#summersolstice — Public Fediverse posts

The film of our summer solstice ritual in Second Life is now up on Youtube Another wonderful gathering of 60 people from around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMEcG9HfCMs

#summersolstice #pagan @pagan #gaming #ritual #witch #wheeloftheyear #secondlife @secondlife

The film of our summer solstice ritual in Second Life is now up on Youtube Another wonderful gathering of 60 people from around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMEcG9HfCMs

#summersolstice #pagan @pagan #gaming #ritual #witch #wheeloftheyear #secondlife @secondlife

grass is greener

dreaming… a random bit

** in the ending of The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenges from WordPress, here’s your Sunday Weekly Photo Prompt: travel **

medicine buddha mantra: Tayata Om Bekandze Bekandze Maha Bekandze Radza Samudgate Soha

health, wealth, and prosperity: Om Vasudhare Svaha

Rate this:

grass is greener

dreaming… a random bit

** in the ending of The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenges from WordPress, here’s your Sunday Weekly Photo Prompt: travel **

medicine buddha mantra: Tayata Om Bekandze Bekandze Maha Bekandze Radza Samudgate Soha

health, wealth, and prosperity: Om Vasudhare Svaha

Rate this:

Got round to scanning my most recent #solarigraph. A tin can #PinholeCamera strapped to a lamppost in Porty, #Edinburgh between the winter #solstice and the #SummerSolstice last week.

Might tweak the levels a bit more. But I'm pretty happy with this one - especially since the other three that I had up failed.

#photography #monochrome #Solarigraphy #solarigraphie #solargrafie #pinholephotography #pinhole

Got round to scanning my most recent #solarigraph. A tin can #PinholeCamera strapped to a lamppost in Porty, #Edinburgh between the winter #solstice and the #SummerSolstice last week.

Might tweak the levels a bit more. But I'm pretty happy with this one - especially since the other three that I had up failed.

#photography #monochrome #Solarigraphy #solarigraphie #solargrafie #pinholephotography #pinhole

An hour of live, improvised deep listening for your Wednesday from me and @alisynthesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGhxCIxMKyc

More info here: https://gregwilder.com/the-clearing/

#TheClearing #DeepListening #SlowMusic #SoundMeditation #LiveImprovisation #AmbientMusic #DroneMusic #SpatialAudio #SummerSolstice

An hour of live, improvised deep listening for your Wednesday from me and @alisynthesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGhxCIxMKyc

More info here: https://gregwilder.com/the-clearing/

#TheClearing #DeepListening #SlowMusic #SoundMeditation #LiveImprovisation #AmbientMusic #DroneMusic #SpatialAudio #SummerSolstice

An hour of live, improvised deep listening for your Wednesday from me and @alisynthesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGhxCIxMKyc

More info here: https://gregwilder.com/the-clearing/

#TheClearing #DeepListening #SlowMusic #SoundMeditation #LiveImprovisation #AmbientMusic #DroneMusic #SpatialAudio #SummerSolstice

An hour of live, improvised deep listening for your Wednesday from me and @alisynthesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGhxCIxMKyc

More info here: https://gregwilder.com/the-clearing/

#TheClearing #DeepListening #SlowMusic #SoundMeditation #LiveImprovisation #AmbientMusic #DroneMusic #SpatialAudio #SummerSolstice

An hour of live, improvised deep listening for your Wednesday from me and @alisynthesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGhxCIxMKyc

More info here: https://gregwilder.com/the-clearing/

#TheClearing #DeepListening #SlowMusic #SoundMeditation #LiveImprovisation #AmbientMusic #DroneMusic #SpatialAudio #SummerSolstice

Bonfires, Maypoles and a saint’s day: How Europe celebrates the longest day of the year

(The Conversation) — Whether cities or villages, many communities across Europe spend the day and night of June…
#Europe #EU #Christian #JohntheBaptist #June24 #luck #Midsummer #pagan #summersolstice
https://www.europesays.com/europe/77434/

Our Beautiful Summer Porch during Yucca Blooming Season. #pennsylvaniagarden #garden #gardening #porch #porchsitting #porchlife #summer #yucca #yuccas #gazingball #dogwoodtree #rocker #rockers #solstice #summersolstice #red #bloom #blooms #blooming #fecund #festive #holiday

Our Beautiful Summer Porch during Yucca Blooming Season. #pennsylvaniagarden #garden #gardening #porch #porchsitting #porchlife #summer #yucca #yuccas #gazingball #dogwoodtree #rocker #rockers #solstice #summersolstice #red #bloom #blooms #blooming #fecund #festive #holiday

25 years ago, I interviewed #ChiefLookingHorse about World Peace and Prayer Day, and was inspired to organize a solidarity event in #PortlandME (in conjunction with #PeaceActionMaine) where we made art, spoke truth, played music, and fed the #Unhoused. It took a lot of work to organize, but I'm glad it happened. It's was all about #BuildingCommunity and #MutualAid, and that's what's needed #InTheseTimes!

#WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay: The Power of Spirit

Article by @bsnorrell.blogspot.com , Censored News, noon, June 21, 2026

#MathóPahá (Bear Butte) South Dakota -- "Chief #ArvolLookingHorse, Chief began by saying the riders are coming from Green Grass and then they will proceed to the Little Big Horn.

" '#MotherEarth is sick, and we are sick, because we nourish from Mother Earth' Chief Looking Horse said.

"With a message of hope, Chief Looking Horse said his people are a people of peace and today, more than ever, the youths are singing their songs and on the ride from Green Grass.

"As World Peace and Prayer Day began, now in its thirtieth year, Chief Looking Horse said, 'Pipestone is the Blood of our People,'

"We need peace in this world more than ever."

"As World Peace and Prayer Day begins today, an elder from #Alaska speaks on the impact of a typhoon at #HooperBay. She spoke on the power of prayer, and efforts to recover. 'Their homes are totally destroyed.' Now, the federal government is depriving them of their funds."

"#Paiute #JoshDini and youth honor #MyronDewey, Paiute, and his efforts at #StandingRock. They are sharing what is happening at #ThackerPass, the #LithiumMining in Nevada.

"On the ride, now from Green Grass in South Dakota, Josh said they are able to share what is happening in Nevada and that Thacker Pass is a place of massacres.

"#Datacenters are being pushed without consultation with the tribe. The data centers are taking the land and water, even now in a #drought, the data centers are coming for the water, Josh said.

"Dr. #ValeriahBigEagle, #Nakota / #HunkpatiDakota, speaks on the power of prayer and protection of the land and water. At Sacred #Pesla, two drill rigs were stopped from going in. An injunction, and preliminary injunction was filed to stop the drilling for graphite. Then, 'they started drilling around the clock.' On May 8, the permit was rescinded.

"There were drones and helicopters overhead, but the occupation went forward with prayer, she said. The protectors had their own drone as well, for security. Big Eagle said it was an honor to be a part of this.

" 'The only weapons we had were our prayers,' she said, describing the lock downs to equipment to halt the drilling.

" 'When we are in #solidarity and #unity, we can make things happen,' she said, speaking on ongoing efforts to protect the Sacred #BlackHills."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/06/live-now-world-peace-and-prayer-day.html

#ArvolLookingHorse #WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay #SummerSolstice #ProtectTheSacred #DefendMotherEarth #StandWithStandingRock #NoDatacenters #NoMining #RespectTheSacred #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife

25 years ago, I interviewed #ChiefLookingHorse about World Peace and Prayer Day, and was inspired to organize a solidarity event in #PortlandME (in conjunction with #PeaceActionMaine) where we made art, spoke truth, played music, and fed the #Unhoused. It took a lot of work to organize, but I'm glad it happened. It's was all about #BuildingCommunity and #MutualAid, and that's what's needed #InTheseTimes!

#WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay: The Power of Spirit

Article by @bsnorrell.blogspot.com , Censored News, noon, June 21, 2026

#MathóPahá (Bear Butte) South Dakota -- "Chief #ArvolLookingHorse, Chief began by saying the riders are coming from Green Grass and then they will proceed to the Little Big Horn.

" '#MotherEarth is sick, and we are sick, because we nourish from Mother Earth' Chief Looking Horse said.

"With a message of hope, Chief Looking Horse said his people are a people of peace and today, more than ever, the youths are singing their songs and on the ride from Green Grass.

"As World Peace and Prayer Day began, now in its thirtieth year, Chief Looking Horse said, 'Pipestone is the Blood of our People,'

"We need peace in this world more than ever."

"As World Peace and Prayer Day begins today, an elder from #Alaska speaks on the impact of a typhoon at #HooperBay. She spoke on the power of prayer, and efforts to recover. 'Their homes are totally destroyed.' Now, the federal government is depriving them of their funds."

