Lookinglass Lake–The Intimate Whispers of the Cosmos: A Journey Towards Universal Consciousness

We need a real awakening, enlightenment, to change our way of thinking and seeing things. To breathe in and be aware of your body and look deeply into it, realize you are the Earth and your consciousness is also the consciousness of the Earth.”  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

So what might a personal experience of a Universal Ground look and feel like?  Keep in mind that mystics and saints, and electricians, each have their own unique experience and representation of their personal experience of our ground of being. My experience in 1992 at Lookinglass Lake, in the Mt Adams wilderness area is one possibility for the direct experience of “Ground”.

Lookinglass Lake, Mt. Adams, Aug 1992

I awoke one morning during the summer of 1992, and finished preparing to leave on a weekend hiking and camping trip with Sharon, up to the Mt. Adams Wilderness Area.  We were planning to backpack into Lookinglass Lake, about a ten mile hike one way.

My senses were somehow heightened, and I felt as though I could see and hear better than I was accustomed to.  Food tasted better, the air carried many more scents, and my entire body felt alive with vitality, and sensation, well beyond what I was accustomed to experiencing in my day to day life.  I had to work that day, so I ignored my “extra sensory perception” for most of the work day, though I remained excited about joining with my beloved partner Sharon on the  hike.

Our drive took longer than expected, and we arrived in the Mt Adams Wilderness area too late to reach the developed campground we wanted to use as a basecamp, so we parked for the night in a snow park area, and set up our tent to shelter for the evening.  We sat outside of the tent, and I began to experience, in its fullness, that “extrasensory perception” yet again, but much more profoundly this time. It was as if I had sensory receptors in the dirt, the sky, and the trees.  It was as if I had grown roots, so to speak. I not only could see the ground all around us, and the beautiful trees, and the sky, I could FEEL the ground, and it was as if I extended all the way through everywhere that I could see.  It was the experience, in a new form, of “all that I can see is myself”.  It was like I was “hearing” and “seeing” and “feeling” for all of nature that surrounded us, and it was a profound mystical, transcendental event.

We finally lay down for the evening in our tent, and though I was still quite profoundly experiencing this event, I was able to fall asleep beside my beloved.  Shortly afterward, I awoke to a great light enveloping our tent, and I arose to go outside to see what was happening.  In the sky appeared a Great Light, and the entire surrounding area was bathed in a light that totally eliminated all shadows, even though it was near midnight!  I awoke Sharon, who rose to witness the light.  To this day, I have no clue if the light is associated with my “heightened mystic awareness”, or if it was just a coincidence that a UFO would awaken us to bathe us in its radiance.

After we returned home, I told my mother about the light, and she reported that the week before, a mysterious light in the Mt Adams wilderness area was also reported in the Oregonian newspaper,, so who knows what was happening there?

There is only One Creator.  There is no reason that we cannot be attuned with ALL OF ITS CREATIONS, including all willing members of the human, animal, plant, geological, and, uh, “alien” races..

When we touch our Self with deep awareness, we touch everything

Mother Earth is fully conscious, in a way we do not yet fully understand, yet, we can all eventually  resonate with Her. . . .

I have touched our Mother Earth with the deepest of awareness.

I love and treasure our Mother Earth.

How about you?

Looking back at my life’s history, I remain immersed in the light of its Mystery.

In the hushed solace of meditation, amid the harmonized chants of prayer, and within the cathartic silence of contemplation, lies a mystical door ajar—beckoning us to experiences that transcend our empirical grasp. I propose a stance that may be considered radical by some and revelatory by others; it is the belief that through dedicated practices such as meditation, prayer, and contemplation, one can indeed tune into the consciousness of Mother Earth and the broader tapestry of the Universe.

Our mundane interactions with the world are frequently limited by sensory perceptions bound to the tangible, leaving us desensitized to the profound interconnectedness of existence. We’ve become estranged from the language of the cosmos, a dialect that doesn’t rely on words but on the ineffable communion of energy and spirit. But what if we could recover this lost dialect? What if, through introspective precision and disciplined spiritual exercises, we could peel the veil and gaze into the unifying essence that clandestinely orchestrates life’s symphony?

