DoesCharlottesvilleHaveaHolyMountain? Nobody,notevenThomasJefferson,haseverclaimedCharlottesvilleto haveaholymountain,atleastnotinEnglishorinpublishedsources,yetithas. Throughoutthemythsoftheworldreferencesaremadetomountainsas holy,numinous,thehomeofthegods,andevencreatedbythem.Theyare frequentlythesiteofrevelation,celestialvisitations,inspiration,andencounters withgods,extraterrestrials,Naturespirits,andotherbeings.God(orthegods) sometimesrevealsHimselfonthetopofholymountains,andhumansslipmore easilyintomysticstatesofexaltationonsuchpeaksthanonthelowlands. TheNavajosaythateverymountain,especiallythesacredcardinalones thatboundNavajoNationintheAmericanSouthwest,hasaninnerformorholy beinginsideitknownasbiiistn,ThoseThatStandwithinThem.Thesegods arethechieftainsofthepeaks,andthemountainsaretheirhogans,orhomes. ExamplesofbiiistnareTalkingGod,RockCrystalBoy,andRockCrystalGirl.

l. CharlottesvillesholymountainisknownlocallyasCartersMountain, partoftheridgethatarcsquietlybehindthetownandouttoMonticelloandthat includesacommercialappleorchard,amicrowavearray,andprivatehomes.In effect,everytimeThomasJeffersonsteppedoutthebackdoorofhisoctagonal ByRichardLeviton2005

houseatMonticello(theLittleMountain),hesawthetownsholymountain. LocalrumorhasitthatoriginallyhewantedtobuildMonticelloontheadjacent andsomewhathigherBrownsHill,butcouldntobtainthepropertyorrights. ItisnotgenerallybelievedthatJeffersonwaspsychic,soperhapshenever sawtheholymountaininhisbackyard.Butjudgingbyhisbenevolentand insightfulactionsonbehalfofafreshlycreatedcountryandtheircontinuing effects(certainlyinCharlottesville,throughtheUniversityofVirginia),hesurely gotthebenefitofthedailyexposureforthefiftyyearsorsohelivedthere. Whatmakesamountainholy?Onthesurface,itscalledholybecauseit raisesconsciousness,elevatesawareness,upliftsthemood,inspiresthesoul.But whatmakesaplacedothat?Youhavetolookdeepertoseetheanswer. AholymountainisaplacewheretheEarthsspiritualbody,orbodyof Light,eruptsintohumanlifeandphysicalreality,andwithit,abitofthegalaxy. Aroundtheworld,mountainsareholybecausetheyhaveethericlightand energycanopiesoverthem.Thesecanopiesarecalleddomes,andtheEarthhas 1,746ofthem,mostlyovermountains,butsometimesoverhillsorflatareas. AspartoftheoriginaldesignoftheEarthanditsvisionarygeography,the domesweredevices,midwayincompositionbetweenmatterandspirit,that settledovertheEarthssurfaceatprearrangedlocationsandinaccordancewith starpatternsabovetoenergizeandpreparetheEarthforhumanhabitation.

Originallyeachwas33mileswide,butovertimeandentropyandlackofhuman awareness,theyhaveshrunktoaboutaquarterofthat,ontheaverage. TheyformpartoftheEarthsspiritualorLightbody,whichIcall visionarygeographyagloballandscapethatinspiresvisionsintoits otherworldlyaspects.TheAustralianAboriginescallthistheDreamtime. Thedomeswerenotexactlyspaceships,thoughamaterialist interpretationwouldseethemthatway.Buttheyweremobile,forawhile. Hindumythreflectsthisbysayingthatoriginallythemountainshadwings,but astheycontinuouslycircledaround,thisupsettheEarthsstabilityandthegod Indracutofftheirwings,renderingthemimmoveable,andsetthemat appropriatelocationstostabilizetheworld.Here,obviously,themoving mountainsweredomes. ThedomescameandwentthreetimesintheEarthshistory,duringthe mythicaltimesrememberedvariouslyastheDreamtimeorTepZepi(Egyptian). Theirimprintofsoundandlightwassopowerfulthattheyarevirtuallystill presentattheholymountainstheycreatedthough,technically,theyaregone. Eachofthephysicalmountainsthedomescreatedthensettledoverhad itsownguardiandeity,atypeoflandscapeangel,whomaintainedtheintegrity ofthedomesenergyanditsrelationshiptothemountain,itsorganiclife,and

anyothergeomanticfeaturesitmighthave(lighttemples).Herearesome examples: MountKenya,a17,000footvolcanoandAfricassecondhighestpeak,is theresidenceofNgai,thegodwhocreatedhumansincludingthefirstKikuyu tribesman,Gikuyu;theKikuyucallthepeakKereNyaga,Mountainof Brightness.InTanzania,OlDoinyoLengai,a10,000footactivevolcano,isthe homeofEngai,theoneandonlyGodfortheMasai,aswellasaspiritualbeing calledKhambegeu,whooncecreatedagoldenageofprosperity.TheBantucall thispeakMogongojoMugwe,meaningMountainofGod.GunungAgung (GreatMountain),the10,308footsacredpeakofBali,isthehomeof Mahadewa,GreatGodofGunung,andthesiteofnumeroustemplesandshrines. GuardiandeitiessuchasNgai,Engai,Khambegeu,andMahadewaare examplesoflandscapeangelsmaintainingamountainsgeomanticintegrity. CartersMountainsimilarlyhasaresidentdeity,usuallycalledgenericallya landscapeangel,stillinplace,thoughitsnameisnotcurrentlyknown.Ifyoufeel abitdaring,considersendingafriendlyhello!thoughttothislocalguardian deity. Holymountainsgetanuminouschargefromthepresenceofavarietyof landscapeangelsandSpiritbeings(theNavajobiiistn,ThoseThatStand withinThem)whomaintainthegeomanticintegrityofthequalityoftheenergy

