“And with Him are the treasures of the unseen–none knows them but He. And He knows what is in the land and the sea. And there falls not a leaf but He knows it, nor is there a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything green or dry, but (it is all) in a clear book.”–Holy Qur’an, Surah 6, verse 59
A fresh snowfall blanketed the roads on the early morning of November 13, the morning in which our small group was scheduled to depart for our visit to the famous Terelj National Park, a short distance from Ulaan-Bataar, the Capital of Mongolia, to experience the lifestyle of living and dining in a countryside village in a typical nomadic tent or Ger. It felt increasingly colder as we set out on our snow-clad adventure. What experience lay ahead of us in our van stockpiled with foodstuff prepared by our hosts for our afternoon meal. We were all wrapped up in our thick jackets and coats, with hats pulled tightly around our heads and tightly wrapped scarves around our necks to meet the challenge of the bitter cold journey that lay ahead.
I thought about the many stories that I had heard and films that I had seen about adventurers who were trapped in the icy snow swept climes of the mountainous and dangerous terrain of the Himalaya Mountains, wherein, they suddenly entered green lush valleys of semi-tropical temperatures with meadows and lakes and flowing rivers of Paradise, in which such fortunate visitors were transformed becoming forever young. Here we were in such a bitterly cold and mountainous land, where the legends of Shamb-Allah and Shangri-llah persist with stories of an underground Labyrinth concealing hidden cities with glimmering towers and an advanced civilization of highly evolved intelligent human beings.
As we drove upon the road leading to the National Park, the wind blew soft snow drifts across our path, in this environment of sacred mountains and hills that surrounded us on either side blanketed with glistening snow. As we continued on our journey, we passed giant sculptured images of large animals, of the so-called dinosaur era, at least classified as such by modern paleontologists, looming suddenly in our view at one point along the roadside. I later learned that Mongolia is termed the cradle in the discovery of such creatures. The evolution of the modern horse can also be traced to this land. There is evidence that as far back as at least 500,000 years, some form of human habitation is recorded to have lived in Mongolia.
A little further along our route, we drove through an area of brown granite rock formations which appeared to be sculptured by the chisel of man, but were in actuality formations shaped by nature, depicting amphibious, animal and human-like sculptures such as the giant turtle, the camel and praying or meditating holy figures. Through an ascending forest of tall evergreen trees, we were gaining ground traveling through this spectacular Wilderness Park, set against a background of a piercing blue sky, streaked occasionally with a floating flotilla of white billowing cloud formations appearing like ships in the sea that mirrored our spectacular scenic route.
Finally, we reached the communal village and entered the Ger for our afternoon meal. I studied the mound like octagonal structure built around light wooden framed walls supported by 88 wooden poles stretched across the ceiling connecting to a center ring which was opened at the top to meet the open sky. Below the center open ring was erected two wooden decorative staffs dedicated to the two shamanic priests, one male and the other female, who were consulted as equals in the “Spirit World” communication of ancient Shamanism or the Cosmic Sky Religion practiced by our ancestors.
I wondered if this could be part of the source of the inspiration and expression given by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, to explain his communication with the Spirit World that led to his Declaration and controversial Announcement made in Washington, D.C. on July The Fourth, 2002. Understanding the use of language is the key to our success in finding Truth and Wisdom and applying it to our everyday lives. Therein is the Treasure, most Precious!
“And He it is Who takes your souls at night, and He knows what you earn by day, then He raises you up therein that an appointed term may be fulfilled. Then to Him is your return, then He will inform you of what you did.”–Holy Qur’an, Surah 6, verse 60
To be continued.
