Dragon Practices

If you are enjoying the reading of this blog you might enjoy also learning a spiritual practice that brings blessings to the earth and the dragon energies. The line below is another one of my blogs which is about dragon practices.

http://nagadragons.blogspot.com

Adventures with Susan

Susan came into my life years ago. She is the one who introduced me to the Nagas. It was in India that she first learned about Naga offerings. She learned from the village women who would bring milk and honey to the Naga Temples outside of the village. These offerings would help ensure the villagers to have safety from the cobras.

We would sit around Susan’s kitchen table and she would tell us stories about the Nagas. One of the stories she related was about a man who lived in Arizona. He had been diagnosed with cancer and was given a short time to live. He decided to see a Tibetan doctor. The doctor read his pulse looked into his eyes and then asked him if he had been moving any big stones lately. The man said yes and went on to explain that he had moved a large stone for a landscaping project with his tractor. The doctor informed him that this stone was over a Naga’s home and he needed to move it back immediately. The man moved the stone and made an apology to the Nagas. A few weeks later the man’s cancer totally disappeared.

A few years ago a Lama came to Mt. Shasta to give a healing empowerment to the community. He related the story behind this empowerment. The store takes place in China. The emperor called upon a lama to help him because his family members one by one were getting leprosy. The lama came to his newly built
summer palace and spent the night. When he woke up in the morning he recalled dreaming that the palace was built upon Naga territory. The Naga King gave the lama a mantra to cure the disease that was created by the emperor’s trespassing. The royal family practiced the mantra and made their apologies to the Nagas. The leprosy was cured. Naga diseases are related to the element of water. Illnesses such as cancer, aids, leprosy and some others are related to the water element being out of balance in the body.

The pollution that we have created in our waterways is a good example of how some of these diseases can be created. We cannot drink polluted water or eat toxic food without some sort of repercussion.

Susan told me another story about one of the teaching Lama’s incarnations. The Lama was asked by the emperor of China to come and give his court dharma teachings. The Lama and one attendant made the long mountain journey from Tibet with one yak to carry their supplies. At the end of the teachings the emperor and his attendants brought treasure boxes of gold, silk and priceless Ming vases. The emperor knew fully that the Lama could never travel with such wealth with one yak up a winding mountain trail. The Lama was very polite and said thank you. He then requested that all his gifts be brought to the lake next to the palace. The emperor agreed to his request. The Chinese attendants carried all the gifts to the edge of the lake. The Lama then said a few mantras and the Naga King appeared and carried all the treasure back to Tibet. The emperor did not know what to say. The Lama, his companion and the yak made their way back home to Tibet. The treasure was waiting for them when they arrived.

Susan always had some very good stories to share about the Nagas, saints and sages. A few weeks ago I decided to take a trip to Portland and visit her. We stayed up all night, talking about each other’s lives. I shared pictures of the dragons of Mt. Shasta and my adventures.

The morning came and Susan brought me a gift of Kuan Yin tea that was packaged in a Chinese tin with a picture of a waterfall on the front. We were going to have a day’s outing and visit the waterfalls at Columbia Gorge outside of Portland. We walked out of the door and her entry way had a silver statue of Kuan Yin on the dragon’s back. But this statue was a little different: Kuan Yin was pouring the sweet nectar from her vase into the dragon’s mouth. Behind the statue was a picture of the most beautiful waterfall.

Susan herself had never been to the local waterfalls so this was a new adventure for both of us. We arrived at the first waterfall area, which was quite crowded with tourists even in the light misty rain of the Northwest. We walked up the trail to the most magnificent waterfall and stood at a lookout point. I began to use my earth eyes to search out if there were dragons in the stone. Indeed, there was the naga dragon. This dragon shape stretched itself across a ridge of stone at the top of the falls. The waterfalls literally were falling across the dragon’s body.

We moved up the trail to a bridge that crossed the gorge. We were standing there with many other tourists, taking in the sights. Two Japanese men came and stood next to us. Even though I do not know Japanese I can say the word dragon. I started to say dragon in Japanese, pointing to the rocks. The gentleman understood me perfectly and saw for himself what I was talking about. He became excited and showed his friend. It was time for us to leave but before I left the man bowed to me with fold hands.

