The Native American tribe Hopi describes the creation as such: in the beginning, the Creator made the first human and sent him with a drum to the south pole. Once there, this person heard the heartbeat of the Earth Mother and beat his drum. When the two reached a sympathetic vibration, the Earth sent streams of energy to the surface whereupon it became abundant with life force. But there were places where this life force was more abundant, and the Hopi called them the “spots of the fawn.”

These hotspots of energy would, in time, form the foundations of future temples and sacred places we see today. And there's the rub: if you ever feel your life to be lacking in connection to the source of things, go sit in a sacred space, which can be referred to as spiritual self-help centers.

In the last three decades science has made enormous advances in measuring what sensitive people, gnostics and antiquarians have known for thousands of years: that every sacred site on Earth is underpinned by a subtle force that affects human consciousness to an extraordinary degree. Energy measurements of ancient sites such as Carnac stone circle in France and Avebury stone circle in England reveal how such megalithic structures attract electromagnetic energy, which in turn is stored in the unique stones, then released throughout the day.

It only takes a small change in the local electromagnetic field to alter the human biological system. In fact, the three prime elements found in every sacred site — water, electromagnetism and quartz — are those that make up the human body. In a sense a temple is a mirror of the human temple in its perfect state.

Ancient systems of knowledge teach that we are born perfect, but the worries of the world soon deflect the soul from its perfect state, leaving us disconnected and dis-eased. That is, 'out of ease' with our environment. It was for this reason, above all others, that our predecessors embarked on a global temple-building project.

The idea is really quite simple. Attract the human into the heart of the temple, and by a subtle process of energy exchange, this person who wandered in out-of-alignment walks out whole, or as we have come to call this state, holy. The idea forms our culturally shared experience of pilgrimage.

And it isn't just a matter of recharging the body's system. By their very nature, ancient sacred sites are open portals to every level of existence, they mark places where one is able to access the Otherworld and its unique library of information. Depending on the intent you take there, it is possible to fine-tune the information your conscious and subconscious needs to become a fully operational being, to the degree that some temples are even used in healing.

In an age where we have become increasingly disconnected from the natural world that birthed us in the first place, it is important we find time to visit these self-help centers to discover, even if for a few minutes, that umbilical connection to the source. Interestingly, many sacred sites have always been associated with a golden thread or a hollow reed that links the terrestrial temple to the Otherworld. In 2008 NASA discovered that every eight minutes, portals of magnetic energy link locations on the surface of the Earth to the Sun. They even used the word 'portal' in the press release. So it is more than idle conjecture that legends and myths are mere colorful stories, for they actually contain kernels of universal truth as well as instructions telling us where to source energy and information. It is for this reason that ancient seers were also “sourcerers."

Sacred Energy Spaces are Everywhere, and You Can Find One Near You

You might have heard others say that not everyone is fortunate enough to live within easy proximity of an ancient temple or sacred site. That is not correct. I am writing this article from my desk in downtown Portland, Maine, within three feet of one of those “spots of the fawn.” It is a natural vortex, the result of two converging telluric currents or energy pathways. In the late 19th century this location was overlaid with a Victorian building. The other person attracted to this site is a healer who now lives on the first floor, and whose clients love coming here to find a degree of connectivity, even though they are not aware of the subtle forces at work inside the building. In essence, we live in a brick building atop a sacred space, a “spot of the fawn."

These hotspots of energy are everywhere, which makes finding your very own self-help center that much easier. One way to discover your local hotspot is to take a deep breath and go for a walk, even if it's downtown Manhattan. Clear your thoughts and observe where your body takes you, because both your body and your subconscious are better equipped than your conscious self to look for that which they need to feel connected and whole.

You will know when you locate a 'spot of the fawn' when you feel a sense of ease and joy. Cliché, but true. Contrary to modern media, happiness and peace is the natural state of the human body, and this state comes about only when it feels no disconnect between all levels of reality.

Some of these places may not surprise you: a park, an open space, a view by a river. But some will. An unusually placed bench, a bookstore, a soda fountain, the quiet corner of a local cafe. Even modern places can occupy hotspots where one feels one with the environment, maybe because the people who put them there also felt the very same sense of belonging.