The Stone Circle

Now that I am freer during the year than I used to be, I have looked at the experiences I want to have. I am not the type of person to reduce the importance of possessions in general but as I get older I want to have time and experiences with those I care about.

Last week I went to Stonehenge with my wife and son and we had the privilege of walking inside the stone circle itself. It was an amazing opportunity and an experience that went beyond the everyday. To have the experience is about double the cost of normal entry and may require you to get up very early – our slot was 6.30am – but if you can do it you really should.

The stones themselves up close have a real energy that comes from their great age and their role in the lives of our ancestors. They are covered in lichen, some are standing, some have fallen, some have disappeared, but every single one of them has a story and a power. The true story is lost in the depths of pre-history, although we can be fairly sure that Stonehenge was a calendar and a site of worship. Did they worship gods or nature or the vastness of space? We can never truly know, but as our fantastic guide James told us, we can make educated guesses based on ever more advanced archaeological techniques.

Stonehenge was almost certainly a cathedral of the Stone Age and probably had a very similar purpose. Were there druids? We don’t really know if there were, certainly not in the way modern day acolytes portray them. For a start, the robes are so similar to the clothes of Christian priests that they are clearly influenced by them retrospectively. What did they do? We don’t really know that either, but it’s fascinating to consider the possibilities. I felt the same way in the circle as I have done in the great cathedrals I have visited, only more so as the energy seemed to be an integral part of the site and was all around you.

Going to Stonehenge is an experience but being within the stone circle was a privilege and one that will guide my search for experience over possession from now on. That is where the real pleasure of life lies and where I want to focus my energies from now on.