Susan and I decided to travel up the road to look for a waterfall called Horsetail Falls. I saw a very small sign that said Horsetail and we pulled over and parked the car. We started on the trail that passed by smaller waterfalls. There were rocks, covered in thick moss and gushing waters from the new rains. This trail was less traveled. We began to chant a beautiful Japanese mantra to Kannon.

At one point my girlfriend Christy shared a simple dance to Kannon which blesses the earth but also can heal anything you visualize as you perform the movement. Susan taught me the mantra that went with the dance.

Kwan zeon bowsa
Kwan zeon bowsa
Kwan zeon bowsa
Kwan zeon boooow

We went along the trail, making the simple movements to the mantras. We walked along the winding trail, singing. Every step became a prayer. I had brought a gift to Susan when I arrived, a special incense made in Nepal. This incense was made with precious herbs and resins, used for offerings for the nagas and dragons. I magically found this incense the night before at a small video store in Ashland in Oregon and I knew it was the perfect gift for my friend. The container was beautifully made with the painting of a dragon. Susan was carrying it in her backpack like some ancient naga priestess climbing the mountain. She brought out two incense sticks and we lit them in spite of the wet conditions. We traveled up the road with incense wafting behind us as an offering to the beings in nature and we kept singing along the way.

Then my inner eyes began to open and I saw a vision of Suzuki Roshi standing on the top of my head as I repeated the mantra. Even though I had never had physical contact with Suzuki Roshi, repeating this mantra caused his presence to become tangible to me. I felt we truly were being blessed.

We saw several waterfalls along the way and stopped and made prayers. We had walked about three miles when we turned the corner and suddenly were face to face with a beautiful waterfall cascading down the ridge. In the back of this waterfall was a rock cave. You could walk right behind the waterfall and enjoy the back view. We approached the falls and there was another dragon head! The head of the dragon was the beginning of the cave and his tail was the other side of the cave. The cave itself was the belly of the dragon. We walked right into it! We stood behind the waterfall and our mantra changed to a Waterfall Kuan Yin mantra. This mantra is from a 7th century text out of China. Both in China and Japan, meditating with waterfalls is used as a spiritual practice.

This mantra helps the chi flow within the physical body. It also can bring a down pouring of spiritual energy upon the practitioner. The mantra is Namo Long Jyen Gwan Yin. We repeated this over and over as we stood in the belly of the dragon. And then it happened: with my spiritual eyes I saw the waterfall turning into the body of White Robed Kuan Yin. We just kept singing, knowing that this waterfall and dragon was being dedicated to Kuan Yin. Susan and I walked out of the belly of the dragon and in that instant thunder rolled right above us. The prayers were accepted. We walked back in pouring rain, soaked to the bone. We did not care. Kuan Yin was there.
Kanzeon hail Buddha
We are one with the Buddha
Bound to the Awakened One
And to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
We are always joyful and pure,
In the morning thinking of Kanzeon
In the evening thinking of Kanzeo
Continous thoughts rise from the heart
These thoughts never leave our hearts.
Verse from Kannon Sutra
The morning came and Susan brought me a gift of Kuan Yin tea that was packaged in a Chinese tin with a picture of a waterfall on the front. We were going to have a day’s outing and visit the waterfalls at Columbia Gorge outside of Portland. We walked out of the door and her entry way had a silver statue of Kuan Yin on the dragon’s back. But this statue was a little different: Kuan Yin was pouring the sweet nectar from her vase into the dragon’s mouth. Behind the statue was a picture of the most beautiful waterfall.

Susan herself had never been to the local waterfalls so this was a new adventure for both of us. We arrived at the first waterfall area, which was quite crowded with tourists even in the light misty rain of the Northwest. We walked up the trail to the most magnificent waterfall and stood at a lookout point. I began to use my earth eyes to search out if there were dragons in the stone. Indeed, there was the naga dragon. This dragon shape stretched itself across a ridge of stone at the top of the falls. The waterfalls literally were falling across the dragon’s body.

We moved up the trail to a bridge that crossed the gorge. We were standing there with many other tourists, taking in the sights. Two Japanese men came and stood next to us. Even though I do not know Japanese I can say the word dragon. I started to say dragon in Japanese, pointing to the rocks. The gentleman understood me perfectly and saw for himself what I was talking about. He became excited and showed his friend. It was time for us to leave but before I left the man bowed to me with fold hands.

