have you ever been to stonehenge? it is my most favourite place from 'back home'...it is mysterious, beautiful and to me, has a really powerful energy. on two days of the year the fences are taken down and you can walk right amongst these enormous beauties to celebrate the summer and winter solstice. last night was the summer solstice...celebrating the longest day of the year: midsummer. i find it hard to describe what it is like being at the stones...i wouldn't say i was a spiritual person but i feel such a strong energy emanating from the stones when i'm that close to them. not a physical energy (although some people claim to feel a 'shiver' of energy when they touch the stones) more of an emotional energy, a connection with something ancient. when you visit the stones you park a mile or so from the henge and walk across fields with the stones beckoning you in the distance....walking with a tribe of people all heading towards the stones, playing instruments, wearing flowers and ivy in their hair. and as you get closer to the stones you can take them in in all their huge and mysterious glory...a henge which supposedly took over 3 million man hours to build with it's creation beginning over 5000 years ago.
theories and rumours abound around the mysteries of the stone (many of them
avalonion, which to me creates beautiful imagery in my mind of knights, white horses and flowing locks full of flowers!) and the henge site is surrounded by other ancient sites which are thought to coincide with ley lines, or energy lines, that run through the earth. growing up just 20 minutes from the stones i've been able to visit these other sites, such as
avebury stones, the
chalk horses and
silbury hill, and have been able to walk among the many
crop circles that 'mysteriously' arrive (or less mysteriously are created by wiltshire folk who arrive late at night to create these beautiful signs by pressing the crops down with boards!). i have yet to visit the beautiful
glastonbury tor though....
unfortunately cloud covered the sunrise this solstice year so i thought i would share some shots from 2005 where we had a beautiful sunrise among the stones...
i've been visiting the saracens at stonehenge for almost 10 years now....but i think it might be my last time. over the years the number of visitors have massively increased, with other 36,000 people thought to be at the stones last night. but it's not the number of people, it's the type....when i first started visiting on the summer solstice the stones encircled a wide tribe of people for that night: pagans, druids, neo-travellers, locals, those who respect the earth but who hold no particular religion. last night was saddening....it was like a student union party, full of teens wearing day glo glasses, falling over themselves wrecked on alcohol and party drugs, climbing on the stones....and other more aggressive types who were skulking around and bringing an odd air to the celebrations. the media made out it was a pagan and druid celebration....it was more like an acoustic rave full of people who have no respect or care for the ancient stones that they were puking on. also made me realise i'm turning in to an oldie....'back in my day....'!! but, it is sad, think i'll attend the winter solstice next time, utterly cold but i'm sure much more magical.
has anyone else ever visited stonehenge? would love to know you thought of the stones...and where are your favourite places from your home town?
Posts
