Just A Thought

Peace. Tranquility. Balance. 

Will time ever stop? Will every moment just be freeze frames so that you could get to appreciate them more? I've always wanted these things to happen but to no luck. 

In this reality we have and share to ourselves we always need to find the time to experience ourselves in ways that we never could imagine. This place gives me that sense that everything is possible. Any wish I make would be beautifully wrapped and delivered to me with so much love. I said that I would write about my travels and the possible adventures I will have. I'll start it with this beautiful mountain, that lovingly welcomes and surprises me every time I decide to visit her.

Mt. Banahaw is an active volcano in Luzon, located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. This mountain is also known as the "Holy Mountain" because of its famous pilgrimage for locals and believers all over the Philippines. It is said that this mountain is a spiritually-charged location providing healing and maybe spiritual enlightenment to those who get to visit the place and see its biologically diverse environment. 

Aside from pilgrims, this place is also popular for Mountain Climbers and Adventure junkies who want to traverse through caves, gigantic boulders, streams, and reach the nearest peak (6,600 ft. above sea level) in Manila. Mt. Banahaw offers a wide range of activities to either the adventure type and the believers of its magic. The mountain has been declared as a national park and a protected area in the Philippines. To the believers, pilgrims, and climbers this Mountain is always an experience never forgotten.

I claimed this place as a place for immunity from the hustle and bustle of my mind. This mountain always gives me the opportunity to believe in the existence of a Higher Power capable of giving everything you need and want. I pray, yes, every time I get here.  I pray that her flowing water would take all my worries and fears and replace it with so much more positive energy. I pray to her to make me feel more quiet and attuned to myself and that she will take me by her bosom and make me feel safe or at peace once again. 

You see, for me it's no longer a question of faith and who exactly to pray for that my wish would be granted. What I believe in is that no matter to whom I address the prayer it sends a ripple effect out there and it would eventually manifest in my reality. I believe that people pray because of the hope that we are being heard, not only by that Higher Power but by ourselves in a deeper sense. We shut the world not because we need to, but because we want to. In that moment of decision, prayer is already working its magic through us because of the intention that we have. 

It is always hard to shut the mind. It works 24/7, 365 days of the year whether we are wide awake or slumbered. Unless we take the time not to totally shut it but learn how to control it, we'd get a sense of peace. It is always a choice that we fail to make or never make at all in the course of our lives. 

I guess what I'm saying is that prayer brings peace and joy not only to our minds but also to our hearts. If we mean what we say while we are in that state of quietness everything else follows. We are always caught by surprise that our wishes/prayers have been granted and we feel awed by its "magic" and the only thing we can do to reciprocate that feeling is to pray again and be thankful for the experience. It's a never-ending cycle beautifully carved in each of us. I hope that you would be able to find your own sanctuary, just as I did. The place needs not to be too far away, it can even be in the corner of your own room. You just have to choose to be still and welcome all the possibilities. 

This mountain is peace, tranquility, and balance manifested. I hope you could visit my Holy Garden and see for yourself how breath taking its beauty is. Get lost in the streams of life and see through the beauty of the divine.