Susan and I decided to travel up the road to look for a waterfall called Horsetail Falls. I saw a very small sign that said Horsetail and we pulled over and parked the car. We started on the trail that passed by smaller waterfalls. There were rocks, covered in thick moss and gushing waters from the new rains. This trail was less traveled. We began to chant a beautiful Japanese mantra to Kannon.

At one point my girlfriend Christy shared a simple dance to Kannon which blesses the earth but also can heal anything you visualize as you perform the movement. Susan taught me the mantra that went with the dance.

Kwan zeon bowsa
Kwan zeon bowsa
Kwan zeon bowsa
Kwan zeon boooow

We went along the trail, making the simple movements to the mantras. We walked along the winding trail, singing. Every step became a prayer. I had brought a gift to Susan when I arrived, a special incense made in Nepal. This incense was made with precious herbs and resins, used for offerings for the nagas and dragons. I magically found this incense the night before at a small video store in Ashland in Oregon and I knew it was the perfect gift for my friend. The container was beautifully made with the painting of a dragon. Susan was carrying it in her backpack like some ancient naga priestess climbing the mountain. She brought out two incense sticks and we lit them in spite of the wet conditions. We traveled up the road with incense wafting behind us as an offering to the beings in nature and we kept singing along the way.

Then my inner eyes began to open and I saw a vision of Suzuki Roshi standing on the top of my head as I repeated the mantra. Even though I had never had physical contact with Suzuki Roshi, repeating this mantra caused his presence to become tangible to me. I felt we truly were being blessed.

We saw several waterfalls along the way and stopped and made prayers. We had walked about three miles when we turned the corner and suddenly were face to face with a beautiful waterfall cascading down the ridge. In the back of this waterfall was a rock cave. You could walk right behind the waterfall and enjoy the back view. We approached the falls and there was another dragon head! The head of the dragon was the beginning of the cave and his tail was the other side of the cave. The cave itself was the belly of the dragon. We walked right into it! We stood behind the waterfall and our mantra changed to a Waterfall Kuan Yin mantra. This mantra is from a 7th century text out of China. Both in China and Japan, meditating with waterfalls is used as a spiritual practice.

This mantra helps the chi flow within the physical body. It also can bring a down pouring of spiritual energy upon the practitioner. The mantra is Namo Long Jyen Gwan Yin. We repeated this over and over as we stood in the belly of the dragon. And then it happened: with my spiritual eyes I saw the waterfall turning into the body of White Robed Kuan Yin. We just kept singing, knowing that this waterfall and dragon was being dedicated to Kuan Yin. Susan and I walked out of the belly of the dragon and in that instant thunder rolled right above us. The prayers were accepted. We walked back in pouring rain, soaked to the bone. We did not care. Kuan Yin was there.
Kanzeon hail Buddha
We are one with the Buddha
Bound to the Awakened One
And to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
We are always joyful and pure,
In the morning thinking of Kanzeon
In the evening thinking of Kanzeo
Continous thoughts rise from the heart
These thoughts never leave our hearts.
Verse from Kannon Sutra

River Dragons

Andreas, my partner, and I went out last weekend for a walk along the Sacramento River. There is a lovely river trail that I have visited many times when I was growing up as a child. In the early 60s my father and I used to fish up and down this area, catching rainbow trout. I learned how to swim in the ice-cold mountain water of Soda Creek when I was eight years old. I have many fond memories of this area.

But on that day I saw it with different eyes. We crossed an expansion bridge and entered the trail. We enjoyed the little babbling brooks that emptied into the mighty river. The earthy scent of moss filled the air. Spring flowers poked their nodding heads out of thick mossy patches on ground. It was a lovely day.

As we got to one of my favorite places to sit on the trail, I looked out at the river and gazed at ancient lava pour that created a strange rock formation along the water. Behold it was a river dragon! His head looked like an alligator laying in the water. His body rose up, creating an excellent place for fishing. We went
to walk out on the rock and we discovered another dragon whose head and body faced the shore. Two dragons were joined together on the river. So many times I had been in this area but I had never seen them until today! A few feet a way from this area was a huge stone shaped like a yoni (vagina). Remember dragons are about fertility.

You could stand on the dragon’s back and watch the river go by. There was a perfect wading pool, created by the dragon’s body. It was calm and soothing, sheltered by trees. A few yards before the dragon’s head, coming from the east, a stream joined the great Sacramento River.

Some of the trees in the area had shapes within the bark that looked like a Mama Nature Goddess and little gnome faces. It was the home of the elementals and the dragons were the guardians of the river.

