Sacred Places Around the World: 108 Destinations (Sacred Places: 108 Destinations series)

289 Pages·2004·9.03 MB·English

by  Brad Olsen

Reviews from Sacred Places Around the World
first edition
“… the ruins, mountains, sanctuaries, lost cities, and pilgrimage
routes held sacred around the world.” (Book Passage 1/2000)
“For each site, Brad Olsen provides historical background, a
description of the site and its special features, and directions for
getting there.” (Theology Digest Summer, 2000)
“(Readers) will thrill to the wonderful history and the vibrations of
the world’s sacred healing places.” (East & West 2/2000)
“Sites that emanate the energy of sacred spots.”
(The Sunday Times 1/2000)
“Sacred sites (to) the ruins, sanctuaries, mountains, lost cities,
temples, and pilgrimage routes of ancient civilizations.”
(San Francisco Chronicle 1/2000)
“Many sacred places are now bustling tourist and pilgrimage desti-
nations. But no crowd or souvenir shop can stand in the way of a
traveler with great intentions and zero expectations.”
(Spirituality & Health Summer, 2000)
“Unleash your imagination by going on a mystical journey. Brad
Olsen gives his take on some of the most amazing and unexplained
spots on the globe — including the underwater ruins of Bimini, which
seems to point the way to the Lost City of Atlantis. You can choose
to take an armchair pilgrimage (the book is a fascinating read) or
follow his tips on how to travel to these powerful sites yourself.”
(Mode 7/2000)
“Should you be inspired to make a pilgrimage of your own, you
might want to pick up a copy of Brad Olsen’s guide to the world’s
sacred places. Olsen’s marvelous drawings and mysterious maps
enhance a package that is as bizarre as it is wonderfully acces-
sible. The historical data and metaphysical ruminations make it an
intriguing read. So pick a mystical corner of the world, be it Mount
Shasta, Delphi or Borobudur, and plan out a pilgrimage real or imag-
ined among the Tungus shamans of Siberian Russia, the ghosts of
Mohenjo-daro, the Muslim faithful at the Grand Mosque in Mecca,
and more.” (San Francisco Examiner 1/2000)
Reviews from Sacred Places North America
“An interesting book for both the armchair and the adventurous
traveler, this (book) is recommended.” (Library Journal 4/2003)
“The book is filled with fascinating archeological, geological, and
historical material. These 108 sacred places in the United States,
Canada, and Hawaii offer ample opportunity for questing by spiri-
tual seekers.” (Spirituality & Health 3/2003)
“A revealing, useful, and enthusiastically recommended guide for
the vacationer seeking to fulfill their spiritual as well as their rec-
reational yearnings.” (Midwest Book Review 2/2003)
“World traveler Brad Olsen has compiled a book that documents
108 destination spots for ‘feeling the energy’ of our spiritual his-
torical roots. Pilgrimage is one way we can find ourselves and this
book will provide a guide.” (Twin Cities Wellness 3/2003)
“The book’s chapters correspond to ten regional sections of the
U.S. and Canada, which are further subdivided into specific U.S.
States and Canadian provinces. No less than 38 of the 50 United
States are revealed to contain sacred sites — some of which are
very public and easy to access, such as the House of David in
Michigan, and some of which are more obscure, like Shiprock, ‘the
stand-alone neck of an ancient volcano core’ in New Mexico. But
never fear: Olsen provides lucid and detailed directions, as well as
tantalizing and historically well-informed essay-portraits, for each
destination. The book is also peppered with excellent maps, illus-
trations, and photos.” (Fearless Books 2/2003)
“For travelers who prefer destinations with spirit … juxtaposing
local folklore and Native American legend with scientific theories to
provide context.” (Orlando Sentinel 2/2003)
“It’s an odd lot, the places that have a way of touching your heart:
mountains and homesteads, caves and monasteries, lakes and path-
ways. Author Brad Olsen has recognized that variety in this bringing
together of 108 places that stir the soul. Many of the destinations
mentioned come as no surprise in a collection of the hallowed: Ohio’s
Serpent Mound, Wyoming’s Yellowstone, Colorado’s Mesa Verde, for
instance. But other entries serve as a delightful reminder that there is
room in our hearts to expand the definition of sacred: Massachusetts’
Walden Pond, Michigan’s House of David, and Tennessee’s (and Elvis’)
Graceland, for instance.” (Chicago Tribune 4/2003)
“Olsen maps out obscure destinations brimming with intrigue and
history, places where you will not have to fight thousands of tour-
ists. You’ll find lots of maps, drawings and photos. It’s a travel guide
for the individualist.” (Ashley Tribune 3/2003)
Sacred Places
AROUND THE WORLD

