I think one of the reasons why I do my work is to try to revive the skill of dowsing amongst those who also practise the shamanic arts which we loosely consider to fall under the umbrella term of “druidry” (or ‘druidism’ for our American-oriented friends). We often think that dowsing has only a relatively recent history. I think that this is because of the lack of imagery from any time before the engravings and woodcuts which began to appear when printing became popular. Certainly we don’t see any paintings of the activity. I don’t know why. Yet the impression that dowsing was something invented by our recent forefathers remains. Surely dowsing is a quaint notion of a forgotten skill, now ridiculed into obscurity by scientific progress?

Is that gold I smell?

What we do have as a means of determining that dowsing was an ancient art is the rather fabulous find of a figure who has come to be known as “The Druid of Colchester“. It is thought the be the first documented archaeological find of a druid’s grave, and it reveals some interesting grave goods – dowsing rods!

“In the grave, archaeologists uncovered a board game with the glass counters laid out, medical equipment – the earliest ever found – a tea strainer still containing some kind of herbal brew, and some mysterious metal poles.” (source: The Independent newspaper) 

Other accounts record the equipment in different terms: as surgical equipment, herbs and most importantly -

How druids actually used dowsing rods – fact!

We must resist the urge to classify a single find as representative of all druids and their work. However, it does seem to indicate that in at least one instance the types of activities that have come down to us through story and lore may be borne out: this druid was a healer, herbalist and diviner. It’s not an overwhelming validation of the work that modern druids do, but it does at least show us that there is some level of truth permeating the accounts of the work of druids, and it does help us to feel more validated in trying to recreate some of that activity in a modern context.

“This is where the Colchester burial site comes in. The doctor of Camulodunum was evidently a rich and respected man. If one assumes that the surgical instruments and divining rods in his tomb weren’t just for decorative purposes, healing and soothsaying must have been part of his job description. It’s the closest anyone is likely to get to a druid in archaeological terms.” (source: Spiegel)

The upshot of which is this: Druids did dowsing from as far back as we have an evidence. I will continue to dowse as long as the forces at work in that process allow. This blog will always be a reflection of that work, and the importance that I place on divination as a means of staying in touch with the subtle forces of this world and beyond it.

As Kal returned I pointed out to him that I had been working at a particular stone this evening. Kal said it was one he remembered because he associated it with his experience of a dragon at this circle. In fact, he said, it was where some dragon energy resided. Now, we’ll come back to the definition of a “dragon” in a moment. Let’s stay with the story for now.

Kal mentioned that when he was doing some dowsing around this very stone after I had moved away from it earlier. He had asked the question of his dowsing rods about where the strongest energy could be found, and had been taken to the very spot I had been standing at. Now, one could read that as a very flattering statement, or one could begin to question whether something else was also contributing to that energy signature and strength.

I began to put two together with another two. I had come here to learn more about the nature of my spirit guide, and perhaps I was about to find out more than I had bargained for.

I dowsed a couple of new questions that arose:-

1. Apart from my energy was there an energy present at that stone? YES
2. Was my spirit guide’s energy present at that stone? YES
3. If I called my spirit guide to be with me now, was his energy still present at that stone? YES
4. Is his energy linked to that stone in some way? YES.
5. Is the energy signature at that stone the energy form of a dragon? YES.
6. Is Ash a dragon? YES
7. Is the the same dragon that Kal had met at Druid’s Circle? YES.

I had to stop there. The revelation, the implications just overwhelmed me at that point and I stood in a daze. Kal looked on slightly bemused, but I could see that he was registering that I had dowsed something profound. “I’ve just put two and two together” I said cryptically. “Seems like my spirit guide is the circle’s dragon!”

(c) DragonTeacher.com

Now his eyebrows raised too. So many new questions were arising and they were ones that the dowsing rods probably couldn’t be that helpful to answer because they were mainly open-ended questions or “why” types of inquiry. This was going to take time to work out.

I had met my spirit guide at Elva Plain stone circle in Cumbria earlier in the year. Did this imply that there was a link between stone circles? Or was I the common factor between these sites?

Now I have to contemplate the nature of dragons. Are they the beings that marshal and master the earth energies? Are they the King Serpents, the Wyrms of lore that controls the production and formation of subtle forces in our earth?

