The coronation of King Charles will stay ingrained in my mind for many years to come. Also the crowning of Queen Camilla.
The Coronation was a triumph - what a spectacle! The pomp, pageantry and everything that goes with it was just magnificent. It all worked like clockwork, having taken months of preparation and practice. Not a single thing out of order, right down to the finest and smallest detail. The nine thousand servicemen from the Army, Navy, Air Force and many other service contingents all marching in step. It was a veritable sight to behold.
Most impressive after the service, was when the Colonel in Command of the Blues and Royal regiment gave the word to move. This was passed down the line, and the whole mass of service men and women moved forward as one.
It gladdened me that Charles kept the Coronation Service largely traditional, after all it has been going for over a thousand years right back to William the Conqueror. The Coronation throne on which Charles sat to be anointed and crowned was first used by Edward III, who reigned from 1307-1327. Charles is the 40th monarch to be crowned in Westminster Abbey, which was built during the reign of Henry III.
Charles as King, seems to act as the stepping stone between the ancient and modern. He is forward thinking and doesn't have a racist bone in his body. He is knowledgeable about many religions and respects their followers. He helps the young and deprived through the Prince's Trust, and is a source of encouragement and care for all. This was illustrated by the diverse selection of people who were invited to his Coronation. Splendid beyond words.
There were several special and really important parts of the service. The Oath, the Anointing, and the Enthronement.
The Anointing
The oil was made from olives harvested from two groves - one on the Mount of Olives at the Monastery of Mary Magdalene, and from the Monastery of the Ascension. The Monastery of Mary Magdalene is the burial place of His Majesty’s grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece.
'The Coronation oil is based on the oil used at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the formula of which has been used for hundreds of years. It will also be used for the anointing of Her Majesty The Queen Consort.'
'The Chrism oil - as it is called - has been consecrated in Jerusalem in a special ceremony at The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
'It was made using olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives, at the Monastery of Mary Magdalene - the burial place of Charles' grandmother, Princess Alice of Greece - and the Monastery of the Ascension.
`The olives were pressed just outside Bethlehem and perfumed with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin and amber, according to the Royal Family's website.
`The Archbishop of Canterbury said the oil "reflects The King’s personal family connection" with Jerusalem and "demonstrates the deep historic link between the coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land."
The Homage
I found it particularly moving when Prince William knelt, swore allegiance, and kissed his father, the King.
Prince William, the Duke of Wales and the Duchess of Wales must have been thinking and watching the cathedral service with huge interest, knowing the time will come, when they too will go through the same procedure.
I believe that Charles hit just the right note by continuing with tradition yet introducing the language of the time in which we live. So very different to when his mother, our beloved Queen Elizabeth II, went through a really punishingly long and traditional enthronement and coronation ceremony.
The fact that it rained did not diminish the occasion, and the thousands of people congregating from all corners of the globe, were not going anywhere. Many had camped out, arriving several days previously, in order to secure the prime positions along the Mall or Whitehall, bringing celebratory provisions and sitting and sleeping arrangements with them!
I remember it was raining the day Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, and her reign was one of the most successful and wonderful in history, so I have every hope and indeed confidence that Charles’ will also be great also.
Schedule of events for the coronation of Britain's King Charles
The coronation of King Charles III and his wife Camilla as queen on Saturday, May 6, was the centrepiece of a weekend of events to mark the occasion.
I am now taking you to the 2023 crop circle season as we lie in wait wondering what wonders we will be given to behold and enjoy. As the years have progressed it appears that the circles are now reluctant to appear and do not reveal themselves until late May or even June. We have had an unseasonably wet and cold spring and the crops are only just beginning to reach the height necessary to receive a crop circle. If the crop is too short the circle will disappear quickly as it would not have the weight of the fallen crop to keep it down; thus we are ever mindful of the weather’s influence, not just for the start of the season but also for when the ripened wheat or barley (barley is reaped earlier that wheat) crop is ready for the farmers to cut and harvest their fields.
The early ones have nearly been in oil seed rape (canola) and I am going to show you some we have had in years gone by taken from one of my April 2022 letters.
