The fundamental purpose of true art is ecstasy.
You have stumbled out of the ordinary to here… Welcome to an uncommon intersection of spirit, art and nature.
Great Swan Peace Cathedral is an Icon of Peace, a “Living Temple”. It is Sacred Space. We are all-inclusive, non-sectarian, and devoted to serving PEACE in the world. Great Swan is the crowning splendor on Dandelion Ballad “A Song to the Heart of All”.
Come and savor here what is beyond words.
Explore the art walks of Dandelion Ballad, laden with creative beauty and serenity, that settles like mist in the valleys, amid the trees and trails. Feel the permeation of stillness that draws the mind to relax its clench and the heart to unfurl it’s lotus petals on the water of life, the living consciousness of all beings. Ecstasy awaits you.
Great Swan Peace Cathedral, a 501c3 organization, is on Dandelion Ballad, a semi-remote nature preserve, 10 miles East of Lower Lake, California, which has been unfolding from countless hours of our intended gift of self to the world since 1979.
Here’s a little news clip on Great Swan Peace Cathedral…The story is not really correct. If you want the real story, see Great Swan Memoir on this site. Scroll down to “Vision and Spoken Words”.
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What others have said:
“This is a work of genius”
Gary Coates, (retired distinguished Professor of Architecture, University of Kansas, author of books on Sacred Art and Architecture.)
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“Great Swan Peace Cathedral clearly expresses love for the divine. The temple space has a tangible feeling of love, the creative force behind art. I felt huge waves of divine energy wash over me many times throughout my visit there. This sacred space brings the heartfelt grace of the beloved.”. Art Gaia Frazee
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Contact: Candace Stolley or Bruce Kristal
swantemple108@gmail.com
A Gift to the Heart of ALL.
Since our first founding days in 1979, we have had a passion for helping the world. The more we do, the greater this joy and passion grows. Since the year 2000, innumerable hands of volunteers have touched our hearts and helped in countless ways on Dandelion Ballad. So much more is possible with your help!
Deep Heart Refreshment
A visit to Great Swan Peace Cathedral is a kind of pilgrimage to a place of spirit and Peace. It is a restful respite for the whole being that calms the heart, allows the mind to relax, and the body to breathe in gentle harmony with nature. Deep self-reflection and refreshment of the entire being help release accumulated contractions and identification with limitations. The beauty and peace of Dandelion Ballad and Great Swan Peace Cathedral are well suited to serve this purpose. Your contemplation, prayers, and personal processes are enhanced by time spent in Great Swan Peace Cathedral and walking the art-adorned trails of Dandelion Ballad. Allow yourself a mini retreat, like a pilgrimage of the heart, to feel again the mysterious force of Good carrying you to where you need to go.
Beauty, Depth, and Delight
These are our primary focus of Dandelion Ballad, where we cultivate and share inherent ecstasy, magnify inner and outer Peace, and enhance our lives with greater connectedness, meaning, and blessings. Doing Good, aligns with receiving Good, much like traditional “Karma Yoga”. We are giving back to the Universe by sharing our gifts here and in the process, raising funds to help Peace where needed most in the world.
Magic Makers
It is truly amazing how Magic happens when we help and uplift others. Our little team is called the Magic Makers and we invite you to join the team with your skills and talents for whatever time you have to spare and share. So many skills are needed to manifest a our vision. The list is long. If you want to help make the world light up with peace and joy, just tell us what you can do. We need you!
Icon of Peace Offerings
While spending time inside Great Swan Peace Cathedral, we find inner peace growing. Outside, In front of the temple we offer our personal talents and gifts to help Peace in the world. Performances and personal offerings of all sorts take place where they are filmed with the uplifting and inspiring backdrop of the temple’s glory, and subsequently sent out to the world on video. We each can touch and uplift humanity!
Imagine a world where personal gifts, skills, and talents are offered, not for personal glory, but for the good of all.
We welcome poets, actors, ballet and other dancers, orators, stilt walkers, arial performers, singers, musicians, TED talk-style speakers on great subjects. The possibilities of this kind of offering are limitless. Sharing beauty, enjoyment and inspiration in the name Peace becomes a sign to all of a shift in consciousness, calling all to join in. It demonstrates giving of self to help our planet that is so deeply in need. This is a better way to stand out and stand up for the highest Good of all. Help us create inspiring events for the eyes and hearts of the world. Help us grow the power of Goodness to make the most positive changes on earth. Let’s invoke and cultivate PEACE together!
The Icon of Peace Fund
Funds raised by our Icon of Peace offerings are managed by a non-sectarian board that regularly meets to research legitimate, worthy causes to receive aid from Great Swam for serving Peace in the world. You can particpate, even on this funding board of Magic Makers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Contact us: swantemple108@gmail.com
“Ultimately, the right and true role of artists is to discover and practice a higher and truly great purpose in their art— by discovering how their art can be ecstatic, even in the Spiritual sense, and how their art can serve participation in Beauty Itself, and Reality Itself, even in all who attend it.” –Adi Da Samraj
What visitors are saying:
“The architectural marvels, sculptures, and other creations on Dandelion Ballad stand as a vibrant embodiment of the “ecstatic” and “spiritual” art described in the aforementioned quote. Candace Stolley’s artwork is a passionate manifestation of her heart’s response to divine gifts she has received in her life.
“I would unequivocally endorse a pilgrimage journey of a kind to the Peace Cathedral on Dandelion Ballad. I envision everyone, whether an art lover, spiritual seeker, or otherwise, acknowledging that the experience is entirely worthwhile, as it has been for me. I am confident that other visitors will gladly undertake the journey again to introduce their friends, as I have, to this truly unique place…” A Gift to the Heart of all” Saleen Hinds
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“I have watched with awe and delight the creative and spiritual journey of Candace Stolley and her collaborators over the last 2 decades. Equal parts organic farm, art garden, and divine sanctuary, Dandelion Ballad will enchant and inspire visitors of all beliefs. Dandelion showcases Candace’s elaborate metalwork, with gates, gazebos and sculptures set along winding pathways radiating from a domed temple adorned with intricate spires. Reminiscent of the renowned Watts towers of LA, Dandelion Ballad and Great Swan Peace Cathedral is similarly the result of creative effort, long sustained, in which individual works merge into a creation that is at once sculpture, architecture, and landscape design. Whether you view Great Swan as folk-art or as a divine cathedral, it is worth a visit to this place that deserves to become part of the cultural heritage of the world”. Paul Aigner (manager of UC Davis McGlaflan Reserve)
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“Visiting Great Swan Peace Cathedral today was an amazing experience! The beauty of the land, combined with the absolutely stunning artwork of Candace, created a sphere of pure delight and a feast for the eyes and heart. The temple is a masterpiece and a place of peace, joy, and delight. Visiting the Great Swan Peace Cathedral is something I will never forget.” Xandra Yssennagger
swantemple108@gmail.com