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This is a partial list of the megaliths at Kinstone. There are many other stones not yet listed here.

The Great Stone Circle – a large stone circle built by Kristine Beck. A circle of megaliths measuring 81.6 feet in diameter (30 megalithic yards, 1 megalithic yard = 2.72 feet or 82.96 cm). There are nineteen (19) stones in the ring that forms the circle. There are nineteen (19) smaller boulders that form an inner ring. There are three stones in the center of the circle. Nineteen is an auspicious number in sacred geometry; it symbolizes the spiritual nature of a place. Kinstone Circle is a sacred space that is dedicated to family and connections with generations before us and those that will come after us.

The stones in the circle are a mix of granites from Coldspring Granite Company including Carnelian, Charcoal, Rockville White, Rockville Beige, Autumn Brown, Mesabi Black, and Rainbow granite. Four stones mark the cardinal directions, North, South, East, and West. Two stones frame the Summer Solstice Sunrise and two frame the Winter Solstice Sunrise. Ten of the stones represent Kristine and her siblings. Others represent other alignments. The inner circle of boulders, called the Sitting Stones, offer a place for those that wish to sit awhile in the Circle. All of the Sitting Stones are rounded boulders except for the one in front of the North Stone – that one is flat and is meant to be a place where visitors can lie down in the energy of the North Star. The three center stones, called the Trinity, represent the Source of all life energy, God, or whatever one might name that Nameless Oneness. We are all of and one with the Source and Kinstone Circle is a monument to our connections.

Starting with the North Stone (Castor) and going clockwise around the circle, these are the stones as Kristine named them at the quarries: Castor; Twenty-Two; Cave; Gandalf the Grey; Betelgeuse (the East Stone); Curved Monolith; Pollux; Obelisk 2; Human Figure; Zeus (the South Stone); Triangle Square; Moby Dick; Obelisk; Mountain Mist; Artemis (the West Stone); Sister Stone; The Red Dragon; Wavy 3; and Mountain Sister.

Many of the stones in the circle are siblings with another stone; i.e. they are stones that were once part of a single larger stone. This is true of Mountain Mist and Mountain Sister; Obelisk and Obelisk 2; Eternity (a.k.a. Wavy 2) and Wavy 3; Gandalf the Grey and The Watcher (below the Labyrinth near Purple Crystal); Castor and Pollux; and Beauty (a.k.a. Autumn Brown 1 in the center) is a sister stone to the Autumn Brown recumbent column in the Borderlands that represents the Mississippi River.

The North Star Energy Stone  – the flat, fish-shaped, Rainbow granite slab of stone lying in the inner circle between the Trinity and the North Stone (a.k.a. Castor). This stone represents a place where one can sit or lie down in the energy of the North Star. It is a place where the North Star can be found to be shining (day or night – whether visible or not) directly above the tip of the North Stone. This feature was a suggestion of the stone circle builder who worked with me to raise this circle, Ivan McBeth. Great care was taken to ensure the alignment was correct. [Fun fact: during construction, a couple of days after we had set the North Stone, we checked the alignment of this stone with Polaris as seen from the center of the circle on a crisp and clear starry night – it was not quite right; so, we actually moved the North Stone to the right about 16 inches – a major operation but very much worth it!]

Eternity, Beauty, and Illumination –  the three center stones in Kinstone Circle. They were originally called Wavy 2 (Rockville White granite), Autumn Brown 1 (Autumn Brown granite), and Ke-Mesabi (Mesabi Black granite). It is an interesting fact that these stones, which seem to be only about three to four feet tall, are really over 14 feet, 12 feet, and 7 feet tall respectively. The majority of these stones is buried in the earth. This was a design decision that was unexpected and unplanned but that turned out perfectly! These stones were originally planned to stand tall like the other stones in the circle. After seeing the circle nearly complete, Kristine decided she did not want to stand tall stones in the center that would obscure the view from one side of the circle to the other. Ivan McBeth suggested that we set them in the earth very deep to get them well below eye level. Just like an iceberg of which only the tip is visible; so it is with these special stones – their real mass and power are below the surface. These three have come to symbolize the power of the invisible. It also is a metaphor for that old saying “as above, so below”. These stones are mirror images of the stones in the outer ring.

