Generally, what type of year it has been? Dis-jointed, slower than last year’s breakneck speed, measured, with lots of deep synchronicities. When I come to review the year I realise that I still made lots of progress on the various tasks that I was lead to perform in order to progress along my path of Druidry.

Below are the main topics that I have picked out from this year’s blog posts. I have tried to keep the explanations to a minimum, so have included links back to the original postings if you want the detail for each of the topics. What I thought was a quiet year has actually turned out to be incredibly packed and busy. The topics are in no order whatsoever, which kind of fits with the way that the year’s learning has come about – seemingly haphazard, but all threading into and through itself like some kind of cat’s cradle whose overall pattern will only be known when the final moves have played out.

26 topics I have been involved in this year:-

a) Healing – Most of the year has been spent developing healing skills, whether that was using remote energies, balancing the chakras, healing with the hands, or with crystals. I have realised that I am more attuned to healing places than people currently, but that is changing. The healing energies can be attuned to different colours for particular effects. To work with these energies I need to understand which “colour” is missing from a site and then call upon the energies of the local living entities to gather together to create this missing colour and thus heal the site. [related posts: My Five Healing Rays, Healing Rays Explained]

Also, in conjunction with my friend Mike, we created a new healing centre at The Bridestones in Cheshire. [related posts: A New Healing Centre]

Chakra colours, energy frequencies and healing may be linked

b) Re-discovering the bard - Discovered great new music (and that I like the new forms of folk music) at The Green Man Festival, and saw Roy Harper in concert in London. This year music has really connected with my heart and stirred great emotions. I have written more poetry this year than in other years too. [related posts: Green Man Festival, Roy Harper]

c) Astrological links to Venus, Orion’s Belt and Sirius affirmed at almost every site. Also Scorpius, astrological links to Arthur and the Great Bear constellation. The constellations of Serpens, Corvus and Perseus have been especially meaningful to me this year, guiding me along a very meaningful path from one end of an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. to another. [related posts: Serpent at Castlerigg, Arthurian Archetypes of Corvus, The Berth and Death of Scorpius, The Three Stars of Fertility, Absorbing Orion at Lud's Church]

d) Viewing figures - The blog started the year at 100,000 views, and by now that figure has risen to over 216,000. We have seen a 66% increase in readership this year! [related posts: 100,000 views this year]

e) Moving into the Druid stage – This year has seen me begin to get the knowledge I have gained out into the world to share with others. I have done presentations and courses, and taken a more overt local political stance on issues such as the selling off of the local woodlands and by clearing up litter. [related posts: Small Circle and Big Revelation, Understanding Megalithic Sites presentation]

f) Book writing – Possibly the one dismal failure of the year! I cannot seem to dedicate sufficient time and energy towards writing a book. I still feel I don’t know enough yet to make the book as good as I would want it to be.

g) Orbs - The debate seems to be that either ’orbs’ might be entities, or they’re reflections of airborne debris that are reflecting via the camera’s flash (‘lens flare’). This year I have been excited about seeing them at significant place, but I know that they are only produced when the camera’s flash is on, thus making them a definite product of artificial light reflection. I now wonder whether the flash is required in order to make the orbs register on the lens. I am still intrigued that I am ‘called’ to take a photo of certain places, and that the orbs appear only in those specific places. [related posts: Just can't dismiss them, Winter Solstice celebrations at Nine Ladies]

Light at the end of the tunnel for trapped shades

h) Spirit release at churches. In conjunction with my friend Mike we have worked together to discover and release spirit entities whose presence has been adversely affecting the locations that they have inhabited. With every experience we have got more experience, and we feel more confident about our work. [related posts: Spirit Release en masse, Buried Alive, The Sorrowful Widow]

i) 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. – Beginning this year at Vale Crucis Abbey in Llangollen I have found a link to my ancestors’ energies. Later in the year I was told by the spirit of my grandfather that it would be beneficial for me to discover and recover those energies. This seems a very shamanic process, and it intrigues me. [related posts: The Healing Helper, A Grandfather's Message]

j) Chakras and sonics – finding the five chakras that are meaningful and useful for me, and how to activate them using vocal sounds [related posts: Vowels and Chakras]

k) Experimenting with magnetism and its effects on 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.. Discovered that magnetism strongly affects the direction and quality 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.. This implies that electro-magnetic emissions from various sources would also affect 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., and thus perhaps go towards explaining why sacred sites are adversely affected by overhead power cables and phone masts. [related posts: Bolton Abbey]

l) The importance of the double helix form - From Castlerigg stone circle and the Serpens constellation to Arthur’s Grave in Pembrokeshire the double helix formation has been prevalent this year. For me it symbolises the union of the red and white (female and male) subtle energies. Of course, the formation is also to be found in the structure of human DNA. I found that I was in some way affecting my own DNA using subtle energies when I was at a particular sacred site when a specific star’s energy was available in the sky. [related posts: Arthur's Gave and the DNA Chamber, From Berth to Death]

m) Tracing the great North-South ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. from Arbor Low to Christchurch. This was part of my work to discover whether the energy leys that Kal and I had dowsed at Arbor Low were real, and if so how far they travelled. I found that there was a strong case for an energy formation travelling in a straight line due North-South from Arbor Low and terminating at Christchurch in Dorset. On a similar tack I traced an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. through Paris which linked several key monuments. [related posts: The Strange Attractor, A Spring Ritual at West Kennet, Encounters with an Earth Spirit, The Leys of Central Paris]

