In North America, giant earthen mounds were being created by the Native Americans well before the pyramids of Egypt were constructed. These mounds exist from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains with the greatest concentration in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.  Though it is unknown how many were built, Wisconsin alone boasts to have contained between 15,000 and 20,000 mounds with at least 4,000 remaining today.  Watson Brake near Monroe, La. claims to have the oldest mound in the United States  which have been dated to as early as 3400 BCE.   

These prehistoric mounds had a wide variety of forms and fulfilled a range of functions. Many served as individual or collective burial monuments. A person of great importance might be buried in a mound along with many of his possessions.  An example of one can be found in Moundsville, WV where the 69-ft tall Grave Creek Mound was discovered containing many generations of remains. Some were temple mounds and were used for religious purposes.  The Natchez were known for building great mounds so their chief, the “Great Sun,” could more easily commune with sun.   Some mounds were built into the shapes of animals, religious figures, human figures or symbols and are called Effigy Mounds.  These were often built for religious purposes and were often constructed in alignment with solstices and other astrological events. The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio is an example and is 1,330 feet long.

The largest Pre-Columbian mound, Monk’s Mound, is located at Cahokia Mounds (near East St. Louis, Ill.).  Built between 900-1100 CE, it covers 14 acres, rises 100 feet, and was topped by a massive 5,000 square foot building another 50ft high.  With a base that is 955 feet long and 775 feet wide, it is approximately the same size at its base as the Great Pyramid of Giza!  There are 80 remaining of the more than 120 estimated mounds in the surrounding six square mile area.   All together, it is estimated that 55 million cubic feet of earth was moved by woven basket to create these mounds.  That’s a lot of dirt!

My Wiccan training has taught me that if you take something from nature, you should be appreciative of it and possibly even leave a gift.  For example, if you cut a wand from a tree, the Wiccan tradition is to ask the tree’s permission first and then leave it some small offering in return such as a feather or a stone.  This only seems polite to me as I would not take something from anyone without first asking.   

Many tourists tend to take a piece of nature home with them to remind them of their vacation.  Unfortunately, this can have detrimental effect on heavily visited places like our National Parks.  The tourists become like locusts and descend on these natural wonders and leave devastation in their paths.   This is especially true of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which hosts as many as 1.3 million tourists a year.   Even though it is against the law, many of these visitors end up taking some of volcanic sand or rock home with them.  

Unfortunately for them, one Goddess has a reputation for being very vengeful on those that take without asking.  Pele, the Goddess of fire and volcanoes on Hawaii, is known to be very protective of the volcanic rock and sand on the island which she views as her children.   Each year, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and many of the local hotels receive hundreds of packages each year containing “kidnapped” sand and rocks with notes begging forgiveness and detailing stories of bad luck that have occurred since the taking.  For example, the web site http://www.volcanogallery.com/lavarock.htm has hundreds of stories of people who have used the web site’s services to “properly” return the sand and rock to its proper place. 

A 2001 San Francisco Chronicle article on Pele quoted a cultural interpreter at the park who stated that “We [Hawaiians] believe that every rock as ‘mana,’ or power.  We believe that every rock has its function and a name and a place it should be.”  Another park ranger stated that “As Hawaiians, we have been raised that when you are in nature, you ask permission to take something."

Some claim that Pele is just an urban myth used by the Park Service to control the theft by tourists, but I believe that most Pagans would agree that it is always best to ask before you take. 

In Kansas, we are very familiar with vortexes in the form of tornadoes that are made of powerful, spiraling winds.  In Sedona, Arizona, the local residents claim that another type of vortex exists in their region: spiraling spiritual energy. These vortexes are said to consist of subtle energy centers where spiritual and psychic powers are enhanced.

The beauty of the land near Sedona is inspirational itself.  The landscape consists of tall red cliffs and magnificent monuments of stone.  Though this area has been claimed to have been a native Indian spiritual center for thousands of years, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the town has become a major center of New Age spirituality.  Since then, people through the world have visited this region and have given testament to the effect the visit has had on them. Some claim that magical feelings here may come from geological, magnetic or other factors that have created the “vortexes” of energy or even a “portal” that allows one to experience higher and deeper states of consciousness and spiritual insight. Some believe that an ethereal city may exist directly above Sedona. Others have shown that Sedona is located where "ley lines" intersect with one another.  Ley lines are mysterious alignments of ancient sites that have been associated with Earth Mysteries and Geomancy, and are said to follow lines of energy that flow through the earth. 

 One of these “mystery spots” is Bell Rock which has been used by modern mystics as a “toning device” to balance psychic energies. It is said that those who hold onto the rock while meditating will be contacted by spirits who can lead them to higher levels. More scientific travelers have noted that the rock seems to be the focus for some unexplained, strong, anomalous energy readings in the area.

Boynton Canyon is another local mystery spots and it is held in high regard by the Yavapai Indians. They consider it a sacred place and believe the First Woman was born in a cave here. She is still believed to reside in this canyon and the mystical energies of the place have been recorded by psychics and paranormal researchers alike.

Two other mysterious spots are known as Cathedral Rock and Airport Mesa. The Rock has been called a “psychic vortex” and is 1000 feet high and seems to glow at night. Nearby, the Mesa is said to be so charged with electricity that people’s hair will stand on end under certain conditions.

These four locations have been categorized based on the type of energies that they either contain or enhance:

· Bell Rock (masculine energy)

· Airport Mesa (masculine energy)

· Cathedral Rock (feminine energy)

· Boynton Canyon (balance of masculine and feminine energy)