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Filed under Heritage, Holidays, Salisbury 2014

Solstice Stones

Solstice Stones

Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric site and has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice since time immemorial. Hopefully today it will by a Sunny Solstice sunrise :-)

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14 Comments CherryPie on Jun 21st 2014

14 Responses to “Solstice Stones”

  1. Astrid says:
    June 21, 2014 at 7:35 am

    Wonderful picture. And yes the sun is out and in the sky I saw the white stripes of planes, traveling the world :)
    Never been to Stonehenge, to me a magical place. Those stone weigh a ton…. a lot of strong men back then ;)
    Love the banner of your blog :)

    • CherryPie says:
      June 21, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      Thank you :-)

      My recent visit was much enhanced to some of my earlier visits. The new visitor experience makes all the difference and the stones are being reconnected back with the surrounding landscape.

  2. Ginnie says:
    June 21, 2014 at 7:52 am

    As Astrid has said, it’s a gorgeous day to welcome the Summer Solstice, Cherry. She hasn’t been to Stonehenge but we both were at Avebury and of the two places, I think Astrid has been to the “better” place, if that’s possible. Stonehenge is more popular because of the beautiful formations but at least at Avebury you walk amongst the stones and really feel their energy.

  3. Bella says:
    June 21, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    Happy Solstice! I will be celebrating on my boat, under the sun. Although I prefer to be on the land… water is an element that I need in this heat today.
    xo

    • CherryPie says:
      June 21, 2014 at 5:46 pm

      I don’t particularly observe the solstice as such. But I always note the longest and shortest days of the year. Particularly the shortest because it means spring is just around the corner.

  4. Diane Westwell says:
    June 21, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    I’m not into druid stuff but the photo’s are good !
    Happy Solstice,,, whatever that means ?

    Di.x

    • CherryPie says:
      June 21, 2014 at 5:50 pm

      Stonehenge was built long before the druids. The henge is many things to many people. It is a popular myth that it is a druid monument.

      There are many theories as to why it was built. Originally it was aligned with the moon rising and setting and later altered to observe the sun rising and setting.

      It fascinates me because the stones still keep their mysteries.

      The definition of solstice:

      A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. In many cultures the solstices mark either the beginning or the midpoint of winter and summer.

  5. ubermouth says:
    June 21, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    They truly are magnificent.aren’t they?

    I still wish one could walk around them to look at them in different lights from different perspectives.

    :)

    You have captured them well, Cherie!

  6. London Caller says:
    June 22, 2014 at 9:49 am

    Today’s the day. :)
    There’s a fake one in East London too.

  7. J_on_tour says:
    June 22, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    I’m not quite sure what people are looking for in Stonehenge on solstice day, is it the way shadows fall or rather not fall.
    I once saw a documentary on TV about the transportation of stones to the site at the time of construction.

    • CherryPie says:
      June 22, 2014 at 10:54 pm

      If it is just looked at in a constructural way the stones were originally aligned to the moon cycle then redeveloped to align to the sun cycle. This means the sun rises in a spectacular way through the stones at the summer solstice.

      Some of those that gather have claimed the stones for their religious beliefs, others love the stones because they feel they are special to England and for many other reasons.

      I would love to see the sunrise there, but it would only work for me if the place was quiet and not many other people were around.