MOUNT SHASTA stood out boldly against the western sky, surrounded at its base by a growth of pine and fir trees that made it look like a jewel of diamond shining whiteness held in a filigree setting of green. Its snow covered peaks glistened and changed color from moment to moment, as the shadows lengthened in the sun's descent toward the horizon.
Rumor said there was a group of men, Divine men in Fact, called the Brotherhood of Mount Shasta, who formed a branch of the Great White Lodge, and that this Focus from very ancient times had continued unbroken down to the present day.
I had been sent on government business to a little town situated at the foot of the mountain, and while thus engaged occupied my leisure time trying to unravel this rumor concerning The Brotherhood. I knew, through travels in the Far East, that most rumors, myths, and legends have, somewhere as their origin, a deep underlying Truth that usually remains unrecognized by all but those who are Real students of life.
I fell in love with Shasta and each morning, almost involuntarily, saluted the Spirit of the Mountain and the Members of the Order. I sensed something very unusual about the entire locality and, in the light of the experiences that followed, I do not wonder that some of them cast their shadows before.
Long hikes on the trail had become my habit, whenever I wanted to think things out alone or make decisions of serious import. Here, on this great giant of nature, I found recreation, inspiration, and peace that soothed my soul and invigorated mind and body.
I had planned such a hike for pleasure as I thought, to spend some time deep in the heart of the mountain, when the following experience entered my life to change if so completely that I could almost believe I was on another planet but for my return to the usual routine in which I had been engaged for months.
The morning in question, I started out at daybreak deciding to follow where fancy led, and in a vague sort of way, asked God to direct my path. By noon, I had climbed high up on the side of the mountain where the view to the south was beautiful as a dream.
As the day advanced, it grew very warm and I stopped frequently to rest and enjoy to the full the remarkable stretch of country around the McCloud River, Valley, and town. It came time for lunch, and I sought a mountain spring for clear, cold water. Cup in hand, I bent down to fill it as an electrical current passed through my body from head to foot.
I looked around, and directly behind me stood a young man who, at first glance, seemed to be someone on a hike like myself. I looked more closely, and realized immediately that he was no ordinary person. As this thought passed through my mind, he smiled and addressed me saying:
"My Brother, if you will hand me your cup, I will give you a much more refreshing drink than spring water." I obeyed, and instantly the cup was filled with a creamy liquid. Handing it back to me, he said:
"Drink it."
I did so and must have looked my astonishment for, while the taste was delicious, the electrical vivifying effect in my mind and body made me gasp with surprise. I did not see him put anything into the cup, and I wondered what was happening.
"That which you drank," he explained, "comes directly from the Universal Supply, pure and vivifying as Life Itself, in fact it is Life Omnipresent Life for it exists everywhere about us. It is subject to our conscious control and direction, willingly obedient, when we Love enough, because all the Universe obeys the behest of Love. Whatsoever I desire manifests itself, when I command in Love. I held out the cup, and that which I desired for you appeared.
