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Stargazer's Menhir





According to Wikipedia, a menhir is a large upright standing stone, and it can be found standing singly, or in a grouping. The implications are that they've been brought into upright formation by the hand of man – probably a lot of grunting men, for that matter. The word derives from the Breton: men (stone), and hir (long).

Speculation runs rampant as to the ancient purposes of these stones, one speculation in some of the cases is that they were markers for astronomical events. While this cannot be proven in all, or even most, circumstances, the Pan Reference Book Stargazer's Menhir has taken on the poetic implications in its title.

Stargazer's Menhir is one of the oldest Reference Books at Pan. It has always focused on the myths and legends of archaeoastronomy, and on the enigmatic structures and art left behind by ancients around the world. Why were the legends and artifacts important to our forbearers? Agriculture and then religion apparently played key roles. And then: what of eclipses? In some cultures, they became things to fear; in others, they were a goad towards calculation and prediction. As an important adjunct, contemporary astronomy, the history of celestial navigation, clocks and time are all targets for discussion.

The book encourages people to post about their own experiences scanning the skies, much of which can be found at the Star Party thread. Events such as visible comets in the skies may even trigger contemporary stories and legends – even if we know the chemical composition of a given comet, the poetry of the show is not diminished, only enriched.

Come by and join us! There's usually a topic-of-the-month, an easy-to-read menu of options on the DJ, and a small but dedicated group of people at the Menhir who'd like to meet you! May the skies where you are be clear tonight!

Some Regional Locations at the Menhir

Africa, Egypt and the MidEast ~ ~ Asia ~ ~ British Isles & Germanic ~ ~ New World



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