Yes, thanks Nigel, I enjoyed reading it too.

I'm very much an analyst, a rationaliser, a scientist, yet I am aware of a sense of spirituality (in a non-religious way); of feelings that transcend reason, and yet I find no conflict in this duality.

There are places (usually ancient) that inspire a great sense of connectedness; stone circles, tombs, ruins, ancient forests, caves, mountains, water in all it's forms. As a scientist, I am happy to accept that there are things I don't know, things I can't explain. That doesn't stop me from wanting to know, from seeking to explain. After all, science is a quest for knowledge; if we know everything, science itself ceases to have meaning.

What really gets my goat, though, is when people state as fact things that are just not true, and this is where I concur with 4W. There's a big difference between saying "When I stand here amongst these stones I feel a great sense of power" on the one hand, and "these stones radiate power" on the other. The former is a subjective expression that appeals to my spirituality. The latter is an objective statement that offends my rationality.

Am I a skeptic? ... Yes. Am I a cynic? ... When necessary. Am I a Megarak? ... No, I don't think so.