Deity of the Morning

Longs Peak: viewed from Fort Collins Colorado

Every morning as I drive to work, Longs Peak comes up on the horizon and greets me. It makes me smile when I see it, but I wish I had a more eternal name for it. A name that is a reflection of its beauty and presence, not a name that has been borrowed from a man. This mountain seems to be a sacred thing, like a deity that anchors me to this new place.

The Navajo understand the sacredness of mountains, and they have four sacred mountains that form the borders of their homeland, “Dinetah.” Their mountains also have names that have been given to them by men, but the Navajo have given them sacred names: Tsisnaasjini aka Mount Blanca (Dawn or White Shell Mountain), Tsoodzil aka Mount Taylor (Turquoise Mountain, Doko'oosliid aka San Francisco Peaks ( Abalone Shell Mountain), and Dibé Nitsaa aka Mount Hesperus (Obsidian Mountain). In my heart, I am going to rename my mountain, maybe I will call it Morning Mountain, because everyday it brings me a fresh new morning