I found megaliths, just outside of Calgary! These beautiful, enormous and ancient stones stand in the middle of the flat plains, and have been sacred to the Blackfoot people.
The “Okotoks Erratic” (from the Blackfoot word for rock) were deposited here by a glacier some 30,000 years ago, and the quartzite they’re composed of is 520-600 million years old!!! I’m not sure why, but I’ve always had a deep connection with standing stones in particular, so it was really beautiful to come across this sacred site so near to Calgary.
It did, however make me sad, to watch some of the tourists that came by climbing on the rocks, which it clearly states not to do – not least of which is because there are ancient petroglyphs on the rocks, but also because this site is being preserved. Please, if you are visiting these special places in nature, treat them as you would the relics in churches, or works of art in museums. They are not any less valuable because they are in nature, and in my opinion, even more so because they are.
Moreover, these are places that are sacred to other cultures, so please respect them as you would want someone to respect wherever it is you go to pray and connect with the divine.
So beautiful!!! I completely agree with you. Nature has the most sacred and beautiful works of art that should always be respected.
You are a wonderful writer! @sharnalanglais and I..being of Blackfeet tribe..send out good intentions to the people, of one another, to reconsider the respects or lack thereof of such actions and decisions one would make with the ancients and elder-facts.