Landscapes of the Sacred: The Mountain That Was God

Tahoma is a great mountain above the Puget Sound. Belden Lane went to see this mountain, along with his wife, with no intention of it becoming a spiritual journey. However, through the process to get to there, Belden and his wife slowed down and began to take notice of the details. They stopped multiple times to observe the waterfalls, listen to melting snow, and interact with the wildlife. On one of the last stops, Belden felt he had entered the sacred place and went further into the forest to observe. He felt overwhelmed by the silence and beauty of it all and wanted to give thanks. He states that he realized, “how deep [his] human poverty was” (Lane, 95) and instead of leaving a physical gift, he blesses each tree. Belden and his wife didn’t except to stumble across a spiritual journey, but with the history of the mountain, it seems impossible to avoid. It’s interesting how something as ordinary as a mountain can impact so many people and how through these different experiences a common mountain became known as “The Mountain That Was God.”

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