It has arrived - the first crop circle of 2022 at Enmill Barn, near Crabwood, Winchester, Hampshire. Reported 24th April 2022
Oil Seed Rape (Canola) 85 feet (25.9m) overall.
At this time of year the circle presents itself in the startlingly vibrant yellow flowered crop, oil seed rape (canola), much used for cooking and in health products.
Enmill Barn, Nr Crabwood, Winchester, Hampshire. Reported 24th April 2022. Oil Seed Rape (Canola) 85 feet (25.9m) overall.
Images copyright © StonehengeDronescapesPhotography
The term "rape" derives from the Latin word for turnip, rapa or rapum, cognate with the Greek word rhapys. Wikipedia tells us that 'Crops from the genus Brassica, including rapeseed, were among the earliest plants to be widely cultivated by mankind as early as 10,000 years ago. Rapeseed was being cultivated in India as early as 4000 B.C. and it spread to China and Japan 2000 years ago.'
'One of the most versatile of all plants, oil seed rape is also used as diesel fuel, either as biodiesel in heated fuel systems, or blended with petroleum distillates for powering motor vehicles. Biodiesel may be used in pure form in newer engines without engine damage and is frequently combined with fossil-fuels. Historically it was used in limited quantities due to high levels of erucic acid. Processing of rapeseed for oil production produces rapeseed meal as a by-product. This by-product is a high-protein animal feed - competitive with soybean. The feed is employed mostly for cattle feeding, but is also used for pigs and poultry. However, natural rapeseed oil contains 50% erucic acid and high levels of glucosinolates that significantly lowers the nutritional value of rapeseed press cakes for animal feed.'
Oil seed rape flower
The flowers have a pungent smell and if you walk through it, you will find it is hard to get the pollen off your hair or clothes. As regards detective work, it is the easiest crop for sussing out the Goodies or Baddies.
In 2010 a most glorious formation arrived during a week-end just below Winton windmill in Wiltshire. It contained the most complex geometry, almost exactly bearing a likeness to Russian born physicist Leonard Euler's equation said to be one of the most complex, and indeed, possibly not fully understood by Euler himself. See diagram below.
Winton Windmill ~ Wiltshire
Top: Base of undamaged stalk.
Bottom: Root of undamaged stalk twisted by the `force`
'Having woken at 4am one morning and unable to get back to sleep I decided to drive down to Wiltshire and see the formation for myself. It had been raining heavily overnight and despite having stopped by the time I arrived, I had forgotten how much water the yellow petals retain. The crop stood about 5 ft tall and in no time at all I was drenched from head to toe and my Wellington boots were full of water that had trickled relentlessly downwards. In addition I had forgotten to bring my aerial photograph and as the formation could not be seen from the ground - only from the air or the windmill and this had been closed the week-end the formation appeared - I simply could not find it and was getting wetter and wetter. Not surprisingly not many people were happy to answer my early morning mobile telephone calls until Julian Gibsone nobly answered his and gave me the necessary directions. The outer ring was much trampled and did not provide me with the information I needed. However, the lay of the crop was remarkable, lying in a criss-crossing herringbone manner. I made my way inwards to areas that had been untouched and found what I was looking for; an unbroken stem without any cracks above or below. In order to ascertain this properly, it is necessary to dig away the soil from some way down around the stem. Holding my camera with soil covered, wet and slippery hands, I managed to get a photograph. Now soaked to the skin, and hoping that no-one was around, I did a quick strip, discarding first my sweater, replacing it with a jacket that came down to my knees and hid the fact that I had also discarded my jeans. Luckily I did not have to stop for anything on my way home so modesty was preserved! Definitely worth the effort!'
The whole article can be found on my website under Articles Worth The Effort (2010)
As always I am sending you Pam Gregory’s latest report herewith.
New Moon in Taurus May 19th 2023
Please remember to book your places on my wonderfully exciting crop circle tours. I have to close the booking on the 20th June for the special and magical private evening entry to Stonehenge on the 27th July tour. I fear only those already booked for the Stonehenge visit will be allowed to join me and enter the inner circle of the stones, go right up to them and feel their extraordinary energy radiating out towards you.