THE RETURN OF THE SACRED GROVE PONAD KADYA sacred grove is one of tens of thousands of such protected refuges in India. They provide shelter to many rare species of flora and fauna and often serve as water sources for local villages. Harsha Vadlamani A legacy of prehistoric traditions of nature conservation, sacred groves are patches of forest that rural communities in the developing world protect and revere as sacrosanct. Deeply held spiritual beliefs ensure that not a tree is felled nor a creature harmed within its boundaries. (In times of dire need, such as if a village burns down, permission may, however, be sought of the grove’s deities to extract a limited quantity of wood for reconstruction.) Treasure troves for naturalists, the groves often serve as the last refuge for magnificent and ancient trees, as well as for species of lianas, medicinal plants, macaques, deer, birds, lizards, frogs and other creatures that have become rare elsewhere in the landscape. Originally widespread in the Old World, sacred groves were reported in Greek and Sanskrit classics but were essentially wiped out in Europe by the arrival of Christianity and its attendant anthropocentrism. The Christian church, with its towering pillars and soft light filtering in through colorful stained-glass windows, is said to evoke the sacred groves of yore. Such protected copses are still found in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Read more >Scientific American< SACRED GROVES ACTIVATE DEEP-TIME ANCESTRAL MEMORIES
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 The Westray Goddess, the
oldest human form found in Scotland. (Orkney Archipelago)
"We cannot surrender to the doomsday narrative that haunts us because
it serves to make us give up on our dreams, and within our dreams lie the memories of the Earth and our ancestors." Ailton Krenak Ancestral Future land art
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