Sunday, December 20, 2015

The Sun on the Stone




It is just before dawn. Around you is complete darkness, far darker than the pre-dawn glow in the world outside, for you are deep inside the underground chamber of the Irish megalithic monument known as New Grange. This particular dawn is special, because it is the dawn of the midwinter solstice on the twenty-first of December, and what is about to happen is also special.

Outside the winter sun starts to rise, and as it does a single shaft of light penetrates the long entrance corridor and begins to pierce the darkness around you. The shaft of light grows ever brighter as the sun rises, until it strikes the wall of stone behind you, illuminating the chamber, and just missing the design of a triple spiral carved into the rear wall. Then just a few moments later the phenomenon begins to fade as the sun climbs higher, and its rays can no longer penetrate the length of the straight corridor. In another few minutes you are once more surrounded by the impenetrable darkness, and all is as it was before.


The event you have just witnessed could have been seen by someone – weather permitting – on this particular midwinter dawn of any year during the last five thousand years, for that is how long this monument has existed. But there is a difference: five thousand years ago, the shaft of light which you have just seen would have struck the triple spiral in its exact centre. That it no longer does so is due to our Earth’s drift in its orbit. The planning of the original builders of New Grange was immaculate.


These ancient monuments speak to us of the sophistication of their builders, our ancestors. But even more than this, they speak of a time when the earth itself was a place of magical ceremony. New Grange has the form of a womb, with the long entrance corridor forming the birth canal. We cannot know the exact nature of the ceremonies which would have been held here and at other such sites, but that they were concerned with the fertile well-being of the earth is clear enough. Father Sun penetrates the womb of Mother Earth, and the months towards the bursting forth of new life in the spring can be counted down.


The infant Child, we are told in scripture, was born in a stable. It is an idea which now has become so fixed and familiar that it takes an effort to think of things happening in any other way. But they did. The word ‘stable’ is a misunderstanding of the original Greek texts. What was mistranslated as ‘stable’ is actually a word more akin to ‘cave’. 
The Child as well emerged from these mysterious realms of nurturing darkness, and a mother gave birth to the Son.


All the opposing energies – light and darkness, male and female, day and night – must be tended carefully and kept in balance with each other for things to develop and prosper, and for events to unfold as they should. And the dark earth might keep her secrets, but on special occasions the light will reach into the depths and illuminate the mysterious patterns lying at the heart of the beginnings of us all.









10 comments:

  1. Thank you for this timely reminder of all things eternal.

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    1. Marilyn, thank you for visiting me here and for your appreciation.

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  2. Wonderful! I visited NewGrange and it is something I will never forget, blessings Hettienne

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    1. How fortunate you are to have visited New Grange, Hettienne... and I am sure that it must have made a memorable impression upon you. My blessings to you also.

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  3. Thank you dear sister, you touched an ancient memory within me from my Home World, one that I have puzzled over since I was 12.... big hugs..

    It is weird how long we have to wait for Christianity to catch up, to the birthing times of many many gods and goddessess.. to our family of Light Consciousness... as I went searching I found other people mentioning a one and only sun there too... however one need only look across the night sky to see we are a Family..

    Dancing in the light of shortest day of the year.. making love, one could say, so we can give birth to Spring! What a way to Dance!

    Love you... thank you for your touch upon this memory sacred...

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    1. SiStar, I love your thoughts here. I rather think that Christianity is still catching up to embracing the idea of the Goddess and of all these connecting things. Perhaps it might one day or perhaps it simply will be overtaken by the re-emergence of these new visions of awareness. In the mean time we will keep on dancing and celebrate what we know to be so.

      Love you too.. blessings ♥♥♥

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  4. Thank you for this wonderful blog post on New Grange. There is something incredibly sacred and eternal when we are aligned with the movements of the universe. The ancient Irish monument to the Winter Solstice is a testament to this. The light could only enter the dark cave and shine light on the sacred tri-spiral symbol only on this day. You have wonderfully explored the many layers of meaning of this monument. The tunnel and dark cave can represent the womb of Mother Earth, the material universe, and the light, the spark of divine life from the sun, Father Sun, and together both Spirit and Form are created. The Winter Solstice may be the shortest day (daylight) but it is a symbol of both death and resurrection when the light is at its lowest ebb, but it is from here that the light principle starts increase. For every death there is a re-birth. Thank you once again for this wonderful post dear Emma!

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    1. Thank you, Joseph, for your perceptive comment. I think that you have picked out the key word here, the word of alignment. Not just in the way in which these ancient monuments are built, but also in the way in which they remind us to align ourselves. If we do indeed align ourselves with this larger universe, then doors open to us and we glimpse both these connecting patterns and the one source to which they all lead.

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  5. Hi Emma! So sacred, magical and deeply beautiful! I always feel an affinity and connect with all you share..and always so beautifully written. I have always loved the New Grange...can almost feel my fingers run across the patterns..magical! Thanks for always shining out your gifts to the world!
    Blessings and Magic to you in 2016!
    Victoria

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    1. Dear Victoria, thank you for visiting me again. I am so pleased that you also feel so connected to the spirit of New Grange. I too feel that I trace out these magical patterns with my fingertips, even if only in thought. Such patterns seem to have a power which invites us to do this.

      Much blessings to you and your loved ones for the coming year! May we continue to inspire one another! ♥

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