Tuesday 22 March 2016

The mysterious objects found in Stonehenge woman's grave are going on display at the visitor centre.

Mysterious jewellery and belongings of a woman so important she was buried at a prime spot overlooking Stonehenge are going on display at the monument's visitors' centre for the first time.

Archaeologists and historians are still baffled by some of the items found alongside the body of a woman buried in one of the dozens of burial chambers that line the ridges all around the horizon from Stonehenge.

But of all the barrows and graves that have been investigated, none have produced more incredible, well-preserved or mysterious artefacts than the one of the woman of Normanton Down.

This Easter the objects are going on display for the first time at the Stonehenge Visitors' Centre, with tourists asked to ponder what they could be and why they might have been buried with her.

Full story and image gallery in The Western Daily Press

The Stonehenge Tourist Guide

Friday 18 March 2016

When is the Spring Equinox? Why does it mark the start of spring?

THE equinox is celebrated around the world and marks the start of spring. But what is it?
Pagans, revellers and druids greet the sun at Stonehenge

When is the equinox? 

The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is set to take place on Sunday March 20 2016. 
The date marks the official start of spring, according to an astronomical calendar based on the Earth's orbit of the sun. 
Another equinox in September marks the start of autumn as the nights become longer than the days.

What is the equinox? 

The equinox is an astronomical event in which the sun crosses the celestial equator - the projection of the Earth's equator into space.
On the date of the equinox, both day and night are around the same length around the globe. Afterwards, the day is longer than the night. 
The word equinox is derived from the Latin equi, which means equal, and nox, which means night. 

How is the equinox celebrated? 

Druids and pagans mark the equinox by gathering to greet the sun at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in Wiltshire. 
The equinox is a significant solar festival in the pagan calendar and is associated with fertility and renewal. 
It also helps mark Easter, Passover and the Persian new year known as Nowruz.

What is the equilux?

On the date of the equinox itself, the length of day and night are only nearly equal.
The equilux is the date when day and night are exactly equal and took place on Thursday March 17 2016.
It always occurs a few days before the spring equinox and a few days after the autumn equinox.

When do the clocks go forward? 

Britain's clocks will go forward at 1am on the last Sunday of this month, March 27. 
The changing of the clocks means an hour less in bed. It marks the start of more the daylight in the evenings, but less in the mornings. 
By ALICE FOSTER
Full story in the Daily Express

If you wish to visit Stonehenge at Sunrise on the Spring Equinox and do not have tranport.  Solstice Events U.K are offerimg their usual transport / tour service from London and Bath.

Follow us on Periscope for live coverage on the Stonehenge Equinox #Stonehenge
The Stonehege Tourist Guide

Sunday 13 March 2016

Visit Stonehenge, the UK's Ancient Fertility Temple.

Do you want to add another person to your family? If you're trying for a baby or you've been experiencing fertility problems, why not have a holiday near Stonehenge and take in the magic and mysticism of the area?


The History of Stonehenge
Stonehenge, one of the most iconic monuments in Britain, dates back more than 4,500 years to around 2,500 BC. It was built in stages, the latest of which was constructed in about 1,500 BC so its construction spanned both the neolithic and bronze age periods.
For centuries the ancient stones have ignited debate and controversy as to what they were actually used for. There was the suggestion that Stonehenge was a Druid Temple but this is inaccurate as it began to be built 2,000 years prior to the Druids, although modern-day Druids flock there to perform ceremonies. Recent discoveries of hundreds of pieces of bone of various ages dating back more than a thousand years suggest that the monument could have been a temple celebrating the dead, surrounded by a burial ground.
As death and birth are inexplicably linked - both are transition stages for the soul. Near-death experiencers often describe being in a dark tunnel and travelling towards a bright light, a situation that has certain parallels with birth, where the baby moves through the birth canal, to be delivered into a world of brightness and colour far removed from the murky, all enveloping darkness of the womb.


A Celebration of Marriage of the Gods
Professor Meaden, an archaeologist from Oxford University, suggested that Stonehenge may have been used to celebrate the marriage of the pagan Sky God and the Great Goddess. He postulated in his book, 'The Stonehenge Solution' (1992) that the horseshoe arrangement of the inner stones symbolised the womb of the Great Goddess, the Heal Stone represented her body and in order for the Sky God to have physical union with her, the sun's rays had to pass the Heal Stone. Meaden argued that immediately after an unobstructed sunrise, the Heal Stone eclipsed the sun, creating a long shadow that represented the phallus of the Sky God. This long, phallus-shaped shadow eventually extends to the Altar Stone, a stone he believes should have been named the Egg Stone as a representation of the female ova. As the morning arrives, the mica containing stone sparkles in the sunlight, symbolising ejaculation as the phallic shadow disappears. Essentially, this once annually natural spectacle symbolised celestial intercourse. Visitors still gather around the stone circle during the summer solstice to witness this sexually charged fertility ritual.


The Stone Circles: An Analogy with Female Genitalia?
Anthony Perks, a Canadian Researcher, suggested that the stones were laid out in the shape of the human vulva. When a baby's head crowns during childbirth, the vulva is moulded into a circular shape due to pressure from the head - the same shape as the outer ring of stonehenge. All of the stone arrangements could be sexual symbolism. The outer circle could also represent the labia majora, the inner circle of trilithons, the labia minora and the altar stone could be symbolic of the clitoris. The empty centre of the stone circle may represent the birth canal - the opening to the world. At the recently discovered Woodhenge - a wooden version of Stonehenge - the body of a child was discovered buried in the central circle with its skull split in two, a sacrificial offering that would suggest the analogy of the central circle with the birth canal is correct and the child may have been a gift to 'Mother Earth'.


Every Year, Thousands Flock to Stonehenge

Stonehenge's connection with life cycles and fertility is one of the reasons why it attracts couples wanting to start a family. Of course, there's no evidence that visiting the stone circles would help you conceive but soaking up the energy and ancient wisdom of your ancestors may help relieve stress and help you to keep a positive outlook, factors in themselves that can increase pregnancy rates.
The site also attracts pagans and those with 'New Age' philosophical beliefs, but just about everyone - even famous guests like President Obama - love the atmosphere and mystery surrounding Stonehenge.  Why don't you give it a try?


Stonehenge Tourist Guide