Throughout the ages, there have been places revered as sacred: mountains such as Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia, Mount Sinai in Egypt, Mount Kailas in the Himalayas, Fuji-San (Mount Fuji) in Japan and Chomol-ungma or Sagarmatha (Everest); caves such as the Psychro Cave and other Minoan caves on Crete, and the Mayan caves in the Yukatan. Ancient man-made constructions such as the stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury, huge pyramids in Egypt and of the Mayans and Aztecs are great wonders of the world. Humans have interacted with nature in diverse ways throughout the ages and some places are said to have special power.
There are ley lines or leys, marked or unmarked lines connecting sacred places, nowadays often the sites of churches.
Places of worship have an atmosphere of sanctity which is often tangible. The poet Eric Gladwin has written of this,
Prayer in an Old Church
(St Mary’s Thame, Oxfordshire)
Dear God, who, through the fabric of this place:
Knew of praise and joy and longing in the minds Of generations quietly kneeling here . . .
Please hear us, in our turn And know our thankfulness
For confidence in Your Peace; eternity.
Aware too after last Blessing by Christ’s priest
When the heavy doors swing open to the mundane street That we have left this little gift: ourselves . . .
To strengthen this, Your sanctuary of Peace.
NOTE:
When we visit a place we leave behind an ‘imprint’ of ourselves on departure. This ancient Principle is termed ‘psychometry’ or ‘Morphic resonance’ in modern terms. This gradually increases in all sacred buildings when correctly used, especially near the altar or parts
dedi-cated: as to our Lady. The very fabric of the building is thus permeated and so gives back, as it were, in times of distress.63
Perhaps there are more places than we are aware of which are or can become sacred through a particular interaction with humanity. Perhaps we need to open ourselves to greater interaction and co-operation with the forces of nature.
Findhorn on the Moray Firth in Scotland is now a thriving community and eco-village. It was founded in the early 1960s by Peter and Eileen Caddy with Dorothy Maclean, in the most extraordinary circumstances.
They felt led to each other and then to a wild place on the Scottish coast, which had been used as a rubbish dump. There they created the most beau-tiful, lush garden with fruit, flowers and vegetables, including a 40 pound cabbage, which baffled experienced gardeners and members of the Soil Association. Those involved in the creation of Findhorn put the success down to a close spiritual connection to the place as they followed guidance given by angels, earth spirits and ‘Devas’ (beings of light), with whom the community members co-operated to work the land, enabling it to produce almost miraculous growth. Dorothy had begun to receive messages during her periods of meditation and was initially hesitant to accept them.
Although I had begun this experiment with a large measure of scepti-cism, no doubt influenced by limited conceptions of such beings as fairies, as the contact continued and proved valid in giving help with the growth of the garden I accepted the reality of such beings, and we followed out their instructions. This seemed to delight them, particu-larly our putting into action what they suggested. At first some of them felt very distant and rather unfriendly, which they said was due to the treatment man had given Nature through his greed, thoughtlessness, and misuse. But as they found us heeding what they said, they became more and more helpful and friendly and asked us to plant as many varieties of vegetables as possible.
Precise instructions came through as to when to plant what and how to tend the plants.
. . . people were beginning to come to see the garden, and after seeing it they told their friends about it. A steady stream of visitors began to pour in to see the amazing growth, greenness, and abundance which was being produced in the sandy patch. The garden was becoming a local showplace, and people who came found it hard to believe that the first seed had been sown just a few months previously.64
Pilgrimage
Journeys to sacred places, whether natural landmarks, man-made struc-tures or places where specific religious events took place are undertaken by people of all faiths. In a pilgrimage, the journey, a round trip, is as important as the destination.
Most religions have special sacred places, where particular events took place, or revered holy people lived, and visits to these have always formed part of people’s response. There are pilgrimage sites all over the world, from the Island of Shikodo in Japan, with its eighty-eight temples to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Religious traditions all have principal places of pilgrimage as well as lesser shrines. Hindus head for the holy river, the Ganges at Banaras or Varanasi, where Shiva is believed to have lived; Buddhists go to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained Enlighten-ment; Sikhs to Amritsar, to the Golden Temple; Jews to the Wailing Wall, all that remains of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Christians go to Bethlehem and Jerusalem in the Holy Land of Israel, where Jesus was born, lived and died. In France, Lourdes is a destination for those who are ill, usually accompanied by helpers, the patients hope for a miracle cure at the grotto where Bernadette saw her visions of the Virgin Mary.
The best-known of all pilgrimages is the annual Hajj to Mecca. This is required of all Muslims who are able to manage it physically and financially as it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Undertaken in the twelfth lunar month, the pilgrimage has a set pattern. On each day a particular ritual is performed, linked to the faith. Initially there is purifi-cation and all the men dress in white, symbolizing their equality before Allah. One may then perform the umra or ‘lesser Hajj’ and then proceed to the main Hajj. Seven circumambulations of the Ka’aba, the holiest shrine in Islam is the main event for the pilgrims. The great black marble structure is said to date back to Abraham, where he showed his obedience to God by being prepared to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Other rituals such as a standing in prayer on Mount Arafat from noon to sundown and stoning three pillars which represent the devil follow on subsequent days.
