From: I Want Changes To Happen!
Date: Jul 7, 2008 9:51 AM


STOP HUNTINGDON ANIMAL CRUELTY



Who They Are

Huntingdon Life Sciences (HL is Europe’s largest contract animal testing laboratory..

They have about 70,000 animals on site, including rabbits, cats, hamsters, dogs, guinea-pigs, birds and monkeys.. These animals are destined to suffer and die in cruel,useless experiments..

HLS will test anything for anybody.. They carry out experiments which involve poisoning animals with household products, pesticides, drugs, herbicides, food colourings and additives, sweeteners and genetically modified organisms..

HLS have been infiltrated and exposed a number of times in recent years.. Each time horrific evidence of animal abuse and staff incompetence has been uncovered, including workers punching beagle puppies in the face..

Where They Are

HUNTINGDON RESEARCH CENTRE (HRC)
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Woolley Road
Alconbury
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE28 4HS
Tel: 01480 892 000
Fax: 01480 892 205
E-mail: sales@ukorg.huntingdon.com

EYE RESEARCH CENTRE (ERC)
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Barric Lane
Occold
Suffolk
IP23 7PX
Tel: 01379 644 122
Fax: 01379 678 034
Email: sales@ukorg.huntingdon.com

PRINCETON RESEARCH CENTRE (PRC)
Huntingdon Life Sciences
PO Box 2360
Mettlers Road
East Millstone
New Jersey
NJ08875-2360
USA
Tel: 001 732 873 2550
Fax: 001 732 873 8513
Email: sales@princeton.huntingdon.com

Life Science Research Inc
320 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
001 410 659-0620

Life Sciences Research Inc
401 Hackensack Avenue Floor 9,
Hackensack, NJ 07601
001 210 525-1819

HLS Exposed

In the past few years HLS have been infiltrated and exposed time and time again by journalists, animal rights campaigners and members of the public..

Every single time vicious animal cruelty, fraud, incompetence and rule breaking has been exposed on a large scale..

In these pages you will read about how HLS workers have been caught on camera punching animals in the face and falsifying test data, how they have been caught dealing illegal substances on company premises and how incidents such as workers being drunk at work and killing animals due to neglect are all part of the daily routine inside Europe's largest contract testing laboratory..

And yet HLS continue to claim all of this has changed in recent years.. However, the latest expose into HLS - two ex workers who were operating in the beagle unit inside this hell hole - have demonstrated that things are still the same, with animals being roughly treated, sloppy science and manipulated data..

HLS Clients

Customers are the main thing keeping HLS in business.. It's simple No Customers = No HLS.. Many of these companies listed know full well that HLS are cruel to animals, break procedures and falsify results and are happy with that as it means that they get their products on the market..

Others haven't got a clue about HLS as they are based on the other side of the world.. Click here to find who their customers are and where they are from the last 5 years.. If you would like to view just the companies we know have used HLS in 2005 only then click here..

We have a searchable database of Huntingdon's customers and their global sites including their distance from you.. To access this database just click here..

Companies with blood on their hands..

Useless Experiments



Splenda is the brand name for Sucralose and is made by Mcneil Speciality Products who are in turn owned by Johnson & Johnson..

In 2000 a series of reports were published by Permagon press detailing how thousands of animals had been experimented on at Huntingdon to test an artificial sweetener sucralose.. These were particularly nasty experiments carried out on dogs, monkeys, rabbits, rats and mice..

One of the aims of the experiments was to see the effect on the central nervous system of the animals and in turn the animals were given massive doses of sucralose.. Serious questions have been raised as to the safety of sucralose yet here it is widely available in many service stations, Pret a Manger and Starbucks to name a few outlets.. We invite anyone reading this to enter sucralose or splenda into a Google search and read the detailed and widespread evidence on the dangers of sucralose..

In the Home Office's own guidelines primates are only to be used for 'serious' studies.. These experiments amongst many others make a mockery of this.. Animals died for what? Sugar!

We can all sleep safely in our beds at night knowing that kind people at Huntingdon Life Sciences are testing for our childrens' safety and for their future...oh and if you believe that you need your head examining..

Other useless experiments conducted at Huntingdon Life Sciences

Caramel food colouring

In the May 1992 edition of Food Chemical Toxicology an experiment was reported at Huntingdon that involved poisoning mice with Caramel at "very high doses" in spite of the fact that caramel has been on the market for many decades..

