Welcoming Nine Stones Close

This post is preceded by Part One (A Call to the Nine Ladies) and Part Two (Doll Tor and the Hidden Gem).

A trip to Derbyshire isn’t complete without visiting the fabulous Nine Stones Close sacred site. I have to say that our first visit to this site wasn’t promising. We had felt that the energies were strong there but not aligned with us. We were young, we were foolish, we were unrecognising the beautiful but ill Oak tree in the adjacent (but close) field.

Fortunately we have learned. Nine Stones is now one of my favourite sites. There I have danced with Pan, healed a so grateful Oaks aura and been blessed with its protection. I owe the site a lot and as I approached it across the muddy fields I knew without communingAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. that it was shouting a tally-ho across the fields. I know sounds like a lot of hubris, but in some cases, I am sorry guys, you just have to be there. Experiences are visceral.

This was the third sacred site that I visited and I felt I was on a wonderful role. With my meeting the Maori spirit singer at nine ladies, the energised Lapis at Doll Tor and now the welcoming nine stones close. Okay I was up to my ankles in mud, but hey, the sun had broken through the clouds and I was joyous.

Propping my bag on the stone wall between the tree and the stones I did some preliminary dowsing…

• Was the Oak healthy? Yes. Good, that Oak is my friend.
• Was there any work for me to do at the site? Yes.
• Did the site need any healing? No. Good, since Gwas the Earth healer was absent.
• Was the work on myself? Yes.
• Did I need to meditate? No. O Okay.
• Did I need to visualise? Yes. Ah…er…what’s the difference?
• Did I need anything? Yes.

I asked to be taken to what I needed and was led to my bag. I opened the bag, which alas has so much clutter in it, it would make a Feng Shui practitioner scream. Anyway I asked which section of the bag I needed to look and was after a few more questions pointed at a folder of notes.

Side note: Having progressed along the path of getting my book published by Hay House (see Kals 3 Goals) I am in the process or rather beginning the process of creating an audio/visual version of it (Active Enlightenment). To that end I have been failing miserably at trying to order the book in accordance with its new form. The notes for this was contained in tha bove mentioned folder.

I have a theory, please let me know what you think in the comments. My theory is that if something is playing on your mind then dowsing and communingAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. and visiting of sacred sites will take this obsessing into account in its direction – sometimes. What do you think? Why are we directed/guided as we are? For instance, what the heck is the Knights Quest all about? Would love your thoughts on this.

The beginning

And so I have been playing with this content for the last 3 weeks in attempt to bring order to chaos. Now, here I am with this pile of notes, in a muddy field, with four huge rocks in it. Question time…

• Are these notes what I am being directed at? Yes.
• Am I to read them to find what I am looking for? No
• Is it the notes as a whole? Yes.
• Should I do a visualisation on them? Yes

Okay, first thing is that there were a lot of questions – that in honesty I feel foolish in repeating, so I wont, secondly. I had no idea what “visualise on them” meant. The best I could manage was to sit on the stone wall under the oak facing the circle and look through my notes. And then it happened…

As I leafed through the notes, looking at all the permutations that the topics could go in, I saw what was needed. Not only did I see this but also the music from the Maori singer came to mind. She hadn’t been singing in a rhythm that went fast at all. She had been singing in a spiral. It was so clear that I saw the image float in 3D space in front of me. With the image came an unblocking, as if the mental gates had opened and the process could run freely. Honestly, I cried.

My purpose for the next few weeks is to create that vision,

Kal Malik

We had taken the small road from the centre of Llangollen out past the Plas Newydd Museum, and heading towards the village of Pontfadog. As the crest of the hill appeared and the road became a T-junction the stone could be seen in the field to the right-hand side of the hill road, nestled and almost hidden by a line of hardy and gnarled trees about two miles out of Llangollen itself.

Quickly! Careg Y Big is falling over!

Once you hop into the field (by gate or by low dry stone wall) it is a short skip to the stone itself. As you arrive you notice that the line of trees forms a sort of avenue along which some ancient trackway may once have been dug into the landscape. It’s almost a small cursus feature, and if it had been a corpse road or similar then it would have been quite wide, I feel. Enough for a thronging procession to carry several biers side by side!

The stone itself struck me immediately, not only for its unusual angle, but for its composition. I had seen this type of agglomerate before – like round pebbles in cement – at Harold’s Stones in Monmouthshire. How interesting that Harold’s Stones were of a similar composition and similar slant too! Coincidence or design carried across several counties distance?

I next turned my attention to trying to find out which astrological body this stone might have been erected to point to – Sun, Moon? Neither – the dowsing revealed that it was a particular star/constellation of stars. By dowsing the date on which the star that this stone is aligned to would be in 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. with the stone this year we got the date April 9th at 10:00am. I set the Starwalk app to this time and date and then placed it on the stone to show me which stars would be in view along the stone’s axis and angle. The result was: Neptune was passing through the Aquarius constellation.

Careg Y Big stone's astral alignment on April 9th 2012

Astral alignments explained

Now that I had determined the specific astrological connection - Neptune passing through the Aquarius constellation – what is the relevance of such a conjunction to this stone? Why was it set to align to this conjunction? I could find only some general information relating to the thirteen year cycle of Neptune, which is apparently moving into Pisces currently. However, the information may be relevant so let’s look at it. I show my ignorance of astrology here by deferring to other commentators! According to one astrologer:

“Neptune represents the broader economic currents. Therefore Neptune in Aquarius represents times of economic reform or revolution. Since the “spirit of the times”, the “zeitgeist”, is represented by Neptune as well, the economic changes spring out of a new spirit, a new vibration. There was a scientific and artistic revolution during the last Neptune in Aquarius period — and there was a corresponding economic revolution  ….

