i grew up in Portsmouth, NH. and was educated in the public school system. for me, attending school field trips entailed visits to historical New England sites; Strawberry Banke, The John Paul Jones House, Salem Witch Museum among others. on rare occasions we would visit an amusement park such as Canobie Lake Park (usually occurring towards the end of the school year as to be deemed a "reward"). so it was to my surprise when i learned of America's Stonehenge in Salem, NH. a mere 45 miles away from my hometown and minutes away from the above mentioned amusement park. a few years ago when someone had the audacity to remake one of my favorite films, The Wicker Man (1973) i was inspired to look into the pagan ritual of the seasonal solstice. i soon learned of the mysterious stone formations that compile the calendrical site that, somehow, my childhood educational trips overlooked.
opening to the public in 1958 as Mystery Hill, America's Stonge is believed to be over 4000 years old. spanning over thirty acres, the site is an organized system of chambers, drains, basins, enclosures, table-like structures and standing stones, some weighing up to 11 tons. there are supposedly over 350 other megalithic sites in New England ranging from single chambers to other astronomically aligned sites. more information can be found at the New England Antiquities Research Association. America's Stonehenge is still under continuous research and radio carbon dating of matter taken from the site suggests that Phoenicians, Celts and possibly others settled here long before Christopher Columbus made his "discovery". i also learned that solstice rituals are still performed at America's Stonehenge.
a small recruited team of friends made the pilgrimage from New York City aided by a GPS device. being a privately owned site of outdated rituals, America's Stonehenge, like any other historic landmark, must consider any financial opportunity to help supplement their income. so after we paid the very reasonable admission fee, we tried not to let the new agey crystal selling gift shop and caged alpacas taint our expectations of what we were about to experience. however, in the gift shop/ visitors center they screen an episode of the television series In Search Of (1976 - 1982), hosted by Leonard Nemoy that features America's Stonehenge. (although i do not recall this particular episode from my childhood - i was an devoted watcher - i am convinced that In Search Of... is one of the reasons i have started this collection of documented accounts). they also sell a variety of of hokey memorabilia such as dream catchers, candles and crystals, but they also have a nice selection of books about New England ghost stories and folklore.
Summer Solstice is a turning point, marking the longest day in the year when the sun has reached its highest point in the sky before it begins the journey to the south. in ancient times it allowed for more hours to be spent working in the fields and was thought to be the moment when vegetation was at its peak. water, flowers and herbs play key characters in various rituals that honor this time. for the past several years the rituals held at America's Stonehenge have been led by Katja Esser, a visual and performing artist from The Netherlands. the events are highly participatory requesting that all attendees bring flowers as offerings and decoration for the altar, and to dress in festive attire.
dosing ourselves with insect repellent (thoughtfully provided by the folks at America's Stonhenge) we were led in procession by "gatekeepers" up a winding, rocky path through the center of the astronomical circle to the ritual site. at various points known as "shrines" we were greeted by "shrine keepers" donning fairy wings, flowered head-dresses, feathers and bells, each conveying messages that expressed various points of the ritual: the significance of water (its refreshing properties during the hot summer months; its necessity for fruitful crops, etc..), the remembrance of past gifts and the renewal of energies from the sun.
we gathered around a flower shaped altar located at the sunrise stone where we would soon place our own offerings. led through a series of chants, dances and meditations by Katja and her assistants we participated as an entire group and also as gender divided sections. the summer solstice is also a moment recognized for the honoring of the Sun King by the Earth Godess, hence the gender division. in general, the ritual honors the sun and the earth and is geared towards restoring our relationship with ourselves, the earth, spirit and community. it brings together people with different views and backgrounds who are all affected by the sun’s position in the sky, whether we realize it or not.
the ritual ended in a frenzied dance circle around the altar by anyone who felt inclined to join in on the renewal of energy. an additional element of the ritual is the sharing of food, currently represented as a potluck. but we opted to search for the more refined dinning alternative of a seafood restaurant; it being New England after all. and although we departed for a while, we did return to witness the breathtaking sunset behind the Summer Solstice Sunset Monolith. this was perhaps the most "spiritual" or "mystical" event of the day. the glow of the sunset down the ancient clearing of trees in this woodened area was magnificent.
I smoked a blunt there, about 15 years ago.
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