Stonehenge Funnies

It's been 10 years now since My Rare One and I visited Stonehenge in 2009. It was a dream come true for me! So to mark that anniversary, here are some memes and LOLs about the world's most famous neolithic stone circle.

Aerial Memories

Yellowdog Granny recently sent me an email containing some amazing aerial views captured by a British photographer named Jason Hawkes. Two of the photos in particular brought back wonderful memories of visiting those spots a few years ago with My Rare One.

First, Stonehenge:

We had the great joy of participating in a Druid ritual among the ancient stones one evening at sunset. If you're interested in reading more about it, I wrote four blog posts about the experience -- just check out my archived posts for August 19-24, 2010.

Secondly, Glastonbury Tor:

This is a stunning shot which clearly shows the labyrinthine terraces carved into the hillside in neolithic times. To read about the day My Rare One and I climbed the Tor (dodging rain and cow patties all the way), check out my archived posts for September 20-21, 2009.

Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth (Part 3)

At another turning point of the Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth is a sculpted stone marker dedicated to Joseph of Arimathea, the uncle of Jesus who brought the Holy Grail to Glastonbury. The stone portrays his miraculous flowering Holy Thorn:

The final stone celebrates Dunstan, a 10th century Glastonbury monk who was a musician, artist (illuminator of holy texts) and metalworker. In a spectacular religious career, he rose to be Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and ultimately Archbishop of Canterbury:

It was a beautiful sunny day when I walked this labyrinth. Despite the churchyard being so close to High Street, the centre of Glastonbury's shops and restaurants, it was quiet and peaceful. A most lovely experience!

[All photos by My Rare One.]

Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth (Part 2)

At the very centre of the Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth is a sculpted stone marker featuring a modified version of Glastonbury's Town Coat of Arms. Notice that an Abbot's mitre is front and centre:

At each of the four turning points of the labyrinth, there are sculpted stone markers celebrating Glastonbury's spiritual heritage. Two of them celebrate holy women. The first stone is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and features Her symbolic rose:

The second stone is dedicated to Bridget and features a Celtic Cross. While Christian imagery is used for this saint, we all know that She is really also a much older pagan Goddess sacred to the area and its people:

Tomorrow's post will conclude with the holy men who are celebrated in this labyrinth.

[All photos by My Rare One.]

Glastonbury Tercentennial Labyrinth (Part 1)

I walked this lovely Cretan labyrinth in Glastonbury, England a couple of years ago. It is centrally located on the lawn of St. John the Baptist Church.

After Henry VIII destroyed and looted Glastonbury Abbey in 1549 and ordered the brutal execution of its Abbot, the town of Glastonbury was spiritually, economically and socially devastated for the next 150 years. But that bleak period ended in 1705 when Queen Anne granted the town a Royal Charter, a mayor and town corporation were elected and Glastonbury began its return to civic order and prosperity.

In 2005, this beautiful labyrinth was constructed to mark the 300th anniversary (tercentennial) of the Royal Charter. It was financed by the town, local businesses, charities and individuals. As stated in the labyrinth's tourist pamphlet, it was built by volunteers:

. . . from all sections of our community. Initially, the students from St. Dunstan's school dug the trenches for the walls. As for cementing and laying the stones, a lovely cross-section of the community volunteered their services: several from St. John's congregation, local Somerset lads, Christians, pagans, Buddhists, members of the alternative community, travellers from the benches, old, young, a tourist or two, a pilgrim or two, and many others.

At the centre and each turning point of the labyrinth, there are inlaid sculpted stone markers celebrating Glastonbury's spiritual heritage. More on those special stones in tomorrow's post!

[All photos by My Rare One]

BASTARDS!

On the night of December 8, a vandal or vandals unknown cut down and destroyed the Holy Thorn of Glastonbury on Wearyall Hill. BASTARDS! Earlier that day, the Mayor of Glastonbury, accompanied by a vicar and schoolchildren, had just cut the traditional sprig of flowering thorn to send to the Queen for Christmas. Now the tree is no more.

My Rare One took this photo of the Holy Thorn when we visited it a couple of years ago (you can read my blog post about it here). Now the tree has been destroyed -- all its limbs and branches were brutally cut off and just left scattered on the ground. Its protective metal fence (still covered in ribbons and strips of cloth left by pilgrims) was yanked up almost to the top of the remaining stump. Here are some photos of the carnage:

It is heartbreaking to see crime scene tape around the sacred tree. Police are investigating but so far have no suspects or motive for this crime.

There is hope that the tree, in time, may be able to regenerate new growth from the stump. Cuttings could also be taken from other Holy Thorns which are descendants of the original tree -- for example, there is another Holy Thorn on the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. But, either way, it will be years before the tree on Wearyall Hill can be fully restored.

To me, this dreadful story is like hearing that an old friend has died suddenly and tragically in a senseless act of violence. I grieve for the Holy Thorn.

Cats in England

One more thing about England -- I expected to see lots of cats there. We saw oodles of cats when we were in Italy the year before. In fact, I milked the topic for three whole blog posts (here, here and here if you're interested). And aren't the English supposed to adore cats?