"#Paiute #JoshDini and youth honor #MyronDewey, Paiute, and his efforts at #StandingRock. They are sharing what is happening at #ThackerPass, the #LithiumMining in Nevada.

"On the ride, now from Green Grass in South Dakota, Josh said they are able to share what is happening in Nevada and that Thacker Pass is a place of massacres.

"#Datacenters are being pushed without consultation with the tribe. The data centers are taking the land and water, even now in a #drought, the data centers are coming for the water, Josh said.

"Dr. #ValeriahBigEagle, #Nakota / #HunkpatiDakota, speaks on the power of prayer and protection of the land and water. At Sacred #Pesla, two drill rigs were stopped from going in. An injunction, and preliminary injunction was filed to stop the drilling for graphite. Then, 'they started drilling around the clock.' On May 8, the permit was rescinded.

"There were drones and helicopters overhead, but the occupation went forward with prayer, she said. The protectors had their own drone as well, for security. Big Eagle said it was an honor to be a part of this.

" 'The only weapons we had were our prayers,' she said, describing the lock downs to equipment to halt the drilling.

" 'When we are in #solidarity and #unity, we can make things happen,' she said, speaking on ongoing efforts to protect the Sacred #BlackHills."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/06/live-now-world-peace-and-prayer-day.html

#ArvolLookingHorse #WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay #SummerSolstice #ProtectTheSacred #DefendMotherEarth #StandWithStandingRock #NoDatacenters #NoMining #RespectTheSacred #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife

25 years ago, I interviewed #ChiefLookingHorse about World Peace and Prayer Day, and was inspired to organize a solidarity event in #PortlandME (in conjunction with #PeaceActionMaine) where we made art, spoke truth, played music, and fed the #Unhoused. It took a lot of work to organize, but I'm glad it happened. It's was all about #BuildingCommunity and #MutualAid, and that's what's needed #InTheseTimes!

#WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay: The Power of Spirit

Article by @bsnorrell.blogspot.com , Censored News, noon, June 21, 2026

#MathóPahá (Bear Butte) South Dakota -- "Chief #ArvolLookingHorse, Chief began by saying the riders are coming from Green Grass and then they will proceed to the Little Big Horn.

" '#MotherEarth is sick, and we are sick, because we nourish from Mother Earth' Chief Looking Horse said.

"With a message of hope, Chief Looking Horse said his people are a people of peace and today, more than ever, the youths are singing their songs and on the ride from Green Grass.

"As World Peace and Prayer Day began, now in its thirtieth year, Chief Looking Horse said, 'Pipestone is the Blood of our People,'

"We need peace in this world more than ever."

"As World Peace and Prayer Day begins today, an elder from #Alaska speaks on the impact of a typhoon at #HooperBay. She spoke on the power of prayer, and efforts to recover. 'Their homes are totally destroyed.' Now, the federal government is depriving them of their funds."

"#Paiute #JoshDini and youth honor #MyronDewey, Paiute, and his efforts at #StandingRock. They are sharing what is happening at #ThackerPass, the #LithiumMining in Nevada.

"On the ride, now from Green Grass in South Dakota, Josh said they are able to share what is happening in Nevada and that Thacker Pass is a place of massacres.

"#Datacenters are being pushed without consultation with the tribe. The data centers are taking the land and water, even now in a #drought, the data centers are coming for the water, Josh said.

"Dr. #ValeriahBigEagle, #Nakota / #HunkpatiDakota, speaks on the power of prayer and protection of the land and water. At Sacred #Pesla, two drill rigs were stopped from going in. An injunction, and preliminary injunction was filed to stop the drilling for graphite. Then, 'they started drilling around the clock.' On May 8, the permit was rescinded.

"There were drones and helicopters overhead, but the occupation went forward with prayer, she said. The protectors had their own drone as well, for security. Big Eagle said it was an honor to be a part of this.

" 'The only weapons we had were our prayers,' she said, describing the lock downs to equipment to halt the drilling.

" 'When we are in #solidarity and #unity, we can make things happen,' she said, speaking on ongoing efforts to protect the Sacred #BlackHills."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/06/live-now-world-peace-and-prayer-day.html

#ArvolLookingHorse #WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay #SummerSolstice #ProtectTheSacred #DefendMotherEarth #StandWithStandingRock #NoDatacenters #NoMining #RespectTheSacred #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife

25 years ago, I interviewed #ChiefLookingHorse about World Peace and Prayer Day, and was inspired to organize a solidarity event in #PortlandME (in conjunction with #PeaceActionMaine) where we made art, spoke truth, played music, and fed the #Unhoused. It took a lot of work to organize, but I'm glad it happened. It's was all about #BuildingCommunity and #MutualAid, and that's what's needed #InTheseTimes!

#WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay: The Power of Spirit

Article by @bsnorrell.blogspot.com , Censored News, noon, June 21, 2026

#MathóPahá (Bear Butte) South Dakota -- "Chief #ArvolLookingHorse, Chief began by saying the riders are coming from Green Grass and then they will proceed to the Little Big Horn.

" '#MotherEarth is sick, and we are sick, because we nourish from Mother Earth' Chief Looking Horse said.

"With a message of hope, Chief Looking Horse said his people are a people of peace and today, more than ever, the youths are singing their songs and on the ride from Green Grass.

"As World Peace and Prayer Day began, now in its thirtieth year, Chief Looking Horse said, 'Pipestone is the Blood of our People,'

"We need peace in this world more than ever."

"As World Peace and Prayer Day begins today, an elder from #Alaska speaks on the impact of a typhoon at #HooperBay. She spoke on the power of prayer, and efforts to recover. 'Their homes are totally destroyed.' Now, the federal government is depriving them of their funds."

"#Paiute #JoshDini and youth honor #MyronDewey, Paiute, and his efforts at #StandingRock. They are sharing what is happening at #ThackerPass, the #LithiumMining in Nevada.

"On the ride, now from Green Grass in South Dakota, Josh said they are able to share what is happening in Nevada and that Thacker Pass is a place of massacres.

"#Datacenters are being pushed without consultation with the tribe. The data centers are taking the land and water, even now in a #drought, the data centers are coming for the water, Josh said.

"Dr. #ValeriahBigEagle, #Nakota / #HunkpatiDakota, speaks on the power of prayer and protection of the land and water. At Sacred #Pesla, two drill rigs were stopped from going in. An injunction, and preliminary injunction was filed to stop the drilling for graphite. Then, 'they started drilling around the clock.' On May 8, the permit was rescinded.

"There were drones and helicopters overhead, but the occupation went forward with prayer, she said. The protectors had their own drone as well, for security. Big Eagle said it was an honor to be a part of this.

" 'The only weapons we had were our prayers,' she said, describing the lock downs to equipment to halt the drilling.

" 'When we are in #solidarity and #unity, we can make things happen,' she said, speaking on ongoing efforts to protect the Sacred #BlackHills."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/06/live-now-world-peace-and-prayer-day.html

#ArvolLookingHorse #WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay #SummerSolstice #ProtectTheSacred #DefendMotherEarth #StandWithStandingRock #NoDatacenters #NoMining #RespectTheSacred #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife

25 years ago, I interviewed #ChiefLookingHorse about World Peace and Prayer Day, and was inspired to organize a solidarity event in #PortlandME (in conjunction with #PeaceActionMaine) where we made art, spoke truth, played music, and fed the #Unhoused. It took a lot of work to organize, but I'm glad it happened. It's was all about #BuildingCommunity and #MutualAid, and that's what's needed #InTheseTimes!

#WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay: The Power of Spirit

Article by @bsnorrell.blogspot.com , Censored News, noon, June 21, 2026

#MathóPahá (Bear Butte) South Dakota -- "Chief #ArvolLookingHorse, Chief began by saying the riders are coming from Green Grass and then they will proceed to the Little Big Horn.

" '#MotherEarth is sick, and we are sick, because we nourish from Mother Earth' Chief Looking Horse said.

"With a message of hope, Chief Looking Horse said his people are a people of peace and today, more than ever, the youths are singing their songs and on the ride from Green Grass.

"As World Peace and Prayer Day began, now in its thirtieth year, Chief Looking Horse said, 'Pipestone is the Blood of our People,'

"We need peace in this world more than ever."

"As World Peace and Prayer Day begins today, an elder from #Alaska speaks on the impact of a typhoon at #HooperBay. She spoke on the power of prayer, and efforts to recover. 'Their homes are totally destroyed.' Now, the federal government is depriving them of their funds."

