I realize that God is always present everywhere. But, it sure does seem like His/Her Presence is greatly amplified on Mount Shasta.
For me, and many others, Mount Shasta, more than any place on this earth, symbolizes and reflects God/Self/I AM.
Looking at the Mountain or spending time sitting or walking on its slopes awakens me from whatever dream of separation I may have been having and brings me back into the joy of the Present.
I’m privileged to guide people with many different spiritual beliefs in spiritual retreats on Mount Shasta. I marvel at how the Mountain reflects God to each of them in the way they can best relate to.
Christians often experience feeling closer to Jesus. Hindus may see visions of Krishna. Folks who are deeply aligned with the Lemurian energies often experience going into the 5th dimensional city of Telos.
Over my many years of visiting and now living on Mount Shasta, I’ve experienced how the Mountain’s reflection magically morphs to best serve me where I am.
My father died when I was five so I learned how to get by without paternal love and support. My mother was very present for me, so I came to rely on her love. Not surprisingly, when I began to awaken spiritually as an adult, I related to God primarily as Divine Mother.
When I came to Mount Shasta, I would lie down in the grass by one of her streams and experience an infusion of Divine Mother’s Love.
Then, more recently, I began to feel a longing for Father’s Love.
I hiked up on the mountain one day and found a beautiful spot with a full view of the summit. As I beheld that majestic sight, I felt a powerful wave of Father’s Love. Mount Shasta became the father I was longing for.
As I basked in this love, my heart opened wide. The layers of insulation formed to protect me from the pain of missing my human father melted away.
As I savored the delicious flavor of Father’s Love, I knew that it lived inside of me. I felt incredible gratitude and then a deep sense of contentment. There was no longer any separation between me and Father, between me and Mount Shasta.
Andrew Oser has been offering guided retreats on Mount Shasta since 1982. Through hikes to little-known sacred sites, guided meditations, spiritual life coaching, and time drinking in the silence of the mountain, he helps clients to deeply renew themselves in body, mind, and spirit and receive clear vision for their lives. Andrew also offers spiritual life coaching by phone and Zoom.