Earth Week - Huly Hill

In our preperation for Samhuinn we have begun our week of exploring the element of Earth. We were taken out to a stone circle just outside of Edinburgh. It was bordered by industrial parks, main roads, motorway and those famous golden arches of MacDonalds. It also lays under the flight path of incoming planes to the airport. Yet despite this, once inside the circle it seemed oddly calm and the traffic just dulled to a gentle hum, the planes even were kind enough to stop during our meditation. We picked berries, we made seed bombs, we got our hands dirty and we ate some nice food. I also got in touch with earth on the hour long walk to the pick up point due to Sunday buses being next to useless.

Stone circles fascinate me. Huge stones were cut, carried and erected using the most basic of materials. I always wonder how far the people creating them must have moved those stones, what the conditions must have been like. I also wonder why they were built. What was so important about the area that the local people took on such a monumental task, was it a sacred space, were ceromonies conducted there, were they to honour the dead?

This particular stone circle consisted of 12 stones until the late 18th century though now only three remain. In the centre (though not central) is a burial mound.

I had a nice stroll back home along the canal after being dropped off in town, I;m now exhuasted but happy from a lovely day.