If we lived in England, this is where I would be today, celebrating the summer solstice at Stonehenge. It’s one of those place I have always wanted to visit, so mysterious, ancient, filled with secrets. Constructed some 5,000 years ago, it’s speculated that Stonehenge was built to worship ancient Earth deities, but no one really knows for sure. Was it a huge astronomical calendar? Did King Arthur actually bring the stones from Ireland? I’d always associated the Druids with Stonehenge, but apparently Druids worshipped in forests. The best guess is that construction was begun by people of the late Neolithic period around 3000 BC.
An organization called English Heritage is providing “Managed Open Access” to Stonehenge for the solstice.
Poke around on their site for the history of Stonehenge. It’s remarkable. About 37,000 people visited Stonehenge for last year’s solstice. Even more are expected this year. In 2008, the total number of visitors to Stonehenge was nearly 900,000. It’s undoubtedly more popular today, as a ruin, than it was in its prime condition, when of course there were far few souls on the planet.
What rules, if any, did they have for visitors in those ancient times? We’ll probably never know. Here are the current rules enumerated here , which include:
– no camping
– no dogs
– no fires or fireworks
– no glass bottles
– no large bags or rucksacks
– no climbing over the stones
If any of you plan to attend, we’d love to hear about your experience…and your synchronicities.
i have to agree, that would be the perfect place to spend the solstice… stonehenge radiates with magic and mystery.
Barbara – really intriguing. I've had aversions to certain places, too. And love affairs with other places. I think we have to honor those feelings.
For years during my childhood I had wanted to go to the Stonehenge, and in 1970 I had my chance on a trip to the UK with my mother. Except when we got there with the tour I got a bad case of cold feet, to where I dreaded going anywhere near it. So I stayed with the bus and my mother went. I returned to England in 2000 and again I had another opportunity to see Stonehenge, and declined again. The creepy feeling returned. It's not a place for me despite its long mysterious history.
On my bucket list, Ray. Thanks for the link.
https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html APOD for today is a beautiful photo of Stonehenge in fog. You can almost see the Ancients coming out of said fog.
I had a chance to see Stonehenge in early 1983, but the tour overlapped the ship sponsored tour of Normandy and Paris. I never had the chance to go back.
Ray
I was thrilled to happen upon the Texas Hill Country's replica version of Stonehenge built in a vast pasture at a bend in the road at sunset. All was quiet as I stretched out on the altar stone and gazed at the deepening sky. No one else around. A timeless peaceful sojourn.
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7819
wv: upette
Like Natalie, it's on my bucket list.
ooh, man!!! just to BE there – even if only at a distance! a magical experience to me, no matter the crowd or whatever – on my own hit list, as well as the giza pyramids and sphinx like cjc and the anasazi and neighboring areas of the southwest – since earliest memories, have had such an affinity for all – happy solstice everyone!
Lucky Mike and Vicki!
We visited in July 2008 and it was impressive but underwhelming. Hiking across the fields around the monument was better since distance from the maddening crowd is needed. There was a mass of people in all shapes, sizes, and languages gawking at a tourist site. The host country is annoyed they must deal with tourists and makes it as inconvenient as possible.
I was glad we made the trip but much prefer visiting the replica in Maryhill, WA. 🙂
As Sansego writes it's true that generally you have to stay behind a rope when visiting Stonehenge nowadays. The reality is that we can't be trusted: carving initials, graffitti and so on.
Years ago, when I first went there, it was possible to walk round and get to know the stones by touching them.
Yes, like a lot of places, it can be disappointing as there are main roads nearby and a car park. However, if you look beyond this it is quite magical.
I find it breathtaking to be driving along a modern road and then see the stones come into view – the mystery and wonder of why they were built.
They are on a ley line which takes in Stonehenge – Old Sarum – Salisbury Cathedral – Clearbury Ring – Frankenbury Camp.
They are what they are and to me it's wonderful that they are in tact and that we can still view them thousands of years later (at a price!)
I'm so excited because we leave for London on July 29th and on July 4th we will be on a special tour that allows you at sunset to walk right into Stonehenge. I had to book this months in advance and no matter what it will be neat to just see it, but I cannot wait to walk in and touch it. I will share my experiences when I return.
A friend told me that supposedly today at around 12:30 eastern, we would be able to see 2 suns, it actually is the star "aderoid" (?) which will be the brightest in the sky today and so will look like a second sun.
Should be interesting.
I don't know if we would call this synchronistic or not, but all night long in my sleeping dreams I kept hearing the old song "AN IRISH LULLABY". I don't know who was singing it. Am going to follow my usual process for checking out dream songs to attempt interpretation, but the tale about King Arthur bringing the stones from Ireland strikes a chord, especially since I've not heard that IRISH LULLABY in years and years! What IS a synchronicity is that you talk about the Druids on this post, and I graduated from Druid Hills High School in GA! We're planning to visit the GA Guidestones in Alberton, which are called AMERICA'S STONEHENGE, although my neighbor visited them and told me they've been terribly desecrated by the fundamental Christians populating that mountain region. Today the more spiritually-minded folks up there plan to have a Solstice ceremony at the Guidestones. I'd love to be there. If nothing else, I would like to feel the energies surrounding that monolith in our own backyard, so to speak, that seems related to the original Stonehenge! And I'd like personally to read the inscriptions on them that apparently are relative to the (possible) events of 2012! Perhaps the original Stonehenge is kept out of reach so that folks can't desecrate it as they often do such misunderstood monuments and symbols. For me personally, the Great Pyramid and Sphinx at Giza are my destination! The Pyramid also has seemingly valid stories connected directly to the Solstices. cjc
I've heard you can't get near it…but I'd still like to visit.
Also check this out….
https://maggiessecretgarden.blogspot.com/2010/06/7-secrets-of-synchronicity.html
Thank you once again.
Happy Solstice!
Happy Solstice, wherever you are! So many places on earth that should be wonderfully experienced are now unable to be appreciated because of the walls of people. I saw the Mona Lisa in Paris and it was in a glass and I couldn't get close enough to even appreciate it!
Deirdre calls it "Stoonheenge" in Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants! 🙂
My family vacationed for 3 weeks in the British Isles (England, Scotland, and Wales) back in 1987. Stonehenge was absolutely one of our must see places. However, it was a disappointment, because no one was allowed to go near it. There was a path with a chain rope line to keep people on the path.
Not sure how one can truly experience summer solstice from a distance with that many people. I thought that you had to stand in a certain spot at a certain time in order to catch the sun just right.
It would be interesting to hear about other people's experiences there. I find that a lot of famous places are rather disappointing (such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which had a wall around the base of it when I went). My favourite places are the secrets few people know about, which feel like something I discovered on my own.
No 1. on my bucket list….. always has been, even as a small child.
I wonder if a past life is coming to the fore? I LUUUURVE Stonehenge.