n) Dealing with ghosts, shades, psychic attacks and dark energies. This year has seen a move from relative skepticism to near conviction about the existence of sentient invisible entities. I have had dealings with remnant human energies and non-human entities whose energy forms I can only dream of. These entities have manifested themselves in my consciousness as thoughts distinct from anything I recognise as my own, but more tellingly they have manifested as physically-felt symptoms such as visible movements, light forms, feelings of pressure and movement, and even as far as nausea or cranial tension in their presence. These can always be explained away as something else using complex and tenuous explanations, but the simplest explanation is that such entities exist. [related posts: Bamburgh Castle ghost, Vampire Shades, Ghosts,Shades and Spirits, Hexham and the Psychic Attack]

Psychic attacks cause sleep disruption

o) Re-Connecting with my elementals - this year saw very little interaction with the Elementals, yet it was important for me to “check in” with them, and reconnect in order to maintain the relationship I had established with these Nature Spirit forces. This involved me choosing the right crystals to work with them as well (e.g. work at Ennerdale Water and at The Rollrights) [related posts: Juggling with Water Spirits, Receiving the Elements at The Rollrights]

p) The blooming flower. During the Spring Equinox in Cumbria I was given the image of the flower unfurling. At the time I took this to mean that I needed to work on obtaining the ability to grow plants better, but it was subsequently pointed out to me that it could signify my own blossoming spiritual progress. I think the latter explanation turned out to be the correct one. [related posts: Water Spirit of the River Esk]

q) The Hawk of May – this year I met with and gained the assistance of two new spirit forms. One appears in the form of a hawk and appears whenever I am on the correct path to spiritual progress. The other is a Celtic healer who is guiding me through the process of learning healing of the landscape and now the healing of people too. The discovery of The Hawk in the Landscape – a landscape figure that became a reality for me when I traced it over a map of Cheshire was one of the more interesting finds of the year, especially as I had dismissed the Glastonbury Zodiac landscape figures as having no use for me. I have now had to re-evaluate the concept and realised that the landscape figures are only meaningful to the person who makes them appear, and who quests to find them. [related posts: Remote Dreaming at Lud's Church, Meeting the Hawk of May, Cheshire Hawk Landscape Figure, Hunting the Hawk of May, The Yew Tree Speaks, Connection With The Hawk]

r) Arthur – instead of Merlin (so last year!). What are the differences between these archetypes? Merlin is a symbol of taking on magickal power. Arthur is a symbol of taking on responsibility and leadership skills. This year I have been primarily involved in taking responsibility for my work, and in turning my work outwards to face the public instead of working within myself. [related posts: Arthur's Seat, Berth to Death, The Samson Stone, Arthur's Stone, Camelot, The Tor and the Healing Thorn, The DNA Chamber, Arthurian Archetypes]

s) Animal totems for this year – Hawk, fox, seagull and badger. Each has been a guide along my path this year, showing me the way at various times. [related posts: Connection With The Hawk, Meeting the Hawk of May, The Lost Mound, Lammas 2011 on Anglesey]

t) Learning psychometry – the art of psychically interacting with the energy within objects to obtain information from them. [related posts: Druid Divination, Psychometry and Deviceless Dowsing]

u) Understanding the way that standing stones work with ley lines to split them out into male and female energy forms. The male is then directed towards a particular site that requires male energy such as a hill, fort, or some other male feature. [related posts: Clulow Cross, Anglesey Autumn Equinox, Samson Stone, Lammas on Anglesey]

v) Caves and hobgoblins – Finding that a cave shapes the aura and condense the information held within the aura such that it is more easily absorbed and retained. I also found that there are deep earth energy spirits in some caves that can be appeased by feeding them! [related posts: Closure at Thor's Cave, The Park Wood Hobgoblin, Hobs Thirst Cave]

w) Green Man Festival and its links with The Rose Line from Edinburgh. This needs further investigation to definitively prove its existence energetically. There are clear historical links, but I want to find out to what degree the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. line is still active today. The festival is right on the line, and I intend to go back to the festival next year to dowse the line’s influence in the festival, or vice versa. [related posts: Arthur's Seat and The Rose Line, Green Man Festival]

Green Man on Rose Line

x) Creating wards and glyphs in Alderley Edge. I will find out soon how successful my protection work has been for the tree that I worked with. [related posts: Parc Le Breos, Creating a Ward]

y) Apports as a means of teaching the energy student a lesson in focusing on their work! I was taught a lesson when my wedding ring went missing twice and ended back up in the same coat pocket. A definite lesson in paying spirit forms attention! [related posts: The Apporting Ring]

z) The Elemental Masters of Tinkinswood – Finding their presence at a sacred site was interesting enough, but dowsing how they worked together taught me a valuable lesson about the way that sacred sites may have been used in ancient times. [related posts: Elemental Masters at Tinkinswood]

Summary

Looking back, even though the year has felt dis-jointed and slower than usual, I have actually done an amazing amount of work and have progressed far further than I had imagined. Looking forward to next year now with renewed vigour! I have had several messages from different sources who are all anticipating that my work with healing sites and people will be called into use in 2012. Of course, if that happens, then I will be blogging it all for you to read.

