Everything happens for a reason. I was on the last leg of my trip home and had every intention of driving straight through to Sarasota when I got a phone call from the contractor I had hired to install a new kitchen in the Key West apartment. Apparently Home Depot no longer keeps the type of cabinets I need in stock; ordering them would take eight weeks, during which time I would be unable to rent the apartment. I had no choice but to detour through Florida City and see if I could buy what I needed at that Home Depot and have it transferred to the Key West store.

Two hours later I headed out again and, rather that retrace my steps to take Alligator Alley across the state, I turned onto Krome Avenue, bound for Tamiami Trail. Passing through downtown Homestead, I noticed banners on the light poles advertising “Coral Castle.” The name was familiar; I vaguely recalled reading about this attraction on the Internet and bookmarking it, thinking it would be an interesting place to visit. I thought briefly about detouring to see it but then dismissed the idea; I really wanted to get back home. Not long afterward the sun started to set and I changed my mind. Crossing through 100 miles of deserted, black Everglades when I was exhausted was simply not a good idea, so I turned back toward Homestead, sure I would find a motel along Rt. 1. Instead, I ran straight into the Coral Castle.

There was no way I could NOT stop. It was quite clear this is where I was supposed to be.

Overview of site, showing massive sculptures mounted atop the perimeter walls

From the moment I stepped through the main gate, I knew this was a powerful place. It positively throbbed with energy. The perimeter of the rectangular area was delineated by a two story wall of coral blocks, within which stood dozens of enormous sculptures, also carved from coral excavated on site and in nearby Florida City. Giant coral rocking chairs, tables, beds, a bathtub, and fountains were scattered around the compound; even a well had been dug into the coral, providing access to sweet, cool water. A leviathan Saturn, Mars, Venus, and quarter Moon sat top the perimeter wall, peering down on a row of elevated thrones.

Visitors sit in one of the many "thrones" found at Coral Castle, beneath carvings of (left to right) Mars, Saturn, Venus, and a quarter Moon

The woman at the front entrance had explained that nine ley lines – electromagnetic lines that criss-cross the earth and are used by migratory birds to ensure they stay on the correct path – converge on this site. I walked slowly through the courtyard, holding my hands out from my sides with palms facing the earth, testing to see if I could feel anything. At first, just my fingertips tingled, but slowly, the vibration spread up through my hands. Like a human dowser, I moved left, right, forward, back, trying to pinpoint the source of the energy. Suddenly, a guide who was conducting a tour nearby excused himself from his group and walked over to me.

“Let me show you something. Put your hand here,” he said, indicating a place on a giant coral sundial.

I held my hand a few inches from the rock and scanned back and forth.

“Do you feel it?” he asked.

Intense energy radiated from the front of the sundial (foreground) into my hand. Ed lived on the upper floor of the two story structure shown in the distance; his workshop was on the ground floor.

My hand got hot and started to vibrate. I moved back and forth in ever smaller increments, looking for the precise center of the energy. Suddenly, a jolt of power surged through my hand. Then again, stronger. The third time it pushed me forcefully away from the rock. When the guide returned to his group I looked beneath the sundial to see if some sort of motor was mounted there but found only more rock. Stunned, I perused the literature I had been given upon arrival and discovered that Coral Castle had been the site of a Global Meditation earlier that afternoon. Could the meditation have been the source of the energy?

This nine-ton door is easily rotated with two fingers

I investigated further and discovered even more mysteries. The Coral Castle was built by Edward Leedskalnin. He worked alone, building the site between 1923-1951, single-handedly cutting and moving huge coral blocks and setting each piece into place using only hand tools. Each section of the perimeter wall is eight feet tall, four feet wide, three feet thick, and weighs 13,000 pounds. No one ever saw Ed move the giant blocks into place; he worked at night by lantern light and seemed to have a sixth sense about when he was being watched. Perhaps most astonishingly, Ed stood only five feet tall and weighed only 100 pounds. Some believed Ed to have supernatural powers. When asked how he was able to move the blocks, he would say only that he understood the laws of weights and measures.

Visitors look over the edge of the fresh water well, dug from the coral matrix

Later in the day I was able to reconnect with the same tour guide, who pointed out that many of the carvings – the giant obelisk, thrones, Star of David, planets, and moons – are Masonic in nature, leading to speculation that Ed had access to closely guarded secret Masonic knowledge of magnetism and geometry. Numerous studies have been made, some suggesting that the site is rife with clues that could explain how Ed moved the massive blocks all by himself. Unfortunately, we may never know the truth because Ed died in 1951 without divulging his secrets. Today, all we can do is look for clues, study, and puzzle over the codes and symbolism of Coral Castle. If nothing else, I am convinced that this intriguing site is built upon a very powerful energy spot on the earth.