Circles for Peace is a project dedicated to generating peace on earth,
starting at the heart of the community.
We believe that the first thing you do to create peace
Is to touch and say hello to the earth.
Our aim is to create Peace Parks where a special relationship
Between person and place can be experienced.
Ancient and aboriginal cultures around the planet
Have traditionally done this in circles of trees and stones.
There is a tangible feeling of peace in these ancient sacred places.
Our desire is to re-create these sacred circles
and reconnect once again to the Heart of All.
Circles for Peace is the manifestation of a dream lovingly held by Patrick MacManaway and Ivan McBeth. It is the generation of Peace on Earth through the creation of a network of stone circles, built in sacred spaces throughout the world.
Both Ivan and Patrick are well-known Geomancers (people who work with the invisible, energetic properties of the Earth) and have worked together in various capacities over a period of seven years. They are pooling their skills to design and construct stone temples, dedicated to Peace on Earth, in places such as parks in cities, or places of outstanding natural beauty where many people regularly visit.
Stone circles can be understood as generators of healing, life-enhancing energy and they profoundly affect anyone within their sphere of influence. Depending on their design and purpose, they can be “programmed” to radiate a particular energy, such as Peace on Earth, a little like placing a colored filter over a source of light. Geomancers are skilled practitioners in the arts of Earth healing, of working with the Spirit of Place in this way.
Our Intent
We intend to request local government and city councils to allocate Circles for Peace suitable land, such as city parks, to create sacred spaces dedicated to Peace on Earth. In those parks we would like to:
• Build a stone circle,
• Plant trees, flowers and healing herbs,
• Landscape the immediate area around the stone circle,
• Create water features and other attractions promoting peace.
We intend every aspect of our work to relate to the creation of peace, harmony and healing. We expect our geomantic skills will affect visitors, and the surrounding populations, in a real and profound way.
The construction of Circles for Peace will be accompanied by the participation of the community, in all stages of the process, especially in the utilization of the space in order to generate peace. To this end the community, especially children and schools, will be educated in the properties of peace, its creation and use, working with the Spirit of the Earth and the use of ceremony. We firmly believe that Peace starts at home, in our own back yards.
There will be a conscious linking up with other Centers for Peace around the planet.
Regular ceremonies will held in the Circles for Peace. These will include the 8 festival days to honor our connection to the Earth, healing ceremonies, interracial/faith gatherings, ceremonies for peace, a special ceremony for 9/11.
Concerts could be held in Circles for Peace, proceeds could be donated to world peace. Nearby there could be a display/museum concerning the history of peace. Close by, or inside each circle, could be altar upon which candles and incense could be lit, and offerings left. At each Circle for Peace, an empty book could be provided, inside which prayers and messages could be written. Volunteers could tend and clean the circles daily, ensuring the altars would not become too dirty or unkept.
Each State could sponsor its own Circle for Peace. They would be places of pilgrimage, with suitable infrastructure.
Children should be encouraged to come and play inside the Circles for Peace, and spend as much time inside them as possible.
Circles for Peace is a Vermont grassroots non-profit project that is based on the philosophy that by witnessing of the rhythms and cycles of nature we can restore inner peace and inner strength.
Our first installation is The Burlington Earth Clock.
From the south
The Earth Clock is a 43-foot diameter stone circle consisting of 14 five-to-ten-foot-high stones in a ring. The stones are aligned like a compass. When you stand in the center and look west to the Adirondack Mountains, the five stones on that side are positioned to mark the horizon where the sun sets at the Solstices, Equinoxes and the mid-points between these times of the year.
The center of the circle is a sundial made of flat granite, so when you stand in the exact center of the circle, your shadow tells the time of day.
The site design includes landscaping, benches and information boards explaining the Earth Clock and thanking all of the donors who are making this possible. The three informational boards also serve to enclose a community calendar, informative articles, and a place for visiting students to exhibit class work, i.e., paintings, poetry, science projects or mathematical calculations.
We have an international design team that includes Patrick MacManaway, M.D., President of The British Society of Dowsers, Ivan McBeth, stone circle builder from the United Kingdom, and Vermonter Andrea Morgante, who has volunteered her services as landscape architect and project manager (see the July 26th Burlington Free Press cover). Dana Matthews, Heather Robinson and Paul Craven have also given immeasurable time inspiration and support in managing the many details associated with a project of this size.
We are building The Burlington Earth Clock on land provided by the Burlington Parks Department at Blanchard Beach on the bike path just north of Oakledge Park (a popular spot for watching the sunset).
Your tax deductable contribution can be made here.
Thank you for your time, generous financial contributions and support.
We couldn’t have gotten this far without you.
Most Sincerely,
David Brizendine,
President, Circles for Peace
(802) 578-8774
david@circlesforpeace.org
www.circlesforpeace.org