Based on past periods, Neptune in Aquarius will be a time of religious freedom and reform. Likely, the old faiths, whether faith in science or religious faith, will undergo dramatic change … The underlying spirit of Neptune in Aquarius is a need to break out of the ordinary, to breakthrough to new spiritual states, to change life, to go for something larger than yourself.”

(source: GuidingStar.com)

The economic bit seems rather accurate at the moment! There is also an 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. to the Pegasus constellation. What might this mean?

 ”Pegasus is the hippocampus of your brain. The place of memory.” (source: HiddenMeanings.com)

“Symbol of wisdom and especially of fame from the Middle Ages until the Renaissance…..Personification of the water, solar myth, or shaman mount, Carl Jung and his followers have seen in Pegasus a profound symbolic esoteric in relation to the spiritual energy that allows to access to the realm of the gods on Mount Olympus.” (source: Wikipedia)

“Pegasus is the white horse that caused the fountain of the Muses to activate on Mount Helicon. Consider meditation and the spiral energy called Kundalini or the coiled serpent which rises up from the base of the spine to the Pineal Gland of the brain. ” (source: CrystalLinks.com)

Also rather interesting! Like a reminder or a signpost the standing stone may be there as a reminder that stones are linked to the stars. Maybe the stone itself contains memories that a sympathetic intuitive mind could access? maybe it was planted and aligned as a means of connecting the Earth with the stars? Maybe it is an access point through meditation to connect to the constellation’s energies and move the mind into a higher dimension? Maybe it enervates the chakras when meditated upon in April 2012? Will I get the chance to re-visit the stone at that time? “All this coming up soon in the continuing adventures of…The Hedge Druid“.

I also find the interpretation of Pegasus being associated with fame as notable considering that my over-arching quest for the year is to claim the power of “renown”. I will discuss this term and this quest in more depth in subsequent specific posts.

Standing stone disguised as tree trunk - Careg Y Big, Llangollen

Finding this 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. and its significance to a specific conjunction of stone and star begs the question about why some standing stones point at particular stars? This is an area that I hope to investigate further when the weather warms up a bit. Standing in the raw Winter winds that whipped across the hilltop field that day I was less than inclined to dowse for an hour to try to make inroads into such a complex question. That will have to wait for another day.

Gwas.

Generous little site

Part one – the nine ladies

Once you set about visiting Sacred sites you can’t help but get a few more in on your travels. So after that lovely encounter and auspicious start I decided to pop down (since it’s down a slope) to Doll Tor (hope the spelling is right). This is a lovely little sacred site in amongst the trees and by the side of some inviting meadows (I keep promising Gwas that I will run down those long meadows one day).

I had no particular reason to go there, other than it was close by and hey why not. As I approached a couple of crows zoomed out of the trees and flew towards me in greeting and I acknowledged my totem and knew that I was on to a good thing. Again, respecting the threshold, I communed with the Genius LociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place. and gained a favoured entry. I asked whether there was anything for me to learn here and the rods acquiesced. So I asked for directions and was led to a tree just to the side of the circle. If memory served on a past occasion Gwas and I had noted that a pentagram had been hung from its branches. Now the tree was bare and I sidled up to it and sat down letting my mind open to any impressions. Alas it was not as exciting as my commune at the nine ladies. Indeed, I felt that that last jaunt had depleted my communingAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. energies so I decided to let this place energies me instead and just relaxed. I felt completely relaxed and even the cold wasn’t affecting me. After many moments I arose feeling really refreshed and as is my wont these days I knelt down to place my palm upon the ground in gratitude when I saw something blue on the floor where I had been sat.

At first I thought it was something that had fallen out of my pocket, but then realised that it was a blue lapis lazuli crystal. It was quite big too a good half a hand size. I was about to pick it up to examine it more when I thought to capture a picture of it first. Taking out my trusty iPhone I zoomed in and clicked. Nothing. I tried again, nothing. What? I checked my phone and all seemed fine, but when I tried to take  picture of the crystal, nothing. I tried taking a picture of the site. Again nothing! My phone has never failed me before so I considered that this might be significant. I grabbed my rods.

• Is there a reason why my phone wont take a picture? Yes.
• Am I missing something? Yes
• Is it about the stone? Yes
• Should I take the stone? No
• Was it good for me to meditate on the stone? Yes
• Did it have a good effect on me? Yes
• Was the stone left here with an intention? Yes
• Is that intention stopping me taking a picture? Yes
  

  Lapis Lazuli

I wondered what the intention could be. The obvious thing was that it had been placed in secret and when I asked this the rods confirmed that that was the case. Was the stone placed with a purpose I would consider to be good (you see Elizabeth Browns Dowsing book has influenced my questioning). Yes. I left the stone alone and considered why I had meditated on top of it. My crystal lore has it that Lapis is an excellent 3rd eye stone so I pondered whether this stone had affected my 3rd eye energies? No. Lovely!

Lapis is also known to be good for mental faculties – hmmm - had the stone affected my mental faculties in anyway? Yes. Ah. Okay. I had no way to test this rather ubiquitous response and left it at that. Plus I was getting hungry and the food (left in the car) was calling to me. I placed some grass on top of the Lapis and thanked the site for its pleasure and left.

