Sacred Communication/Journey 2019

Glastonbury, England has been a sacred place for people ranging back several thousand years. In pre-medieval times the druids of whales were appointed here. It was believed by the early Britons that the location was a meeting of spiritual paths of energy. For this reason many stone structures such as temples and fertility sites were constructed here. Whereas in medieval times the church built on the site, the Glastonbury Abbey, supposedly housed the holy grail. As its founder, Joseph of Arimathea, who participated in the burial of Christ, supposedly brought the grail to Glastonbury. Many medieval peoples also believed King Arthur was buried in the church. In modern times, the town is home to the Chalice Well, a well claimed to have healing powers. Glastonbury Abbey

Lake Funduzi, South Africa This sacred lake is located in the remote Venda region of the Limpopo province in the country of South Africa. This beautiful reflective pool sits in the foothills of the Soutspansberg Mountains. The mystical views around the lake relate to the mystical legends that reside beneath the surface. The Vendan people believe under the mystic mirror lies a Python that brings the sacred gift of fertility. " In ancient times it lived on the surface of the lake and, enjoying human wives, visited them at night when it could not be seen. One time, an inquisitive wife did see it, and her terror so upset the python that it fled deep into the lake. This caused a terrible drought, which only ended when the curious wife walked into the lake to join her serpentine husband. To prevent more droughts in subsequent years young maidens were sacrificed in the same way. In more recent times the performance of the ritual  domba  dance, part of the initiation rites of youn

Cenote Sagrado Kelly Cooke The sacred place that I researched was Cenote Sagrado in Mexico. It is a Mayan archaeological site that is seen to be a sacred well of sorts. The water is cleansing and was used in ritual sacrifices as well to worship Chaac, the Mayan god of rain. It is known that human sacrifices were made into the site due to human remains found by archaeologists. The reason I chose it is because of the beauty that I saw in it and how tranquil it appears to be. Every piece of how this place appears seems to interact with one another perfectly. Nature interacts with itself and humans to create a feeling of sacred place that those who used it sensed. The way that nature, with no religious symbols, can create a sacred religious experience is similar to the sacred aspects of the Appalachian Trail

In the Judeo-Christian faith Mount Sinai is only one of the four sacred mountains in the Middle East. Mount Sinai is so sacred to this faith, because Moses received the Ten Commandments at the peak. Moses also being born in Egypt makes it a frequently visited tourist site for a few religions. Aside from being sacred to the Judeo-Christian community it is also a very popular hiking destination. All four mountains are both popular when it comes to religion and hiking. Mount Ararat in Turkey, Mount Moriah in Israel, and Mount Tabor also in Israel are the other three mountains. Mount Ararat is known to be the landing place for Noah's Ark. Mount Moriah is also known as Mount Zion, and is where the Temple of Solomon and the city of Israel reside. Mount Tabor is known to be the transfiguration site of Jesus. Mount Sinai can also be called Mount Horeb or Jebel Musa. Jebel Musa comes from the meaning Mountain of Moses. Mount Sinai also has many places to visit in one. Not counting seeing

The Temple of Pythons The Temple of the Python, that just like its name would suggest, is a temple inhabited with pythons. For most people, the sight of a snake, let alone a python, would make them turn tail and run, but these native Africans do no such thing. The python temple is a historical and religious site in Quidah, Benin. The site, in particular, relates to the religion of Vodun, which contains followers in West and Central African countries like Togo, Benin, and Ghana. A little more background on the religion is that during the African diaspora Vondun practice became the basis of other religions such as Voodoo and Haitian Vodou. Now, accord to theology the reason that pythons are a major factor in this religion is that Dan, a rainbow serpent deity, is the middleman between spirits and the living. Even according to Quidah legend, which plays more of a factor to why they have a temple, the pythons protected a king in his time of need, and as a tribute to their aid,

