“Faces of Pilot Mountain:

Intriguing Journey into the Deep Mysteries”

by J.P. McKelvey

The next public talk will be given to the membership of the LIFE@Elon community the week of the spring equinox in 2025. The author was nominated to speak at Elon University and accepted the honor to speak there. Over the course of two days there will be an morning and afternoon talk.

LIFE@Elon (the speaker series is sold out)

March 18th and 19th, 2025

Equinox and the Mysteries of Pilot Mountain

with James P. McKelvey and Cherokee wisdom keeper, Yona FrenchHawk

A photograph taken in 2012 started this author’s research on Pilot Mountain and ended with his book, “Faces of Pilot Mountain: Intriguing Journey into the Deep Mysteries.” This book covers the two hundred and seventy years of published information on Pilot Mountain. The first chapter alone provides enough information about the mountain to make the reader a guide for family and friends. You will also learn how the sacred mountain connects to George Washington, Otis Redding, Stax Volt, the Beatles, Andy Griffith, Lester Flatt, the daredevil stunt flyer Zach Reynolds and so much more. A documentary was filmed based on the book by a California crew in April of 2024 that may air on the streaming service, Prime Video.

McKelvey is now working on a second book called, “The Lessons of Pilot Mountain”, focusing on the oral history of the mountain. He's collaborating with Occoneechee and Cherokee wisdom keepers for this project. Research for the second book reveals how important Pilot Mountain was in the ancient past as a pilgrimage ceremony site. The sun on the equinox rises right on a notch in the Big Pinnacle. There is a sun “dagger” at noon and in the evening on the same day there is an almost perfect pyramid shadow that builds toward the Sauratown Mountain and then slowly fades. Pilot Mountain State Park acknowledges “highly significant” prehistoric burials on the mountain. Did you know North Carolina has a 1,500-foot-tall quartzite pyramid? Learn more about this sacred mountain a little over an hour’s drive from Elon and be inspired to visit it yourself.

James P. McKelvey is a photographer based in Hillsborough, North Carolina. From 1979 to 1992, he worked and wrote for Variety in New York City, the Detroit Free Press in Detroit, Michigan, The Face in London, and U Magazine in New York City. His photographs have been published in the Raleigh News and Observer, No Depression Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine, and CMT television. The James McKelvey photo archive, which contains 4,500 images, is part of the Southern Folklife Collection in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Yona FrenchHawk is one of eight children. They are pure blood Cherokee and as members of the Bird Clan are the story tellers, known as wisdom keepers. Yona FrenchHawk was good at collecting stones for sweat lodges and was invited inside to pour water when he was eight or nine. He didn’t learn the English language until he was eleven years old so he has heard the Cherokee oral tradition stories in the native tongue of the elders. Yona FrenchHawk is a widsom keeper, ceremonialist and is part of the Jubilee Church in Asheville.

A week before the winter solstice in 2023 we spent two days together at Pilot Mountain. The first thing Yona did on Pilot Mountain was to take his shoes/socks off and stand barefoot on the mountain to feel the energy and connect with the ceremony there from the ancient past. On the solstice my family was invited and accepted an invitation to the Cherokee ceremony, “Calling the Bears.” It is such an honor to call Yona FrenchHawk my friend and would encourage anyone interested to attend one of his many sweat lodges in the Asheville area.

In regard to the quartzite found at all elevations of Pilot Mountain:

Biological Role:

Piezoelectricity is a fundamental aspect of some biological processes. Here are a few key areas where biological functions of piezoelectricity are observed:

• Bone Remodeling and Growth: One of the most well-known biological functions of piezoelectricity is in bone tissue. Bone is piezoelectric, which means it generates electrical potentials when subjected to mechanical stress. This property likely plays a role in bone remodeling and growth, where the electrical signals generated by piezoelectricity stimulates the formation or resorption of bone by osteoblasts and osteoclasts, respectively.

• Tendon Movement and Function: Similar to bones, tendons also exhibit piezoelectric properties. When tendons are stretched or compressed, they generate electrical signals. This piezoelectric behavior may aid in the repair and growth processes of tendons and also play a role in signaling and communication within the tissue.

• Dental Applications: The piezoelectric properties of dental tissues like dentin have various applications, such as understanding tooth mechanics and the development of better dental restorations.

• Hearing Mechanisms: In the ear, certain biological materials exhibit piezoelectric properties that are crucial for hearing. For instance, the piezoelectric effect in the cochlea helps convert mechanical vibrations (sound waves) into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound.

• Cell and Tissue Mechanics: Some cellular processes involve piezoelectricity, especially in cell membranes and in tissues under mechanical stress. This influences cell behaviors like migration, division, and communication.

• Electrical Signaling in Cartilage: Similar to bone, cartilage also shows piezoelectric properties, playing a role in its growth, repair, and response to mechanical stress.

• Source: https://sciencenotes.org/piezoelectricity-and-the-piezoelectric-effect/