Piper Stone Circle in Ireland

We landed at sunrise in Dublin, just as the skyline was turning pale pink behind the coming and going airplanes. By the time the sun was cresting the distant horizon, we had loaded the mini Cooper rental car and were out of the city. Toll roads, tunnels, and bridges gave way to thick hedges that cloaked either side of narrow roads that were carved through the land before cars existed. 

Our intention for the trip was to see as much as we could, visit sacred sites and the oldest pubs and bistros Ireland. Leaving the highway, we found ourselves drenched in green landscapes with stone fences flanking either side of our Cooper as we whizzed by. 

We wound up and down mountains, watching as the clouds moved over the foliage the way waves move across a beach. The damp and cloudy day had a way of making all the colors of the plants and stones around us brighter and more vibrant. 

Arriving at Piper's Stone Circles, you pass through a hodgepodge entry that adds charm to the experience and walk a hundred yards up a slight slope. 

photo credits Katie Jo Finai

I noticed the trees with red berries, stripped of their summer leaves, and a gentle hush of the area as we entered. I whispered to the fae folk and thanked them for sharing their home and asked for permission to be there. Knowing that Ireland is the home of leprechauns and fairies (whether I see them or not;) I wanted to extend my gratitude for the land. 

The misty weather seemed to keep most tourists and travelers at home- it wasn't cold or chilly, but a sensation like a cool blanket of humidity surrounded us. I felt grateful to visit during this time of year. The fall colors were igniting like fires over the valleys we had passed through and there were less crowds. This stone circle would be the first of many places we would see without elbowing our way through other tourists. We had this circle to ourselves. 

Climbing the gentle hill, I breathed in the fragrant damp air, paying attention to any sensations or subtle variations in the energy I could sense. As I breached the top of the hill, there she was. The quaint and serene Piper's Stone Circle.  

Boulders were the size of club chairs and small pools of rain water were fresh in their weathered surfaces. A tree speckled with red berries and adorned with prayer flags from across the world stood as a welcoming sentry.

                                          

  

photo credits Katie Jo Finai

Peeling away the shoes and socks from 20 hours of travel, the soles of my feet soaked up the energy of the land. The essence of the green and earth drew into my body like a sponge. 

I walked counterclockwise around the outer circle of the stones, releasing anything energetically that was best to be cleansed before passing through the stones in the East and then reversed, walking clockwise within the stones to activate and receive whatever light codes this circle anchors. 

Standing in the center of the stones, I expanded my gaze. Imagining how the view had looked through the millennia- knowing that where I currently stood; hundreds of other pilgrims, druids, mystics, devas, and more had stood and had seen the same horizon through their eyes, engaged in now-lost ceremonies. I felt grateful and connected to the unknown history of the world. I felt infused by mysteries that still hold magic here. The land remembers.

I felt humble.

I placed my hand upon a large stone before I left. Offering thanks. Knowing that as I touched it- we shared energy. 

photo credits Katie Jo Finai

Making my way down the hillside, the trees had now filled with small birds. They sang as I walked and I wondered if these were the fae folk in disguise. There seemed to be something different about them- the way they followed me, hopping from tree to tree chirping, keeping me company until I passed through the fence gate. 

Often, visiting these sacred places, I don't know what I'm supposed to do there, or why I am drawn to them. I sense something different and even seem to know that I am not alone, and while there is a part of me that wishes my human eyes could see everything that is occurring in the dimensional realm at these locations- I surrender to the experience and trust in the knowing that I am giving and receiving whatever I was meant to as I become present in the moment and stay in my heart as I do.

photo credits Katie Jo Finai