Penzance

[Fitheach]

I'll be in Penzance for Summer Solstice this year.
Does anybody know of solstice celebrations in the area I could attend?

[skh]

If nothing else, there's a train to Bristol, and from there there's a bus to Glastonbury and the OBOD Summer Gathering if I'm not completely mistaken...

peace /|\
Sonja

[Fitheach]

That sounds grand, but I'm planning on having a Cornish Solstice! I might just go to St. Michael's Mount.

[skydove]

Hi Fitheach, I dont know how much time you have but that area is brimming with activity, places to visit , not necessarily group activities but on your own. I went 2 years ago and spent the winter solstice having a ceremony completely on my own at a circle of stones on Boskaden Moor, there is the Men an Tol or Crick stone nearby and the area itself of West Penwith is very ancient with small stone edged fields. Try to visit Lands End , Sennen Cove and there is another stone circle near there whose name escapes me for the moment but that one is very much used by local pagans who will probably be doing something at the solstice. Cassandra Latham is the local witch who lives in that area I think I have her name right, she has a web site. Penzance itself is situated as you know on the coast and has an ancient hill fort at the top worth climbing up to and at the winter solstice has a procession lit by lanterns from the town to the hill fort where they light a beacon. Try and visit Mousehole where the story of the Mousehole cat comes from and Zennor Church which has a Mermaid carved on an ancient chair. I've got to work now but will look up the names and spellings again as my early morning memory is not too good before a cup of tea. Its a fantastic place but the best pagan bits to my mind are in the area further west of Penzance its not a huge area but the roads are very small and windy.

[skydove]

Hi Again, I've got my note book in front of me this time so a little bit of extra info plus possibly slightly better attempts at the spellings.
The Man an Tol or Crickstone -the stone with the hole in it is on Bosulow Common and is reached by a footpath from Trevowhan. As you walk along you can see the boulder hedges from the neolithic period which are still in use today. Coming back to the footpath after visiting the Men an Tol is the 9 Maidens stone circle ( in fact there are 11 stones) on Boskednan Moor from the mid bronze age. If you like your stone circles to be reached following your own efforts and set in moorland scenery this is the one for you. In the distance on the skyline you can see the remnants of the Ding Dong tin mine. The building is the pumping house. St Ives is worth a stroll round for the harbour and the old town buildings set close together along winding streets. Nearby at Zennor in the church is the 14th century chair carved with a Mermaid with a quince and a comb in her hands, the face has been well polished by countless hands.At Sennen cove there are huge surfers waves in the sea and further down the cost at Lands End you get a great view of the Longships Lighthouse plus spectacular cliffs. Mousehole is a very quaint cornish fishing village and good to walk around though it gets very busy at peak times, best to park along the road before you get into the village. Cape Cornwall reached from St Just is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. From here you can walk down to the priests cove which is still used as a landing cove for fishermen, there are wonderful round granite stones on the beach, which when you think how hard granite is gives you a great sense of erosion and time passing and they are a fine example the ancient geology of the area. If you like walking try Lamora Harbour along the costal path you have to do some scrambling over rocks but this is true of all the costal areas here. The other stone circle I was trying to remember is the Merry Maidens at St Burryan, the stones are only 4 ft high but there are 19 of them, this is the one that is overseen by Cassandra Latham the 'wise woman of St Buryan'. If you can, visit the Minack open air theatre set high in the cliffs and overlooking the sea. You can google any of these places, hope you have a fantastic time whatever you do, I know I did!

[Fitheach]

These are excellent suggestions. I've been to Cornwall before, and found it so extraordinary, that I had to come back!

[DaRC]

Hi Fitheach, something came to me last night whilst meditating - I'm not sure why BUT If I was back in that area I would be thinking along these lines:

Sunrise - ritual whilst watching the sunrise from Green Beach in Marazion over St. Michaels Mount.

Midday - something to do with being on the sea. To understand the Cornish mindset you have to be on the sea at some stage.
Perhaps going to visit Basking Sharks or Seals... perhaps with these guys: http://www.marinediscovery.co.uk/
The journey out/back should allow time to meditate.

Sunset - the Minack Theatre; I see they're doing a version of All's Well that End's Well.

For an organised one perhaps contact someone from these lists - http://www.twistedtree.org.uk/moots.htm
==========================================================
Penzance 2nd Tuesday
Penwith Pagan Moot – Meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 7.15pm at the Stella Maris Centre behind Healing Star at the top of Causewayhead, Penzance. Moots are for news, information and a different topic each month. We also hold open rituals for the eight seasonal festivals and assist the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network with clear-ups at Ancient Sites in Penwith. Contact – Sarah on 01736 787522 vivianatfarwest@supanet.com, or Dave on 01736 787230 tarewaste@yahoo.co.uk or Eve 01736 793905 meadowsweet1-@tiscali.co.uk Or visit our website www.penwithpaganmoot.co.uk

Penzance, Stella Maris Centre. Last Wednesday. 7.15pm
FFI. Tel: Rod 01736 330669

Penzance & West Cornwall
Ros An Bucca, Cornish Cunning circle.
A group gathering in West Cornwall with regular out door rites and meetings for those with a genuine interest in the ways of Traditional Witchcraft, Cornish Cunning and Folk Magic.
For further information and contact details please visit Cornish Witchcraft and go to the cunning circle page
========================================================

[Fitheach]

Thanks DaRC! I'll follow up on this!

Thank all of you - I'm using your suggestions to plan the trip. I'm also going to do some ghost tours!

[Crystal Dragon]

Hi Fitheach,

Just seen your post here, when time permits I'll take a look at some local info and see what I can find for you.
Who knows our paths may even cross....

Blessings,

CD

[Fitheach]

Thank you! Would love to meet up.

[serenarian]

I'll most likely be in Penzance on holiday around Summer Solstice, so a possible meetup could be arranged if you wanted! All the suggestions that you've received so far are everything I would have said, so I hope you enjoy!

[Fitheach]

I'll be staying at the Pendennis on Alexandra Road

[DaRC]

My grandparents house was not far from there up the top of the road and left a bit - I used to love the stream and the boating pond in the park nearby.

[Fitheach]

I can't wait!!!

[Alex Langstone]

Penzace has a rich tradition of Summer Solstice celebrations. See http://www.golowan.org/

See also http://www.penglaz.co.uk

andhttp://mirrorofisis.freeyellow.com/id395.html

[Fitheach]

Thank you! I looks like I picked the right time to visit!!

[Nikki 2]

There's an open moot in Penzance. It's a lovely eclectic group. I know that at least one of its members is a Druid (an ovate I think). I can't remeber what's it is called but I am sure that they would be easy to find on a google search. They meet at the "Healing Star" in the town. Penzance has fabulous solstice celebrations and we will be heading down that way too! (We are lucky enough to live in Cornwall). Hope you find something.
Bright Blessings
Nikki

[Fitheach]

Where is the Healing Star?

[serenarian]

It's at the end of a long street that leads off from the main high street, called Causewayhead. It's a beautiful shop and they're very friendly (I go in there often). As I mentioned already, I'm going to be in Penzance for the solstice so I may even see you there!

[DaRC]

you should use the mystical power of google
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Healing+Star+penzance&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=Healing+Star&hnear=penzance&cid=13654573710208570869