Second Edition
108 DESTINATIONS
Written, photographed, and illustrated by
BRAD OLSEN
CONSORTIUM OF COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS
www.cccpublishing.com www.bradolsen.com www.stompers.com
Sacred Places Around the World:
108 Destinations
second edition
Copyright (c) 2004 by Brad Olsen
Published by the Consortium of Collective Consciousness ™
All rights reserved.
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by sec-
tion 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the
copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be
addressed to CCC Publishing, 530 8th Avenue #6, San Francisco, CA 94118 USA. FAX (415)
933-8132.
As is common in a historic and reference book such as this, much of the information
included on these pages has been collected from diverse sources. When possible, the
information has been checked and double-checked. Even with special effort to be accu-
rate and thorough, the author and publisher cannot vouch for each and every reference.
Because this is a book about traveling, many specifics can change overnight and with-
out prior warning. The reader will find ample information collected from experienced
adventurers, writers, and travel industry experts. The author and publisher assume no
responsibility or liability for any outcome, loss, arrest, or injury that occurs as a result of
information or advice contained in this book. As with the purchase of goods or services,
caveat emptor is the prevailing responsibility of the purchaser, and the same is true for
the traveler.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Olsen, Bradford C.
Sacred Places Around the World: 108 Destinations / Brad Olsen
p. cm.
Includes index
ISBN 1-888729-16-3 (ebk.)
1. Spirituality—Guidebooks. 2. Travel—Guidebooks. I. Title
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-092920
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Front Cover Photos: (c) 2004 Brad Olsen (Golden Buddha, Darjeeling, India; Forbidden
City, Beijing, China; Montserrat Monastery, Spain).
(c) 2004 Trevor Zimmer (Sphinx and Great Pyramid, Giza, Egypt)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
108 SACRED PLACES AROUND THE WORLD
Foreword by Mark J. Maxam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Author’s Karma Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction to Sacred Places. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
EGYPT: Great Pyramid and the Sphinx . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tell el-Amarna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Thebes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Mount Sinai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
IRAN: Persepolis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
IRAQ: Ur and Uruk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Babylon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ISRAEL: Jericho and the Dead Sea Caves . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Masada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
JORDAN: Petra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
LEBANON: Ba’albek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
SAUDI ARABIA: Mecca and Medina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
TUNISIA: Carthage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
THE FAR EAST
CHINA: The Silk Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Xian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Cave of a Thousand Buddhas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Forbidden City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
TIBET: Potala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Mount Kailas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
JAPAN: Mount Koya-san . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Mount Fuji. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Kyoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Nara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
RUSSIAN SIBERIA: Lake Baikal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
INDIA AND THE SUB-CONTINENT
BHUTAN: The Himalayas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
INDIA: The River Ganges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Khajuraho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Sacred Caves and Lost Cities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Holy Cities of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Taj Mahal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
NEPAL: Kathmandu Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
PAKISTAN: Mohenjo-daro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
SRI LANKA: Anuradhapura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5
SACRED PLACES AROUND THE WORLD
SOUTHEAST ASIA
BURMA: Pagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
CAMBODIA: Temples of Angkor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Phnom Kulen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
INDONESIA: Borobudur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Prambanan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
THAILAND: Sukhothai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
VIETNAM: Cham Towers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Cao Dai Temple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC
AUSTRALIA: Arnhem Land. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Uluru (Ayers Rock). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Sacred Aboriginal Sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
HAWAII: City of Refuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Haleakala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
MICRONESIA: Nan Modal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
NEW ZEALAND: Mount Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
North Island Sacred Volcanoes . . . . . . . . . . . 137
TONGA: Mu’a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Malden Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

SOUTH AMERICA
BOLIVIA: Tiahuanaco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Lake Titicaca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
BRAZIL: Amazon Rainforest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
CHILE: Easter Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
ECUADOR: Vilcabamba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
PERU: Machu Picchu and Cuzco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Nazca Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

