Imagine you are in Africa, standing on the summit of the world's highest solitary mountain in the world, at almost 6,000 meters of altitude. You are looking down on the clouds, and the only thing that is, is bliss, gratefulness, the mountain and an immense clarity and alignment with your potentials and nature.
Welcome to my spiritual journey on Mt. Kilimanjaro in July 2024 with IKYA, the crystals, the guardians and the mantras.
It started all in 2019 when I first heard about this expedition with businessmen and -women conquering this beautiful mountain in Africa. It intrigued me immediately and a seed was sown.
Yet it was quite a long journey of doubt, feeling not good enough, "this is not for me“, and "how can I afford this!“ In addition, what came on top is the fact that my father used to be a mountaineer and extreme athlete who had conquered quite a lot of summits in his life before I was born. So, it took me years to plow through these misbeliefs and misunderstandings, like: "I will show him that I am good enough; he wanted a son to do all this crazy sporty stuff with him, and not a daughter; I am not strong enough to do this; and I have set so many goals in my life, which I did not achieve, so please not another failed goal!“
In June 2023, I have worked through all those limiting bullshit beliefs and was ready to face my own challenge to a breakthrough and new strength, so I signed up and with the first down-payment, the journey began. I answered my why and reflected on what actually is my mountain. The understanding grew that to be able to really accomplish my goals, I have to let go of the woman I am now and start to reflect on who do I have to become to transform to who I truly am? You just cannot transform in comfort and I always sought physical and mental challenges. I was aware, that I had to go through some changes, but little did I foreshadow, how much karma would be activated and what resistance I had to go through.
I started on my first training hikes… and then I became lazy and neglected training until panic kicked in on January, 5 months before the expedition. The clear voice of IKYA became my mantra: "You´d better not fail!“ So I started to plan strategically: what woman do I have to become to be able to make it? Strategic planning was needed for physical and mental strength, gear, nutrition (Sara coached me perfectly with this), breathing techniques as you can face altitude sickness at this height and so on. As I found a good rhythm in Austria to train, almost unbearable resistance from outside kicked in: a car accident, my dement father and family problems, my son doing a lot of shit in his boarding school, fear of survival – I haven´t been paid by my business partner for 6 months and needed to finance myself, tax authorities, a sore shoulder and knee… the list grew almost daily.
I had to take a radical decision: do I quit, or do I focus on what needs to be done to survive and fade out everything that was not absolutely necessary?
Having IKYA in my brain "You´d better not fail!“ and my life mantra: "giving up is not an option!“ The tactic was clear.
I needed all of my discipline, focus, mental strength I could bring to the table and willpower to do the work. About 3 weeks before the expedition, I had my last 7 hours long hike in the Alpes in Austria and finished with the thought: now I am ready.
In the satsang before the trip, I asked IKYA all kind of questions: how to, what can I do, will I make it, am I ready... Well, I guess you know the answer: „I could tell you everything, but you have to do it and go through the process yourself. You learn through internalization, what use could it be, if I tell you everything? How would you then learn? I will support you on the inner.“
We arrived in Tanzania beginning of July 2024 and our mutual journey with 27 foreigners started with 2 days of community service in the prosthetics department in the clinic, the women shelter and the orphanage in Arusha. We built a climbing wall for the children, painted the building new, mowed the lawn and had a lot of fun, a sense of purpose, gratefulness and grounding into a world I have not yet been in. At least in this life.
Last preparations done, the bus took us to Machame Gate, our starting point, where we met our porters and guides. After registration at the national park office, we gathered for last instructions. We would be going through 5 climate zones, each one with a different challenge, temperature and flora&fauna. I tried to find my pace and I knew I needed to walk slowly. "Pole, pole“ as the locals say.
My mind was in chaos. "Why are you HERE?“ "Who ARE you?“ I found no answer to those questions, so I decided to let go and let life allow to flow through me.
I forced myself to not think about the challenges we would face like weather: from +25C to -20C, freezing cold nights in a tent (I have never slept in a tent at minus degrees and 6 nights in a row without a shower!) and whatever would occur. It was so obvious, that the mountain had the control and would decide what will happen and who will reach the summit. I let go of control and the only thing, that was important was the next step, breath, the next step, repeat. Until the ascend became a meditation at the second day. Together with the crystal of "Standing in what is, with infinite love“ and the mantra "to lift the physical vibration and move into a higher consciousness,“ I meditated my way up, always sensing that IKYA was with me all the time.