Starch derivative

In 1994 Huntingdon tested cyclodextrin which is a starch derivative.. This was tested on dogs and rats for one year.. All the animals were killed at the end of this experiment..

Cigarettes

In an edition of the Toxicologist magazine in 1998 it described how Huntingdon had tested nicotine on rats and rabbits.. Convulsions and tremors were recorded in both species..

In a toxicological magazine published in 1990 Huntingdon carried out tobacco experiments on rats.. These were done by the particularly nasty method of Inhalation toxicology which means that the animals are forced to breath in the fumes.

















Animals will be breathing anything from the fumes from burning foam to the vapours from aerosols and glues. The animals will keep on breathing these fumes often until they pass out, vomit or in numerous cases drop down dead in the slings.

















Cannabis

In a report published in 1999 called Marihuana (sic) and Medicine it details an experiment carried out on 84 pregnant rabbits at Huntingdon to test cannabis..
This experiment lasted one month and all the animals were killed whilst still pregnant..

Musk

In 2000 Huntingdon published an experiment for three kinds of Musk which is a perfume used in cleaning products, toiletries and perfumes.. These experiments were carried out on rats..

We have many more examples like these but these are amongst the most striking.. Remember every drug that is withdrawn because of serious side effects, every pesticide that proves to be carcinogenic, every stupid 'new and improved' household product that we don't need, Huntingdon will have forced that product down the throats of thousands of animals and then passed it safe just for it later to go on to maim, harm and kill humans..



Photos and Video from HLS

WHAT YOU CAN DO



The campaign to close Huntingdon Life Sciences involves thousands of caring people all across the world.. Like you they are disgusted by HLS and their evil activities and are prepared to take action to close them down.. All of us fighting for the animals are a powerful force, so get involved, get active and do your bit to close down HLS..

Phone Calls and emails

Phone call protesting is a very effective campaigning tactic.. Phone the companies up and ask them to justify their involvement in animal cruelty and scientific fraud.. You have every right to call Huntingdon and their customers and suppliers and question them about their obscene practices..

If you are at all concerned about companies like HLS being able to find out who you are, then it is better to make calls from a public phone box using the preset 141 before every number you call to protect your privacy.. This does not mean we are encouraging you to make a different sort of phone call than you would from home, but we know some people wish to remain anonymous for instance because of their job..
Never underestimate how important these calls are..

Many companies that have dealt with Huntingdon have ditched them due to the calls they have received from members of the public voicing their concerns and talking to their staff.. Every single call counts!

For a list of important phone numbers and email addresses then please check our current targets section..

Emails are also an important way you can take action for the animals..You can subscribe to the email action alert list on the website.. It is free to join and keeps you up to date with the best phone numbers and email addresses to use.. If you wish to preserve your privacy use a local library or internet cafe..

You can subscribe to the email action alerts by clicking here

Please note that SHAC does not encourage repetitive, rude or threatening phone calls and emails, Make your point politely..

Demonstrations

There are SHAC demos happening across the world every day.. The aim of the campaign from the start has been to undermine and destroy Huntingdon's financial base.. This has been massively successful resulting in the government having to rescue Huntingdon from imminent closure several times already..

Demonstrations can be anything from 2,000 people marching round Cambridge city centre to one person putting stickers up - the point is THEY ALL COUNT!

The main focus of the campaign is the customer campaign.. To view a list of all the companies currently being targeted in the customer campaign please look on our current targets section..

Alongside the customer campaign is the smaller suppliers campaign that targets any company that supplies the hellhole that is Huntingdon Life Sciences.. To view the suppliers currently being targeted please click here

If you are new to SHAC please remember that we all went on our first demonstration once.. On demonstrations you are surrounded by like-minded people all with the common aim of shutting down the disgusting Huntingdon Life Sciences!

SHAC produces a campaign newsletter that comes out once every 4 weeks to keep activists up to date and informed.. This newsletter contains a full list of demo dates.. You can download these from the website by clicking here

You can also view a list a demo dates by clicking here

Leaflets,posters, stickers etc are available from the campaign and most are free.. If you would like to order merchandise to get active then please click here

Fundraising

The campaign cannot operate without funding from the general public.. Pound for pound the campaign is one of the most effective ever and you can rest assured that every pound you donate goes towards closing Huntingdon!
You can raise money in a whole variety of ways from car boot sales, street stalls to sponsored events.. One child recently raised over £100 pounds for the campaign by taking part in a sponsored silence..