This is the only cat we saw in Glastonbury, sitting on the stoop of a house leading up Wearyall Hill. Yes, precisely, a FAKE one.

The ONLY real cat we saw in all of England was this cheeky little bugger sharpening its claws on someone's car tires in Avebury. Or perhaps I should say tyres in the English way . . . .

And of course, THIS is what I had HOPED to see . . . .

[First two photos by my Rare One, taken at my insistence]

Stonehenge, Part 4

I have now been to both Stonehenge and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The two sacred sites have much in common. Each celebrates the Divine. Each has drawn pilgrims, seekers and the curious for millenia. Both have huge, awe-inducing structures designed to tower over and subdue the egos of those who enter that space.

But here is where they differ -- Stonehenge sits open to the elements and, imposing though its stones may be, graphically reminds us that its stones are themselves dwarfed by the true power and divinity of the Earth. By contrast, St. Peter's is enclosed against the elements, its magnificent glories all man-made. It may indeed point to its own transcendent truth, but that truth is not Nature. A building seeks to contain. An open-air temple simply seeks to acknowledge which is why, for me, Stonehenge radiates more spiritual power.

Stonehenge, Part 3

We entered Stonehenge in ritual procession. Mara Freeman, an Archdruidess of the Irish Druid Clan of Dana, led us in spiral formation to the centre of the great stones. There was silence except for the sound of her ringing bell. We called the Quarters and their guardians: the Hawk of Dawn (east), the Salmon of Wisdom (west), the Great Bear (north) and the Great Stag (south).

There was a special invocation of the Goddess and a celebration of Autumn's blessings. Then we were free to move about the stones, explore the site and take photos for half an hour before resuming the ritual.

The National Trust's rules for those who enter Stonehenge are strict, of course. You may touch the stones but not climb them or sit on the fallen ones. Obviously nothing can be done to mar or deface the stones or the site. No foreign objects may be left behind.

What can I say about the stones? They are everything you would imagine them to be. Huge, imposing, solemn, full of energy. They glowed in the setting sun. Our shadows and theirs were long and dark against the earth.

We found a megalith with a sacred yoni at its base . . .

. . . and one that was either pursing its lips disapprovingly or holding in a big guffaw . . . we couldn't tell which?

Resuming our ritual, Mara led us in a meditation giving thanks to the Earth Mother. She followed this with a special and very beautiful blessing ceremony using water from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury. After chanting the ancient Druidic chant of Awen, we thanked and closed the Quarters. Our ritual ended just as the sun was slipping past the horizon. We spiraled out of Stonehenge as we had entered, silent except for Mara's ringing bell.

We waited on the paved pathway while two security guards went over the site with a fine-toothed comb to make sure everything was all right. An artist among us who had been sketching the stones had inadvertently dropped a pen. They found it. Otherwise, we left Stonehenge undisturbed!

Tomorrow -- some last thoughts about Stonehenge . . . .

[All photos by my Rare One. Isn't the sunset shot wonderful?]

Stonehenge, Part 2

So it was on September 10th of 2009 that we headed off to Stonehenge in our little tour van. We stopped and had a lovely dinner at a nearby country pub called The Wheatsheaf. Those who wanted to garb in ritual wear before entering Stonehenge changed in the bathroom and then we were off again. We mustn't be late if we wanted to make full use of our one hour of private access to Stonehenge before sunset!

There is a major highway that runs right past Stonehenge (and I mean right past). On one side of the highway is the parking lot, ticket office and gift shop for Stonehenge. On the other side is Stonehenge. So you must park and enter where required on that side of the highway and then walk through a tunnel under the highway to actually get to Stonehenge on the other side.

In this aerial shot, you can see the dark slot parallel to the highway where the tunnel surfaces. Then you walk along the paved pathway to Stonehenge. This shot also gives a good view of the earthenwork henge ditch around Stonehenge.

I must admit to feeling quite overcome with emotion on emerging from the tunnel and seeing Stonehenge rise before me. It was hard to believe I was actually there and about to enter one of the earth's most sacred pagan sites.

Monday's post -- our Druid ceremony at Stonehenge . . . .

[All photos by my Rare One except for the aerial shot]

Stonehenge, Part 1

Stonehenge may only be England's third largest Stone Circle but it's definitely the most spectacular, with its huge megaliths and capstones. It rises from Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire like a grand neolithic cathedral.

The public are not allowed to wander freely among the stones any more. The huge number of tourists coming to Stonehenge in the 20th century proved dangerous to the preservation of the site. Now there is a paved pathway and rope barriers to keep people at a distance.

However, it is possible to buy tickets that allow a limited number of people (a maximum of 24 or so) to enter among the stones for one hour at sunrise and one hour at sunset each day. These tickets are in high demand and the waiting list is approximately one year. This is where it's handy to be part of a tour group! Our leader, Mara Freeman, reserves tickets for her tours far ahead of time and moreover, buys up every ticket for the sunset hour on her chosen date so that we in the tour group (about a dozen people) will have Stonehenge all to ourselves.

