| When
you think of sacred space, you usually think of ancient sites such as those found
in England, Ireland, and Egypt. In the United States, most people turn to traditional
Native American sites. We certainly don't think of modern man made sites as being
sacred. There is such a place right here in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern
Pennsylvania. This magical place is called Columcille.
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| | Chapel Solstice |
Stone Circle | St.
Oran Bell Tower | |
Columcille
is an outdoor sanctuary, opened to the public as a sacred space for quiet meditation.
This megalith park is inspired by the legend of St. Columba and St. Oran, who
built a monastery on the Isle of Iona, a tiny island off the coast of Scottland.
According to the inscription on the St. Oran Bell Tower, and this very old island
legend, Columba and his monks tried to build a chapel on Iona, but could not get
the walls to stand. Frustrated, Columba turned to his friend Oran, who knew the
old ways of the island. Oran suggested that he be thrown into the footers of the
building to appease the ancient energies of the island. Columba did as he was
told and the walls stood. But three days later, Columba had Oran dug out of the
foundations. Very much alive, Oran said that he had traveled to the Other World
and began to describe the many strange things he had seen. Oran ended his story
with a bit of cautionary advice for his friend, Columba. Leaning over to him,
Oran whispered, "The way you think it is may not be the way it is at all."
Columba, the proud son of an Irish chieftain, did not take the advice very well.
He promptly had Oran re-interred. But the incident survived in legend and islanders
enshrined Oran's words as folk wisdom.
The park boasts replicas of the
St. Columba Chapel, St. Oran's Bell Tower, the trilithon Thor's Gate, the Glen
of the Temple, and numerous megaliths, placed throughout beautiful trails and
dotted with small streams and tranquil ponds.
Columcille, Inc. is
a nonprofit organization established in 1978 to promote transformation through
inner and outer work. It is maintained through the partnership of William Cohea,
Jr., Fred Lindkvist, and "Friends of Columcille".
Columcille is
located on the Kitatinny Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania,
USA -- less than two hours' drive from New York City and Philadelphia. For more
information on Columcille, visit their website at: www.columcille.org
Columcille Megalith Park and Celtic
Art Center
2155 Fox Gap Road
Bangor, PA 18013
(610) 588-1174
Website:
http://www.columcille.org
Email:
colum@epix.net
Note:
As hosts of the upcoming Conscious Design Conference in September, 2007, Columcille
has become a treasured place for grounding and healing. We wish to personally
thank all of those that make Columcille so special. Here are some of our personal
photos.
May you enjoy this beautiful place and honor those who have created
it for us.
Renae and Deana
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