My cmnt: Paganism, the worship of the sun, the moon and the stars along with the worship of “mother” earth is as old as Eve. As with Eve her daughters are drawn to the spirit world. I heard it from girlfriends when I was a teenager, from my older sister when she went to slumber parties, from my sons when they went to their first boy-girl parties. When boys get together they will play video games or look at pictures of naked women if they can get them (which is now much easier because of the internet). When girls get together they play with Ouija Boards, hold seances or try to levitate each other.

Renae Koehler poses for a portrait on Tuesday at the Standing Stone Circle on the Prairie, which she constructed on her farm in Firth. Koehler, a minister for over 35 years, found inspiration in her study of various world religions, and in visiting other stone circle sanctuaries — such as Stonehenge — while traveling across Europe. “It’s an energy spot, and those big stones are the doorways to the Four Directions,” she said. “So we made sure we lined it up to the North, South, East and West.”  ARTHUR H. TRICKETT-WILE, Journal Star

Livia Ziskey – Sep 15, 2025 – Lincoln Journal Star

Renae Koehler stands between two stones, part of a Stonehenge-like structure she built on her farm near Firth. Koehler, a minister for over 35 years, was inspired to build the structure after studying various world religions and visiting ancient stone circles in Europe. “It’s an energy spot, and those big stones are the doorways to the four directions,” she said. “So we made sure we lined it up to the north, south, east and west.”  ARTHUR H. TRICKETT-WILE, Journal Star

Europe’s ancient stone circles fascinated Renae Koehler so much that she built one in her own backyard.

Now, she hopes to share her Stonehenge-like sanctuary with others.

Among patches of clover behind her home on her farm near Firth, four sets of riverbed stones stand tall, anchored five feet into the soil. The stones stand an arm-span distance apart, creating gateways to the north, south, east and west. Four boulders complete the rest of the ring.

Searching for rocks was one of Koehler’s childhood hobbies, so finding the stones for this project was a welcome return to the familiar.

“It was fun. My little brother and I used to go rock hunting,” Koehler said. “So, we were hunting for expensive, big rocks.”

Koehler retired from a 32-year career as a minister in April, and now she hopes to spend her days sharing her stone circle with those seeking a sense of renewal and an outdoor retreat.

Making the shift to retirement wasn’t easy, even though Koehler knew she wanted to focus on her passion project.

“I had a hard time moving away from an attitude of scarcity to an attitude of abundance,” Koehler said. “I felt like I couldn’t quit my job because I needed the money.

“It turns out that you absolutely should quit your job when you feel like you’re ready for it.”

Koehler came up with the idea of building her own stone circle a year ago after being inspired by similar monuments in England and Ireland.

She asked her brother, Royce Koehler, to help bring the idea to life. Owner of Sticks & Stones Hardscapes, Royce Koehler said he’s worked on many cool projects, but recreating Stonehenge was a new feat.

Four sets of riverbed stones anchor Renae Koehler’s stone circle near Firth. ARTHUR H. TRICKETT-WILE, Journal Star

“It was a very fun project to see come together. We like doing things that are a little out of the norm that a lot of people don’t know how or aren’t willing to do,” Royce Koehler said.

Royce Koehler — a self-proclaimed “rock nerd” — said he tried to imagine the stones as if they’d been there forever when helping his sister decide where to place each gateway.

“To me, each rock has its own character and its own feel. And it might not look like it, but a lot of rocks have a top and a bottom,” Royce Koehler said. “There’s just a way to position them right, so it looks like it’s supposed to be there and like it’s been there a long time — or like God put it there himself.”

Renae Koehler has a slew of community events planned at her farm throughout the rest of the year, from recharging under the full moon to watching meteors light up a dark Nebraska sky.

Everyone is welcome at these events, Koehler said. She plans to take donations, but said the space is meant to be shared — paid for or not.

“When you have a great energy that you’re supposed to be bringing into the world, nobody should be excluded,” Renae Koehler said. “And the money will just come.”

With a career immersed in Christianity and an interest in all faiths and religions, Renae Koehler said she’s explored hundreds of worship spaces across the world. She’ll participate in every blessing and ritual she stumbles upon, no matter the religion.

There’s one spiritual space that sticks out to her from all her adventures.

“I think the most beautiful sanctuary is the great outdoors,” Renae Koehler said.

People don’t spend as much time in nature as they should, she said. She hopes she can offer guests a chance to slow down, take a breath and appreciate the little things around them.

“We could pick one of these clovers right now and stare at the veins in it,” Renae Koehler said. “Even one clover is so beautiful.”

The stones themselves can be part of the slowing-down process, she said, calling them the “holders of sound.”

Renae Koehler said being in the stone circle she built at her farm near Firth reminds her to take life moment by moment. “It puts things into perspective and makes you feel like your problems aren’t so big and encompassing,” she said. ARTHUR H. TRICKETT-WILE, Journal Star

Millions of years old, the stones remind her that she isn’t even a blip in the timeline of human existence.

“Look how much of the world they’ve experienced,” she said.

Resting her back against a south-facing stone, Renae Koehler said being in the circle reminds her to take life moment by moment.

“It puts things into perspective and makes you feel like your problems aren’t so big and encompassing,” she said.

Jane Baird Tinkler, longtime friend of Renae Koehler and holder of a nature therapy certification, will lead an event at the stone circle on Saturday.

Baird Tinkler, who lives in Tecumseh, said the stone circle is a powerful sight, even for those who aren’t spiritual. More than anything, she felt a connection to her home state.

“Here it is sitting out there on a Nebraska prairie,” Baird Tinkler said. “Those stones stand so tall against our sky and the field.”

Thinking about her own heritage while at the circle was a grounding experience.

“It was almost an anchoring feeling to the ancestry of Nebraska, and the energy that you can pull from that is just huge,” Baird Tinkler said.

During her session, she plans to use the elements — earth, air, fire and water — to show people how to mitigate and navigate feelings of anxiety.

“Fear is the one thing that’s going to stop us in our tracks, and it just stops us from really realizing our true self, our higher self and our potential,” Baird Tinkler said.

Along with sessions at the stone circle, the farm offers other chances to explore nature.

Visitors might enjoy the chirping of crickets by a pond, the warm glow of a fire pit or a stroll through a winding trail. Ruth Bader Ginsburg — Renae Koehler’s cat — might even greet guests while batting a butterfly.

Interested individuals can request event information and make reservations at standingstonecircle@gmail.com.