Return home is joyful and is marked by the pilgrim taking the title Hajji or Hajjah.
The BBC has set up a website for people to share their Hajj experi-ences, from which these are taken,
I performed Hajj in 2001 (when I was 70 years of age) along with my wife. Before my Hajj I was lucky to perform Umrah a few times when I was younger and fit. When I went I was very unwell and it was
difficult for me to properly walk. Before boarding the plane I fell very sick with high fever and vomiting. At a point I was even thinking whether I should cancel the flight. I became very, very depressed and prayed to Allah that He in His mercy would allow me to perform the greatest of the pillars of my faith. By the grace of Allah from some-where I got the confidence that Allah would answer my inner prayer.
My son, daughter-in-law and daughter all encouraged me to under take the journey and by the grace of Allah We boarded the plane late in the evening. Throughout the flight I was in a sort of stupor. Early in the morning we arrived at Jeddah, drove to Mecca. I was amazed that after arrival at Mecca I started getting my strength back and I could perform Hajj without help.
As a new Muslim and as an American the Hajj was the greatest thing I have ever experienced. I know Islam is getting all this bad coverage in the media but I saw the true peaceful Islam in Hajj. There was over three million people there and I did not see one fight. I did not see one person being rude to the other even though they were from so many different countries and cultural backgrounds. It was truly beautiful, a life-changing experience.
Truly the most amazing experience. A place where race, colour or cast play no role. Where everyone is as one, all there for the same rea-son – to praise their God. Approaching the mosque raises every hair, brings tears to your eyes and warmth to your heart. The beautiful voice of the Imam reciting the Holy Quran is sure to move you. The atmo-sphere is incredible, and there is always a feeling of safety and belong-ing. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. May we all be granted the opportunity to experience this spiritual journey.65
In The Road to Canterbury, A Modern Pilgrimage Shirley du Boulay describes her walk of 130 miles along the Pilgrim’s Way from Winchester, the ancient capital of Wessex to Canterbury Cathedral and its shrine to the martyr St Thomas Becket. She reflects on medieval times and the changes evident in the route today, as well as on the concept of pilgrimage itself. This is how she ends her book,
. . . it was the journey itself that was the point. . . .
I had been changed by this pilgrimage, but I do not expect to know how for a long time. Though on this Sunday morning I knew the pilgrimage had reached some sort of completion, it had not ended. This
symbolic microcosm of the inner journey had to find its resonances with the longer, day-to-day, pilgrimage. Perhaps my inability to know when it ended was a precise reflection of its inner parallel. We were resuming our day-to-day lives, our journeys of perpetual pilgrimage.
This pilgrimage from Winchester to Canterbury had not ended on arrival any more than life ends with death. But I did feel that I under-stood a little better where the sacred place is to be found.66
The central tenet of all pilgrimage is that it is the inner transformation which is most important. Without that, the physical journey is pointless.
The Sikh Guru Nanak denounced pilgrimage as devoid of religious mean-ing unless that journey to truth was stressed.
Fasting
The practice of abstaining from eating for a period of time has long been part of religious practice, as purification of the body is thought to lead to clarity of mind and spirit. Frequently the practice involves sexual abstinence too. In shamanistic practice, fasting is often part of the preparation for rituals and the Gospels too recount that Jesus fasted. Lent, the period leading up to Easter, was traditionally a period of fasting and reflection, although nowadays it is more usually just a time when people give up something, like chocolate or alcohol perhaps. The underlying purpose is to concentrate on the spiritual rather than the material.
Muslims fast for a month each year, during Ramadan, eating and drinking only after sundown, a practice known as sawm in Arabic. This takes place in the ninth month of the year, when the Qur’an was given to Muhammad, celebrated on the 27th day, which commemorates the ‘Night of Power’. It is a time for increased focus on faith, with more frequent attendance at the mosque, a special prayer added to the normal routine, and some Muslims praying throughout the night. The end of the fast is marked by the celebrations of Eid-al-Fitr.
This extract of a blog of an Egyptian Muslim gives an indication of the experience,
The thing I love the most about Ramadan: the fantastic settings in Cairo’s streets from lanterns, colored lights, free food outdoor tables (ma’’det el-rahman) and the cozy culture from meeting friends after breaking the fast (Iftar) or big family gatherings.
The hardest/most annoying thing about Ramadan : the wrong per-ception of people about Ramadan, that it’s just for upkeeping yourself from eating and drinking, and not understanding the true meaning of it, from self-disciplinary and training your will, to sharing the moments of other poor people all over the world. The second most annoying thing is, people giving an excuse of fasting to behave stupidly/weirdly.
What I want to get out of Ramadan this year : I would like to talk