Musical spirit in the mountains.

Musical spirit in the mountains.

The people of “old” often associated God with mountains. I remember growing up with the sight of Armageddon from my window. The teacher told us that this was where the final battle between good and evil is destined to take place. It was not much of a mountain from our Canadian point of view, but in Israel, it was called a mountain.

My earliest memory is from the time I was three years old and people celebrated fifty years of manned flight. 1903 incidentally was also the year of the Frank Slide. In the fifties, we still used to go outside when we heard an airplane and the kids waved at the pilot.  Soon after, Dad called me out one day to see the first jet and it was awesome. Man conquered new heights and speed.

By the time I went to school humans went to space. People were glued to the radios and cheered when the Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin returned from space alive. We cheered again when the American Astronaut John Glenn orbited the earth and landed safely. In grade three I looked up at the moon trying to see the Americans walk on the moon. It looked the same. Now I see people building Highrise buildings taller than mount Megiddo, (Armageddon) which was visible from my childhood window.

I have always been feeling a special closeness to God when I am in the mountains. The stories from the Bible come to mind. Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments. A Google search reveals over five hundred places where mountains are mentioned in the Bible. The one I seem to remember is the Transfiguration. The apostles were made aware that there was something unnatural about Yeshua whom they were following. Today we assume that it is Mount Tabor. The basic concentrated teachings of Christ are taught as the “sermon on the Mountain”.

 We can’t forget Mount Olympus in Greece, Mount Etna in Italy, and Mount Kailash in Nepal where the deity Shiva resides according to stories. There are holy mountains on every continent and all the religions which I am aware of have some stories involving mountains. There are also many reasons for people believing that mountains have a strong relationship with that which is sacred. Perhaps the main reason is that we feel something spiritual amongst mountains, but not everyone does.

I was thinking the other day about some success stories from the Crowsnest Pass. It was stimulated by the Music Festival organized by some blessed individual or individuals. There are a few examples of groups doing a lot of good community work in arts, sports, and entertainment. We have trail rides, running competitions and a rodeo sprinkled with swim meets and other sports competitions. There are choral and symphony performances and theatre productions. Of course, the one big example that people in Calgary are still asking me about was our Thunder In The Valley. Aside from our stories from the turn of the century and the great fire, that placed us on the map.

What do you think about having a big musical event where religious groups, choirs, and gospel singers could compete for first place in performing spiritual music? It could be hymns or even modern Christian music. We are surrounded by unique religions who often perform great music. It could include just western Alberta or even western Canada. It could be like The Big Valley Jamboree In Camrose but aimed at spirituality in the mountains.

We have people who know how to organize events. We can provide a field for a faith-oriented musical Festival and parking and busses can be available. There is space for camping and the acoustics are incredible. Mountains are great for music. Above all, we have a business-oriented leadership (Council) who knows how to get things done.

The coronavirus will come and go, and the world economy will probably suffer a setback. In short, those who are ready with projects and ideas will be first to get back on track. A small more localized test event could begin on short notice with the aim of a big event the year after. People will be hungry for good news and will look for excitement close to home. Albert Einstein said that imagination is superior to knowledge. He was right about most things.

I don’t know about most of you but I would love to see the Crowsnest Pass become a destination and be on the national news in a positive way. We live in the mountains, which are a spiritual space. That is if you ignore Geology, natural resources, and political affiliations. Only look at the natural beauty, the stars at night and the nature of the inhabitants, us.

If we drew a circle on the map around the Pass, we will find a wide variety of spiritual groups and music brings people together. I was able to find on the “Net” wonderful Hutterite singers, Indigenous spiritual music, Later Day Saints choirs, and old hymns to compete with Charismatic music. I think that there is untapped potential here for people with vision.

Being a canoeist, I believe it's best to go with the stream in the direction that the river flows. 

Bottom Lounge

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