We were a group of 27 hikers and we had 99 porters with us to carry everything we needed like a lot of super delicious food (even eggs for each and every day, can you imagine??), sleeping tents, a tent where we had our meals and a tent for the daily mentoring session, and – super luxurious: our private toilet tents. I was a bit nervous about this huge group of people, as I prefer hiking on my own in loneliness. We started as 126 individuals and it was so fascinating to observe how we grew together more and more until I recognized that we were moving up the mountain as one body. Everyone in the group had his/her task, position and challenges to solve and we were only able to reach the summit as one body, working together flawlessly in connectedness with each other. On the mountain we are all equal, no matter what skin color, profession, stories and background.
Especially to observe the porters and guides was a priceless experience and immense field of learning in terms of leadership and teamwork. There was a head lead and 3 other leaders, some other guides who were with us and a lot of porters. Hierarchy was clear, but still everyone was treated equally, very friendly and calm. Though they have a super tough work, they were always cheerful, helping, serving, sometimes singing together, laughing and encouraging us to continue with our "good work“. They worked hand in hand without words and everything was just perfect like gears that mesh with each other. I was supported by one of the porters and just directly followed his path. He knew exactly, what my pace was, he reminded me to drink a lot and practice pressure breath in doing it with me continuously. Even though he didn't speak English, we had vivid conversations on the inner and we grew together as perfect team. It was the first time ever, that I felt a (grown up, adult) man taking over responsibility for me and I could let myself be a woman that is supported in her expansion and unfoldment. I recognized, that in this unknown territory, I would benefit most to just surrender, give up who and what I am and allow nature to flow through me. At the end of the second day, I felt, that I had much more energy than the first day, when I tried to do it on my own. And at the end of the third day, I recognized, that I became more and more a part of nature, I felt that I became the mountain.
"What do you want to represent? What do you stand for?“
In moving up the mountain, I recognized, that the answer to those questions changed from step to step, leading me to a much higher vibration, where "I“ in this form became less and less important. I moved into observing full spectrum, opening up for whatever shows up, listening to nature, the group, the mountain. With each step, I connected more and more to my higher self, with each step, noise from within went quieter and quieter, until there was no noise, no thoughts, just being in the here and now.
„Ah, this is how it feels, when you let go of control, go all in and let nature take over!“ It hit me like a stroke: if everyone would experience this, it became a no brainer, to go all in, do the work and do whatever it takes, to go beyond the human biology and form. It felt soooo liberating and free to have no control, to serve and be the flow. I finally understood that there is no change, but everything is constantly moving and it is our resistance to what is, that makes it tough for us. As soon as I transformed my emotions, emptied my mind and moved into being a tool for the mountain, so she could experience herself through me (for the locals Kili is a "she“), I felt an overflow of bliss, gratefulness, joy and happiness, I had never experienced before.
Standing on top of the highest free standing mountain in the world, I found my mountain and knew what I was supposed to do and bring into this horizontal world. (The energy of Mt. Kilimanjaro according to IKYA is to enfold potential J) Being in full spectrum (and probably in super position), I sensed clarity and freedom like never before. It became so obvious, that I had to lead ambitious entrepreneurs and leaders up to this point in themselves and up the Kilimanjaro.
The mountain taught me so many things about life and spiritual leadership:
A spiritual leader will vibrate a state where one is asserted in that leadership and every gram of victim consciousness will have to be cleansed out. This is taking over responsibility and being the adult in the room.
Listening to nature and let nature take over – let go of control.
Being present in the here and now, to experience emptiness in a positive way is really important.
Full spectrum vs focus: how to find clarity and thus make better decisions. The clarity, that you know, your thought is actually your thought coming from the highest point in yourself.
From individual to connectedness in one body, we need each other on our journey.
Only under highest pressure, you reach clarity, when you go through extreme challenges and have a state of overwhelm, we transform and become something else.
We have to do it for real, showing up in life, doing challenging things and practicing that, because you need to reach the summit in your own mind, too.
Studying with IKYA
Reflecting the 6 years, I am studying now with IKYA, I became more and more aware, how he guided and supported me all these years. Already in 2021 he started to prepare me for this voyage of growth and self-discovery, when he was speaking about the mountain and how to not walk around it, but levitate up. When we do the work for real, we change our lives for real, IKYA always being with us and guiding us on the inner with so much love and even more patience, so it becomes a no-brainer, to just do what needs to be done. Sometimes I am pretty good at it, sometimes I fuck up, but I am on the way to having much more fun either way.
I am happy to share more and answer any question you might have.
With love, Sandra
