MYTHICAL KOLI – THE SACRED GEOLOGY
The sacred nature site at North Karelia region in East Finland, Koli is geologically the oldest bedrock of the European continent. It is over 2,6 milliard years old. The rock base is mostly white quartzite (geologically 85-95% of the whole rock base), and you can walk on many bare white rock surfaces on the top of Koli mountain.
Before the Ice Age, the Karelidi mountains were as high as the Alps. As the ice moved forward, it took all the softer rock material away, and left only the strongest quartzite. Today, Koli mountain is only 347 m above sea-level. Yet it is the toughest, the strongest rock that oozes stability and mature strength.
From the nature-spiritual point of view, the fact that this incredibly beautiful natural power place is also the oldest rock of the whole Europe, it adds to our knowledge on its significance. It is like the Oldest of the Wise Ones, the natural place that has the oldest knowledge and experience, that has seen it All. The shamanic history and the natural beauty of the place calls for one of the most significant shamanic destinations in the world. The archeological evidence shows, that people have lived around here even 10.000 years ago.
The sacred mountain – lake connection
About 7-8 years ago, I received shamanic knowledge as a vision about the importance of the connection of the mountain Koli and the Lake Pielinen next to it. Around the world, it is possible to meet different nature-spiritual sites, where the mountain and the lake meet. They form like two enormous energetic entities or spirits of their own, that give sustenance and life-power to all the smaller nature spirits within them. They are like umbrellas, which give protection to many things happening under them. I see the energy like a mandala, which starts from the middle and spreads towards the rest of the world.
There are countless incredible nature-spiritual sites around the world, but amongst them, there are some that are like parents for the rest of the places. We could compare this to the human body: We have a few energetic “power places” within our body: For example the heart, and all the main chakras. These most important nature power places are like the heart of the human body: They give sustenance to all of life. These “heart places” give energy for the whole Mother Earth.
Kailash – Koli and Manasarovar – Pielinen
In that vision 7-8 years ago, I was informed, that Koli-mountain and Pielinen-lake form a similar counterpart to the sacred mountain of Kailash and the sacred lake Manasarovar in Tibet. Each year, great number of devoted Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, circumambulate the sacred mountain with great devotion. The best time to do the pilgrimage is in every 12. year on the day of the Sakyadawa (Buddha’s enlightenment day). They sing mantras and do prostrations around the mountain. The prostrations are important, as you kneel and offer your whole body towards the earth, touching your forehead to the earth. It symbolizes your surrender of your Ego mind, selfishness, and sense of separation towards the surrender and devotion for practicing the mind towards enlightenment.
It is interesting to me, that I have seen some old archive photos from Karelia region over here, where people also here used to do similar looking prostrations to the Earth. I feel into how important it might be to re-connect to this practice today.
Photo: Miihkali Timoskainen greeting the earth at Kuolismaa, Ilomantsi, Finland, in 1927. Photographer Kustaa Vilkuna. In the book Ritva Kovalainen ja Sanni Seppo (2006): Puiden Kansa. page 3.
“Kailash” as a Sanskrit word comes from the word meaning “Crystal”. This connects to the white kvartzite “crystal” of the Koli mountain. In Tibetan Buddhism, crystal is a symbol of enlightened non-dual wisdom mind, the secret of the essence. Crystal symbolizes the transmission in a “Great Perfection” teachings and Dzogchen. In the rock body, the rock crystal might be revealing to the adept the initiation to the perfect clarity of his/her mind (source: Robert Beer: The handbook of Tibetan symbols).
For the Buddhist, the Kailash mountain symbolizes also the mystical “Mount Meru”, which is like the central pillar of the world, the center of the cosmology. It is a desired goal for the Buddhists to have an opportunity to go to Mount Kailash at least once in their lifetime. I have not myself went there yet, but I have had the opportunity to circumambulate Koli many times. As a Buddhist practitioner, I am dreaming of going to Mount Kailash as well, perhaps in 2025 (see the bottom of this article).
Both elements of Earth (mountain) and Water (lake) are feminine elements. They are connected to the Sacred Feminine. The female Buddhist deity Tara Buddha is strongly connected to Mount Kailash. I have also guided couple of times a Tara Buddha Retreat at Koli mountain, and the rock base of Akka-Koli is a wonderful destination to connect via mantras, winds, air, and sky towards Mount Kailash. The mantras of Tara Buddha connect practitioners via time and space, across the world.
I am not the only one, who has seen shamanic or spiritual visions about the importance of the Koli. I am once in a while receiving messages and poems from colleagues, elders, and friends from close and far, what the Spirits of Koli share with them. All this, strengthens our view on how important Koli is for the Mother Earth, for the healing of the unbalance of humanity towards peace, commitment to serve nature, and well-being of all species.
The meaning of Koli mountain as central place of the mandala, as the “Northern Mount Meru” is significant. It offers one of the most important shamanic pilgrimage destinations world-wide, and we can expect increasing number of visitors in the upcoming times. It is a place which balances our inner masculine- and feminine aspects. This means balancing our intellectual – emotional – psychic – bodily – spiritual aspects of our being in a healthy way. It brings Mind and Heart in union in a natural and wise way. It is great place for all kinds of Balancing.
The beauty of the spirituality of Mountain Koli and Lake Pielinen is that it is supporting our sense of Freedom. In the spiritual understanding offered by the nature spirits of this place, nobody is getting attached to any dogmas or teachers. Everybody are supported in their own free being. We are supported in the Great Network of All Life, but we are not fixated to anything that would bind us to wrong views. One of such fixated wrong view is the current unbalanced economic system and the use of resources to create war industry, instead of peace industry. We, as human beings, as our first and most important task, is to develop our conscious awareness, our wisdom which connects our intelligence with compassion of the heart. Places like Koli & Pielinen, and Kailash & Manasarovar, will help us in the most gentle and strong way to quiet down and check what is important in this life both individually and collectively.
The second lake
Actually, there is also another lake connected to Mount Kailash, that of Lake Rakshastal. I have not connected to this lake yet. It is interesting, that Mount Kailash is a round lake and the Tibetans connect it to the Sun. Koli mountain also has the mystical sacred round circles of sun symbols (see my previous blog post). Where as the Lake Rakshastal means the “Lake of the Demon”, and is a crescent shape, and connected to the darkness. I am not myself feeling so called to this lake, it is like the shadow aspect that needs to be visible and acknowledged as well.
Koli mountain has also other lakes near-by, of great beauty and sacredness. A big lake of Höytiäinen is very meaningful for me. Personally, I am also loving the energies of Lake Herajärvi, which is right on the other side of Koli mountain. More shamanic work needs to be done, to discover and connect to the spiritual meanings and potentials of these lakes, and to map their sacred geology and energetic peaks.
Sacred Journey and Shamanic Pilgrimage around Koli and Lake Pielinen in 10.-16. June 2024
The next year, I am coordinating a journey to these sacred sites, and offer a pilgrimage route around the lake.
For the first time, I was going around the lake as a 7-months old baby in June 1979. I am very grateful to my parents, that they took me to Koli and around Lake Pielinen as soon as it was possible after me being born by the River Pielisjoki. I am delighted to offer this journey now, 45 years later together with you.
If you are interested to join this journey across the lake, and be informed about the practical information, please join the e-mail list here:
The journey will be made by a bus or by cars for the most part around the lake, but we will walk certain distances at our Shamanic Pilgrimage. For those interested and joining the Koli pilgrimage in June 2024, I might be interested to organize also a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet in 2025.