Maui

Today I am exploring the magical places and cultures of Maui. The island is rich in sacred sites, powerful natural energies and an indigenous spiritual tradition that honours the elements.

Heleakala, sacred volcano of Maui

Offerings left on the summit of Mount Heleakala

Hiking up the outflow from a volcano!

The Seven Sacred Pools

Hiking near the Seven Sacred Pools

 The sacred Lao Valley

Shrine at Lao Valley

My guide Jeana led me on a visit to a heaui (temple) where we left a natural offering, an ancient spiritual ritual that has practised for hundreds of years. 

Explaining the use of healing herbs

 Preparing an offering to leave at the heiau 

Asking permission of the spirits to enter the heiau 

Paying respects at the heiau

Birthing stone at the heiau with our offering perched on top

In recent decades Maui has attracted large numbers of teachers, healers and seekers, creating vibrant spiritual community.

Temple of Life Spa and Healing Centre

Jaya Lakshmi and Ananda performing at Maui Sacred Earth

Roslin Glen and the Rose Line

The mysterious Rosslyn Chapel sits on the edge of the magical Roslin Glen in Scotland, drawing the green energy of the glen up into the chapel as demonstrated by over one hundred unique carvings of green men in the chapel. 

Rosslyn Chapel exterior (no photography allowed inside!) 

Rosslyn Chapel also sits at the heart of the Rose Line, a Scottish meridian encompassing many sacred sites and places of power.

Six hundred year old chestnut tree in Roslin Glen

The heart of the chestnut tree

Another ancient tree

Part of the yew circle, where rituals are performed

Wallace's cave on the opposite side of the river 

The River Esk flowing through Roslin Glen

The age and identity of this face are not known

Roslin Castle has a ghost dog which haunts and howls here, along with a White Lady. The drawbridge to the castle itself has also been the site of an apparition of a black knight on a black horse which gallops off the drawbridge - legend has it that the hoof prints of the horse can be seen on the vertical rocks upon which the drawbridge has been built.

Roslin Castle

Wallace's cave, referring to William Wallace of 'Braveheart' fame who is reputed to have hidden here.

Cave interior

Mysterious rock carvings near Wallace's Cave

Exploring the lost pathways of Roslin Glen today in some lovely Scottish weather! 

The mysterious hidden village of Temple, once the headquarters of the Knights Templar when it was known as Balantradoch

Mysterious masonic gravestones at Temple

 Magical stream behind the ruined church at Temple

Arthur's Seat, a volcanic plug in Edinburgh that sits directly on the Rose Line