Introduction
Many of us who are learning about our ancient spiritual heritage speak loudly about the holiness of sacred sites, yet our acts of worship come close to destruction. Those of us who own or manage these sites maintain that anyone can visit them, yet we create policies that make it too easy to close the sites off to groups we disapprove of. Those of us who study the sites in an academic way say that we want to share information, yet we use language and professional snobbery to distance people from knowledge. Years of professional jealousy have resulted in mistrust of other groups and misuse of the sites we all consider sacred. We all want to preserve sites in our own way: as places where we can make contact with the genus loci, as educational examples and heritage sites, but unless we all respect and make some move towards understanding each others' points of view, it is always the sites that will ultimately suffer.
So what's the answer? Trying to stop people from visiting sites is pointless and counterproductive. To ignore the situation will result in a slow but inevitable destruction. Let's educate people together. The knowledge that a single flame can destroy stone will motivate people to use a portable barbecue and lanterns. In turn, religious needs will be more respected once visitors are seen as worshippers rather than vandals. It's time to take stock. We can either continue to go the old way of condemning other interest groups because they don't share our views, or we can work together. Whatever choice we make, it is the sites that will bear and show the consequences.
The
aims of Save Our Sacred Sites are;
So far the response to SOSS has been positive, with historians, archaeologists, conservationists as well as Pagans and the National Trust being interested enough to contribute and subscribe to the journal, "Walking The Talk" (which means behaving in a way that reflects ones personal ideals). Almost inevitably, however, non-spiritual interest is wavering. It seems that most non-spiritual academics, land managers and locals still dismiss the idea that these sites could have any modern spiritual meaning, despite their ritualistic archaeological foundation. Frankly, they'll have to believe it as numbers of spiritual visitors increase. However, rather than denounce councils who condemn people camping near to sacred sites but refuse to sanction a campsite, or vilify organisations whose idea of "conservation" means impregnable asepsis, or yell at people who believe that an open fire and a Tesco's pomegranate are valuable additions to a sacred site, SOSS wants to motivate them by recognising the work of more enlightened people. This would be easier if they existed in greater numbers, of course, or made themselves known, but there are new and exciting ways of minimising damage to sites while continuing their use.
The time is ripe to consider new ways of living with ancient monuments. They were created to satisfy some emotional or cultural need and the communities that created them were intelligent, resourceful and able to move beyond the known. 4,000 years on, SOSS believes that we can do the same today.
How to Join Us
Annual subscription to SOSS is £10 for individuals, £15 for groups and organisations.
Please write to;
email - clarep@mistral.co.uk