As I walked up the meadow I found my thoughts racing with ideas and wondered whether it was placebo or the Lapis. But it wasn’t until my next stop that I really believed that the Lapis had engaged the energies I had picked up at the Nine Ladies.

Kal Malik

After visiting Dinas Bran we made a quick stop off at Vale Crucis Abbey, Llangollen’s imposing ruins that block the very light of the day. With its original furbishing it must have been resplendent. In the weak rays of a Winter morning the sun was trying to refurbish the walls with light and in parts it succeeded at re-introducing warmth. Out of the sunlight the shadows were seasonably chilly.

For me Vale Crucis Abbey was the location where I had been set upon a quest to recover ancestor energiesA term I have used to describe the subtle energy imprints left at a particular place of power (a power centre, perhaps) by our ancestors - those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to. when I encountered the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of a holy man called St Duignan. St Duignan, I discovered through dowsing and research, had come over to Vale Crucis from Ireland. The Duignans were intimately linked to my ancestors and the region I had always known my family to have originated from. I could find no record of “Saint” Duignan in Ireland, so I presume that his canonisation may have resulted from his services whilst in Wales. I have more detective work to do concerning this.

Ancestor energyA term I have used to describe the subtle energy imprints left at a particular place of power (a power centre, perhaps) by our ancestors - those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to. is a term I have used to describe the subtle energyA form of energy that has so far eluded scientific definition. It is neither electric, magenetic, nor electro-magnetic, so far as our current technical equipment can measure. It does, however, exhibit many of the characteristics of magnetism and electricity in terms of its effects and properties. It may be a form of either or both of those energies that we have not yet identified. imprints left at a particular place of power (a 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., perhaps) by our ancestors – those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to.

Vale Crucis Abbey - January 2012

As Kal flitted around finding a meditation spot to work in I began to ask whether there was anything I could do here that would progress my spiritual path. Surely, in a place with such particular links for me, I would find some information source or task that I could learn from. The rods came out and I began to objectively quiz them. They gave a rapid response. NO. No? NO. Nothing to do here! Obviously, the next question is “Why?”, but as we know, “Why”-type questions are notoriously difficult to get answers to through dowsing, which requires something of a binary technique (questions with distinct YES or NO answers give the most trustworthy responses).

I began to narrow the scope down by investigating the circumstances of what I had been asking about. I had wanted to interact with the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of St Duignan – the answer had been NO. I began to question along this line.

1. Was the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of St Duignan present here at this site? NO.
2. Did the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). still exist in the form I had encountered it? YES. Then it must simply be elsewhere.
3. Was the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). in this country? NO.
4. Was it in Ireland? YES. Aha! But why….? Always the ‘why’!
5. Had the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). returned to the place from which it originated? YES.
6. Does that mean that it had returned to the place that it was born when physically human? YES.

I knew where this would be. I had done my research and have a trip planned there for late Spring this year. Now that I had located the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life)., the remaining spirit energy of someone possibly linked to my own ancestors, I was curious to know why it was important that the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). returned to its place of origin. This seemed like the most important thing I could possibly need to know. An overwhelming feeling of importance flooded through me. I was riveted to the spot. This was something vital for me to know about my quest this year – something that would guide me way. The hunt began with the dowsing rods and I kept my intuitive senses alert for any other feelings or information that might filter into my tiny blank brain.

The benefit of energy

How do we know what energy benefits us and at which times? I only know through using dowsing rods to determine this, and I leave the difficult calculations up to the higher intelligence that guides my responses. One day I hope to know enough to have a go at being able to work it our for myself, but there are so many factors at play that it’s a seemingly impossible task. At this moment I decided to ask about beneficial energies. Maybe that would be helpful? There were no beneficial energies available at Vale Crucis, according to the dowsing rods! None at all!

This led me to conclude a few things. Firstly, the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of St Duignan had moved back to Ireland, taking the link to my ancestors with it. I would have to follow it in order to re-establish connection. I would have to travel to Ireland, find the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life)., and then interact with this energy form in order to follow the next part of my ancestor energyA term I have used to describe the subtle energy imprints left at a particular place of power (a power centre, perhaps) by our ancestors - those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to. quest. It had “hopped” to the next point on the path, and I needed to go find it again – much like Kal’s ‘energy double’. It was like the ancestor energiesA term I have used to describe the subtle energy imprints left at a particular place of power (a power centre, perhaps) by our ancestors - those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to. were a trail that had to be followed, and I had done the first stage. I would have to go to the next location in order to reclaim the energy from that place. The energies here at Vale Crucis had already been reclaimed.

The first snowdrops of the year - in January!

Now I knew that my trip to Ireland this year was going to be really important, and that there was a certain inevitability about it now. It would form the second stage in the chain link of ancestor energiesA term I have used to describe the subtle energy imprints left at a particular place of power (a power centre, perhaps) by our ancestors - those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to., and I would be going “home” to find and collect the very essence of my ancestors’ energies wherever they now remained. It was an exciting prospect.

One of the delightful finds within the abbey’s bleak high stone walls was a shot of colour provided by a bunch of snowdrops. The pristine white flowers were dangling from their verdant stems in the exact same spot as the year before, but this time they were two months earlier than last year! Two months! They were making an appearance in the middle of Winter – something has gone awry with the timing of the seasons this year, that’s for sure. Lately I have seen roses blooming and it’s still January! Mad.

