It was revered by Native Americans, who focused rituals there. It is believed by arcanists to be the portal to alien dimensions. It is held by occultists to be a special “power center.” There are stories about it that are brought about by sci-fi types and New Agers alike. Many claim strange disappearances there.
From Indigenous tribes to hippies, Mount Shasta has influenced myths of spiritual power. The lenticular clouds that ring its summit evoke (to some) visits from extraterrestrials. “Known for more than just its physical beauty, it stands out as an impalpable entity—an energy, a sacredness—that has inspired myths of hidden civilizations, religious movements, a designation as Earth’s Root Chakra and even a nonprofit recognized by a President’s Council,” notes BackCountry.
New Age stuff.
Occult.
In 1886, a young Frederick Spencer Oliver, raised in the shadow of Mt. Shasta, penning A Dweller on Two Planets. He claimed the book was no ordinary creation but dictated to him by Phylos the Thibetan, a spirit who revealed tales of a secret city hidden within the mountain.
Nearly four decades later, in 1925, an enigmatic author known as Selvius picked up the narrative, publishing an article in The Rosicrucians Mystic Triangle about the mythical Lemurians. According to Selvius, the city of Telos lay concealed inside Mt. Shasta, inhabited by 7-foot-tall, otherworldly beings robed in white, said to be descendants of the lost continent of Lemuria.
The mystique and occultism deepened in the 1930s when Guy Ballard, a mining engineer, ventured onto the mountain’s slopes. There, he encountered the enigmatic Count of St. Germain, who offered him a cup of “pure energy” and introduced him to the mysterious teachings of the Ascended Masters.
But now Mount Shasta will lay claim to something else, something surmounting, right at its peaks: A massive bronze statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the arcane slopes.
If that causes surprise, it should. At the same time, it makes sense.
“A story disputed by historians claims that when a Spanish explorer first saw Mount Shasta, he dubbed it ‘Jesus and Maria,’ inspired by what appeared to be its double peaks,” notes SFGate. “Now, around two centuries later, that mythic name has been brought to life with the installation of a towering Virgin Mary statue on the slopes of the mighty volcano.
“The 20-foot statue sits in the Mount Shasta Ski Park, California’s largest ski resort north of Lake Tahoe. When a prominent Northern California family purchased the park in 2017, patriarch Ray Merlo envisioned a massive bronze statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the slopes. Though he passed away in July 2020 before seeing his dream come true, his wife Robin fulfilled it in December with the unveiling of ‘Our Lady of Mt. Shasta.’”
Bravo!
As she has throughout the centuries, Mary once more had acted on behalf of her Son, dispelling paganism.
[resources: The Last Secret]
