Inside the Stone Circle

Inside the Stone Circle, originally uploaded by Jonny Hanlon.

The Stonehenge site has been used for more than a long time. The current model has existed for at least 4500 years, according to people that know far more than I do on these matters. Before that, the Druids erected structures to observe the movement of the variation of the Sun through the course of the solar year.

England is well posiltioned latitudenally, so that the sun rises and sets significantly furthur south (in the northern hemisphere) each day as midsummer approaches until the sun reaches its zenith on the solstice, around the 22nd of June. Every day before the solstice, the sun reaches higher in the sky and stays heavenbound for longer… When I arrived in Brittania 3 months ago at the equinox, the sun rose at 6am and set at 6pm. Now, it rises at 4 am and sets at 10pm.

Eve and I hired a car… a Peugout 306, brand new, smooth as silk.

From Bristol to Stonehenge is a 50 mile drive, and we took the backroads to bypass the big motorways and travel through the villages instead. This was a wise move. It was late at night and Eve and I were both tired and excited about getting to Stonehenge for such an astronomically important event. Beautiful stone houses leaning left, right, in and out, lucky that England doesn’t suffer frequent earthquakes!

We were driving towards Salisbury. I was in charge of the throttle and brake, Eve was in charge of the map. We drove past the ‘Tank Crossing’ signs and a halo of light appeared on the horizon. A few miles on and the light grew whiter… A huge line of policeman in dayglow jackets appeared on the road ahead, and we pulled to a halt. I thought we had at least another ten miles to drive, and presumed we had stumbled across an enormously huge funeral or perhaps an Abba tribute concert. Then Eve suggested that we had arrived at the Stonehenge carpark. Crikey dick, it was huge, probably the biggest carpark that I or anyone this side of Murchison has ever seen.

Drizzle. Rain. Not quite muddy. Plenty more than 10, 000 people.

Parked the car between a vanload of scouts and a carload of drunkinmunters and walked for half an hour. Up ahead appeared a vague bump on the top of a mound, the bump and the mound grew until it was clear that we were in the presence of a very very ancient piece of masonery.

From a distance Stonehenge looks very small. Whoever designed the place knew a fair amount about optical trickery because as you draw closer, the stones and the size of the circle increase exponetially until you realise that these stones, carried 40kms from the quarry site, are enormous. Bigger than you could squeeze into your pocket.

The stones that comprise the Outer Circle or about 4000 x 1000 x 400mm each, give or take a bit. This equates to about the size of a Mammoth. How on Earth the Druids managed to transport, dig and lift the stones defies all logic. With modern technology, diesel engines, and John Deere tractors, it would still be a huge task. But 4000 years ago?

What I am attempting to say is that, despite the rain, mud, drunken munters, cops, security guards, and everthing else that you can imagine, I feel truly blessed to have been able to be part of this celebration that has been repeated for more than 5000 years. If only I could have seen the Sun rise through the stones!

Jonny X

~ by jonnyhanlon on June 21, 2008.