The Hidden Kingdom. Altai mountains

At March 10, 2016
By Felipe Sandoval Correa
In Shambhala, Mongolian Shamanism, Siberian Shamanism, Russian Old Believers
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minddeities On Kazakhstan´s eastern border with Russia, there is a very special mountain range. It is called “Altai”, which in Mongolian means Golden Mountain, a name that begs mystery in itself. Historically, the range has been said to be the home of the first Native Americans before they crossed the strait. Nowadays, scientists seek geological information in the deepest cores of the mountain’s glacier, claiming that it holds up to 5,000 years of ecological history. And maybe, most importantly, the Altai mountains, specifically the highest peak, the Belukha Mountain, is an attraction to spiritual seekers from all over the world.

Lake Akkem and Mt. Belukha

On the Russian side, the territory called the Altai Republic, (besides Kazakhstan) borders with China, Mongolia and Tuva. As you can imagine, it is a very special and diverse place, a place where many of the most complex belief systems of the world coexist. The population of this territory is divided between Russian Orthodox and other Christians (such as Old Believers and Protestants), Muslims, and Hinduists. But nearly 40% of its people have shamanic-related costumes, like the Tengrist. As you can recall from our earlier post, shamanism plays a crucial role within Russian´s people history.

Shamanic drawings on Tengric drum

According to an ancient tradition of the Altai people, somewhere in the Belukha Mountain, there may be a hidden gateway that will take you to a great mystical land: the Kingdom of Shambhala. The notion was imported from the Tibet region, from the texts of the Zhangzhung and Bon (Buddhist tradition) and the Vishnu Purana (Hindu tradition). They describe the kingdom as what we could consider an eastern version of the Christian heaven. The Kalachakra tantra is an ancient teaching of the Buddha to one of the kings of Shambhala, that has re-surfaced in recent history and formed a new following called “Shambhala Buddhism.” The range holds the root of many spiritual stories and a setting in Marianna Baker’s novel “Red Snow, Gold Clouds.” What secrets could this Hidden Kingdom show to our readers when they pass across the mysterious Belukha Mountain.

Visit our sources:

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/altai.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altai_Mountains

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altai_Republic

http://www.tangrim.org/main.html?src=%2Findex2.html

http://www.kalachakranet.org/kalachakra_tantra_shambhala.html

http://www.kalacakra.org/aboutk.htm

Andt watch this short UN documentary on the region:

And this time-lapse on the elaboration of the Kalachakra Mandala in 2009:

“Red Snow, Gold Clouds” triller by Marianna Baker and Anna Baker authors

Shamans of the Steppe

At October 05, 2015
By Felipe Sandoval Correa
In Mongolian Shamanism, Siberian Shamanism
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Despite the naive rejection of traditional knowledge in the 20th century modernizing project and globalized mainstream cultures dismissive attitude, some ideas are coming back. In some parts of the world the heritage of ancient power never died, and in others, new people are learning them. It seems that we’re finally realizing the value of different approaches to health and well-being by understanding the multiple dimensions of nature around us. Or at least accepting them as possible. Something that can work if you acknowledge it.

Mongolian shaman performing ritual

Shamans are the keepers of this knowledge. They live in all kinds of environments, as part of all kinds of cultural realities that are kept alive through tradition, faith, discipline and understanding. The case of the steppe shamans in Siberia and Mongolia is probably one of the strongest traditions worldwide. Their territories, the power of the land where they live, the strength of their belief and the harmony of their knowledge with other kinds of knowledge, make them accessible and attractive to a growing number of people. Not only people seeking for answers about their lives or looking for peace, but even academics. People are fascinated and inspired by shamanism’s relationship and contact with the spirit world.

Shamanism initiation center in Mongolia

What is shamanism? Though it varies with each region of the world, it can be explained as the power of the body to contact spirits through physical feelings and vibration, a practice that, in part, comes from the steppes of Asia. Even the word “Shaman” is believed to come from the Evenki language, from the Tungusic region of Central Asia, between Mongolia, China and Russia. The peoples of the steppe teach that benevolent and malevolent spirits live in a supernatural world that can be reached by altering the state of consciousness through specific substances, precise rituals and a chosen soul. A few of those chosen souls live within Marianna Baker’s novel, Red Snow, Gold Clouds, illuminating the cultural history of Siberia and aiding our protagonists with their journey.