Cairn Making – A Meditative Activity That Can Bring You Closer to the Earth and Your Community

http://cairnspotter.com/cairn-as-a-therapy-by-data-rooms

Cairn building can be a surprisingly meditative practice that brings you closer to your community and the earth. Making a traditional or creative rock cairn can help you take your mind away from the daily grind and focus on permanence and balance.

Cairns have been used by many cultures throughout history for a variety of purposes. They may have been used to mark out a route, to indicate food sources, or to warn people of danger. In North America Native Americans also made cairns to serve as burial places, a tradition known as inukshuk.

The word “cairn” comes from the Gaelic for “heap of stone”. They are usually constructed in the form a hill. They can be small rock sculptures or large man-made stones hills.

Cairns can be used in many different ways by hikers. Cairns can be used by hikers to return to the trailhead at the end of a long day of hiking or to help them find their way in remote wilderness areas.

A well-placed, properly-marked cairn may save lives by guiding a group of lost hikers. Some people, however, argue that cairns don’t belong in nature and violate the Leave No Trace principle.