Cats in the News (#2) (hee, hee, hee)

I know everyone has heard of that incredibly expensive coffee known colloquially as "cat poop coffee" (or sometimes as "crappuccino" LOL). In the rainforests of south-east Asia, wild civet cats eat a certain kind of coffee bean fruit, digest the fruit and then poop out the undigested coffee beans. This natural "processing" results in delicious coffee, apparently, once the beans are washed and roasted. A pound of this rare coffee can cost hundreds of dollars. It must be worth it, though -- the coffee company's logo says that it's "good to the last dropping!"

Recently, civet cat coffee was declared halal (religiously approved) for Muslims to drink, so long as the beans were thoroughly washed. This is a good thing since probably only oil sheiks can afford to buy this coffee on a regular basis.

However, it does not appear that civet cat coffee is kosher (religiously approved) for Jews to drink. Since Jewish dietary laws prohibit consumption of a certain flavour-enhancer additive derived from the glands of civet cats, it seems doubtful that coffee processed by the same animal would be given the green light.

For the rest of us, the only restrictions on consumption are our wallets, our taste buds and our sense of adventure!

Cats in England

One more thing about England -- I expected to see lots of cats there. We saw oodles of cats when we were in Italy the year before. In fact, I milked the topic for three whole blog posts (here, here and here if you're interested). And aren't the English supposed to adore cats?

This is the only cat we saw in Glastonbury, sitting on the stoop of a house leading up Wearyall Hill. Yes, precisely, a FAKE one.

The ONLY real cat we saw in all of England was this cheeky little bugger sharpening its claws on someone's car tires in Avebury. Or perhaps I should say tyres in the English way . . . .

And of course, THIS is what I had HOPED to see . . . .

[First two photos by my Rare One, taken at my insistence]

Stonehenge, Part 4

I have now been to both Stonehenge and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The two sacred sites have much in common. Each celebrates the Divine. Each has drawn pilgrims, seekers and the curious for millenia. Both have huge, awe-inducing structures designed to tower over and subdue the egos of those who enter that space.

But here is where they differ -- Stonehenge sits open to the elements and, imposing though its stones may be, graphically reminds us that its stones are themselves dwarfed by the true power and divinity of the Earth. By contrast, St. Peter's is enclosed against the elements, its magnificent glories all man-made. It may indeed point to its own transcendent truth, but that truth is not Nature. A building seeks to contain. An open-air temple simply seeks to acknowledge which is why, for me, Stonehenge radiates more spiritual power.

Stonehenge, Part 3

We entered Stonehenge in ritual procession. Mara Freeman, an Archdruidess of the Irish Druid Clan of Dana, led us in spiral formation to the centre of the great stones. There was silence except for the sound of her ringing bell. We called the Quarters and their guardians: the Hawk of Dawn (east), the Salmon of Wisdom (west), the Great Bear (north) and the Great Stag (south).

There was a special invocation of the Goddess and a celebration of Autumn's blessings. Then we were free to move about the stones, explore the site and take photos for half an hour before resuming the ritual.

The National Trust's rules for those who enter Stonehenge are strict, of course. You may touch the stones but not climb them or sit on the fallen ones. Obviously nothing can be done to mar or deface the stones or the site. No foreign objects may be left behind.

What can I say about the stones? They are everything you would imagine them to be. Huge, imposing, solemn, full of energy. They glowed in the setting sun. Our shadows and theirs were long and dark against the earth.

We found a megalith with a sacred yoni at its base . . .

. . . and one that was either pursing its lips disapprovingly or holding in a big guffaw . . . we couldn't tell which?

Resuming our ritual, Mara led us in a meditation giving thanks to the Earth Mother. She followed this with a special and very beautiful blessing ceremony using water from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury. After chanting the ancient Druidic chant of Awen, we thanked and closed the Quarters. Our ritual ended just as the sun was slipping past the horizon. We spiraled out of Stonehenge as we had entered, silent except for Mara's ringing bell.

We waited on the paved pathway while two security guards went over the site with a fine-toothed comb to make sure everything was all right. An artist among us who had been sketching the stones had inadvertently dropped a pen. They found it. Otherwise, we left Stonehenge undisturbed!

Tomorrow -- some last thoughts about Stonehenge . . . .

[All photos by my Rare One. Isn't the sunset shot wonderful?]

Stonehenge, Part 2

So it was on September 10th of 2009 that we headed off to Stonehenge in our little tour van. We stopped and had a lovely dinner at a nearby country pub called The Wheatsheaf. Those who wanted to garb in ritual wear before entering Stonehenge changed in the bathroom and then we were off again. We mustn't be late if we wanted to make full use of our one hour of private access to Stonehenge before sunset!

There is a major highway that runs right past Stonehenge (and I mean right past). On one side of the highway is the parking lot, ticket office and gift shop for Stonehenge. On the other side is Stonehenge. So you must park and enter where required on that side of the highway and then walk through a tunnel under the highway to actually get to Stonehenge on the other side.

In this aerial shot, you can see the dark slot parallel to the highway where the tunnel surfaces. Then you walk along the paved pathway to Stonehenge. This shot also gives a good view of the earthenwork henge ditch around Stonehenge.

I must admit to feeling quite overcome with emotion on emerging from the tunnel and seeing Stonehenge rise before me. It was hard to believe I was actually there and about to enter one of the earth's most sacred pagan sites.

Monday's post -- our Druid ceremony at Stonehenge . . . .

[All photos by my Rare One except for the aerial shot]

Stonehenge, Part 1

Stonehenge may only be England's third largest Stone Circle but it's definitely the most spectacular, with its huge megaliths and capstones. It rises from Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire like a grand neolithic cathedral.

The public are not allowed to wander freely among the stones any more. The huge number of tourists coming to Stonehenge in the 20th century proved dangerous to the preservation of the site. Now there is a paved pathway and rope barriers to keep people at a distance.

However, it is possible to buy tickets that allow a limited number of people (a maximum of 24 or so) to enter among the stones for one hour at sunrise and one hour at sunset each day. These tickets are in high demand and the waiting list is approximately one year. This is where it's handy to be part of a tour group! Our leader, Mara Freeman, reserves tickets for her tours far ahead of time and moreover, buys up every ticket for the sunset hour on her chosen date so that we in the tour group (about a dozen people) will have Stonehenge all to ourselves.

Tomorrow -- entering Stonehenge . . . .

[First photo by my Rare One; second photo from the internet]

Stanton Drew

England's second largest Stone Circle is found in the Somerset village of Stanton Drew. Actually, the site has two Stone Circles, one large and one small, like having a main hall for big rituals and a breakout room for smaller ceremonies! They are located in a farmer's field, so you just open the gate and go onto his land --

A lot of the stones are recumbent. But there are still a fair number of stones present on the site.

Two local teens were using one of the stones to film a little video about rock climbing. The megalith was cast as a mountain in their production. Some of our tour group thought they were treating the stones disrespectfully but they weren't hurting them, just using them for a contemporary purpose. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, myself.

Beside the Circle is a large tree -- its limbs bare and black, devoid of leaves and life. It's quite a spectacular tree and creates an eerie atmosphere for the Circle grounds.

I don't know if it's a defunct oak tree but it would be neat if it were, since oaks were sacred to the Druids.

Our guide, Mara Freeman, said that the name "Stanton Drew" is a colloquial pronunciation of what was likely the original name of the site -- "Stone Town of the Druids."

[All photos by my Rare One, official photographer of the She Who Seeks blog]