8 Sacred Sites for the Spiritual Traveler

This ring of standing stones set upon the Salisbury Plain in England is as mysterious as it is beautiful. A few facts are known about Stonehenge, such as that it was likely constructed between 3000-2000BC, and that it is almost perfectly aligned with the rising of the sun during the Summer Solstice. Yet a definitive reason for the stone monument’s origin has never been settled upon, generating many theories from Pagan worship to alien involvement. The allure of these sacred stones pulls in tourists and Neo-Pagans alike to admire and speculate.

Situated in the Arizonan desert, the town of Sedona is known as the New Age capital of the United States. It’s both a home and a place of pilgrimage for countless spiritual seekers, artists, and healers. It’s commonly believed that Sedona is a center for vortexes - an invisible point where spiritual energies are at their highest point and the earth’s frequencies hum their loudest. The mystical landscape of rich red rock certainly does evoke a strong spiritual air.

The iconic stone statues of Easter Island - known as “the Moai” - are a sight many would recognize. But like Stonehenge, no definitive answer has ever been reached as to who made the Easter Island statues, or why. To add to the intrigue, the island is also believed to be situated at the intersection of some of the world’s most important spiritual energy lines. While traveling to Easter Island is quite difficult, it’s worth it for the sacred energy there.

The current-day Mount Sinai is believed to be the location of the original Mount Sinai oft-mentioned in the Bible. This biblical Mount Sinai was famously where Moses received the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament and is thus a place of spiritual pilgrimage for the Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The 2, 285m peak of Mount Sinai is traditionally conquered during a night-time hike, ending with a majestic sunrise over the ancient landscape, often linked to spiritual revelations.

This vivid blue lake in south-central Oregon has long been regarded as a sacred site by the Native American Klamath tribe. The deepest lake in the United States, Crater Lake was formed roughly 7,700 years ago when the volcano Mount Mazama collapsed. The Klamath people believe the collapse was caused by a battle between the Chief of the Above World and the Chief of the Below World, and have used the sacred lake as a site for important “vision quests”. Those who visit Crater Lake today are awe-struck by the mystical beauty and energy of the eerily blue lake and its surroundings.

Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) is considered to be the spiritual heart of Australia. The iconic red rock is deeply sacred to the Indigenous Australian Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people, who are the traditional owners and custodians of the Uluru National Park. They believe that Uluru was created at the dawn of time by great ancestral beings. This sacred site is visited by thousands of travelers each year, and many claim to feel an immensely powerful spiritual energy surging through the land.

The journey to this remarkable city of the Incas is undertaken by nearly one million people annually, all eager to glimpse the wonders of this incredible citadel. Not only is Machu Picchu a wondrous feat of architecture, but the spiritual energy around the site is also felt quite physically. The city contains many spaces once dedicated to the worship of the Incan sacred spirits, who were closely connected to the natural elements. Machu Picchu very much deserves its label as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The Sea of Galilee, also referred to as “Kinneret” or “Sea of Tiberius”, is the largest freshwater lake in Israel. Its beautiful blue waters are believed to be the site where Jesus walked on water, and people come from all over the world to see where this miracle took place. It is located next to the city of Tiberius, which is one of Israel’s holy cities. It’s clear waters used to be the main supplier for freshwater in Israel. Today, only 10% of Israel’s water supply comes from this lake.