Shaman Ariella Moon

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11:39 AM

Summer Solstice Ritual with The Goddess Temple of Palm Springs

11:06 AM

The Virgo New Moon, plus the Goddess Temple of Palm Springs

3:39 PM

The Hunter Full Moon: Healing Ancestral Trauma, Plus Book Promotions

1:15 PM

Find Balance This Equinox Despite Planetary Retrogrades

4:26 PM

Earth Magic: Standing Stones

7:00 AM

The Callanish Stones, Isle of Lewis,
Outer Hebrides, Scotland

How to Access Standing Stones Energy

A druid friend once told me that standing stones are like acupuncture needles in the earth - they conduct the universal life force energy commonly known as chi. After visiting major standing stone complexes (Stonehenge, Avebury, Callanish), as well as many of the minor stone circles that dot the English and Scottish countrysides, I have noticed that many megaliths feel energetically walled off. Shut down. They remind me of zoo animals that try to hide from the public.

How can you respectfully awaken and access the energy?

Enter Stone Circles Ritualistically

Standing stone complexes and circles were designed to be entered in a specific way to allow for the transition from the mundane world to the otherworld. Stone circles usually have a limen - a threshold point. At complex ceremonial sites such as the Callanish* Stones on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, the threshold may be difficult to determine.

Photo Credit: Dr. Gail Higginbottom & Roger Clay / RCAHMS

In my experience, the best way to tune into the energy of the main Callanish site (there are three additional minor Callanish sites) is to hike out to the far end of the northerly avenue formed by two rows of standing stones, then walk between the parallel stones towards the stone circle. (Similar to walking a cathedral's nave to reach the altar.) Frequent mist or rain shrouds the stones in gray, increasing the sense of entering a liminal space. Oddly though, the processional avenue does not lead to an obvious limen. For me, entering the avenue constitutes crossing the threshold.

Heed The Stone People

The Stone People, spirits embedded in rock, are visible at Callanish. Many appear alien, their faces distorted like a Picasso Cubist portrait. Megaliths bearing multiple images, faces and figures, are also present. Some of the standing stones in the circle bear a strong resemblance to humans gathered for ritual, who were struck by a malevolent or accidental spell that turned them to stone.

Photo Credit: Ariella Moon

I am not the first person to note the resemblance. The Callanish Stones were first mentioned in print around 1680 in A Description of Lewis by John Morisone Indweller There:

"There are great stones standing up in ranks, some two or three foot thick and 10, 12, and 15 foot high; It is left by traditione that these were a sort of men converted into stones by ane Inchanter..."

Because so many standing stones have withdrawn their energy, mayhap to ward off centuries of people trying to access their life force, be respectful and aware. Some stones emanate hostile, Go Away! energy. Pass them by. If a megalith seems to pull you in, shield your chakras before venturing too close. Malevolent energies within the stone may be trying to access your energy or life force. More benign standing stones will stay neutral until you venture close. Face your palm towards the stone. If the center of your palm pulses, and no malevolent energy is detected, then feel free to advance closer. Can you hear the earth's heartbeat? Do you sense an otherworldly presence?

Earth Magic
Pilgrimages to ancient ritual landscapes with strong earth magic are well worth exploring. But for those unable to venture to distant sites, be an armchair adventurer. In my Two Realms Series, you'll find yourself in medieval Scotland, Avalon, and Fairy. Each book is filled with magic and adventure. Stonehenge is woven into The Beltane Escape. In The Amber Elixir, two handmaidens of the Lady of the Lake have been turned to stone by one of Merlin's spells. And the Callanish Stones during a Lunar Standstill provide a pivotal plot point in The Viking Mist.

Historic Scotland uses a Gaelic spelling, Calanais.*

Stay kind and magical!

~Ariella

Copyright 2022 by Ariella Moon

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