Well, for starters, here are ten dowsed questions about the nature of dragon energies:-

TEN QUESTIONS ABOUT DRAGONS

1) Is a dragon an energetic sentient entity? YES
2) Is a dragon independent of human consciousness? NO – we humans co-create the dragon concept
3) Is a dragon energy co-dependent upon the existence of earth energy? YES
4) Does a dragon’s energy change with

• the seasons – YES
• the moon – strongly YES
• the flow of earth energy  - strongly YES
• human attention – YES
• any input of energy – NO
• the stars - slightly YES

5) Have some megalithic sites been constructed to provide a suitable environment for a dragon? NO
6) Have some megalithic sites been built upon earth energy nodes where dragons naturally reside? YES
7) Do dragon energies still exist? YES (faded?)
8) To what purpose can dragon energies be put

• healing of the earth – YES
• bringing balance to the earth’s energies – YES
• healing humans – NO
• creating a portal between the physical and other worlds – NO
• destruction – (MALE) YES
• construction – (FEMALE) YES
• integration – NO
• dissemination – NO
• energising – YES

9) Can a dragon be a spirit of a place? YES
10) Can a dragon be a spirit guide to humans? YES

Now, obviously, these are simplistic answers to simple questions. Each one would stand far more analysis than I can give space to within this post. Each one is an essay in itself – a topic for discussion and philosophising about. However, a brief explanation of what I had in mind for some of the questions might elucidate the answers more:-

• “construction” meant that the energy can be used to give form to subtle energy – thereby creating. It seems that MALE dragon energy can be used for this purpose. Conversely “destruction” is the dissolution of subtle energy form. FEMALE dragon energy can do this. I don’t yet know where MALE and FEMALE dragon energy comes from, except that it might be male and female earth energy spirals.
• ‘energising’ means that the energy can be used to replenish or strengthen a subtle energy field

Expect more to emerge from these revelations. At the moment I’m just trying to come to terms with the idea that my guide is also a dragon. How does that work – what are the implications? Does it change the way I work with him? More questions than answers.

With that in mind I made my way towards the stone circle’s long teeth and stood poised at the edges while I worked out what I needed to do next. I needed somewhere to “be”, so I used the dowsing rods to find me a suitable location to make the connection. Surprisingly they led me not to my usual stone, but to one of the larger stones next to it. I hadn’t worked at this stone specifically before. I had worked at those on either side of it, but not this one. I stood in the lee of the stone, against the flat of its back. The stone was almost my height at its peak, and I’m tall.

The big stone in the foreground was my workplace

It was time to get to know this guide of mine. I was eager to know whether the tarot reading I had done fitted with how he revealed himself through this spiritual connection, rather than through divination. What was he here for? What could we learn from each other? Time to find out.

“Ash is a tree of interesting mythology and character with a connection to the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids: the first founder Ross Nichols took the name of Nuinn, Ash” (source: OBOD)

A reciprocal symbiosis

As I stood with my back to the Hooded Man may gaze settled on my ash staff and this provided me with a focal point into which to sink into a light trance. I called Ash to come work with me and he made his presence felt strongly. I shivered despite the warm evening air and my spine tingled. He was here.

I have described in a previous post how I gave him information about subtle energies as perceived by and interacting with humans. Now Ash returned the favour. He told me about his role – he is the fifth element in the Arthurian Elemental Cross, bringing together all the other elements. I have come across the concept of the fifth element before – it is the spiritual nexus point, and surely the most intriguing aspect of any configuration of spiritual forces.

I asked him if he could help me understand what this meant, for although I understood the idea of the nexus point, I didn’t understand which forces he was talking about. Was there a way he could describe this here and now? He took me around the Druid’s Circle showing me the four types of Earth energy at different power centres within the circle.

The result of my wandering was a stop at four different centres. I recognised two of them. Strange how you remember spots if there’s something interesting about them. One of the power centres i recognised as being the place where I had discovered water flowing over crystalline rock, and how this was generating subtle energy. This was the spot which Ash designated as being the “Merlin” energy centre. The other spot I recognised was oe where I had worked when it was an incredibly windy day. This was designated the ‘Galahad’ centre. With these two reference points I questioned the nature of the ‘element’ at work in these power centres. Were they air, earth, water and fire energies?

Ash revealed that the power centres were all earth energy, but mixed with elemental forces too. The elemental aspect could be recognised by the feel of the energy at the power centre. Thus I ended up with this list of earth energy types:-

• Arthur - fire + earth – felt impetuous, imperative and imperious
• Merlin - water + earth – felt emotional, moving, and profound
• Gawain - earth only – felt nothing! steady, inert, stable, unmoving, rooted
• Galahad - air + earth - felt sparky, light and bubbly, thrilling, exhilarating

Interestingly, this does not relate to the aspects that I discovered when I first found these archetypes in this formation. Here was my original set of characteristics:-

• Arthur - North/Light/Leader/Great Bear constellation/Motivation/ Tarot: Wands
• Merlin - South/Darkness/Protector/Bootes constellation/Change /Tarot: Pentacles
• Gwalchmai (Gawain) – West/Intellectual/Sirius/Steadfastness /Tarot: Swords
• Gwalchaved (Galahad) – East/Wise Man/Venus/Emotiveness /Tarot: Cups

My elemental stations are:-

• North – Sky (Air)
• South – Land (Earth)
• East – Sun (Fire)
• West – Sea (Water)

What a confusing mix of formations! What are we to make of this? Which ones are right for which occasions? Is there a definitive ‘set’ of orientations? Am I trying to use the same archetypes for completely different purposes which are not mutually compatible? Something to be worked on, I feel. There’s more information to come… some .. finesse, some twist in my view of these energies that will make it all come clearer. I hope!

