The wisdom of the ages

Today is the solstice and I decided once more that I needed to commune with my sun and earth, ie I would go to Stonehenge for the winter solstice. Its a sunrise event with many walking miles in rain to get to the mossy megaliths, walk around or stand in the stones in perhaps silent or not contemplation of the year the rising sun and the effective new solar year.

Now many many years ago one would have been asked to be part of the ceremony, one would have joined the druids in the inner most stones and been able to see the sun rise. Enjoyed the words being said and joined in were applicable with Awens and peace. One would have driven right to the stones, parked near the stones for free in one of the two muddy bumpy and possibly icy roads and walked through the concrete buildings that “English Heritage” chose to erect at that time and straight through to the stones unhindered by police, martials and other officials.

However today was as it has been the past 20 years and getting in my experience worse. Firstly the car park already several miles from the henge ( and one can debate that’s a good thing ) gets full and one is directed another 5 miles away at the additional cost of 5pounds in miles of queuing traffic because only one individual is seen to take money from people in order for them to park causing tailbacks of disgruntled pagans. Possibly just because that’s a deterrent in coming at all – debateable. Then after getting on a coach, or if your brave walking, to get to the heritage centre ( still miles from the henge ) you are ushered either onto another bus or you can again walk past the shops to the stones.

To give you an idea of time, Sunrise for winter solstice is roughly 8am. If you arrive at the henge after say 6:20 you are unlikely to make it due to the car parking fiasco. The numbers of worshipping pagans verses just tourists or people come to take pictures only is again debatable. Though I personally have leaned against the might stone with my staff in contemplation of the sun and opened my eyes to find 5 or more photographers within kicking distance taking endless photos of me. I wonder if the same behaviour occurred during a catholic church say Salisbury or Bath during a Sermon whether that photographer would find themselves in trouble.

Its close to impossible unless you get their much earlier that you will get through the photographers and tourists to the druids actually facilitating the ritual. Certainly over the last few years their voices have been weakened by the crowd not joining in with the Awens and druid prayer such that you cannot hear it even in the outer stones.

Now I realise If I dont bring a staff and I dont wear a cloak I wont get as much or any attention from tourists. But imagine if you told the Christian bishops/priests/Officials not to wear anything apart from jeans and a jumper during their mass!

Henge 12/2022

Typically (in my experience) the colder the weather the less people that come the more beautiful the ritual is.

I have no solution for this other than less druids will, as happened today, come until the henge is just full of tourists and there is no ritual.

but heres a clearer day at winter when the sun really did come after the rising chant of the ritual and it was spectacular. as you can see slightly less people.