If you would like to donate money you can send a cheque or postal order made payable to SHAC and send it to

Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
c/o FRIEND
89 Bush Road
East Peckham
Tonbridge
Kent
TN12 5LJ

You can also pay monthly with a standing order form - either ask us for one by post, email: info@shac..net You can download the standing order form by clicking here but you will need adobe acrobat to do this - if you do not have adobe acrobat you can download it for free by clicking here

SHAC would like to thank all our supporters for their financial contributions and standing orders.. You free up activists to get on with all the other work behind the scenes that is essential in our war against the animal killers..

Thank you for your wonderful support...!



SHAC

For more information about the campaigns against HLS, its history, where it is happening, who you can contact to get involved, and about Shac, please click here




''Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.



~I Want Changes To Happen!~

From: H. O. R. S. E.
Date: Jul 8, 2008 5:07 PM


Crossposting:

A rescue in Florida (Contact info below) took in rescued 3 Mustangs & one half Mustang colt and desperately need to find homes for them

Bandero is standoffish sometimes comes to you sometimes not.

He is quiet now but he might be more horse when he gains weight

Dutchess is very friendly and handleable, she may even be quiet enough to train to ride, not sure.

We have not tried to touch her legs or trim her feet yet

Rocket is a Dutchess’s 6 month old colt, other half is QH, he is very tiny.

He will be gelded next week

Gypsy, the healthiest looking one is dangerous. She is 11 yrs old and will likely never tame any more than she has at this point She can be haltered and lead from the right side (only) with great time and caution but anything else and she will run you down, severe kicker also.

We will have to get her into a stock to pull a Coggins Only for the most experenced horse person

All need a permanent, lifetime home, no breeding please, there are too many horses already without a home.

No fee or donation but adopter must pay for transport and health certificate

Adopters must send us photos of their place where the horse will live and tell us what their long term plans are for the horse. The calls are coming in daily from people who cannot afford to keep their horses anymore.

People wanting to adopt from HPAF please email me for an adoption application
hpaf@bellsouth.net

We also have two other mares, one Paso and one QH who need an adopter who is skilled with horses that dislike people and have never been handled kindly.

Both unrideable

Please email if you want to be contacted about any future Mustangs needing homes

Thank you


Morgan Silver
Executive Director
Horse Protection Association of Florida
www. hpaf.





org

Bandero


Dutchess 9yo


Rocket 6 month old colt


Gypsy

Color Meditation



Take some time to relax and adjust your breathing to a gentle,
comfortable rhythm …. Now open yourself to the pure white flow of
life-giving cosmic Light energy

Feel the light flow into your mind, cleansing away all the shadows and
producing a sensation of positive upliftment ….. Now, let it flow
through your body …. experience the feeling of relaxation,
purification and well being …. Take a few moments to enjoy and attune
yourself to the flow of pure life energy ….

Now, allow your attention to center on the root chakra, at the base of
your spine …. imagine a point of brilliant White Light in the middle
of the chakra, purifying the energy center so that only the clearest
and most positive energies can flow within it ….

Feel the point of Light begin to pulse and grow…. as it expands, feel
it changing to a clear, vibrant red…. let the light continue to grow….
and feel the pulsations of vitality surging through your body….
radiating out from the energy center like ripples in a pool…. feel
your blood cells dancing and your body tingling with exuberant life
force, giving a boost to your confidence…. energy and initiative. Take
a few moments to enjoy the red energy sensation….

Move the focus to your awareness to the left-hand side of your spine
in the small of your back and see a point of brilliant White Light at
the center of the spleen chakra…. feel this Light begin to pulse and
grow, purifying your Astral energy streams…. as the Light expands,
feel it changing to a warm, bright orange…. with this orange energy
rippling outwards through your system, feel its wonderful tonic
effect…. feel the melting away of any negative thoughts and emotional
tensions…. they are being washed away in the stream of orange light….
feel a clearing of the mind…. a sharpening of the faculties…. and a
positive lift to your emotions…. Take a few moments to enjoy the flow
of orange energy.

