I Can’t Sleep - Sacred Groves | Calm Bedtime Reading for Sleep

Episode Date: September 28, 2019

Drift off with calm bedtime reading about sacred groves to ease insomnia and restless nights. This soothing episode explores the ancient tradition of setting aside groves of trees for spiritual, cultural, and ecological significance. Benjamin’s gentle cadence guides you through how sacred groves have been revered across civilizations, serving as places of worship, conservation, and community. With no whispering or hypnosis—just calm, fact-filled storytelling—you’ll find your mind relaxing, stress melting away, and rest coming naturally. Press play, learn peacefully, and drift into deep sleep. Want More? Request a Topic: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/request-a-topic Ad-Free Episodes: https://icantsleep.supportingcast.fm/ Shop Sleep-Friendly Products: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/sponsors Join the Discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/myhGhVUhn7 This content is derived from the Wikipedia article on Sacred Groves, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Read the full article: Wikipedia – Sacred Groves. Happy sleeping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to a Glassbox media podcast. What if I told you that most of the modern day self-help advice you've been hearing could actually make you worse? The key to a better life isn't about feel-good gimmicks that sound catchy. The Mentally Stronger Podcast gives you access to a licensed therapist who shares science-backed tools that will actually change your life. Hi, I'm Amy Morin, psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international best-selling author. In each episode, we cover research-back strategies, like how to stop relying on willpower and start creating habits for lasting change. And the five mental strength-building exercises you can do from your couch.

I also speak to world-class experts like Dr. Nicole Kane, who shares how to permanently heal anxiety by addressing the root cause. With over 200 episodes in our catalog, this podcast is for you if you're ready to crush self-doubt, conquer challenges, and become stronger than ever with therapist-approved strategies that can change your life. Listen to Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast, where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster. Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled

Sacred Grove A sacred grove or sacred woods are any grove of trees that are of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world.

They were important features of the mythological landscape and cult practice of Celtic, Baltic, Germanic, ancient Greek, near Eastern, Roman, and Slavic, polytheism, and were also used in India, Japan, and West Africa. Examples of sacred groves include the Greco-Roman Temenos, various Germanic words for

sacred groves, and the Celtic Nebiton, which was largely but not exclusively associated with druidic practice. During the Northern Crusades, there was a common practice of building churches on the sites of sacred groves. The Lakota and various other North American tribes considered particular forests or other natural landmarks to be sacred. The most famous sacred groves in mainland Greece was the oak grove at Dodona. Outside the walls of Athens, the site of the Platonic Academy was a sacred grove of olive trees, still recalled in the phrase, the groves of Academy. In central Italy, the town of Nemi recalls the Latin Nemos

Arichinum, or grove of Arichia, a small town a quarter of the way around the lake. In antiquity, the area had no town, but the grove was a site of one of the most famous of Roman cults and temples, that of Diana Nemerensis, a study of which served as the seed for Sir James Fraser's seminal work on the anthropology of religion, the Golden Bough. A sacred grove behind the house of the Vestal Virgins on the edge of the the Roman Forum, lingered until its last vestiges were burned in the great fire of Rome and 64 C.E. In the town of Spoleto Umbria, two stones from the late 3rd century B.C.E. inscribed in archaic Latin, established punishments for the profanation of the woods

dedicated to Jupiter have survived. They are preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Spoleto. The Bosco Sacro, literally sacred grove in the Garden of Bomarzo, Italy, lends its associations to the uncanny atmosphere. Lucas Pissorencis, the sacred grove of Pissarro, Italy, was discovered by Patrician Anni Bale de Ibiari in 1737, on property he owned along the Forbidden Road, Colina de Calibano, just outside Pissarro. This sacred grove is the site of the Votiv stones of Pissarro and was dedicated to Salus, the ancient Roman demigodress of well-being. The city of Massilia, a Greek colony, had a sacred grove so close by it that Julius Caesar had it cut down to facilitate his siege. In Farsalia, the poet Lucan dramatized it as a place where sunlight could not reach through the branches, where no animal or bird lived, where the wind did not blow, but branches moved on their own,

where human sacrifice was practiced in a clear attempt to dramatize the situation and distract from the sacrilege entailed in its destruction. There are two mentions on this tradition in the Bible. Abraham planted a grove in Bersheba and called there the name of God, Genesis 2133. and where the women wove hangings for the grove second kings twenty three seven excavations at labronda have revealed a large shrine assumed to be that of zeus strasios mentioned by herodotus as a large sacred grove of plain trees sacred to caurians in syria there was a grove sacred to adonis of afka sacred groves have survived in the baltic states longer than in other parts of Europe. The main Baltic-Prussian sanctuary, which is also considered as sacred grove, was Romoy. An important wave of destruction of sacred groves was carried out in the lands of present-day Lithuania, after its Christianization in 1837, and in Samogesia in 1413.