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us this year. We look forward to another intriguing year of learning, living and loving.

Gwas.

It was a damp and windy September day when I arrived at my friend Michael’s house. The usual crew of our psychic friends were there, plus a new addition whom Michael had been wanting to introduce me to for ages. I was introduced to Janet and immediately I liked her. She was robust, earthy, plain-speaking and no-nonsense. Being a Yorkshire lad I felt right at home with that. We chatted for a while and Janet offered to let me read a copy of “The Eye of Fire” by Graham Philips – the sequel to the astonishing book “The Green Stone“. I had read The Green Stone recently and had been fascinated by it. I was going to buy the book and its sequel second-hand but prices were starting at £20 each and rising quickly to ridiculous figures! Luckily, Janet had a copy and was willing to lend it to me. I devoured its contents the next weekend! Now I am busy working my way through Andrew Collins‘ account of the same events in his book ”The Seventh Sword“.

The Eye of Fire

We didn’t hold out much hope for a break in the rain as we wended our way past some of the places mentioned in the Green Stone book, particularly Biddulph Grange. The discussions about the books passed the time on the way to Arbor Low. I was liking Janet even more, her ready smile, her chuckle, and her immediate warmth.

A Typical Arbor Low Greeting

On the walk up to Arbor Low we were greeted by a cheeky urchin – one of the boys who lived at the farmhouse that governs the  £1 entrance fee. He was ensuring that all the weekend visitors paid their way. We were sure we’d get our money’s worth.

As we approached the site I made my customary announcement that as I was moon-aligned I would be going in via the top entrance, and began to walk around to the right of the raised earthwork. As we reconvened inside the circle I asked what everyone’s first impressions were. The uniform response was “we don’t like this place”. Oh! Honestly, I didn’t care for it much either, but only because it was never clement enough for me to feel that I could spend enough time here to get to attune to the place. Clearly other felt the same way, but the response still startled me in that it was so un-hesitantly delivered by everyone.

Attempts at work

Mike and I got together to discuss whether we felt there was any healing work to be done at the site. After taking a psychic reading and doing some dowsing our conclusion was that there might be work to do, but that we couldn’t do anything until Spring Equinox next year (2012). We both concluded that it was the wrong thing to attempt at this time, and that the site was going to shut itself down for the next six months, and doing any energetic work at all would be futile.

As if the weather hadn’t put enough of a damper on the occasion, now we had no-one liking the site and nothing to do here. We ambled around randomly like American tourists. Until we overheard an American tourist talking about one of the central stones (the “sacrificial stone” , as the tourist called it). A quick dowsed confirmed my thoughts – that stone had never been used for sacrifice, and it was certainly never designed or positioned for that purpose.

Arbor Low's central 'sacrifice' stone

I decided to check whether it had any power centres or energy spiral around it. I dowsed a small negative spiral (negative in the sense that I was not compatible with it, and that it was detrimental to my energy field). I checked if it was linked to anything else. It was. Nearby and still close to the stone was another negative spiral. And another. Then another. And they kept on coming! In all I counted NINE negative energy spirals surrounding the central stone. No wonder we all felt psychically that the site was not welcoming!

Yet there was nothing we could do about it at this time. We checked and checked again. This was the way it was and there was nothing we could or should do to influence it.

Psychic Ruth from Navan Fort

As I stood chatting to one of our group Maddy introduced me to a young lady with a Northern Irish accent. She was called Ruth and said she was from Navan Fort, in County Armagh. I didn’t know Navan Fort, but like many people I got it confused with Navan, which I knew from when Kal and I visited County Meath a year or so ago. We visited the Hill of Tara then, and that was close to Navan. [ed. correction courtesy of Nora - see comments for details]

Maddy had felt we might get along because Ruth had just pendulum-dowsed the same nine spirals that I had found, but she had gone further. She said she could see them too, and she could also see the larger spiral (“a spirit line”, as she called it) that connected them all to the radial lines emanating from the central stone. Aha – now that was pure confirmation of our findings on previous occasions! I was now very interested in what Ruth had to say about the site, and we continued to swap findings.

After our conversation I set about dowsing for 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.. I found 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. just off the Moon Entrance path, very much in the path that I had dowsed it took on a previous visit, and that made me pleased that my dowsing was consistent over time. I came back to chat with Janet, and we got into a chat about what the site could have been used for, and whether the stones were always recumbent. I felt that they were always like that, and that they may be star maps. I certainly felt that the site as a whole was a place of learning, like a sort of neolithic observatory-cum-university. Janet went misty-eyed and then wistfully agreed that she felt that I might be right.

Retreat to Gib Hill

(c) Twenty Trees Photography

The weather turned even less inviting. In an effort to escape the unrelenting wind and driving rain we made our way to nearby Gib Hill – a mound with no known archaeological purpose. Really?