"#Paiute #JoshDini and youth honor #MyronDewey, Paiute, and his efforts at #StandingRock. They are sharing what is happening at #ThackerPass, the #LithiumMining in Nevada.

"On the ride, now from Green Grass in South Dakota, Josh said they are able to share what is happening in Nevada and that Thacker Pass is a place of massacres.

"#Datacenters are being pushed without consultation with the tribe. The data centers are taking the land and water, even now in a #drought, the data centers are coming for the water, Josh said.

"Dr. #ValeriahBigEagle, #Nakota / #HunkpatiDakota, speaks on the power of prayer and protection of the land and water. At Sacred #Pesla, two drill rigs were stopped from going in. An injunction, and preliminary injunction was filed to stop the drilling for graphite. Then, 'they started drilling around the clock.' On May 8, the permit was rescinded.

"There were drones and helicopters overhead, but the occupation went forward with prayer, she said. The protectors had their own drone as well, for security. Big Eagle said it was an honor to be a part of this.

" 'The only weapons we had were our prayers,' she said, describing the lock downs to equipment to halt the drilling.

" 'When we are in #solidarity and #unity, we can make things happen,' she said, speaking on ongoing efforts to protect the Sacred #BlackHills."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/06/live-now-world-peace-and-prayer-day.html

#ArvolLookingHorse #WorldPeaceAndPrayerDay #SummerSolstice #ProtectTheSacred #DefendMotherEarth #StandWithStandingRock #NoDatacenters #NoMining #RespectTheSacred #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife

Solstice, Book Group, and Sweet Treats

First, Happy Solstice! James decided it was a good burger holiday and whipped up some lentil-beet-seitan burgers with sautéed onions, mushrooms, radish from the garden, arugula from the garden, and a tasty vegan ranch dressing sandwiched on whole wheat multigrain sourdough bread that I made. A delicious way to celebrate summer!

Second, Happy Father’s Day to fathers and father-figures!

Book Group

One of the things that has grown out of all the community and neighborhood stuff post Operation Metro Surge is a neighborhood social justice book group. We had our second meeting yesterday on Saturday at a nearby park because the weather was so fine. 

Because we are all busy people, the group organizers decided that we would give ourselves two months and two meetings to discuss the book. That way at the first meeting you don’t have to be finished with the book, just far enough along to discuss some salient points. It kind of drags things out, but also I completely understand the reasoning and I am just fine with it.

The first meeting in May had an attendance of about 17 people. Yesterday there were only six of us with a number of folks out of town or having to deal with last minute emergencies of one sort or another.

I have not been involved with a book group in years, but a social justice book group, one in which we read pretty much all nonfiction, lends itself to a broader discussion beyond, “did you like the book?” That is a nice thing. But it turns out there are still people who have not read the book and yet manage to nearly monopolize the entire conversation. This happened yesterday when a person who just found out about the group Thursday turned up without even knowing what the book we were set to discuss was. 

The book, One Day Everyone Will Have been Against This by Omar El Akkad, is about the Palestinian genocide and an indictment of the press, writers, and liberals who always have room on their lawns for signs but when it comes down to brass tacks have zero commitment to making any sort of change or even bearing witness to atrocity (too depressing and upsetting!). It is a very good book I read last fall and then skimmed through to refresh my memory. I highly recommend it. I really want to read his novel, American War. Has anyone read it?

So new clueless person joins the group and any time someone says something specific about the book, they start talking, veering off on tangents not related to the book, but to personal thoughts and experiences that were sparked by what someone said about the book. And they talked. And talked. And talked. People were clearly frustrated. I, or someone else, would try and bring the conversation back to the book, and then this person would once again launch the conversation away from the book. So frustrating!

Our book next month is Seize the Time by Bobby Seale about the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. It will be interesting to see what happens with this person next month. The book is sadly out of print so extra grateful for libraries! And also, I just discovered the Internet Archive has the book available to borrow.

The best thing about the meeting was sitting outside on a beautiful morning connecting with neighbors. And also, there were some baby sparrows practicing flying near our picnic table. One of them landed in the basket on the back of James’s bike. Another landed on my shoulder! The parents were frantically trying to keep track of the youngsters and keep them safe. They kept flitting around, calling to the kids, and trying to keep them sort of contained and not succeeding, which raised the pitch of their calls. I’m sure parents everywhere can relate!

Food

James asked me to take the weekend off from sourdough bread baking because we still have most of a loaf of multigrain whole wheat in the freezer. So the magnificent food making goes to James this week with some delicious sweet treats.

Cinnamon rolls:

And for our Beloved Community Circle gathering Friday night, a rhubarb crisp made with fresh picked rhubarb from the garden:

I was off Friday for Juneteenth and we took the opportunity to go grocery shopping. The place we shop has a large serviceberry tree that was covered in ripe and ripening berries and no one eating them except the birds. So we helped ourselves to some and James put them in our Sunday morning sourdough discard waffles. Soo delicious! There is a serviceberry in the garden but it is too small yet to fruit. I look forward to the day when it does so we can enjoy more than one morning’s waffles’ worth.

After our book group meeting Saturday we biked over to a nearby mulberry tree and picked some ripe mulberries. Those will go in our morning porridge Monday or Tuesday. There is a mulberry tree in the garden, but it is still too small to fruit. It has grown to shoulder height, so maybe in a year or two there will be some fruit.

I am on vacation all of this coming week and look forward to spending the entirety of every morning in the garden. I’m sure I will have stories and photos to share.

Solstice, Book Group, and Sweet Treats

First, Happy Solstice! James decided it was a good burger holiday and whipped up some lentil-beet-seitan burgers with sautéed onions, mushrooms, radish from the garden, arugula from the garden, and a tasty vegan ranch dressing sandwiched on whole wheat multigrain sourdough bread that I made. A delicious way to celebrate summer!

Second, Happy Father’s Day to fathers and father-figures!

Book Group

One of the things that has grown out of all the community and neighborhood stuff post Operation Metro Surge is a neighborhood social justice book group. We had our second meeting yesterday on Saturday at a nearby park because the weather was so fine. 

Because we are all busy people, the group organizers decided that we would give ourselves two months and two meetings to discuss the book. That way at the first meeting you don’t have to be finished with the book, just far enough along to discuss some salient points. It kind of drags things out, but also I completely understand the reasoning and I am just fine with it.

The first meeting in May had an attendance of about 17 people. Yesterday there were only six of us with a number of folks out of town or having to deal with last minute emergencies of one sort or another.

I have not been involved with a book group in years, but a social justice book group, one in which we read pretty much all nonfiction, lends itself to a broader discussion beyond, “did you like the book?” That is a nice thing. But it turns out there are still people who have not read the book and yet manage to nearly monopolize the entire conversation. This happened yesterday when a person who just found out about the group Thursday turned up without even knowing what the book we were set to discuss was. 

The book, One Day Everyone Will Have been Against This by Omar El Akkad, is about the Palestinian genocide and an indictment of the press, writers, and liberals who always have room on their lawns for signs but when it comes down to brass tacks have zero commitment to making any sort of change or even bearing witness to atrocity (too depressing and upsetting!). It is a very good book I read last fall and then skimmed through to refresh my memory. I highly recommend it. I really want to read his novel, American War. Has anyone read it?

So new clueless person joins the group and any time someone says something specific about the book, they start talking, veering off on tangents not related to the book, but to personal thoughts and experiences that were sparked by what someone said about the book. And they talked. And talked. And talked. People were clearly frustrated. I, or someone else, would try and bring the conversation back to the book, and then this person would once again launch the conversation away from the book. So frustrating!

Our book next month is Seize the Time by Bobby Seale about the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. It will be interesting to see what happens with this person next month. The book is sadly out of print so extra grateful for libraries! And also, I just discovered the Internet Archive has the book available to borrow.

The best thing about the meeting was sitting outside on a beautiful morning connecting with neighbors. And also, there were some baby sparrows practicing flying near our picnic table. One of them landed in the basket on the back of James’s bike. Another landed on my shoulder! The parents were frantically trying to keep track of the youngsters and keep them safe. They kept flitting around, calling to the kids, and trying to keep them sort of contained and not succeeding, which raised the pitch of their calls. I’m sure parents everywhere can relate!

Food

James asked me to take the weekend off from sourdough bread baking because we still have most of a loaf of multigrain whole wheat in the freezer. So the magnificent food making goes to James this week with some delicious sweet treats.

Cinnamon rolls:

And for our Beloved Community Circle gathering Friday night, a rhubarb crisp made with fresh picked rhubarb from the garden:

I was off Friday for Juneteenth and we took the opportunity to go grocery shopping. The place we shop has a large serviceberry tree that was covered in ripe and ripening berries and no one eating them except the birds. So we helped ourselves to some and James put them in our Sunday morning sourdough discard waffles. Soo delicious! There is a serviceberry in the garden but it is too small yet to fruit. I look forward to the day when it does so we can enjoy more than one morning’s waffles’ worth.

