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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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As tempting as it is to view the amazing park through a veil of mystery, in fact we know how the castle was built. Creating a structure like the Coral Castle today could probably be accomplished in a few months with a construction crew and modern machinery. But Leedskalnin worked alone using basic tools like picks, winches, ropes and pulleys. Leedskalnin himself said that that he did it using hard work and the principles of leverage. The tools he used to quarry the rock are on display at the Coral Castle, and several old photos depict the large tripods, pulleys, and winches he used to move the blocks. Though the quarried stone slabs are large, they are actually lighter than they appear because the rock is porous.
Remarkably, when he heard that a subdivision was being planned near his home, he bought land 10 miles away. Over the next three years, he moved the structures he had already begun from Florida City to Homestead, according to the museum’s website.
Though Leedskalnin worked alone, he was not a reclusive hermit; he had friends who he saw often. One man, Orval Irwin, was not only a long-time friend of Leedskalnin’s but also a building contractor with a deep knowledge of construction techniques. Irwin wrote a 1996 book with the inspiring title “Mr. Can’t Is Dead! The Story of the Coral Castle,” and in it he explains, through photographs, drawings, and schematics, how it was done.
So yea, whoever wrote that “they don’t know how he did it!” Is a flat out liar and the museum staff themselves tell you they know how he did it and will even tell you the name of the book his friend wrote detailing how he built this stuff and moved it. Ridiculous how people straight up lie on the internet when this stuff is easily searched up on Google. And the freaking tools he used is on display at the museum!
Are there any places to tent camp in the area?
Sorry Fredda, I don’t know.
Miami Everglades resort offers tent camping
just ley a sleeping bag in a line, hahaha/ you dont want your view obstructed with a tent. i will join ya if u want, great thinking.
” Unfortunately, we may never know the truth because Ed died in 1951 without divulging his secrets. ”
Except, of course, the book he wrote on how he built it, and the exhibit at Coral Castle that describes how he built it all, including the tools he used and diagrams.
So other than literally publishing how he did it and keeping an exhibit up that describes how he did it, no, he never said.
Claiming he hasn’t, in other words, is a flat lie.
Drake Way, you are the one who is lying. I have been to Coral Castle a number of times living in Miami and no one knows how he did it. So what are you talking about it? If you know how he did, then write it here. And if it’s known how he did it, why has no one done even a small scale reproduction of it just to put any rumors to rest? Why doesn’t some wealthy eccentric person just donate some money to find out? It shouldn’t take that much money since Ed barely had any at the time he built coral castle. The person who financed figuring this out would make international headlines if he helped solve a very old riddle.
It would appear that he did indeed write about magnetic energy. I find it laughable that people ‘demand that you copy information for their convenience’ and will call you a lair, yet they won’t go to the trouble to actually LOOK IT UP and read it themselves. That’s the problem these days – no one will do their own research. Instead, they’ll blindly follow some idiot in a position of power, who is known to lie without even once doing their own research. Thank you for your response and I’ll make an effort to visit the Coral Castle as a nice day-trip from home (Key West).
I live near Coral Castle, in the Redlands. 70 year old rumor is two young boys out late spied on “crazy Old Ed”. Ran home ? screaming that the rocks were moving thru the air. No one believed them, yet their story never changed. Vibrational energy?
I used to spend a lot of time there when I attended UM. I went once with a friend into photography who took shot after shot of me in various locations around the site. There were orbs in every photo- so many in some that I was totally obscured.
I’ve got a few of those from spots around the world, too! Fascinating, aren’t they?
This sounds like a relaxing place to visit.
Sound energy is the key to activate the energy along the ley line.
So you like to travel too… I do as well. It’s always nice meeting a blogger with the same interest with you.
by the way, I also have a travel blog, perhaps you can visit it if you have time. Its new but I’m planning to spend more time with it soon…
ENJIE CANADA’s Blog
I would love to go and visit. Maybe I can get Garner to stop there next time we head to the Keys.
What a seriously strange place.