Meditation 'n magic in the Himalayas

Ancient Buddhist monks found alive in remote Himalayas: Experts fear what they’re guarding

In Lhasa, Tibet, 1924

(Voyager) April 28, 2025: In the remote, icy Himalayan peaks, ancient monks have been reportedly found alive, sitting in deep meditation and untouched by time. These mysterious figures, seemingly defying death, have sparked awe and fear among experts. What secrets are they guarding, and why are they hidden in isolation? Whispers of divine rituals and ancient relics have surfaced, leaving the world to wonder if these monks hold knowledge that could reshape humanity—or destroy it. What lies beyond the veil of their silence? #Voyager Subscribe ➡ @voyagerspace 

Magic and Mystery in Tibet

Alexandra David-Neel, 1886

Western author Alexandra David-Neel has garnered 4.5 out of 5 stars with 160 ratings (and reviews). This is the Number 1 best seller in Tibet travel guides.

For centuries Tibet has been known as the last home of mystery [excluding the even more mysterious Bhutan, Sikkim, and to some extent Nepal], the hidden, sealed land, where ancient mysteries still survive that have perished in the rest of the Orient (Asia).

Many people have written about Tibet and its secret lore, but few have actually penetrated it to learn its ancient wisdom. Among those few was Madame Alexandra David-Neel, a French Orientalist.

A practicing Western Buddhist, a profound historian of religion, and linguist, she actually lived in Tibet for more than 14 years.

• She had the great honor of being received by the 14th Dalai Lama;
• she studied philosophical Buddhism and Tibetan Tantra at Tibet's great centers;
• she meditated in lonely caves and on wind-swept winter mountains with yogi hermits; and
• she witnessed forbidden corpse-magic in the forests.
• Her experiences are unique.

The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects

Magic and Mystery in Tibet tells the story of her experiences on the Rooftop of the World, among lamas and magicians.

It is neither a travel book nor an autobiography but a study of psychic discovery, a description of the occult and mystical theories and psychic training practices of Tibet.

She tells of great sages and sorcerers that she met, of the system of monastic education, the great teachers and their disciples, Tibetan folklore about their spiritual athletes, reincarnation (rebirth) and memory from previous lives.

She also discusses elaborate magical rites to obtain the siddhis (supernormal powers), the horrible necromantic magic of the pre-Buddhist Bonpa shamas (Bon shamans), mental visualization exercises to create disembodied thought forms (tulpas), visions, strange phenomena derived from physical yoga postures, control of the body-heat mechanism (tumo), breathing exercises; sending “messages on the wind,” and much similar material.

An unusual aspect of Madame David-Neel’s book is that she herself experienced many of the phenomena she describes, yet she describes them with precision and in a matter-of-fact manner, permitting the reader to draw his own conclusions about validity, interpretation in terms of psychology, and value.

Particularly interesting for the modern experiencer are her detailed instructions for tumo (the yoga of heat control) and the creation of thought projections. More

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author becomes an adept in Tibet, 1933

At the age of 18, Alexandra David-Néel had already visited England, Switzerland, and Spain on her own, and she was studying in Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society.

"She joined various secret societies – she would reach the thirtieth degree in the mixed Scottish Rite of Freemasonry – while [both] feminist and anarchist groups greeted her with enthusiasm...

"Throughout her childhood and adolescence, she was associated with the French geographer and anarchist Elisée Reclus (1820–1905). This led her to become interested in the anarchistic ideas of the time and in feminism, that inspired her to publish Pour la vie (For Life) in 1898.

"In 1899, she composed an anarchist treatise with a preface by Reclus. Publishers did not dare to publish the book, though her friend Jean Haustont printed copies himself and it was eventually translated into five languages."

In 1891, she visited India for the first time and met her spiritual preceptor, Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati of Varanasi [7].

She was 21 years old when she converted to Buddhism in 1889, according to Raymond Brodeur, which she noted in her diary published under the title La Lampe de sagesse (The Lamp of Wisdom) in 1896. More

• Introduction by A. D'Arsonval, June 1, 1971
• See all formats and editions
• Voyager, April 28, 2025; Alexandra David-Neel, Magic and Mystery in Tibet (amazon.com); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly