Stonehenge: A place of awe, a source of inspiration

Dating to the Late Neolithic Period, the giant rocks of Stonehenge rise above the Salisbury Plain in England.


What's so special about Stonehenge?  Yes, its mammoth stones dominate the open Salisbury Plain in England, but sitting stolidly quiet like that, aren't they rather boring?  While the starkness of the area would probably have been mitigated by the woods that surrounded the area when Stonehenge was in use, neither the stones nor the way they are arranged can likely compare to the majesty or beauty of rocks as we see them in mountains or elsewhere in nature.  Moreover, as a remnant of prehistoric times, they seem incomprehensible and not very relevant to life in the twenty-first century.  As a friend recently asked me, "Is there anything worth seeing at Stonehenge?"

But then the facts that archeologists and other scientists over the years have teased out of Stonehenge begin to speak to me.  Activity at the site, which was in use for 1,500 years, began over 8,000 years ago with the digging of postholes, probably to accommodate pine posts.  Later peoples added ditches and banks.  Stones at Stonehenge began to be used around 2600 BCE and came from miles away.  The Bluestones, 18 of which survive, have been linked to the prehistoric human's search for healing and weigh as much as four tons.  The Sarsen stones that are used in the Sarsen Circle average 18 feet tall and 25 tons. The Circle is aligned with the midsummer sunrise, the midwinter sunset, and the most southerly rising and northerly setting of the moon.  It provided these early humans with a calendar to help them exert some control over their environment and their lives.  In addition, Stonehenge, like a magnificent Medieval cathedral, was a place for them to reflect on the mysteries of the universe and how they fit into it.  Over the years, Stonehenge appears to have been used for both practical and spiritual purposes.

I begin to feel wonder and appreciation of the Stonehenge builders. How could they move these megaliths from so far away?  How could they erect them into anything meaningful? While they used prehistoric tools and methods, their minds were like ours, for to construct such an enduring place, the Stonehenge builders had to understand mathematics and geometry.

It took millions of manhours to construct Stonehenge.

In undertaking such an immense task in the face of apparent impossibility, the prehistoric peoples who built Stonehenge send a message to us: The seeming impossible may be possible.  Together channeling our intellect, passion, and perseverance to a task that is seemingly unattainable, we could create something that endures, something that speaks to the future.  We could defy impossibility.  We could conquer poverty and enrich the meaning of the universe.

Stonehenge tells us of our early selves, but it also suggests who we can be.

My daughter Pam lets me take her picture at Stonehenge.

Pam and I traveled to Britain from August 28-September 7, 2008.  We encountered quite a bit of rain and visited sites in England, Scotland, and Wales.