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Hindi culture is rich in traditions of sacred dance. Source: mihail / Adobe Stock

Embracing the Divine: Eight Sacred Dances in Hindu Rituals

Sacred dance has always been an integral part of Hinduism, intricately woven into rituals and spiritual practices. The Vedas , the holy texts of Hinduism, intermingle performance arts with rituals,...
Ancient cult prostitutes. Source: stockcrafter / Adobe Stock.

Ancient Goddess Cults and Temple Prostitution (Video)

In the depths of ancient civilizations, a peculiar practice intertwined sexuality with religious devotion. Revered as sacred, this ritual, known as sacred temple prostitution , involved engaging in...
Shute's Lane Holloway, near Bridport, Dorset, England. Source: Natural England

Unlocking the Secrets of the Holloways: An Exploration of England's Sunken Labyrinths

Natural England is embarking on a journey to uncover hidden gems known as holloways tucked away in the English countryside. These paths, also known as sunken lanes, have a rich historical and...
Descendants of Araucanians with ceremonial attire and bearded masks –Kollón– from Cautín in the Region of Araucanía, in southern Chile. These representations are strikingly similar to the Buttnmadl of the Berchtesgaden Valley in southern Germany. Source: Gustave Millet, ca. 1930, courtesy of the author Rafael Videla Eissmann

From Araucanía, Chile to Berchtesgaden, Germany - A Remote Connection?

Significantly, the magical-religious “attire” of the tradition of ancient Araucania and the now disappeared Araucanians of the south-central and southern zone of Chile are related to the pagan...
The remnants of the ancient Maya cacao groves in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Researcher Chris Balzotti climbs an ancient staircase discovered in a sinkhole near Coba, Mexico.		Source: Richard Terry / Brigham Young University

Chocolate Trail: Sacred Maya Cacao Groves Found In Mexico’s Yucatan

As divine gift, money and a source of power, cacao, the plant that feeds the present-day chocolate obsession, was even more precious to the ancient Maya of the northern Yucatan. While historians have...
The white rock at Vilcabamba. Source: Walter_Xim / Adobe Stock.

The White Rock at Vilcabamba: The Sacred Heart of the Inca?

In the Inca heartlands of Peru, hidden away in the mountains and overshadowed by the more famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu and around Cusco lies a seldom visited and obscure carved rock at...
Worshipped by Millions: The Sacred River Ganges

Worshipped by Millions: The Sacred River Ganges

Why is the Ganges so significant and sacred in Hinduism? Many rivers have nourished humans in our boundless history, and some of the greatest ancient civilizations have been born on the banks of...
105,000-Year-Old Kalahari Crystals Challenge Cultural Evolution Story

105,000-Year-Old Kalahari Crystals Challenge Cultural Evolution Story

New research at a rockshelter on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa challenges the assumption that modern human origins and complex behaviors were limited to coastal environments. A...
The Route to Secular Art through the Kwakiutl Hamatsa Dance

The Route to Secular Art through the Kwakiutl Hamatsa Dance

“Magic preceded art, art served magic, and art was then liberated from magic.” This was among a number of sometimes controversial assertions made by Scottish anthropologist James Frazer in his 19 th...
Glanum, An Ancient Roman Town in France Renowned for Its Healing Spring

Glanum, An Ancient Roman Town in France Renowned for Its Healing Spring

We are fortunate to have access to many ancient Roman cities throughout the vast regions they once ruled. Their ruins tell us a great deal about their gods, their hobbies, their lifestyle, and their...
After a ten year run of bad luck, an Irish farmer was advised by University College Cork to contact druids to perform a ceremony. Source: heywoody / Adobe Stock

Cursed Irish Farmer Calls in The Druids

A Cork farmer has employed the services of druids to end his decade of bad luck after a bull damaged an ancient standing stone on his land. The Irish farmer, Donal Bohane, owns a 30-acre (12.1 ha.)...
A Buddhist monk creating a mandala

Intricacy and Reflection: Transforming Mandalas from Sacred Designs to Art Therapy