Lift your focus now to the middle of your back, over the kidneys…. and
tune in to the brilliant point of Light shining at the center of your
solar plexus chakra…. as it begins to pulse and grow, feel it changing
to a pure, bright yellow…. let it spread outward through your system….
and feel your mental processes becoming crystal clear…. bringing a
sharpening of your awareness and a clarity of perception…. feel the
outflow of a positive force that repels negativity…. and attracts the
kind of energies that are creative and uplifting…. Take a few moments
to enjoy the flow of warm yellow energy….

Raise your focus of awareness to the level of your heart, between the
shoulder-blades…. See the point of pure White Light in the center of
your heart chakra…. As the purifying light begins to pulse and grow,
change the color to a fresh, bright green…. Let this refreshing green
light pulse out through your system…. Bringing with it a sensation of
renewal…. The abundance and fertility of nature…. An enrichment with
your spirit…. Inner balance…. And an awareness that all is well, the
Universe is unfolding as it should.

Feel your heart opening, to pour the goodness of this life-giving
energy outwards…. Letting it bathe the whole of humankind in its
richness…. Give it out naturally as a flower gives its fragrance….
Have no fear that your store will be depleted…. You are drawing the
energy from an infinite source, the well can never run dry and the
more you give, the more will be given unto you…. Take some time to
bask in the joy of giving and the renewal and refreshment of the
beautiful green world…. Feel the spirit of Nature itself reaching out
to enfold you….

Now, lift your awareness to your throat chakra and focus on the
purifying point of White Light at its center…. As the Light begins to
well and grow, change the color to a sparkling electric blue…. Let it
pulsate out-wards through your system an irresistible tide of healing,
soothing comfort…. Feel a quite strength and stillness within…. An
awakening of the spirit…. And a sense of affinity with the minds of
kindred spirits , who surround you everywhere….

Let your spirit be nourished in the flow of creative blue energy…. And
be tranquil, knowing beyond doubt that the course of your destiny is
being safely guided by none other than you Creator. Feel your spirit
uplifted…. Be at peace…. Know that you are a child of God….at one with
your Creator and with the whole of Creation…. Give the energy
outwards…. Sending comfort, healing and upliftment to the places where
it is needed…. Feel an inner attunement with the souls of your brother
and sister spirits everywhere…. With all the love you can muster, send
them a message with your thoughts and let the message be this: " Peace
be unto you"………….Wait quietly…. And feel the flow of love and peace
returning to wash over you…. And through you….in a quiet but
infinitely powerful tide of spiritual fulfillment…. Rest ….and bask in
the healing, creative flow of blue light energy.

Now, raise your consciousness to the brow chakra in the center of your
forehead and focus on its center, in the point of purifying White
Light….slowly let the Light expand , gently but thoroughly cleansing
your psychic energy streams…. Now change the color to indigo….a clear,
deep midnight blue….as this color pulsates through your system, feel
the quickening of your intuitive faculties….a purity of thought….and a
clarification of your awareness and sensitivity to the higher psychic
spheres…. Be assured that you are completely safe….the energy upon
which you are drawing is the spiritual Light: clear, strong, pure and
protective…. In this space you are in touch with only the highest
energies in the psychic realms….they come to you in love and will not
do you harm…. Feel the closeness of your spirit guardians….guides….and
loved ones, who join you at this level…. Reach out to them with love
and make them feel welcome….and enjoy the warmth of their loving
response…. drift for awhile in the indigo space.

Now raise your focus of awareness to the top of your head and tune in
to the point of White Light at the center of your crown chakra…. Let
the Light gently expand and as it spreads outwards, change the color
to violet….as this energy permeates your system, feel yourself
uplifted and surrounded by the close, personal presence of your
Creator…. Feel the loving, creative power as it penetrates every level
of your being….do not try to direct the flow, just accept it and know
that it comes to you from the Highest….to stimulate and nourish the
divinity within yourself…. As it does its precious work, say to
yourself in your mind "I am a child of God"…. and KNOW that it is
true….spend a few moments to enjoy the flow of beautiful violet light.

Now pause and focus your attention on the whole of your aura….feel the
potency, strength and beauty of the energy pulsing through it as each
one of your chakras draws on the infinite energy in its purest and
most positive form…. Let this energy radiate out from you and know
that, in generous flow, you are giving only that which is beneficial
and uplifting….for yourself and for those around you…. When you
radiate positive energy in this way, negativity cannot reach you
because it is overcome and swept away in the tide of goodness…. Feel
the sparkling vibrancy of life energy surging through every fiber of
your being ….and as the energy radiates outward, feel yourself
expanding with it….in a beautiful white-gold stream of perfectly
balanced life essence.

