Description
The recognition of stones as objects of power continues uninterrupted from the dawn of humankind into the 21st century. This volume looks at customs and traditions from around the world, from the curious to the profound, related to stones large and small, from prehistory to today. Why are some rocks simply tossed out of the way while others, regardless of their size, are held as sacred, mysterious and imbued with power? The very atmosphere which surrounds some of these stones is permeated with a sense of ancient wisdom and we cannot help but walk quietly, often peeking over our shoulders in the attempt to catch that other being peeking right back at us. The recognition of stones as objects of power continues uninterrupted from the dawn of humankind into the 21st century. This volume looks at customs and traditions from around the world, from the curious to the profound, related to stones large and small, from prehistory to today.
Review
One of the reasons I like this book is that its focus moves like water over the subject of stone, slipping to examples and stories from all over the world. On one page we are reading of a stone sacred to Islamic culture in the Middle East, and on the next we are looking again at Avebury, or letting our fingers run over the patterns carved in a stone of a native American nation. As a result, the book gives, perhaps more than anything else, a strong sense of the continuity and connectedness of stone. After reading it, I was left with a strong and conscious feeling of the way in which stones - those honoured as sacred and yet all stone - both grounds and draws us together, across time and space.
Covering such distances, although the author has travelled widely, there are moments when it is clear that his words express observation and not personal experience. Yet, even so, there is value in his collation of information, stories and ideas about stones, caves, circles and amulets from around the world. He gives clear sources for his information, allowing the reader to explore further, and hopefully to inspire individuals to journey for themselves, discovering and experiencing the sacred within rock and stone.
Gary Varner can be reached at paganessays@yahoo.com
Emma Restall Orr
July 2005
Paperback 236 pages (August 1, 2004)
Publisher: Algora Publishing
ISBN: 0875863493
