Solstice Story

So I  cycled to Avebury for the summer solstice again this year, having driven the last few times, now having realised that it's best to get there in the afternoon of the day before the longest day.  So arriving on the outskirts of Avebury itself, the village coming into view in the distance I happened upon a couple of people hiking with rucksacks, I thought for a moment that I recognised the guy in front.  Still thinking I did, I said hi only to hear a "is that Jon?" from the person behind, a friend too from the past.  So we journeyed to the stones and the pub together and it felt right that way.

The magical coincidences and the feeling I get when I walk into the village, the smile that comes onto my face each year, retracing my steps over the past several years, this time on the bike I was able to see the places I have cycled past before, see what has changed, see 'Gods Country' the campsite that my friend and I created in the past on the fly on the side of the trail so that we could hike in the rest.

Sitting at a bench outside the pub having stashed my bicycle where the others were, I met a man called Robert and it transpired that we had both walked the way of Saint James, in fact Robert had walked several of the different ways, the Portuguese way, the English way, The Camino Primitivo, all sorts of stories coming out and a wonderful chance to share some insights gained, what a guy.

So in the end after some food and a couple of pints, I made my way over to the stone circle as it was getting darker and I wanted to see who I might recognise of the people congregating over there.  The drummers start up as darkness arrives, so I wandered around a bit lost to be honest, as I'm on my own.  In the end I found some people with their own drums, bongos etc, and it's nice to be able to borrow one for a play, to get into the spirit, to lose yourself in making music and I did that for hours.

Also a friend from the psytrance world was there when I had been for a walk around and come back, so it was lovely to see him again as I've been out of the loop for months, not seen many of my aquaintances since last year.  As the night wore on it became a waiting game for the sun to arrive and it does to cheers as the first glimmer of sunlight actually rises up above the horizon.  Lots of other people I knew were arriving as this time approached, lots of hugs and how dya do's and reunions.

Hung out with different groups, trips to refill water bottle, to use the facilities, wandering around the chalk banks, to finally come back around to the pub again, my bike is locked up behind a fence for quite a while, probably just as well because I haven't slept so I rest as much as I can at times.

I had some wonderful feelings and some very cathartic tears at times too, vibrations felt in my hands and in my body, working through, a knot in my stomach released, experiences similar to ones I have had before where I see the world more clearly, a feeling as though good and evil are imposters, two sides of the same coin, that love conquers all, is a higher vibration, the only surviving sound, the song of love heard across the ages.  I feel like a god, or a son of a god, a son to a goddess, as though this place aches like the world does for change, for healing to take place, for us to be gone or to grow up.

A circle of people and some gongs are setup, they hold hands and say prayers, and the gongs send out a sound wash around, I sit and then lay down on the outskirts of the circle, and nearly fall asleep, only rising when it's all over, the stones are moving, the colours are amazing, the moss on them, they are alive, the leaves of the trees are shaking, in a cosmic wind, morphing and moving, colours changing.

I water a load of dogs whenever I see one, offering them a drink from my hand they seem thirsty.

Finally I have no money left, I should make my way home, to a family bbq, to eat to live, I cycle home, on the small bottle of water I filled up from the village, in one go with a little rest twice.

25 miles there, 25 miles back again and my bottom is hurting, my legs sore and tight, my head swimming, I love everyone, felt like a part of everything, what a day and a half I've had again.