The Call of the Mountain

There are places we visit.

And there are places that call us.

Mount Shasta has been one of those places for me.

The first time I arrived at this mountain was in 2017. It was never part of my plans. I was not organizing a spiritual pilgrimage. I was not searching for specific answers. And yet, as happens with some of the most important encounters in our lives, something greater seemed to be guiding the way.

I still remember the first time I saw its silhouette rising above the horizon.

Majestic.

Silent.

Impossible to ignore. 

Mama Shasta is a stratovolcano located in Northern California within the Cascade Range. Standing at 14,179 feet (4,322 meters), it is one of the most prominent mountains in the United States and a powerful presence that towers above the surrounding landscape. For many Indigenous nations of the region, including the Shasta, Wintu, Karuk, Modoc, and Pit River peoples, this mountain has been considered sacred since time immemorial. It has long been a place for ceremony, prayer, vision quests, and connection with the creative forces of life.

As someone who comes from the Andes of Ecuador, I grew up learning that mountains are living beings.

In the Andes, we call them Apus, which means (espiritus tutelares), guardians and protectors of the mountains and life.

They are not simply geological formations. They are spiritual presences. Guardians. Teachers. Places where the heavens and the earth meet.

And when I arrived at Shasta for the first time, I felt exactly that. Her majestic presence inspired me awe and deep respect.

I called her Shasta Ma, Mama Shasta, Queen Shasta, Nusta Shasta. 

I felt that I was entering sacred territory.

I remember approaching the base of the mountain to offer my prayers and offerings. I was not expecting to receive any message. I was not trying to force a mystical experience.

I simply arrived.

With humility.

With gratitude.

With an open heart.

With innocence.

And it was there that I received an unexpected clarity.

A deep confirmation that I needed to travel to Guatemala.

At the time, I could not possibly imagine everything that simple “yes” would eventually create.

That journey led me to meet Dorothy, a beloved soul sister of my heart.

Years later, Dorothy introduced me to Brian and I joined a retreat he hosted in Ecuador, (a retreat which was inspired and created in Mt. Shasta.)

It turns out that Brian, as well, received a vision in Mt Shasta to go to Guatemala – where he would meet Dorothy in Lake Atitlan.

And Brian became a beloved soul brother of my life, my anamcara, hermano de mi corazon, who later invited me to become co-founder of Evolutionary Journeys.

When I look back now, I can see a chain of events that began precisely there, at the foot of this mountain.

That is why every time I return to Mount Shasta, I feel as though I am returning to a place that helped shape my destiny.

Last year, after 7 years, I came back with Brian to visit Shasta Ma.

I have walked its trails.

Bathed on her waters. 

Meditated beside its streams.

Brought offerings, prayers and chantings.

Watched the stars beneath its silent skies.

Listened to the wind moving through the pine forests.

And every visit has taught me something different.

What began as an unexpected visit slowly became a much deeper relationship with this territory of the north.

Mama Shasta taught me how to slow down.

How to listen.

How to observe.

How to recognize that wisdom does not always arrive through words.

Sometimes it arrives through silence.

Many people describe Shasta Ma as an energetic vortex. There are countless stories, legends, and spiritual traditions connected to this place. But for me, beyond any theory, the true medicine of the mountain lies in its ability to help us remember who we are when we stop running and begin listening.

The mountain does not change us.

It helps us find ourselves.

And when that happens, our decisions become clearer.

Our intuition becomes stronger.

Life begins aligning itself in ways that once felt impossible.

Perhaps that is why so many cultures throughout history have seen mountains as places of pilgrimage.

Not because we need to escape our everyday lives.

But because we need to remember what truly matters.

This summer, I will return to Mount Shasta together with Brian and our team at Evolutionary Journeys.

We are not going in search of out of body experiences.

We are not chasing extraterrestrial phenomena.

We are going to walk with presence.

To bathe in beauty.

To breathe deep and slow.

To contemplate.

To listen.

To gather in community.

To share ancestral mindfulness practices and the gift of inner peace. 

To create space for each person to reconnect with their own inner wisdom.

Because that is exactly what this mountain gave to me.

And it is the gift I wish to share with others.

If you have never visited Mount Shasta, perhaps this is your moment.

Perhaps the mountain is calling you too.

And perhaps, just as it happened for me years ago, you cannot yet imagine how a simple walk, a sincere prayer, or an unexpected conversation could completely transform the direction of your life.

Some mountains are meant to be climbed.

Others become teachers.

For me, Shasta Ma has been both.

With Love,

Karo Munay

Co-founder, Evolutionary Journeys