On the week of June 17-23, 2024 Sacred Circle built, dedicated and activated our new dolmen. This week hosted two astronomical events. First was the earliest date of the Summer Solstice since 1796, on June 20 at 3:51 pm MDT (20:51 UTC). The next day was the Full Strawberry Moon at 7:08 pm MDT. This moon was notable for marking the beginnings of the 2024-25 Major Lunar Standstill.
What is a dolmen and why would you want one?
A dolmen is a megalithic structure which consists of a large flat stone, called a capstone, which is held up by 2 or more supporting stones or pillars. The capstone can be placed so it is angled upward, or it can be more horizontal or table-shaped. Most dolmens around the world are associated with the Late Neolithic period of history, which was roughly 9,000 – 7,000 years ago.
Dolmens were very commonly used to entomb and commemorate the dead, by inhumations (burials) of bodies, disarticulated bones, or with deposits of cremated remains. In many instances, remains are also associated with grave goods or food offerings. In a ritual sense, some scholars believe that the builders believed the structure served as a portal through the veil, through which the dead’s spirits could pass or be communicated with. Some have theorized that the angle of the stone assisted the dead on their journey to the afterlife.
However, there are dolmens which do not contain bodies or remains. These megaliths could have been used as tribal markers, altars, and as a central focus for community events, rituals, and ceremonies. Dolmens are some of the most common megalithic structures in the world, and are found on every continent (excepting Australia and Antarctica) and in nearly all pre-modern cultures around the globe. Although many people think of them as being a European phenomenon, nearly 40% of the world’s dolmen structures are found on the Korean peninsula.
The idea for a dolmen within the Sacred Circle community was sparked by the passing of longtime community member Ed, along with significant other passings in the wider community. A place of permanent memorial was needed, and a striking and inspired megalithic structure (that could also serve as an outdoor temple) fit the bill nicely.
How do you shop for a dolmen?
Although an appropriately-sized capstone was identified on the day of the Spring Equinox, the need for 8-10-foot high pillar stones (which ended up weighing about 8,000 pounds total) proved slightly more challenging. Enter the enthusiastic landscape artist Brett, whose business is fortuitously called Standing Stone & Iron Works.
Although megalith building was not exactly in his previous body of work, he agreed to take on the job, and was instrumental in identifying and overseeing the cutting of the massive boulder of travertine which would eventually become our three supporting pillars. Each one was prepared with two cut sides and two rough sides. Two of the pillars are visibly from the same section of the boulder.
Travertine is a type of limestone mineral created from mineral springs, and are usually associated with hot springs, like the famous Mammoth Springs in Yellowstone Park. The quarry in Idaho may be cutting travertine that was formed in a similar area of hot springs in the distant past. In ancient Rome, travertine was a valued building material, and the famous Colosseum – along with temples and public buildings – were constructed of it.
Preparing for installation
When preparing the footing pits for the travertine pillars, great care was taken at every step.
First, three crystal points were selected to add their energies to the travertine. When the crystals were placed, and before the initial 1′ concrete footing was poured around them, the sacred mineral red ochre was used to bless each pit and crystal. Each crystal was set within the pit so that it touched the earth below the footing. After the initial pouring, the top of each one was be cleared of concrete so it could directly contact the bottom of the travertine pillar. Finally, before each pillar was placed into the earth, the base was marked with ochre hand prints.
The Pillars
The Sunrise Pillar is the easternmost pillar. It is over ten feet tall, and is set at 2.3′ below ground, rising to 8.5′ above. It has a carefully hand-carved 13° angle on top. In the center of the pillar’s footing is a beautiful sunlight-yellow crystal point of our state stone – Utah honeycomb calcite. This pillar receives the first rays of the sun every day, and we look forward to tracking the shadows and sunlight around it throughout the years.
Honeycomb calcite has a soft warmth, and is associated with both clarity of thought and strength of purpose. It brings confidence and the promise of new beginnings.