At least some element of synthesis was possible. Ash invited me into the obvious ‘centre’ of the circle. Here he asked me to feel the energies. I felt him bring the various types of energy together from their respective power centre sources. At the centre I felt the whole of them combine which made me laugh out loud. It was lovely – a ripple of delightful currents like being bathed in warm waters from every direction, and then massaged gently att he same time. Such a subtle and joyful experience. Kal looked on bemused, but I couldn’t help myself. It was so lovely I laughed. Ahh…this work is such delight sometimes.

We left the sun to its setting, and the stones to their stations. As we departed I was left with an incredible experience, but a head full of a confusing mix of archetypes, symbols, and types of energies. How could I unravel this lot, I wondered?

On this particular visit I had chosen to try to find the easier way up. The walk was longer, but I knew that coming down from the top of the hill from the village of Grindon was not only a muddy experience but a buttock-clenching one too, at times. I hoped to spare Kal the worst for this former vertigo sufferer. Was it appreciated? It didn’t sound like it! Did I offer him soothing platitudes to ease his worries?

Hell no!

Approaching Thors Cave in Staffordshire.

The cave is monstrously impressive! The height, the altitude, the view, the difficulty to get in…. it’s such an effort which is rewarded by the timbre of the acoustics even standing at the entrance. Having been here before I remembered that somewhere deep inside there was what our ancestors used to refer to as a “goblin” inside – an earth spirit. I hoped to meet him again, but that wasn’t the reason I was here.

My main reason for visiting the cave was to test whether I could create my “Perfect Shield” – an energetic construction for protection. The Shield was purely theoretical at this point, and which I needed to have practised before I came to use it “in anger”, as it were, when I needed it. I think the shield is linked with the Shield of Faith that I obtained as a gift from Faery too. Why I would need such protection wasn’t clear yet, but something somewhere knew and had guided me to learn how to create it. I had the image of how it could be done, now I needed the space and time to make it work.

Entrance to Thor’s Cave

Before entering this hallowed abode the dowsing rods indicated that I needed some form of preparation. My energy wasn’t right. The usual reason for this is that I am carrying too much of the world with me, and that this is not conducive to crossing the boundaries between vibrations that is sometimes referred to as “crossing the hedge” or “moving between worlds”

Some cleansing and re-calibration was therefore necessary. I did this by stilling the mind after having lit some incense to assist with the cleansing. The incense is unnecessary, but it is a useful aid to the energy worker because it triggers associations with going into a meditative state of mind, and is now associated for me with crossing the hedge, or entering into communion with Otherwordly forces.

View of the Manifold Valley from Thor’s Cave

I like that term “crossing the hedge”. I’m going to use it more often. I first came across it on Juniper‘s Walking The Hedge blog. – still one of the most irreverent and cutting blogs on ”hedgey” subjects. Anyway, I digress as usual. Back to the story. So, here I am, inside the womb of the Tor, and beside me crows are wheeling and hovering on the breeze generated by the cave’s various slits. It’s the strangest thing to approach a hovering crow at eye height and then realise that it’s actually hovering some several hundred feet in the air! Vertigo moment!

I was inside the cave alone and without any artificial light and soon my eyes adjusted to the alternating brightness and shadow so that I could make my way without stumbling. Occasional patches of water and mud gave off a clay smell which made me feel “earthy”. A process of mental acclimatization was subtly under way as I stepped gingerly into the deepest and darkest parts of the cave. I stopped at a tall rock pillar which was strangely familiar – oh, it was the one that I had stood by when I had first visited the cave! And the dowsing rods curled around to indicate that this was also my destination today. Nice.

Yielding The Shielding

First thing’s first. I’m a visitor in here – so I ask the Spirit of the Place for permission to work inside his home. I have to wait for up to a minute for any kind of tangible response. Earth spirits tend to be slower than Fire or Air spirits. I wait patiently, feeling the cooling breeze and the tinge of dampness in the humid hill air. A gentle tug at my energy centre tell me that permission is granted. A push would be a rebuttal, but today it’s a pull.

I lit three incense sticks just for effect. As I placed them in a triangle around me I realised that this was exactly what i had done last time. Am I becoming predictable, I wondered? Or am I learning what works now? I stood by the pillar of lighter stone and did a deep connection to the Earth’s core then up to the Pole Star. I asked my spirit guide Ash to place a shield of protection around me so that I could work in peace without having to maintain the energetic shield myself. I felt the usual tingle and thanked him for his assistance. Now centred and ready I began to allow my mind to relax, giving it the directive to consider The Perfect Shield and how it could be created.

Inside Thors Cave

I let my mind go into the right intuitive mode and soon I was doing a form of Chi Kung which involved me using my hands to generate, connect, then release energy on specific planes, directed by the flats of my hands. The bands of energy were connected in this form of eight-fold movement until I was surrounded by a spinning framework of subtle energy bands. My perfect shield!

