The Spiritual Meaning of Wide Open Spaces: Finding Inner Truth.

Motorcycles rest on an expansive, empty road stretching into distant mountains, capturing the essence of adventure and inner reflection in wide open spaces.

At first glance, this picture looks like two motorcycles on a desert highway — but for me, it became a reflection on the spiritual meaning of wide open spaces. In that stretch of road, I found stillness, perspective, and the kind of truth that only comes when nothing is blocking your view.

If you look closely in the background you can see a tiny strip of highway heading into the mountains. This stretch of road was 13 miles of absolutely straight highway. I had never in my life ridden this far on such a road. Having grown up in the Ozark Hills and now residing in Southern Oregon we don’t have much opportunity to see this much road stretched out before us, or behind us in the rear view mirror for that matter.

The beauty of mountain roads lies in their curves, but they also keep our vision limited. In contrast, the spiritual meaning of wide open spaces is about expansion — the chance to let your mind wander, connect with your inner knowing, and embrace stillness. Mountain roads only allow you to focus on the corner in front of you or the vista that you’ve just surmounted. But, your vision and attention are limited in a way. There is beauty in being in the moment. I like to stay here most of the time quite frankly. However, arriving to a vast expanse of road that delivers miles of nothingness is where the real work is. It is in these moments that our minds are allowed the space to wander and we are able to connect with our inner knowing. In this space of wild contemplation you are not forcing or controlling for the sake of survival or a thrill but you are sinking and relaxing and opening.

Through my own spiritual journey, I’ve learned to become friends with openness and stillness. The spiritual meaning of wide open spaces is, at its core, about remembering who we are when distractions fall away. That’s where truth lives.