Solstice and the ancient wisdom of Stonehenge
While the summer solstice in Australia occurred on Tuesday 22 December, 2015, at 3.47 pm, AEDT, it’s winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. Ancient wisdom is celebrated at each solstice and equinox at Stonehenge.
A new season of the Sun entering the dignified, traditional, earthy sign of Capricorn initiates summer in the southern hemisphere and the longest day; and winter and the longest night in the northern hemisphere.
At each solstice, the Sun pauses in its movement for 3 days and is an important day in the Druid belief system.
Thousands of people journeyed to Stonehenge on Dec. 22 to celebrate the winter solstice, an important day in the Druid belief system.
While revellers cheer the dawn of the day marking the increasing Sun in England, we can relax in the bountiful, summer warmth.
Stonehenge and ancient wisdom
In June, the summer solstice in England is celebrated by many at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain.
The magnificent and mysterious Stonehenge was built in three phases between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C. but the site was being used long before the stone circles were built.
It is said that if you stand at just the right spot inside the Stonehenge monument on the day of the northern summer solstice, you will see the sun rise above the Heel Stone – a stone outside of the circle. However, another perspective from an astronomical study demonstrates that the Heel Stone aligns with the rising moon at specific positions and cycles and this is the purpose of the placement of the Heel Stone.
Aubrey holes or pits along the bank of Stonehenge have been studied with the probable purpose identified as being for calculating the phases of the moon and the timing of eclipses.
Another henge was positioned at the end of the ‘Avenue’ connecting with Stonehenge. The Avenue seems to be a ceremonial route leading to and from a large funerary complex east of the Avon River.
It has been proven that the site at Stonehenge was chosen based on precise calculations related to the astronomical cycle of the Sun, thus highlighting the wisdom, knowledge and skills of the ancients. A connection between the circle of massive stones, the landscape, the sky-scape and the afterlife is also suggested.
Ancient and contemporary wisdom features astrology and cultural practices as important tools for understanding ourselves through the rhythms of nature, the bigger picture, our development and potential over this lifetime and our interaction with the divine. Wisdom Frontier’s wisdom stories for kids and teens weaves astrology and cultural practices into the plots in a positive and nurturing way.
