Solstice sacred fire ceremony to support High Court challenge against Stonehenge destruction
A sacred fire will be lit at Stonehenge on the eve of the Summer Solstice in support of a forthcoming legal challenge against the destruction of the UNESCO World Heritage site by proposed new road works.
The lighting of the sacred flame will take place at 9pm on Sunday 20 June at the Stonehenge Heritage Action camp, less than a mile from the stones themselves. During the ceremony, the spirits of the land and of the ancestors will be called in and asked for help to sway the judicial review, which is scheduled to take place from 23 to 25 June at the High Court in London, in favour of protecting the sacred landscape.
The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site group, an umbrella body for other organisations including Friends of the Earth, is challenging transport secretary Grant Shapps’s decision to approve a £1.7 billion road scheme. The aim of the scheme is to create a new section of dual carriageway between Amesbury and Winterbourne Stoke in Wiltshire, including a 1.8 mile-long tunnel underneath Stonehenge itself, destroying the local wildlife, half a million ancient artifacts and many sacred sites in the process.
The sacred fire will be kept alight until the High Court makes its decision over whether Schapps’ approval was legal in order to ensure the prayers of those who love and wish to safeguard Stonehenge are sent continuously, ultimately resulting in the plans being scrapped. A candle will be lit from the sacred flame and transported to a group sitting in vigil outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
Join us in person for the sacred actions: At the ceremony to light the fire at sunset on 20 June, watching the Solstice sunrise on 21 June, participating in sacred drumming around the fire with Heron Drums at 7pm on 22 June, and joining the Full Moon ceremony at Sun Barrow on 24 June.
The sacred fire will be kept alight for the whole week, so join us to give it your offerings and your prayers. Join us in London in vigil at the Royal Courts of Justice from 23-25 June.
Should you be unable to attend in person, join us online on our Facebook page, where all of these events will be live-streamed too.