After our book group meeting Saturday we biked over to a nearby mulberry tree and picked some ripe mulberries. Those will go in our morning porridge Monday or Tuesday. There is a mulberry tree in the garden, but it is still too small to fruit. It has grown to shoulder height, so maybe in a year or two there will be some fruit.

I am on vacation all of this coming week and look forward to spending the entirety of every morning in the garden. I’m sure I will have stories and photos to share.

Evening reflections on the Union Canal, the waters in shadow from the tall trees, but the Neo-Gothic red stone tower of Polwarth Parish Church still basking in the sunlight of a summer solstice evening, perfectly reflected in the waters.

Even at 8pm the sunlight still felt warm on my skin...

.

#Edinburgh #Edimbourg #photography #photographie #architecture #church #eglise #reflections #reflexiones #SummerSolstice #HarrisonPark #UnionCanal #PolwarthParishChurch

Evening reflections on the Union Canal, the waters in shadow from the tall trees, but the Neo-Gothic red stone tower of Polwarth Parish Church still basking in the sunlight of a summer solstice evening, perfectly reflected in the waters.

Even at 8pm the sunlight still felt warm on my skin...

.

#Edinburgh #Edimbourg #photography #photographie #architecture #church #eglise #reflections #reflexiones #SummerSolstice #HarrisonPark #UnionCanal #PolwarthParishChurch

Easy Peezy tomatoes that are ready to go & I’ve got a whole bunch of cold water and tomato skins that I can put in the compost immediately, blessed by the goddess #Hekate. #SummerSolstice #gardening #KitchenWitch

Easy Peezy tomatoes that are ready to go & I’ve got a whole bunch of cold water and tomato skins that I can put in the compost immediately, blessed by the goddess #Hekate. #SummerSolstice #gardening #KitchenWitch

Happy Solstice everyone!
In keeping with tradition, I harvested garlic this morning, on the longest day of the year. Not for tradition's sake but because I could see that it was ready to be harvested.

#ArtistsGarden #ImperfectGarden #garden #gardener #gardening #GardenPhotography #Artist #wolfkettler #permaculture #GardenWiltshire #WiltshireGarden #Wiltshire #GrowYourOwn #NoDig #VegetableGrowing #vegetables #vegetarian #organic #HealthyEating #HealthyFood #PlantBased #sustainable #vegan #HealthyLifestyle #HealthyLiving #harvest #summer #solstice #SummerSolstice #PlanetFriendly #ecology #climate #ClimateChange #conservation #sustainability

Happy Solstice everyone!
In keeping with tradition, I harvested garlic this morning, on the longest day of the year. Not for tradition's sake but because I could see that it was ready to be harvested.

#ArtistsGarden #ImperfectGarden #garden #gardener #gardening #GardenPhotography #Artist #wolfkettler #permaculture #GardenWiltshire #WiltshireGarden #Wiltshire #GrowYourOwn #NoDig #VegetableGrowing #vegetables #vegetarian #organic #HealthyEating #HealthyFood #PlantBased #sustainable #vegan #HealthyLifestyle #HealthyLiving #harvest #summer #solstice #SummerSolstice #PlanetFriendly #ecology #climate #ClimateChange #conservation #sustainability

I'd like to with everyone a Blessed Litha!

The Holly King rises and the Oak King steps back, now we turn towards winter.

I visited the Rollright Stones on Friday and setup a small altar, it's becoming a little tradition for me. However you choose to celebrate it, may your celebration be peaceful and joyous!

#litha #solstice #summersolstice #pagan #paganism #rollrightstones #stonecircle #oakking #hollyking #wheeloftheyear

I'd like to with everyone a Blessed Litha!

The Holly King rises and the Oak King steps back, now we turn towards winter.

I visited the Rollright Stones on Friday and setup a small altar, it's becoming a little tradition for me. However you choose to celebrate it, may your celebration be peaceful and joyous!

#litha #solstice #summersolstice #pagan #paganism #rollrightstones #stonecircle #oakking #hollyking #wheeloftheyear

Pretty intuitive animation explaining seasons, equinox, solstice, length of day and night.

Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

[🎞️ German Valencia Garcia]

#Equinox #Seasons #Solstice #Day #Night #SummerSolstice #WinterSolstice #JuneSolstice #DecemberSolstice #MarchEquinox #SeptemberEquinox #SpringEquinox #VernalEquinox #FallEquinox #AutumnalEquinox #Earth #SolarSystem #NorthernHemisphere #SouthernHemisphere

Pretty intuitive animation explaining seasons, equinox, solstice, length of day and night.

Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

[🎞️ German Valencia Garcia]

#Equinox #Seasons #Solstice #Day #Night #SummerSolstice #WinterSolstice #JuneSolstice #DecemberSolstice #MarchEquinox #SeptemberEquinox #SpringEquinox #VernalEquinox #FallEquinox #AutumnalEquinox #Earth #SolarSystem #NorthernHemisphere #SouthernHemisphere

Pretty intuitive animation explaining seasons, equinox, solstice, length of day and night.

Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

[🎞️ German Valencia Garcia]

#Equinox #Seasons #Solstice #Day #Night #SummerSolstice #WinterSolstice #JuneSolstice #DecemberSolstice #MarchEquinox #SeptemberEquinox #SpringEquinox #VernalEquinox #FallEquinox #AutumnalEquinox #Earth #SolarSystem #NorthernHemisphere #SouthernHemisphere

Pretty intuitive animation explaining seasons, equinox, solstice, length of day and night.

Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

[🎞️ German Valencia Garcia]

#Equinox #Seasons #Solstice #Day #Night #SummerSolstice #WinterSolstice #JuneSolstice #DecemberSolstice #MarchEquinox #SeptemberEquinox #SpringEquinox #VernalEquinox #FallEquinox #AutumnalEquinox #Earth #SolarSystem #NorthernHemisphere #SouthernHemisphere

Pretty intuitive animation explaining seasons, equinox, solstice, length of day and night.

Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

[🎞️ German Valencia Garcia]

#Equinox #Seasons #Solstice #Day #Night #SummerSolstice #WinterSolstice #JuneSolstice #DecemberSolstice #MarchEquinox #SeptemberEquinox #SpringEquinox #VernalEquinox #FallEquinox #AutumnalEquinox #Earth #SolarSystem #NorthernHemisphere #SouthernHemisphere

#WellsME - TODAY!

#Laudholm Lawn Day: #SummerSolstice Celebration

Saturday, June 20, 2026, 4:00pm – 7:00pm

#WellsReserveAtLaudholm

Preregistration is not required, but encouraged to help us estimate attendance.

Pricing:
Non-Member Adults: $7
Non-Member Children: $2
Members: free

"Pack your own picnic and join us for our summer solstice season opener! Enjoy outdoor yoga, flowers, guided walks, a plant sale, ice cream, cocktails, and more."

FMI and to register:
https://wellsreserve.org/event/88331/laudholm-lawn-day-summer-solstice-celebration

#SolarPunkSunday #SpendTimeOutdoors #WellsReserve #LaudholmReserve #MaineEvents

#WellsME - TODAY!

#Laudholm Lawn Day: #SummerSolstice Celebration

Saturday, June 20, 2026, 4:00pm – 7:00pm

#WellsReserveAtLaudholm

Preregistration is not required, but encouraged to help us estimate attendance.

Pricing:
Non-Member Adults: $7
Non-Member Children: $2
Members: free

"Pack your own picnic and join us for our summer solstice season opener! Enjoy outdoor yoga, flowers, guided walks, a plant sale, ice cream, cocktails, and more."

FMI and to register:
https://wellsreserve.org/event/88331/laudholm-lawn-day-summer-solstice-celebration

#SolarPunkSunday #SpendTimeOutdoors #WellsReserve #LaudholmReserve #MaineEvents

Embracing the In-Between: The Power of Seasonal Pauses

There are moments each year when the world seems to hold its breath. Not quite the season we’re leaving, not yet the one we’re entering. A soft in‑between. A hinge. A threshold. A pause.

This pause is subtle. It’s the way the light shifts — not dramatically, but with a quiet insistence that something is changing. It’s the way the air feels different on the skin, carrying a new texture, a new temperature, a new intention. It’s the way the body senses a turning before the mind has language for it. In these in‑between days, nature loosens her grip.

The trees stop striving upward and begin listening downward. The soil exhales. The wind rearranges itself. Even the birds seem to linger a little longer on the branch, as if deciding which direction to take next.