Basin Rock – this beautiful Rockville Beige granite stone is hollowed out like a cupped hand or clamshell. It is intended to hold water and often does. It offers water to the land in a gesture of openness and giving. This rock sits to the south of Kinstone Circle and overlooks the Stargazer Circle.

The Stargazer Circle – a small elliptical or egg-shaped circle of stones to the west of Kinstone Circle with ties to the darkness – a place to gather around a bonfire or enjoy a night of stargazing. This circle was originally set in 2011 but was significantly changed in 2014. It consists of 9 stones in an elongated circle with a fire circle in the middle. The black slate rock is called Night, next to that is the table-stone and benches that is a portion of the Pangea Stone, then the two star-gazers, followed by the tall reddish stone called the Reflection Stone (it reflects firelight), then Three-Scratch Boudler, a large gray stone, The Milky Way, and the White Seat.  [Note: This circle was originally built in 2011 and described like this: The black rock called Night, the variegated rock called Milky Way, the western sentinel called Pyramid Rock, and the two Stargazer rocks (recumbent stones that are perfect reclining spots from which to gaze at the stars) are interspersed with sitting boulders.]

The Energy Stones a.k.a. The Mosaic Alignment – these three stones, also called the Energy Alignment, stand on the true north meridian between the center of Kinstone Circle and the center stone of the Labyrinth and it goes through through the North Stone. This alignment is an energy pathway connecting the Circle to the Labyrinth. These three stones were all part of one larger stone called Mosaic. Mosaic was split into these three separate columns which now stand apart. [Fun fact: these three stones were intended to stand together in the same order as they were when they were one stone, but the first and second stones were accidentally switched. This was not discovered until much later and so, they now stand out of order.]

The Anchor Stone a.k.a. Greensleeves and Cosmos – these two stones sit below the Labyrinth and to the west of the Watcher and Purple Crystal. Greensleeves is also called the Anchor Stone. It is a Rockville Beige granite stone with a greenish hue on its face. It stands below the Labyrinth on the same north line as the Energy Stones and acts as an anchor or backstop for your gaze as you look to the North from Kinstone Circle down to and beyond the Labyrinth. Cosmos is a Rainbow granite column with a swirling beauty reminiscent of cosmic dust. Cosmos is a brother to Grace (near the Pond); Grace and Cosmos were part of a single stone at one time.

Purple Crystal a.k.a. Ivan and The Watcher – below the Labyrinth, under a red oak tree, rests Purple Crystal, a recumbent Purple Crystal granite stone that reminds one of a bison or cow lying at its leisure in the shade. This stone is a special guardian of Kinstone and is representative of Ivan McBeth, the stone circle builder who assisted with the building of Kinstone Circle. Behind Purple Crystal stands The Watcher; a Charcoal granite column which looks as if it may be a house or home. The Watcher attends to Purple Crystal and the area around and below the Labyrinth. [Fun fact 1: Ivan McBeth was here for the setting of Purple Crystal. He did not want to have “his” stone lying down, instead he wanted to be a standing stone; however, often when he was at Kinstone during the building of the Circle, Ivan could be found lying on the earth, propped up on one elbow, waiting for the next time he was needed. Kristine saw Purple Crystal as a reflection of that. So, she decided to keep him lying down. Further, Ivan loudly protested that he would be all alone lying under that oak and needed a companion – this is the sole reason the Watcher was placed where it is – just to be with and watch over Ivan.] [Fun fact 2: The Watcher was originally erected as a standing stone in the stone circle – it was where “Cave” is now. Ivan and Kristine simultaneously determined that it was just “not right” where it was. So, it was removed. When it became “The Watcher” it was erected in the opposite way (upside down) from how it had stood in the circle. The stone had a crack in it on the end that was now pointing up – this crack was expanded during the first winter and the back half of the stone calved off. The Watcher still stands as always, but that other section was moved and became the last one to join the Monks near the chapel.]