Tomorrow -- entering Stonehenge . . . .

[First photo by my Rare One; second photo from the internet]

Stanton Drew

England's second largest Stone Circle is found in the Somerset village of Stanton Drew. Actually, the site has two Stone Circles, one large and one small, like having a main hall for big rituals and a breakout room for smaller ceremonies! They are located in a farmer's field, so you just open the gate and go onto his land --

A lot of the stones are recumbent. But there are still a fair number of stones present on the site.

Two local teens were using one of the stones to film a little video about rock climbing. The megalith was cast as a mountain in their production. Some of our tour group thought they were treating the stones disrespectfully but they weren't hurting them, just using them for a contemporary purpose. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, myself.

Beside the Circle is a large tree -- its limbs bare and black, devoid of leaves and life. It's quite a spectacular tree and creates an eerie atmosphere for the Circle grounds.

I don't know if it's a defunct oak tree but it would be neat if it were, since oaks were sacred to the Druids.

Our guide, Mara Freeman, said that the name "Stanton Drew" is a colloquial pronunciation of what was likely the original name of the site -- "Stone Town of the Druids."

[All photos by my Rare One, official photographer of the She Who Seeks blog]

Avebury

The village of Avebury in Wiltshire is home to the largest Stone Circle in England. The Circle is approached by a long avenue of paired standing stones called the West Kennet Avenue. Imagine the large ceremonial processions of robed Druids and followers who must have walked its length at one time! As shown in the following photo, enough stones still remain to give you a feel for its past glory. On the morning we were there, cows shared the Avenue with us, munching grass as we walked by.

Unfortunately, the ancient Circle and Avenue are today bisected by a roadway leading to the village of Avebury. So a few of the Avenue's stones now find themselves isolated across the road, like this one:

At the end of the Avenue is a huge tree. Walking past it, you come to two great megaliths which form a ceremonial entrance to the Circle. One of these stones has a large indentation like a built-in seat. (You can see it in the upcoming panoramic photo of the Circle). Druids and pagans call this stone "the Old Woman" (a clear reference to the Crone Goddess) and say that "sitting in the lap of the Old Woman" brings good luck and fertility. Like everyone else, I took my turn sitting in the lap of the Old Woman but phew! I'm not pregnant yet, LOL! Rather predictably, Christians and non-pagans call this indentation "the Devil's Chair."

In the following panoramic photo you can see how the Circle is bisected by the road. The road was built in an era when the Circle was not being preserved. In Puritan England during the 1600s, many of the standing stones were systematically toppled, buried or destroyed as evil pagan symbols. In the 1720s, an early champion of preservation angrily wrote:

And this stupendous fabric, which for some thousands of years, had brav'd the continual assaults of weather, and by the nature of it, when left to itself, like the pyramids of Egypt, would have lasted as long as the globe, hath fallen a sacrifice to the wretched ignorance and avarice of a little village unluckily plac'd within it.

Avebury still retains its "henge" or ditch that encircles the Stones. Our guide, Mara Freeman, said that in Druid times, the turf would have been cut away completely to expose the chalk "bones" of the earth. In those days, Avebury Circle would have been enclosed by a pure white henge.

Most of the Stones have official names and distinct personalities. I don't know their official names, but I think of this one as "Grumpy Old Man Stone" --

[All photos taken by my Rare One except for the panoramic shot of the Circle, which I found on the internet.]

The Standing Stones

It has been almost a year since my Rare One and I went on our spiritual pilgrimage to various sacred pagan spots in England. I've already blogged about our magickal, Goddessy, King Arthury experiences in Glastonbury and Cornwall (if you missed those posts but still want to read them, just click on Travel over at the sidebar's labels cloud). So now only one other subject remains -- our visits to the ancient Stone Circles at Avebury, Stanton Drew and Stonehenge. Our Druidy experiences, so to speak, among the Standing Stones.

That will be my topic all this week and a bit of the next -- so tomorrow, please join me at Avebury!

[Painting by D. Bruce Bennett of Bennett Celtic Art]

Trafalgar Lion

Despite having had my Mac computer for well over a year, I am just now learning how to put photos in iPhoto and then upload them to my blog. So, as part of my learning process, here's a random photo from our trip last fall to England -- one of the four huge bronze lions at the base of Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square. They were cast by Sir Edwin Landseer from the melted-down cannons of Napoleon's defeated French fleet. What rich and ironic symbolism!

Boscastle Fish & Chips

While in Britain, my Rare One made it her mission to sample fish & chips from as many restaurants as possible. Most were delicious, while others ranged from fair to mediocre and (on one occasion only) terrible. They all involved deep fried battered fish, of course. Except in Boscastle. This is the fish & chips order that arrived at our restaurant table --

My Rare One calmly removed the heads, tails and skin and ate the fish, which she said was very fresh and tasty. I discreetly covered the heads and other remains with my napkin. I just couldn't bear having those little fishy eyes looking at me while I ate my meal.

[All Boscastle photos in these four posts were taken by my Rare One, except for the first exterior shot of the Museum of Witchcraft]