Don’t get me wrong. It took incredible strength of focus (Sword of Will) and intent (Shield of Faith) to make this happen, and I certainly didn’t get it entirely right on the first go. It took several attempts, and I slowly built upon the circles that I got right and spinning true before moving on to the next one to add to my framework of glowing bands of subtle energy surrounding me.

The tourist information about Thors Cave

Having perfected the technique in a short time I felt confident enough to let my spirit guide release his shield and see if I could keep my own going. How brave! I hadn’t checked to see if there was anything else in the cave that might want to latch on to me as I worked with energy. Dangerous move, but I was confident in the shield. Then I had to work out how to clear it by breaking it back down, releasing the energy bands one by one. Finally I put up my own energetic protection just to ensure that I was ‘covered’ now that I didn’t have my perfect shield. Belt..meet braces!

He’s Beardy, He’s Weirdy

I had a grin on my face as I turned to leave. It had worked! The shield! I had it. As I picked my way slowly towards the light that reached the middle of the cave floor in preparation for making an exit I felt like I should turn around. Something was looking at me. I turned and instinctively let me attention be drawn to the source of the gaze. I was looking at a rock wall. Eh? Then I changed my vision into ‘active attention’ mode – the kind of mode you need to see those 3D pictures that were all the rage years ago. The kind of attention that allows you to see faces in the clouds and rocks. Doing that changed everything!

The former rock wall was now a fifteen feet high face, similar to a wooden carving of an old man that I had hanging in my garden. The features were unmistakable, and the facial hair matched the contours in the correct places too. A bear, moustache and shaggy eyebrows. The face was in exactly the location that I had dowsed for the presence of the Earth Spirit on my last visit. I hadn’t seen him then, but this time he wanted to allow me to see him. Wow. I felt privileged and humbled, so I bowed slightly and acknowledged the fact that he had shown himself to me.

For reference, and to include in this post, I took a photo of the rock face. The photo was the only one that didn’t come out. In a way I’m kind of pleased about that. If you want to find him… go there yourself and look for him. If he wants to be found he’ll reveal himself!

Energy flows in and out of rock

Maybe we had set the scene with this idea of faces in the rock,. On the way back we saw some faces in the rocks that edged the riverside path. The dowsing rods showed us that the energy flow was INTO the rock rather than away from its slope like we would normally expect. Usually subtle energy flows in the direction of a gradient, following the contours of hills and mountains. Usually, not always, but it was a general enough rule for us to expect it In this case the rock seemed to attract and hold human energies until they became part of the very rock itself, leading the intuitive mind to see the faces of the human energies.

We did some investigation with dowsing rods and learned that the attraction of the rock was caused by water flowing within the hollows in the rocks. Limestone in this area. That’s probably why. Interesting! Every day, as they say, is a school day.

Inside the circle I began to get myself prepared to communicate with Ash. I felt like I didn’t really know enough about him, and hadn’t really spent any time determining whether I was fulfilling my part of the bargain. So, on this warm evening in this special place at sundown, this seemed like the prefect situation.

Druid’s Circle at twilight – June 2013

Once I was in the right frame of mind I began a conversation (which was entirely one-sided – Ash doesn’t respond with words, just with thoughts which form in my mind). Was there anything I could teach him about earth energy, I wondered? Into my mind was placed the picture of a human walking along a trail. I could see the silvery line fo subtle energy trailing in his wake (it might have been me).

I began to divulge all I knew about humans walking and their effects on subtle energy. I knew that walking a path would leave “snail trails” of energy behind that sensitive people could detect, and that some could actually see (I had learned to do that last year too). Then I began to ‘see’ something much deeper about this process. I was remembering how Kal and I had circulated energies at sacred sites, how people had danced at sites to strengthen the energy flows, and how the energy could be made to swirl around like a cup of water being stirred until it maintained its own momentum. We had learned how to pull the energy with us as we walked. The energy had ‘stuck’ with us – been attracted to us as we moved. Then a further revelation occurred.

Some people are energy attractors. When their energy field encountered subtle forces then it had the characteristic of “forming” the energy through an attraction force. Conversely, some people are subtle energy disruptors. They repel subtle forces, and cause them to “dismantle”, or lose the bonds which maintain their form. I think the term in chemistry that I am trying to describe is valence. Some people’s energy configuration promotes valence and attracts subtle energies. Other people have the reverse effect when their energy fields interact with subtle energy.

That was the information that became a strong gnosis for me. I wonder if anyone else has encountered such a concept?

We drove past the Abbey Inn at Abbey Green village near Leek. Something tugged at me in a familiar way. I ignored it because I was “following a map”, however ten minutes later I was back at the pub parking in their car park. When will I learn to follow my intuition? Not only was the parking easier than the narrow hill road, but actually it turned out that the pub was the best place to walk to the circle from anyway. The helpful landlord of the pub directed us to the footpath to start us on our way. We would meet him again later when we sampled his excellent local ales.

