The Maltese megalith culture embodies the entire mystery of Birth and Death within the figurine of the “sleeping lady” that was found in a niche inside the underground temple “Hal Saflieni”. She gives insight into the culture’s practice of the “temple sleep” which was used for initiation ceremonies as well as for healing reasons. Sleep can be seen as the little brother of death and the gateway to another dimension and reality. The sleeper awakes from this sleep healed and returns to life with new and deeper knowledge and wisdom.
Similar practices were also held among the ancient greeks in the holy sites of Asklepios.
Sound healing was also known to the Maltese temple culture and so we can find the so called “Oracle rooms” within different temple complexes. It is assumed that in those rooms priests or priestesses, who were always also healers, used healing sounds and words to treat their patients. Until today the extraordinary acoustic phenomena of these rooms can be experienced.
Close to these underground temples stands the great temple site of Tarxien which can be seen as the centre of the Megalithic Culture on the Maltese islands. Testimonials found within the complex let us deduce that there even existed a school for healing in which also lessons on conception, pregnancy, birth, and death were held.
The big temples Hagar Qim and Mnajdra on the West Coast of Malta as well as the Ggantija complex on Gozo like other, less well preserved temples, were also used as places of healing.