DRUIDS, witches, shamans and other pagan groups gathered under the full moon for a spiritual ceremony to mark the opening of Moonhenge – which one pagan described as a “dream come true”.
Guests congregated around a fire for an evening of blessings, speeches, and dancing to celebrate the opening of the wooden henge at Red House Farm, Woodwalton, last Wednesday (August 21).
Accompanied by atmospheric music and drumming, head celebrant Delicia Antoinette blessed the structure designed to honour landowner Stephen Parsley’s late wife Judy.
A white witch and other pagans assembled in the inner circle of the henge to celebrate the occasion.
For Jo-Ann Childs, a druid from Huntingdon, the experience was particularly spiritual because she said she had dreamed about the henge during a trance three weeks before the artist Derek Massey’s design appeared in The Hunts Post.
She said: “It was exactly what I saw in my dream – tonight is a dream come true.”
Ms Childs, 72, a retired anaesthetic technician, has been a druid for many years. She explained that by blessing the site, druids hope it will be a sacred place for everybody, no matter what their religion.
White witch Tansy Ravenwolf, 33, of Huntingdon, also performed a sacred blessing during the opening ceremony.
She claims to have healing powers which allow her to ease pain, although she stresses that she “cannot miraculously heal someone”.
Ms Ravenwolf said she was setting up a Huntingdonshire-wide pagan group and had received interest from at least a dozen people so far.
The ceremony was planned by Mr Parsley with the help of his close friend Ms Antoinette, who flew over from San Francisco for the ceremony.
Ms Antoinette, a 44-year-old graduate philosophy student at San Francisco State University, said: “I was there from the early planning stage – we wanted the ceremony to honour Judy and bring the community together.
“It was exactly what it was supposed to be from participants, to celebrants and to Stephen’s vision.”
The 20m-tall structure was constructed in just over seven days using a 200-year-old oak tree and 29 bog oaks.
It is intended to be a place for quiet reflection for Mr Parsley and may only be open for private functions.
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