What follows is the result of a number of visits to Stonehenge. These experiences were later combined and published in the form of imaginary letters which record the gist of what was seen and heard. The letters are supposedly written on a midsummer day some thousands of years ago:
Then came the sound of horns, and the white-robed priests came among us, marshalling us into ranks. Let me explain that Stonehenge is built with an inner group of pairs of great upright stones, topped with stone cross-pieces. Standing beside the upright stones are smaller ‘blue' stones from Wales. This inner shrine is not a true circle, but open at one end towards the sunrise. At the closed end is the rose-coloured altar stone. Around the ‘ring' is, first, a complete circle of ‘blue' stones and then another of upright stones with stone cross-pieces, enclosing the temple. Beyond this another outermost circle, this time of wooden uprights.
Try to picture yourself standing behind the altar stone, looking directly to where the sun will presently rise. On either side of you and behind you loom up the great trilithons, twenty or more feet high, with their attendant ‘blue' stones close beside them. Nothing obscures your view. You can look directly through the outer circles, then out through the wooden uprights of the outermost circle, and what do you see? You see a straight grass track marked on either side by a trench and upright stones, reaching out seemingly to the horizon (actually the distance is nothing like so great). This track marked by its rows of stones and its trenches is of primary importance – for this is called the Trackway of the Sun, and down it comes the light of the risen sun to bless the earth and all those dwelling thereon. In the middle of the Trackway, a little beyond the stone circles, is a stone on which stands a high priest to direct the ceremonies.
Invoking the Light
Now to try to tell you how it all happened. I have told how the priests came among us with their horns to marshal us. The horns set my blood tingling to their thrilling note, but all the people were very orderly and quiet, for many had been before to the ceremony at midsummer dawn, and were already awed and prayerful. The crowd was divided; half of us were led along one side of the Trackway of the Sun out to its end, where the ground dipped. The other half, men, women, and even children, were led out along the opposite side of the Trackway. None trod the Trackway itself on the outer journey. Immediately opposite us, over the horizon, we knew the sun would presently rise. Already we could feel its magnetic power drawing us, filling us as we all stood facing the sun. All was profoundly silent. Then the horns spoke again, not in command, but invoking the sun, praying for its beneficence. We knew what we must do then. We must absorb, fill ourselves, literally breathe in the power and light of that yet unrisen sun.
For human breath is magical. The priests heal with their breath; with breath expelled as sound they can raise great weights or raze a building to the ground. We ordinary men and women on this night of nights were shown how to practise this magic. Of what we were told, I can say little; but we breathed in the sun's power and might. We filled ourselves with the sun's breath - for the sun also breathes; and having done so, we turned and paced slowly back in procession towards the temple, down the Trackway of the Sun, breathing out the sun's light upon the Trackway.
Yes, pure light! Our breath was now in sync with the power of light from the sun, and it was breathed out in a song of power, for as we marched we sang. Our chant was controlled and led by the horns and by the choir of the priests, so that it followed one dominant pattern of song throughout, repeating and repeating itself, commencing deep down then rising, rising, rising to a great cry of triumphant joy; and by this cry we gave out, gave back all that we had received from the sun.
Wading through Light
And this not once, but continuing through the night! Having marched down the Trackway, when we reached the temple one half of us swung right to encircle the stone outer circle. The other half swung left to perambulate the circle of wood. Thus in two orderly circles, each turning against the other, we paced around Stonehenge, afterwards returning to the end of the Trackway to re-enact the ritual, over and over again as the hours passed. Personally, I knew no weariness. Even now I feel fresh and joyful. But I soon learned the reason why the Trackway of the Sun was so called; for as we paced down it I saw the Trackway itself and the air above it were becoming luminous with an aura of light. I looked down and saw that my feet were walking through pools of light, and indeed that all were wading through a luminous ether which clung, so that we ourselves became dimly luminous; and more, that in some way we were conveying that light down the length of the Trackway to the temple, which in turn was becoming luminous.
Not until then did I realise that we ourselves had become so raised in spirit that we could see things previously invisible to our mortal eyes; and that the purpose of this night of marching and chanting was to set our spirit free, so that we might see in this fashion.
