Wednesday 11 August 2010

Wandering Wednesday


Here I stand, my feet placed firmly on rock that is estimated to be 3 billion years old.  It is a shelf of Lewisian Gneiss, that is the bedrock of this land.  I am wearing my hiking boots, because I know that soon I will be scrambling around on rocks of a similar age with my 3 year old son.  I have stopped here, as it is my favourite spot to take a photograph of the Callanish Stones.
This stone circle has been standing in this place for at least 5,000 years - pre-dating Stonehenge and the Pyramids.  It gives me a great sense of comfort and security standing here and imagining the vast community of people whose feet have trod this same rock over that time.  I feel grounded, certainly and able to see any worries or troubles from a much bigger perspective.
I look towards the South and see The Sleeping Beauty mountain over in Harris.  Once every 18 years, or so, there is a Lunar standstill, when the Moon comes very close to the Earth.  When this phenomenon is viewed from the stones, it appears as if the mountain is actually giving birth to the Moon.  I imagine crowds of people gathered all those millenia ago watching this miracle, just as they do today.  The next time this will happen will be around the year 2025/6

Looking West over the bay, I notice the contours of ancient lazybeds, or runrigs - a common method of land cultivation used for centuries in this area, before sheep farming became the default use for the land. As we begin our own growing venture here, it is heartening to see these traces of a once productive countryside.


The Stones have seen so much, yet stand, welcoming, without judging or condemning, all those feet who wander to theirs.  A consummate example of being in the present.
Where will your feet wander today?  Visit GardenMama's beautiful space and take part in Wandering Wednesday  - you may be surprised where you find yourself.

11 comments:

  1. Just beautiful again xx

    So do you fancy some visitors in 2025? ;-)

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  2. oh Mama, so very very magical x

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  3. It is just so awesome, in the original sense of the word: to inspire AWE. Your photos and the stones are just so gorgeous. I do envy you to be able to put your hands on stone that the ancestors touched too. FAB!!!!
    Great post Jacqui and thank you so much for sharing!
    Hope the rest of your week is great!

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  4. How cool!!!! Glad you shared these photos-

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  5. breathtaking...

    thank you SO much for sharing these pictures of this gorgeous land

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  6. Beautiful pics! what a lovely place you live in. :)

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  7. Thank you for sharing these incredible photos!

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  8. beautiful, what a powerful place to visit like many have before you!

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  9. Wow. This looks like a really magical place to be wandering!

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  10. A wonderful landscape. I do not have a lot of room for my Nature table, is is placed on a cloth 12 inch square and one end of the lounge table, the secret is it does not have to be big, just a small tray, with things you and your young one have collected, cheers from New Zealand Marie

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  11. Breathtaking. Such scenery makes my heart skip a beat.

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