Andreas and I repeated mantras that benefit the dragons. One mantra is Chinese, Namo Long Tow Guan Yin. This mantra means Kuan Yin’s Dragon. Namo means sacred name. Long is the word for dragon in Chinese. Guan Yin is another name for Kuan Yin. Since Kuan Yin’s presence is already manifesting on the mountain I like to present the dragons to her when I make offerings. Many of you may have seen statues or paintings of Kuan Yin riding a dragon and holding her sweet nectar bottle. Kuan Yin is the Goddess of Mercy. She is a Bodisattva, one who has vowed to alleviate suffering. Her name is Kannon-sama in Japan. She is also known in Korea, Thailand, India, Tibet, and Vietnam, by many different names. Her name may change in different regions of Asia but she is the one who hears the cries of those who suffer in all realms. She is able to manifest in any form she chooses to help those in need.

The Sacramento river back in the early 90s had a very terrible environmental accident. There was a train wreck and one of the cars filled with weed killer fell into the river. It killed everything as the rushing currents took the poison downstream. Even though the fish have come back and plants have returned, the memory is still recorded on the earth. Every event that ever happens is recorded on the land. The outside may look like a rock in the shape of the dragon but the inner realm is the spirit behind the land that feels and remembers this pain. Therefore, mantras to Kuan Yin for the benefit of all beings are included.


The French Connection

A few days ago a man by the name of Olivier called me. He had just come to Mt. Shasta from France. He saw my dragon article in the Mt. Shasta Magazine and asked me if he could meet the dragons. I planned to take him to another place but I wanted to stop first on the river to show him the newfound dragons.

As we walked the trails the magic started to happen. We saw one dragon after another as we made our way downriver. We first saw two lava flows that were in the shapes of dragons. But then we noticed that the trail itself had moss-covered boulders that created a giant dragon body right up against the trail. A few feet further set back was another dragon being created from the decomposed tree stumps. I realized he was a destructive dragon. Not in a bad way mind you, but he ruled over the cycle of composting all the old tree matter back to the soil. I began to explain to Olivier how in a forest there exist three cycles. These cycles are new growth trees, the mature trees and the destructive cycle of the decomposing. When a forest is healthy all three cycles are balanced. Once on a different hike I came to a place where a lot of beer drinking and hunting had taken place. The trees were full of disease and very unhealthy. Trees not only purify our air but they also purify the thoughts and feelings in an area. When too much negative vibration has been created, disease sets in and the forest becomes sick. I have witnessed this over and over again in my travels.

Once I went to the high alpine area where very few people visited. The destructive cycle was there also but the trees decomposing looked like beautiful art sculpture worn by the element. This place was pure and tainted by human negativity.

Olivier and I looked down at a rock after my explanation. There was a rock looking like a Madonna and child. I pointed her out to and said see here it is recorded. The baby is the new growth cycle. The mother the mature cycle and the destructive dragon is the compost cycle. Here it is written in rock, stone and moss.

We traveled further and walked out on the river dragons I had found with Andreas a few days before. Olivier wanted to purify himself in the river. We went to the dragon pool. He folded his hands in prayer and reverently entered the pool. I bent down and saw a small piece of wood and I picked it up. There in the small of my hand was a little wood dragon. I looked closer, it was Kuan Yin standing next to the ear of the dragon. I was given a great gift. I thought about it. The Kuan Yin on the mountain is full of snow right now and as that snow melts it fills this river. What I was given was an elemental carving of Dragon Kuan Yin in my hand.

We ended our walk making offerings over a bridge. I looked down and there was another dragon’s body in the stream that ran into the main river. We counted eight dragons in this small area and I am sure there are more to be found.

East meets West

Many of my dragon experiences have happened with a number of different Japanese people. The dragon is honored and still understood by many people in the Asian culture. One magical meeting was with a Japanese master calligrapher that was presenting his art form in McCloud at the Stony Brook Inn.

Andreas and myself decided to visit Master Kenji Nishiguchi’s calligraphy display. We walked in and were greeted by two Japanese women. There was Master Kenji, dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, painting away on a small table. All around the room were the beautiful expressions of his calligraphy. It was a feast for my eyes to perceive. Each person was allowed to pick a sheet of paper to have Master Kenji paint whatever word you would like. Master Kenji painted my word and then honored me by serving me green tea in a ceremonial style. Since I had been creating a teahouse in my backyard over the last few months this meant a great deal to me.