The Concept of Conception

Despite the seeming lack of beneficial energies at the site for me this year, there was one energy that I found interesting. I asked the rods whether there was any “interesting” energy for me to find and they led me to a spot quite close to the snowdrops and near to 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.. When I went through the usual categories of energy that I used to determine the type of subtle energyA form of energy that has so far eluded scientific definition. It is neither electric, magenetic, nor electro-magnetic, so far as our current technical equipment can measure. It does, however, exhibit many of the characteristics of magnetism and electricity in terms of its effects and properties. It may be a form of either or both of those energies that we have not yet identified. form I was dealing with I couldn’t find a match! Was this something new, then? It was certainly something that I had never dowsed before. I can’t remember how we managed to identify it, but Kal came up with the suggestion that it might be conception energyA subtle energy created during the heightened emotional states of human conception. It is believed in some cultures that at the moment of conception a spirit form comes to join with the newly-formed human and this point is marked by a subtle energy imprint left in the land at the site of conception.. I think we had gone through all other types and were trying to identify a point in the human lifecycle when the energy might be present, and he came up with birth or conception as the point when the energy was created.

Some further dowsing questions along this line of enquiry revealed that it was indeed an energetic imprint of a moment of conception that had taken place at that spot. It was a sort of “memory” imprint – an imprint created by the emotional outburst that goes with orgasm and the magical moment of conception itself. I know that the actual moment of conception may have been some time later than copulation, but it seems as though something, possibly some spirit form, had engaged with the process at that moment, at that place, and this was marked as a special place by having that emotional energetic imprint remain locked in the earth and stone of the abbey.

There is much more to learn about this energy, I’m sure, but to find a new energy after years of dowsing was rather heart-warming, and in an English Winter I take whatever warmth I can from such episodes.

Gwas.

A sign?

I just wanted to drop you guys a quick note. Today I was exploring synchronicities and was given a notion of a sacred site to visit for Imbolc (more later). Sometimes though, I like to make sure that the world and I are on the same page. Is it a matter of trust? No, I don’t think so. More like a matter of not wanting to waste time. This re-affirmation idea entered my mind whilst I stepped into the local town centerm in the form of

• “please give me a sign to show that the sacred site in question is the one to visit on Imbolc”

Turning the next corner I saw the shop (Bijou Brigitt)  in the image to the left. Coincidence, right?

Actually this isn’t the point of this post. Rather it is this. I returned home from this coincidence pondering afternoon and switched on my computer to an email from a friend.

• You have to watch this…”

and so I did. The TV series (for which this is the pilot) is called Touch and is a almost must see for those interested in the miraculous reach of synchronicities. Here is a trailer for it…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqOg6uucP-g

Enjoy.

Kal Malik

Do you follow your dreams?

Nine Ladies Sacred Site

The other night I was sleeping like a babe in arms when I awoke suddenly and was fortunate enough to recall the dream I was having. It was set in the (semi) wilds of Derbyshire at a sacred that many of you will now be familiar with, the Nine Ladies.

Was this a call to visit that site? Or just a reordering of my subconscious thoughts? I was after all reading through some of our exploits on this blog. Since I have just finished reading Dowsing by Elizabeth Brown (who keeps a set of rods in her handbag), I decided to grab the rods (yes, in the middle of the night, with eyes half awake) and ask…

• Was that dream an indicator to go to the nine ladies sacred site? Yes
• Should I go now (3:40a.m.) No. (In honesty I wouldn’t have gone at that time, but it would have been nice to know I was missing some opportunity).
• Should I go during the coming day? Yes.
• Was this because Imbolc had come early for me? No.
• Was there something for me to learn there? Yes.
• Was today the only time I could learn this? Yes.
• On a scale of 1-10 how valuable would this knowledge be? 9! Wow!
• Just as a comparison, what scale was last years Knights Quest be, relatively speaking? 23!

As it happened the next day was free and so I toodled off towards them there hills…As I drove the one and a half hours I wondered if I would encounter any of the spritely beings that Gwas had encountered upon his last visit. I have not had the fortune of having such a spirit infested experience but am game to frolic some (as Pan would testify I hope).

Nine Ladies

I arrived at the site with my usual wet feet (no rain but plenty of dew) and asked for permission to enter. Now I know what you’re thinking. Which alien has kidnapped Kal and could we have the sacred-site disrespecting fellow back please! But as my research, some of it which has filtered onto this blog, is showing me Thresholds are important.

• A quick note. I am currently in the middle of writing an eBook on Thresholds coming this summer.

Thus you find me connecting with the Genius LociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place. and asking for permission. It was granted instantly and I was my usual self of wandering around the site…letting it know me and me know it (energy-wise). I also nodded to the cantankerous Oak (we have issues) off to one side and meandered over to the King Stone.

All the while I had my senses out for any energies (pixies or anything else) and nothing was sensed. To be frank I think Gwas is so way ahead of me in communingAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. with nature spirits. Anyway I was through the circle in the direction of the king stone when I spotted a lady up by the stone. Being sociable I slowed my walk a bit but continued on. Getting closer I had a shock.

