51社区

Abstract

Mysterious stone structures are scattered across the place known today as Woodstock, New York鈥攐n the side of Overlook Mountain, in its hollows, and in the valley below.聽 This hermeneutic study seeks to uncover the symbolic meaning of the place and its stones for our cultural-historical time.聽 The study shows that the place that birthed the Woodstock Festival of 1969 continues to influence people into the present鈥攁t the dawn of a symbolic new age, the Age of Aquarius.聽 A depth psychological lens reveals the ways in which psyche鈥攃onscious and unconscious鈥攊nteracts with the physical matter of the place.聽 Furthermore, applying a decolonizing lens gives primacy to Lenape perspectives of the place that the Esopus Munsee called Waghkonk鈥攖he 鈥減eaceful, beautiful valley鈥濃�攁nd the principle that manitou as煤nal (spirit stones) are Grandfathers.聽 Utilizing the Lenape myths of creation and Ansisktay猫s脿k (Pleiades), the study shows the ways the repeating symbols of those tales鈥攈uman, stone, tree, and star鈥攔ecur physically and archetypally in the place of Woodstock and ripple out, influencing the entire globe.聽 Ultimately, Woodstock is revealed as a liminal place鈥攁 place between worlds and between ages鈥攁s a perspective and a way of being, as a place of creativity and regeneration, and as an alchemical place of coniunctio or coming together.聽 The ancient image of Aquarius, the Water-Bearer, embodies these traits, as do contemporary images of the Tarot鈥檚 Star Card and of the Great Mother archetype.