Standing Stones, Sitting Sheep

It was a periwinkle day.  Rolling green hills of the ‘sheep may safely graze’ variety.  Teal shadows beneath the trees, under a Botticelli sky. 

Have plans for summer solstice, so rather than the long walk to the next village, today I visited a standing stone circle I’d never been to before: Aikey Brae.

It crowns a deeply peaceful landscape, overlooking the Abbey of Deer.  Both, places of sacred worship for millennia.  Wild flowers thronged the path, a red admiral, broom and bees.  As if we were pilgrims, gathering together.  Chose the wrong gate for the circle at first.  Cawed back, by the crow that watches, the crow that leads.

Crow flew alongside, settling in the sentinel beech tree, by the circle gate.

I stepped through. 

The thrill as the tops of the standing stones appeared on the horizon.  Walked around the outside, full circle, taking photos, taking it in.  Then sat inside, pondering the people who raised it, knew it, danced, chanted.  Tiny white flowers flock the bases of the stones, memory of those worshipers.  Sentinel beech shimmering a song in the breeze.  High priestess foxgloves, purple and white, heat of the sun, skylarks, innumerable shades of green, a copse of trees on the opposite hill, another on the hill behind. 

Scent of pine-pulsed-air. 

Millenia of magic.

Bliss of the sweetest of days. 

Sketched for a while.  Walked the longer path, stopped to picnic near the dark pines.  I could see the huge ancient trees in the Abbey grounds.  The circle walk is small, a pilgrimagette really, musical with birdsong, warblers and woodpigeons, sparkle-spotted with pure white quartz.  Well-contented sheep sitting in the sunshine.  Found a black feather, brought it home.

As for those pricks at Stonehenge today, I would not have their karma for all the Druids in Wiltshire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikey_Brae_stone_circle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_Abbey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeFqHXdXQyw

Credit: JS Bach 'Sheep May Safely Graze'

Images for this journal have been posted on Insta @purplehaze_journals