However, some groves, such as in Sventi Brostis, still survive in Lithuania. A sacred grove is known as Alka in Lithuanian and Svetbibirz in Latvian. Conversely, in Estonia, numerous sacred groves have survived to present day and have recently been protected by the government of the country. The Celts use sacred groves called Nematin in Ghalish for performing rituals based on Celtic pathology. The deity involved was usually Nimetina a Celtic goddess. Druids oversaw such rituals. Existence of such groves have been found in Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Hungary in Central Europe, and many sites of ancient Gaul and France, as well as England and Northern Ireland. Sacred groves have been plentiful up until

the first century BC when the Romans attacked and conquered Gaul. One of the best known Nemetan sites is that in the Nevitt Forest near La Cronin in Brittany, France. Gernet-Sir-A-Lrand, the village in the Bois Department of France, also houses the remains of Nemiton. Nemitans were often fenced off by enclosures, as indicated by the German term Ferik-Shanza, meaning a quadrangular space surrounded by a ditch enclosed by wooden palisades. Many of these groves, like the sacred grove of Didmah Turkey, are thought to be Nemetans, sacred groves protected by druids based on Celtic mythology.

In fact, according to Strabo, the central shrine at Galatia was called Drunemotan. Some of these were also sacred groves in Greek times, as in the case of Didima, but were based on a different or slightly charged or slightly changed mythology. In the animistic native Filipino religions, worshipping Anito spirits, balaite trees, also known as Nunak or Nunak, were regarded as abodes of spirits or gateways to the spirit world. Cutting them down was taboo, a superstition that is still followed today. Outdoor shrines or altars known as Stambana, Latangan, and Tabara, among other names, were often. built near the trees during shaman rituals. Aside from individual trees, natural formations, bodies of water, rocks, groves, and even entire forests, also commonly became sacred places

to various communities. Trees hold a particular role in Germanic paganism and Germanic mythology, both as individuals, sacred trees, and in groups, sacred groves. The central role of trees in Germanic religion is noted in the earliest written reports about the German peoples, with the Roman historian Tachytus stating that Germanic cult practices took place exclusively in groves rather than temples. Scholars consider that reverence for and rites performed at individual trees are derived from the role of the word tree, eidossal. Onomastic and some historical evidence also connects individual deities to both groves and individual trees. After Christianization, trees continue to play a significant role in the folk beliefs of the Germanic peoples.

Based on historical data, it is estimated that there are around 2,500 sacred natural sites in Estonia, the largest of them covering up to 100 hectares. Although rather exceptional among most of the technologically developed countries, in Estonia both the sacred natural sites and indigenous customs connected to them are still in use. Therefore, the heritage that is connected to sacred natural sites has great importance to the national identity and environment of Estonians. In collaboration between followers of Estonian native religion, Mausk, and governmental ministries, a national plan was prepared in 2008. Sacred Natural Sites in Estonia, study of conservation 2008-2012, which includes about 550 hees, sacred groves. The National Plan on Sacred National Sites

consists of a historical overview about sacred natural sites in Estonia, a current situation analysis, and several concrete conservation measures and instructions on how to apply them. The coordinating steering committee of the Conservation Plan consists of environment, agriculture, internal affairs, and education and research ministries, National Heritage Board, and M.K. The University of Tartu is the implementing agency. Measures of the conservation plan are designed to handle natural sanctuaries and values connected to them in all aspects. The conservation plan foresees creating a database which supports researching and managing natural sanctuaries.