When things really started to pick up was when I was sharing my necklace of Kannon-sama with the Japanese ladies. Kannon-sama is the Japanese word for Kuan Yin. My necklace is earthy brown jade carved into Kannon riding on a dragon. One of the women’s name was Kazuko. She began to get very excited. She brought out her wallet with a picture of her home altar. On the altar there was Kannon and a dragon. We both looked deeply into each other’s eyes and the spiritual energy started to rise. The presence of Kannon started to pour down upon both of us. The next thing I knew the woman was in my arms and we both were repeating Kannon’s name. Even though she did not understand English and I did not understand Japanese we met in the heart of Kannon-sama and the Dragon. The third woman joined us and the spiritual power poured down upon the small little group. Master Kenji kept calmly painting, fully aware of what was taking place. Andreas picked up Kazuko’s camera and started to take pictures.

My newfound dragon sister then took out a small booklet and showed me a picture of master Kenji in Okinawa, painting the words peace and love in the beach sand. The background of the picture was a rock dragon just like the ones I have found here in Shasta. I was standing before a woman who totally understood what I was doing but no one spoke each other’s language.

The next thing I knew we are all piled in master Kenji’s car. We started driving towards one of my dragon sites. I introduced the Shasta Dragons to my new friends. Prayers were said and offerings were made. At one point Master Kenji looked around and I understood what he was thinking without words. He was in the middle of nowhere, no path to find this place and he was wondering how I ever found the dragon. I looked into to his eyes and smiled and said the dragons showed me.

Kazuko held out a little Japanese blessing charm as she made prayers in front of the dragon. Later she gave me this blessing charm and said it was from The Temple of Nine Dragons in Japan.

The next day Master Kenji presented me with two calligraphies. One for my teahouse expressing the name of Kannon-sama’s dragon and the other calligraphy said “Dragon Spirit.”

I want to acknowledge the different Japanese people I have met over the last few years who have come and walked the mountains and forest trails with me to visit these great beings. They have shared their own stories with me about the dragon spirit of Japan and even have taught me blessings and prayers and how to make dragon offerings Japanese style.

Hiro San has walked the trails up the mountain with me several different times. We have used our eyes together to discover the faces in the stones and the spirit in the rocks.

Konomi arrived in Mt.Shasta after visiting a temple in Japan where the dance of Kannon-sama was taking place. Her sharing deeply touched my heart.

Etsuko shared Shinto style offerings not only to the dragons but also blessed my new Japanese garden with Sake.

Izumi discovered on one of my dragon walks that her family name Tokunaga came from the word Naga.

Natsuko Hayashi is a young woman who I will never forget

And then there was a Japanese Banker whose name I forgot. We found the Green Butte dragon together three years ago.

Visions on the Moutatin

It was fall, shortly after the Peace Pole was planted at Berryvale in Mt. Shasta. A congregation of Japanese people came to Mt. Shasta to perform a Peace Ceremony. Fumi Stewart was the host for this ceremony to take place. This group of people’s dedication inspired me to promoting Peace. One of the practices that they do is write and repeat the phases Ware Soku Kami Nari, I am a Divine Being and Jinrui Soku Kami Nari, humanity is a Divine Being.

I spent my time in the following weeks repeating or writing these phrases many times during the day.

It was my bedtime and I began to settle down to sleep. I noticed that the room was filled with many Japanese spirits, dressed in kimonos and some in straw hats. I took note and fell fast asleep.

It was the middle of the night when I woke up and could not get back to sleep. I decided to go up the mountain and visit the dragons in my light body. I used my consciousness to travel the mountain. When I traveled the mountain in daily life I always like to walk slowly, saying mantras and visualizing golden lotus flowers coming out of my feet. This is one of my practices. But here in my light body I was surprise to find these lotus lighting my way up the mountain trail like garden lamps. I came to the Grey Butte Dragon and offering him imaginary incense. Then I traveled to Red Butte Dragon. I looked up at the rock in the shape of Kuan Yin and flew up and merged my light body into the stone body of Kuan Yin. I looked out on to the landscape before me. When I flew down from my rocky perch I noticed I was wearing a pure white kimono. I looked at my draping sleeves and noticed on it the same landscape as the mountain. I turned around and my kimono had changed into spring/summer flowers like those I would see in the alpine meadows. I turned again and I saw the changing colors of fall. I turned one more time and the kimono reflected the snow-white mountains themselves. I was amazed at this gift the spirits had given me. I began to create lotus offerings with my hands in a traditional Buddhist mudra. Each lotus I offered at the feet of the Dragon. Then I saw a scroll hanging from a tree in front of the dragon’s nose and it was written in Japanese.