Feel a sense of attunement with your Creator….an affinity with All
that Is….a pure and unconditional love for life in all its myriad
forms….luxuriate in the infinite warmth and love of the Spiritual
Light….soak it in….and breathe it out….sharing both the Light and
yourself with All that Is….take a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of
ultimate pleasure and upliftment….and the feeling of absolute Oneness
with Life.

When you are ready….slowly prepare yourself for the return to a
physical focus….take your time….don't try to rush….as you gradually
return your awareness to the here and now, bring the Light with you
and keep it radiating, so that it enhances your every
thought….feeling….and action within the physical environment….give
thanks for the joyful experience you have been given to share and the
fresh power and confidence that is yours to apply to your endeavors in
life.

Come back gently… take a deep breath…. Open your eyes….and relax

Please Note http://tinyurl.com/6m83de, PITTSBURGH PA ~ Animal Friends provides low-cost spay and neuter services in the five county Western Pennsylvania region ~ A rich variety of spay neuter programs serve the Allegheny County area
(Please excuse duplicate message(s).)

PITTSBURGH PA ~ Animal Friends provides low-cost spay and neuter services in the five county Western Pennsylvania region ~ A rich variety of spay neuter programs serve the Allegheny County area

At Animal Friends, we know that spay and neuter is the only way to proactively relieve the pet overpopulation problem. In Allegheny County alone, conservative estimates show that 25,000 homeless and abandoned pets enter shelters each year. The largest cause of euthanasia is the inability to find adoptive homes for these unwanted animals.

That’s why Animal Friends offers subsidized spay and neuter services for low-income pet owners, to ensure that all families can afford to spay or neuter their pets. Using conservative “multipliers” to estimate the number of offspring that would have been born in the absence of any spaying and neutering efforts, Animal Friends’ low-cost spay and neuter program has prevented the births of more than 2.5 million unwanted kittens and puppies since 1993.

Animal Friends’ Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Program is a need-based program that provides financial assistance to enable all pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered. Animal Friends has formed relationships with local veterinary practices that have agreed to provide surgeries to our clients’ pets for a reduced cost.

Animal Friends Pet Adoption & Resource Center
562 Camp Horne Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
412.847.7000

Come visit us!
Monday - Friday 11am - 7pm
Saturday & Sunday 10 am - 5pm

Visit Site at http://tinyurl.com/5abd5m.

Download “Western Pennsylvania Low Cost Spay/Neuter Program Application” at http://tinyurl.com/67ay82.

Donate Now to Animal Friends at http://tinyurl.com/6yc78x.

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Report Animal Hoarding, Cruelty or Abuse to:

Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office at ACSO@court.allegheny.pa.us; and

PSPCA Cruelty Investigators at cruelty@pspca.org.

Stonehenge and The Sequani Calendar   
____________________________________
 
by Helen Benigni

Athough Stonehenge is surrounded by mystery  and clouded in the mists of
time, there is one practical use of the ancient  monument: it is an astronomical
observatory that measures the movements of the  sun, the moon, and perhaps, the
stars. The findings of astronomy may not lead us  to the exactitudes of
Neolithic life and the construction of the monument and  its origins, but what is
clear is that Stonehenge is still a viable and useful  calendar of extreme
accuracy. With the use of computers, Stonehenge, an absolute  peak of astronomical
genius, might be used as such today.

Moreover, an  ancient bronze calendar tablet discovered near Coligny, France
in 1897 believed  to be the calendar of the tribe of Celts called the Sequani,
sheds amazing light  on the use of stone circles and in particular,
Stonehenge. The astronomy of the  ancients is easily understood and made applicable to
today's night sky by  understanding the basic principles upon which the text
of the bronze calendar,  called The Sequani Calendar, and Stonehenge is based.
Keeping in mind the  diversity of the stone circles of the ancient world and
the diversity of the  belief systems of Celts, especially in the myths of each
tribe, certain basics  of Druidic belief are a simple and clear beginning to
understanding the calendar  systems of these ancient astronomer-priests.