Interlude…a fair few years ago (5 maybe 6) I was with a friend in Borders bookshop in Ellsemere Port. As I walked through the store along the enclaves of books at the back of the shop. My body snapped to a stop, did a double take and reversed passed the enclave I had just passed. Standing in the enclave was the most amazing woman I have ever seen. I’m not saying she was gorgeous or anything. It was that energy literally flowed out of her. In todays parlance I might have said that she was a walking power center of white light. I just stopped in front of her and stared. She didn’t bat an eyelid at this and smiled at me. Eventually I stammered something like, “you are beautiful” and stepped away.

I got the same reaction from this lady at the stone. She was stroking or touching the stone as I approached but boy did she radiate energy. As you may know I have communed with Caileach in the ast but that experience wasn’t as visceral and earthy as this. At that moment, this lady could have been a Goddess. I walked over to her (well the stone), almost in reverence and…was speechless.

• “the energies are warm today aren’t they?” she said. It was frickin freezing, but I acquiesced, “Yes, they are.”
• “I like this place, do you come often?” she asked me, “Perhaps once a season, how about you?”
• “It’s my first time, I’m not from around here”

The conversation continued as we walked around the sacred stones. She was a Maori and was visiting a email-friend in the UK. Interestingly she wouldn’t give her name (I was a trust-worthy person she said as she refused to say her name). I told her that I had had a dream that night and had thus travelled to this sacred site.

• “dreams often show us the start of a journey not its conclusion”

Interesting wisdom, considering Imbolc was approaching. I mentioned this to her, but she said that she was “one with her homeland” and thus it was still the summer “in her eyes”.

 I liked her turn of phrase I have to say and being highly mutable myself you may find such words escaping my lips. Though I don’t think I could replicate the panache (or is it aplomb) with which she spoke. Yes, I was quite captivated with her subtle energy.

She asked whether I was an energy worker and I replied that I was a modest worker (what happened to my ego? Wake up already).  “perhaps we could do some work together?” she asked and I said, what did you have in mind, to which she replied “I sing to energy” . Okay…

I was sat some five feet away from the king stone (her preferred stone to work with) in the direction of the circle and she sat on it. I had dowsed the position once she had intimated that she was going to sit on the king stone. I also dowsed for facing position and got a direction facing the nine ladies.

So, I was sat facing the stones as this Maori lady began to hum a tune. I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess the closest I have come to hearing anything from that neck of the woods is aboriginal twanging type noise. However this lass was letting flow a rhythmic sound. A bit like an angel choir. But whereas with an Angel choir you might have a slow and gentle rhythm, this lasses was quite fast and increased over time. As she sang I felt and saw energy flowing around me and through me down to the circle and then up again along paths that Gwas and I had dowsed on other occasions. It was as if her singing was pushing and pulling the energy around the circuit. Although one might think that this was an unpleasant experience, quite the contrary it was a lovely flow, like catching a warm breeze on a cold day.

We did this for quite sometime and I felt like the flow of energies was washing me clean, energetically speaking. After she was done singing I asked her what and why she had sung like she did. She said she hadn’t. “the earth sung me” Which I took to mean that she sang in harmony with the earth.

I would have loved to have talked to this visitor more but alas for her tempus fugit and so I was left thinking that this experience itself had been a dream. A dream that has left me with a new song to sing.

Kal Malik

In Britain this year there has been an exception to this general rule concerning the presence of male energy. Male ‘subtle’ energy has in fact been available, albeit in a very weakened form. This has been due to the amount of sustained sunlight that we have been receiving. You can feel it in the land – the birds are singing, the buds are appearing, there have even been flowers blooming in January – normally a time when most delicate biological entities retreat into themselves and rest. An unusual year indeed. At this exact moment the frost and cold has returned to bite, yet the sun continues to shine. It is a most unusual beginning.

The heat and height of the Summer

The unusual start makes it difficult to contemplate how the year might work itself out. Are we going to see the seasons having “unseasonal” weather? Are they going to be unrecognisable from our traditional weather patterns? What will this mean for the strength and prevalence of the Earth’s subtle energyA form of energy that has so far eluded scientific definition. It is neither electric, magenetic, nor electro-magnetic, so far as our current technical equipment can measure. It does, however, exhibit many of the characteristics of magnetism and electricity in terms of its effects and properties. It may be a form of either or both of those energies that we have not yet identified. forces, and for the living biological energy of its inhabitants? My feeling is that we are going to see a real peak in Sun energy this year. This may require some balancing out by those of us who work well with Moon energy (female), as we feed a calming influence into the land through selected node points on the energy grid. Let’s not get all hot-headed and hysterical just because the Olympics are coming to town in the height of Summer! It’s just a game, an amusement, a distraction.

As with all previous years that I have followed my spiritual path I returned to the Llangernyw Yew Tree for inspiration. CommuningAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. with this tree seems to set the spark on the year’s tinder and soon a flame of encouraging light emerges from the kindling provided by this ancient life force nestled deep in the heart of a small village in North Wales. I will talk about the visit in more detail soon, but the outcome was one word: “Renown“. I will be spending the year seeking out sources to increase my personal power. Renown is a subject that I will return to and explain more fully in subsequent posts. No doubt I have much more to learn about it as the year goes on.

Now let’s talk about specific preparations that I am making for Imbolc, and that you could make too.

