In keeping with my new goal to visit Mt. Shasta at least 1-2 times per month (see my previous blog, “An Amma Devotee’s Pilgrimage by Sacred Mt. Shasta”), yesterday I drove down for another magical day by that holy mountain. After spending a little time in my favorite shop (Soul Connections), I headed up the road that ascends the mountain. I was determined to find a place called Red Fir Flat – a place that my friend Jill and I had been unable to find last month. Supposedly there is a very small sign, but we didn’t see it, and this time I didn’t see the sign either, but I decided to just trust my intuition and so I pulled onto a small dirt road that I just hoped was the right road!

I parked my car, and began walking barefoot down the road, wondering if this was indeed going to lead to Red Fir Flat, and hoping that I wasn’t on private property… which could mean dogs, or even worse – guns! Brushing those small fears aside, I listened to the sound of my ankle bells ringing with each step I took… I hadn’t hiked alone in the wilderness for the past several years because I’d gotten spooked by all the bear and cougar sightings… so this hike was a big deal for me in pushing through my fears… so with the bells ringing on my ankles, I began singing to God… spontaneously I began singing the Hanuman Chalisa, a 40-verse hymn that extols the virtues of the Hindu monkey god, who is like a Super Hero!

As I walked and sang, the road turned into a trail and I entered an enchanted forest of fir trees with large towering rocks. The sun peaked through the clouds, and my heart sparked with excitement as I marveled at the beauty of that moment alone in the forest. The combination of the trees, the stones, and my sweet singing voice filled me with such bliss. My voice got louder and stronger with each mantra… and when I finished singing the Hanuman prayer, I naturally shifted into singing Om Namah Shivaya over and over… and I realized that I had no fear of being eaten by a big cat, because if that happened, I would be dying in such a wonderful way, singing to the Lord of the Universe!

With my happy, happy heart, I snapped some photos on my way back… wearing red, the color of Hanuman, with my orange prayer shawl, sandalwood mala (prayer beads), and a bindi on my third eye, I felt so fully ME: I felt so free to be exactly myself, drinking in the medicine of that holy mountain. With each breath more happy than the last, and with my barefeet happily experiencing the dirt and stones and pine needles, I felt the Glory of being One with this Sacred Mother Earth…

May all beings everywhere find deep connection with Mother Earth.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

To hear me chanting Om Namah Shivaya on this hike, please click here: Yogini-Bliss on YouTube.

Photos of Teja Happy in Red Fir Flat and Teja’s happy barefeet on the trail taken by Teja Shankara.