European Sacred Sites of the Earth
2013-06-07
Once upon a time, we were all from the Mother Earth, yes even the Europeans. What did the practices look like, how were sacred ceremonies conducted? How did people then become shamans, herbalists? The inhabitants of Europe before the overlay of Christianity were pagans, heathens: these names mean those of the countryside as opposed to the city, those who lived on the heath. They were organized into clans, had totems and sacred sites. Often these sacred sites were springs, caves, mountains, rivers....what are these spirtual roots, buried in the past, crushed and almost completely eradicated?
You may need to do some archeological detective work to find aboriginal European roots, but the landscape is still there, some ancient genetic memory floats up from the pool of knowledge. And there is also the tourist industry to help.
Here is a sacred site in central Germany, from the 6th century BC, and used sporadically up until the 11th and 12th century AD, called Opfermoor Neiderdorla.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opfermoor_Niederdorla (You can translate this page at: http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opfermoor_Niederdorla&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dopfer%2Bmoor%2Bniederdorla%2Bgermany%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D625
It is a sacred bog, where a burial site for a priestess, sacred fire altars, representations of female and male deities, woven wicker boats, sacred staffs, sacred swords, sacrificail skulls and circles were found in the bog by archeologists. The actual artefacts are in a separate museum, and replicas are found here at Opfermoor...but there is a powerful feeling in these photos and in this place. According to our allyu mate Annerose, it is still in use: candles here and there, remnants of a small sacred fire hidden away.
A local restaurant called the Hexenkessel, Witches' Cauldron, popularizes witches, otherwise known as women herbalists, in a cartoon menu board. There is a well marked trail to follow to different sites. A sense of humour can help beautifully to reconnect with our European pagan roots. Thanks to Annerose and Jon for the tour and the pictures.
