I recently returned from a wondrous trip to Ireland. During the trip my wife and I visited the Burren. The Poulnabrone Dolmen located there is around 6000 years old, predating the great pyramids by 2000 years! This portal tomb was in use by the local tribes for more than 2000 years. Amazing to see such continuity, such magic.
Visiting this place it wasn’t difficult to feel the spirits of the ancestors, the endless line of people from the first settlers of Ireland 7000 years ago right up until the present. This experience got me thinking about paganism and how part of our core ideals is the honoring of the Spirits of Place. I think most every pagan who visits this site would say, “This is utterly sacred”. There wouldn’t be pagans chipping pieces of the stones away or dancing on the top of it on a holy day. I think we would recognize the religious significance of this amazing structure. And we would honor all those ancient souls who visited the site by continuing incorporating the location into our modern religious rites.
I write this because visiting such an ancient land made me realize just how much the landscape should be part of our religious practices. Our ancient pagan temples are in ruin, too fragile to utilize anymore without the utmost consideration. I wonder if it is time for modern pagans to build new temples – ones our progeny will be able to use a thousand years from now. We need to plant new groves. We need to work with the land and the Spirits of Place to see what Nature will support. Or is it that we need to make temples that leave no trace? Is it both?
Our Beltane on the Beach (Bealtaine – Irish spelling) here in Maine, has been going on for 29 years now. We dance around the Maypoles on the shifting sands and then the tide comes in removing all trace of our celebration and ritual. I found great inspiration in seeing the endless miles of ancient stone walls in Ireland, Poulnabrone, stone circles and cairns as well as the more modern Christian ruins of castles and abbeys. I also get great inspiration seeing the tide come in and remake the beach as we go our separate ways every May. I wonder what future pagans will find from us that helps them find the thread of continuity and connection back through the millenniums to us and back into the mist of time? Thoughts, dreams, prayers?
Blessings of stone, story and song
Snowhawke /|\
