Family, friends and the multiverse.
#6 In Search of Roots in Scotland - the road home.
We spent a lovely few days catching up with family and friends. Listening to stories of the lives of people who have gone before us makes me realise how much of who we are has been created by the choices they made. Their signatures run through our DNA, whispering the codes of our potential, the essence of who we are.
On our final day, we visit the Crawick Multiverse in Sanquhar. It's classed as Scotland's newest artland attraction, opening just 10 years ago on the site of a former open-cast coal mine. It's a quiet Monday morning, and we have the Multiverse to ourselves. The Sun is shining as we wander the many paths to different interpretations of our universe.
The site covers 55 acres, and the landscape has been redesigned to show theories of the universe, with themes of space and cosmology. Large boulders have been placed high, and I wonder at the skill involved in creating this space.
A fifteen-metre-high mound of green land rises up with a spiralling path to reach the boulders placed at the summit. It represents the Milky Way. The view from the top is so peaceful, green fields and blue skies as far as the eye can see. Having been lucky enough to witness the Milky Way on our last visit to Scotland, the spiral walk feels reminiscent of clear nights as the Milky Way flows through the skies in the wee small hours.
Boulders standing like sentinels mark the centre of the site. They highlight the North-South line leading to the Sun Amphitheatre in the heart of the Multiverse. I wonder if theatrical events take place here.
One artwork is simply named Multiverse. A corkscrew path takes me through fascinating mudstones, compressed layers in variations of black, white, and grey. Words and shapes have been chiselled into them; the word ‘strong’ stands out. The compressed layers are strong, but only if they support each other. It's easy to see where layers can be peeled away, as some have crumbled to the floor.
Our universe is made up of multiple layers, like all lifeforms. Together, we stand strong, enabling the layers to fall away when the time is right. It's quite an experience to wander through time and the development of our universe, to see how events in the past create elements of the future, similar to the paths our ancestors walked and how they resonate with us today. Maybe I did find my roots here in Scotland.
Scotland is one of the few places where I feel like I've come home. This trip, I've walked in the footsteps of ancestors who made Scotland their home, and a feeling of connection ripples through my DNA.
Until our next journey, thank you for joining us. See you on our next travels, wherever that might be.
Beautiful skyscape ❤️