Eight Reasons to Visit West Kennet Long Barrow
seeking sacred spaces
It’s hard to say what is my favorite spot in England. There are so many mystical and powerful places. West Kennet Long Barrow is definitely high on the list though. Here are my top eight reasons to visit West Kennet Long Barrow.
It’s really close to Avebury Circle, Avebury Manor and Garden, Silbury Hill, Windmill Hill, and Swallowhead Spring so you could hit a lot of sites in a small area. Make a day of it. These are all fantastic sites. Why would you not if you’re in Wiltshire anyway? And Stonehenge is not far (24 miles) away either.
Parking is just along the roadside on A4 so it’s also very easy to get to. Pull over. Stop get out. Have your experience. Take some pictures, and be back on your way.
It’s one of the longest and best preserved neolithic barrows in England. You can actually walk into it and explore the five stone chambers and see where 46 people were buried.
The half mile walk up the hill to the barrow serves as a transition from the modern world to the past. As you trek through the grass, the traffic sounds recede and the air shimmers with timelessness. It’s easy to get lost in your thoughts here – especially if you are alone with them as is often the case in this oft-empty place. It’s a great way to set the stage for something magical to happen.
The site lies on the Mary-Michael ley line. Perhaps this is why many people report paranormal happenings here, such as alien encounters, crop circles, and apparitions. You may see orbs or other anomalies in photographs taken here.
Pagans and druids used and is still use the site for ritual. The lingering scent of incense sometimes greets you as you cross the threshold.
The energy is really strong here. Sit with it. Let your thoughts simmer down to nothing and see what replaces it. You may at least have a pleasant meditation session… or you could walk away with a lot more.
If you’re into engineering, you’ll be impressed by the construction of this beast. The side chambers occur inside an exact isosceles triangle, whose height is twice the length of its base. Ooh, how did they did that 6,000 years ago?
Those eight reasons may be enough to intrigue you to check it out, but you want a personal story, don’t you? Well, I’ve been here many times. The second time I went to England, I felt particularly called to come to West Kennet Long Barrow specifically. I made it there in the afternoon of my first day in England. It was wet, rainy, and cold. I was alone on the hill looking out over a cloudy sky saying, “What did you bring me here to tell me, Grandfather?”
Standing in the wind, I could feel time slip away. My sense of self completely dissolved. I was nowhere and everywhere. I was nothing and everything. I could feel feet on the ground, yet also a part of the ground. I could also feel my presence in the sky, the past, the future, the babies crying in Japan, the raindrops, the smell of fresh roses, the darkness, the light – everything. Everything that ever was. Everything that would ever be. And it’s opposite- the Nothing.
I felt I was given the experience of Oneness. I also knew that now that I’d had it, I didn’t have to come here to get it again. It was within me. It was me. I could access it anytime by just remembering what it was like to be here, fully sensory, fully alive. That experience has never left me. I can’t tell you how long it lasted. It seemed an eternity and it seemed instantaneous. I didn’t ask for it. I wouldn’t have even known to ask for it. But what a gift! I can’t say what West Kennet Long Barrow will give you. I suspect it will give what you are ready to receive.