CENTRAL AMERICA
GUATEMALA: Tikal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Piedras Negras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
HONDURAS: Copán. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
MEXICO: Guadalupe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Palenque. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Chichén Itzá . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
La Venta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Monte Albán . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Tenochtitlán. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Teotihuacán . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NORTH AMERICA
CANADA: Saint Joseph’s Oratory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Sainte-Anne de Beaupré. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
ARIZONA: Sedona Vortices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
CALIFORNIA: Mission Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Mount Shasta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
FLORIDA: Coral Castle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
ILLINOIS: Cahokia Mounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
NEW HAMPSHIRE: America’s Stonehenge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
NEW MEXICO: Chaco Canyon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
WYOMING: Bighorn Medicine Wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
SUB-SAHARA AFRICA
SAHARA DESERT: Ancient Rock Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Timbuktu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
ETHIOPIA: Axum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
TANZANIA: Mount Kilimanjaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Laetoli Plain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Zanzibar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
ZIMBABWE: Great Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
EUROPE
BRITISH ISLES: Avebury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Glastonbury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Stone Circles of the British Isles. . . . . . . . . . 227
Stonehenge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
FRANCE: Carnac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Chartres Cathedral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Lourdes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Mont Saint Michel and Saint Michael’s Line . . 236
GREECE: Acropolis of Athens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Delphi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Knossos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
IRELAND: Newgrange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
ITALY: Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
St. Peter’s Basilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
MALTA: Tarxien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
PORTUGAL: Fátima. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
SPAIN: Prehistoric Caves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Montserrat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Santiago de Compostela. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
TURKEY: Cappadochia (Göreme). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Ephesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Hagia Sophia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Tour Outfitters to Sacred Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
7
FOREWORD (lOOKING bACK)
ECHOES THROUGH THE AGES
n the midst of planetary turmoil the peoples of the world are awakening.
I
Accompanying this mass awakening, the voices of our ancestors beckon
forth the truths of their Ages. In the Essene and many other ancient tra-
ditions, an Age is a period lasting 2000 years during which the whole of
humankind encounter life-trials through which we, as a collective group,
progress.
At the beginning of each new Age, therefore, we — the body-human — are
given a new lesson-plan, and our lives, and lessons, continue. So has the human
experience progressed through “the Ages.”
Without fail, each Age has had its enlightenment periods, and fortunately for
us, the bodhisattvas and Christ-conscious beings of past eras have sought to
share their experience with future generations of humankind ... us!
In the case of our most ancient civilizations, the broad range of knowledge
accumulated through observation and experiential trial-and-error was passed
on through oral tradition. The Modern Age, on the other hand, has the people
of earth preserving memories in print, virtually and in Time Capsules destined
for future eyes.
In the past, mass paradigm shifts in human belief have caused huge amounts
of ancient wisdom to be shunned, disregarded, or outright destroyed — much
of it to remain lost forever. Truth, it has been said, “begins as heresy and ends
as superstition.” Indeed, the innate human fear of the unknown has caused
entire societies to withdraw from truth.
Fortunately for us, the voices of our ancestors are not so easily squelched.
Indeed, it is their voices you hear as you visit the spiritually significant loca-
tions described in this book. Each cries forth to teach, warn and compel future
generations toward Right Action. Through their artifacts we can learn what
they learned as they worked, prayed, and meditated through life.
So, as you proceed on your quest for Self, look to the wise among us, when-
ever and wherever they lived, and remember: truth exists absolute, no amount of
subversion or denial can effect the purity of its nature.
Be blessed and go forth.
—Mark J. Maxam
Author and Publisher
8
AUTHOR’S KARMA STATEMENT
Society today has corrupted man. All seem to be caught
up in the search for money, fame and power. But a
smaller few of us have kept the values of the old world
and try to live this way. We come to the mountains and
commune with nature. We visit the relics of mankind’s
glorious past to remember our own. We have not lost
sight of God and moral reasoning. Therefore, with our
quests, I can safely say we are bettering societal values;
we are helping future generations.
—anonymous journal entry,
Mount Shasta Base Camp
uman civilization in the 21st century can be defined by diversity and
H
duality. One-fifth of the world’s population is Chinese, another fifth
Muslim. A hundred million of us are homeless children living in extreme pov-
erty. More than two percent of the human population is mentally retarded.
There are over 10,000 spoken languages. Yet, a perception of some form of
God pervades 95 percent of our religious belief. In essence, all religions of
the world are valid, as each one shares insight into the divine. This commun-
ing of humans with the “oneness” of the universe has led to the building of
countless places of worship around the world. In this modern age, some of
the sacred places described in this book are especially relevant to certain reli-
gions but not to others. Some are forbidden to enter while others are open
to all. Some are museums, World Heritage sites, national parks or tourist
destinations on private land. Some are completely inaccessible or forbidden
to enter. Nevertheless, in my humble opinion, I feel as we collectively ascend
from polarity consciousness into unity consciousness the relevance of these
spiritual sites become even more profound.
For better or for worse, we are entering a new era on our little blue-green
planet. It is apparent the earth is grossly overpopulated and our overwhelm-
ing presence is beginning to disrupt the natural order of things. October 1999
marked the birth of the 6-billionth human being, and by 2050 CE there will be 8.5
billion of us riding on this planetary spaceship. Every 110 hours the world popu-
lation adds another million people more than those who have died in those same
hours. Despite planetary population growth of nearly 5 billion people in the past
century alone, our origins come from a single source. Evolutionists determine
we are all Homo sapiens, a strain of hominids emerging onto the planetscape
some 150,000 years ago. According to this model, we are generation number
9