Post by lildebcaiprs on Mar 5, 2008 8:35:27 GMT -5
Healing Stones
Over the centuries, much folklore has attached itself to megalithic sites in Britain. There is considerable evidence indicating that a stone cult existed in the prehistoric past which Christianity was only partially successful in suppressing. The very necessity of the numerous edicts issued by the church Councils in 5th, 6th, and 8th centuries C.E. against all pagan cults connected with springs and wells, trees, and stones (which no doubt included megalithic standing stones) is indicative of their persistence. According to Leslie Grinsell in his book Folklore of Prehistoric Britain (1976), in the late 9th century C.E., the Council of Nantes in France condemned the veneration of stones. Various decrees not only prohibited the worship of stones but also declared guilty of sacrilege anyone who neglected to destroy them.
It is clear, however, that standing stones continued to be venerated throughout the medieval period and even later. In 1410, according to the Hereford Cathedral Registers, the Bishop of Hereford issued a proclamation forbidding the worship of the stone and well at Turnastone in Herefordshire. It would appear that one of the most popular reasons for venerating standing stones was the belief in their ability to cure illnesses and other ailments. Anglo-Saxon laws were sometimes directed specifically against people who sought cures at stones. In his account of Stonehenge, written in the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth notes that "in these stones is a mystery, and a healing virtue against many ailments." At Stonehenge, the stones were washed and the water poured into baths in which the sick then bathed. Healing properties continued to be attributed to the stones at Stonehenge in the 17th and 18th centuries.
...to read more go to witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMHealing.html
The term Earth Mysteries,coined in the early 1970s, is today used to describe a multi-disciplined or 'holistic' approach to the study of ancient sites and landscapes. It tends to fall largely outside the accepted range of mainstream research and is generally regarded with suspicion by academics. This site is intended to serve as an introduction to the various aspects of Earth Mysteries as a field of study.
...to check out this site go to Earth Mysteries: An Introduction
witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMIntro.html