On the way up the hill behind the pub you’ll pass the site dedicated to the memory of “Tony Squires“. This is a combination of a bench with a breath-taking view and a quaint fence whose posts are carved with Tony’s memorial details. A wonderful tribute.

Memorial to Tony Squires

His shade is hanging around on the bench. Maybe it’s admiring the view? Or maybe it’s pinned there by the intention of his family? I imagine that shades see our world like the landscape in the film Constantine:

Is this what our world looks like to a shade?

On this occasion we left the shade to remain where he was. He wasn’t creating any energetic imbalance. On to the circle…

After moving on some curious and stubborn cows you reach the top of the hill. The stone circle’s remaining stones are buried in the grass or dumped into one of the nearby ditches. Clearly they circle was an inconvenience to someone. A few of the flatter stones appear to be “in place” but it’s difficult to know where the circle was originally.

Knocked down like Nine Pins

From some “reason” the trainers that I had worn a thousand times had begun to rub my heels. As I got closer to the circle this became unbearable. It didn’t make any sense, but I took the hint and got my feet out into the open air. I would have to walk through the thistle-laden and cow-pat-strewn boggy field to get to the lone hawthorn tree where I could deposit my trainers while I worked. Of course, Kal laughed at this and muttered such phrases as “Rather you than me” and “You wouldn’t catch me doing THAT!“. It felt right, so I did it. It was fine, in fact it was good.

Remaining pins at Nine Pins stone circle

Despite the ruinous state of the circle it is still energetically charged. The hawthorn tree alongside the circle is helping to keep it energised  The heel stone just a short way outside what might have been the circle’s boundary is sadly blighted though, and is not helping the energetic balance. I didn’t feel inclined to go near it at all.

Nine Pins suffers from a painful Heel

Aery faery

I was going to this stone circle above the town of Leek for a reason. My intention was to perform an experiment to see whether I could attract some…thing from the world of faery by generating some healing energy. I had seemed to attract something recently when I had done some energetic healing and now I wanted to deliberately generate some healing energy to see whether this would attract an entity from the World of Faery. Whatever that world might be – I can’t currently distinguish Faery from any other elemental or sentient subtle entities.

I dowsed to find which was the most suitable space and place for me to perform this work and was taken to the collection of removed stones piled up at the edge of a hollow nearby. Clearly these stones retained some subtle energy link to the main circle – wherever that may have been. It was hard to describe a circular shape from what was left.

I stood on the indicated stone and put my rods away. It was time to get intuitive about the work now.

The Gold and Silver Torc

I stood on the stone in the “gutter” of the circle. It looked weathered clean, as though it had been pushed over only days ago, and then dragged to one side to accompany the other detritus of the once great circle. I put this to the back of my mind and prepared myself for energy work. Ground. Centre. Connect. Feel the area. Gather the energy into a Sword of Will. Let it charge my centre.

On the stone I imagined I was weaving two strands – one of gold, interleaved with one of silver, The golden strand was of male energy and the silver was female. They encircled each other in a torus form, embracing in uneven folds around each other. After a few repetitions my Faery gift was complete and I left it ceremonially on the stone and stepped away.

I dowsed to see what I had done.

• Had I created an energetic object that the denizens of Faery could interact with? YES.
• Was there anything attracted to it at this moment? NO.

Something else needed to be done before the experiment would work.

• Was the torc created of the same energy as my healing energy? YES.
• Did I need to set an intention on the object? YES. Ahhh……that old “gotcha”.

It’s no use creating something without intent. One of the things we learned about visiting sites was that objectives are only achieved when they have been set. Here again I needed to set the intention for the object in order that it could begin to work. I considered the invisible gold and silver torc on the stone. I set an intention that it would be an offering to Faery and that anything that wished to have it could come and take it as a gift from me.

I stood aside once more and waited. Something felt different – a tone in the air, a feel, a different flavour to the wind, the vicinity was less then more vivid in flutters of contrast. I got my dowsing rods out again.

• Was the torc still there? YES.
• Had something been attracted to it? YES.

I could have begun a process of trying to determine what the energetic being was, but instead I looked out of the edges of my peripheral vision and let myself feel for the answer….. it was “air”… small…. winged … elemental….it was a small air elemental!

• Was the torc still there? NO. The air elemental had claimed it, but not before I had witness its presence.

Well, this wasn’t on the scale of the angelic (read: larger energetic sentient being) that had arrived to see what I was doing on the last occasion that I created an energetic outpouring, but as far as experiments go it was quite satisfying. I had been able to deliberately attract some type of sentient spirit force by creating something with my own energies.

Whatever next?

