Friday, February 5, 2010

Sacred Space

 
We travelled up to the Hebridean Isle of Lewis on Brigid's eve - an auspicious coincidence, we thought. And so it proved.  During our 2.5 days on the island, we visited the stones at Calanais 3 times.  It sounds so cliched, but there is a magic within that sacred circle that kept drawing us back. The weather was perfect - cold, sunny and the lightest of snowfalls on the Wednesday - no other tourists either, so we had the place deliciously to ourselves.
 
. Each stone has it's own unique personality.  Kristine commented on my skywatch post how they looked like old men.  They really do have a human quality, and I wonder if those ancient ancestors who first erected these stones were portraying their own community. This chap was a formidable guardian at the end of one of the long avenues


The colours are amazing.  The stones actually glow with the shades and hues of the land.  Pinks, oranges, whites, green and greys.  I love in these two shots how they seem to merge into the winter landscape.


 
To me, the inner circle looked like a group of strong ancient matriarchs.

While the men spread around in a protective outer ring. 
  
It is a special place.


Another special place was Breanish over on the far West side of the island.
  
So far on the edge, you can see St Kilda, hazy on the horizon.


An if you look really hard - maybe you can see America!


If not - there are always other delights to behold closer to the shore.


And, of course, there are always the stones.

8 comments:

Margaret Gosden said...

A fascinating post. How old is this site, I wonder.
I am, of course, reminded of Stonehenge. Thank you for visiting.

Joxy34 said...

I do love these stones (never been myself just seen photos), gorgeous and the power emanates even through the photos. I agree too the inner circle does look like matriarchs... one even looks like a mother cuddling her child :-)

nocton4 said...

stunning .. so beautiful

thanks for sharing them, lovely lady.

Be blessed
x

Lisa G said...

Wow, what an amazing place, those stones look so powerful.

Linda said...

It's always lovely to have the place to yourselves, especially somewhere with such atmosphere so that you can really be receptive to it. And going back to the same place several times is what makes a holiday special, instead of frantically hurrying on to the next stop.

sunnymama said...

This looks a really amazing and very special place. Thanks for the tour! :)

936000 said...

Absolutely beautiful (having a rock addiction myself, i am quite biased). Thank you so much for sharing your holiday. Can you imagine living in one of the houses shown nearby? I would never get anything done!
Completely breathtaking.

Lori ann said...

oh so facinating, i love this. and am sure i'd feel moved if i were there. this is a very special place and i do hope to visit it someday. thank you jacqui for sharing these photos. they are beautiful.