The four mountains we all must climb
A Cree elder’s wisdom on life paths where the views keep changing
Okay, we’re going to do a quick exercise together. Grab a sheet of paper. I’ll wait. Promise!
Now, draw four mountain peaks. Just simple triangles. Name each one of them ‘Baby’, ‘Warrior’, ‘Hunter’, ‘Elder’. Take a slow breath as you trace your fingers along the lines.
Done? Beautiful. Leave it right there beside you…
There’s a travelling story shared by Cree elder John Crier, belonging to one of the largest Indigenous groups in North America. It tells of four mountains we must all climb in our lifetime. Each mountain calling us to learn, to shed, to grow, to return.
The Baby Mountain
You start at the base of the first mountain, arriving in arms that hold you with unconditional love. Here, we learn what it means to be held. We learn to trust before we understand. Maybe this is the wisdom we spend the rest of our lives trying to return to - that we were always worthy, long before the world told us otherwise.
The Warrior Mountain
This is the searching-for-your-gifts, wrestling-with-your-shadows, who-am-I-really mountain. The fears show up here: Am I enough? Am I making the right choices? But somewhere along this climb, we realise not every battle needs to be fought. We sit to listen and discover our gifts that were always there.
The Hunter Mountain
You’ve found your gift! Plot twist: now you have to learn when, how, and how much to offer it. When your gift heals, and when it can hurt. How to be generous without being exploited. How to be confident and humble at the same time. You learn that a gift is only a gift when it’s given freely. It can’t be sold, can’t be hoarded, can’t be weaponised.
The Elder Mountain
You circle back now, carrying stories and lessons in your pocket. You meet others where you once stumbled. You pass your wisdom on lightly, humbly, like leaving lanterns on the path for someone else to find. At the top, the elder mountain meets the baby mountain again.
Beginnings and endings hold hands. The circle continues.
Now, look back at your drawing.
Circle the mountain you feel you’re on right now.
Beside it, write one line that captures what it’s teaching you.
Let it be your small offering for the day. A breadcrumb on your journey through the mountains of becoming.
With love on the trail,
Team FUEL
[If you are curious to know more about the four mountains, click here]