We, too, are invited into this pause.

The pause between seasons is a reminder that transitions aren’t meant to be rushed. They are meant to be felt. This is the space where we gather ourselves — the pieces we’ve scattered, the lessons we’ve lived, the parts of us that grew quietly while we weren’t paying attention.

It’s a moment to ask gentle questions: 
What am I carrying that no longer fits the season ahead?
What wants to be softened? 
What wants to be tended? 
What wants to be released?

In this sacred pause, the body becomes a listening place. The nervous system loosens. The breath deepens. The mind stops reaching for answers and instead leans into awareness. We remember that change doesn’t happen in the moment of arrival — it happens in the space just before.

This is the wisdom of the in‑between: life is not a series of clean beginnings and endings. It is a continuous unfolding, a slow turning, a rhythm that asks us to trust the spaces where nothing seems to be happening.

But something is happening. 
Integration. 
Reorientation. 
Recalibration. 
A quiet gathering of strength for whatever comes next.

When we honor the pause between seasons, we honor our own becoming. We step into the next chapter not by force, but by attunement — aligned with the deeper pace of the world around us.

Allow yourself time today to pause and listen. Listen to the pause in the breath between the inhale and the exhale. Listen to your body as it whispers what it needs. Listen to the earth beneath you- steady, patient, unhurried, let the small moment of stillness be a reminder that you don’t have to rush your way into the next season of your life. You can arrive slowly with presence, with softness, and with trust in the quiet wisdom that’s already guiding you.

Try a one-minute grounding pause to help you soften, settle, and come back to yourself with gentle cues to release your shoulders. Feel your weight supported and find one steady point in your body. This quick reset helps you remember that you are here and you are safe. You can begin again at any time.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HUwHKkhD0LeO2c78Dfvq8?si=DqRSKHK-SMifM_DNi1t9iQ

Kesäyötä sopii virittäytyä unelmoimaan vaikkapa Klempererin 1960 johtaman Mendelssohn-esityksen myötä, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upMKlLVblzY

Sävellyksestä kertoo lisää Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream_(Mendelssohn), kuten Shakespearen näytelmästäkin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream, josta Paavo Cajanderin 1891 suomennos löytyy tuolta: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44831/44831-h/44831-h.htm

#mendelssohn #juhannus #midsummer #music #classical #shakespeare #musiikki #klassinen #naytelma #play #keijut #fairies #taika #magic #mystery #janetBaker #brag #summerSolstice #mittsommer

Kesäyötä sopii virittäytyä unelmoimaan vaikkapa Klempererin 1960 johtaman Mendelssohn-esityksen myötä, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upMKlLVblzY

Sävellyksestä kertoo lisää Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream_(Mendelssohn), kuten Shakespearen näytelmästäkin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream, josta Paavo Cajanderin 1891 suomennos löytyy tuolta: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44831/44831-h/44831-h.htm

#mendelssohn #juhannus #midsummer #music #classical #shakespeare #musiikki #klassinen #naytelma #play #keijut #fairies #taika #magic #mystery #janetBaker #brag #summerSolstice #mittsommer

Kesäyötä sopii virittäytyä unelmoimaan vaikkapa Klempererin 1960 johtaman Mendelssohn-esityksen myötä, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upMKlLVblzY

Sävellyksestä kertoo lisää Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream_(Mendelssohn), kuten Shakespearen näytelmästäkin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream, josta Paavo Cajanderin 1891 suomennos löytyy tuolta: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44831/44831-h/44831-h.htm

#mendelssohn #juhannus #midsummer #music #classical #shakespeare #musiikki #klassinen #naytelma #play #keijut #fairies #taika #magic #mystery #janetBaker #brag #summerSolstice #mittsommer

Kesäyötä sopii virittäytyä unelmoimaan vaikkapa Klempererin 1960 johtaman Mendelssohn-esityksen myötä, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upMKlLVblzY

Sävellyksestä kertoo lisää Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream_(Mendelssohn), kuten Shakespearen näytelmästäkin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream, josta Paavo Cajanderin 1891 suomennos löytyy tuolta: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44831/44831-h/44831-h.htm

#mendelssohn #juhannus #midsummer #music #classical #shakespeare #musiikki #klassinen #naytelma #play #keijut #fairies #taika #magic #mystery #janetBaker #brag #summerSolstice #mittsommer

Kesäyötä sopii virittäytyä unelmoimaan vaikkapa Klempererin 1960 johtaman Mendelssohn-esityksen myötä, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upMKlLVblzY

Sävellyksestä kertoo lisää Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream_(Mendelssohn), kuten Shakespearen näytelmästäkin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night%27s_Dream, josta Paavo Cajanderin 1891 suomennos löytyy tuolta: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44831/44831-h/44831-h.htm

#mendelssohn #juhannus #midsummer #music #classical #shakespeare #musiikki #klassinen #naytelma #play #keijut #fairies #taika #magic #mystery #janetBaker #brag #summerSolstice #mittsommer

The Summer Solstice Gathering will be on 21st June at 1pm SLT - at the ritual area on Herb and fable.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Herb%20and%20Fable/101/33/35

Arrive early as it is likely to get very busy.

#summersolstice #ritual #pagan @pagan #herbandfable #secondlife #wheeloftheyear

#MakingItMonday… What feels complete today carries the promise of what’s next…

#SummerSolstice #EmotionalWisdom #TheTurningPoint #PauseAndReflect #MindfulThriving

@zponderings
@ZPonderings.bsky.social

https://substack.com/@zponderings

https://linktr.ee/ChangeAndThrivalHood= Change and ThrivalHood
https://pegaphinz.com = Byte Wise Thriving

#MakingItMonday… What feels complete today carries the promise of what’s next…

#SummerSolstice #EmotionalWisdom #TheTurningPoint #PauseAndReflect #MindfulThriving

@zponderings
@ZPonderings.bsky.social

https://substack.com/@zponderings

https://linktr.ee/ChangeAndThrivalHood= Change and ThrivalHood
https://pegaphinz.com = Byte Wise Thriving

one week left to take up free subscriptions & qualify for significantly discounted subscription needed to read chapters publishing from #SummerSolstice⌛

#ThisThatAndTheOther #WebNovel
"bursting at the seams with magic"

read Part 1 as gift from me to you here
📚 https://threerealms.substack.com/

#bookstodon #fantasy #fiction #folklore #books

one week left to take up free subscriptions & qualify for significantly discounted subscription needed to read chapters publishing from #SummerSolstice⌛

#ThisThatAndTheOther #WebNovel
"bursting at the seams with magic"

read Part 1 as gift from me to you here
📚 https://threerealms.substack.com/

#bookstodon #fantasy #fiction #folklore #books

Battle of The Beanfield

There are certain moments in modern British history that seem to sit just beyond the edge of official memory. Events that everybody vaguely remembers, yet somehow never quite make it into the comfortable national story we tell ourselves.

The Battle of Orgreave is one. The miners’ strike is another. The poll tax riots. Hillsborough. Brixton. They linger in photographs, old television footage and the memories of those who were there, carrying the uncomfortable reminder that Britain is not always as civilised, measured and orderly as it likes to imagine itself to be.

The Battle of the Beanfield belongs firmly in that category.

Forty years on, it remains one of the most controversial policing operations in modern British history. More than 1,300 police officers confronted a convoy of around 600 New Age Travellers attempting to reach Stonehenge on 1 June 1985. By the end of the day, dozens of people had been injured, hundreds had been arrested and an entire way of life had effectively been marked for destruction.

What happened in that Hampshire beanfield has never been the subject of a full public inquiry. Yet for many people who witnessed the decline of Britain’s traditional industries during the Thatcher years, the images remain painfully familiar.

I grew up in Yorkshire through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. I watched pit villages hollow out. I watched steelworks close. I watched communities that had existed for generations suddenly find themselves described as obstacles to progress. There was a language that emerged during those years. Certain groups became “the problem”. Miners. Trade unionists. Travellers. Alternative communities. Anyone who stood outside the increasingly rigid idea of what Britain was supposed to become.

That is one reason the Battle of the Beanfield still matters.

To understand the confrontation itself, we first need to understand the strange, colourful and often misunderstood world that produced it.

The Stonehenge Free Festival began in 1974. It emerged from the wider countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, combining music, environmentalism, spiritual exploration, political activism and communal living. Over the following decade it grew steadily, becoming one of the largest free gatherings in Britain. By the early 1980s thousands of people travelled to Stonehenge each summer to celebrate the solstice. The festival attracted an eclectic mix of punks, bikers, druids, musicians, environmental campaigners, anarchists, hippies and families living on the road.