As I climbed the twenty-feet high mound I asked the dowsing rods to locate anything on the hill that was of energetic interest. The rods led me very directly to the only stone on the top of the mound. It was vaguely rectangular, tending towards square. The dowsing rods went mad on top of it – twirling strongly. I began to investigate further. I felt it was an entrance stone – a stone placed on top of the entrance to the mound to seal it off. Just as I was contemplating how I could possible zoom into this idea in more detail and was formulating some questions other people began to gather around it with their own ideas. And Ruth had joined us again.

Ruth called the mound a “beacon fire”. She said that there was a strong bright yellow and orange fire emanating from this stone in particular, which made the whole mound glow from a distance. No-one else saw this, however, except her. Still she pressed her point home, expressing how warm the stone was – couldn’t everyone else feel it? We all knelt down to feel how warm the entrance stone was. Some got a tingle. I didn’t. I feel that if you hold your hand a few millimetres away from any surface you will feel the reflected warmth of your hand! I think that’s what was being felt. When I felt the stone it felt cold – as cold as the air on this chilly late Summer day.

Michael suggested that the word “Gib” might suggest a hanging site, perhaps linked to the work “gibbet“? I dowsed to see whether Gib had ever seen any such events – none. Others confirmed this too, although I liked the idea that “gibbet” also meant a forked stick. This reminded me of the traditional dowsing rod – a forked twig.

Goodbye Arbor Low – see you in the Summer

We retreated back to the car, saying our farewells to Ruth and her boyfriend. Before I left her I scribbled down a list of nearby sacred sites that she might like to visit if she had a few days in the area. Our hands were now so cold that it was difficult to write even, and no-one was interested in dowsing or anything else except to find warm shelter. Besides we were hungry. We had brought a picnic but this was definitely not picnic weather. A new low for Arbor Low. I don’t think I have ever left the place so disappointed at the visit. A sad day. I think I will only go back there if there is something that specifically leads me to the place, and if the day is guaranteed to be warm and sunny.

Gwas.

I was dowsing for the direction of the ley and my first response was that it went towards the Norman House down below me – a ruined house that stood next to an unusual water channel that split the River Avon in two. Now, Christchurch used to be called Twyneham, because it has two larger rivers running past it, and the town stood ‘be-twyn-em’. Yet, the Norman House had two parts of the same river flowing past it – the normal river course flowing fast and free, and then this narrow channel that was running slower.

Back on the castle’s small mound the rods pointed at the Norman House ruins and I made a mental note of the direction, then checked it using my compass. Damn thing must be going wrong – it was pointing East not South! I dowsed the width and strength of the line as it went to the east – it was only a few feet wide and with a medium strength. At this point I was expecting something stronger. I became suspicious.

Christchurch Castle - early morning

I began to ask more general questions such as:

1. At this castle what is the overall strength of the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. connected with Arbor Low? – Ten. But…another question then.
2. What is the width of the line passing through this place at its widest point? – The rods turned at 22 feet. That tallied with other places where the line had been strong.

So, what were the previous answers which indicated a line strength of 5 and a width of only 4 feet? I moved to the northern side of the castle to ask some more questions:-

1. Is the energy ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. passing through this point? YES
2. Is the line 22 feet wide at this point? YES

I instructed the rods to allow me to follow the line. I began to walk forwards and one rod continued pointing towards the distant Priory to the south, and the other rods began to bend left, towards the Norman House! Was the line splitting at this point? It seemed so. The wider, stronger line was going in the north-south direction that I expected, but a smaller line was being diverted to the Norman House down by the two rivers. Why? What was causing such a split, and how?

I asked the rods whether it was possible to take me to the cause of the split, and they twitched in my hand, directing me down the mound and towards the Norman House. OK. I got the idea and went to the house in search of the cause of this strange behaviour. I walked into the ruins expecting to be shown some feature of the house itself, but instead the rods led me through the house and out the other side only crossing when I was standing right next to the channel of water that flowed past the building’s remains. The water? I asked the rods – is it this channel of water that is causing the split in the energy ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers.? One of the rods turned, but the other didn’t, indicating I was “half right” but that there was more to it than that. I looked around and saw the faster flowing river just next to the slower channel. Was it also the water in the other part of the river that was causing the split? YES – both rods turned.

The configuration of the two rivers flowing at different speeds but next to each other was causing some effect that was attracting the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. from close by and pulling part of it into the river itself. From the point where it touched the water the energy flowed out into the distance. We have seen this kind of effect before when we dowsed a line at Dyserth Church in North Wales. There Kal and I found that an energy lineThe direction energy takes when moving. It may be straight or curved, in several dimensions and be composed of one or more different types of energies, i.e. negative, positive or neutral. Energy lines can be found at standing stones and ancient sites but are a general feature in all energy fields. got “stuck to” some fast flowing water which swept the line along and away from its previous course. Seems like something similar was happening here too.

The Priory: The End of the Line

From the top of the castle my attention was drawn to Christchurch Priory which was in directly south following the energy lineThe direction energy takes when moving. It may be straight or curved, in several dimensions and be composed of one or more different types of energies, i.e. negative, positive or neutral. Energy lines can be found at standing stones and ancient sites but are a general feature in all energy fields.’s direction of travel. Dismounting (ha!) I made my way through the early morning Sunday quiet of the town and followed the tourist route to the church, encountering a fabulous ducking stool along the way. Be careful how you say that!

