We're back from our Stonehenge Sacred Journey
We recently returned from the first of 4 Sacred Journeys between 2019 – 2022, focussed on completing 25 years’ work with a vast Planetary Landscape Temple of the Solar System, centred around Stonehenge. Here I am sharing a little of the story of our journey along with some photographs taken during walks and after ceremonies.
This first journey was intended to introduce people to working with the Planetary Landscape Temple, that first revealed itself to me back in the 1990’s. Since then, I have worked with several others to identify the main sites on each planetary orbit and to help anchor and rebalance their frequencies in the landscape, using crystals, crystal grids, meditations, sacred ceremony and mini sacred journeys.
To date, small groups of people have worked in this way with all the planets and main asteroids out as far as Neptune. All that remains now to complete this vast and beautiful planetary work, is to work with Pluto, which is the aim of this sequence of journeys. Pluto’s orbit is huge. In relation to Stonehenge as the Sun, it extends out through Ireland, into Scotland, then across the North Sea into the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
For this journey, we worked with the planetary orbits that radiate out from Stonehenge (the Sun), as far the Rollright Stones (Saturn) in Oxfordshire. We visited many well-known, and some lesser known sites on orbit paths of all the planets and 4 main asteroids, in between.
We also encountered the interweavings of several great Dragon Lines, Energy Lines and Leylines: These include the Michael-Mary “Rainbow Serpent” line, the “Great Ley”, running through Glastonbury, Stonehenge, Woodhenge and eventually to Canterbury, the “Old Sarum - Stonehenge – Avebury Ley”, running from south of Salisbury and Old Sarum, through Stonehenge, Avebury and on northwards, and the “Belinus-Elen” line, which runs up the spine of Britain from the Isle of Wight to Scotland, passing through Uffington and the Rollrights, on its way.
This is the story of our journey together:
DAY 1 – SUN & MERCURY
Our journey began with a sunrise meditation inside Stonehenge. We aligned with the resonances of the planets within our personal chakras and with the resonances of the planets within the structure of Stonehenge itself. This is work that has been developing for 25 years and the relationships between the chakras, the planets and crystals is the subject of a book that is nearing completion.
After our Meditation (and a hearty breakfast), we began a sacred walk through the landscape to connect Stonehenge as the Sun and Heart Chakra, with Woodhenge as Mercury / Hermes / Thoth and the Throat Chakra.
We walked from the Stonehenge Visitor Centre to the “Monarch” Barrow, where the Glastonbury – Stonehenge – Canterbury “Great Ley” female current crosses the Old Sarum – Stonehenge – Avebury Ley male current. We circled up to anchor the energy from the morning’s Meditation and moved as one to the beat of our Horse Drum.
Back in February, we were at the Healing Light Festival – a small, friendly, heart-centred, Cornish event that takes place 3 times a year. It was very busy, and Sue didn’t move from the stall except to make necessary loo trips. These took her past Ros Simons’ display of gorgeous drums. Every time she passed by, she was drawn very powerfully to one drum, so much so that she was finding it hard to keep from being distracted by its presence.
By Sunday she needed to touch the drum. He – definitely he – felt good, but she still didn’t understand the connection. He is from horse skin, with a deer bone handle and woven onto a green wooden circle. On the label is said ‘Tales of the Chalk’. Could this be something to do with our journey to come? Sue started to feel the beginnings of the inner vibration that alerts her to something of significance. Jon asked if she’d seen the paintings inside. White Horse! Moon! Stonehenge! The vibration increased and the room began to shimmer.
The drum is for the journey! We need it for the journey. Sue showed me and we agreed that it should come back with us.
When Ros came back to find that we had decided to buy the drum and why, she started to tell the tale of bringing him into being. There had been many knowings and unknowings – knowing that things were right but not knowing why – trusting and following the threads. She also said that she was very uncomfortable painting or drawing, and usually didn’t do this unless people had specifically asked for this in a commission. She was happy that she had followed her dreaming.
You can read the full story about the drum on Sue’s Blog
Back at the “Monarch”, we walked through the woods and out to the Stonehenge Cursus, a raised earthwork with bank and ditch, about 3 km long and 100 metres wide, which pre-dates Stonehenge. It is an enigmatic structure, whose purpose nobody really seems to know. However, the male energy of the Great Ley runs along its entire length, and the Cursus points directly towards Woodhenge.
After a while, we veered off to re-connect with the Great Ley female current, running through the nearby Cursus Barrows. We processed along her for a while to the beat of the Horse Drum, and then stopped between the two central barrows to circle up and anchor in the energies of our morning Meditation. Here our dear friends, Renchi and Vanessa, who had joined us just for today offered a beautiful O’ponopono prayer of forgiveness:
“Divine Creator, Father, Mother, Son as One.
