Ancient hearts

PS: I’m home at last and happily tired!!  I checked posts sporadically while gone but will try to catch up with all wordpress friends over the next couple of days!!

The Land of the Standing Stones by Paul Anderson ( thank you Vicki)

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The Stones of Machrie Moor

In the heart of the beautiful island of Arran,  with purple heather blooming on the hillside and sheep grazing by an abandoned cottage, there is a moor where a collection of neolithic stone circles lie- five in all, including one at the entrance poetically named Fingal’s Cauldron. The only way to get to them is to walk through the fields which can take about 40 minutes or so.

one of the smaller stone circles

Scotland is full of these standing stones and circles which predate the pyramids of Egypt. Their meaning and origin are surrounded in mystery along with their builders who are lost in time. I visited the ones on the Orkneys last year and could not help but be drawn into their powerful energy.

The late, brilliant science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, wrote a novel,  “Rendezvous with Rama” about scientific explorers who discover an ancient unmanned space ship sailing  past our solar system to an unknown destination. Inside they find a living biosphere in strange triple patterns.  The vanished alien builders, along with their purpose and quest remain a mystery and as the craft heads out into deep space the scientists must abandon their investigation. Clarke ended the story with the main character back on earth and waking up in the night, forever wondering why the Ramans did everything in threes.

Machrie Moor

These stones give you the same sense of mystery, awe and wonder. What is the significance of five circles? Of course, the main theory concerning the placements of the circles is that it is related to the solstices and seasons which would have been spiritually significant to the early farmers of that era.

Fingal’s Cauldron

ancient guardians

Please note the little bird on the right hand stone in the first photo. He is also on the stone in the last photo. Before my sore footed and complaining partner arrived he and I had the moor to ourselves alone and he flew from stone to stone as I paid my respects to the old, silent ones. Here is my poor bit of poetic meandering.

an ancient guardian reborn

Priest and bard

he flies from stone to stone in reverent song 

and remembers.

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Birnam Oak Grove, 

Dunkeld, Scotland

The oldest trees in Scotland date back possibly 800 years and to MacBeth!  (Infrared)

Rendezvous with Rama can be found on Amazon and Goodreads for all you science fiction/fantasy buffs and is a worthy read.