In the tradition of Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi," this is the first part of Peter Mt. Shasta's adventures on the quest for a spiritual teacher and, ultimately, enlightenment and self-mastery. It gives the fascinating personal story of his earliest memories prior to birth and traces his awakening in youth to the first moments of expanded consciousness. It tells poignant stories of his days in New York City, living on the Lower East Side, and his call to India after hearing Baba Ram Dass interviewed about his transformation from Harvard professor to follower of the guru Neem Karoli Baba (Maharajji). Peter travels to India and meets not only Maharajji, but Anandamayi Ma, Sathya Sai Baba, and many other saints and illumined beings. Gradually, he begins to realize that the guru he is looking for is within himself, and returns to the West. He gives fascinating accounts of his experiences in America with Trungpa Rinpoche, Chagdud Rinpoche, Joseph Sunhawk, and others. The book ends with him driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, heading for a rendezvous in Muir Woods with the Master Saint Germain, who offers him liberation. To read of this meeting and the adventures that follow with the Ascended Masters, read the next part of his autobiography, "Apprentice to the Masters: Adventures of a Western Mystic, Book II."