If I, My Family, Relatives or Ancestors have offended you, your family, relatives or ancestors, in thought, word deed or action, from the beginning of time to this present moment, I ask your forgiveness.
Let this cleanse, purify, cut and release all negative energies, memories, blocks and vibrations, and transmute these unwanted energies and vibrations to pure light, and it is done.”
Our next stop was on the Avenue, aligned with the Midsummer Sunrise, when viewed from within the centre of Stonehenge. Here, we again formed a circle to anchor in our Stonehenge Meditation, which was particularly powerful here. As you stand on the Avenue, it feels as if the energy current is rushing through the ground beneath your feet.
We continued on to the “Kings Barrows”, where the female current of the Old Sarum – Stonehenge – Avebury Ley runs – so, we renamed them the “Queens Barrows”. Here, a few of our group decided to meet up with Sue and the minibus and go on ahead to prepare for our arrival at Woodhenge. The rest of us circled up at the second barrow and then processed with the Horse Drum and rattles up and over all the barrows. We made a deep connection with the last of the trees alongside the barrows, near to where the Avenue veers off down towards the river Avon.
Our next stop was at the site of the, now destroyed, Long Barrow that used to be at the eastern end of the Cursus. Again, we circled up and I felt a deep sense of grief and loss at the total disappearance of this barrow. It would have served the purpose of a battery to store all the energy built up and accelerated by the structure of the Cursus, so it could be released along the line, using ceremony, at the appropriate times of year. Now, not a trace of it remains.
We headed on through the labyrinth of footpaths that lead to the “Cuckoo Stone”, which stands alone in a field adjacent to Woodhenge. We took a wrong turn or two and ended up on the road for a while – Mercury was playing tricks with us! The Cuckoo Stone is a sarsen stone, which was a natural feature that just “happened” to be where the male and female currents of the Great Ley cross, before heading off to Woodhenge and Durrington Walls.
At the Cuckoo stone we felt the urge to drum and rattle, which caused the energy to quicken, as we approached the Mercurial site of Woodhenge. Sue and the other women, who had gone ahead by minibus were waiting to greet us with Koshi chimes for the 4 elements, as we approached.
Inside Woodhenge, we meditated, focussing on the Throat Chakra and Mercury, with Paddy’s sound bowls, Koshi chimes and Rosemary’s Mouth Harp.
Here, Sue received the first verse of what was to become our song for the Planets and the Earth:
We walk this ancient land
We walk this ancient land
We walk this ancient land
As we have done before
Towards the end of the afternoon, we parked up in a layby between Winterbourne Stoke and Shrewton, to make the short walk along the path at the side of the fields to the hidden away, little visited, sublime collection of round barrows known as Winterbourne Stoke West Barrow Cemetery, surrounded by the mediaeval earthwork, the Coniger. This lies due west of Stonehenge on Mercury’s orbit path in the direction where, from Stonehenge you would see the equinoctial Sun setting, or from where, looking eastwards you would see the equinoctial Sun rising over Stonehenge.
Being a Bronze Age (2000-700 BC) burial ground, perhaps the equinoctial day would have begun with ceremony in Stonehenge, to greet the energies of the balanced Sun. Then, a sacred walk from Stonehenge to the Coniger, along the path of the Great Ley would enable people to gather at the Coniger in time for sunset, to honour and pray for the ancestors, buried in this hallowed ground. In any event, as we walked across the boundary into the site, there was a deep, ancient stillness, and profound sense of reverence and of being observed by some very wise and ancient eyes.
We were guided to the third barrow in, by two large birds that flew up as we approached. Here, we performed our simple ceremony and meditation, mirroring the pattern of the planetary glyph for Mercury, and connecting to the One Breath of Earth’s Atmosphere, through our Throat chakras, accompanied by the gentle tinkling of Koshi chimes and Paddy’s golden bowl; then we sang the next verse of our song:
We sing this ancient song
We sing this ancient song
We sing this ancient song
As we have done before
DAY 2 - VENUS, MOON & EARTH
We began our connection with Venus / Aphrodite / Inanna / Ishtar / Hathor / Freyja), goddess of love, beauty and physical perfection in the picturesque, chocolate-box village of Stapleford, which won the Best Kept Village Award in 2014, according to a plaque by the entrance to the St. Mary’s church.
