The Hedge Druid

Equinox on Anglesey

We had fun and games trying to get to Anglesey for the time of the Vernal Equinox. We were trundling along, yapping away and missed the junction just over the Menai Bridge. We doubled back, went over the older bridge, then got behind slow drivers – all good fun. But we made it. Just in time to deposit our bags and relax on top of the mound at 11:45am – the exact Vernal Equinox at Bryn Celli Ddu (pronounced ‘brin kethli thee’) by my best estimation. There were no other visitors that morning until we were about to leave for Penmaenmawr – which made our relaxation easier. [Kal ~ and the two visitors that did appear were named Deanah and Rob, Deanah was a "good witch" and felt she had some innate sensitivities (don't we all have them? Perhaps we dontall feel them?) And Rob was her enabler, his words.]

We tried sitting inside the mound but quickly found this wasn’t where we were supposed to be. We went to sit back on our respective power centres that we had found on top of the mound, and soaked in the experience of the exact balance point between light and darkness that day – the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. The equilibrium point of night and day.

[Kal ~ Both Gwas and I had a most unusual sensation whilst at BCD. Up until that day our usual modus operandi has been to set about dowsing around and generally getting a feel for the Genius of the place, which then innevitably leads to other more directed questions and interesting paths (figuratively and literally). However on this occasion we seemed unconcerned with dowsing and when we both speculated on this - via the rods - we were given a resounding message "you are here to just be" - which, for the most part, is what we did]

When we had relaxed enough we started dowsing. I noticed the WSW-ENE alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. of the chamber with the remaining sighting stone and vowed to check that once I got home. I found that if you follow that orientation across North Wales it runs through several significant places, not least of which is the intriguingly named Woodchurch on the Wirral Peninsular. I also picked up a seed whilst sat on my power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. on top of the mound for no apparent reason. I pocketed it as a souvenir.

Baaad vibes

An hour later we stopped off for supplies in Penmaenmawr village. The journey up the hill was slow and dramatic with stunning views thanks to the clear and sunny weather. We tramped up the hill towards our next dowsing objective – a lone boulder in a field next to a line of tall fir trees and a house at the end of a track. As we slowly readied our dowsing rods and gingerly approached the stone, the sheep that were in the nearby fields looked up. Quickly, they began to assemble, from all directions. With every step we took three more sheep joined the gathering flock – and they were bleating like crazy at us! What an unusual welcome! I talked soothingly to them, but they were having none of it and warned us off in no uncertain terms.

Kal took the lead and dowsed towards the stone regardless. His rods crossed strongly and he backed away quickly. “Very strong bad energy.” he warned. We looked at each other and at the sheep. They had now blocked our path to the stone, and we were beginning to take the hint. As we packed our rods away the sheep fell silent, just watching us. We walked away further up the track a little and the sheep began to disperse.

[Kal ~ this has to be one of the strangest occurences that we have come across and deserves some more attention. When Gwas says the sheep gathered, this is an understatement - they came in from surrounding fields too, through gates and gaps. Talk about eerie! Before I even got to dowsing I got a buzzing in my head that felt like a headache coming on, which prompted me to dowse for -ve energies. Perhaps we should have a note to self - ensure protective shields are set up prior to wandering around ancient sites - as on this occasion we came up against a monster of a bad one and, as you will see further down this post, another -ve energy encounter. And here is another question that we will be investigating in a lot more detail in the future - Why didnt we do anything about the -ve energies around that stone?]

As if to break the uneasy silence Kal pointed to a fallen branch – “Didn’t you need a staff?” I preferred to have one, and had ‘forgotten’ my own in the morning rush to get ready, so I picked it up. It felt light but strong, and was a perfect height and weight to walk with. So be it. We would continue to the circles.

‘Decorative stones’

It’s always nice to meet people who take an interest in what we do. As we arrived at the Druid’s Circle we saw and heard two gentlemen who were discussing the origins, history and purpose of this site and others. After we did some preliminary dowsing during which Kal managed to find all the same paths and main energy points as I had found on my previous visits, even down to the order of strength of particular stones and power centres. That was very validating, and I was pleased that not one single thing was different. I vowed to show Kal my pattern sketches of the site and really freak him out!

We were soon joined by the two strangers who quizzed us about our dowsing activities. After they got more familiar they ventured their own theories about significant stones and suggestions that the ring of small stones that surrounded most of the major standing stones at the site were “decorative”. Kal eager to find out using only the rods. He asked – “Were they merely supportive ?”. No support from our rods. We asked: “Do they enhance the energetic field of the stone around which they are placed?“. Yes. The onlookers sensed a conspiracy and pulled their faces. We weren’t speculating, though. Just trying to ask good questions backed by practical experience.

We found the main power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. for the Druid’s Circle to be the patch of earth slightly off-centre to the circle. This has become a regular feature of some sites, but not all by any means. However, it didn’t surprise me because I had found this on my last visit too. Our friendly dowsing newbies were struggling trying to get the rods to do anything other than stay straight (if only you knew the irony of THAT statement!). They gave up trying to find any energy emerging from “The Hooded Man”, as one fo the stones is apparently known. I dowsed it and found a four feet wide band of neutral straight aligned energy that crossed through the Hooded Man and the tall stone opposite – the infamous “phallic emblem” of the tall rock and two small round rocks. Were ancient people trying to tell us that this circle was mainly MALE energies? Well, they are right.

