MEGALITHIC SOCIETY AT STONEHENGE, 7 MAY 2000,

and the Stonehenge thunderstorm

Sunday had been a glorious warm and sunny day but as the 25 of us assembled at Stonehenge for entry into the womb of the monument at 6.30 p.m. the sky had darkened and rain was threatening. Rosemary Wyeth, principal Stonehenge guide of the Guide Friday Tour Company led everybody in, and as she began her usual energetic and mobile lecture Peter Glastonbury and Terence Meaden moved aside to carry out observational research of their own. Pete wanted to obtain a full panoramic view from the inside the monument. Terence wanted to study the surfaces of the four sides of trilithon stone 54, in particular close-up aspects of the western side with its carved face. Rosemary began her lecture at the edge of the circular earthwork that surrounds the monument, and then moved to the Heel Stone and Slaughter Stone before entering the circles from the direction of the midsummer sunrise. She explained the meaning of the sunrise axis as interpreted by Terence who has studied the symbolism and religions of ancient agricultural peoples in some depth. His explanation is based on the concept of Divine Marriage between Earth Mother (the stones of Stonehenge with its focal stone the Altar Stone) and Sky Father (the light and heat energy of the rising sun) which is completed by the intermediary of the Heel Stone involving actual visible consummation of the Heel Stone's shadow with the Womb Stone (Altar Stone)t. Everyone then entered the 'womb' to arrive at this stone --- the sacred hub of the stone arrangements, the raison d'etre of the building programme.

Soon after this the first thunder was heard, and in the course of the next 15 minutes the frequency of thunder rose as a lightning storm approached from the east. Until about 7 o'clock photography had been no problem (Pete got his digital panoramic views very well), but quickly the light became too poor for further good photography. Light rain started falling but it became heavy only from about 7.20. The trilithon arches provided some shelter for a while, but towards 7.30 everyone was willing to get away from the open plain and seek the shelter of their cars. Many of us met again down in Amesbury where we enjoyed a meal together.