Although the word ‘Mandala’ simply means “circle” or “discoid object” in Sanskrit, the significance is far more complex. Traditionally, mandalas represented the intricacy of the universe and served...
The mysterious ceramic fragment with the horned face image found in a village in Poland.                 Source: Lukasz Gagulski / Science in Poland

7,000-Year-Old Horned Face Image Discovered Under Ancient Polish Home

Archaeologists excavating in the village of Biskupice, Poland have discovery a mysterious 7,000-year-old ceramic fragment depicting a horned face image. The team of archaeologists were excavating...
Flying Rowan Tree, Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Power of the Flying Rowan Tree, Woe of the Witches

Why were certain plants raised from mere utility to reverence in the collective consciousness of various populations from different cultures? This elevation from purely physical use to the realm of...
Inner view of Rani ki vav, stepwell on the banks of Saraswati River. Memorial to an 11th century AD king Bhimdev I, Patan, Gujarat, India.  Source: RealityImages / Adobe Stock

Rani Ki Vav, The Inverted Temple That Lay Buried for Centuries

One of the most distinctive examples of Indian architecture is Rani ki vav, a remarkable stepwell. Astounding subterranean structures were designed to store and supply water to arid parts of India...
Buddhist monk meditation in temple             Source: Sasint / Adobe Stock

The Ancient Temples and Tolerance of Ramateertham Village, India

India is blessed with an abundance of ancient historic and religious sites, but the small village of Ramateertham is unique. Nestled in its hills are sites that are sacred to Buddhists, Jains, and...
Detail of ‘The Number of the Beast is 666’ (1805) by William Blake. Source: Public Domain

The Number 666 – A Blessing in Disguise?

The number 666 has been linked to scary scenes and hideous demonic beasts which have spooked the fraught nerves of the laity for almost two thousand years. Superstitions have abounded at the sight of...
The Uluru sacred site in Australia

The Sacred Site of Uluru has Seen its Last Climber

In the 1999 movie The Matrix , Agent Smith said that when trying to classify our species it came to him we are “A virus, a disease, a cancer of this planet, a plague” eating up all the natural...
The local Aymara held a ritual before the vessels were removed.        Source: Ministerio de Culturas y Turismo de Bolivia / Facebook

Tiwanaku Excavation Unearths 1400-Year-Old Ritual Vessels

At Tiwanaku, Bolivia , archaeologists have excavated a number of vessels that are believed to be 1,400 years old making them amongst the very oldest artifacts to be found at the site. Tiwanaku is one...
Detail of a hurdy gurdy

Hurdy Gurdy Man: Rock Star of the Medieval Music Scene

The hurdy gurdy is a musical instrument, or more precisely, a string instrument, that traces its origin to the Middle Ages of Europe. The hurdy gurdy was initially used to play sacred music, before...
Temple of Edfu illustration by artist David Roberts.

The Grand Architect: The Sacred Link Between Architecture and the Divine Across Ancient Cultures

In 1892, architect W.R. Lethaby wrote: “The main purpose and burden of sacred architecture - and all architecture, temple, tomb, or palace, was sacred in the early days - is…inextricably bound up...
Death mask of Napolean Bonaparte

10 Sacred Masks for Hunting, Ritual, Shame and Death

Masks are one of the few things on the earth that connect all of humanity throughout time. We have created ritual masks since our very beginnings in order to disguise, protect, or entertain. They...
The Israeli Druze are a religious minority in Israel who live in the north of the country.

Who are the Druze and How Might the Shroud of Turin Relate Them to Jesus Christ?

The Druze are a secretive surviving Gnostic community in the Middle East today who publicly claim homogeneity with Islam due to a historical fear of persecution. In truth, they have nothing in common...
Drone snapshot of Grange Stone Circle.

Grange Stone Circle: A Place of Ritual Gatherings, Sacrifice and Worship from Prehistoric Times to the Modern Day

Mysterious stone circles dot the landscape of Ireland captivating travelers with their spiritual presence. Grange Stone Circle is one of the finest and it sits in the beautiful landscape of Lough Gur...

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