Defending the Sacred: Stonehenge Activists Unite for Appeal Hearing

Stonehenge campaigners made an offering to the land on Monday (15 July) to ask for help in saving the sacred landscape around the stones from destruction by a controversial tunnel scheme.

This cycle of ceremony was held in support of the significant hearing at the High Court, where Save Stonehenge WHS presented their appeal against the road scheme. Members of Sacred Earth Activism (SEA) joined this event in ceremony, highlighting the deeply felt spiritual dimensions of this cause.

The ceremonies began on the eve of the High Court hearing with SEA’s international community participating in an online prayer ceremony facilitated by SEA co-founder Christa Mackinnon. During this gathering, a prayer staff adorned with biodegradable ribbons representing everyone's prayers for Stonehenge's protection was created and then brought to London for the next stage of the journey.

At the Royal Courts of Justice, a ceremony was conducted outside the courthouse, led by shamanic practitioner and SEA member Kate Dineen, with an offering of native hedge plants and flowers, and waters from the ancient spring of Blick Mead. The ceremony extended into the archways of the courthouse, where Jonathan Weekes, co-founder of Sacred Earth Activism, led a song by Carolyn Hillyer, combining verses in modern English and Proto-Celtic.

Dineen said: “We called upon the nature beings and ancestors to help us protect Stonehenge for generations to come. Making a physical offering is important as it not only connects everyone energetically but also creates a visual focus both for those attending and for others around the world to connect to.”

Jonathan Weekes emphasised the significance of the event: “While this appeal hearing is obviously a legal matter, the future of this sacred landscape is a powerfully spiritual one. People all around the world care about Stonehenge: it is a World Heritage Site, and people have always traveled from far and wide to see it. This is why it was important for us be here: to connect with those prayers from our global community and ground those in ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice, calling on that love and strength in support of protecting this sacred landscape.”

Following the courthouse ceremony, participants processed with Stonehenge Alliance, to hand in a petition to the Department of Transport on Horseferry Road. This petition, with nearly 240,000 signatories from 147 countries, urged the government to reject a project that would “scar almost half the width of the UNESCO World Heritage Site” at a projected cost of £3 billion. The move would destroy crucial archaeological evidence, permanently disfigure the landscape and could see UNESCO withdraw the site’s WHS status, the petition added.

The ceremony concluded at Parliament Square with an offering to the land, again with prayers and libations of spring water from Blick Mead.

SEA member Brian Anderson said he felt it was important for campaigners to get together physically to undertake this kind of sacred work.

“There’s a real power in coming together in this way, even if we don’t always see the results immediately,” he explained. “Our society sets us up, and conditions us, to feel powerless, but when we come together, we don’t feel so alone and it’s empowering, which means it’s way more effective.”

Another SEA member, Jo Johnson, agreed. “Technology and online can be very powerful tools if used well, but there’s no substitute for being with people. Working together in this way magnifies the power of intent and I believe the power of ritual helps bring people together and create meaning.”

This support of legal action with spiritual and ceremonial practice underscores Sacred Earth Activism's commitment to grounding our activism and campaigning in the sacred. Dineen remarked, "This is a rare moment for law, politics, archaeology, activism, and ceremony to all come together."

The appeal hearing concluded on Wednesday (17 July). Judges Lord Justice Lewis and Lord Justice Stuart-Smith will give their ruling on the matter in the coming weeks.