Love of Place

They project up from the earth towards the wide open sky. No preamble of foothills for these mountains. Just pure grandeur of gneiss, granite and diabase rock. I am speaking about the one and only…

Teton Range

The Teton Range is North America’s youngest mountain range – approximately 10 million years young – nestled on the north western side of Wyoming. A state with a mere 588,000+ people scattered throughout its 62.34 million acres. At one time in history, Bison would have easily matched, if not exceeded, that population number.

The Tetons stretch across the land like a jagged spine for 40 miles. The Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the range, propels upwards some 13,775 feet. Ansel Adams helped make this range famous with his 1942 photograph The Tetons and The Snake River. As for Grand Teton National Park, that was thankfully established in 1929 to preserve its beauty for generations to come.

Being in the presence of these majestic mountains can leave a person breathless. Each time I am in their presence it is like a coming home. I am unsure of my true connection to these mountains, but I am convinced it began many lifetimes ago.

As I have done numerous times before, I was taking a solo trip through the park. Well, except for the company of John Denver and his poetic lyrics about all things love and nature playing in the background.

This solo trip each year is a welcoming. Welcoming me back in their presence. Welcoming them back in my orbit.

That’s when it happened…

I was traveling southbound toward the range. Each mile brought them closer and with every turn of the road they became bigger and grander. Suddenly, a wave of emotions, much like the Tetons themselves – no preamble, no gradual warning –  just a pure unmistakable presence overtook me.

Overwhelmed from head to toe, a landslide of emotions hit me. A projection of feelings coming from outside of me but enveloping me internally. Tears, soft and gentle, rose to the surface. Tears to remind me of connection. Connection of knowing. Love. Gratitude. Admiration. The unmistakable love of place.

Love of Place

Strong attachments to a place is called topophilia. It comes from the Greek words topos meaning “place” and philia meaning “love”.  There are a handful of places on this earth that I have this indelible connection with, Grand Teton National Park just happens to be one of them.

Returning to my topophilia is similar to anticipating the return of a loved one. The waiting is filled with anticipation, excitement and memories. Then the inevitable moment occurs and I am wrapped in an embrace of absolute pure love. I believe that is what happened to me yesterday. But not just me embracing this magnificent mountain range with my love for it, but for the first time feeling the mountain’s embrace of me with its love for me.

I know this may sound strange to some, but having such a strong connection to a place is all about energy. And everything is energy. And energy is often palpable. This was definitely one of those times.

NATURE: Divine Experiences with Trees, Plants, Stones and Landscapes

Ana Maria Vasquez, a multi-sensory animal and nature intuitive, explains it this way in her book NATURE: Divine Experiences with Trees, Plants, Stones and Landscapes: Staring at the perfection of a mountain or other nature being endears you to this living object in a way that begins to create a resonance. With your heart center now activated, you start to feel gratitude for the beauty that is now captivating you. At this point, your interaction with nature becomes more than just physical. It begins to create frequencies that are emitted from your energy field, causing it to further expand. As your vibration rises, you may even experience feelings of love and compassion emanating from you to that mountain. Holding that higher frequency, you might start to sense that love or other qualities are being transmitted to you from this nature being.

That is absolutely what I felt happening to me!

Feeling a deep connection to a place is a wonderful and comforting feeling. It’s like coming home to an old friend who knows all your secrets, loves you unconditionally and is always there for you. No matter the length of time that has gone by. No matter the distance. Each time you reunite all that space collapses into the here and now. Nothing else exists.

The love of place is as personal as it gets. Reasons abound for such an attachment. They could be based on memories. Emotions. Sensory experiences. Community ties.

For me I would say it is all of the above!

It’s a coming home I look forward to each year. I am incredibly fortunate to not only have the ability to return year after year, but to have this love of place that is gratefully mutual.

Grand Teton National Park

Millions of visitors place their gaze upon the Teton Range each year. Many for the very first time. I wonder how many are unknowingly planting that seed of connection. That love of place.

How about you? Where is your topophilia? Is it near or far? I’d love to hear how your love of place takes hold of you.

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Footnote: If you have yet to experience Grand Teton National Park, I strongly urge you to find a way to place your gaze upon these magical mountains. You won’t be disappointed.

If you’d like to learn more about the energy and connection to rocks and landscapes and so much more, I highly recommend the book by Ana Maria Vasquez, NATURE: Divine Experiences with Trees, Plants, Stones and Landscapes. As a disclaimer, I happen to be one of the contributing authors to this fascinating book.