West Kennet Long Barrow: Landscape, Shamans and the Cosmos Wiltshire

Submitted by Andy B on Wednesday, 27 April 2011 Page Views: 12501

Country: England County: Wiltshire Type: Long Barrow

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Over many years Peter Knight has developed a special connection to West Kennett Long Barrow, the precious, magnificent and much frequented neolithic long barrow that is part of the Avebury complex of monuments in Wiltshire. He has just published a book which describes the sacred landscape, acoustics, alignments, excavations and surveys, folklore, paranormal phenmonena and future care of the monument.

Peter has kindly allowed us to publish his Do's and Don'ts guide to visiting West Kennett and similar sites, along with the rest of Chapter 16 of the Book: Interaction Today - Care and Use of the Monument, which you can download as a PDF below.

Ritual Litter and Damage to the Stones

At the summer solstice of 1996 serious scorch marks were left on some of the interior stones at WKLB. At the mid-summer of 2001, scratch marks, unreadable though they were, were made on stones inside the chambers. Robert Wallis reported that, ‘There is the problem of fire damage at West Kennet, caused by mainly the lighting and thoughtless positioning of candles…. One forecourt stone has been so damaged that a fractured piece of it had to be repaired with a gluing agent’

Over the years, items such as cigarette butts, condoms, tampons, and beer cans have been left behind in the chambers. But, fortunately, this type of rubbish is not the most common. That category is what has become know as ‘ritual litter’, left behind following ceremonies, rituals, and meditations, etc. Items include metal tea-light holders, candles, candle wax, fruit, coins, feathers, crystals, small stones, and various effigies from clay models to corn dollies. Chalk graffiti is also daubed on stones, which, if not removed by someone who really cares about the site, may take years to wear away. David Taylor points out, “… it isn’t just tourists and road builders who damage ancient sites, recent “pagan” activity at WKLB is caused by a mindless minority… ”

A votive offering may be left behind, with all good intention, by Pagan, Druid, or New-Ager, but it is ‘litter’, none the less. It is a little sickening for me to have to point out that most of this refuse is left by Pagans and ‘Earth Healers’, which is the great irony of it all. I am a Pagan, not an archaeologist or other ‘straight’ preaching from an academic soapbox. It saddens me that the people who do this are letting down fellow Pagans.

At sunset at Samhain 2010, Sue and I went up to the barrow, only to find intentional damage to one of the skylights, and also lots of candle wax, which had been allowed to drip down the sides of several megaliths. As well as numerous metal nightlight holders, there was even a casino chip for $1, and sherds of glass in the west chamber from the smashed skylight.

On a weekly basis, Sue my partner and I retrieve all sorts of rubbish from inside WKLB. Although we are thankfully not alone in this practice, I would like to ‘recruit’ others to the cause – including you! Before we look at how we can best accommodate the various requirements of people who visit WKLB today, I would respectfully request everyone who visits WKLB to please follow this proposed Code of Practice.

Do's and Don'ts

1) NO OPEN FIRES, even outside; the archaeology of the site extends beyond what is immediately obvious.

2) Please do not light candles or nightlights next to or on top of the stones, or under their overhangs (where the undersides will become sooted), or in holes or crevices. If the light is fading, use fully-enclosed lanterns, or else battery-powered or eco torches.

3) Should you need to light a nightlight, place it only in the centre of the chambers. There is no evidence that the original ancestors burnt or sooted the stones – they were very careful, and so should we. Afterwards, remove any spilt or dripped wax.

4) Do not leave anything behind you when you leave, be it general rubbish or ‘ritual litter’. The ancestors are interested in your intentions and what is in your heart, not what you leave for others to clear away.

5) During the daytime, please do not ‘totally occupy’ the west chamber - there are four other chambers which can also be used for ritual and meditation, and which are less intrusive to other visitors. If you wish to use the west chamber for ritual and healing work, please be aware of others wishing to enter, and make your stay there as brief as possible.

6) Do not mark the stones in any way whatsoever, even with chalk. Our ancestors do not seem to have, so what gives you the right to!

7) Be aware of who may already be in WKLB when you arrive, or who may arrive whilst you are there, respecting other people’s rights to also be in the chambers. It’s all about respect. Arriving at WKLB and bashing a drum whilst others are meditating is very disrespectful. Wait your turn. The monument has been there for 5,500 years – it’s not going anywhere.

8) Please take away any candle fragments, empty nightlight holders and other such items you may find inside. It may not be your litter, but I believe that clearing items will help those who follow you to enjoy a more enhanced experience of this magical sacred site. And, perhaps, the Ancestors may be pleased with your efforts too. As a Pagan myself, I am conscious that people may have left items inside with great intent and love. When clearing the inside of such items, I do so carefully and mindfully, and often re-deposit items such as corn dollies, flowers, fruit and other biodegradable items on the mound outside. The objects therefore stay on the barrow, but Mother Nature is now able to take them naturally back into her body.

9) As you enter, the first chambers on the left and right (the SE and NE chambers) often house nesting swallows during the summer. Please respect their presence, and that of their newly hatched young. Please do not drum or chant in these two chambers when nests are occupied.

You can download the rest of Chapter 16, including illustrations as a PDF file here.

Peter has also made a video up at the barrow with Claire Whiles of the Light and Energy channel. Peter talks about the site and you can see the landscape on a beautiful day. You can view the video here.

Peter has published an article Paranormal Phenomena of West Kennet Long Barrow at Mysterious Britain, which talks about mysterious lights, mists and other encounters.

View more of Peter's photos and our page about West Kennet Long Barrow.

Finally, you can read more about Peter Knight's book in our Online Shop, however it is unfortunately sold out.

Note: Read an exclusive extract from Peter Knight's new book

Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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