by Wherever we travel, I am drawn to ancient burial grounds. I have been very moved by the sites I visited in Ireland and the Orkney Islands of Scotland.
It’s a curious thing. I am not drawn to cemeteries or to mass burial sites. There’s just something about the energy of these old ceremonial sites that really speaks to me. I guess you could say it feels like being in a church or other holy place that has held the good wishes and prayers of many people over the years. Maybe those intentions mark the place – give the place the good feeling. Maybe the ancient ones had a clearer feel for those places on Mother Earth that are energetically clean, that feel good to be around; places that call to us to be our better selves. So, they built the mounds on those places. Maybe. I sense the generosity of the folks who lived near the mounds long ago. When I am there, I think that they wish me well. I think that they might be dancing and celebrating the fact that their children had children who had children, on and on, and then there was me. They remind me how short life is and how precious – a gift. I’ll never know if I just make up this whole experience as a figment of my imagination or as a clear receiving. Either way, the message is a great one. Appreciate life. Celebrate each other. Honor the Earth – inhabit her deeply with your whole self.
Larry and I just travelled to some burial mounds in Wisconsin and Iowa. They were beautiful and very moving for me. Photography really isn’t a great medium for capturing the essence of these places but that’s what I’ve got. I hope you can visit them some day!
Lizard Effigy Mounds in Farmington, Wisconsin
Effigy Mounds National Monument. These mounds are in McGregor, Iowa on top of a ridge that overlooks the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers.
Pikes Peak State Park was a splendid park with many trails along the mounds.
What sort of places do you consider sacred?
These burial grounds look like they were build above ground in long rows or barely below ground..was this the norm or am I not seeing the perspective? .. interesting culture and possibly some religious beliefs ?
You are right. there are above ground, hence the ‘mound’. No one really knows the traditions or beliefs of the those peoples. At least, that is what was commented on at the display and on the information signs.
I agree that such places evoke reverence and awe. They are a reminder of our humanity even among people who many considered savage. I find the same reverence on rivers. They keep flowing despite everything.