Preparations for Imbolc

What can the roving druid do for Imbolc? Is it best to follow the traditional methods, or to be more ‘modern’ about the whole process? Sometimes I feel that people are searching this site for a list of instructions. Other times I feel the right message to deliver is my own message, and to hope that it resonates with you all. I don’t do traditional. I have read many rituals, poems, myths, stories – ancient and modern. I have read accounts, histories and reconstructions from guiding spirits coming through sensitive mediums. All of this information I have absorbed, and I should be in a good position to reveal to everyone reading this blog how they should conduct themselves for Imbolc. But I won’t. Rather, the message is simply for you to make your own preparations. Find your own guides. Go search them out in Nature. Let yourself be guided by those who take a direct interest in your spiritual path.

This year I am hoping to attend a ceremony dedicated to Brigid at a local megalithic site. I have bought candles for a ceremony of light. I haven’t been to such an event before, but this opportunity just fell right and everything about it seemed to be correct. I knew instantly that it was the right thing to do this year. I am reserving judgment at this time, and then I will report back once it’s finished. Kal is hoping that we can encompass some other sites in the area too that day. Let’s hope so, because we always have an interesting time at Imbolc. it seems to be a real kick-start to the year for us both.

Well, those are my preparations for Imbolc, but what should you be doing? Here are some suggestions I have for you based on my experience of the energies and entities available at this time of year:-

1. Find a sacred site that is already dedicated to or associated with “Brigid”. The site may contain the name “Brigid”, “Bride”, “Brid” or any of the other variations of her name. Connecting to or being bathed in the energies of Brigid offers a feeling of nurturing, of well-being, and the metaphorical “light” associated with her can offer revelations as to where you may progress to in the coming year. Here’s a link to some information about Brigid.
2. Concentrate on the symbolism of light. The first chinks of the light returning to the mornings and evenings as Spring approaches is part of the thanks that we are offering in our energetic exchanges with Nature. The nature of this light, and its connection to our inner light (our ‘divine spark’, if you will) is an important symbol of the energetic links being forged at this festival period.
3. Make an offering or sacrifice that symbolises your dedication to progress through embracing light. From example, this year I have bought a lot of candles that I intend to offer to anyone else present at a Brigid site that I attend. In addition to the physical donation I anticipate allowing some of my own inner light to flow through the connection with the Brigid entity and to donate that part of my spirit to the site.

In your preparations I would also refer you to a chart that Kal recently drew up that listed the various proportions of how people’s energies contribute to sacred events. Maybe a good time to review that and decide on how you might want to being things into 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. for Imbolc?

Have a bright and cheery day, whatever you do!

Gwas.

This question has perplexed physicists (in a way) and a paranormal investigator (me) for many moons. To add another piece of cheese to the pile of crumbs.

• If a light starts to flicker in the bathroom (for no electronic reason) would it still flicker if there was no one there to see it? What if you put light recording equipment into the bathroom and left the house?

Those of you familiar with the observer effect from the realms of quantum physics will know that this is a dilemma that puzzles us still. As the joke goes…how many observers did it take for the universe to be created?

I digress slightly. This post is about a failure, as to whose failure it was, well you judge…

There is something in the house

Before I continue, I just want to point out that when people hear that I investigate sick houses there is the immediate statement that…”There is something wrong in my house” It’s inevitable. I have come to call this the Doctor in the house effect, since I recall from years previous when I used to hang with a doctor or two. Whenever someone found out that they were a doctor, ailments would appear from every corner. As the immortal axiom says…

• As with Dr’s thus with Paranormal Investigators (I am loathed to say P.I.s)

Most of the time, there is nothing wrong with your house (certainly not in a way to drastically affect your life). In my experience there are more often more important concerns e.g. from a mental, emotional, physical and energetic perspective. After all GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out). Again I digress slightly.

Thus here I was investigating another house. My first assumption is that there is nothing wrong with the house. So that is the first question I ask.

• Is there nothing energetically significantly wrong with this house?

I have been questioned as to the importance of “the dowsing question”? i.e. does the phrasing of the question matter? Yes and no. Yes if you are trying to determine a cause or solution. No in general cases. What I mean here is that sometimes you know what you want to ask but can’t find an exact question that fits the bill. So you go for a close approximate. I have a theory about this (in another post). For Gwas’s theories see note at end. Anyway, the above question was fair to me as it kind of got to the crux of the matter. Also note that I can’t get the scientist out of me and like to mix up my methods a bit. Normally I would have asked “Is there anything wrong with this house?” Hmmm…the plumbing, the decor, the noise levels from neighbours…

Obviously the answer was yes.

• What power centers where there: 9 and 7 black
• 4 and 6 white
• Was there an entity involved – yes.

O darn! Here we go again!. For illustration purposes I have created the video below so that you can see the layout of the room which contained the power centers.

The flickering energy on the left is the entity, the energy ball that is generated on the right is the level 7 power center. The energy then does a bit of loop and flows out of the room into the remainder of the apartment.

• I have to say that the occupants of the apartment rarely if ever entered or stayed in that room, even though it was the main room of the house and that it had a big screen tv in it too.

Investigating the houses energies some more and the entity too I found that the seat that it was sitting on was a place that had seen some heavy emotional out-pourings. I queried the daughter (the occupants were a mother and daughter) and after some reluctance she told me that she had gone through a really bad emotional period some 8 years ago (the bad period was 3/4 years long). Most of this time she had spent in that room, on that sofa!

It was at this time that the entity had attached to her to gain a lift into the apartment and had settled on the place that had the most negative (depressive) energy.

Whose house is it anyway?

