The Rite to Rock
Standing Stones and the Summer Solstice
I was disappointed today with the news from Stonehenge.
Stonehenge is a 4,500 year old symbol of our shared heritage. A circle that points the way back to the garden. A place that reminds us that we are truly one people in a world of rock air fire and rain.
It’s a sacred temple of the ancient and indigenous people of Britain. It should, in that regard boil the blood of every sane person that these activist-vandals feel empowered and justified in their actions. They're not saying anything new. They're not teaching anyone a lesson. They're not informing. And they're not helping.
We're no longer being open to "the other sides" of a debate. We're not listening or being allies. We're just failing to be leaders. A cult of racist eco-religious extremism should not be coddled.
I think - these stones - are exactly what they seem to be. Markers. That at some point in time. We lived in a beautiful place. Where all our needs were met. We were healthy and strong. Social harmony ruled the day. And we could collectively think of nothing finer than to leave some mark. Some creative reminder, crafted with a system of obvious and universal meaning. That we could all work together and carry many stones in a way no one could do alone.
The true marvel of the megalithic structures is not just their physical presence. It’s about logistics. The organization and imagining required. The collective human spirit and perseverance they represent—qualities that, in our digital age, seem hard to come by.
What’s the Message?
Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who believe in your dreams and goals. Align with others who share your vision and can amplify your efforts and bring about greater success. Encourage and foster relationships that uplift and motivate, while distancing yourself from negativity and doubt. By forming agreements with like-minded individuals, you create a powerful synergy that can help you overcome obstacles and achieve your aspirations.
Be part of things. Be part of something larger. Fit yourself as a living stone in a community to form something strong that will last a long time.
When individuals align with supportive, like-minded people who share their vision, their collective belief and unity amplify each member's efforts, creating a powerful resonance. It’s like the way overtones and sympathetic vibrations between stringed instruments produce a richer, more complex sound that transcends what any single instrument could achieve alone. In acoustically reflective spaces, these reverberations amplify and sustain the music, enhancing the listening experience and making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
In an era where organizing a dinner requires multiple group chats, calendar invites, and a flurry of last-minute cancellations, the notion of rallying a group of friends to erect a real megalithic standing stone feels hopeless. Even with every modern digital, social, and communication advantage at our disposal, the task would likely collapse under the weight of our collective inability to coordinate anything more complex than a Zoom call, and even then half would be complaining they only normally use Teams.
The summer solstice, the annual pause when the sun halts its northward march, has long been a focal point for reflection and reverence. In the megalithic culture, it was more than a celestial event; it was a profound marker of time, life, and communal continuity. Stonehenge, the enigmatic ring of stones on the Salisbury Plain, embodies this intersection of the cosmic and the communal, offering us a glimpse into the spiritual and cultural significance that such an event held for our ancestors.
How complete is the modern world’s detachment from the profound and the enduring? Stonehenge stands as a testament to a time when humanity sought meaning in the enduring rhythms of nature rather than the ephemeral whims of words. The ancient builders of Stonehenge recognized the solstice as a moment of unity, a time when the community came together to learn, to live together, to create, to observe the heavens and, by extension, their place within the cosmos.
Today, our generation, lonely, isolated, divided, and adrift in hyper-individualism; fragmented by the divisiveness of Babel, could learn a lot from the megalithic vision. The stones of Stonehenge are not just relics; they are enduring symbols of a society that placed communal identity, social harmony, and continuity above the fleeting gratification of the individual.
How do we know? Use every bit of modern tech you have at your disposal. Call your friends, the government, the navy, and the chief of police. Call your kids and your Mom. Call on the neighbours. Get on social media and legacy media. In this lifetime, let’s find one among us who could organize, without any money, a single standing stone. Yet across the globe, there are, even today, tens of thousands of stones. Still standing.
In the shadow of these stones, I cannot help but feel the weight of time and the lightness of modern human ambition.
Stonehenge reminds us that true culture is not a series of passing trends but something much larger woven from shared experiences and collective memory. The solstice gatherings, ever-present, marked by ritual and reverence, fostered a sense of belonging and a connection to the past and future. This stands in stark contrast to the atomized existence many of us lead today, where the pursuit of personal satisfaction often eclipses the quest for communal harmony.
In the light of the solstice, as we stand on the precipice of summer, we might reflect on what Stonehenge represents. It calls us to reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world, to seek beauty in the enduring rather than the ephemeral, and to rebuild the communal bonds that anchor us in a world increasingly untethered. The stones, silent yet eloquent, urge us to look beyond the transient and divisive noise of our time, to find again the profound unity that lies in prehistoric heritage, shared purpose, and common experience.
As we celebrate the summer solstice, let’s acknowledge the turning of the year and the timeless wisdom marked in the stones. In doing so, we may find a path back to a more profound and cohesive existence, one that honors our past and nurtures our future in the true spirit of human culture.