The Great Stone Circle of Grange - a miracle!

When we visited soprano and theologian, Noirin Ni Riain at her home in Co. Tipperary, Ireland, to interview her for our documentary film, (link here) she talked about the special qualities of the ancient archaeological sites nearby, particularly at Lough Gur. She made a point of telling us about the special 'fire' she felt when she first placed her forehead against the largest stone in the Grange Ring. So, we drove over to Lough Gur. The esoteric highlight of that entire trip to Ireland for Ben and me had to be our experience at the Grange Ring fort, which is the largest in Ireland. The Grange at Lough Gur - "Lios na Grainsi" is Gaelic for Stones of the Sun. Built around 2,100 BCE, the Great Stone Circle of Grange, as it is officially known, is near Lough Gur in Co. Limerick. It consists of 113 stones with an internal diameter of 45 meters. The largest stone, "Ronnach Croim Duibh," is over 13 feet high and is estimated to weigh over 40 tons. We followed the signs to Lough Gur, only to discover that the ring is not actually at the lake, and a local young family, out for a day at the lake, kindly led us over the winding roads to the circle.  

When we arrived at the Grange ring, the farmer who owns the property, Tim Casey, came out to greet us and directed us to a path he'd created for easy access to his circle. He has made a formal entry to the ring, with an information booth and a small box to drop a pound into, as fee for entering the circle on his land. I gave an extra pound in appreciation of his generosity and his work in creating a safe access for anyone who wants to go there, and I bought the official pamphlet on Lough Gur.  

Tim chatted with me about the stone ring and the many people who come from all over the world to see it. He talked about the little private rituals people reenact in the circle and described how some people would go around the circle touching every stone in a kind of reverie. He recommended two books, "Mythic Ireland" and "A Sacred Journey", by Michael Dames, a writer whom I hadn't heard of before. Tim Casey kindly took his leave as it was time to bring his cows in for milking.  

Noirin Ni Riain had tried to describe the powerful surge of energy and heat she had experienced when she put her forehead against the largest stone, "Ronnach Croim Duibh". Ben and I followed her suggestion: I slowly and gently pressed my forehead to this huge stone – 13ft. high and 5 ft. wide.  

Within seconds, everything changed. A vision appeared before me, in colour and physical closeness enhanced beyond normal perception.

I soon pulled back and went to tell Ben what happened to me. I had to laugh because when I tried to describe my experience, the words 'transportation to another realm' came out of my mouth!

This gave me a new insight into the meaning in the myths of old which describe movement through sacred stones to a primordial realm, the Otherworld.

In my vision I saw a gathering of people, the moonlight shining on their faces, lifted in joyous ecstasy. I clearly 'heard' the thoughts of one person, right in front of me in the vision. This broad, radiant face expressed him/herself calmly, yet powerfully and exuberantly, saying, "I am longing to see the day when all people will embrace their heritage of joy."

Then Ben put his forehead to the rock. When he pulled away I saw a quizzical and strangely joyful expression on his face. He pupils were dilated. He tried to describe his experience; very different from mine, but equally powerful and profound for him. Other friends have also visited this ancient stone circle and reported different experiences, so, it seems we all experience the 'spirit of place' in different ways.
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Ben and I became preoccupied with reflection on our experiences. I had never had a vision experience quite like that: sudden transportation to what seemed like the 'roots' of my own consciousness. Maybe the rocks do hold the memory of every age, has been suggested. One of my favorite meditation techniques begins with imagining I am a rock, until I feel permeated by its 'grounded' stillness. I wrote a song on that theme a few years ago, "I Am A Rock", (on my For Love's Caress CD).  

I've felt the heightened sensibility differently each time I've pressed my forehead to the rock. It held a very 'raw' emotion. I felt that I had entered someone else's world or inner life. But at the same time, the 'vision' mirrored my own vision of 'becoming myself' in communion with all life. In my own imagination, my personal life's vision, I sometimes see myself similarly standing very still, back from the structures that define my life, in the primordial state of consciousness or infinite intelligence, in the vast void of the beginning of life, of God. The feeling is so sublime, yet simple and quiet. The translation of this inner reality into my everyday life is a different story. It is impossible to really explain our 'inner' experience, as everyone knows. We must all become poets, and must be on the lookout for compassionate poets who do the same.  

Here in the quiet of my room, two weeks and thousands of miles away from the Lough Gur stones and the 'crossing over' of the Lough Gur spirit vision with my own vision, I still feel its gift: It is a reaffirmation of the ultimate possibilities of heightened insight, or a reminder of our unlimited capacity for inspiration when we work at developing our individual inner vision. With willingness and patience, the imagination works to liberate us. All saints show us this by their example. The world 'binds' us and defines us in a state of constant cross-referencing of information, and not necessarily in a linear time mode. The eye of the steady mind can show us that the ultimate 'void' of infinite intelligence, of God, is always the same vast template of reality: The beginning of time is always now. Creation is always original. Joy is our heritage!

As we reach out in our own individual passionate ways, responding to companionship and guidance, and, just as important, to the resistance of others, we move subtly beyond our limitations; loving, laughing or crying; thankful, embarrassed or triumphant. We are supported first by our parents: father, mother, God; then, by the great individuals who have walked the earth, through time, and the people we consciously choose to gather around us.  

We say that we accumulate or gather vision and knowledge, which we refer to as "gathering power", or that we are "making progress", carving out new dimensions of creativity and of reality. We can all say that our efforts contribute to the abundant human capacity, a capacity which is still evolving in the frontal lobes of each human head, in the seat of the imagination, of vision, and, they say, the font of conscious, compassionate love. We are committed, by the march of our ancestors, to 'realize' our potential, to find our own vision and expand on it. We are encouraged to 'follow our bliss' and find "the Kingdom within" –our ultimate freedom, as we explore the life of the soul in a body that has already evolved the capacity, the tools, to experience profound bliss. We are on the march, thinking and praying, transmitting and receiving, expanding our awareness and experience of ultimate joy, ecstasy and bliss, creating heaven on earth.   "... longing to see the day when all people will embrace their heritage of joy."

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