As I began my walk I was still believing that firstly this has been my rational idea, and that it was simply a walk. I’d even brought a book to read and a can of gin and tonic. My everyday self was walking around with the idea that I was just going for some kind of a light summer picnic or something. My druid self had other ideas that were bubbling under the surface, and the more I climbed the sandstone path the more these druidic senses began to make themselves heard.

As if by the same magick that was bubbling through this evening I am currently listening to ”Ouses ;Ouses ’Ouses‘ narrated by John Copper (Imagined Village).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR-Z1lg2Q_4

In this song the narrator is talking about his granddad having his ashes sprinkled on his spot with his favourite view up on the chalk hills of The Downs. By an odd coincidence that leads me into this story.

I walked up onto the sandstone hill through freshly unfurling stalks of bracken, shaded from the remaining rays of the day by the bright-leaved canopies of giant beeches, ancient oaks and sapling birches. The path was easy for me to read. I’d been that was many times over the years, but I only ever seem to visit when the summer comes. I don’t know why. This time felt different, and I was about to find out why.

Arriving onto the first plateau of the wooded ridge I was pleased to see the familiar beech beneath which I had had many revelations over the years. It had been a reliable teacher to me since I began talking to trees. In fact, it may have been the first. I can’t remember now. It’s such a regular and integral part of my dialogues with Nature. I stopped, paid my respects, and spent a bit of time with the Spirit of that Grove which was standing by the base of this beech tree. The sunlight sparkled through the new beech leaves and made me smile. Questions arose about the source of my communion and I determined that I was in communication with something other than the tree itself. Was it a dryad, I inquired? NO. It was a Spirit of this Grove. However, curiosity aside, something compelling pulled me onwards, higher, and I headed off up to the top of the ridge.

I walked the path to the top and found it still afforded a wide view of the Cheshire Plain. I could see the village where I lived, its nearby lake, and in the background a mixture of Welsh hills and further sandstone ridges. After nearly twenty years this view has become the definition of my home land. As I turned away from the view I was startled by the sight of a memorial. I’ve seen it before but in the year since my last visit I had kind of forgotten about it. This view I was taking in was someone else’s favourite view too, I remembered.

The memorial is quite unique. I haven’t seen anything like it before, and it stopped me in my tracks as I contemplated whether I should re-trace my steps. Yet, this was as much my view as that of those who have been here before. I got my dowsing rods out – time to ask a few questions. Last time I had been here I had felt and dowsed the presence of shades, the energetic remnants of thought-forms of dead humans. Were they still here? If they were then I’d go somewhere else. I had only come up for the view and the solitude. I could go back to the grove and read there, I supposed.

When I asked the dowsing rods about the presence of any energies around the area I didn’t get any responses indicating that there was anything here now. I questioned what might have happened – were there still people in existence who remembered the people whose spot this had been? YES. But they no longer thought of them, or sustained the shade energy by visits or any energetic connection? CORRECT. Then….the space was… free? YES. Hmmm…..

I contemplated this for a moment. Whenever I thought of this are the word “nemeton” came to mind. I had once created a nemeton only half a mile away from this site, but it had become unwelcoming. Frankly I don’t think I created it properly in the first place, having no guidance about how to do such things. Since then I had become much more adept at knowing how to “do things”. Today I considered whether I could now take this place as my own nemeton space – my “summer palace” if you like. I felt like I could do that without treading on anyone’s toes (or ashes), regardless of whether they were living or dead. This place had been created in memory of someone, but now that memory had faded and the space was clear. Right then – to work!

Making a nemeton

My intended new nemeton was to be created on the summit of a hill, in a grove of pine trees that had been deliberately planted in a circle. A few birch trees had since entered into the circle too, and that added a welcome fresh vibrancy to the scented air of the Scot’s Pine. From the centre of the circle I was protected from view in all directions, but retained a view out across the plains to the mountains and hills in the distance. It was perfect.

What IS a nemeton? For me it is a magickal circular space in Nature intended and prepared for use as a base from which to commune deeply with nature’s forces. Defining a Nemeton allows me to forego the usual on-the-spot work of finding, checking, clearing and preparing the energies in order to quickly and deeply meditate. My aim is to gradually build the energy within the.space such that it can aid my work and hopefully also benefit the surrounding environment. The space would also offer magickal protection which I could add, in combination with the site’s natural protective physical aspect.

Here’s how I made the Nemeton:

1. I checked that there was no interfering energy source within the circle of pines which defined the area I wanted to claim
2. I defined a magickal circle in both directions using male energy deosil, then female energy widdershins. This was the earth aspect, and I called upon my friendly Earth elemental to help with this part.
3. The circle was cleared of any energy except my own with the assistance of the North Wind, whom I have come to know. Her elemental force swept the area clear.
4. For the fire I called upon my friendly Fire Elemental and asked that he create a permanent container for energy which would be “sparked” by the action if sunlight. The sunlight would be the initial and core power source for the energy which would maintain the space as a magickal circle.
5. Finally I asked the Water Elemental to convey her propagating properties upon the energy within the circle, and to nourish it with her life force, the water within the Earth, the air and the life-assisting plants that formed the literal circle described by the trees, and the grasses a flowers within it.
6. As a finale to the act of creation I combined my own energy with all of these elements and in one routine linked them all together in one continuous cycle that mimicked Nature’s own cycle of life.
7. My final work was to shield the Nemeton. I placed a directive on the place that if anyone else were to step into the space they would not see a circle of any kind, but would pass harmlessly through the space leaving it entirely unaffected and undisturbed, and that the space would not even register on their consciousness. If something is unremarkable then it’s invisible.

