimizes the chances of getting lost.
Cairns are a reminder to pause and to be mindful of your surroundings. Pause and take in the landscape, both with your eyes and with your heart. Allow the insights to emerge from both the line of sight and within you. Allow this wisdom to guide your way to the next marker along your path in life.
What do you seek? What insights are you learning in those moments of pausing to find your way? Keep learning. Keep discovering. Be always seeking. Remember to pause and get your bearings, then keep hiking toward those insights.
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