4. Sacred Sites and Geomancy

Wiccans often gather together for ritual ceremonies in a forest where they can attune themselves to the forces of nature. Some Wiccans affirm that the earth has places of power where ancient pagan temples once stood, like Stonehenge. Other places of natural wonder may be imbued with power such as Uluru. Some Wiccans embrace geomancy where ley lines of power can be detected throughout the natural world. By attuning oneself with the ley lines or centres of power, harmony within and harmony without may be achieved.

I believe the Wiccan vision of Sacred Sites and the use of geomancy glimpses something of the power of the Spirit of God resonating in the creation. We need to expand our vision through both reaffirming God's immanence and in a theology of the creation to speak to this issue. The whole creation is sacred because of the ever present Spirit of God at work within it. This same sense is found in the Lord's prayer where Jesus prays, 'hallowed be thy name on earth as it is in heaven'. This prayer is affirming the sacred presence of even God's name in the earth. The incarnation of Christ likewise reiterates the sacred presence of God embodied in the person of Jesus. By his bodily presence in the world Christ sanctified the world, and this continues on with the giving of the abiding Spirit to believers.

The Bible also gives us instances of spiritual encounters related to geographical places. We see this with God walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:8), Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3), and again on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19), Isaiah in the Temple (Isaiah 6), and when Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17). However the fundamental point of the Bible is that God may be encountered anywhere in the world and can be worshipped. With respect to geomantic magic, Christians and Wiccans will beg to differ over its usage. However common ground can be seen in the mutual interest in the sacredness of the earth.