Newgrange and Stonehenge
QUESTION: Masters, I recently visited the stunning and massive Newgrange passage tomb in Ireland, built some 1,000 years before Stonehenge. Archaeologist now believe that stone age peoples were far more sophisticated than first thought and such monuments were built as a massive and willing community undertaking bringing together tribes from all over the country. Can the masters tell us why Newgrange and Stonehenge were built and aligned to the Solstice points and what they were used for? Also, how where the massive blocks transported and lifted. Was it sheer human effort or were long forgotten levitation techniques involved? ~David, UK
ANSWER: The monuments you mention were built over huge periods of time, and their usages changed to fit the needs and beliefs of the people existing in those periods. An aspect of each carried religious connotations of the journey of life. Some of the construction, such as the passage tombs, symbolized the birth canal and the desire to be born into the next phase of the journey after human life. Each served as burial places for the builders, as well.
All were attuned to the astrological movement of the planets to honor and ask for help from the major seasonal periods, such as the longest day of the year and the shortest – always with a hope that honoring these transitions would ensure their physical transition, as well. During some of these periods, myths arose about the presence of gods within the sites.
As time passed, they became a unifying project for various people to come together with a singular purpose. In some cases, they served almost as fair grounds do today: to bring people together to trade, celebrate, meet prospective mates from different tribes, and learn from each other.
The construction had many aspects depending on the intention of the builders at any one time. Stonehenge turned into a healing location for a time, with many of the stones being “singing stones” that produced resonances when struck. Remains of “pilgrims” from far-off lands have been identified. Materials were gathered for the historical significances attached to them by the builders.
Most of the movement of the massive pillars was by manpower alone. A few of the people, at various times, had mastered the ability to levitate the stones, and that was also used.