By John P. Milton
Continuing from last month’s article, we hear from John about how the discovery of stone meditation seats and beds led to the creation of the Sacred Land Sanctuary—a model for honoring Nature as Church, Temple, or Synagogue.
“When I first explored the network of stone seats and beds on the land north of Crestone, I discovered that many of them were remarkably supportive for sky meditation. In Taoist and Dzogchen practice, gazing into the open space of the sky is a powerful method for recognizing the vast, clear awareness of our True Nature. The sky becomes a meditative partner: clouds arise and dissolve, just as thoughts and emotions do. Meditating with the sky naturally supports a return to sky-like inner consciousness and recognition of Source.
“It soon became clear that the Ancient Ones who built these intricate stone configurations had a profound connection to Source. The seats and beds are arranged in ways that help open deep levels of awareness. They function as a kind of spiritual technology, supporting Source realization. Each stone bed helped open my internal central channel, which was especially helpful in maintaining wakefulness—a common challenge in sky-gazing practice.
“After being shown the first few stone beds and seats, I felt guided from one to another throughout the day. By the end, I had been introduced to nearly 80 distinct stone configurations, each offering its own energetic shift and experiential opening. Over time, I began to feel insights descending from above while also sensing the nurturing embrace of the Earth rising up from below, integrating within me through the support of the seats.
“At that time, I was living in a small cabin on this land, which was originally intended to become an eco-village called SunCircle. Although most of the original partners were unable to move here to bring that vision into fruition, I shared with them the discovery of the Sacred Sites. Some were deeply inspired, and several spent extended periods on the land, having their own sacred experiences. Others, however, were disappointed to learn that in order to protect the Sacred Sites, the planned eco-village could not be built.
“Originally, we had envisioned building ecologically using native stone for solar gain and heat storage. The discovery of the stone seats changed our perspective. What we had first assumed were random rocks left by glaciers or flooding turned out to be intentional structures. In fact, it became clear that one could not walk more than about 100 feet in any direction without encountering a Sacred Site. The density of these stone seats and beds is extraordinary.
“In addition, I discovered a network of Earth-surface energy meridians weaving together the stone seats, streams, plants, animals, and birds—an interconnected web of life. Over time, I came to understand that the Earth itself, and the Crestone area in particular, possesses a vast system of energy pathways, much like the meridians in the human body, flowing with qi or prana.
“Many of the stone seats are located at intersections of these energy pathways, which helped explain why Crestone feels so uniquely powerful. Since that early initiation, the Way of Nature community and I have identified thousands of Sacred Sites and energy meridians throughout the land here and across the broader Crestone area.
“As my SunCircle partners encountered these discoveries, reactions varied. Some, like my old friend Jimmy Valentine, were ecstatic, amazed that what we had found went far beyond our original vision. Others struggled with disappointment, yet ultimately we made a collective decision not to proceed with the building project. We came to feel that the eco-village was meant to arise elsewhere.
“Today, Crestone itself has become an example of a spontaneously emerging community with a strong commitment to ecological sensitivity and environmental care. In that sense, the original vision did manifest—just not in the way we first imagined.
“Instead of an eco-village, the SunCircle land became something entirely new: a Sacred Land Sanctuary, a place devoted to honoring the Earth and Nature as a living temple. Its purpose is to preserve the Sacredness of Nature as embodied by these ancient stone sites.
“Establishing such a sanctuary has not been easy within contemporary culture. Worship in Nature, or reverence for Creation itself, was historically suppressed by many early European settler traditions. This worldview, which denied the Sacredness of Nature, was often used to justify the displacement of Indigenous Peoples whose spiritual lives were deeply rooted in the land.
“In this period when we need to come back into balance with the rest of Life and Nature, it is essential to restore a cultural foundation that recognizes Nature as Sacred and ourselves as part of that Sacred whole. While Indigenous cultures offer powerful models, we must also cultivate our own direct experiences of Sacredness—authentic, lived, and arising from within.
“This intention lies at the heart of Way of Nature, which offers an inter-cultural and inter-faith approach to spiritual practice in Nature, emphasizing the common ground among the world’s nature-connected wisdom traditions.
“What became the Sacred Land Sanctuary now stands as one of the early examples in contemporary culture of land preserved specifically for its Sacred Sites. It is a welcoming place to enter into deep relationship with Nature and with the Sacredness of all life—including the Stone People.
“Thank you for continuing to explore the origins and intention of the Sacred Land Sanctuary here in Crestone. Join us next month as we delve into the sentience of stones, known as wisdom keepers by many Indigenous Peoples.”