The database would consist of folkloric, archaeological, natural, historical, and other data on sacred natural sites and provide information on the exact location, condition, and form of ownership of each site. Sacred groves are also present in Ghana. One of Ghana's most famous sacred groves, the Baoyam sacred grove, and numerous other sacred groves are present in the Tetchum municipal district and nearby districts of the Brong Ahafo region. They provide a refuge for wildlife, which has been exterminated in nearby areas, and one grove, most notably houses 20,000 fruit bats and caves. The capital of the historical Ghana Empire contained a sacred grove called a sacred grove called

called Al-Gaba, the forest, for performing religious rights of the Saninke people. Other sacred groves in Ghana include sacred groves along the coastal savannas of Ghana. Many sacred groves in Ghana are now under federal protection, like the Anwim Sacred Grove in the Asukau Forest Reserve. Other well-known sacred groves in the present-day Ghana include the Malchegu Sacred Grove in northern Ghana, one of the last remaining closed canopy forests in the Savannah regions, and the Jachi Sacred Grove. In India, sacred groves are scattered all over the country and do enjoy protection.

Prior to 2002, these forest regions were not recognized under any of the existing laws. But in 2002, an amendment was brought in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 to include sacred groves under the act. Some NGOs work with local villagers to protect such groves. Each grove is associated with a presiding deity, and the groves are referred to by different names in different parts of India. They were maintained by local communities with hunting and lodging strictly prohibited within these patches. While most of these sacred deities are a strict. with local Hindu gods. Sacred groves of Islamic and Buddhist origins are also known.

Sacred groves occur in a variety of places, from scrub forests in the Tar Desert of Rajasthan, maintained by the Bishnua to rainforests in the Kerala western Ghats. Himachal Pradesh in the north and Kerala in the south are specifically known for their large numbers of sacred groves. The Kodavas of Karnataka maintained a over 1,000 sacred groves in the Kodagug alone. Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported from all over India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora amid rural and even urban settings.

Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000. Threats to the groves include urbanization and over-exploitation of resources. While many of the groves are looked upon, as abode of Hindu gods. In the recent past, a number of them have been partially cleared for construction of shrines and temples. Ritualistic dances

and dramatizations based on the local deities that protect the groves are called Theam in Kerala and Nag Mandalam, among other names in Karnataka. These are sacred groves in Ernakalam region in a place named Mangatur in Kerala.

Sacred groves are being destroyed as part of urbanization. The family, Naluketil Puthamporalayil, still protects sacred groves. Sacred groves in Japan are typically associated with Shinto shrines and are located all over Japan. They have existed since ancient times, and shrines are often built in the midst of pre-existing groves. The Cryptomaria tree is venerated in Shinto practice and considered sacred. Among the sacred groves associated with such Jinjas or Shinto Shrine's is the 20-hectar wooded area associated with Atzuta Shrine at Atzutuku Nagoya. The 1500 hectare forest associated with Kashima Shrine was declared a protected area in 1953.

Today it is part of the Kashima Wildlife Preservation Area. The woods include over 800 kinds of trees, and varied animal and plant life. Tadasu Nomori is a general term for a wooded area associated with the Kamo Shrine, which is a Shinto sanctuary near the banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto. The ambit of today's forest encompasses approximately 12.4 hectares, which are preserved as a national historical site. The Kami Gamo Shrine and the Shimo Gamo Shrine,

along with other historic monuments of ancient Kyoto, have been designated world heritage sites since 1994. The Utaki sacred sites, often with associated burial grounds in Okinawa, are based on Ryukian religion, and usually are associated with town or Kame Asagi regions dedicated to the gods where people are forbidden to go. Sacred groves are often present in such places as also in Gusukus fortified areas which contain sacred sites within them.

The Seifa Utaki was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2003. It consists of a triangular cavern formed by gigantic rocks and contains a sacred grove with rare indigenous trees like the Kubanoki, a kind of palm, and the Yaboniki, or Sinamomom Jamaicum, a form of wild cinnamon. Direct access to the grove is forbidden. Much of the ways of the ancient inhabitants of Malaysia have largely been forgotten, mostly due to the taboos among the local populace on putting certain esoteric knowledge down in ink, thus only passed down through examples of word and mouth from mother to daughter and father to son.

However, much can be observed by the ways and habits of the natives of Malaysia, which includes 18 tribes of Orang Asli, Malay or natural people, and the Malays who are often regarded as the 19th tribe. There is a practice of tree planting around houses to the extent that the walls and wooden structures are allowed to give way to the roots of creeping plants, purposely sewn at the basis of these structures. With increased migration towards the larger cities, these houses are abandoned and allowed to return to nature. As most traditional orangostly and Malay houses are made of only wood, bamboo, rotten, and woven palm leaves being built without