In 1988, Alban Wall  published a paper in the Epigraphic Society Occasional
Publications (Vol.17)  that summarizes the similarities of Stonehenge and The
Sequani Calendar.  According to Wall, both Stonehenge and The Sequani Calendar
are luni-solar, both  are based on a 19 year cycle or the Metonic cycle of the
moon, and both have  months that basically alternate between 30 and 29
nights. Both can be expanded  to 235 months that are divided into light and dark
halves which begin at the  first quarter moon. The months, or as the ancients
called them, "moonths" have  the full moon marked on the eighth night of the
light half of each lunar cycle  and the new moon as the eighth night of each dark
cycle. On The Sequani  Calendar, the full moon is designated as the Oenach or
people's holiday and the  new moon is the Druid's Holy Night.

Each marks the solar year holidays at  the solstices and the equinoxes as
well as the cross-quarter days the same as  they are celebrated in Neo-Pagan
circles today: Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring  Solstice, May Day, Summer
Solstice, Lugnasad, Fall Equinox, and Samhain. These  well-known solar holidays were
easily adapted to the Roman calendar that we use  today, but the moonths were
never transferred to our calendar as they involve  the precision that a
luni-solar calendar demands in order that each lunar cycle  remain one moonth or
month. Stonehenge and The Sequani Calendar, as mentioned  above, both retain the
luni-solar months and yearly cycle so that they follow  the moon and the sun
with "extremely close reconciliation of lunar with solar  time" (Wall 30). To do
this, The Sequani Calendar allows for an Intercalary  Moonth every two years
and six months. Both, however, give special prominence to  the solstices.

The year on Stonehenge and The Sequani Calendar is divided  into two distinct
halves: a light and a dark half. The light half begins at the  Winter
Solstice when the new light of the year begins on December 21st, and the  dark half
begins at the Summer Solstice with the disappearing of the longest  summer day
on June 21st. In their Winter Solstice Oenach, the new year is  celebrated on
the full moon or eighth day of the moonth of the Winter Solstice.  Similarly,
the Summer Solstice is celebrated on the mid-point of the lunar cycle  of the
Summer Solstice moonth. The holiday celebrated in the dark half indicates 
special observance of the Summer Solstice in the darkest part of the moonth 
which is the eighth day of the dark half of the moon or the Holy Night of the  new
moon. Light is welcomed as the light in the darkness and cold of winter and 
darkness is welcomed as the relief from the long summer days.

Alban Wall  observes that both Stonehenge and The Sequani Calendar differ
from most other  luni-solar calendars in their special prominence given to the
solstices, their  amazing accuracy of the reconciliation of lunar with solar
time, and their  division of the year into two halves with their year beginning
on the Winter  Solstice. Moreover, both calendars differ from all other
luni-solar calendar  systems relative to the marking of the special days of the moon
in each moonth  such as the beginning of the moonth as the first quarter or
sixth day of the  waxing moon, the full moon on the eighth night of the first
half of the moonth  and the new moon of the eighth night of the dark half of the
moonth. They also  differ from all other calendars as to their marking of the
Winter and Summer  Solstices.

Wall remarks that "It is highly significant that no lunar  calendar other
than the Coligny system, anywhere in the world or at any time in  history, began
its months at the first quarter moon- except the one embodied in  the stones
and holes of Stonehenge" (32). In the first century B.C., the  historian
Diodorus Siculus remarked that in the regions beyond the lands of the  Gauls, there
lies an island where the moon god visits every nineteen years, "the  period in
which the return of the stars to the same place in the heavens is 
accomplished; and for this reason the nineteen year period is called by the  Greeks 'the
year of Meton.' " Here, states Siculus, is a "notable temple which  is
spherical in shape" (quoted in Wall 32).

The fact that Stonehenge and  The Sequani Calendar alone begin their moonths
on the sixth day of the moon and  that the island culture referred to by
Siculus in his description of Stonehenge  uses the Metonic cycle of the moon is
strong evidence to correlate these highly  developed systems of calendars which
might have taken eons to develop and  perfect. Siculus' statement as to the
genius of the accomplishment that marks  the stars returning to the same place in
the heavens in the Metonic cycle might  draw another important parallel
between Stonehenge and The Sequani Calendar: if  the stars are measured on The
Sequani Calendar would it not then be highly  possible for the stars to be marked
by Stonehenge? Why wouldn't a group of  highly educated astronomers and
creators of a calendar system in stone and  bronze include a map of the stars in
their calculations of the cycles of the  moon and the sun in their stone circles?

