Sacred Sites:
Circle Sanctuary's Stone Circle
by Selena Fox
 The
Stone Circle is the best known and one of the most frequented of
the ritual sites at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, which is located
13 miles west of Mount Horeb in southwestern Wisconsin, USA. The
Stone Circle is atop a naturally occurring sacred mound known today
as Ritual Mound.
I first journeyed to the place that was later to be the site for
the Stone Circle during the Summer of 1983 as part of my explorations
of the property prior to purchase. Sensing an energy vortex, I climbed
the mound and discovered a naturally occurring grassy circle space
that was in the center of a grove of Oak and Birch trees. Immediately
upon discovering this wonderful place, I knew it would be a great
site for the Stone Circle we had planned to create on Circle land.
Others that accompanied me to this spot that afternoon agreed.
The first Shamanic Wiccan ritual done at this site occurred on
Halloween night in 1983, just prior to Circle's signing of purchase
papers for the land. I did a Samhain rite there with Jim Alan, who
was my spiritual partner at the time. It was during this rite that
we discovered that this circle area was a gateway to the Spirit
world and to the realm of Faery. As we held up the Samhain offerings
we had brought, a radiant white ball of light appeared in the darkness
in the North. In our meditation that followed, we strongly connected
with the Spirit of the land. We knew it was right to proceed with
the land purchase, as well as to create a Stone Circle at this place.
Construction of the Stone Circle began at Yule 1983. Eight of
us (Dennis, Beket, Jim, Jeff, Axis and Starfire and their young
son Little Hawk, and I) carried rocks and trekked to the circle
area through more than a foot of snow in below zero Fahrenheit cold.
In the center of the circle, we placed our large altar stone, which
had been at the center of Circle's first stone circle near Sun Prairie,
Wisconsin. Then we placed smaller stones next to it to form a fire
ring. We lit a small Solar fire there to celebrate Winter Solstice
and this group ritual space.
At Spring Equinox 1984, a much larger group joined together for
ritual at the Stone Circle. We brought and placed stones of various
shapes and sizes to form cairns at each of the four sacred directions.
More stones were added to these cairns during rituals that Summer.
At Fall Equinox 1984, we expanded the circle in order to accommodate
the growing number of people taking part in rituals. We moved each
of the quarter cairns several feet outward, began forming the stone
ring connecting these quarters, and did a realignment ritual. Just
prior to Yule 1985, a small group of us dedicated the Stone Circle
to Mother Earth as a planetary healing place.
We usually work with seven directions in our Community rituals
at the Stone Circle, beginning in the North and honoring the spiritual
forces we associate with the directions. Our directional associations
are: North=Earth; East=Air; South=Fire; West=Water; Center Above=Cosmos;
Center Below=Planet; Center=Spirit. We make a distinction between
the Element Earth, which we call in the North and associate with
soil, rocks, and the physical realm, and Planet Earth, which we
call in the Center and associate with the biosphere containing all
the Elements.
Over the years, numerous group and individual rituals have been
held in the Stone Circle. In addition to Sabbat and Moon ceremonies,
there have been rites of passage, including weddings, baby blessings,
and memorial services. My husband, Dennis Carpenter, and I had our
legal handfasting there on June 7, 1986. Each year, Circle's public
Earth Day ritual is held at the Stone Circle. It has also been the
site of individual and small group quests and vigils.
The Stone Circle is open for visitation by participants in festivals
and other events at Circle Sanctuary land. Except for our annual
Earth Day and Fall Equinox celebrations, most rituals, meditations,
and other spiritual activities at the Stone Circle and Circle Sanctuary
land are closed to the media. However, in the few cases where we
have permitted media with advance arrangements, coverage has been
accurate and positive. The Stone Circle, the most public of our
ritual sites, has been featured in several documentary films, magazines,
newspapers, books, and on television. From time to time, some university
professors and Sunday School teachers have arranged field trips
here and brought classes of students to the Stone Circle as part
of multicultural and interfaith learning experiences.
Over the years, our ring of stones has continued to grow. The
Stone Circle is now comprised of several thousand rocks, pebbles,
boulders, and crystals from all over the world. Some of these have
come from contemporary and ancient sacred areas. The Stone Circle
also includes a variety of small objects, such as amulets, coins,
shells, fossils, feathers, and beads left as offerings. Some of
its more unique items include some copper from the Statue of Liberty
obtained during its restoration, a piece of the Berlin wall obtained
during its dismantling, and a pottery chard from ancient Crete.
Stones are added to the Stone Circle at most group rituals. Each
stone or offering item is placed with a prayer or wish for well-being
for the planet. Individuals also make additions as part of individual
meditations and rites.
Contributions of rocks, stones, and crystals for the Stone Circle
are welcome. Stones can be any size. Mail stones to us at Circle
or place them there yourself during a visit at one of our events
(see the gatherings page in issues of this magazine for dates).
Send stones to: Stone Circle, Circle Sanctuary, P.O.Box 9, Barneveld, WI 53507 USA.
Selena Fox is High Priestess and founder of
Circle Sanctuary.
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