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Concept
Earth mysteries
Summary
Earth mysteries are a wide range of spiritual, quasi-religious ideas focusing on cultural and religious beliefs about the Earth, generally with a regard for specific geographic locations of historic importance. Similar to modern druidry, prehistoric monuments are of particular spiritual importance to believers in Earth mysteries who consider certain locations to be sacred and/or containing active spiritual energies. The characterization of the term "alternative archaeology" has also been used to describe the study of Earth mystery beliefs.
The study of ley lines originates in the 1920s with Alfred Watkins. The term "Earth mysteries" for this field of interest was coined about 1970 in The Ley Hunter journal, and the associated concepts have been embraced and reinvented by movements such as the New Age Movement and modern paganism during the 1970s to 1980s.
Some New Age believers engage in travel to locations they consider important according to their beliefs; for example, Stonehenge is a popular destination amongst New Age seekers.
The concept of Earth mysteries can be traced back to two 17th-century antiquarians: John Aubrey and William Stukeley, who both believed that Stonehenge was associated with the druids. Stukeley mixed together ancient monuments and mythology towards an "idealized vision" of nature.
"Ley lines" were postulated by Alfred Watkins in 1921 at a presentation at the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club, later published in Early British Trackways (1922) and The Old Straight Track (1925). Watkins formed the Old Straight Track Club in 1927, which was active until 1935 but became defunct during the World War II period.
A revival of interest in the topic began in the 1960s, now associated with neopagan currents like Wicca, and with ufology. Watkins' Straight Track Club was revived in 1962 by Philip Heselton and others as the Ley Hunters' Club. The new club's journal The Ley Hunter was issued from 1965 to 1970, subtitled "the Magazine of Earth Mysteries".
Official source
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