{"id":405,"date":"2009-10-27T18:14:11","date_gmt":"2009-10-27T18:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/apagansblog\/2009\/10\/of-rocks-and-ruins.html"},"modified":"2009-10-27T18:14:11","modified_gmt":"2009-10-27T18:14:11","slug":"of-rocks-and-ruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/apagansblog\/2009\/10\/of-rocks-and-ruins.html","title":{"rendered":"Of Rocks and Ruins"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have just
\nreturned from a wonderful road trip to Utah’s canyon and natural arch country
\nin and near Arches National Park<\/a> <\/span> <\/span>and the Anasazi ruins in and near
\nMesa Verde National Park<\/a>. 
\n  <\/span>A wonderful trip it was,
\nthough my blogging was a little bit hit and miss.  <\/span>Getting away from day to day concerns, and immersing myself
\nin one of the most energetically powerful places I have ever experienced. Here
\nis a land of living rock and an ever present Presence of the land, and immersing myself in it was a much needed blessing and
\ncleansing.  <\/span>Visits to Bow Tie Arch<\/a> , Tower Arch<\/a>, and 
\nMill Creek Canyon<\/a> near Moab, Mug House Ruin<\/a> in Mesa Verde and Sand Canyon<\/a> in Hovenweep National Monument<\/a>, and many other wonders enriched my hikes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n
<\/p>\n

There is something
\nabout old buildings and ruins that gives them a peculiar beauty quite different
\nfrom new ones.  <\/span>I have often
\nwondered what it is, and I think it has to do with their gradually becoming
\nintegrated into the place they occupy. 
\n<\/span>They have settled in whereas new ones look pasted on.  <\/span>New buildings usually represent mostly
\nhuman purposes, including, if we are fortunate, creativity and beauty.  <\/span>Perhaps the Anasazi were different, for
\ntheir constructions work with their environment rather than ignore it.  <\/span>In truth they had little choice.  <\/span>But they made a virtue of
\nnecessity.  <\/span>This is the opposite of
\nmost modern American architecture, which arrogantly ignores anything but
\nreflecting economic efficiency, the architect’s ego, and corporate or
\ngovernmental power. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the Anasazi
\nsaw themselves as people of the earth rather than temporary visitors headed
\nelsewhere.  <\/span>The myths of their
\nmost probable descendants, the Hopi and other pueblo peoples, often describe
\nemerging into this world from another. 
\n<\/span>It was only by entering this world that the people became human – beings
\nuniquely suited to this place, and seeking to live in harmony with it. <\/span><\/p>\n

I think this
\nsensitivity to harmony is perhaps the fundamental Pagan spiritual insight, and
\nis beautifully captured in this myth. 
\n<\/span>For the earth truly is our mother, and made us what we are.  <\/span>This harmony is never fully realized individually or socially,
\nfor we Pagans are as fallible as any other peoples and as prone to the allure of
\nego and power, but it is a goal well worth the effort of trying to achieve.<\/p>\n

It is easy to feel such harmony in this powerful country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have just returned from a wonderful road trip to Utah’s canyon and natural arch country in and near Arches National Park  and the Anasazi ruins in and near Mesa Verde National Park.    A wonderful trip it was, though my blogging was a little bit hit and miss.  Getting away from day to day…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pagan-spirituality","category-personal"],"yoast_head":"\nOf Rocks and Ruins - A Pagan's Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/apagansblog\/2009\/10\/of-rocks-and-ruins.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Of Rocks and Ruins - 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