I live in what’s called the Monadnock region of southern New Hampshire. I have been here, in several different towns, for 20 years. If I can make another 20, the locals may acknowledge me as a legitimate resident. Our area is named for the mountain that dominates the landscape, Mount Monadnock. In the local Indian language it means “solitary mountain.” It isn’t part of a range but stands alone, rising out of the surrounding terrain to a height of over 3,000 feet. There was a meeting in our town last year about the spirituality of our region, and many stood up to tell how the mountain is the source and focus of their spirituality. It’s a mountain that Henry David Thoreau climbed four times and wrote about. In Walden he pointed out that climbing a mountain elevates and etherealizes the climber.It’s this elevating of the person that I want to discuss, because I think it holds the primary clue to becoming a spiritual person. Although all of my work is dedicated to deepening our experience to such a point that we discover the very roots of our lives, I feel it is also important to reach so high that we stand …