The people who became known as the Peace Convoy were not a single organisation. They were a loose collection of travellers, festival-goers and alternative communities who spent much of the year moving between free festivals, protest camps and temporary settlements. Some were escaping unemployment. Some rejected consumer culture. Others simply wanted a different way of living. Many travelled in converted buses, coaches, ambulances and vans that doubled as homes.

To their supporters they represented freedom, creativity and resistance to conformity.

To their critics they represented disorder.

By 1984 tensions were reaching breaking point. The Stonehenge festival had become enormous. Estimates suggested attendance reached around 100,000 people. Concerns were raised about damage to the archaeological landscape, litter, unauthorised trading and open drug use. English Heritage, which had recently taken over management of the site, came under increasing pressure to act. Local authorities and police forces were equally determined that the gathering should not continue in its existing form. A High Court injunction was obtained to prevent the 1985 festival from taking place. The state had drawn a line.

On the morning of 1 June 1985, the Peace Convoy left Savernake Forest and began moving towards Stonehenge. Around 140 vehicles carried approximately 600 people. Many were families. Children were travelling alongside adults who had spent years living on the road. They knew there would be police opposition. Few appear to have anticipated what was waiting for them.

Police had prepared extensively.

The miners’ strike had ended only months earlier. During that bitter industrial conflict police forces had developed new methods of coordination, rapid deployment and large-scale public order operations. Senior officers later openly acknowledged that lessons learned during the strike had informed preparations for dealing with the travellers.

A four-mile exclusion zone had been established around Stonehenge. Roadblocks were prepared. Officers from multiple forces were assembled. Some estimates place police numbers at around 1,300. Others suggest even higher figures by the end of the operation.

The convoy encountered its first major roadblock near Shipton Bellinger, several miles from Stonehenge. According to police accounts, some traveller vehicles attempted to push through the blockade and rammed police vehicles. Travellers and independent witnesses tell a very different story. They describe a convoy seeking negotiation before finding itself trapped and surrounded.

Whatever happened during those first moments, the situation rapidly escalated.As vehicles attempted to leave the road and move into adjacent fields, police began smashing windows and making arrests. The convoy became scattered across farmland. Families were separated. Children became lost in the confusion. What followed would become one of the most infamous confrontations in modern British policing.

Television footage remains difficult to watch even now.

Officers in riot gear strike vehicle windows with truncheons. People are dragged from buses and vans. Terrified children can be seen inside shattered vehicles. Journalists and witnesses described police hitting men and women indiscriminately. Several accounts alleged pregnant women and individuals carrying babies were assaulted during the operation. Numerous vehicles that functioned as homes were systematically damaged.

The Earl of Cardigan, whose family owned Savernake Forest and who had followed the convoy on a motorcycle, later provided testimony that proved deeply damaging to official police narratives. He described officers rushing vehicles with drawn truncheons, shouting at occupants and creating scenes of intimidation and violence that contradicted many early police claims.

Journalists present that day reported similar concerns.

ITN footage captured scenes that shocked many viewers. Photographer Alan Lodge later described the event as an ambush rather than a battle. Others argued the very name “Battle of the Beanfield” created a misleading impression of two evenly matched sides. One side possessed riot shields, command structures, communications systems and overwhelming numerical superiority. The other consisted largely of civilians living in vehicles.

By the end of the operation, 537 people had been arrested. It remains one of the largest mass arrests of civilians in modern British history. Most of the charges eventually collapsed or were dismissed.

That fact alone raises uncomfortable questions.

If hundreds of supposedly dangerous lawbreakers had been lawfully apprehended while carrying out serious criminal acts, one might expect hundreds of successful prosecutions to follow. Instead, much of the legal case simply evaporated.

Years later, travellers successfully pursued civil actions against Wiltshire Police. Damages were awarded for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and property damage. One police sergeant was convicted of actual bodily harm arising from the events of that day.

Yet despite these outcomes, there has never been a full public inquiry.

Perhaps that is because the Battle of the Beanfield was about more than Stonehenge.

Looking back now, it feels impossible to separate it from the wider atmosphere of Britain in the mid-1980s. This was a country being transformed at extraordinary speed. Traditional industries were disappearing. Unemployment was soaring in many regions. Entire communities were fighting for survival. Alternative lifestyles increasingly found themselves portrayed as threats to public order rather than expressions of individual freedom.

For many people in mining and industrial areas, there is a recognisable pattern.

First comes the language.

A group is described as troublesome, outdated or undesirable.

Then comes the media narrative.

Then comes the justification.

Then comes the force.

That does not mean every traveller was a saint, any more than every miner was. Human beings are messy. Large gatherings bring problems. Some attendees at the Stonehenge festivals undoubtedly caused damage. Some individuals within the traveller movement undoubtedly committed crimes. A serious historical assessment has to acknowledge that reality. The archaeological concerns surrounding Stonehenge were genuine. Local residents had legitimate complaints. Authorities were entitled to seek solutions.

But none of that explains the scale of what happened on 1 June 1985.

The images of smashed homes, frightened children and riot police advancing across fields continue to disturb because they seem wildly disproportionate. They suggest a state determined not merely to enforce an injunction but to send a message.

And the message was received.

The traveller movement never fully recovered.

Legislation introduced during the following years increasingly restricted nomadic lifestyles and unauthorised gatherings. The Public Order Act 1986 and later the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 created new powers that made life significantly harder for travellers, free festivals and eventually the emerging rave culture.

In many ways the Beanfield became a blueprint. The same language used against travellers would later be applied to ravers, squatters, protesters and environmental activists. Alternative communities were increasingly framed not as citizens exercising freedoms but as public order problems requiring management.

Yet the legacy of the Beanfield refuses to disappear.

Songs were written about it. The Levellers turned it into a folk-punk anthem that introduced a new generation to the story. Hawkwind referenced it. Writers, filmmakers and activists kept returning to it. Every summer solstice the memory resurfaces among those who remember what happened.

Perhaps that is because the Battle of the Beanfield sits at the crossroads of so many larger questions.

Who gets to occupy public space?

Who decides what constitutes a legitimate way of living?

How much power should the state possess when dealing with communities that reject mainstream norms?

And perhaps most importantly of all, what happens when governments begin to see certain groups not as citizens but as enemies?

Forty years later those questions feel remarkably current.

The travellers who set out for Stonehenge in 1985 were not trying to overthrow the government. They were trying to reach a festival. They were trying to celebrate a solstice. They were trying, in their own eccentric and imperfect way, to live differently.

Many paid a heavy price for that.

For those of us who grew up watching pits close, furnaces go cold and communities written off as inconvenient relics of the past, the Beanfield feels like part of the same story. Different people. Different landscape. Different politics perhaps. But the same underlying lesson.

When power decides a group no longer belongs, it rarely begins with dialogue.

It begins with exclusion.

Then comes the roadblock.

Further Reading

Andy Worthington, The Battle of the Beanfield

Christopher Chippindale, Stoned Henge: Events and Issues at the Summer Solstice, 1985

Emma Hallett, BBC News, Summer Solstice: How the Stonehenge Battles Faded

Tony Thompson, The Observer, Twenty Years After, Mystery Still Clouds Battle of the Beanfield

English Heritage, Stonehenge 1977–85: A Dig in Time and a Confrontation

Copyright © Mysterious Times 2026. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from Mysterious Times, except in the case of brief quotations used for review, criticism or scholarly reference.

Battle of The Beanfield

There are certain moments in modern British history that seem to sit just beyond the edge of official memory. Events that everybody vaguely remembers, yet somehow never quite make it into the comfortable national story we tell ourselves.

The Battle of Orgreave is one. The miners’ strike is another. The poll tax riots. Hillsborough. Brixton. They linger in photographs, old television footage and the memories of those who were there, carrying the uncomfortable reminder that Britain is not always as civilised, measured and orderly as it likes to imagine itself to be.

The Battle of the Beanfield belongs firmly in that category.

Forty years on, it remains one of the most controversial policing operations in modern British history. More than 1,300 police officers confronted a convoy of around 600 New Age Travellers attempting to reach Stonehenge on 1 June 1985. By the end of the day, dozens of people had been injured, hundreds had been arrested and an entire way of life had effectively been marked for destruction.

What happened in that Hampshire beanfield has never been the subject of a full public inquiry. Yet for many people who witnessed the decline of Britain’s traditional industries during the Thatcher years, the images remain painfully familiar.

I grew up in Yorkshire through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. I watched pit villages hollow out. I watched steelworks close. I watched communities that had existed for generations suddenly find themselves described as obstacles to progress. There was a language that emerged during those years. Certain groups became “the problem”. Miners. Trade unionists. Travellers. Alternative communities. Anyone who stood outside the increasingly rigid idea of what Britain was supposed to become.