I have been studying thresholds increasingly over the last 8 months and have found it to be a significant factor when examining the dynamics of house energies. This case was no different, indeed what I found was that the entity had taken complete ownership of the house. It was its home! Again, questioning the owners confirmed that they didn’t feel at home in the apartment.

As I have learned, houses have thresholds. These thresholds can be owned (belong to). The person or persons who own the threshold have a much greater power in the house than someone who doesn’t. An interesting point is that thresholds can contain other thresholds to. For instance a house has a threshold, then within it a room can have a threshold too.

• Have you or perhaps a family member that you know lived almost entirely in their room? Turning it into a sanctuary of a kind, even placing a sign on the door “My Room”.

This can create a threshold within the homes threshold. This is what happened in this case too. The daughter’s room had a threshold of its own. She owned it. Indeed, from the way the energies bounced of the door, it was besieged. Also the two positive power centers were in her room (the 6 was a place that the daughter regularly meditated).

The solution

Several questions revealed that this energy solution wasn’t going to be solved by the placing of crystals and burning of incense. Why? I don’t know. I do have a theory (but I’ve digressed enough times in this post). Anyway the solution for this problem came to this.

It was approaching Christmas and the shift in energy that would be needed to eject the entity was to have a family party in that room. Love, family, connection and the flavour of energy that only a Christmas type celebration can bring would give them ownership of the threshold. Once this was done,  I could instigate a kicking of ass via energetic items (yes, crystals, plants, candles etc.).

For several days, running up to Christmas, I tried to persuade the family to hold a celebration in that room, it failed. Christmas came and I asked them to move the dinning table into the offending room. They had invited me to celebrate Christmas with them and when I arrived I noted that the table had moved from another room. Alas though it had only moved to half-way into the room and half out.

• In the video above, the table is just where the camera is positioned.

So, alas the saga remains the same. The daughter and mother, remain uncomfortable with the room in particular (and the house in general). Occasionally they ask me to look into it again and help them (I wonder how they overcome the s.e.p. field to do that, perhaps they have a higher energy state at that time. Worth investigating).

What is an energy worker to do?

Thanks for your time,

Kal Malik

ps: just to leave you with a mystery…the other power center in the daughter’s room has a whole avenue of investigation, remember it because I’ll be coming back to it.

pps: here is Gwas’s note on the dowsing question

I believe that whatever we are interacting with (higher self, helpful entities) is cleverer than we are in our everyday waking consciousness. When we are often unable to use language to specify our requirements that is not the end of our ability to ask questions. Our thought patterns may be quite clear about what we are asking, it is just that we have no language to express it.

When our thoughts are clear then our dowsing responses are more certain. There is no harm in asking an indistinct question, but don’t expect a clear response, that’s all! Sometimes, a stupid or indistinct question will lead you to formulate a better one when the answer comes back as unclear as well. It’s a process.

Often I find that where we make mistakes is in the interpretation of the response, not in the asking of the questions. In my experience, the clearer and more precise the question then the easier it is to understand and interpret the response.

It had been a while since I had visited the spirit of Bran, whom I had discovered was still present at the top of the ancient fortress named after him – Dinas Bran. I was looking forward to it, because it was never a dull visit – something useful or meaningful always came out of my visits to this stunning site.

Castell Dinas Bran

We have had some strange experiences at the location and we know that the views are spectacular if nothing else. It has traditionally become part of the start of our year. The story of Bran is interesting, and part of the old Welsh mythology being re-told in the Mabinogion tales. He is supposed to be a giant figure whose head remained alive after it was cut off in battle, and it was subsequently buried as a protective ward for the country. There are also links between Bran and Arthur in terms of this protective role.

“According to the Welsh Triads, Brân’s head was buried in London where the White Tower now stands. As long as it remained there, Britain would be safe from invasion. However, King Arthur dug up the head, declaring the country would be protected only by his great strength. There have been attempts in modern times to link the still-current practice of keeping ravens at the Tower of London under the care of Yeomen Warder Ravenmaster with this story of Brân, whose name means Raven.” (source: Wikipedia)

The relevance of the raven will become apparent as my story unfolds.

I made it up the hill first. On arrival I was greeted by a big black bird circling on its own above me near to the entrance I had chosen. I stopped to observe it. It circled like a hawk, and had the wing tips that I always associated with a hawk. I felt that this was a familiar symbol to me now, a welcome sign. Then, as the bird drew closer and closer my certainly began to melt away – the bird was definitely coloured black – I wasn’t just seeing it as a shadow. And how the straight break of the bird began to cast doubts on my initial reading. This was no hawk! Then I realised it was a raven – a huge lone raven. At this point it cawed identifiably and I knew it was a raven for certain. How odd that I had thought it was a hawk and in fact it was a raven? I carried on into the castle’s grounds seeing that Kal was also watching the bird as it flow close to the summit. Kal’s totem bird is a crow, so my first thoughts were that this was more a sign for him. I was wrong. It wasn’t a crow.

Bran’s Winter Home

One of the first things I did was to light some incense. three sticks dowsed as being perfect for a connection to Bran/ I next asked for Bran’s current location. Every time previously he had been located in a small dip on the summit close to the centre of the site. Today, this was not the case! He was in a part of the castle that I had never visited before – the “East Wing”, if you like. There was a stunning view of the Trevor Basin below and I felt this was significant to the quality of the energies I was feeling at that spot. – the view was important to any work done, and that the energies available in sight, such as the river below, the trees, the hills, all of these were important parts of the connection to Bran. The area was exposed and the wind chill was bitter and relentless. Nevertheless I made myself as comfortable as I could and began a communion with the great Bran’s spirit.

