Jennifer Vance Landscapes of the Sacred # 2

How can Mount Rainier be considered a mask of the Holy-

In Lanes Landscapes of the sacred he suggests that ordinary landscapes can be viewed two ways. A landscape can be valued simply for what it is (ordinary) or when seen through the eyes of faith, valued as something far more than ordinary such as a mask of the holy.
A mask is something that reveals and conceals something at the same time. A mask identifies the character but its identity is hidden. A sacred landscape that is considered to be a mask of the Holy is Mount Rainier. Lane describes certain aspects of the mountain that can make one who encounters it feel insignificant. Standing over 14000 feet Mount Rainier is referred to as Tohoma, The Mountain that was God. Locate yourself next to one of its 27 glaciers and you will gain a sense of their power. Professor Redick mentioned that the sounds that penetrate from the glaciers cracking and the rivers that roll across steep boulders can make one tremble. Although I have never been to Mount Rainier I can understand how these characteristics can prove Mt. Rainier to be a mask of the Holy. Mt. Rainier reveals that it was created by God and it gives us a part of him but because of God's majesty we are incapable of coming face to face with Him therefore a part of him is also concealed.