That is one reason the Battle of the Beanfield still matters.

To understand the confrontation itself, we first need to understand the strange, colourful and often misunderstood world that produced it.

The Stonehenge Free Festival began in 1974. It emerged from the wider countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, combining music, environmentalism, spiritual exploration, political activism and communal living. Over the following decade it grew steadily, becoming one of the largest free gatherings in Britain. By the early 1980s thousands of people travelled to Stonehenge each summer to celebrate the solstice. The festival attracted an eclectic mix of punks, bikers, druids, musicians, environmental campaigners, anarchists, hippies and families living on the road.

The people who became known as the Peace Convoy were not a single organisation. They were a loose collection of travellers, festival-goers and alternative communities who spent much of the year moving between free festivals, protest camps and temporary settlements. Some were escaping unemployment. Some rejected consumer culture. Others simply wanted a different way of living. Many travelled in converted buses, coaches, ambulances and vans that doubled as homes.

To their supporters they represented freedom, creativity and resistance to conformity.

To their critics they represented disorder.

By 1984 tensions were reaching breaking point. The Stonehenge festival had become enormous. Estimates suggested attendance reached around 100,000 people. Concerns were raised about damage to the archaeological landscape, litter, unauthorised trading and open drug use. English Heritage, which had recently taken over management of the site, came under increasing pressure to act. Local authorities and police forces were equally determined that the gathering should not continue in its existing form. A High Court injunction was obtained to prevent the 1985 festival from taking place. The state had drawn a line.

On the morning of 1 June 1985, the Peace Convoy left Savernake Forest and began moving towards Stonehenge. Around 140 vehicles carried approximately 600 people. Many were families. Children were travelling alongside adults who had spent years living on the road. They knew there would be police opposition. Few appear to have anticipated what was waiting for them.

Police had prepared extensively.

The miners’ strike had ended only months earlier. During that bitter industrial conflict police forces had developed new methods of coordination, rapid deployment and large-scale public order operations. Senior officers later openly acknowledged that lessons learned during the strike had informed preparations for dealing with the travellers.

A four-mile exclusion zone had been established around Stonehenge. Roadblocks were prepared. Officers from multiple forces were assembled. Some estimates place police numbers at around 1,300. Others suggest even higher figures by the end of the operation.

The convoy encountered its first major roadblock near Shipton Bellinger, several miles from Stonehenge. According to police accounts, some traveller vehicles attempted to push through the blockade and rammed police vehicles. Travellers and independent witnesses tell a very different story. They describe a convoy seeking negotiation before finding itself trapped and surrounded.

Whatever happened during those first moments, the situation rapidly escalated.As vehicles attempted to leave the road and move into adjacent fields, police began smashing windows and making arrests. The convoy became scattered across farmland. Families were separated. Children became lost in the confusion. What followed would become one of the most infamous confrontations in modern British policing.

Television footage remains difficult to watch even now.

Officers in riot gear strike vehicle windows with truncheons. People are dragged from buses and vans. Terrified children can be seen inside shattered vehicles. Journalists and witnesses described police hitting men and women indiscriminately. Several accounts alleged pregnant women and individuals carrying babies were assaulted during the operation. Numerous vehicles that functioned as homes were systematically damaged.

The Earl of Cardigan, whose family owned Savernake Forest and who had followed the convoy on a motorcycle, later provided testimony that proved deeply damaging to official police narratives. He described officers rushing vehicles with drawn truncheons, shouting at occupants and creating scenes of intimidation and violence that contradicted many early police claims.

Journalists present that day reported similar concerns.

ITN footage captured scenes that shocked many viewers. Photographer Alan Lodge later described the event as an ambush rather than a battle. Others argued the very name “Battle of the Beanfield” created a misleading impression of two evenly matched sides. One side possessed riot shields, command structures, communications systems and overwhelming numerical superiority. The other consisted largely of civilians living in vehicles.

By the end of the operation, 537 people had been arrested. It remains one of the largest mass arrests of civilians in modern British history. Most of the charges eventually collapsed or were dismissed.

That fact alone raises uncomfortable questions.

If hundreds of supposedly dangerous lawbreakers had been lawfully apprehended while carrying out serious criminal acts, one might expect hundreds of successful prosecutions to follow. Instead, much of the legal case simply evaporated.

Years later, travellers successfully pursued civil actions against Wiltshire Police. Damages were awarded for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and property damage. One police sergeant was convicted of actual bodily harm arising from the events of that day.

Yet despite these outcomes, there has never been a full public inquiry.

Perhaps that is because the Battle of the Beanfield was about more than Stonehenge.

Looking back now, it feels impossible to separate it from the wider atmosphere of Britain in the mid-1980s. This was a country being transformed at extraordinary speed. Traditional industries were disappearing. Unemployment was soaring in many regions. Entire communities were fighting for survival. Alternative lifestyles increasingly found themselves portrayed as threats to public order rather than expressions of individual freedom.

For many people in mining and industrial areas, there is a recognisable pattern.

First comes the language.

A group is described as troublesome, outdated or undesirable.

Then comes the media narrative.

Then comes the justification.

Then comes the force.

That does not mean every traveller was a saint, any more than every miner was. Human beings are messy. Large gatherings bring problems. Some attendees at the Stonehenge festivals undoubtedly caused damage. Some individuals within the traveller movement undoubtedly committed crimes. A serious historical assessment has to acknowledge that reality. The archaeological concerns surrounding Stonehenge were genuine. Local residents had legitimate complaints. Authorities were entitled to seek solutions.

But none of that explains the scale of what happened on 1 June 1985.

The images of smashed homes, frightened children and riot police advancing across fields continue to disturb because they seem wildly disproportionate. They suggest a state determined not merely to enforce an injunction but to send a message.

And the message was received.

The traveller movement never fully recovered.

Legislation introduced during the following years increasingly restricted nomadic lifestyles and unauthorised gatherings. The Public Order Act 1986 and later the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 created new powers that made life significantly harder for travellers, free festivals and eventually the emerging rave culture.

In many ways the Beanfield became a blueprint. The same language used against travellers would later be applied to ravers, squatters, protesters and environmental activists. Alternative communities were increasingly framed not as citizens exercising freedoms but as public order problems requiring management.

Yet the legacy of the Beanfield refuses to disappear.

Songs were written about it. The Levellers turned it into a folk-punk anthem that introduced a new generation to the story. Hawkwind referenced it. Writers, filmmakers and activists kept returning to it. Every summer solstice the memory resurfaces among those who remember what happened.

Perhaps that is because the Battle of the Beanfield sits at the crossroads of so many larger questions.

Who gets to occupy public space?

Who decides what constitutes a legitimate way of living?

How much power should the state possess when dealing with communities that reject mainstream norms?

And perhaps most importantly of all, what happens when governments begin to see certain groups not as citizens but as enemies?

Forty years later those questions feel remarkably current.

The travellers who set out for Stonehenge in 1985 were not trying to overthrow the government. They were trying to reach a festival. They were trying to celebrate a solstice. They were trying, in their own eccentric and imperfect way, to live differently.

Many paid a heavy price for that.

For those of us who grew up watching pits close, furnaces go cold and communities written off as inconvenient relics of the past, the Beanfield feels like part of the same story. Different people. Different landscape. Different politics perhaps. But the same underlying lesson.

When power decides a group no longer belongs, it rarely begins with dialogue.

It begins with exclusion.

Then comes the roadblock.

Further Reading

Andy Worthington, The Battle of the Beanfield

Christopher Chippindale, Stoned Henge: Events and Issues at the Summer Solstice, 1985

Emma Hallett, BBC News, Summer Solstice: How the Stonehenge Battles Faded

Tony Thompson, The Observer, Twenty Years After, Mystery Still Clouds Battle of the Beanfield

English Heritage, Stonehenge 1977–85: A Dig in Time and a Confrontation

Copyright © Mysterious Times 2026. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from Mysterious Times, except in the case of brief quotations used for review, criticism or scholarly reference.

Battle of The Beanfield

There are certain moments in modern British history that seem to sit just beyond the edge of official memory. Events that everybody vaguely remembers, yet somehow never quite make it into the comfortable national story we tell ourselves.

The Battle of Orgreave is one. The miners’ strike is another. The poll tax riots. Hillsborough. Brixton. They linger in photographs, old television footage and the memories of those who were there, carrying the uncomfortable reminder that Britain is not always as civilised, measured and orderly as it likes to imagine itself to be.

The Battle of the Beanfield belongs firmly in that category.