Inside the church, the group were moved to sing and sound in the perfect acoustic. There is a stained-glass window showing the “Three Marys” at the tomb of Jesus, after he had resurrected. Another stained-glass window has the caption underneath - “Blessed is she that believeth”. Out in the churchyard is the small Memorial Rose Garden, dedicated to Henry Bennett (1823–1890), a local farmer who pioneered a whole new method of deliberately cross-pollinating hybrid tea roses, which is still in use today. His pioneering work, combined science and beauty as a manifestation of the Venusian principle of the conscious creation of beauty.
We moved on to another St.Mary’s church at Orcheston. Several of the women in our group gathered in front of the altar and sang an exquisite and spontaneous plainsong style chant, which was simply divine. We were unexpectedly greeted by the newly incumbent French vicar, who had arrived to inspect repair work being done to the roof. We were also confronted by a disgruntled local, who was somewhat suspicious of us strangers coming in, “without permission” to do things in “his” church. (Some of the more negative qualities of Venus are possessiveness, or jealousy.) He was also disgruntled about financial irregularities to do with the funding for the new roof. (Venus is the ruling planet of Taurus, which is concerned with finances.)
After everyone else had left, we formed the glyph for Venus, along with Koshi chimes and crystal bowl did a meditation for Venus and the Solar Plexus centre, then sang the next verse of our song:
I sing my song to you
I sing my song to you
I sing my song to you
As we have done before
The walk from the road to Tilshead White Barrow is along a rough military track, with huge puddles, some of which are full of spilled oil, and lots of mud everywhere. It was a relief to climb over the stile and enter into the peace and stillness of the enclosure around the White Barrow. This is a long barrow, pretty much aligned directly toward Stonehenge, with a semi-circle of trees at one end. Here we held a circle with meditation, drumming and singing, calling in the energy of the Moon:
We feel this ancient land
We feel this ancient land
We feel this ancient land
As we have done before
As we processed behind the drum, along the ridge of the long barrow and sang our song, it seemed that the spirit of the barrow was waking and opening to our presence. Its energy was deep and strong, but seemed like it had been withdrawn, perhaps to protect itself from all the military activity on the ground and in the air.
In its day, the barrow would have indeed been white, as the turf would have been stripped back to reveal the white chalk. But the very energy of the place feels white and pure and Moon-like. It is a hidden gem, in the vast landscape of Salisbury Plain.
Our final site for that day was the impressive Old Sarum. It is easier to appreciate the scale of Old Sarum as you approach it on the A345 from the North. Here you can see the vastness and height of this magnificent earthwork. This was clearly a huge undertaking, when the original hillfort was constructed around 400 BCE at the intersection of two native trade paths and the river Avon. Given the way that the earth energies interweave here, I suspect that there may have been a much more ancient site in the location, before the hillfort was built on top of it.
Our focus was at the remains of the mediaeval cathedral, first constructed in 1092, then later re-built in 1110’s. The energy of the male current of the Old Sarum – Stonehenge – Avebury Ley focusses at the site of the high altar. Stand here and it feels as if you are literally ascending to the heavens! The female current is focussed at the heart-shaped stone, where the Lady Chapel would have been; it is a gentler, more grounding energy. We circled at both locations and drummed, played Buffy’s Tibetan bowl and sang our song to the Earth and Moon:
We feel this ancient land
We feel this ancient land
We feel this ancient land
As we have done before
At Old Sarum, it felt that we had finally arrived fully back on Earth, after our journey from the Sun (Stonehenge), via Mercury, Venus and the Moon. Now we were ready to begin heading out towards Mars and beyond, next day.
DAY 3 - MARS
We began our day at Codford St. Mary Church, in a beautiful setting on the edge of the village. Above the altar is a stained-glass window with Jesus in a scarlet cloak, seated on a throne, holding an orb with a cross on top. This is reminiscent of the Emperor in the Tarot, who represents the zodiac sign of Aries, ruled by Mars! A supplicant in the next frame of the window is holding up a cup, with a tiny dragon within it. Another window, high above the side chapel also has an image of a small dragon.
We found two energy lines crossing at the font, creating a powerful spiral vortex. One line seems to come through a large tree in the churchyard, beside the door; the other comes through an angel holding a wheatsheaf to the left of the altar, then through a pillar with 4 spiral patterns, through the font and out towards the War Graves Cemetery, across the lane.
The Cemetery is for mostly Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died towards the end of WW1. Most had been injured and treated in the nearby military hospital, but actually died from an outbreak of flu. This is a sad and poignant place that illustrates the futility of War, many of the graves being of young men in their late teens or early twenties. We made a circle and sang “Be Love, Beloved and Be Loved”.
