Shaman's Stone

About sixty years ago people from outside started to visit the Shaman's Stone in a valley close to Akkem Lake. Although Roerich--a Russian mystic and writer who searched for Shambala--never visited this valley, his symbol was engraved in the big Shaman's Stone. The stone is surrounded by small pyramids of stones, erected by visitors who believe that there is a direct connection here between the centre of the cosmos and the centre of the earth.

Sitting on the Shaman's Stone you are recharged with energy from the cosmic "beam". The energy channel is cleansed every year in July by people dressed in white. Believers walk to this place barefoot and they sit or lie on the stone for hours--eyes closed--receiving high voltages of energy.

When I arrived a lady came up to us--a doctor from Novosibirsk who made the pilgrimage to the Shaman's Stone every year. So far so good. Then she spoke of a new prophet, Rikla--a man who lives in the Altai but keeps his whereabouts secret. He is so powerful that one look at his face would burn yours. And of course we wouldn’t want that to happen. Good heavens, the things people believe amazes me time and again. Local people call spiritual searchers like this lady yogis and all yogis are nuts according to Altaians. They tolerate them because tourism brings much needed currency to the area.

So I sat on the stone and it felt good. I also saw the prophet Rikla (in a picture). And my face is still intact.