The Aurora Pillar is the northernmost pillar of the three, and the second tallest at 7.5′ above ground. It also has a 13° angle cut into the top. For the Aurora pillar, the crystal obelisk that was selected was labradorite. Labradorite not only flashes (labradorescence) with the bright blue of the sky at noon, the iridescence echoes the arc of a rainbow after a storm.
It is also strongly linked to the earth’s aurora by the peoples of the land where it was first discovered in the northern area of Canada now known as Labrador. Indigenous peoples stories tell us us that long ago the Northern Lights were trapped inside the rocks along the coast of Labrador. One day they were found by an Inuit warrior who broke a stone with his spear, which freed the aurora lights. However, the warrior couldn’t release of all the lights and so some remained caught within the rocks. Some of these Northern indigenous cultures also consider it to hold the spirits of their ancestors in the stone.
The Midnight Pillar is the westernmost pillar, and the shortest of the three, topping out at 6′ 9.5″ above ground. The 13° angle cut into the top is the smallest of the three pillars. It is also the most roughly irregular on it’s uncut sides, with wonderful curves defining a striking outline. For this position, associated with the setting of the sun and connection to our deep ancestors, a flawless, deep black Obsidian obelisk was chosen. Obsidian has been used by modern humans and our ancestors for making tools for the past 1.2 million years.
On the spiritual side, Obsidian is deeply grounding, and has long been associated with communication with those gone beyond the veil. It is also thought to be powerfully cleansing of negative energies and disharmony.
Even in the depths of the Neolithic, obsidian was used to create the first known mirrors. At the site of the world’s first city, Çatalhöyük, obsidian mirrors were discovered in graves, suggesting special connection with the afterlife and spiritual significance. At this ancient city, obsidian was sourced from distant areas, and was actively traded in addition to being used by the inhabitants.
The Capstone
Our wedge-shaped capstone is a locally sourced slab of micaceous quartzite. Quartzite is a very hard mineral formed when quartz-rich sandstone is heated and compressed in the earth, so that the sand particles fuse together. This process is helped by the silica content in the sand. This type of stone is called metamorphic, because it changes over time. When magnified, it looks like tiny slabs of quartz all stuck together. While most quartzite has over 90% quartz content, it can also contain many other minerals, such as feldspar, iron oxide (reddish coloring), and mica. Because of its high mica content, our capstone has intensely glittery top and bottom surfaces (thus, micaceous quartzite)!
The capstone is 13′ from tip to tip, and is about 9′ wide between the side points. The average thickness is around 7-8″, and it weighs about 3,700 pounds! In the front of the dolmen, the capstone rises to a height of 11 feet from the ground.
Putting it all together
From start to finish, the dolmen project took about 6 months from concept to dedication. The physical construction took 93 days, from finding the capstone on Spring Equinox to placing it on the pillars on the day of the Summer Solstice. In between those dates were many steps including paper drawings, measurements, physical templates, scale models, engineering consultations, trips to quarries, and so much more! Through it all, our megalith makers Brett from Standing Stone & Iron Works and his helper Tom – aided by a really big forklift – were completely devoted to the task (and we cannot recommend them enough) and helped bring our dolmen into manifestation.
Dedication & Celebration
As it turned out, the capstone was put in place less than an hour after the moment of the Summer Solstice at 3:51 pm on Thursday, June 20th. Then just over 24 hours later, the Strawberry moon was 100% full at 7:08 pm on Friday, June 21 – and this happened to be the start of the Major Lunar Standstill as well. All of these, of course, coincided very perfectly with the official start of our celebratory weekend! You can read all about those days and see photos on our Facebook page. For now, here are some photos of the finished product, pre-dedication!
Dolmen facts: The capstone is held to the pillars ONLY by gravity. The combined weight of pillars and capstone is estimated at 11, 700 pounds – or roughly 5.85 tons.
Future Plans
Future work for the dolmen area includes the building of the stone cist in the center of the pillars. The circle will be paved with flagstones, and the permanent outer circle will be finished.