Sacred Sites: The Quarry
by Jeffrey Pierce
Nestled in the heart of Oregon's Coast Range Mountains is an old quarry that, based on the re-growth of the environment, was last worked somewhere between 1940 and 1970. I was first called to work with the site in approximately 1992 while studying with Nukah, my Native American teacher.
When I first began working with the site, the entire quarry was nearly barren. Grass grew on the floor of the lower basin and a few birch trees were scattered here and there. Most people, whether they're pagans or simply fans of Hollywood movies, have a rough grasp of the concept that among their many callings, a shaman is a healer. What many don't realize, however, is that our healing isn't limited solely to those members of the human race. One of the early lessons that Nukah taught me was the concept of healing the earth and that was a significant early theme in my work with the quarry. As you'll see in the pages ahead, we can have a real impact on the Earth, not just our negative impact that harms the environment, but our ability to not only heal the spirit of the environment, but bring magick back when our misguided efforts have driven it away.
Gates and Doorways
Every sacred site has a gate and a doorway. A gate, in the most simplistic definition of the concept, is where you transition from "outside" the site to "inside" the site. For instance, if your site was found on a sandy beach, the gate might be found at the end of the trail, right where it opens onto the sand. A doorway, on the other hand, transitions from the mundane energy of the site to where you will embrace and interact with the magick of the place.
While anyone can find a gate, it takes someone who has developed a certain amount of mystical awareness to find a doorway. What's more is that while ritual work can be done anywhere, one must enter through the doorway of a site to interact with magickal energy that is found in that particular location - especially if the site is inhabited by the fae.
Mushrooms and all types of fungi are traditionally a sign that the fae are near.
The quarry is an interesting example of this concept because not only is it a site in its own right, but there are numerous smaller sites nestled within it. First you must go through both the gate and the doorway of the overall site. Then, to interact with specific energies found there, you must find and enter the gate and the doorway for each specific location within the quarry.
A landslide blocks the original path into the quarry.
For instance, the original access to the quarry has been blocked by a landslide. The gate for the site as a whole is where the old access road to the quarry (now overgrown) connects to the one-lane mountain road. It's a transition from one significant feature (the mountain road) to the next (the quarry's access road.) However, to enter the quarry, you must find its doorway. Yes, there's actually an easily traversable hidden trail that goes right through the middle of the landslide. You can't see it without knowing exactly where it is - and then, once you're in it, it's a maze that you need to traverse. But if you know where to go, it's so easy to pass through the landslide that even my children, Bear and Sparrow, have passed through the doorway.
The original path - beyond the landslide.
And once you have found not only the gate, but passed through the doorway, the potential of the entire site is open to you.