Distant Dinas Bran on a cold January day

I lit some incense despite the howling bitter wind. They soon went out, but for a moment I had created a triangle of incense within which my space had been cleared. After I grounded and centred I felt that there was a drawing out of the end of the year’s excesses – all of the detritus – emotional, spiritual and physical – were being sucked out of me and dissipated in the ground, sent out into the surrounding earth to leech down into the river where they could be swept away by the tumultuous torrent of the river’s waters.

As I sat and communed with Bran I felt his presence arrive, familiar and yet monstrously huge. I asked Bran whether there was anything that he wished to communicate to me. The series of thoughts that came to me were a series of pictures of Bran in various locations that fitted with the story of Bran The Blessed that I knew – sailing across to Ireland, his head in London. I asked what he wished me to do with these locations and the answer was that he wished me to visit them, but to take him along with me. He would accompany me in the form of a crow.

Suddenly I understood the hawk turning into a raven that I had witnessed earlier. The raven was a symbol of Bran, and he was showing me that when I saw The Raven then I would be seeing and feeling his presence. I asked for confirmation, and got a pleasing sensation throughout my body. A certain sense of affirmation. So, why, I questioned, was this association significant for me? I knew the symbolism from the stories, but what did it mean? Such questions rarely get an answer, but this time Bran was very clear in his response, and the sentence formed in my mind that I should carry his energy with me whenever I visited those places associated with him (Ireland and London) so that he could be there with me. I agreed, and left to find shelter in the lee of one of the castle’s walls. The bitter wind had nearly frozen my extremities to numbness.

The Signs of Bran

This was Bran’s request for me this year. To travel with me. I already have plans to visit Ireland, but by an odd coincidence my wife added an impromptu visit to London the very next day! She insisted that for my birthday I should take the day off as we would be going to London for a big surprise. Well, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that half of the surprise had been pre-empted by the ancient Celtic energy form of Bran the Blessed! Now I can add a visit to London to my itinerary, in the Olympic year too. I wonder what will happen if Bran is with me, and where he wants me to visit?

We walked down the hill and instead of taking the usual path I steered Kal to follow the lower path. As we rounded one of the lower slopes we came across a wooden sculpture positioned at the junction of two paths. It was a raven holding a chalice. Just a coincidence, of course. Bran’s association with ravens meant that I would inevitably come across such a symbol eventually, but its significance TODAY of all days was notable.

Bran as a Crow and Chalice

As I write this I am playing a random playlist of all the songs on my computer. As I type this the song playing is PJ Harvey, from the album with John Parish called “A Woman A Man Walked By” and the track is called “The Crow Knows Where All The Little Children Go“. Just a coincidence, I’m sure. Just a silly little coincidence to start the year off.

Gwas.

I decided that I shouldn’t ignore such a powerful emotion, and so I drove past my home exit and instead drove towards my nearest hill in order to get an unobstructed and unpolluted look at the star from height. Being January and cold there was no-one else around as I sat in 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. gazing at the captivating star. Using my phone’s StarWalk application I was able to identify the celestial object as Venus in conjunction with Neptune.

(source: Wikipedia)
As I went into a light dazed state of mind, directing my unfocused attention to the twinkling pair of objects above, I felt an energetic connection on two parts of my body. I first felt a tug on my heart chakra, which I opened. A flood of gentle, clear and pure loving energy seemed to fill my being. Then there was a tug on my head, but I couldn’t identify which chakra point that was connected with exactly so I opened them all to its influence.
I felt like there was a direct connection with me and the planets – the shining star’s radiance was filling me with a distant but powerful light. The Venus connection almost made me cry with its strong emotional content.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU9SsTwY5nU

The Neptune connection had a less identifiable influence. However I felt an incredible emotion of a pure love. I sort of expected this in as much as I knew this was Venus’ influence. It was nice to have this echoed back to me later when I read an astrologer’s interpretation of this conjunction:

“Venus conjunct Neptune invokes the principle of ‘higher love’ — the kind that’s not beset by jealousy or possessiveness but which has an egalitarian, humanitarian spirit” (source: PlanetWaves.net)

That was exactly how it felt. A pure love not connected with sexuality or a single relationship, but a wider feeling of love and kinship with all things. Very unlike my usual traits!

Here’s something else that struck me. I have been getting all sentimental in the last few weeks – buying old movies of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. I love their dancing in particular, but I must confess that my wife and I have been enjoying their old-fashioned romantic plot lines too. This is VERY MUCH not like me. So not like me that my wife has commented on how I must be going soft in my “old age” and even saying “What’s happened to you?“.

Here’s another astrologer’s interpretation of the Venus-Neptune alliance:-

“Sentimental and compassionate, natives with Venus conjunct Neptune are easily touched by others’ kindness, music, poetry, dance, and most any art that evokes emotion.” (source: CafeAstrology.com)

Research since then has led me to conclude the following:-

a) I am being strongly affected by the movement and position of the planet Venus this year. More so than any year previously.
b) Whilst I am developing a certain ‘vulnerability’ and sensitivity to Venus’ influence, I am also being shown that this is a means of tapping into an “emotional content” that will become a part of my energy-working and hedge druidry later in the year.

I have a feeling that emotional content is going to be an energy signature that pervades my work this year.

Gwas.