I found the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. coming into the church’s northern edge. The line went into the front door and stretched some 22 feet past that. I dowsed the strength of the line – a full-on 10 on my scale. Now I was wondering whether the line passed through the church, so I walked around to the other side where I was able to recognise the other side of the church’s “cross” (is it called a transept?) and I began to walk towards where the line should emerge…walking…walking…the rods weren’t crossing. Oh! I went all the way around the southern edge as far as I could – no response at all. Oh! The line must END inside the church then! Now I was excited. I had travelled all the way from Arbor Low in Derbyshire following this line and finally, here in Christchurch Priory, I would be able to dowse the end of the line. Cool!

To test my patience the church opened for viewing at 9:30am – it was 8:30am. I had to retreat to a local coffee shop where I broke with my newly-self-imposed reluctance to drink coffee and warmed myself with the only palatable hot drink they offered (Have you tried a Starbucks “chai”? You’d have a coffee too). I amused myself by draining their wi-fi signal for an hour and then returned to be amongst the first to visit the church.

Christchurch Priory from the Castle

Inside the priory I warmed myself and wandered around slowly looking for an opportunity to dowse. It wasn’t going to happen. There were too many people around I I didn’t want to antagonise anyone given that I had spent three days getting to this point. I wasn’t going to be thrown out now. I would have to adopt another strategy. Luckily a friend of mine had been encouraging me to try my hand at feeling the energies without the dowsing rods. Now was the perfect testing ground for that work. I went into a light trance and pushed my aura out into the church searching around for that familiar feeling that I had become so used to over the last few days…

…I could feel the line coming into the door, and then it seemed to…to bend…and to flow down either side of the priory….I picked one side and followed it. I walked in a kind of wavy line down the right-hand side of the church stopping to admire the stained glass pictures on the windows as I passed. I was also scanning the pictures for any hints of figures related to my energy quest – St>Michael, St.George, St.Margaret…any of these notable symbols. Sadly, there were none that I recognised, but then Christian history is not my forte.

I reached the end of the church and the feeling I was following pulled my attention into the Lady Chapel – a large alcove at the end of the priory that was the only area with people gathered in it. Of course, this being Sunday, there was some form of service going on – a christening was at the early stages and I stood at the back trying to scan the scene without paying attention to the distractions of the ceremony. Where was the line focused in this Lady Chapel, I wondered, scanning the area? My eyes were being drawn towards some purple curtains on the right of the chapel where there was a bunch of flowers and a cross in an alcove in the wall. Something was in there, and it was the end of the line! I felt it clearly. But there was no way I could walk through these people and interrupt their ceremony….I waited.

And I waited. The vicar presiding over the christening was American and was in no hurry to proceed. His leisurely pace helped to decide that I should go off and have a look around the rest of the church maybe coming back later to try to find the end point of the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. I wandered down the northern edge of the priory and admired the countless strange beasts carved into the masonry of the church aisles and features. They were crawling everywhere!

View along the inside of Christchurch Priory

After what I felt was an hour but which was probably more like ten minutes I wandered back to the Lady Chapel. The vicar was still going very very slowly through the routine – boy was he giving them their moneys-worth with this!

I stood at the back and went deeper into my trace state – my eyes were continuously drawn to the alcove and curtains on the right-hand side of the chapel. It was definitely there that was the endpoint of this whole journey. My frustration at the situation rose to near bursting and I was just about to consider going out and coming back in a few hours, even though I had a 5-hour drive home and a time limit, when I noticed a white sign I hadn’t read yet. It was placed just above head height and talked about the contents of the Lady Chapel. Ahh…maybe there was something of interest here?

“The statue of Our Lady of Walsingham … The shrine commemorates the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ by taking our human nature from the Virgin Mary and joining it with his divine nature.”

A union of male and female – the female energies joined with the male energies. I had been following an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. that was a mixture of three male and three female energy lines that had been travelling over the land to this very point. At the last moment, the line had been bent from its North-South strict course and ran along the length of the priory to come to an end at this particular holy relic – a statue that was the personification of the concept of the joining of male and female human and divine forces.

Our Lady of Walsingham - a relic in the Lady Chapel of Christchurch

Anglicans go on a pilgrimage each year to Walsingham, a small village in North Norfolk. Of the statue in Walsingham this is said:

“Our Lady, as she is venerated at Walsingham, is depicted as a simple woman, a mother.  She is seated on the throne of Wisdom, in the midst of the Church which is represented by the two pillars symbolic of the Gate of Heaven, with seven rings to signify the seven sacraments and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The arched back of the throne reminds us of the rainbow which was set as a sign of God’s fidelity to his creation.  Our Lady is clothed in the blue of divinity, the white of motherhood and the red of virginity.  In her hand she holds a lily-sceptre with three blooms because she was virginal before, during and after the Saviour’s birth.  As the Woman of the New Creation, the New Eve, she crushes beneath her feet a toadstone, symbolic of the power of evil.  As the Queen of Heaven and of England, her Dowry, she is crowned with a Saxon crown.  On his mother’s knee is the child Jesus who, as the Word of God made Flesh, holds the book of the Gospels.  He extends his right arm in a double gesture of blessing and protection of his mother.“

I think, if we see beyond the overtly Christian terminology we can understand that what is being described here is a process involving the seven chakras (‘sacraments’) and leading to a unification of the three forces – human, earth and spirit energies – male, female and neutral. There is also a strong sense of protection, which is signified by the signs of protection – blessings, light blue colour, and the protection of the divine mother.

