Upside Down Mountain, The - Softcover

Mackean, Mags

 
9781785351716: Upside Down Mountain, The

Inhaltsangabe

What happens when you seem to have it all - enough money, health and success - but happiness remains elusive? The Upside Down Mountain forsakes the summit for the journey downhill, penetrating the hidden depths of darkness and discomfort most people live to avoid. It reveals how to navigate troubled times and create a new story for ourselves and the world: inspiring us to become the change we seek.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Mags MacKean is a former BBC journalist and leadership coach. She supports clients to unleash their creativity, and gives inspirational talks and workshops.

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The Upside Down Mountain

By Mags MacKean

John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

Copyright © 2015 Mags MacKean
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78535-171-6

Contents

Preface,
Introduction,
Part I: South – Gateway of Fire,
Chapter 1: Meeting Mount Bugarach,
Chapter 2: Time of the New Age,
Chapter 3: Invoking Fire,
Chapter 4: Meeting the Weaver,
Chapter 5: Into the Spiral,
Chapter 6: Mother Shell, Daughter Shell,
Part II: West – Gateway of Water,
Chapter 7: Jungle Medicine,
Chapter 8: Warriorship,
Chapter 9: Dethroning,
Chapter 10: Wild Heart,
Chapter 11: Friendly Ghosts,
Chapter 12: Children of the Sun,
Part III: North – Gateway of Earth,
Chapter 13: Rendezvous with Grandmother,
Chapter 14: Bewitchment of History,
Chapter 15: Exile in Tibet,
Part IV: East – Gateway of Air,
Chapter 16: On the Wing,
Chapter 17: Hatched Egg at Sinai,
Chapter 18: Into the Stars,
Epilogue,
Ten Wisdoms of Descent Inspired by Grandmother,


CHAPTER 1

Meeting Mount Bugarach


After months of dreaming, days in the planning, my arrival at Mount Bugarach coincided with departing high pressure. The sunny morning had begun clouding over as the mountain loomed in the windscreen. Its striking faces rose from dense greenery in every direction, flattening into a gentle slope to the top. Hurtling through the valley, there had been a few false starts: expecting it to appear after each sharp bend. "There she is!" Garth had declared, aware of my excitement. I clapped my hands.

A flurry of cars revved out of the muddy overflow at its base, as my friend swerved on to a bank of grass for an easy exit. A dark belt of cloud was inching closer – not the enticing blue skies of a 'meant to be' rendezvous with Bugarach I had so clearly imagined. Opening the door, I hesitated before straddling over a puddle to join Garth. Lean and tall, he had looked dwarfed squinting up at the well-worn route. He was chewing his glasses which made him sound as earnest as I was beginning to feel. "It's impossible to get lost. But it is going to rain. A bit. Just stick to the path and you'll be fine." I hauled my kit out of the boot and made sure my waterproof gear was at the top. "There'll be a place to pitch up near the summit," he added. "You can't see the flat bit I mean from here. Lots of room there."

"Allow at least one hour 'til then, you said?"

"Possibly two with that weight."

It took some effort to balance the pack, to close the clasp at my hips. It lightened it a little – but it was still heavy, and I was out of practice with hiking under load. I only had the basics: gear for sleeping, two more warm layers and waterproofs, and seven bottles of water. Fourteen litres to last me four days meant fourteen extra kilos to carry. There was no accessible source where I was going. This trip was my version of the Native American rite of passage, a Vision Quest. Traditionally, the solitary immersion in nature equipped boys with life-changing insights and perspectives to be integrated back home as they returned young men. Increasingly the practice bridged into the complex lives of Westerners of any age or sex: or burnt-out professionals like myself needing time out. I too was seeking inspiration. My life needed a kick-start, a fresh direction. Fasting, I knew, was powerful medicine. Going without water, as the original rite held, was too extreme for me. And so the burden of carrying water was unavoidable. Every drop was unlikely to be forgotten in the trudge, clamber and scramble ahead.

I st

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