Wall has designated that the  outer circle of Stonehenge, or what he calls
the "Sun Circle," is used to count  the days in the year by advancing a marker
stone two holes each day, probably at  Sunrise and Sunset in the ceremonies of
the Celts. This circle gives a total of  the days of the solar year if done
thirteen times to equal 364 days. The next  two inner circles of Stonehenge,
traditionally called the "Y" and "Z" holes  designate the lunar moonths by
advancing one hole each day, first around the "Y"  circle, then around the "Z"
circle. Wall calls these the "Lunar Circles." The  next inner circle, The Sarsen
Stones, symbolizes the 29.5 nights of the moonth,  one megalith being half size.
The magnificent Trilithon horseshoe represents the  phases of the moon, and
the Year Dial of stones within them is used to count the  nineteen year cycle
of 235 months. Where then could the stars be measured on  this ancient
calendar?

A group of researchers including myself, Eadhmonn  Ua Cuinn and Barbara
Carter, have translated the original reconstruction of the  calendar found in the
headwaters of the Seine at Coligny. Using the  reconstruction of the bronze
tablets done by Eoin MacNeill for the Royal Irish  Academy in 1926, our group
translated the calendar by silk-screening concentric  circles to represent each
moonth of the first year. Using computers to translate  the astronomy into the
year 2001, Barbara, our astronomer, was able to identify  the stars, the moons
and the sun marked in the ancient text. Eadhmonn, a master  stone-carver and
artist, and a crew of graphic artists, including Mark  Butervaugh, designed
the Celtic circles for each month, and I researched the  goddesses and gods that
told the story of the stars, the moon and the sun from  their Iron Age
references to their Neolithic roots using my training in  comparative mythology.

As we move through the second year of the calendar  for reproduction for the
public, we are gaining a keener awareness of the stars  presented in the text.
The Sequani Calendar marks a star of primary magnitude at  the beginning of
each moonth designated as the PRIN. These twelve primary stars  appear on the
Eastern Horizon shortly after sunset when the moon is a first  quarter moon in
its sixth day of waxing, the first day of each moonth for the  Celts. They are
easy to identify as they are the brightest in the night sky and  appear first
to the naked eye. The constellations of these stars are deities of  the
Celts, and as they travel the night sky through the seasons, their stories  are
told. In turn, groups of constellations in each season tell the stories of  the
seasons of the year.

Although the year is a circle without beginning  or end, the beginning of the
light half of the year appears at the Winter  Solstice in the first lunar
cycle of the year called Samonios. The PRIN, or  first magnitude star to guide us
on the first quarter moon, is the twin stars of  Castor and Pollux, the
Divine Twins of both Greek and Celtic mythology. In  Celtic mythology, the twins
symbolize a strong birth, a single birth from one  egg containing mortal and
immortal life. Twins such as Fiachra and Conn in the  Irish tale of the "Fate of
the Children of Lir" and Nissyen and Evnissyen in the  Welsh Mabinogion
exemplify the Divine Twins. In the second moonth, Dumannios,  the guiding star or
PRIN is Sirius and in the third moonth, Rivros, it is  Regulus. Both these stars
as well as Orion are representatives of the Great  Goddess of the Winter Sky:
Brigantia in Britain, Brigit, in Ireland, Brighid in  Wales, and Brigantu in
Gaul. Brigit is a goddess known for nurturing new  life.

In the fourth and fifth lunar cycles of the year, the moonths  containing the
Spring Equinox, the gods of sacrifice, Esus, Teutates, and  Taranis are
represented in the PRIN of Anagantios which is Arcturus, a  reddish-orange star
that signals a time of blood-letting and self-sacrifice.  Known cross-culturally
as The Dying Gods, these deities exemplify that  self-sacrifice is the highest
form of love. In Ogronios, the fifth lunar cycle,  the rising star of Vega
denotes resurrection. Vega is the first star of the  Summer Triangle, a symbol
not only of resurrection or of the Vulture and Raven  appearing in the heavens
in flight, but of the coming of the Great Mother  Goddess of the summer, the
Mistress of Birds, Water and of the Earth.