(i.e.,consciousnessparameters)setatthatsite.Everydomedpeak,including CartersMountain,willhaveonemajorlandscapeangelandseveralsmaller ones. OneoftheprimarySpiritbeingspresentatBrownsHill,theepicenterof thedomeovertheCartersMountainridge,isagreatStarAngel,astheancient Chaldeanslikedtocallthem,fromthestarVegaintheconstellationLyra.Eachof theplanetsdomesconveystheholographicpresenceoftheintelligenceor spiritualaspectofabrightstarinourgalaxyletssaytheEarthhasanedited versionofthegalaxysbrightest,thosewhoseenergiesaremostpertinentto humanandplanetaryevolution.VegatouchesdownonEarthatBrownsHill. NotonlyisthestarenergyofVegagroundedhere,thisisitsdistribution point,anditisthecenterofacomplexthoughwelldefinednetworkof connections.Eachofthedomescouldgenerateupto48subsidiaryenergy consciousnesscenterscalleddomecaps,andthesewereconnectedtothe motherdomebywayofspiralliclines.Forexample,PresidentJamesMonroes AshlawnhasadomecapconnectedtoMonticelloasdoesJeffersonsoriginal AcademikalVillageandTheLawnathuboftheUniversityofVirginiaintown. Domeswerealsoconnectedtooneanotherbystraightenergylines.For example,theMonticellodomeisconnectedbyastraightenergylinetoanother

domeoverSwannanoaatAftonMountain,theformerhomeandheadquartersof psychicWalterRussellandhisUniversityofScienceandPhilosophyinitiative. Thesestraightlineconnectionsarenotartifactsofmapwork,butactual energylinkscreatedattheinceptionoftheplanetandmaintainedeversince. Similarly,thedomestaraffiliationsarenotafunctionofarcheoastronomicalor azimuthalalignments;theyarehologramsoftheactualrealityinthegalaxy. Evenbetter,theyareopenforexperience:theyaremeantforhumaninteraction, whichisapotentwaytobothvalidatetheirrealityandreceivecosmic edification. Bywayofexample,BlackElk,theholymanamongtheLakotas,beganhis celestialadventurewiththeSixGrandfathersatHarneyPeakinSouthDakota. MosesreceivedtheTorah,TenCommandments,anddesignfortheArkofthe CovenantuponMountSinaiinEgypt.ThepeakwascalledMountainofYahweh. RipvanWinkleunderwenthistwentyyearsleepintheCatskill Mountainsafterbeingbeguiledbyagroupofold,veryshortmen(gnomes).The VirginMaryhasappearednumeroustimestovisionariesonMountPodbrdoin Medjugorge,Bosnia,since1981,and10millionpilgrimshavesincevisitedthe site,nowcalledtheHillofApparitions.Thosewhospendanightaloneonthe ChairofIdris(amountaininWalescalledCaderIdris)willendupmad,dead,or

fullofpoeticinspiration,soWelshlegenddeclares.Thosewhomeditateatop Montsegur,acraggypeakintheFrenchPyrenees,mayentertheGrailCastle. In1088A.D,theChinesemysticChangShangying,hadnumerousvisions atopWuTaiShan(FiveTerraceMountain)inChina:hebeheldthegreatgod Manjusriastridealion,numerousbodhisattvas(celestialsaintsandsaviors),a goldenstairwayandagoldenbridge,spiritbeings,orbsoflight,andmore. Theholymountainsaccuratelywereoncecalledthehomesofthegods becauseduringtheThirdDomePresence(thethirdarrivalofthedomes,when somehumanswerepresentontheEarth)thegodswhobroughtthedomeswere residentforatime.ThesegodsincludedangelicorderscalledElohimand Nephilim,aswellasothercelestialorspiritualbeings.Later,whenthedomes hadleft,visionaryaccesswasstillaffordedsensitivehumanswhomeditatedat thedomesandwhosoughtaudienceswiththehigherdimensionalgods. Soifyoureinterestedinanewapproachtostargazingorawalkamong thestarswithoutleavingtheEarth(orevenyourbody),tryoutCharlottesvilles ownholymountainanditsportaltoVega.Whilepartofthehillisinaccessibleto thepublic,youcanexperiencethestarenergyofVegaandenjoyfreshapples, cider,andaviewbyvisitingtheappleorchardforastartunein.

AdaptedfromEncyclopediaofEarthMyths:AnInsidersGuidetoMythic People,Places,Objects,andEventsCentraltotheEarthsVisionaryGeography, RichardLeviton,HamptonRoads,November2005.