New Age and Neo-Shamanism: Reimagining Sacred Mountains

The 1970s brought new spiritual seekers to Chamonix, attracted by mountain energy and countercultural freedom. These practitioners—calling themselves shamans, energy workers, crystal healers—created eclectic practices blending indigenous traditions, Eastern philosophy, and personal revelation.

"Mountains are planetary chakras," explains energy healer Crystal Moonstone (adopted name). "Mont Blanc channels cosmic energy into Earth's grid. Sensitive people feel this immediately. We come here to tune our personal frequencies to mountain vibrations."

Skeptics dismiss such claims as appropriation and fantasy. But participants report profound experiences—visions during meditation, healing through mountain energy, communication with mountain spirits. Whether psychological projection or genuine phenomenon, these experiences shape practitioners' lives.

Neo-shamanic practices include drum circles at full moons, vision quests in remote valleys, and ceremonies honoring mountain spirits. Practitioners often claim connection to pre-Christian traditions, though historians note little continuity between ancient practices and modern inventions.

"Cultural appropriation concerns me," states anthropologist Dr. Patricia Mwangi. "White Europeans claiming Native American or Siberian shamanic authority while ignoring living indigenous peoples perpetuates colonial patterns. True mountain spirituality requires humility, not costume."

Yet some indigenous teachers support cross-cultural mountain spirituality. Quechua elder Pedro Condori, visiting from Peru, recognized kinship between Andean and Alpine mountain reverence. "Mountains speak the same language everywhere," he taught. "Respect, reciprocity, remembrance. Names change, but relationships endure."