Musala Peak

Musala is the highest peak in the entire Balkans, close to 3,000 meters. There is no other mountain of its height in the entire area—from the Alps to the Caucasus—and in addition, it is a hydrological center (a source of water systems) and is considered an energy center of the southeastern Balkans. This is because the river systems of most of Bulgaria, parts of northern Greece, and European Turkey, up to the borders of Romania and Macedonia, begin there.

But what is the connection between a river system and energy?

Ancient civilizations believed there was a connection between the two. That is why they sanctified rivers such as the Nile or the Ganges and linked their source with their outlet into the sea. One of the most important principles on the spiritual path is that every energetic phenomenon manifests in something physical, and every physical thing channels energy through it. The earth we live on maintains around it and within it an energy field called the astral light. In fact, there are theories (like Gaia) that claim the Earth is a living being, capable of self-regulation and maintaining stable conditions in a changing environment. It is therefore networked with energy lines, like the meridians in the human body. For this reason, different places on Earth have different functions—some more energetically charged than others. In the sacred geography of the planet, the connection between different places is maintained by rivers, just as the circulatory system connects different cells in our body. Blood reaches everywhere, but it flows through defined channels.

Human civilization has largely been river-based, with major cities developing along rivers. Yet these rivers are linked to the mountains from which they spring. The water system of the southeastern Balkans and the plains of Bulgaria originates in the Rila Mountains. The heart of these mountains—their center—is the Musala peak, which is why it was considered sacred in ancient times and became a site of pilgrimage and a dwelling place for enlightened teachers.

From one side of Musala, the Iskar River originates. It is the longest river running entirely within Bulgarian territory (nearly 400 km). The Iskar’s drainage area is 9,000 square kilometers—half the size of the State of Israel. It is the oldest river in the Balkans, a remnant from a time when the Rila Mountains were higher. It crosses the Balkan Mountains (being the only river to do so, hence predating them), drains the Vitosha Mountain and the Sofia region, and flows into the Danube, which in turn flows into the Black Sea.

On the eastern side of Musala, the Maritza River originates. It is the longest river in the southeastern Balkans (close to 500 km, including its stretches in other countries besides Bulgaria). This river passes through the Thracian lowland, crosses Plovdiv and the Rhodope Mountains, flows through Adrianople in Turkey, and empties into the sea on the border between Greece and Turkey, in front of the sacred island of Samothrace. Along the Maritza River are many impressive megalithic sites, including mysterious and complex dolmens and stone circles, the Thracian tomb of Alexandrovo, and more. Its drainage area is 53,000 square kilometers—more than twice the area of the State of Israel. In earlier times it was known as the Evros.

From the third side of the Rila Mountains, the Nestos and Struma Rivers flow toward the Aegean Sea. The Struma originates on the Vitosha ridge and stretches about 400 km. Its valley forms the western border of the Rila Mountain massif. The waters of the Rila Monastery flow into it, as does the snowmelt from the western peaks of the range. It reaches the sea near Thessaloniki and connects the Rila Mountains with the fertile Macedonian plains. The length of the Struma Valley once made it one of the main roads into the Balkans.

If water conducts electricity—or in other words, “energy”—and if it “remembers” and connects us to the subconscious, then Musala is connected, via the rivers that flow from its slopes, to the Danube and the Black Sea on one side, and to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas on the other. Water links the mountain with Bulgaria’s two most important cities, Sofia and Plovdiv, as well as other ancient cultural centers that once flourished.

According to Dunov, the consecrated Orpheus would ascend each year along the Maritza River to Lake Maritza, located just south of Musala peak. The lake lies within a circular basin (cirque), which was a pilgrimage site, similar to Lake Popovo in the Pirin Mountains. The lake is surrounded on three sides by cliffs that resemble a throne, with a kind of sacred platform where Orpheus is said to have sat. Dunov himself used to climb Musala each year, before turning his attention to the Seven Lakes.

There is also a turquoise alpine lake called Musalenski, surrounded by a circle of high peaks topped by jagged cliffs shaped like a comb. Between some of the prominent rocks, there are openings through which the rising sun can be seen—resembling the design of ancient astronomical observatories.

The Musala area can be reached by cable car from the ski resort of Borovets. From there, it is possible to hike to the summit (a walk of several hours), or take a shorter hike to the lakes at its base. Borovets is the second most important ski resort in Bulgaria (after Bansko), established in the late 19th century as a hunting estate for the kings of Bulgaria.

On the summit and near the lakes, there are mountain huts where you can eat or spend the night in very basic conditions.

Near Borovets, there are two beautiful nature trails: one is a walk to the Black Rock towering above the Maritza River canyon, and the other is a descent to the Iskar River canyon from the opposite side of Borovets, along a bridge trail called Beli Iskar that crosses the river.