“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it,
bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Stone piles, or cairns, can be found all over the world and have been created by humans since we first learned how to stack things. There are all sorts of meanings behind the existence of these temporary structures. Most people have encountered the cairns hikers create marking wilderness paths, providing assurance and guidance to future hikers that they are on the right path. Buddhist monks stack stones as a type of contemplative meditation; Jews stack them upon graves to keep the soul from wandering during the short time it remains with the body after death. Indigenous cultures have been building these structures for thousands of years, marking up the landscape with a sort of ancient graffiti that says “I was here.” Whatever the reason, the spiritual meaning behind these stone piles transcends culture and time.
For me, like creating natural mandalas, building cairns is a type of spiritual practice. For me it’s about finding balance, both literally and figuratively. I never know what will be created, but for a period of time, I kept creating these stone people. I would go back back and visit them, and I loved seeing how long they’d stand. I loved it even more when people added more character to them.
Someone added mossy hair to this one! This particular stone person sat along a stream leading to Brigg’s Gully for an entire summer season until Hurricane Sandy washed it away.
Here are some other stone people that came into being:
And here are some other cairns — like I said, it’s all about balance!
Absolutely love the idea. The first one reminds me of a skateboarder.
I might have to have a go myself next time I’m on the beach.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that it reminds you of a skateboarder. It reminds me of the warrior pose in yoga. I hope you’ll share some photos if you have a go at it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see that too!
Making a human form of a ‘cairn’ just adds something special to it for me. I like the whole thing about seeing how they change with time and attention. A pile is a pile however beautiful aesthetically but a distinct shape, especially that of a human, speaks something special to others and takes on character, inviting action from others to preserve or change. The hair is great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something in the mirroring to our own existence, I suppose. It’s cool to watch how each stone person transforms over time as folks add their own bits here and there or even when nature takes parts away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope to see some more.
LikeLike