The next moment I found myself flying. I used the kimono sleeves as wings. I flew directly to Squaw Meadows. I came to Squaw Creeks Spring and looked down from this vantage point. Once again a scroll unrolled with Japanese writing. But this time it rolled down the hill following the creek. The scroll and the creek went for many miles down the mountain.

The next thing I know I was back in my own bed fresh and very alert. The Kuan Yin spirit left my body and now stood before me. She dropped the kimono and exposed her bare back, which was tattooed with a dragon. The images on her back kept changing and changing. There were too many for me to remember. Then she dropped her body and all that was left was Light.

Different Japanese spirit people visited me that night and finally I feel into a deep sleep. Early in the morning I woke up to a very strong earthquake. I shot out of bed and asked Andreas did you feel the earthquake? He said no.

Then two days later I was at a coffee shop. I was reading the paper and realized there had been a major earthquake in Japan! The Naga Dragons are the rulers of ley lines and earthquakes. To give offerings to Nagas or Dragons is a way of pacifying these beings. The Tsunami in Thailand was a result of Naga Beings being very upset. I feel one reason why I have been giving these experiences at this time was to share with others this aspect of nature that needs to be rectified. We have polluted the waters, dug deep into the earth and built over ley lines, just to name a few of the sins humans have done to nature.

I believe when offerings are given with a pure heart these great beings respond. One practice I was taught is about asking the Buddhas to give the Dragon King and his retinue their full enlightenment. Humans are not the only ones on this planet that want spiritual awakening. The elemental beings and great dragons also want liberation. They have suffered much in this modern day material world. This is the way these beings should be approached: “I apologize for humanity’s actions. I thank you for the gifts of rain, the waterways and the fertility of the earth.” And most important: give their spirits and their suffering to the enlightened ones so they also can benefit from their blessings.



I call forth the Buddhas of the past, present and future.
I give you my body, heart, and soul.
Stream forth with your full enpowerment.
I call forth the Dragon King and his retinue.
I present the Dragons of this land to the Buddhas for their enlightenment.
I request that their suffering be removed.

So be it.

Squaw Meadow Dragon

One summer I was so busy finding the dragons on Mt. Shasta that it was not until late summer did I find my way to Squaw Meadows. Squaw Meadows is one of the more popular place on Mt. Shasta for people to hike into. Remembering the information that the Japanese man had told me, where there is one dragon there is always another. Just like the kundalini traveling up the spine through multiple channels in the process of awakening. The earth also has its kundalini channels in the form of dragon energy. I realized that Green Butte, the double headed dragon, and Grey Butte were two of the dragons. But who was the matching dragon of Red Ridge?

I made my way up the steep climb of the upper meadows to find the source of the squaw creek. I sat at the top of the creek, looking closely at the Red Fir Ridge. I knew the dragon was there but I could not find him. I slowly made my way down the trail. I knew this ridge was a dragon -but where was his head? I stopped right where a small spring meets with Squaw creek. I just stood there deeply looking at the beginning of the ridge that faces north. Every dragon I had met on the mountain so far - their heads were always facing the mountain.

And then I saw him; half of his head was sumerged into the earth. But where was his eye? It is only when I can see the eye of the dragon that I know I have found him. And there it was - slanted and mysteriouly hidding from all those who walk by. He was the fourth great dragon of Mt. Shasta.

Now my attention turned towards the trickling spring that was flowing from the east. In Tibet springs that run from east to west are considered very sacred. The monks gather the waters from these springs for ceremony. The spring source was coming from a vulva-shaped mound which was green and growing. Symbolically speaking, Squaw was the white man's word for vagina. When they came to the Native American tribes they used this word for wanting to have sex. This says a lot about our white ancestors.

The dragon ridge was directly behind the spring. The tree line went across the dragon's back. The red fur trees all grow about the same size except the trees that were directly in alignment with the vulva mound. These trees were big and fat looking like strong phalic symbols that fertilzed the sweet earth. It was a place of union of the male and female united in the natural enviroment.I now had found the fourth dragon on Shasta.

