 |
| Paul Nash - Landscape of the Summer Solstice |
A Happy Solstice to everyone, sadly there is no sun to spread its rays over these few days when we welcome Midsummer.
Barred from Stonehenge on this day a few people got in as the police and security men stood rather aimlessly around. In all the reclaiming of Stonehenge and Avebury by the neodruids for ritual purposes it is still banned. I have no alliance to either side, only to record its event.
All over the country people will be making their way to stone circles and barrows, some to worship at the stones, others to make discoveries as to whether there are such things as alignments in the landscapes. Does it matter, I think not, the stones have existed through the centuries, the people but temporary flocks of birds passing through.
Photos taken from the Evening Standard
What actually intrigues me is why has not these latest gatherings not translated into a proper religion. Are their garments ridiculous? feathers in hair and fire tricks do not a temple make. Scientifically we have explanations as to how this Earth exists, we can look outward into space and name the constellations and planets. Are we trying to capture the wonder of prehistoric man as he gazed out to the stars and just tried to make sense of it all?
English Heritage look on Stonehenge as a great cash cow, it is eye wateringly expensive to go in and see the stones but they usually allow free access on this particular day, sadly the sun did not rise in the East and their was no live coverage either of the site.
One day my question why people need a belief in 'otherness' will be answered but the enigmatic Stonehenge stones will not answer!
Two essays on the subject;
The Druids never did have a claim on Stonehenge, let alone the neo ones.
ReplyDeleteWell, thinking about it, they're none to keen to celebrate the winter solstice there are they? Feathers in hair or no!
ReplyDeleteI have always preferred Avebury by a country mile.
Avebury was closed off Jennie, though a few managed to get through. The Welsh Tom did create their own stone circle, but druids seem a bit cheapskate as to creating their own place of worship.
ReplyDelete