This was the Holy Grail of my search. I had found the means by which this energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. was preserved – by being tied to a relic that was an object infused with the blessings and prayers of hundreds of devout worshippers. The relic was a focal point of devotion, and the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. was bolstered by this link with human emotion and intention.

Gwas.

Indiana Jones

Gwas had decided that he was going to follow the Southern Ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. that passes (starts) at Arbor Low. Being a sun aligned person, how could I resist a trip to that fantastic sacred site? So I had travelled up the 250 miles just for a hour or so at this magnificent site.

Arbor low is known as the Stonehenge of the North and having been to the more famous southern one a few times now, I have to confess, Arbor Low has energies that dwarf its more famed cousin. Why? My personal speculation is two fold, the first is that all the people visiting Stonehenge for tourism purposes rather than ritual or magic have caused its energy to diminish. Second (and more importantly) I believe that the people who visit, having to follow a directed path around it, are actually walking around the site the energetically speaking, the wrong way.

I was ready to meet Gwas at about 7:30 a.m and I got into my car at 7 and was utterly astounded to see that the very same wheel that had been punctured only three weeks ago had a nail stuck into it!

Since the weekend I have done some speculation regarding this rather unusual coincidence and rather than putting it off as literally a coincidenceI feel that it was caused by my having received a Reiki healing session (the night before) from a person that I felt shouldn’t have been doing them at the time (he seemed not energetically well). Of course this could just be me being paranoid and I wouldn’t have brought it up if it hadn’t been that right after the healing session, when we came out into the car park his car window had been smashed. Just a coincidence?

Thus Gwas came the extra few miles and picked me up from home. Our journey to Arbow Low was spent updating each other on our previous weeks exploits and so it was that we arrived at Arbow Low without even noting the passage of an hour and half. What we had  however noticed was the down pour of rain. Which seemed to be getting steadily worse.

At some pint in the in the past Arbow Low must have been blessed by a passing Rain God. Of all of the times we have been to the place (twenty perhaps?) it has only once been dry and sunny (and on that occasion we hadn’t intended to go, we were passing past it and saw that it was sunny and managed to sneak in when the weather was hospitable!)

Gwas had a lot of work to do at the site on this occasion and so whilst he busied himself with that I had some confirmations to make. The questions I had gone with were concerning my Knights Quest:

On a trip to the Merry Maidens I had garnered that I had to have a crest for my Knights Quest. My hints for what would make up this symbol were a phoenix, Gemini and infinity. What I wanted to know was whether these would form three separate sigils or a combined symbol that represented all three. The answer was that it should be a combined. I asked whether there would be a restriction on colours, I went through the colours with the following result:

• Red, Green, Turquoise, Gold and Purple

Holy Grail

Right, that felt pretty safe and reasonable now for the bonus prize. I had occasionally thought about the symbolism of the Holy Grail, especially with the Rosicrucian and Templar connection I had got. Now, my curiosity had been peeked by the DragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. at the Merry Maidens being aligned with the Phoenix constellation. Mostly because the central theme of my coming book is the Phoenix. Could this be a coincidence? Of course. However, it was as I finished my Crest questions that Gwas called me over to help him out with some of his questions. Working our way down his list he had a question for Arbor Low.

• Was Arbor Low currently aligned with any astronomical/logical body? And if so what?

Active Enlightenment

To both of our surprises it turned out that Arbor Low was currently aligned with (drum roll) the Phoenix Constellation! Coincidence surely!

This was too much for me, so I snuck off 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. and asked a question that my intuition was kicking me to answer. Was my book being represented as the Holy Grail? Honestly it was a tough question to ask. But what can you do? You have to follow the path even if it leads you up strange roads.

• The answer was, rather too significantly for my liking, Yes.

I was smacked in the gob (an English euphemism for being totally shocked) once again. Seriously was this what the rods were telling me? Yes. Absolutely? Yes. Then to top it all. On a day that had no chance of the sun coming out (see Gwas’s promise) the sun broke through the immense cloud cover and briefly presented us with a sign.

Kal Malik – wondering and wandering

It was at that point that Kal made his bet – he bet me that he would be able to make the sun appear as he usually did, and that we would therefore NOT get wet at Arbor Low. Not get wet at Arbor Low? Today? With these dark clouds all around? And with Arbor Low’s reputation for wind, cold and rain? I took the bet. I said that if he managed to make good on his promise of sun I would write a post as penance, explaining how I should believe him, not doubt his faith, etc etc. Yeah, yeah. I took the bet.

As we got out of the car I was chuckling to myself – it was still raining and I advised Kal to take one of my spare waterproof coats. “No need” he explained, “I’ll be fine – the sun will come out soon and I won’t need it.” Unbelievable! The sky was dark slate grey with not a hint of the sun making an appearance for the whole day in any direction. We walked up to the large embanked circle and I began to take readings in the rain and freezing cold wind. It was not a nice experience and I may have hurried the measurements a little in order to get the exercise over with, and this may necessitate me going back again when the weather’s a little warmer. Hey – I’m human!