The Sacred Dragons of Mt. Shasta

Everything in nature has a signature, or a symbolic meaning. This is known as the Book of Nature which is written in every flower, tree, rock and sacred place. The ancients knew how to interpret this book and read wisdom from its pages.

Mt. Shasta is well known as a Sacred Mountain, referred to as the Himalayas of the Western Hemisphere. Mt. Shasta is rich in nature’s signatures. Through the years Mother Nature has opened her book and taught me the meanings of many Sacred Places around Mt. Shasta.

I would like to share with you my story of the dragons of Mt Shasta. You do not have to have clairvoyant vision to see these dragons. Their bodies is the land itself, although behind the physical form there is also the spirit of the dragon. Feng shui practitioners call this Green Dragon Energy. Green Dragon bodies are the mountains or ridges of the land. The land actually can look like the massive body of a dragon. The tree line begins at their back, creating the fertility in the valleys below. Every dragon also is a guardian of a fresh water spring that is connected with the fertility of the land.

But let me tell you a little history about dragon energy in other lands so we can begin to understand how important our Shasta Dragons truly are. Dragons are also known as Nagas in India and Tibet. They are the magical creatures that control earthquakes, waterways and Mother Earth’s treasures such as crystals, veins of gold and natural gems. When the Nagas are not honored we see disasters in the form of earthquakes, floodings or diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Issues of fertility arise. Diseases that involve the imbalance of the water element are Naga diseases. Nagas are very powerful beings and must be approached with respect. In Tibet people believe the breath of a Naga can bring death.

The Nagas of India are associated with the snakes, especially the cobra. There are Naga temples outside the villages where offerings are left to the snakes to bring rain to the land. Women are the priestesses of these temples since a woman’s body contains the secrets of fertility. These women would leave offerings of milk, honey and prayers. When the offerings were accepted fertility would come to the fields in the form of rain. The herds would have healthy offspring and women could get pregnant easily.

Christianity created a religious doctrine that separated God from Mother Earth. Deep in the unconsciousness of the western mind is the fear of the serpent energy. The western mind has been brought up with the myth of Adam and Eve and the serpent. Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat the apple of knowledge. She was punished for her sin, and women thereafter would suffer the pains of child birth. The forces of nature and fertility strongly pulsate through a woman’s body. Women became sexual temptresses to celibate monks, and since monks were writing the bible, we are left with a negative archetype for women.

But in the East the same serpent was symbolic of the sleeping kundalini at the base of the spine. When the kundalini is awakened that very same power can generate enlightenment. The kundalini is uncontrollable spiritual power that moves through the central channels of the body. This power can remove both emotional and psychological hindrances. But one must have a firm foundation in spiritual practice to endure the intense experiences that come with the awakening of the kundalini, otherwise it can cause both emotional and mental turmoil.

As we travel though history we return to the Shasta Dragons that live upon the mountain. The first time I saw the dragon’s face was in Grey Butte, above panther meadows spring. The spring was sacred to the late Flora Jones who was a great Indian doctor of the Wintun Indians. It is important to note that a medicine woman was the caretaker of this spring. I was climbing the face of Mt. Shasta and I stopped to take a rest and look down at the beautiful meadow below when I realized I was face to face with the dragon of the mountain - its snout was the beginning of the butte. Its eye was the green lichen that grew upon the rock and its jagged back stretched across the sky line. The beginning of the dragon’s tail was the tree line which became a thick forest running down the sides of Mt. Shasta. I was honored to recognize this mighty being whose presence was reflected by stone, rock and lichen. When the light is soft, such as in the morning or the evening, the face of the dragon appears easily.

The second dragon I discovered with the help of a Japanese man. This man was a banker from Japan. His interest was finding the ley lines of the land. I was his tour guide for the day. When I pointed out Grey Butte Dragon to him he said, “where there is one dragon there always is another, but where is the second dragon?” We both looked at Green Butte. There was the jagged back of the dragon and the tree line was trailing down his back, but where was his head? I looked again and I saw his head humbly bowing at the face of Mt. Shasta. It wasn’t until one year later when I visited with two Japanese friends that I looked at Green Butte dragon with different eyes. We were hiking down the face of the mountain and I pointed out the humble dragon of Green Butte. As I was showing the head of the dragon my friend said it looked like the dragon had two heads. It was then that I saw that indeed the dragon had two heads. The clouds above us then began to swirl and shape into dragon forms. This was a day to remember!
Green Butte was a place where I have had very powerful experiences. As I walked the trail that runs aside the butte I have seen massive stones that symbolically reflected the history of the Earth. Within the body of this humble dragon I have seen Egypt, the time of Christ and stories of Shiva and Shakti. Through their signatures and shapes the stones were reflecting the Earth’s history. I realized this area of the mountain was a great earth library. I related some of my experiences to a Tibetan Lama and he said that a similar library was in the mountains of the Himalayas.

