Penasco Blanco, Chaco Canyon’s most prominent Great House oriented to the standstill moon.
Photo by Adriel Heisev (2006).

Dear Friends,

Spring Equinox greetings! We are thrilled to bring you news of the progress of our new film From the Mind’s Eyes and to report that our 2024 film Written on the Landscape continues to be broadcast by PBS and to be distributed in broad outreach to schools and universities.

Whilst our trilogy of films on Chaco Canyon’s mysteries has deepened worldwide appreciation of its complex cosmology and moved people to sense its spiritual depth, the achievements of the Chaco people are now inspiring us to expand our new work to explore other ancient sites with astronomical alignments. Our Chaco work opens doors for us to engage with brilliant colleagues also conducting research in the field of archeoastronomy at monumental sites in Mexico, England and Ohio. It turns out that the depth of reverence that the Chacoans held for the sun and moon was shared over thousands of years in parallel expressions by indigenous people around the world. Our fourth film From the Mind’s Eye will convey the unity of these cultures with the cosmos and with each other as they aligned with the heavens.

Stonehenge the site of the Solstice Project’s filming in June 2025 for its alignment to the standstill moon. Photo by Anna Sofaer.

Palenque, a Maya complex of magnificent temples with intricate alignments to the sun and moon

Last December this new exploration led us to Ohio to record the sophisticated lunar astronomy of the little-known Hopewell Culture exemplified by the Great Circle and the Octagon near Newark, Ohio: the moon rose on the axis of a massive earthwork — an octagon holding 50 acres! — at its lunar standstill reached only once every 18 to 19 years. The people who planned and engineered this phenomenal construction were geniuses of astronomy, geometry and engineering. We are delighted that thanks to UNESCO and ardent support from residents and descendant groups this site became a World Heritage site in 2025.

We are now planning to film in Mexico at Palenque, a Maya complex of magnificent temples with intricate alignments to the sun and moon. Its beautiful art and inscriptions convey the symbolic power held by the sun and moon in the cycle of life and death.

In a film expedition to Stonehenge we will record the latest understanding of the marvels of its 1,500 year history: how the early rectangle of the Station Stones that frames all later developments is aligned to the same 18-19 year standstill moon commemorated by the Chacoans, the Hopewell culture and Maya people. While greatly distant in time and geography, these sites were all built to align with the same cycles of the sun and moon revealed in the monumental constructions of Chaco Canyon.

When we film this spring in Chaco, our colleague, archaeologist Richard Friedman and I will convey new understanding from our recent research —- Chaco’s topographic alignment corresponds with the moon’s standstill position. The landscape forms of the canyon may have played a key role in drawing people to its barren environment with the inspiration to create monumental architecture on an astounding scale — contrary to any practical consideration — in conformity to the sun and moon. The land speaks and inspires connections to the world beyond….to receive gifts of the sun and moon.

As daily tensions draw too much of our attention, From the Mind’s Eye will connect us with peoples of the ancient world as they drew connections of divine order from the universal presence of the sun and moon.

I am deeply grateful for your continued support over the years to our work with Chaco and I hope you will join in this new journey with still wider horizons into the world of ancient peoples. I invite you to make a tax-deductible donation to support our continued work to preserve Chaco culture and our new film From the Mind’s Eye. I firmly believe this film is especially needed in today’s world, as people seek deeper connections with the earth and the cosmos.

Thank you again for being part of this journey. I look forward to sharing more adventures and updates with you all soon!

If you know others who might resonate with this vision, please don’t hesitate to share this opportunity with them.

Wishing you all the best as this spring brings warmth and growth to our rebounding earth.

Warmly,

Anna Sofaer
Executive Director
Solstice Project Inc
www.solsticeproject.org

To make a donation by check, please mail it to:
Solstice Project
222 East Marcy Street #19
Santa Fe, NM 87501

If you prefer, please mail your donation to the Solstice Project address above. Please note that the Solstice Project is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the extent that the law allows.