I have handbuilt three stone circles , the first in 2004-5 , the second in 2006 and the third Easter 2009. Most stones have come from our property , and most were hard won from the rocky hillside. It can take an afternoon to locate , excavate and drag a stone to the construction area. Erecting & aligning the stone will add more time. I hear of some people building circles in a day with machinery , but to me that doesn't seem right. The adage "move at the speed of the stones" should be adhered to where possible.

Building a stone circle involves building a relationship with the terrain and the stones. There is much frustration and sheer hard work , yet much learning and ultimately the satisfaction of saying "I did it!" Later still , you grow into the circle as it exerts its powerful primal effect upon your soul. There is nothing especially magical and no aura of crystal energy , but stone circles do connect one to the earth in a  special way. Standing circles were connected with life & death rituals. Grave headstones can be seen as the modern equivalent.

Stone monuments have been erected in many countries for all kinds of reasons, often unknown. There are literally thousands in the British isles alone. I like the theory that many of the smaller ones were erected for the benefit of small communities , perhaps just a few families. Here they could gather remember their ancestors and celebrate seasonal events. Not all stone circles enjoyd secret or special alignments and some consisted of very few stones.

Our main circle has combined elements of a number of circles I have either visited or admired through books. It evolved without rigid planning , and the stones were placed where they seemed right. There are some significant alignments which give it meaning , and a couple of times I have moved and replaced stones as better ones became available. For now , it seems balanced and has settled in well with its surroundings.



Nothing beats the vibe of a stone cicrle in the early morning or late evening, in any season. I especially enjoy misty damp days , and spring and autumnal days when shadows are long. The stones are sometimes cold and sometimes warm from the day's ration of sun - and occasionally retain the warmth of the previous day. You can feel it as you walk around. When wet the markings are quite noticeable and as the years progress the character will be altered as more lichen grows. Lichens only grow during the summer, generally a millimetre per year. To some extent the size of the lichen colony reflects its age , similar to counting tree rings. My stones have lichens up to 20mm diameter , in keeping with regrowth following the huge bushfire of 1998. The large centre stone has some larger patches but this was retrieved from a creekbed well away from the fire.


More on this "Judgment Stone" later. For now though , here's an eerie shot on a magical mistery day. The Dragon's Tooth is in the background...



The main circle is located at a "liminal zone" between the home and the bushland beyond. Such liminal zones were favoured places for stone circles. Of course , in modern times the landscape does not reflect the original setting , where forest and swamp or lake may have dominated the immediate area. In any case the circle is at the edge of our "formal" garden yet remains an integral part of the overall theme. I had to hire an excavator to provide a level surface ; this not only saved at least a fortnight of dawn to dusk labour but helped compact the soil. It provides a raised bank which acts as a nice drop off to the valley beyond, especially when viewed at eye level.

The excavation also lent the opportunity to incorporate some steps and some built in seating within a drystone retaining wall built from dolerite creek stones . My friends John & Rob not only provided and transported the centre stone , they gave me access to unlimited creek stones. I reckon I made 6-7 trips , each stone was hard won as I had to extract them from the slippery creek and carry up the bank into the trailer. Some of these stones weighed around 70-90kg. Fortunately I found just the "right" amount - and just enough for the steps.


                                                                                                    The snowfall of 10th August 2005. A rare event in Hobart , probably once a decade. Magic!

The Little Circle

I built this for my young son when he was 7. He helped me as much as he was able. The rocks were boulders which had to be dragged a fair way after first excavating them with a prybar. I transport them on a hefty wooden sled as much as possible but it still makes for a bumpy ride. All these stones have been subject to repeated heat stress in bushfires so I try to go carefully. There is nothing worse than a lichen covered boulder broken in two , or even chipped - the bare rock patches ruin the overall aged look  . Circles built of freshly quarried rock are just not the same. And it takes millions of years to properly season dolerite...

The boulders were not aligned , just placed where they wanted to go. Often , that is the best way.

The circle has a central firepit which is used for warmth and cooking. Marshmallows are a favourite.

Here , in the first year you can see a nice sward of fresh green grass which in the spring was discovered by pesky rabbits and a wallaby. Also , on the far right is an old nitrous oxide cylinder which when struck with a branch emits a "tong" evocative of a Himalayan temple,  lasting 45 seconds , a pretty impressive tuning fork. Hit it here http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Xotbg3f1zcY A lot cheaper than a cast bronze bell.

"Far away , across the fields , the tolling of the iron bell , calls the faithful to their knees , to hear the softly spoken magic spell..."  - Pink Floyd , "Time"

 

 
The Third Circle

I started this on Good Friday 2009 on a whim. All the stones were close by , though most were "icebergs",  with 50-90% of the mass tightly held in the ground. This certainly makes for a severe days' labour , but the strength & conditioning benefits are immeasurable, and the soul always benefits from the tussle.
The center of this is circle , by a strange coincidence & somewhat freakily ,  lies exactly in line with the main alignment stones , including the central Judgement stone of the main circle , about 45 metres eastward. The circle itself is a closed circle , and I have tendered thoughts of surrounding it with small rocks and making a cairn circle. Maybe a memorial for our four hens,  which were killed by a large dog on Easter sunday.
The circle will revitalise a little used but nicely situated part of the garden, surrounded by tall eucalypts.
In due course the stones will lie on a canvas of grass . Then , the native animals will visit for nighttime snacks!
Shortly after I decided to turn this into a cairn circle with portal.. This is a work in progress and dependant upon finding appropriately large stones nearby. It's getting harder...