A little further outside the village is an ancient trackway, now a footpath that leads up to a massive circular earthwork, known as Codford Circle. About two thirds of the way up the track, there is a Chestnut Tree that I first encountered over 20 years ago, with 5 trunks and within which it is possible for 3 or 4 people to stand. Here we formed a circle beside the tree and did a meditation for Mars, anchoring its energy of the Will into the Navel / Hara centre and sending out energetic roots down to anchor this into the Earth. It is a crucial feature of Mars that the way we act in the world needs to draw guidance from the Heart and from the Heavens above, but also to act out of respect and attention towards the Earth and all living beings. By standing in the tree, in small groups at a time whilst we drummed and meditated, we were able to sense and feel this connection with the branches reaching up to the Heavens and the roots reaching deep into the Earth.
We continued on the track up to Codford Circle. This is a vast circular enclosure on the top of the hill, with panoramic views for miles around. The ditch and bank that surround it are not deep enough or high enough to have been a hillfort used for defensive purposes, so it is believed that this was a place that was purely for ceremonial purposes in ancient times. It certainly feels that it has a strong connection with the Heavens but is also deeply rooted in the Earth.
We drummed with Sheila’s big mother drum, our personal drums and the group’s Horse Drum, as we sang the next verse of our song:
We guard this ancient land
We guard this ancient land
We guard this ancient land
As we have done before
DAY 4 - ASTEROIDS VESTA, JUNO, CERES & PALLAS ATHENE
Our day began at Knoll Down wood, on the outskirts of Avebury. This is where the energy of the “dragon’s tail” rises up from the Earth to meet the energy line coming up from the Old Sarum – Stonehenge – Avebury Ley and then channels this into the Avebury circle, along the path of what used to be the Beckhampton Avenue; just two stones of this avenue remain now, known as Adam and Eve, or the Longstone Cove.
Knoll Down is a place to connect with the Kundalini Fire that rises up from within the Earth, where there are three large hollows. We worked here with asteroid goddess Vesta, keeper of the sacred flame, drawing the energy of Fire up from the Earth into our sacrum, where the Kundalini lies coiled, then up into Fire of Vitality Mars centre, behind the navel, and up to the Higher Heart Centre. Then we sang the next verse of our song:
We love this ancient land
We love this ancient land
We love this ancient land
As we have done before
From here, we went to Swallowhead Spring to work with asteroid goddess Juno / Hera / Queen of Heaven and the element of Water. Sadly, the spring has been dried up for at least the last 2 years. Sue and I had visited it last year, during the hot summer, and had thought that it would have returned by now, given all the rain this year. The energy felt depleted and scattered and the site was cluttered by all the “offerings” that had been left there, including much inappropriate plastic, non-biodegradable materials and objects. It is curious that some people believe they are somehow honouring Mother Earth, by leaving what is essentially a load of “sacred” litter that will not decompose! Certainly, these offerings may have sprung from good intentions, but it is an example of a widespread disconnect between the different levels of consciousness. Juno is concerned with being in Right Relationship at all levels, spiritual, mental, emotional and physical, so the place was a sad reflection of the discontinuity between these levels that the world seems to be currently struggling to understand. Perhaps this was the teaching for us at this site – to be aware and to act with congruity at all levels of being, before the healing waters will begin to flow again.
We sounded Sheila’s Moon gong here, meditated and sang the next verse of our song:
We bless this ancient land
We bless this ancient land
We bless this ancient land
As we have done before
From Swallowhead Spring, it is a moderate walk up to West Kennett Long Barrow. As we walked, a most unusual cloud formation appeared overhead, like an hourglass. This was an image that had come up earlier on our journey, at Stonehenge, when Helen had described the energy pouring down from the heavens and being concentrated through us, like the neck of an hourglass, in order for it to be received by the Earth.
At West Kennett, we burned incense for Great Earth Mother Ceres / Demeter / Gaea / Cybele, then circled inside the underground chamber, for our meditation deep into the Earth element with singing bowl, Horse Drum and we sang the next verse of our song:
We are this ancient land
We are this ancient land
We are this ancient land
As we have been before
Our final destination of the day was the Sanctuary, where the Michael and Mary currents cross for a third time at the Avebury complex (the others being on Windmill Hill and in the Main Circle between the two portal stones). The Sanctuary had been a wooden structure, similar to Woodhenge, contained within two concentric stone circles. Today nothing remains, except the concrete posts that mark where the structure used to be.
