Carlsbad Caverns

Well after the extraordinary pure beauty of White Sands above ground, not far from Carlsbad Caverns, let’s dive…underground. A new world is opening in front of us. It is sometimes oppressive to be underground, space is limited, there’s no natural light, and it’s so easy to get confronted here BY our fears, especially if you are claustrophobic. So will you let your little voice and your brain govern you? Or will you step forward to face the amazing beauty and natural work of Mother Nature?

This is how Carlsbad Caverns is described:

“ ... a limestone cavern known as the Carlsbad Cave, of extraordinary proportions and of unusual beauty and variety of natural decoratio

n; ... beyond the spacious chambers that have been explored, other vast chambers of unknown character and dimensions exist; ... the several chambers contain stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations in s

uch unusual number, size, beauty of form, and variety of figure as to make this a cavern equal, if not superior, in both scientific and popular interest to the better known caves ... ”

—Proclamation 1679-Oct.

25, 1923-43 Stat. 1929

There are more than 300 known caves beneath the surface. The park contains 116 of these caves, formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone, cre

ating some of the largest caves in North America.

Beyond the beauty of these caves, there are great teachings. First in its formation, obviously it t

akes hundreds and hundreds of years to create these stalactites and stalagmites of limestone, from drop after drop. (Average growth rate of a stalactite is 0.13 mm

(0.005 Inches) a year). So it gives us an interesting approach of time.

We as 21^st century humans are running after time, so often. We are afraid of not having e

nough time…but how do we utilize this time, which is given to us? Do we use it to create beauty and harmony around us? Can we look at these caverns of splendor as an inspiration to create beauty and harmony in our life?

Another teaching comes with the story of the discovery of the caves:

Jim White is the cowboy credited with being the premier explorer of Carlsbad Caverns. He began to explore the cave as a tee

nager in 1898, using a handmade wire ladder to descend 60 feet into the cave. For more than a decade, he couldn't convince many locals that there was much to Carlsbad Caverns.

Yes it takes effort, patience and perseverance to discover what’s hidden. But sometimes, the most precious things are hidden, or far, or difficult to access; are we going to give up because it takes effort or because o

f some fears? Then aren’t we passing by marvels that will bring beauty and harmony in our life?

These caverns are an inspiration for us to go deep within us to find the pure jewels of our own wisdom, inspiration, instinct, power, beauty,

love, and let’s share that with others.

Stalactites are formed by t

h

e deposition of calcium carbona

te and other minerals, which is precipitated from mineraliz

ed

water solutions.

These stalactites are like eve

ry little thing that Life has ‘precipitated’ in our life, and that leaves marks and traces!

A stalagmite is a type of c

ave formation that rises from t

he floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of minerali

zed solutions and the deposition of c

alcium carbonate.

The Stalagmite could be what we build from what we receive. But we don’t have to be

passive in this process. If we k

eep in mind beauty, harmony, patienc

e, and perseverance, we can build such beauty within that it will shine out.