Johann Bode's depiction of the Phoenix constellation

I took some other measurements too – like finding out that the stone circle was built aligned to the star that Andis Kaulins had said it was – Altair in the Aquila constellation. I also got agreement from the dowsing rods that each stone was in itself a star map. This was very interesting, but it wasn’t making the experience any warmer of less wet. I dowsed for the current star 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 see if it had changed. Using StarWalk on my iPhone I identified that the current star that Arbor Low is aligned to is … Ankaa, in the Phoenix constellation. Ankaa means Boat in Arabic. That was it – my hands were freezing – I had to stop now.

Kal was doing his own research with the stone circle, but when I called him over to mention this interesting information he reminded me that his book cover (see Active Enlightenment) is also a phoenix. Then, just as we were discussing that coincidence another one happened. Through the thick grey clouds the sun somehow managed to cut a hole and shine down upon us. It was like something out of a dream.. I couldn’t believe it was happening. Kal just smirked and said, “The sun, at a sun site, with a sun person…like a phoenix!”

The impossible sun

Just look at that picture! How…? Kal had won his bet. I knew that I would have to write this post, and that I would have to tell the whole Hedge Druid-reading public that yet again Kal’s faith in the miraculous powers of the sun are undeniable, and I should never doubt them. That is my penance done now.

Gwas.

4. Druid’s Altar stone circle at Bordley on the B6285 north of Skipton. [Megalithic portal link - Bing OS map]

Beyond Malham Cove we realised we have gone the wrong way. We shouldn’t have been going through Malham, beautiful as it was. We stopped and re-calibrated our route. Another half hour to the stone circle – really? It had seemed so close on the map. We checked our route once more as the road turned into a single car-width track but we were on the right road. Upwards we climbed, glad of the four-wheel drive and new tyres, but my poor suspension paid a heavy price for our wilderness visit.

We parked and made out way to where a cairn was marked on the map. There was no stone circle in this area and this cairn was all we had to go on. Nobody that we passed knew where this ‘Druid’s Altar’ stone circle was. how could they miss it – it seemed huge and distinctive? The warning signs began to tingle like an over-active spider-sense. After fifteen minutes walking along a path to nowhere we decided to climb up to the nearest peak to see what we could see. It was hard going in the icy grass. At the top we saw…nothing. On the way back to the car I had a brainwave – what if I could find the OS Map co-ordinates and use my GPS2OS application to locate the site? It worked. Frustrating moments later we had our directions – must remember that trick! We were only a mile out in both longitude and latitude! Bacon saved.

To be honest we still struggled to find the Druid’s Altar stone circle even when we had the exact co-ordinates! The images on web sites had not quite shown the diminutive scale of the stones. I thought they were six feet tall – they were three feet tall. We found our respective power centres and had lunch. 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. was fortunately on the lee-ward side of the tallest stone, so I was sheltered. The 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. felt good, and it was comfortable too, which was surprising.

I was soon up dowsing again – the end of January is still bitingly cold when you’re still, so I was soon dowsing all over, asking questions about the circle, where the energies were, where they flowed to. One of the checks I have started to do is to ask whether there is anything that needs modifying. I put it that generally because it is a kind of “balanced” question – neither supposing that positive nor negative energies need be applied, only asking whether the circle is properly energised as it was originally intended to be. The answer was, “Something needs to be done”. Taking a lead from Kal, I asked to be led to the place that had the problem. Moments later I had wound my way to the only other large standing stone in the circle – the one that had a great big horizontal crack in it.

Papering over the cracks

I didn’t really need to dowse to find out what the problem was – I was looking right at it – the crack in the stone. Nevertheless, I had learned over the years not to assume anything so I dowsed it – moving the rods around the stone until they crossed. They crossed at the wide crack in the stone – well, I had to check. There was a black streamA flow of subtle energy emerging from a source. The source is usually imbued with some negative qualities, for example, it may be a source of geopathic stress where geology is under pressure, or toxic gases are emitted. Alternatively, the source may be imbued with negative emotions such as anger, fear or hatred left there by the intent of a human being. The result is a toxic dispersal of flows of “black” energy. These flows can cause disruption to everything in their path, such as accident blackspots if they cross roads, or polluted streams if they contact water. of energy emerging from the crack which went sinewing out of the circle and ended up spiralling into a pool of black energy some fifteen feet away to one side of the circle.

I asked what paraphernalia might be employed to assist me with the work of healing – incense, not crystals. I was mildly disappointed, wondering just when I would be able to use the crystals. It would take five sticks of incense around the stone to aid the repair. As they burned away I retreated 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. next to the intact stone and linked into the site’s positive energies, feeling and feeding the flow as I guided it towards the cracked stone.

Half way through I was called to use my ashen healing staff by placing the end of it into the crack and focusing the healing energies around me into the gap. I could visually see the transparent energy flowing in, and when the crack was filled I withdrew the staff and smoothed the crack over with my hand. I was using primal energy to seal the crack – a skill I had learned the previous year. When that was done I returned 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. to disengage and clear things up.