The Bryn Celli Ddu to Childwall Ley

It’s not every day you make a new discovery. Or at least a discovery that’s new to you, if not to anyone else. Today was such a day, although it took several hours of plotting and lining up in Google Maps to reveal just how interesting the discovery was. When a line is drawn from Bryn Celli Ddu through the two circles at Penmaenmawr it traces a route through Old Colwyn, Mynydd Marian, Woodchurch on the Wirral, Croxteth Cemetry, Cbildwall Manor, Mcgoldrick Park, and probably beyond that in either direction too. The alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. is on a WSW-ENE path.

The only other notable finding at Druid’s Circle (the day was ebbing away) was the entrance to the circle. This was located in the gap between two flat stones at the southern end of the circle. One of the entrance stone (again, as we are now often finding) registered for strong female energies, and Kal proceeded to place some quartz crystals on the rock and put his bottle of water in the middle of the crystals. I dowsed a link from that stone to the other female recumbent stone on the western edge, where I had lain my staff to ‘rest’.

As the two now-disappointed gentlemen packed and left with hearty goodbyes, Kal and I decided to see what links there might be with other sites nearby. I dowsed a male line starting at the tal stone with the two ‘balls’, which seems to be the key stone, as it has all three energy forms in and around it. The line led in a slow sinewy path out of the circle and over the small hill to a formation of stones a few hundred yards away. I returned to the Druid’s Circle to determine the nature of the linkage. Was there any other form of link? Yes, a neutral ‘bridge’ between the two sites that went through the air, following the path of the alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. ley. Well, well. We’ve seen that before too!

Monument 280: The Healed Circle

“Monument 280″ is such an impersonal moniker for an ancient sacred site. the Megalithic Portal categorises this site as a ring cairn. Fair enough. It’s sort of rounded in shape, and the stones aren’t very large – not large enough to call it a stone circle.

This circle seemed different. The stones were smaller and far more rounded by weathering than the jagged male phallic symbols of the Druid’s Circle. We dowsed for its age – older than Druid’s. We asked if it had fallen into disuse – yes. Well, still unsure as to what that meant, but I didn’t want to take it further right then. However, there was still a link.

We were about to leave – fairly disinterested by this circle’s lack of drama when I turned to Kal: “Should we ask if this circle’s alright?” He knew what I meant. Could we, should we, re-energise it? I hesitated, then asked him to go ahead and dowse for the answer. Despite his disinterest he got a positive response! Oh no! Then we had work to do here, and couldn’t call it a day just yet. The sun was now beginning to drop along with the temperature, and the sun seemed permanently masked by a thick veil of cloud.

Before we did anything we decided to work out which stones had which qualities. We located the Key Stone (the most energetically important), and that had male, female and neutral energies. Most other stones were male. Two of the longer stones opposite each other (pictured) dowsed as female.

We found male and neutral energies were creating black streams affecting the energy balance of the stone circle. Kal dowsed for the source of the black streams. Hmmm..maybe we shouldn’t have asked. Peculiar goings-on at this site! Some dark energy workers had been utilising this site for their own ends, it seemed. We recoiled and chatted for a moment about what to do next.

The Straw Deer

We decided to protect ourselves and try to re-balance the energies (i.e. remove the black streams). Kal dowsed that this was work for me to do, with his help from outside the circle. He went off to put some protection around me, and I did the same. Later, when we compared notes the sensations and visual metaphors employed were identical in every way. I certainly felt well protected. I quietened my mind (with some difficulty) but soon felt as though I was able to let thoughts form from outside my rational consciousness. I suddenly knew what I had to do – I had to create the symbol of Venus that I had been shown earlier that week at the base of the stone that Kal had identified as the key stone for transmitting the new energy form we were about to create.

I got up from my meditation and scoured the area. I had to form the symbol out of something real, I felt. I found some dry grass stems and suddenly remembered the little seed that I had picked up for no reason at Bryn Celli Ddu – that would form the eye-shape I needed. I had to make sure that the symbol wouldn’t be blown away as soon as I laid it down, so I cut back a layer of turf and placed the symbol on the earth directly, at the place where Kal had identified as most suitable for energy work.

As I patted the grass back down the sun came out from behind the veil of mist and I gasped in amazement at the synchronicity. But then, we have come to see this happen so many times that I really shouldn’t be surprised any more. I smiled deeply. Confirmation that we were on the right track. Now we felt as though we needed to disconnect and cleanse ourselves.

We went back to the Druid’s Circle to drink the water that Kal had placed in his circle of five quartz crystals. It tasted great. Then we both stood with our backs to the flat main stone on the eastern edge. We faced the remains of the day’s sun and drank in the last rays. After a few minutes we felt the stone pulling energy out of us – cleansing us of the traces of the other circle’s energies. A few minutes later we both stepped away from the stone simultaneously without prompting. Time to go. A quick dowse : had we done any good? Yes. Was the other circle being balanced by our work? Yes. Would it have any adverse effects? No. We made a note to check it regularly.

We watched the sun set as we headed back down the hill to the old faithful little blue car.

Gwas

Following some newbies with copper sticks.