Forty years on, it remains one of the most controversial policing operations in modern British history. More than 1,300 police officers confronted a convoy of around 600 New Age Travellers attempting to reach Stonehenge on 1 June 1985. By the end of the day, dozens of people had been injured, hundreds had been arrested and an entire way of life had effectively been marked for destruction.

What happened in that Hampshire beanfield has never been the subject of a full public inquiry. Yet for many people who witnessed the decline of Britain’s traditional industries during the Thatcher years, the images remain painfully familiar.

I grew up in Yorkshire through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. I watched pit villages hollow out. I watched steelworks close. I watched communities that had existed for generations suddenly find themselves described as obstacles to progress. There was a language that emerged during those years. Certain groups became “the problem”. Miners. Trade unionists. Travellers. Alternative communities. Anyone who stood outside the increasingly rigid idea of what Britain was supposed to become.

That is one reason the Battle of the Beanfield still matters.

To understand the confrontation itself, we first need to understand the strange, colourful and often misunderstood world that produced it.

The Stonehenge Free Festival began in 1974. It emerged from the wider countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, combining music, environmentalism, spiritual exploration, political activism and communal living. Over the following decade it grew steadily, becoming one of the largest free gatherings in Britain. By the early 1980s thousands of people travelled to Stonehenge each summer to celebrate the solstice. The festival attracted an eclectic mix of punks, bikers, druids, musicians, environmental campaigners, anarchists, hippies and families living on the road.

The people who became known as the Peace Convoy were not a single organisation. They were a loose collection of travellers, festival-goers and alternative communities who spent much of the year moving between free festivals, protest camps and temporary settlements. Some were escaping unemployment. Some rejected consumer culture. Others simply wanted a different way of living. Many travelled in converted buses, coaches, ambulances and vans that doubled as homes.

To their supporters they represented freedom, creativity and resistance to conformity.

To their critics they represented disorder.

By 1984 tensions were reaching breaking point. The Stonehenge festival had become enormous. Estimates suggested attendance reached around 100,000 people. Concerns were raised about damage to the archaeological landscape, litter, unauthorised trading and open drug use. English Heritage, which had recently taken over management of the site, came under increasing pressure to act. Local authorities and police forces were equally determined that the gathering should not continue in its existing form. A High Court injunction was obtained to prevent the 1985 festival from taking place. The state had drawn a line.

On the morning of 1 June 1985, the Peace Convoy left Savernake Forest and began moving towards Stonehenge. Around 140 vehicles carried approximately 600 people. Many were families. Children were travelling alongside adults who had spent years living on the road. They knew there would be police opposition. Few appear to have anticipated what was waiting for them.

Police had prepared extensively.

The miners’ strike had ended only months earlier. During that bitter industrial conflict police forces had developed new methods of coordination, rapid deployment and large-scale public order operations. Senior officers later openly acknowledged that lessons learned during the strike had informed preparations for dealing with the travellers.

A four-mile exclusion zone had been established around Stonehenge. Roadblocks were prepared. Officers from multiple forces were assembled. Some estimates place police numbers at around 1,300. Others suggest even higher figures by the end of the operation.

The convoy encountered its first major roadblock near Shipton Bellinger, several miles from Stonehenge. According to police accounts, some traveller vehicles attempted to push through the blockade and rammed police vehicles. Travellers and independent witnesses tell a very different story. They describe a convoy seeking negotiation before finding itself trapped and surrounded.

Whatever happened during those first moments, the situation rapidly escalated.As vehicles attempted to leave the road and move into adjacent fields, police began smashing windows and making arrests. The convoy became scattered across farmland. Families were separated. Children became lost in the confusion. What followed would become one of the most infamous confrontations in modern British policing.

Television footage remains difficult to watch even now.

Officers in riot gear strike vehicle windows with truncheons. People are dragged from buses and vans. Terrified children can be seen inside shattered vehicles. Journalists and witnesses described police hitting men and women indiscriminately. Several accounts alleged pregnant women and individuals carrying babies were assaulted during the operation. Numerous vehicles that functioned as homes were systematically damaged.

The Earl of Cardigan, whose family owned Savernake Forest and who had followed the convoy on a motorcycle, later provided testimony that proved deeply damaging to official police narratives. He described officers rushing vehicles with drawn truncheons, shouting at occupants and creating scenes of intimidation and violence that contradicted many early police claims.

Journalists present that day reported similar concerns.

ITN footage captured scenes that shocked many viewers. Photographer Alan Lodge later described the event as an ambush rather than a battle. Others argued the very name “Battle of the Beanfield” created a misleading impression of two evenly matched sides. One side possessed riot shields, command structures, communications systems and overwhelming numerical superiority. The other consisted largely of civilians living in vehicles.

By the end of the operation, 537 people had been arrested. It remains one of the largest mass arrests of civilians in modern British history. Most of the charges eventually collapsed or were dismissed.

That fact alone raises uncomfortable questions.

If hundreds of supposedly dangerous lawbreakers had been lawfully apprehended while carrying out serious criminal acts, one might expect hundreds of successful prosecutions to follow. Instead, much of the legal case simply evaporated.

Years later, travellers successfully pursued civil actions against Wiltshire Police. Damages were awarded for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and property damage. One police sergeant was convicted of actual bodily harm arising from the events of that day.

Yet despite these outcomes, there has never been a full public inquiry.

Perhaps that is because the Battle of the Beanfield was about more than Stonehenge.

Looking back now, it feels impossible to separate it from the wider atmosphere of Britain in the mid-1980s. This was a country being transformed at extraordinary speed. Traditional industries were disappearing. Unemployment was soaring in many regions. Entire communities were fighting for survival. Alternative lifestyles increasingly found themselves portrayed as threats to public order rather than expressions of individual freedom.

For many people in mining and industrial areas, there is a recognisable pattern.

First comes the language.

A group is described as troublesome, outdated or undesirable.

Then comes the media narrative.

Then comes the justification.

Then comes the force.

That does not mean every traveller was a saint, any more than every miner was. Human beings are messy. Large gatherings bring problems. Some attendees at the Stonehenge festivals undoubtedly caused damage. Some individuals within the traveller movement undoubtedly committed crimes. A serious historical assessment has to acknowledge that reality. The archaeological concerns surrounding Stonehenge were genuine. Local residents had legitimate complaints. Authorities were entitled to seek solutions.

But none of that explains the scale of what happened on 1 June 1985.

The images of smashed homes, frightened children and riot police advancing across fields continue to disturb because they seem wildly disproportionate. They suggest a state determined not merely to enforce an injunction but to send a message.

And the message was received.

The traveller movement never fully recovered.

Legislation introduced during the following years increasingly restricted nomadic lifestyles and unauthorised gatherings. The Public Order Act 1986 and later the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 created new powers that made life significantly harder for travellers, free festivals and eventually the emerging rave culture.

In many ways the Beanfield became a blueprint. The same language used against travellers would later be applied to ravers, squatters, protesters and environmental activists. Alternative communities were increasingly framed not as citizens exercising freedoms but as public order problems requiring management.

Yet the legacy of the Beanfield refuses to disappear.

Songs were written about it. The Levellers turned it into a folk-punk anthem that introduced a new generation to the story. Hawkwind referenced it. Writers, filmmakers and activists kept returning to it. Every summer solstice the memory resurfaces among those who remember what happened.

Perhaps that is because the Battle of the Beanfield sits at the crossroads of so many larger questions.

Who gets to occupy public space?

Who decides what constitutes a legitimate way of living?

How much power should the state possess when dealing with communities that reject mainstream norms?

And perhaps most importantly of all, what happens when governments begin to see certain groups not as citizens but as enemies?

Forty years later those questions feel remarkably current.

The travellers who set out for Stonehenge in 1985 were not trying to overthrow the government. They were trying to reach a festival. They were trying to celebrate a solstice. They were trying, in their own eccentric and imperfect way, to live differently.

Many paid a heavy price for that.

For those of us who grew up watching pits close, furnaces go cold and communities written off as inconvenient relics of the past, the Beanfield feels like part of the same story. Different people. Different landscape. Different politics perhaps. But the same underlying lesson.

When power decides a group no longer belongs, it rarely begins with dialogue.

It begins with exclusion.

Then comes the roadblock.

Further Reading

Andy Worthington, The Battle of the Beanfield

Christopher Chippindale, Stoned Henge: Events and Issues at the Summer Solstice, 1985

Emma Hallett, BBC News, Summer Solstice: How the Stonehenge Battles Faded

Tony Thompson, The Observer, Twenty Years After, Mystery Still Clouds Battle of the Beanfield

English Heritage, Stonehenge 1977–85: A Dig in Time and a Confrontation

Copyright © Mysterious Times 2026. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from Mysterious Times, except in the case of brief quotations used for review, criticism or scholarly reference.