Going up the Holy Mountain

A Spiritual Guidebook

Going Up the Holy Mountain is about prayer and meditation as tools to move closer to God in the silence, the gap between words which allows them to make sense, the pause between the musical notes, which allows the tune to form.

Stations from the Christian tradition are included as guided meditations, in addition to profound meditations on aspects of nature (air, fire, water, stone, soil, light, plants, animals), which walk the user down the many roads towards God.

The book is primarily about a real mountain of rock and scree, Cruach Phádraig, Croagh Patrick, or the Reek, in Co. Mayo in the west of Ireland; a very solid mountain with a long pre-Christian and Christian pilgrimage tradition. The origins of the pilgrimage and how it is traditionally done are explained and other ways you might use the mountain as a spiritual resource are suggested.

It can also be about any other mountain, or hill, or special place we use to do a pilgrimage to, or on; the mountain that stands for our lives, our growing up and maturing, growing old and dying; the mountain that is our spiritual life, growing in spiritual maturity and insight, wisdom and clarity, as we progress towards God.

This book is for your own private mountain, the one most accessible to you, even if it’s just in your eye, your heart, your mind.

Gary Hastings

Gary Hastings is originally from Belfast. He was educated in the University of Ulster and Trinity College Dublin before being ordained into the Church of Ireland in 1993. He is currently the Rector of St Nicolas' Collegiate Church, Galway and Archdeacon of Tuam. He is a well-known traditional flute player.