Equinox draws more into the Sighthill Circle battle

The Sighthill stone circle, the first astronomically aligned circle to be built in Britain for over 3000 years, faces demolition in preparing Glasgow’s bid for 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 was aware. Although the circle was built for scientific and educational purposes, and as a tribute to four prominent archaeo – astronomers all connected with the city, it means a great deal to other people for other reasons. Many 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 has more than 3,400 signatures with support from celebrities and cross-party backing from MSPs. Another 600 are on Facebook with comments from people in Sighthill and other parts of Glasgow and from across Scotland, the UK and the world.

Recent publication of “The Stones and the Stars, Building Scotland’s Newest Megalith” by Duncan Lunan, who designed the circle as Project Manager in 1979, 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’s 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.

Wednesday 20 March 2013 marks the spring equinox, with sunrise at 06:19 am. On that day 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. Sunset at 6:31pm will be the main event.

For details please see:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/saveourstones

Duncan Lunan is scheduled to lecture on the Sighthill stone circle on Wednesday 10 April 2013 at Carnegie Library in Ayr; for details of that and other talks, and to sign the petition, go to the website www.sighthillstonecircle.net

Or contact Duncan by email: duncanlunan@talktalk.net.

Children of the Sky opens a new chapter for Duncan

Science writer Duncan Lunan is a busy man. He has just had a book on the Green Children of Woolpit published and has two most interesting and in-depth interviews on a podcast for the Flat Earth Society.

Entitled ‘Children from the Sky’ the book explores theories around the appearance of two green coloured children suddenly appearing in a medieval village in England. They were dressed strangely, spoke a language totally unknown in the area – which was a busy pilgrim place where many travellers passed through – and who not only caused a great stir at the time but who are still being discussed today.

The podcast gives him time to give his detailed reasoning behind the book but also to explore other areas of professional interest to him ranging from outer space to Glasgow’s modern standing stones circle which he helped create.

He is still working on research on the Green Children by tracing the descendants of the girl who survived into adult hood, married and had children. The green boy died some time after being found.

Another book by Duncan is about to be published: The Stones and the Stars: Building Scotland’s Newest Megalith This tells the story of the creation of the modern stone circle Duncan devised and had built in Springburn Park. Said Duncan: ‘These two books have taken 18 years and 32 years to find publishers – it’s great to have them come off at last!’

Duncan’s wife Linda is developing a career as a photographer. Her image of an equinox sunset has been used by publishers Springer for ‘The Stones and the Stars,’ book cover and some of the illustrations in the green ‘Children from the Sky’ are Linda’s too. Both Linda and Duncan signed copies of  the latter title at a meeting of the Theosophical Society in Glasgow on Thursday 23 August. It can also be found in the CCA in Sauchiehall Street and ‘Plan B’ in Parnie Street.

Dr. David Clarke, an Honourary Research Fellow with more than a dozen books published on supernatural belief, UFOlogy and contemporary legends, plans to use some of Linda’s photographs in his forthcoming History of Astronomy in Glasgow.

On Tuesday 21 August, BBC Radio Suffolk  interviewed Duncan about his book Children from the Sky. This can be heard online in the Lesley Dolphin slot where Georgina Wroe sits in and talks about green things including farming, food and the green children of Woolpit.