Scotland Archive

Feature Articles –   Glen Lyon: the valley of the Sun God In the midst of the valley of Glen Lyon rises what has become known as the “Praying Hands”. by Philip Coppens In all circumstances, while climbing the hill, the “praying hands” rise out of nowhere, and offer a spectacular view. Dwarfed by the “praying hands”, the side of the hill is marked by this …

Feature Articles –   St Edmund’s Masonic Church Labelled by experts as a “temple to Freemasonry” and “a total concept as exotic as Roslin Chapel in Scotland”, St Edmund’s Church in Rochdale (Greater Manchester) is one of England’s hidden gems. So much so, that it is totally unknown. by Philip Coppens St. Edmund’s Church, off Falinge Road in Rochdale – now largely seen as a suburb …

Feature Articles –  The Scottish Stone of Scone – or Stone of Destiny – is probably one of the most famous and only remaining reminders of ancient and sacred kingship. by Philip Coppens Every story has a beginning. But this story, may have several. And it may have several endings. The “Stone of Destiny”, the stone placed inside the coronation chair upon which British monarchs are …

Feature Articles    Standing, walking and sailing with stones Henry Lincoln’s son makes a pilgrimage across the British Isles, underlining how little we know about its megalithic past. Islands in Amnesia? by Philip Coppens In “Mankind in Amnesia”, Immanuel Velikovsky argued that “virtually every aspect of human behaviour, every pattern in human history, and every article of human belief, if examined and illuminated in the …

Feature Articles –   The Scottish Grail castle ? Is there any chance that the famed Grail castle is not in France, but instead is located in Scotland? If one follows the Arthurian tradition, rather than the traditions of the Grail, that is apparently where one ends up. by Philip Coppens The Grail. A story dating from the 12th and early 13th century, a story which …

Feature Articles –   Round towers: lanterns of the dead The Irish round towers are enigmatic constructions: refuges, belfries or “needles” in the system of leylines have all been proposed as their true purpose. Could it be, however, that they were beacons for the souls of the dead? by Philip Coppens Round Tower of Glendalough One of the lesser known, though widely referenced “mysteries” of Ireland …

Just west of Aberdeen, a forgotten megalithic landscape could contain written evidence of an ancient Mediterranean connection. But it definitely contains memories of a once sacred landscape, which became the Pictish heartland. by Philip Coppens The River Don flows through the hilly landscape of Aberdeenshire, emptying its waters in the North Sea at Aberdeen. Its main tributary, the River Urie, joins at the appropriately named …

Feature Articles –   Orcadian stones Though the Orkneys are on the northern frontiers in Europe, they nevertheless form an integral part of the European megalithic civilisation – and are on par with monuments in the heartland of that civilisation. What was it that made the Orkneys exceptional? by Philip Coppens The Orkney Islands sit on the northern tip of the British mainland. It is rumoured …

Feature Articles –   The witches’ dance The witches’ gathering of Halloween 1590 in North Berwick was one of the most infamous gatherings, especially because of the ensuing trials, which sentenced many innocent people to their death, purely for political gain. by Philip Coppens Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. The Witches’ Fountain was designed by John Duncan for Sir Patrick Geddes in 1894 and erected in 1912, created …

Feature Articles –   Michael Scott: the Scottish wizard Scott, “the Wizard of the North”, is credited variously as Scotland’s first scientist, alchemist, sorcerer and astronomer. He is also one of Scotland’s forgotten geniuses. Who is the man behind the myth? by Philip Coppens Scott was so famous, he has become a legend – nothing but a legend, for some. Like Roger Bacon, he was a …