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Showing posts from May, 2024

Salty Cathedrals

  Salty Cathedrals     “ Salt is the stuff that makes potatoes taste horrible if you don't cook them with it . ” ( attributed to Bill Ravey, c . 19 7 3 )     We all love a bit of salt on eggs, rice , chicken and chips to bring out the best in them. Salt is necessary for our bodies to function properly , b ut it’ s unhealthy , isn’t it?   Salt mining is definitely unhealthy . It’s a n unpleasant and dangerous activity ; the damp , dusty environment of salt mines causes lung disease , and then there ’ s the risk of getting crushed in tunnel collapses . It’s no wonder that salt miners in voke d the protection of their deities when they descended into the depths .   The practice of praying before mining salt is understandable , a nd where better to pray than a cathedral? A cathedral in a salt min e is even better.   Deep underground in salt mines around the world, miners constructed chapels and temples to prepare th em spi...