Excerpt from the Brigitte magazine (since the article is no longer available online since Jan. 1st 2002)

Since the time, when a holiday-maker recognised mysterious healing powers in an old slate shaft nine years ago, nothing in Nordenau has remained the same as it once was. Since then, 1.5 million sick people have pilgrimaged to the small place in the 'Sauerland' in Germany; they are all hoping for healing and recovery. The shaft has brought money to the 351 villagers, but has also created conflict.

The woman who is confined to a wheel chair was given the diagnosis that she had three more months to live. "You have three more months to live," the doctor had told her. Diagnosis: cancer of the pancreas. The time has now passed: for three months, she was sick bringing up gall. For three months, she sought help from three different hospitals. For three months, she was kept waiting rather than being treated. With determination, the 62-year old in her wheel chair struggles as she moves towards the iron door at the end of the waiting room. Her eyes look wider and more open, the narrow lips appear less strained than in previous weeks. "I hope a miracle will happen for me here," she says. With her, forty other people are waiting for admittance.

The Location

Nordenau is a holiday resort in Sauerland. Until the beginning of the 90ies, the small village with its 351 residents did not seem to have any future prospects. The only attraction was the quietness, which over time had become monotonous for the tourists. Then a holiday-maker discovered earth rays and a water spring in an old slate shaft at the village outskirts, which are said to heal sick people. Since then, Nordenau has been relieved from its dilemma: within nine years, 1.5 million pilgrims of hope have transformed the village to the German town of 'Lourdes'.

The Shaft

At nine o'clock in the morning, Hans Beine, the guide of the shaft, opens the iron door. Forty-one people follow him through the narrow pass into the inner shaft. They turn silent, when the rock walls open up to a large cathedral. From moist, angular walls, dark drops fall onto the gravely soil. In the midst of the cave which is illuminated by neon lamps, the spring splashes into the basin. The visitors are standing devotionally, full of expectation, and those, who lack the strength, are sitting down on white plastic bags. With their arms dropped, and the palms of their hands turned up, it is hoped to better receive the healing rays this way.

The Visitors

The typical visitor stays in Nordenau for one week, goes to the slate mountain three times a day and knows at least three people, who claim that the earth rays have helped or even healed them. Asthmatics, patients with skin diseases and, again and again, cancer patients. People from all parts of the world come to restore their strength through the mountain of energy. Nordenau is becoming international. Japanese people have come here too. Ingrid Clemens lets drops of water from the shaft run over the young man's head who is sitting in the hairdresser's chair in front of her. "The water also helps with psoriasis," ensures the hairdresser. After the first reports about the "miracle cave", no one in the village wanted to believe in the authenticity. "Hearing the word miracle, we all had to grin." But then, as the recently arrived customers under the old hair dryer talk about the first occurring healings, Ingrid Clemens becomes thoughtful. From first doubting and grinning, faith is developing. Faith in the healing miracle cave.

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