Pagans and Druids invited to head for Glasgow landmark for spring ceremony
Sighthill Stone Circle. Photo Emma Mitchell 11/1/13
THOUSANDS of people have backed a campaign to save a unique site in North Glasgow from being lost forever.
Sighthill Stone Circle, the first astronomically-aligned circle to be built in Britain for over 3,000 years, faces demolition as Glasgow bids to host the 2018 Youth Olympics.
The campaign to save it has revealed that the circle is far better known and more used than either its builders or Glasgow City Council were aware.
Although the circle was built for scientific and educational purposes, and as a tribute to four prominent archaeo-astronomers connected with the city, it appears to mean a great deal to other people for other reasons.
People go there for prayer, reflection or meditation, to enjoy the views, for the park setting and wildlife, or just for peace and quiet.
The petition to save the circle now has well over 3,400 signatures, plus about another 600 on Facebook, with support from celebrities and cross-party backing from MSPs.
Comments have been left from people in Sighthill itself, across the city, and from all over Scotland, the UK and the world.
Publication of ‘The Stones and the Stars, Building Scotland’s Newest Megalith’ by Duncan Lunan, who designed the circle as project manager, has brought the circle’s existence to ever-growing attention.
For years there has been a Christian memorial at the circle maintained by the Forbes family, whose mother’s ashes are scattered there – as are others, it is now known.
But many other groups such as pagans and druids have been using the circle for ceremonies during the solar year and are now doing so in a more organised way, to draw attention to the use they make of it and their wish for it to remain.
Today (Wednesday) marks the spring equinox, with sunrise at 6.19am, on the day when the sun is overhead at the equator, and day and night have equal length all over the world.
Druid and pagan groups will be present to mark both sunrise and sunset, inviting all of like mind and sympathisers to join them.
There will be walking and cycling tours passing through, and origami classes and other impromptu events through the day, with sunset at 6.31pm as the main event.
For details visit http://www.facebook.com/groups/saveourstones
Duncan Lunan (pictured above with protestors) is scheduled to lecture on the Sighthill Stone Circle on April 10 at Carnegie Library in Ayr.
For details of that and other talks, and to sign the petition, go to the website – www.sighthillstonecircle.net
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Weather for Kirkintilloch
Saturday 18 May 2013
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