I don't really know how to approach this subject so I'll just explain what happened and see what people think.
My wife and I recently attended a handfasting at a very famous stone circle here in the UK. I won't go into detail of the site because I'm going to be critical and I don't want it to get back to the couple involved.
The ritual itself was held by a priest and priestess who are a bit publicity seeking and there was quite a crowd of onlookers, which led to them putting on a bit of a comedy routine, which probably wasn't really appropriate and the attitude of some of the pagans there was a bit offhand (people involved in the ritual lighting cigarettes halfway through, for instance) so overall I'd say there wasn't enough reverence to go with the mirth.
However, the real problem for me was that I was at the west of the small handfasting circle, which placed me at the very centre of the Sacred Site and because of this I was right next to where a very ancient spirit was woken by our activities.
For those who haven't access to ancient sites like we have in the UK; they're a bit like psychic batteries because they represent thousands of years of worship and belief so anyone who's a bit psychic can pick up a lot from them. I can go onto such a site if there aren't too many people around and get a real impression of the people who used it to the point where I can sometimes almost see them.
On this occasion I felt the spirit in the centre of the site wake up as if she was expecting it to be used for its original function, which was celebration and sacrifice (although not human sacrifice as far as I could tell). This was an intensely powerful impression and I felt that I was half in the twenty-first century and half in the second millenium BCE. Then the priest and priestess started calling on Celtic gods, who were foreign to the spirit, and I suddenly felt her getting angry at the intrusion and then extremely sorrowful at the loss of her people. It was probably the most painful spiritual experience I've ever had.
I alerted my wife to what was happening and she sensed her as well. Later when we discussed what had happened we decided that the being we'd experienced was probably a priestess who had officiated at the ceremonies which used to be held at the site.
The biggest thing which hit me from all this was the need for respect. My wife has been to other rituals there without any problems but she though that the attitude of some of those involved, the frank showing off of the priest and priestess, and the general lack of sensitivity defeated the object of the ceremony.
It has certainly made me rethink the idea of holding rituals on ancient sites. I certainly wouldn't want to attend one unless I was sure those involved were committed to respecting the spirits of the site.
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