Edinburgh's
Magical Places
Think of Edinburgh and you probably picture Edinburgh
Castle, the Military Tattoo, and bustling crowds packed into theatres and bars
at the Edinburgh Festival.
But there’s another side to Edinburgh that many tourists
(and most of the locals) never see.
Close to the busy capital, you’ll find special places of great
tranquillity, ancient trees, medieval chapels, and deeply spiritual Celtic
traditions.
Sacred sites.
I asked ancient history expert and Celtic Trails tour guide,
Jackie Queally, to tell us about these fascinating locations…
So Jackie, what exactly is a "sacred site"?
It's a place recognised for its powerful earth energies - a
place that's conducive to inner calm or meditation, and where we can get in touch
with “non-human realms of existence".
Plainly put, it's somewhere that allows you to sense the
"divine essence" that pervades everything.
These sites open you to your own essence and that’s why they
seem magical to many people.
What's your favourite site, and why?
Roslin Glen. It's so
near the city and yet timeless and untamed with its rocks, water, trees and
flora.
It's been a place of worship through the ages. And it’s on the golden section of a major
ley line through Britain from Orkney to Spain, known as the Rose Line.
Were you always interested in sacred sites?
Yes. I've always
enjoyed visiting megalithic monuments, perhaps because my father is from an
area in Ireland where there are many such sites.
I feel that these places often carry a magnetic charge that
somehow speaks to people at a subconscious level.
What inspired you to start Celtic Trails?
It's a strange story really.
An elderly gentleman I knew mentioned he had an interest in
Pictish stones, and asked me to do some research for him.
I became so engrossed in the subject, I ended up writing
whole chapters on subjects like the Picts, the Celts, Druid spirituality,
trees, Celtic saints and Scottish legends.
Then after six months or so I got the idea of starting up
tours. I reckoned there were people out
there who also would enjoy going to old sacred sites and "tuning in"
to them.
With all the advances in knowledge nowadays, I suppose you
constantly have to "stay informed"?
Yes. Over the years
I have received a lot of information from modern-day Orders of Knights, healers, mystics, Masons, and other orthodox
and less orthodox groups and
individuals.
I don't judge anyone - but I do have to discern who is
nearer the truth.
The latest group of people who are really fascinating are
the geometers. They have discovered common ley lines that connect many of the
sites we visit in the Edinburgh area.
These leys form specific patterns in the landscape that are replicated
elsewhere – for example, in cathedral design
Edinburgh is special globally for this, and one client who
makes many films as an archaeologist for the Smithsonian Institute hopes to
make a film here. He wants to use me as
a presenter as I make the information relevant and general for today.
Thanks, Jackie, for a great interview.
You can find out more about ancient sacred sites and Celtic
history by visiting Jackie’s Celtic Trails website.
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