We meditated for the Air element and the One Breath of Earth’s Atmosphere, with Pallas Athene / Athena, using lots of Koshi Chimes. As we meditated a gentle rain began to fall like a blessing on our day and on our journey so far. Then we sang the next verse of our song:
We breathe this ancient land
We breathe this ancient land
We breathe this ancient land
As we have done before
As we came out of our meditation a rainbow gradually began to form, first to our left, then to our right, gradually growing and getting brighter, until the two ends eventually met to form a complete arc over the site, with our group at the centre. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
DAY FIVE - JUPITER
Our sacred journey began at Seven Barrows (there are actually 19), near Lambourn. This is where the Michael-Mary and Belinus-Elen straight alignments intersect. It is indeed a very powerful place with a vast, expansive and rushing energy. We gathered on the largest barrow, which has easy access from the road. As we walked up it, we became aware that the group were quite spontaneously standing in a straight line, in the direction of the Belinus – Elen alignment! So, we formed a cross, with some on Belinus – Elen and some on the Michael – Mary alignment, and then did our meditation with singing bowls and Horse drum.
Not far from here is the "Blowing Stone", a perforated sarsen stone, with a 46cm hole in it, which if blown in the right way, it is said that a sound can be heard several kilometres away! Some believe it may have originally stood on White Horse Hill, or in the area below it known as the “Manger” and was used to summon gatherings, or in later times troops. It was moved to the garden, where it now stands around 1750 CE. The holes were clogged with earth and leaves, so we did not succeed in making it sound, but we had a jolly good laugh attempting it!
We moved on from this frivolity to the sublime, majestic, exquisite Wayland's Smithy, aligned to NNW, and with the Elen current flowing horizontally across it. This is the oldest of the monuments at Uffington, dating from around 3,500 BCE. At that time, it would have aligned with the setting of the star Deneb in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.
Sheila drummed the big drum, Paddy played crystal bowls, as we meditated, drummed and sang the next verse of our song, acutely aware of the ancient Creator Gods, the Titans who formed this Earth, watching over us:
We respect this ancient land
We respect this ancient land
We respect this ancient land
As we have done before.
From here we moved to the Uffington White Horse (or is it a Dragon?), where we again sang our song and drummed with two Horse Drums, as we stood on the Elen line, next to where it flows to concentrate at the dragon’s (horse’s) eye and then along its back and tail, towards Dragon Hill.
On the Dragon Hill, where the Belinus and Elen lines cross, leaving a bare patch on the top of the hill, we drummed and danced like dervishes, celebrating the divine marriage of Jupiter / Zeus / Great Father Sky and Great Mother Earth.
In Chinese Geomancy, different shaped hills are attributed to the different planets. The Dragon hill, which is like a dome, with a truncated, flattened top, would qualify as being sacred to Jupiter.
It being a Jupiter site, and in the interests of creating abundance, we sang our song again:
We respect this ancient land
We respect this ancient land
We respect this ancient land
As we have done before.
DAY SIX - SATURN
We began the last day of our first Sacred Journey through the Planetary Temple around Stonehenge at the Devil's Quoits, near Stanton Harcourt.
This is a beautiful and very large stone circle, surrounded by a henge, all of which was fully restored between 2002 – 2008. There are 28 upright stones, although a pile of stones near the entrance look as though there may have been a few left over, or perhaps they are the remains of a dolmen. The stone circle and henge bravely hold their space, whilst surrounded by the largest landfill site in England. The stones seemed to welcome our our healing intentions, drumming and song. Apart from one or two dog walkers, we were the only ones there. Judging by its scale, this site must once have been as important as Stanton Drew or Avebury.
The final site of our journey was the Rollright Stones. We worked with the grounding, protecting and containing energies of Saturn to anchor into Mother Earth all of the amazing shared insights, love, wisdom and power of our journey out from Stonehenge. Here, we re-connected with the Elen current, which sweeps around the outside of the circle, before crossing the road to meet the Belinus line at the Arch Druid’s Long Barrow, behind the King Stone.
We sang the final (for now) verse of our song:
We hold this ancient land
We hold this ancient land
We hold this ancient land
As we have done before.
Finally, we connected again with the Belinus current at the Whispering Knights dolmen, to the east of the Rollrights. As the Knights are fenced off from human contact, we encircled them, played the crystal bowls and toned for them. The Belinus current then also crosses the road, passes through the King Stone and meets the Elen current at the Arch Druid’s Long Barrow.
Several authors of Earth Energies books* believe that the King Stone is shaped to look like a goose or swan, looking heavenwards – another indicator, perhaps of the importance that the site builders attached to the constellation Cygnus the Swan, which acted, at that time as the gateway or guide to the North Celestial Pole, the source of wisdom and the abode of the ancestors.
For All Our Relations
* Andis Kaulins – Stars, Stones and Scholars
* Gary Biltcliffe & Caroline Hoare – The Spine of Avalon