using a single nail. The remains of those houses crumble easily into its surrounding. Besides that, a practice of creating arches of vine and creeping flowering plants so that each time one were to enter the gates of the house, one has to bow, as if implying or imitating respect upon entry to a sacred grove, which were practiced by their ancestors. Such practices are even performed by those who have migrated into the cities who prefer to live in houses on the ground rather than in high-rise apartments. A garden of fruit trees surrounded by larger trees are planted around the houses to provide shade and an illusion of being at home, as well as to provide sustenance in the form of fruits and seeds to squirrels, foxes, insects, and birds. commonly a cat or in most instances many cats are kept to patrol the gardens and guard from harmful spirits as well as against rats which are believed to carry unclean spirits and diseases

however one of the most striking examples of the tree reverence among them can be seen in the graveyards which are considered as holy ground on which no stone structures can be built upon the whole area are covered by large and tall trees so much foliage that that the scorching tropical sun is reduced to a dim shadow, as temperatures drop to a comfortable cool. Malay folklore relates that the trees whisper prayers to the creator in absolution of the past transgression of the grounds once human inhabitants. The trees are also allowed to take root into the graves where the gravekeepers, Pangeaga Kubur and Malay, slowly remove gravestones, which used to be made from wood,

as they are ejected from the grounds onto the surface. There is also a ritual of planting small tree sapling on fresh graves by family members who will then water it and tend to it periodically. Petals from fresh red and pink roses are also brought upon visitation to be scattered on the graves, and a ritual of pouring rose water upon the soils are also performed. The malaise regard visiting the graves from between sunset to sunrise as taboo, as it is believed that as sunrises the beginning of day to mankind, sunset is perceived as the beginning of day to those who dwell in the grave area.

Burials are almost always postponed until the next day, except in certain cases where it is allowed, provided that additional rules are observed, such as women and children, are not allowed at the nighttime burial ceremony. An ancient ritual of renaming the deceased as she or he is laid into the earth is also practiced. The Orangasli and Malay naming system has a living name and a spirit name, which is given during the ritual of burial. This name is known as Nama Arwash, spirit name.

The living name is usually the given name plus the word Anak, which means son, daughter of, or bin, and binti, which mean son of or daughter of, respectively. followed by the name of the father. When a person dies, the father's name is replaced with his or her mother's name, and this is made known during the reading of burial sentences. Granted World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 1997, Lombini Grove is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupande district of Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition,

Queen Mayadavi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in 623 BCE. Gautama, who achieved nirvana sometime around 543 BCE, became the Lord of Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism after achieving enlightenment. The Mayadivi Temple is located in Lumbini. The concept of sacred groves is present in Nigerian mythology as well. The Osunosogba Sacred Grove, containing dense forests, is located just outside the city of Osogbo, and is regarded as one of the last virgin high forests in Nigeria. It is dedicated to the fertility goddess in Yorobu mythology and is dotted with shrines and sculptures.

Oloye's Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian artist, helped revive the grove. The grove was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Sacred groves, mostly connected to Thai folk belief, are known to have existed in Thailand since medieval times. Recently, new areas are being marked off as sacred as an environmental movement. The Lakota and various other North America tribes consider particular forests or other natural landmarks to be sacred. This is one of the reasons that there has been recent dispute over the nullification

of acknowledgement of a Native American reservation land by the U.S. government, and an attempt to compensate Native Americans for the re-acquisition of this sacred space. The Bohemian Grove, located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue in Montereo, California, is a sacred grove belonging to a private San Francisco-based men's art club known as the Bohemian Club. In mid-July each year, Bohemian Grove hosts a two-week, three-weekend encampment of some of the most powerful men in the world, where they perform symbolic rituals such as cremation of care. sacred woods, groves, and trees in fiction. J. R. R. Tolkien included many magical trees and woods in his fictional writings,

which he based on English and Norse mythology. George R.R. Martins, A Song of Ice and Fire, features God's Woods, sacred groves containing a single sacred tree called a weirwood, used as a place of worship. In the legend of Zelda video game series, there is a location called the sacred grove in Hyrule, usually depicted as a gateway to the temple of time, and thus a sacred realm, one of the most important locations in the series' backstory. In MTV's Teen Wolf, a sacred tree known as a nematon serves as a beacon for supernatural creatures, and retains some of its power even after being cut down.

In the Hayo and Miyazaki animated film, My Name are Totoro, the large tree in which the Totoro live is modeled after a 2,000-year-old sacred camphor tree in Japan. James Cameron's Avatar, the natives of Pandora, the Navi live in a massive tree called Home Tree, and at the center of their sacred grove is the tree of souls.