These #photographs are of the Calanais Standing Stones at Callanish and the attractions including Eoropie Beach on the Island of Lewis in Scotland that were taken in June 2004.
The Gallery, Above and Below, contains a selection of colour edited images.
The Calanais (1) Standing Stone Circle is at Callanish on the Island of Lewis & Harris in the North of Scotland. We use the name Calanais because that is the name of the Stones in the Gaelic language which is the language indigenous to the area.
The Calanais stone circle is said to be a ritual site made of gneiss rock that is alleged to be over 5000 years old. For history buffs, that’s older than Stonehenge, the English monument of shrouded mystery & provenance.
There's no doubt that the Stones have a very dramatic presence in the landscape. It's easy to see how folks connect to a sense of mysterious spirituality although there were no hippies strumming guitars and smoking joints the day James visited.
The most startling facet of the Stones is that all of them seemed warm to the touch which suggests that there is a connection between the conductivity of the Stone, the Earth ley line grid and the aether which Nicola Tesla writing in 1938 stated that all attempts to explain the workings of the universe without recognising the existence of a light-bearing (or energy bearing) aether are futile.
The task of photographing the monument is a challenge trying to convey the enormity of the space. The weather can also be quite difficult as it was on the day James visited. Auspiciously the drissly rain that began falling at the car hire place stopped and the sun popped itself out of the clouds so the photograph's lighting is suggestive of them having been shot in two different seasons!
It's well worth checking out the other Standing Stone sites in the area. James did so, but the rain resumed and so we thought it best to not risk our camera equipment in inclement weather luckily the The Gearrannan Blackhouse Village is located close by so you can soon get dry and warm in their cosy accomodation.
The Galleries, below, are a set of previously unpublished camera proofs which provide a detailed documentation of the Standing Stones.
Above: James wearing one of the Lewis Wool beanies he purchased on the Island of Lewis. We don't know what croft it came from but it is a hand knit purchased at a home artisan studio with a sign on the road!
The Gallery, Below, contains a set of curated with many previously unpublished camera proofs for narrative context of the attractions of the Island of Lewis that are worth checking out.
The gorgeous beach is named Eoropie and this wide sandy beach is found at the Port of Ness on the edge of Eoropie village on the north tip of Lewis. If you are an Aussie looking for a beach like home then this is a very cool place to visit.
You can find out more about the monument from Urras nan Tursachan (The Standing Stones Trust) at https://calanais.org/
"The Standing Stones Trust is an independent not for profit charitable trust based in the northwest of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Formed in 1994, this registered Scottish charity has operated the Calanais Visitor Centre for over 28 years, bringing valuable tourism to the local community.
Our research work at the Calanais Visitor Centre seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the narrative of these ancient sites, still rich with wonder today.
It is only when you visit the Calanais Standing Stones in person and witness the scale of the monument against the glorious Isle of Lewis scenery that you can truly appreciate its power, beauty and resonance with the landscape. When viewed as a whole, the monument in its dramatic landscape speaks of a powerful sense of human purpose, wonder and sacred heritage.
In keeping with much of the geology of the Western Isles, the Calanais Stones are of Lewisian gneiss, the oldest rock in western Europe – and they stand out against the green of the surrounding landscape. The location for the monument was carefully chosen. The Stones are spectacularly positioned on a ridge leading up to Cnoc an Tursa, a natural hill with a cave-like feature, which may have been regarded as a sacred place".
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