The  next two lunar cycles of the year, Cutios and Giamonios, the sixth and
seventh  moonths, complete the Summer Triangle with their primary stars of
Deneb and  Altair, respectively. Cutios, whose PRIN is Deneb, the Swan, is a month
for  celebrating the gift of the waters of life as represented in Sequana of
the  Seine River and namesake of the Sequani; Boann, goddess of the River
Boyne in  Ireland; or Danu of the Danube in central Europe. Like the Raven
goddesses, the  water-bird goddesses are one aspect of a Triskele of Goddesses that
make up the  Great Mother Goddess of the Neolithic tribes represented in the
night sky as the  Summer Triangle. Giamonios, the moonth of the Summer Solstice,
whose PRIN is  Altair, is the another bird aspect of the goddess. Altair is
most closely  associated with Lugh, the eagle, who is the son of Tailtiu, the
goddess of the  earth. With the Summer Triangle complete, the Triskele reaches
its full power. 
In Simivisonnios, the eight lunar cycle, the constellation of The Plough is 
upright signaling the month of the first harvest of fruits and vegetables. 
Altair is still the guiding star of primary magnitude and Tailtiu is the goddess
who declares Lugnasad be in honor of her son, Lugh. Marriage contracts are 
renewed or dispelled, fruits of labor are shared, and feats of physical
prowess  and gamesmanship become displays of a productive life. Lugh, symbol of the 
mastering of life, is an all-wise deity, guarding our fruits of labor.
Likewise,  in the month of Equos, following Simivisonnios, the gaming and
horse-racing so  important to the concept of the Divine Horse in Celtic mythology
continues. The  PRIN of Equos is Equuleus representative of Epona, the horse
goddess. Known also  as Macha in Ireland and Rhiannon in Wales, the horse goddess is
a symbol of  independent strength, prowess, and physical challenge. In the
Otherworld of the  Celts, horse-racing, feasting, and other such pursuits
represent the ultimate  peace and stability that attention to Epona brings us.

The last season of  the year, the Fall, is perhaps the most derivative of
ancient ritual and  therefore often considered the beginning of the year by
Neo-Pagan cults today.  The ancient rituals of the Neolithic tribes at the onset of
winter are clearly  retained in the rituals of the Sacred Calendar of Eleusis
for the Greeks and in  The Sequani Calendar for the Celts. The PRIN marked on
The Sequani Calendar for  the ninth moonth of the year, Elembivios, is
Capella, keeper of livestock and  guardian of wealth, and the guiding constellation
for the last two moonths,  Edrinios and Cantlos, is the river in the sky,
Erindanus. The rituals of the  ancients involve the high priest, or what the
Indo-Europeans called the  "pont-dheh-ker," who is responsible as a transgressor of
souls into the  otherworld of death and winter as well as a guardian of the
wealth of the tribe;  that wealth must be blessed and stored for the winter as
the seeds were  originally stored by the ancient tribes of Europe and the
Mediterranean. 

In Celtic mythology, this ancient high-priest of the forests and all 
important deity of the tribes is known as Cernunnos. As the elliptic has moved  from
South to North in the night sky, the PRIN, or guiding star of the month, 
Capella, appears on the Eastern Horizon on the sixth day of the waxing moon to 
guide us through Elembivios with the protection, vision, and spiritual strength 
of Cernunnos. Cernunnos accompanies us through the onset of winter. In the 
moonth of Edrinios, he crosses the river in the sky, Erindanus as the Milky Way
meets with the elliptic. To the ancients, crossing the river symbolizes the 
crossing from one realm into another, from life to death, and in this case,
from  fall to winter. As seen in the hero's journey in the mythology of several
cultures, the river acts as a medium of transfer from one spiritual plane to
another.

We arrive through long dark nights of winter to begin the cycle  of life
again with the celebration of the entrance of the Winter Solstice light.  As a
full and strong beam of light crosses the threshold of the great mound at 
Newgrange and the Winter Solstice light is welcomed into the circle of stones at 
Stonehenge, we rejoice in another completion of the great cycle of the year. The
mastery of the solar light, the careful calculation to keep each moonth 
following the moon's varying course, and the identification of each primary star 
in a moonth gives us a sense of time and sense about how our ancestors
grasped  for some identifiable part of eternity by bringing the heavens down to
earth.  Their and our participation in the celestial will only broaden our
understanding  of the infinite. Might we now begin our journey through time to
re-capture this  wonderful sense of the infinite by tracing the stars on Stonehenge?
Helen Benigni
©Summer Solstice 2002