When I dowsed to test the result I was pleased to find that the circle was now under my custodianship, and that it was permanently nourished by this chain if life-giving forces that would sustain it without my continued intervention. That was very pleasing considering the whole routine had been an improvisation. Mind you, so much of my work is intuitively guided and I just go by the “right feel” of the work I do.

Another magickal thing happened too. I was visited by a vixen that seemed completely unaware of my presence. It walked up to where I had moved away from the track and then caught my scent on the trail. Lifting its head it seemed surprised to find a six-foot man sitting only two feet away from it and it took several seconds to make a decision to hurry along the track away from me, glancing back occasionally to see if I had reacted to being spotted. This amused me, and I giggled at the fox like I had once giggled at a badger which had done the same thing years ago.

Looking down from the Genius Loci

Arbor Low : Wind and Hugs

As time goes, we had done quite well with our visit to Nottinghamshire and so we were headed home with good speed. However as is almost always the case, if we are tempted by fate to make a detour to another sacred site (or two or ten) we rarely refuse. This was a case in point. We were heading through the hills and dells of Derbyshire and the weather was still holding to its sunny disposition, although clouds were in the distance.

That being the case I said to Gwas, let’s chance Arbor Low. Shock! That sacred site has got a reputation with us. We have never been there when the weather has been acceptable. Often the surrounding weather is lovely but over the site a doom cloud hangs. As we passed nearby I noted that today was no exception but, what the hay! let’s give it a go? So we turned off and headed towards Arbor Low!

As we got out of the car, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the wind was moderate and yet we grabbed our coats. It was Arbor Low after all. As we climbed up the field by the side of the farm the wind started to blow. We both laughed…as expected! We got to the entrance of this beautifully powerful sacred site the wind picked up into a mini gale and the temperature dropped a few notches. One would think there were ghosts about…hmmm…that’s a thought isn’t it? Will have to look into that next time we’re there.

I’m sure Gwas has mentioned that he has got hold of a new amazing camera. Watch out for the new standard of pictures. So whilst he was off cataloging the site with his camera, I was off to find a place to commune with the Genius Loci. I was taken up along the henge on the side between the stones and Gibb hill. I was a bit loathe to remain on that height because the wind was giving me some serious bother. However, what can one do? You go where you divine to go, simple. I sat down on the henge trying to shield myself from the wind, when I got the urge to lie down on the earth. Hugging the Earth is what it’s called by some. So I did just that and found that in that position I was completely out of the wind and with the sun shining on my back, it was very pleasant indeed.

Lying up there, effectively hugging the Genius Loci was a very peaceful feeling I have to say. It seems there was nothing else to do there other than “be” I like it when that happens. So it was a nice hello to the Stonehenge of the North.

As we drove away from Arbor Low I remarked to Gwas that I had wanted to do some remote dowsing of a house that might have a problem and that I had wanted to do that at a sacred site today. Darn! After a while Gwas noted that we weren’t far from the Bridestones sacred site, and though not one of my favourite ones, we decided to stop of for the purposes of remote connection.

Bridestones : Orbs and Protection

The most memorable occasion that I have visited the Bridestones was Imbolc 2012. At that time I had taken some pictures and found a surprising Orb on them…The video here is a compilation of that image. So as I walked about the sacred site becoming accustomed to its energy my mind went back to that remarkable Orb. I wondered if I could dowse some information about it and grabbed my dowsing rods to do just that, when…

“STOP! You cannot dowse for knowledge about that!”

What! I recognised the voice immediately it was Caileach. No preamble, no introduction. Just one statement (sounded more like an order) and that was it. She was gone! I was, quite literally, left hanging with loose dowsing rods. For a few minutes I was tempted to ignore her input and carry on. It seemed that she wasn’t going to enforce or repeat her warning. Once aught to be enough I suppose.

With some reluctance I decided to follow my Goddesses advice/warning and didn’t dowse about the Orb. Giving up on that interesting pursuit I decided to follow my main aim of attendance which was to access – remotely – the house that I wanted to dowse. Which I did do, quite successfully. That story will be related later on. I just wanted to mention my Bridestones experience with Caileach and the Orb.

Kal Malik – following orders.

Over the course of the weekend I began to realise that it could be a mixture of all of the elements mentioned. Certainly there was a lot of smiling going on – the sun was out for the whole time, the streets were thronging with multitudes, and the bars and visitor attractions were busy too. People were enjoying the city.