       Sacred places can be both completely unique or consistently uniform.  Such is the characterization of the Stone Circles - or “Druid Circles” - that are found across the world. In popular media, they are often recognized as an important part of Celtic mythology or history, regardless of the scruples of their original purpose. Yet, these circles are found all across Europe - due mostly to expansion - and some have even recently been discovered within the borders of our own America. However, despite the diversity in location, the circles I focused on are situated in the Scottish lowlands of Aberdeenshire.  This particular circle is known as the Midmar Stones Circle, and it is peculiarly juxtaposed with the backyard of the Parish Kirk in which it resides. The Midmar circle is identified by it’s 17 meter radius and its commonly perceived “fangs” that loom on either side of the long recumbent stone facing the church. This circle was associated even mor

I chose to write about the Kiyomizudera Temple, which means "pure water temple." It was founded in 780 on the Otowa waterfall, located in eastern Kyoto. The temple is famous for its large wooden terrace that has numerous amounts of trees for visitors to see whilst there. The main hall of the temple is home to a small statue of Kannon. Behind the main hall is a shrine of Jishu, which is dedicated to love. In front of Jishu is two stones that are placed 18 meters apart. It is known that if you can find your way from one stone to the other with your eyes closed, that you will have good luck in finding love. As I mentioned earlier, the Otowa waterfall is located at the base of the main hall. Visitors use cups connected to long poles to drink from each of the three separate streams of the waterfall. It is also known that each different stream has a different benefit to it. One to cause longevity, one to have success at school, and one for a fortunate love life. Another stru

Since last class on Thursday, the concept of finding religion in nature has stuck with me.  Both of my parents were raised Catholic, and while I would not say that I am active in the church, the majority of my time spent in places of worship have been those of the Catholic faith.  One place in particular that I found exceptionally special was St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Harper’s Ferry, W.V. It was opened in 1833, and was the only church in Harper's Ferry to not suffer damages during the Civil War.  Today, it still holds Mass for both tourists and locals, and is open for wedding ceremonies. Inside it looks much like a typical Roman Catholic church in the neo-Gothic style (though it was originally designed in the pseudo-Gothic style and later altered in 1896), but it is its location that is truly exceptional.  The church rests on a cliff overlooking the gorge where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac. Sitting on the cliff next to the church, I remember feeling someth

Bear Butte is a geological feature in South Dakota near by the city of Sturgis. although it is called a butte it is actually a mountain. Today it is both a state park and a sacred place for some native tribes. Many of these native tribes have worshiped at Bear Butte for hundreds of years and continue to make pilgrimages to it to this day. These pilgrimages mainly include leaving offerings on the mountain. most of their offerings are tobacco bundles or prayer cloths, which are left draped or tied on the many bushes and shrubs covering the mountain. the tobacco leaf is seen as being sacred to some indigenous tribes. many of these gifts can be found along the main public trail that goes up the mountain. In addition to the people who pilgrimage to the mountain, there are also quite a few visitors who travel up the mountain for other reasons such as tourism and hiking. The location is of particular importance to these tribes because it is said to be the place were a Cheyenne prophet met wit

The Black Hills, located in western South Dakota, is considered the heart of the Lakota people. One of the most commonly know sections of The Black Hills is Black Elk Peak, previously called Harney Peak. Reaching an elevation of over 7,000 feet, the sheer rock face of the mountain can be seen for miles. In 1868 the Laramie Treaty exempted the Black Hills from further settlement by white people. However, in 1874 gold was discovered in the area and quickly overrun by miners.  The Lakota refer to the land as Paha Sapa, which translates to "the heart of everything that is". The hills are home to thousands of archiological sites which findings span 12,000 years, detailing how long this site has been inhabited by indigenous people, and how this land is truly embeded in the history of the Lakota people. In 1980 the supreme court ruled the land rightfully belonging to the Lakota nations, however rather than return the land the government offered the original valuing of the land plus

