BBC Wiltshire Hello, and welcome to tonight’s Live Chat with Terry Dobney, Keeper of the Druid Stones at Avebury. Tommorrow is the Summer Solstice and Terry will be leading several Druid ceremonies at Avebury in Wiltshire, as he has done since 1969.

BBC Wiltshire What's a Druid? Who do Druids worship? What is the importance of Avebury? If it's such a special place, how come all the tourists visit Stonehenge instead? How does someone become "keeper of the stones"? These are just a few of the questions you may want to ask Terry Dobney this evening.

BBC Wiltshire Hi Terry, welcome to BBCi and welcome everyone who has joined us here at the BBC Wiltshire website!

Here’s the first question....

Question As keeper of the stones, how do you see the future management of the site? Will there be more restrictions to protect the stones or as Paganism grows will there be more demands for open access?

Terry Dobney As paganism grows there will be a lot more people here, the percentage of visitors arriving is increasing quite considerably. About 4 years ago there were about 40 people, this last year there was around 400! The publicity for Stonhenge has brought in a lot of people but there is also a good selection of regulars. We put on as best a show as we can!

Question How did you become the "Keeper of the Stones"?

Terry Dobney I have been coming here to Avebury on a regular basis since 1969, I have become well known to different druid groups that have been coming here over the years. Gradually I became involved myself more and more, with the disciplines of the ceremony, the exact tidings and the meanings of exact ceremonies. There are eight sun related ceremonies, and 13 moon related ceremonies. These are held through-out the year.

Question Why is Stonehenge so important to modern Druids when historically there is no evidence that Druids were ever practised their rituals at stone circles?

Terry Dobney We have very little official confirmation of druid activity. Caeser's notes from the conquest of Gaul incorporated these conquests of Britain and some mention of druid activity is recorded there. Tacitus (Roman Chronicler) mentioned aspects of the druid life as well, we have very little information to go on. We believe we know what the sites were constructed, for example, there of is a relationship of the planets above interpreted on the earth below. Avebury's temple of the Britons (as it was known) was the centre of activity for the sun and the moon appreciation or worship, so that ancient man had a method of prediction. It is a complex giant sun-dial (if you like) and also a way of predicting lunar eclipses. Nobody expected to get everything right in those days!

Question What future do you see for public access to the 'sacred landscape' of Silbury and Stonehenge?

Terry Dobney There is likley to be more legislation, when you realise Stonehenge is one of the biggest visitor attractions of this country, estimates of about three million a year, I've heard discussions of the logistics of getting the coaches in and out of the car park is similar to stacking jumbo-jets in and out of Heathrow! Which is one of the reasons why there was a walk-way put around the outside of Stonehenge - If everybody takes away a bit of chalk on their shoes, there will be nothing left! Silbury is extremely unstable, it is nice to look at but extremely unstable!

Question Is there such a thing as a lone druid or do you have some sort if coven let's say ?

Terry Dobney Yes of course! It is a path that Ii have followed myself and will continue to follow. I was discovered I was a druid because my beliefs tended to run parallal with them. It is a long complicated task and wisdom comes with grey hair!

Question What are you feelings on the theory that Stonehenge is an amplifier for sound?

Terry Dobney Excellent question! anyone who has performed a ceremony inside stonehenge when there is only a small group of people in the circle, will realise the amazing amplification effects of the stones. The effect feeds the sound back in and stops it from going out. At Avebury, the echo there is amplified in a different way, sound can be thrown over surprising distances at Avebury! This is under certain atmospheric conditions.

Question How do you get in to a local druid order and is there any in or around Durham?

Terry Dobney Anywhere where there is a recognised ancient site, anyone can develop discipline of visiting those sites at times of ceremony, i.e., the same times as here, as I have been doing here. people will join, they will realise you are following the same path as they are. So in five years time, the Durham contingent will be making a visit to Avebury for one of the ceremonies to see how the others do it!!!

BBC Wiltshire A few people emailed in their questions in advance, so I'm going to go ahead and send those through now....

BBC Wiltshire What is the spiritual significance of Silbury Hill?

Terry Dobney From personal observation and experience, Silbury, I believe, was constructed as an efigy to the element of water. It has other lesser significances, but that was its main purpose. If we could have seen it when it was functioning, it rivalled the seven wonders of the world! ...The hanging gardens of Babylon in Wiltshire!

BBC Wiltshire Do you feel neo-pagan religions, such as Druidry and Wicca have a place in the 21st century?

Terry Dobney I believe it has the potential to become a new way of thinking about humans and humanity working with nature and a greater appreciation of the elements. It is giving thanks to what we get for nothing for which life would not exist.

Question What is it about Wiltshire that has attracted so many sacred sites?

Terry Dobney It has recently been decided that the centre core of the earth consists of iron ore, spinning iron ore emits a magnetic force field, this passes much more easily through chalk then other minerals that the planet is constructed of. It's just a way of describing how these sites seem to have a delicate sensitivity. Ancient man had the whole of Europe to choose from to build their sites, they revered their ancestors, they also realised that chalk consists of trillium of ancestors i.e. creatures that have passed before us. This makes the area more perceptive to you (it monkey's with your psyche!!!)

BBC Wiltshire Really interesting Terry. We have time for just one more question.

Question Do you have links with other druids around the world? Which other countries celebrate the summer solstice?

Terry Dobney As far as I am aware, North American Indians, Aborigines, many African tribes, Mongolian shaman and many other old European beliefs, have celebrated and do celebrate the midsummer solstice.

BBC Wiltshire That's all we have time for. BBC Wiltshire Thanks to our guest Terry Dobney, and to all of you who logged on tonight.

BBC Wiltshire Thanks Terry. Sorry if your question didn't get answered - there just wasn't enough time to cover them all.

:: Interested in joining the BBCi Live Chat Community? Click here!