I have always loved to travel. Breaking my routine and exploring new places and people has attracted me to many locations over the years. Travel began to change my life in deep and mystical ways when I began to tap into the sacred and ceremonial areas of the places I visited.
It began many years ago when I first visited the Parthenon in Athens. This was the first time I experienced a feeling of reverence and awe from the power of worship and community consciousness that imbued a sacred site. This feeling was totally unexpected since I was only there to ‘visit’ the ruins of an ancient civilization. After this involvement, I began to deliberately look for and seek out special places where people came together over centuries in ceremonies to gods, goddesses, the One God and sacred places.
When I was on tour in England this spring, I visited the ruins of Stonehenge, Chalice Well, Glastonbury Abbey, Westminster Abbey and Sancreed Well. What these places had in common were centuries of continuous ceremony and ritual participated in my thousands of worshipers praying for their hearts desires of health, love, abundance, well-being and connection to the Great Spirit in one form or another.
In each place I rested in the energy of the land, water, stones and buildings and felt a special type of energy not found in public buildings used for government, residences, commercial activities or schools and universities. These places of worship carry a deep healing energy for the soul. I felt a connection to the past and the people who came together in search of something greater than themselves and to share in the majesty of the world and the universe. I felt a common link to the people of the past and their lives.
I think all people search for their identity in the greater scheme of the Universe with the common questions of “Who am I and what am I doing here on this Earth at this time?” We see this concept in writings from every culture, in every time period from every economic stratum.
When I am in the energy of a sacred space, I feel a deeper link to Spirit. It is as if there is a well-traveled path that makes my way to Spirit easier because others have traveled that path before me. A minister friend also refers to this feeling as a residual ‘prayer field’, and energy field that resides in the places where emotions and spiritual community take place for extended periods. I have felt this energy field in the great cathedrals I have visited as well as the ruins of ancient civilizations.
If you are not in a position to travel to England, Greece, Rome, the Yucatan, China, India or other ancient cultures, then I encourage you to visit the sacred sites in your area. Go to the older churches, temples, mosques, ruins or religious or cultural sites. Simply sit in the atmosphere and notice the feeling that surrounds your heart. My heart and spirit always feels lighter and more at peace after such visits. If something is troubling you, the peace and prayer field with soothe your spirit even without participation in a ceremony or ritual. Choosing to engage in a ceremony is often beneficial because of the participation of others helps to generate a field of peace and harmony.
My UK travels deepened my connection with Spirit and opened my heart to greater knowledge and understanding of the traditions of my spiritual training and background. I felt the healing, love and peace in the abbeys, ruins and wells where generations of my ancestors worshiped. I hope you too have such an experience during your lifetime. It is mystical and magical. It has changed me and hopefully, opened my heart more to the mysteries of the Universe.
Many Blessings, Ariann
