moss wrote:
In a way modern stone circles reflect the 'sacred' nature of old wells, sometimes they are of course put up in a nature reserve to enhance the 'play' area. But this need to relate back to nature, a Gaia response to the natural world of stone and water, slowly manifests itself. Probably because we are killing off so many of the life forms and destroying ecological habitats people turn to a religion that is not destructive.....
I think I get what you are saying Moss, although would not agree any form of religion comes into it. We live in an anthropocentric age when the needs of humans to exploit, dominate and reproduce themselves has destroyed so much of what had always been held sacred and essential to the survival of the once fragile human species. Perhaps stone circles and standing stones is an echo of something we like to think of ancient ancestry (remember the Australian standing stones which jarred so much with one or two people).
Once you start looking, 'ancient' stones are all over the place - living in Wiltshire I have a particular affection for sarsens and they are all over the Old Town area of Swindon, in at least two parks as 'features'. Also in residential areas as standing stones and even stone circles (thinking in particular of a road called Sarsen Close which has a small stone circle turning area at one end).