Further up the steep trail of Green Butte is another fresh spring. Where there is a dragon, there also is a spring. This spring runs down the right side, creating a ribbon of green flora which exists in strong contrast to the gray stone.

The third Shasta Dragon I found on a mantra walk that I began at the foot of the mountain. I went to the upper parking lot on the mountain. I slung my water bottle over my shoulder, put my sandalwood mala in my hand and began to recite a Sanskrit mantra to the Mother Earth. “Samudra Mekhale Devi”- your oceans are your girdle and your mountains are your breast, forgive me for treading upon you. I silently walked the trail, keeping track of each mantra as the scented beads slipped through my fingers. The mantra started to take hold of my mind, my daily problems began to fall away and all that was left was my breath, my step and my prayers. I stopped and paid my respects to the Grey Butte Dragon.
Then I turned to the West and honored the humble dragon of Green Butte. The trail kept climbing higher to what is called the Saddle of the Mountain. As I went over the saddle, green meadow stretched out before me and to the East another rugged ridge arose. I carefully crossed the ice glaciers that still covered the mountain trail. Now I could see the back side of the Grey Butte Dragon. The layers of shale rock appeared like dragon scales. When I reached meadows I emptied my water bottle on the nearest plant. I refilled my bottle with the bubbling fresh water spring. This spring was the greening power of this alpine wonderland. I made my way down the meadow as the trail slowly began to rise again. The Valley of the Moon stretched out to the south, looking barren and silvery from a rock perch I rested upon.
A great stillness had come over me and the mantra ran through me effortlessly. A gentle wind played with my dangling prayer beads. I imagined nature spirits catching my mantras and distributing prayers wherever they were needed. I had arrived at the third butte, known as Red Butte. To my wonder another face of a dragon had appeared and its scaly back became the rugged ridges. Its eye danced with the color of lime green lichens. Faces within the lichen were dancing within the eye of the dragon. I knew I had to look deeply into the stone eye of this dragon. And then, I saw it - a rock image in the shape of a statue standing in the eye of the dragon. The rock was in the shape of a traditional Kuan Yin statue. Kuan Yin, Asian goddess of mercy was in the dragon’s eye. She was joined together with another rock image in the profile of Amida Buddha's blessing all those who passed. Amida Buddha is traiditional painted next to Kuan Yin in Asian art.
Amida Buddha is the infinite light and Kuan Yin is the female form that Amida Buddha's Light emanates.
Many spiritually gifted people around this mountain have had inner experiences of Kuan Yin’s presence. I myself have seen her image in the ever-changing cloud formations. Mt. Shasta is famous for its unusual cloud formations that reflect the inner realties of the area.
Kuan Yin’s mantra, Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pu Sa, now arose in me. She is the Goddess of compassion, the bodhisatva of mercy. Her presence is written in stone here. The Kuan Yin mantra surrounds the earth with compassion. With my mala in hand and Kuan Yin’s name on my lips I made my way down the mountain.
There are many stories and vision that have been associated with Mt. Shasta over time. Every year more people come here, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sacred. The Three Dragons of Shasta have stood for eons waiting and watching, measuring historical time as their bodies have been chiseled by the elements. They bless the state of California with abundant water supply, filling the great Sacramento river. Silently they have watched unrecognized by many who have walked by. It is now a time of honoring. It is now a time for the return of the Dragons, and the power of Earth Kundalini awakening. I am truly blessed for witnessing the Earth’s secrets. I am truly honored to share the Earth’s message. May the Earth Mother’s beauty be restored.

A few winters back the ice and elementals wore the stone face of the Buddha and Kuan Yin off the face of the dragon ridge. But I guess that is the Buddhas way is to return into emptiness. You can still see the dragon but not the image of the Buddha.