Reinhard Mussik

Why do people connect supposed prehistoric sacred places in virtual space at the summer solstice?

Abstract

The sun and the moon, stars and planets had been worshipped in many cultures in different historical periods. Just at the beginning of the 17th century in the German region Upper Lusatia some people were caught "red-handed" by their parish priest praying to the sun at rock formations at sunrise and sunset. A group of hobby-archaeoastronomers from the same region established an Internet interconnection between similar rock formations in different countries at the summer solstices 2012. All involved rock formations were mooted to have been sacred sites of a prehistoric sun cult. Could this be a revival of a long forgotten cult?

This presentation explores the motivation of the organisers and participants of one of the following virtual interconnections at the summer solstice 2014. Surprisingly, these people were mainly interested in archaeoastronomy and local history, and not in New Age spiritual ideas. Furthermore, they felt connected to an assumed Pan-European sun cult which could have been ubiquitous at a time when borders between the European countries did not exist.

Biography

Dr. Reinhard Mussik studied Philosophy and Pedagogy in Leipzig and Moscow and researched and taught at Leipzig University and at the University of Havana. He continued his studies in Educational Science, learning Psychology and Sociology at the Humboldt University of Berlin and in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He holds a degree in Pedagogy and Philosophy (German Diploma), a Master degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology and a PhD in educational science. He is a member of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC).