“For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious worlds”
This painting by Nicolas Roerich was the starting point for this month’s composer’s choice. Its called Vanishing Ice and if you google search his images you will find a huge list of paintings by this enigmatic artist.
Roerich is a complex character being an adventurer, a spiritualist, a writer, an archaeologist and painter. He moved in high political circles in the USA, UK and India and was connected to the theosophical movement and produced a vast amount of magnificent oil paintings in the field , travelling extensively through the Himalayas, India and the rest of the world.
He spoke many languages and wrote a book called Shambhala ( not to mention the set designs for Dhiagelev, the setting up of art and yoga schools in New York and perhaps a spot of spying…)
Shambhala is a mythical kingdom from Tibetan and Hindu Tradition –
mythical in italics because in the modern sense the word implies not real ~
Shambhala points to many cultures’ stories of a place where enlightened humans have created a breakaway civilisation- usually undetectable, pure, cloud hidden, whereabouts unknown…and since this archetype still persists to this day I don’t think it can simply be dismissed as mythical.
Mythical also plugs into what I call a western-mystical-mash-up where Shambhala is lined up alongside ‘Hollywooded’ monasteries and Bruce Lee films ~ anything with snowbound mountains adrift with illuminated power-monks operating outside the scientific model. The X-men also come to mind. Its a persistent idea and is found re-told in so many ways.
Shambhala is like Shangri-la, a fictional place found in the novel by James Hilton Lost Horizon (1933). Roerich wrote Shambhala in 1928. Of course ancient Tibetan scriptures preceded them both by a longtime, mentioning the existence of seven such places- not just one but seven.
These places usually involve mountains . Sacred Mountains.
Sacred mountains are central to certain religions and are the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious worlds.
(Naess, Arne. Mountains and Mythology. Trumpeter 1995)
Mountains have always been doorways or bridges to other worlds.
The notion of Shambhala also speaks to us of an internal and an external place. It also seems that to get to the external place one must nurture the inner one first. And embedded with this, is the idea that it takes a special kind of minded-ness, spiritual quality or magical key to make the crossing.
Enjoy,
Steve Fearnley
Stephen Fearnley is an award-winning filmmaker, artist and composer. He composes transformational soundscapes for the meditation journeys guided by Naomi Carling and facilitated by Naomi Janzen for One Mind Live – a unique worldwide online group meditation community. To sample One Mind Live, go HERE