The Ásatrú Temple is a sacred sanctuary in Reykjavik, Iceland for the  Ásatrúarfélagið  religion. It was the first Pagan Temple and it was the central hub for the religion before the use stopped in 999 A.D. when  Ásatrúarfélagið  was suppressed by Christianity.  The religion is a Neopagan spiritual organization that worships Nordic gods (including Odin (lead god), Thor, Frigg, and Baldur). It was brought back in the 1970's, and now architect  Magnús Jensson is rebuilding it, which should be done by the end of 2019 . He is recreating the temple on a hill with the three sacred rocks that represent to the life and powers of Odin. Jensson made sure to align a dome with astronomical events due to the importance in the religion. Rituals in  Ásatrúarfélagið  religion are refered to as " blóts", and an important one has already occured inside the temple (thanking mother nature for the wood used to construct the Temple). It is also an inclusive site, and it allows all diff

I've practiced the Roman Catholic faith my whole life, and this sacred spring is a place we frequently talked about in school. The spring in the Grotto of Lourdes, France is a popular pilgrimage destination for those apart of the Christian faith. This sacred place is one of the most visited shrines in the religion. The origin of the visitation of Lourdes is the story of Bernadette, the daughter of a Christian peasant, who witnessed the appearance of an apparition. It told her to "go tell the village priest to build a chapel here". The apparition was revealed to be Mary, the Mother of God. Bernadette dug until she found a puddle of water, which turned into a pool. The sacred spring is known for its miracles that heal those who bathe in the water.  It seems to be almost carved into the side of a mountain or rock. It has a beautiful statue of Mary inside of the rock, right above the spring. More than 200 million pilgrimages have occurred at the spring. Overall, this sacred p

The Shaolin Temple has been a point of intrigue of mine for the past few months due to the growing popularity of Shaolin Kung Fu, a set of Kung Fu styles specific to the Shaolin Temple. The Temple resides in the Shaoshi forests in eastern China, and was established as a monastery in 495 AD as the center of Chan Buddhism. A large part of Chan Buddhism is the focus of physical and mental health through training; this was the purpose of the temple. Over time however, the focus at Shaolin has shifted from the Buddhist religion, to the Shaolin Kung Fu, and because of this has become a large tourist attraction. This peaked my interest as it seems difficult to maintain a place as being sacred while there are a large number of tourists everywhere. As I looked more into the subject of religious focus at Shaolin, I found that there is a large number of monks who are fairly uninterested in the religious aspect of Chan Buddhism, and are only monks in order to perfect their Kung Fu. This makes me w

I've found India holds much beauty in it's unique architecture and colors. The Badrinath Temple, located in Uttarakhand, India, exemplifies its beauty well. The temple's bright colors contrasts against the green Garhwal hills that places it thousands of feet above sea level. Dedicated to a Lord Vishnu, protector of Hindu Gods, makes it one of four holiest sites in the Hindu religion. For years, people of the Hindu religion visit the temple seeking enlightenment, as did Lord Vishnu. Interestingly enough, the temple's brightly colored face and architecture reflects a Buddhist shrine. However, it was later made a pilgrimage destination for Hindus.

Italian architecture has always stood out to me, especially because of the intense attention to detail and form that the architects emphasize through their work. As a prominently catholic country, Italy is known to have magnificent and beautifully constructed churches. Basilica di san marco, or Saint Mark's Basilica, is arguably the most fascinating pilgrimage site in Venice. The Basilica was built around 829 BCE, and houses the remains of Saint Mark. Saint Mark references the gospel of mark in the new testament, and was also a very notable figure in the roman catholic church. The sculpted lions that are found throughout the building, act as a symbol of Saint Mark, and are also icons of the city of Venice. The element of the lions makes the backstory to the cathedral even more interesting to me! Learning about another aspect of Venetian architecture and the sacred history in the background has left me even more curious about worship sites of Catholicism.  Sources: Brit