For now I saw Stonehenge revealed in its glory, the stones themselves illumined as from within. I saw the light pulsing through every stone. Each of the grey weathered uprights emitted a dull golden light, the ‘blue' stones a blue radiance which shone afar, the altar stone shone a deep rose. As the blood flows through the veins of the human body so the currents of light flowed through these stones. This was so wonderful that for a time I ceased to sing and could only watch. Then more wonders unfolded, for at last I saw the reason why these ‘blue' stones had been brought from those faraway fairy-ridden mountains. For the stones had power to induce, to draw hither the fairies. I saw them come, I saw the little people declare themselves, made visible to man. They walked, they played, they danced among the assembled animals lighter than any thistledown, graceful as embodied air itself. These were the flower-fairies, and they brought with them the scent of flowers. They were coloured as the flowers, scented also, but more bright, more sweetly.
There came more of the little people, some rising out of the earth itself; and others were dwarf men and gnomes which I noticed kept close to the stones and could walk through them as you or I walk through water. Stone was their habitat, I knew. These were the souls of the stones - souls which the priests had a magical power to command. Also I saw the sylphs fleeting through the darkness of the summer night.
But now the night was giving way to dawn, although the sun's rim did not yet show over the edge of the earth. Now the Trackway of the Sun glowed breast high, shoulder high, head high, with its own light. We waded through light, we breathed it in, it irradiated us. Stonehenge itself became a great temple of light, a temple roofed with light. Now we saw all things clearly. It seemed to me that I saw God and man revealed, and God's purpose with man made clear; but no words of mine can ever clothe this vision of the heart and soul.
The angels appear
Now we saw the white-clad priests gather round the closed end of the inner temple. Three stood on the rose-coloured altar stone itself. Before that stone, twenty feet away, untouched by anyone throughout the whole ceremony was a heap of brushwood as high as a man, with sticks as thick as a man's finger, and butts as thick as his wrist or forearm, and all very dry.
All this while I watched for the coming of the angels which herald the dawn. They came very quietly, very gently taking shape. At first I saw four dim forms outlined against the greying sky, yet mighty forms for all that. They stood on the outer rim of trilithons, one at the north, one at the west, one at the south, one against the glowing sky to the east, as high as the stones themselves. They stood immobile and with wings folded; and the sight was hailed with a gasp of wonder from the people, while over the rim of the world the edge of the sun appeared in an unclouded sky.
At this supreme moment we saw the light sweep up from the sun, wave upon wave, light irradiating light across a sky glowing with gold and rose, across the wide earth. Now we saw the angelic forms more clearly as they took shape against the sky and the people began to break ranks. Unbidden, they clustered around the trilithons at the closed end of the horseshoe, behind and at the very sides of the altar stone. I stood away to the east between the sun and the temple so that I could see the angels.
Not fifty yards away I saw the Angel of the East begin to glow. Those of the West, the North, and the South retained something of the silver-grey of the night from which they had come forth. But the Angel of the East waxed mightier than they. They were spirits of the earth, he of the sun; and as I watched I saw him becoming clothed and glowing with the sun. By now the lower edge of the sun was just over the horizon, and then I saw the Angel extend his wings until they seemed to enwrap the golden heavens. I saw his form glow ever brighter so that I shaded my eyes and bowed my head; and then...
The blessing
No one touched that heap of brushwood - no one went near it. I saw the priests on the altar stone extend their arms in invocation, and at that moment a pillar of white flame rose straight into the air; entirely smokeless, soundless as a prayer it soared straight up, burnt silently and splendidly for a space; then sank into the earth. Yes, literally it sank into the earth. (I visited the spot afterwards – there were no ashes, no burning of the grass. It was a miracle!)
I stood there weeping like a child. All around me men and women wept or clung together. Some lay down to kiss the earth which had become so blessed. None of us doubted that the Lord of the Sun had come down to earth to kindle that soaring flame, which had presently sunk into the earth to bless and to enkindle her. We knew, as did all the birds and beasts of the earth, that we had been greatly endowed. They knew, those women who were with child or who would conceive this year, that they were blessed and their unborn children were blessed. We knew that our harvests would be rich and plentiful. Our hearts overflowed with thankfulness; with tears of thankfulness we blessed the earth. And as we went about and walked in the blest daylight of that blest day, strangers went up to each other, grasped hands, embraced or kissed because love was so quick and powerful in their hearts.
From The Light in Britain, copyright 1971 by Grace and Ivan Cooke, published in the UK by The White Eagle Publishing Trust.
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Inspirational features 
