PHOTOGRAPHS AND WORDS
This book has two textual chapters followed by several photographic ones (this web site includes both these textual chapters and a selection of photographs from the visual chapters). Chapter One gives an autobiographical account of my long pilgrimage to sacred sites around the world, and includes some of the visionary experiences, spiritual teachings and prophetic revelations I was given at various holy places. Chapter Two is concerned with the actual nature of sacred places and answers a number of questions about their legendary power. For example, what is this mysterious "power of place"? What factors cause it to be so highly concentrated at particular sacred sites? Why have humans been so strongly drawn to these places? How are we to explain the extraordinary, often miraculous things that happen at the sites?
Based on my extensive personal experience and scholarly knowledge of sacred sites, I believe a field of power, a density of holiness, saturates and surrounds certain sacred sites. In chapter 2, I identify and examine twenty distinct factors that contribute to the presence of these fields of power at the sacred sites. My ideas on these matters are considered quite controversial in the anthropological and archaeological communities. As far as I know, no other writer has examined the subject of power places in so comprehensive a manner.
Each of photographic chapters focuses upon the sacred sites in a specific geographic region of the world. Each chapter is preceded by maps showing the locations of hundreds of sacred sites in the region and followed by notes on those sites illustrated in the chapter. The photographic notes are not intended to be exhaustive commentaries. They are meant to give a basic mythological, archaeological, and historical context and to provide a sense of the mystery and magic of the illustrated sites. Some of the places pictured are well known and are themselves the subject of entire books. About other places very little is known. The amount that I have written about each place varies in accordance with what is currently known.
The photograph notes contain a great deal of factual information in the form of dates, names, and places. I have gathered this material from the wide variety of sources listed in the extensive bibliography at the end of the book. While conducting this research, I was frequently confronted with inaccuracies and contradictions. Various books gave differing dates for the same event; a single place name was spelled differently; and different locations were given for the same site. This type of inaccuracy is common in old books and in books about the ancient world. Please do not hold me accountable for inaccuracies in the rendering of dates, names and places. Readers desiring more detailed historical information on particular sites are encouraged to consult the bibliography at the end of the book (and on the web site).
Clearly, much of what we think we know about the archaeology and mythology of the sites, the geology of the regions where they are located, the effects on humans of known energies, and other subjects discussed in this book, reflect merely the current state of knowledge. We do not have all the answers. We learn more as time goes on: research reveals new sites, more connections are made between areas of study, and scientific techniques improve. Those of us who study earth mysteries, sacred sites, and miraculous phenomena are very nearly neophytes. We have only begun our exploration. The so-called ‘factual’ material in this book is not the final word on the subject. By introducing it to a wide audience, I hope to stimulate further interest and research in the subject. Greater knowledge will then naturally follow.
Throughout this book, and particularly in chapter 2, I have quoted from the writings of other scholars. I have done this for two reasons. First, I simply do not write as well as the authors I have quoted. The English writer Paul Devereux and the American Alan Morinis, in addition to being brilliant and insightful scholars, are also masters of eloquent and engaging prose. I could have paraphrased their words but my rough attempts would have been an injustice to the art they have created. Second, I wished to introduce my readers to these scholars directly in the text, rather than in footnotes hidden in the back of the book where few readers venture.
Some readers may wonder why I have not included information on UFOs, extraterrestrials, and angels. First of all, my book is not about these subjects. Second, I am currently unable to report much factual information concerning them. Numerous books are available that discuss these matters, but most are filled with speculation, exaggeration, and new-age fantasy poorly masquerading as knowledge. I believe there to be some reality behind each of these subjects, and I keenly anticipate honest discussions about them.