On the second day I made my way up to the top of one of the hills overlooking the city via the cable car at Montjuïc. The sky was the kind of blue that English people wish for on any day of the year. Inside the fort on the summit of the hill there was a promontory which afforded the most remarkable view down the garden-green slopes of the hillside and across the sprawling city where its geography could really be appreciated. The coast was as clear as the sky, and they melded in their exhibition of “blueness”. Standing at the very corner of the fort on my own I felt drawn to something in the sky and so I looked up with a wider-than-normal gaze, a magickal eye….

Cloud sylph above Barcelona

Above the city was a cirrus cloud formation whose expanse covered the whole bay and buildings below. With my magickal eye I could see that this was no ordinary cloud. It had a very distinctive face, and the wisps which wafted to either extent of the formation were as shoulders and arms, framing the scene below in a friendly embrace. The warmth of the day was echoed directly in the warmth which emerged from the expression on the cloud sylph’s features. This cloud was showering Barcelona with love!

There are some aspects of this that don’t come across in the writing or in the picture. The perspective, the three-dimensionality, the “aliveness” of the face and its expression….when rendered into two dimensions, out of context and place, and after the event…. honestly, you had to be there to be as amazed as I was. I’ve seen many cloud sylphs before, but the sheer beauty of this one, and the very clear features it showed in its form…. it bowled me over.

Celestial interactions

So, I noticed it, and then I thought - why couldn’t I try to connect to it? Preposterous idea considering the difference in scale, but…. I had to try. I had to get “in on the action” here. I was the only person seeing this….it was “for me”. Here was my opportunity. I steadied myself through a quick grounding and centring routine, then felt for my heart chakra centre. I extended a ball of energy from that point until it formed a beam which thrust out into the sky towards the sylphine subtle shape in the sky.

The connection was accepted. What returned through the connection was a feeling of immense power, but tempered by a gentility which defied belief. It was so light, so .. airy. So delicate. Yet immense. The watery nature of the cloud flooded into me in a band of emotion which threatened to embarrass me in the midst of all the people around me as I fought back the urge to let the feeling overcome me and to submit to the glorious emotional swell. I had to dam the water that was collecting at the corner of my eyes. Oh, the sweet sweet grace! The exquisite caring which this form emitted and beamed down onto the city of Barcelona below was a beautiful feeling.

I had to remove myself from the experience I was so close to breaking down. I released the connection, but whilst I still had it I sent a quick burst of thanks to the sylph for allowing me the pleasure of this interaction. It was another of those magickal natural events that together form the cornerstones of the reason why I am a druid. To have such close touch with Nature. It’s a privilege that I hope I never take for granted.

So, in conclusion  the embrace of such beautiful energy forms is probably one of the many reasons that Barcelona feels so nice I recommend you go yourself and see how it affects you too. It’s a very worthwhile place to visit.

What am I talking about? Well, a few nights ago I was sleeping peacefully. when I was woken up. Not an unusual event. But I lay in bed for a few minutes trying to get settled. It didn’t happen and I found myself in a semi awake state sitting up in bed. Some more moments later I visited the rest-room and then as I walked back towards my bed, I said to myself…”the bed is in the wrong place.”

The words just popped into my mind and before I could even seriously acknowledge them I was pushing the bed towards the far side of the room.

That was how it started. After shifting the bed I move on to other bits of furniture. Even puffing and panting with a massive wardrobe.

I don’t know how long it took me but when I awoke the room had had several transformations and gave me a start for a moment when I first looked around. Where the heck am I?

Presuming that I had acted on some energetic impulse (intuition) I dug out my dowsing rods and began to investigate…

• Was there a reason as to why I had moved the furnishings? YES
• Was I being informed by some external agency? NO
• Was it my intuition? YES
• Was the change due to external factors? YES.
• Was it because we were moving into Spring/Summer? YES
• I felt that there was something more than this so I asked whether it was to do with me too? YES

Curious.

• I asked whether there was any benefit to the room being in this new configuration? YES
• What was it? Alas a futile question for dowsing rods. So I wondered whether the room was in now in alignment with my energies? NO
• That was a surprise. I would have thought, if anything, that the energies would now be aligned to me. It made me sit and think about it some more.
• If not aligned to me, them maybe helping me align to something else? Was that it? Was the energy of the room being a template for me to align to? YES
• Aha…interesting. And where the energies in the room aligned to this time of the year? YES
• I was on to a winner here…So, was I being aligned to the energies of this time of the year? YES.

Jackpot! Of course we are left with the why’s and wherefores but it seems that my inner being has plans for me. Or is it my energetic double? The thought occurred to me just as I had dropped the rods. I grabbed them again and queried…

• Was the nudge to change my environment from my Energy Double? NO.

Again another surprise. Definitely something worth thinking about…From whence had the nudge come?

Kal Malik