Those skeptical of extra-sensory perception argue from a purely materialistic viewpoint, where seeing is equated with believing. However, there exists a plethora of anecdotal and recorded experiences throughout human history, hinting at a possibility that our individual consciousness is but a single note in a grand cosmic score. Mystics, shamans, sages, and ordinary individuals have all, at times, reported a profound sensation of unity—a blissful merger with the environment, with other beings, and with the universe at large.

Meditation serves as a vessel in this explorative voyage into consciousness. It undocks us from the noisy harbor of daily distractions and sails us into the deeper waters of heightened perception. Through breath and focused intention, the meditator can gradually disengage from personal ego and merge with a greater, boundless awareness—one that resonates with the pulse of the planet and the stars.

Prayer, irrespective of religious philosophy, creates a sacred interface—a hotline to the divine. Those who have engaged in deep, fervent prayer talk of moments when they become more than just a solitary voice; they become part of a chorus—a universal supplication that undulates with a pure love for all existence.

Contemplation is the mirror reflecting the self back upon itself until all separateness dissolves. It dares us to gaze long enough to realize that our reflection is not confined to the mirror’s edge but extends into the expanses of all creation.

Mainstream science begins to parallel these mystical assertions with concepts like quantum entanglement and the theory of a participatory universe, although cautiously. While direct empirical evidence of shared consciousness remains elusive, these scientific parallels give credence to the idea that there may be realms of knowledge we are just brushing with the fingertips of our current understanding.

The perspective I advocate is an invitation—an invitation to open our internal eyes to the possibility of a connection far more intimate and far-reaching than our conscious minds can typically comprehend. It suggests that the universe, in its immeasurable wisdom and radiant splendor, is conscious in ways we can sense if we allow ourselves the vulnerability of deep spiritual encounter.

The call of the mystical isn’t just the domain of the ancients or the fodder for new-age optimism. It’s the persistent whisper in every heart that seeks unity in the majesty that is the universe. It is a beckoning to join in the dance—that grand, enigmatic ballet of existence in which we are not merely spectators, but participants—flesh and spirit woven into the fabric of an aware and living cosmos.


Bruce

Presently, I am 67 years old, and I am learning how to live the life of a retired person. I am married to Sharon White, a retired hospice nurse, and writer. Whose Death Is It Anyway-A Hospice Nurse Remembers Sharon is a wonderful friend and life partner of nearly 30 years. We have three grandsons through two of Sharon's children. I am not a published writer or poet. My writings are part of my new life in retirement. I have recently created a blog, and I began filling it up with my writings on matters of recovery and spirituality. I saw that my blog contained enough material for a book, so that is now my new intention, to publish a book, if only so that my grandsons can get to know who their grandfather really was, once I am gone. The title for my first book will be: Penetrating The Conspiracy Of Silence, or, How I Lived Beyond My Expiration Date I have since written 7 more books, all of which are now posted on this site. I have no plans to publish any of them, as their material is not of general interest, and would not generate enough income to justify costs. I have taken a deep look at life, and written extensively about it from a unique and rarely communicated perspective. Some of my writing is from 2016 on to the present moment. Other writing covers the time prior to 1987 when I was a boy, then an addict and alcoholic, with my subsequent recovery experience, and search for "Truth". Others are about my more recent experiences around the subjects of death, dying, and transformation, and friends and family having the most challenging of life's experiences. There are also writings derived from my personal involvement with and insight into toxic masculinity, toxic religion, toxic capitalism, and all of their intersections with our leadere. These topics will not be a draw for all people, as such personal and/or cultural toxicities tends to get ignored, overlooked, or "normalized" by those with little time for insight, introspection, or interest in other people's points of view on these troubling issues. There also will be a couple of writings/musings about "GOD", but I try to limit that kind of verbal gymnastics, because it is like chasing a sunbeam with a flashlight. Yes, my books are non-fiction, and are not good reading for anybody seeking to escape and be entertained. Some of the writings are spiritual, philosophical and intellectual in nature, and some descend the depths into the darkest recesses of the human mind. I have included a full cross section of all of my thoughts and feelings. It is a classic "over-share", and I have no shame in doing so. A Master Teacher once spoke to me, and said "no teacher shall effect your salvation, you must work it out for yourself". "Follow new paths of consciousness by letting go of all of the mental concepts and controls of your past". This writing represents my personal work towards that ultimate end.

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