Limestone Lane – in the Pines near the Labyrinth, a series of limestone rocks form a lane one can wander down under the pine canopy. These chunks of limestone came out of the fields of Kinstone in past times and were removed and set to the side by my grandfather, my father, and my brother. It seemed fitting that these limestone lovelies would find a place to be enjoyed by the kith and kin of this place. There are four flat stones on the southwest side of the lane: The Turtle, The Giant’s Footprint, The Pigstone, and The Moonstone. Across from these are two standing stones to the northeast: The Anvil and The Howler. Finally, at the head of the lane on the northeast is the boulder called The Heartstone.

Atlas and Lancelot Marcél (a.k.a. the Wise One) – a special pair of stones that are part of an Equinox Alignment and that represent a metaphor for the world. The large block of Carnelian granite, Atlas, is the largest megalith at Kinstone, weighing in at 70,000 pounds. Lancelot Marcél (also called the Wise One), a Charcoal granite pillar with 19 drill holes perforating it from head to toe stands nearby. The beautiful but cracked and broken Atlas represents the world while the knightly figure of the Lancelot represents the teachers and wise ones whose knowledge and insight fairly shines through them and enlightens the world. Lancelot is aligned such that the setting Equinox sun casts its shadow onto Atlas and the light shines through its perforations and illuminates the shadow on Atlas with an intriguing row of lights.

The Borderlands – two stones evocative of the shapes of the states of Minnesota (Rainbow granite) and Wisconsin (Rockville White granite) with a beautiful Autumn Brown granite column resting recumbent between them representing the Mississippi River. After a rain, the uneven surface of the Mississippi River stone holds puddles of water which lends credence to its river theme. This Autumn Brown column is a sister to Beauty, the Autumn Brown stone in the center of Kinstone Circle, these two were once part of a single, larger stone.

The Summer Solstice Corridor (a.k.a. The Corridor Stones) – there are six columns in the pond which form a corridor to usher in the Summer Solstice Sunrise to the center of Kinstone Circle. There are two Rockville White granite columns, two Carnelian granite columns, and two Charcoal granite columns each pair of which were split from single stones – making them kin. Far beyond the pond and to the east are two more pairs of Rainbow granite columns forming more of this same corridor. One pair is inside the gate and one pair is on the very edge of the property. They stand as Guardians and Ushers to the sunrise on the Summer Solstice. These four Rainbow granite pillars all came from a single stone and one can still see how the characteristics of each stone line up with similar characteristics on its sisters.

Grace, The Hedgehog and The High Seat – near the pond and the round Rockville White granite picnic table stand three stones. Grace is a lovely Rainbow granite stone full of movement and swirling stone flows. She is a sister to Cosmos (near Greensleeves below the Labyrinth) and stands next to the Hedgehog near the Pond. The Hedgehog is a Rainbow granite stone remindful of the hedgehog, complete with an inquisitive eye. The Hedgehog is surrounded by small, rounded granite river rocks. The High Seat is a Rockville White granite monolith with a triangular seat. Sit upon this seat to enjoy the Kinstone vista. [Fun fact: the High Seat was originally supposed to be in the outer ring of Kinstone Circle, but was determined to be too small for the space; the stone known as Twenty Two now stands there instead.]

The Water Dragon (a.k.a. Pier Rock II) – this large, 44,000 pound wedge of Carnelian granite is cantilevered out over the edge of the pond. Although it looks like a diving board, it is not! The pond is not deep enough for diving!! Instead, this is an artistic pier that beckons you to walk out where you can view the pond from above.

The Fountain Stone (a.k.a. Rainbow Fountain) – this 28,750 pound Morton gneiss stone is shaped with a smooth and sloping face which makes it perfect as a fountain. A hole drilled through this stone to allow a water pipe to pass through it to form a running water feature in the pond. The stone took its place on February 24, 2012 on which day we began filling the pond. The cold weather following its installation caused it to temporarily become a stunning ice fountain with sheets and folds of windblown ice all around it.

The Chair Stones – these two large Rockville Beige granite chairs are two halves of what was a single large stone bench. They sit to the east of Kinstone Circle and frame the Winter Solstice Sunrise. These chairs represent Kristine’s parents, Angie and Roman Bork. The larger one to the south represents Roman and the smaller one to the north represents Angie. Just as the gentle farmer, Roman, waited and watched for the Winter Solstice and celebrated when the days would begin to lengthen, so he waits here. Together these stones oversee Kinstone Circle and connect all of the kin.