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Summer solstice
Simonthepilgrim
Veteran
This is the time of the Summer Solstice, one of the most significant dates in the esoteric calendar.
In recent years, the hippy/Druid celebrations at Stonehenge have attracted a lot of media attention over here and, apparently, around the world.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-06-21T104443Z_01_MOL108009_RTRUKOC_0_BRITAIN-SOLSTICE.xml
And this is a great picture from this year:
But, over and above the fun, there is a serious aspect to the dawn ceremonies. Just as the Winter Solstice, at the darkest days of Winter, holds out the promise of Summer to come; just so, at la Saint Jean when the day is at its longest, we are reminded that the dark of Winter will return.
Although historians and archaeologists may debate the purpose behind the standing stones that dot our islands, there can be no doubt that they exert a powerful attaraction on the popular mind. And they have done so in many strange ways. The Regency city of Bath is famous for its extraordinary circular sweep of houses, the Circus, built in 1754 by John Wood.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Circus_at_Bath.html
The diameter of the circle and the street entrances exactly match the dimensions of the megalithic circle at Stanton Drew.
But, I hear you ask, where is the Buddhist connection? It was made for me when I watched a National Geographic programme about a young tulku who had been born in New Zealand. The lamas who went from India to fetch him to his new home stopped on their way back to offer prayers to the Maori deities of the land and sea.
Watching that moment, I suddenly saw that, for me, Buddhism is at its best when it connects with the myths that are the very bones of the ground on which it stands and which inhabit the imaginations of its people. Place has always held importance for me. This place, where I may ahve to look deeply to experience the sacred and certain 'places of power' where the sacred comes and bites your bum!
I have been lucky enough to visit many such places over the years. Although I started as a complete sceptic, I have come to the conclusion that we have forgotten how to connect with and tap into a type of energy (which the pre-Roman Britons called wouivre) which is intimately bound up with fertility and balance. The Egyptians revered Ma'at, who ensured the stability of the kingdom. Her power was 'potentiated' in statues and wall-paintings.
This has nothing to do with a Supreme Being but with power, such as we encounter in our own electricty and gas generation. But the 'technology' is very different.
I was not at Stonehenge for the rising of the solstice sun, but I did see it by one of our own, local standing stones. Alone, facing the rising sun, practising prostrations and sitting meditation, I found it ................ very good!
In recent years, the hippy/Druid celebrations at Stonehenge have attracted a lot of media attention over here and, apparently, around the world.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-06-21T104443Z_01_MOL108009_RTRUKOC_0_BRITAIN-SOLSTICE.xml
And this is a great picture from this year:
But, over and above the fun, there is a serious aspect to the dawn ceremonies. Just as the Winter Solstice, at the darkest days of Winter, holds out the promise of Summer to come; just so, at la Saint Jean when the day is at its longest, we are reminded that the dark of Winter will return.
Although historians and archaeologists may debate the purpose behind the standing stones that dot our islands, there can be no doubt that they exert a powerful attaraction on the popular mind. And they have done so in many strange ways. The Regency city of Bath is famous for its extraordinary circular sweep of houses, the Circus, built in 1754 by John Wood.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Circus_at_Bath.html
The diameter of the circle and the street entrances exactly match the dimensions of the megalithic circle at Stanton Drew.
But, I hear you ask, where is the Buddhist connection? It was made for me when I watched a National Geographic programme about a young tulku who had been born in New Zealand. The lamas who went from India to fetch him to his new home stopped on their way back to offer prayers to the Maori deities of the land and sea.
Watching that moment, I suddenly saw that, for me, Buddhism is at its best when it connects with the myths that are the very bones of the ground on which it stands and which inhabit the imaginations of its people. Place has always held importance for me. This place, where I may ahve to look deeply to experience the sacred and certain 'places of power' where the sacred comes and bites your bum!
I have been lucky enough to visit many such places over the years. Although I started as a complete sceptic, I have come to the conclusion that we have forgotten how to connect with and tap into a type of energy (which the pre-Roman Britons called wouivre) which is intimately bound up with fertility and balance. The Egyptians revered Ma'at, who ensured the stability of the kingdom. Her power was 'potentiated' in statues and wall-paintings.
This has nothing to do with a Supreme Being but with power, such as we encounter in our own electricty and gas generation. But the 'technology' is very different.
I was not at Stonehenge for the rising of the solstice sun, but I did see it by one of our own, local standing stones. Alone, facing the rising sun, practising prostrations and sitting meditation, I found it ................ very good!
0
Comments
Yeah, I was at a sanctuary with other Wiccans and Pagans to celebrate Summer Solstice---or Midsummer as we call it---and had a wonderful time! It was such a magical experience for us all. I loved the bonfire at night and the sunrise ritual also touched me in a way that is hard for me to describe. I just felt so at ease with myself and comforted as well. My daughter and I are getting ready to go to the same sanctuary for the Fourth of July family festival with some others of my group. We are so excited that we can hardly wait for July 1st, which is when the festival starts. Luckily, this sanctuary is only about 150 miles from where we live. We are members as well of this particular sanctuary so we can camp for free as well as go anytime we like. This sanctuary is open year round to members. It is such a pristine and peaceful place.
Adiana
You are thinking of something quite different.
Chuck... I'd decide on what Summer reading you are going to be doing...
What with the Dhammapada and the Bible, together with the History of Paganism, I'd think you have your work cut out for you!!
http://twopagans.com/holiday/Litha.html
equinox
However, many of the traditions associated with Easter are pagan in origin.
Ramadan, Passover, Easter etc are all determined by the phases of the moon.
Both Sun and Moon are essential guides to the progress of the year, particularly without calendars. This may be why Stonehenge appears to be both a solar and a lunar calendar.
They see the Sun as warm and comforting and the Moon as cold and hard.
Whereas, of course, the desert Sun is hard and burning, whereas the Moon is cool and clear.