Jo here. My husband and I took a short break over into Dorset to visit the coastal visit of Charmouth on the Jurassic Coast. This stretch of coastal cliffs shed rocks under the influence of the sea, revealing fossils from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, so we thought we'd go fossil hunting. We didn't find a great deal, but it's always pleasant to wander about at the sea edge.
We realized we were almost half way to Stonehenge, so we decided to leave early on the third day and go there. The delights of living in a small country with a lot of interesting old stuff.
For one reason or another, we'd never been, which was a shame as people used to be able to wander about the stones at will. However, we were curious about the new set up there and it was only about 90 minutes further. There's a new visitor center over a mile from the stones, and shuttle buses running continuously to take visitors there.
In my opinion, the trouble with really famous places is a) that there are always a lot of other people there, but b) that we see and know so much about them that we don't get the impact that others did in the past. However, the organization is now very smooth, and the stones are impressive, no matter how you look at it. Of course, people are fascinated by how prehistoric people moved such stones from far away and arranged them in a purposeful design. I'm more interested in why, especially with a place like Stonehenge, where people went to great effort to create structures over millennia. The stones are only the last of many effortful layers.
I believe that all such sites are in places of powerful earth energy that draw people to them for spiritual purposes, and that the energy can be tapped into. We humans react very well to reward!
Another place with powerful earth energy is Whitby in Yorkshire, where we lived for a year. It's dominated by the ruins of a very old monastery, and there's energy up there, but the place simply has a vibe. Bram Stoker was inspired there to write Dracula, and it's in Whitby bay that Dracula's boat is wrecked.
I find that most very old places of worship have the vibe. There was a reason they were built just there.
I used this concept in To Rescue a Rogue, the book where Dare Debenham finally overcomes his opium addiction with some help from Mara's St. Bride's home, Brideswell. Everyone accepts that the St. Brides are a particularly happy, contented family and Dare has pleasant memories of visiting there in the past. But in the present, struggling with addiction, he has this conversation with Mara, who says, "Father thinks there some sort of ancient temple beneath the ruins of St. Bride's monastery."
"I wouldn't be surprised."
At his tone, she glanced at him. "Why?"
"There's something special about the place."
"It's a rambling hodge-podge of a house."
"I don't mean Brideswell, though that has a sort of magic, but the area. The house, the church, the village. It's all built within the bounds of the old monastery. If that had been built on some pagan site, it would explain a lot."
Toward the end, they use the energy at the Brideswell church to help Dare regain his strength.
She led the way in, finding the church eerie in the light of the one small lamp before the altar. Dare sat in the nearest pew, looking exhausted.
Ruyuan said, "Ah, yes," and sat in the center of the aisle, cross legged.
After a few moments, Dare struggled to his feet and leaned on Salter to walk down the aisle. He found a spot and lay down, spreadeagled on his back.
Salter took a seat in a nearby pew. Mara sat beside him.
"Do you feel anything?" she asked the man quietly.
"Can't say as I do, milady, though I'm not one to deny what others find beneficial."
Something of the peace of the place was soothing her. "Will you stay with Lord Darius?" she asked softly.
"No, milady. I've found this satisfying work, however, so I may try to find another with the same trouble, and perhaps persuade him or her to seek Mr. Feng's help. Though people can be very fearful of anything that seems strange."
Mara turned her mind to prayer, trying to blend her Christian beliefs with what she'd learned of other ways. No one with an open mind could deny that something special flowed around the site of the old monastery, or that Ruyuan's chi had spiritual power. God works in mysterious ways.
If there is earth energy it won't just be in Britain. Have you visited such places around the world? Do you have a favorite?
Jo