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There’s something about a white, isolated mountaintop that inspires the imagination. Especially a 10,000 foot tall cone-shaped mountain that stands lonesome against a relatively flat landscape. Perhaps that’s why Mount Shasta has so many spiritual beliefs and unexplained myths surrounding it; something about the place just exudes mystery. For centuries, poets, writers and artists have tried to capture just what about Mount Shasta inspires such dramatic reactions in those who visit it, and the variety of explanations over the years is fascinating unto itself.
Mount Shasta is considered by many to be a spiritual place. The otherworldly feel is explained by the Native Americans with the story that the spirit chief Skell descended from heaven to the summit and now resides there. A group of McCloud River Native Americans still practice rituals on the mountain today.
Several cults and New Age groups believe that a race of humanoid beings called Lemurians reside there, or at the least visit there frequently. Lemurians are said to resemble very tall (seven feet and over) humans with long flowing hair, to wear white robes, and to be superior to humans physically and mentally. According to those who believe in them, Mount Shasta has an enormous city made of interconnecting tunnels beneath it, and that is the Lemurians’ home. Occasionally people will report sightings of white-robed figures being spotted on Mount Shasta.
In addition to the Lemurians and spirits, Mount Shasta is also home to a Zen Buddhist monastery. Shasta Abbey, which is nestled at the base of the mountain, welcomes visitors to come in and learn Buddhist ways from the monks. The abbey also publishes its own Buddhist books, including the writings of their founder, Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett.
Italian immigrants brought strong Catholic spiritualism to the Mount Shasta area in the early 1900s, and Catholicism is still strong there today. As if all of this wasn’t enough spiritualism for one place (or perhaps because of it all), some clairvoyants claim to see an enormous purple triangular aura around the mountain that extends out into space. Mount Shasta is also a noted area for Bigfoot sightings.
