{"id":1584,"date":"2025-07-28T12:59:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T12:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bodymindspiritjourneys.com\/news\/?p=1584"},"modified":"2025-07-28T13:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T13:00:08","slug":"the-monument-that-inspired-wordsworth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bodymindspiritjourneys.com\/news\/the-monument-that-inspired-wordsworth.html","title":{"rendered":"The Monument That Inspired Wordsworth"},"content":{"rendered":"

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According to centuries-old folklore, a coven of witches danced wildly one night on the moor in Cumbria, Northwest England. Their leader was Meg of Meldon, and she danced with her daughters. But it was on the Sabbath, and their ceremony was a profanity, so as a punishment they all were turned to stone.<\/p>\n

An impressive formation of stones, \u201cLong Meg and Her Daughters\u201d now stands in that moor. It is the 3rd largest stone circle in England, and it has been dated to at least 3,500 years old. Another local legend says it is impossible to count the exact number of stones in the circle, although the number is around 59.<\/p>\n

The tallest stone, Long Meg, stands more than 12-feet high, and is aligned to the midwinter sunset.<\/p>\n

In 1821 William Wordsworth, England\u2019s Poet Laureate and one of the founders of the Romantic Age in English literature, wrote a poem about it:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026A weight of awe, not easy to be borne,<\/em>
\nFell suddenly upon my spirit, cast<\/em>
\nFrom the dread bosom of the unknown past<\/em>
\nWhen first I saw that family forlorn\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

To this day, visitors come to the stones for spiritual purposes. Some worship, while others leave mysterious offerings, wrapped in cloth and left dangling from nearby trees.<\/p>\n

Long Meg and her Daughters is only one of the stone arrangements and other sacred sites in the U.K. we will be exploring this September. It\u2019s a\u00a0Spiritual Journey to Wales and England Hosted by Nancy Auspelmyer September 17-25, 2025<\/strong><\/a>, but\u00a0we<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0only have three spaces left,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0so if you (and a companion) want to join, please don’t wait.<\/p>\n

Here are just a few more highlights:<\/strong><\/p>\n