Well, no learning taking place this year, it seemed. This year felt like it was more about putting last year’s learning into practise. A felt satisfied that I had done a good job and we packed to leave. On the route back to the nearby car I picked up some litter – cans and plastic wrappers from the moorland. Another small deed that simply needed doing, and for which I sought no rewards. Being a druid is often just a form of service, but the rewards are immeasurable. If you want to know why I do this, then see this previous post which explains all.

5. Barden Tower, Barden village near Barden Moor, north of Bolton Abbey. [Bing OS map]

We were on our way to Bolton Abbey now, having tried to get to “The Devil’s Apronful” and “Simon’s Seat” but been thwarted by a closed road and time pressure. It wasn’t going to be possible to find a long way around to these sites, walk up the steep long slope to get to them, dowse them, make it back to the car, and still make it to any other site that day before nightfall. The easier option by far was to head to Bolton Abbey, which we did.

As we flew along the small country road admiring the woods, hills and valleys there suddenly arose a huge stone square tower just at the turning we wanted to take but which was close. We turned around shortly after and decided to go to the tower as a quick diversion seeing as it was so close to the roadside. We parked up in the designated area and were visually accosted by the numerous “Don’t do this“, “None of that sort of thing“, “Forbidden to breathe here” type signs that I immediately resent. That put me out of favour with the site straight away. We walked around the one allowed route, looking inside at the ruin. Quick dowse – was there anything here of energetic interest to either of us – NO. Oh.

We headed back to the car, and as we emerged from the tower’s immediate vicinity I stood stock still at the sight of an old hoary tree in the grounds of the restaurant that adjoined the site. I did my best to identify the type of three – it looked like an ash tree, but I had never seen one growing in that way before, nor had I ever seen one that appeared to be so old. I dowsed whether it had an energetic presence and the rods nearly spun round to hit me. Clearly, then answer was yes.

Both Kal and I spent some time just touching it and feeling how powerful the old ash tree was. It had an undeniable character and presence. The visit had been worth it after all – here was another powerful tree to add to our list of trees worth visiting. Time for Bolton Abbey, which was to be a most intriguing episode of dowsing questions, correlations and exciting new experiments, and I will talk about that in some detail in the third post of this series coming soon.

Before we left for home I made an important discovery. I had left a pair of dowsing rods at the Druid’s Altar stone circle, and I probably had just enough time to retrieve them before the light faded completely. Kal was very generous as didn’t show his disappointment at missing any further sites that day. We kind of knew we’d be back around Yorkshire soon this year – it is too full of interesting stuff not to come back.

On my return to the Druid’s Altar I found my rods perched on top of the 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. stone that I had been sitting at. I knew exactly where they were. In the fading light I couldn’t help but have a quick dowse with the rods to see whether I had made any difference to the site. I dowsed that the site had a 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. there (female), and she was content with my work there. I tried to make a connection back to my house from the site. Sadly, I later found that this connection had actually failed because the energies at the site were just too weak to make the connection properly. Another interesting lesson learned.

My dowsing rods were not the only thing that I forgot that day. On the way home I realised that I had forgotten to commune with any spirit guidance and had not engaged in finding out what the next part of the year had in store for me! How could I forget that? Then I realised that I still had a few days left in which to do that. I was relieved. Now I could find a site near to home and do some work with familiar spirits. Actually, it was a good thing that I forgot because I reckon I will need to find a sympathetic oak tree for the next stage, and I can only think of a few, most of which are in Cheshire, not Yorkshire!

As it turned out, there would be other factors involved in this ritual too, such as a totem animal that I would need to recognise before I could do the Imbolc work. This year is getting intriguing already and it’s only just started!

Gwas. Forgetful but not regretful.

It had been a long time coming. Kal and I had intended to go to Lindisfarne in Northumberland for Imbolc, and in fact I had stated as much in the previous podcast for January, but when I worked out how much of the short day I would be spending in the car…well, we turned our attentions to one of our other focal areas for this year – Yorkshire. Now, I’m a Yorkshire lad, born in the county but having moved after only a few years there. I don’t remember anything about it, so whilst it felt like a homecoming of sorts, it didn’t feel like my spiritual home, which is Wales.

The had an itinerary of sites to visit which Kal had dowsed, and then I had added to and plotted the most efficient journey between them. Seemed like a perfect combination, although asking Kal to navigate is like asking Norman Wisdom to be your wedding planner – comic moments were bound to arise!

The day’s sites

1. Shipley to test the Northern ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. from Arbor Low. [Shipley on a map / Link to Arbow Low Energy LeyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. map]

Shipley is not the most picturesque town in northern England. I’m sure it has some redeeming features but we felt, as we stepped out of the car, that we ought to get our dowsing done as quietly as possible and as soon as possible. Kal deferred to me to do that job – thanks Kal! Using a single dowsing rod I asked whether there was a ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. passing through Shipley – there was. I asked to be shown to where it was, and to get directions at each junction. As we walked towards the junction of each road I got the dowsing rod out and it quickly swung to show me which way I should walk. Left, then right, the slightly left, then left again, right…now we were walking down a back street with very few people around. Better for dowsing than the main market square which was thronging with Saturday shoppers. Just as we were wondering what on earth there could be to see down this back alley we arrived at the Hockney pub and the rod took me right up to the door and spun around – a sign that we were at a conclusion point.

I got out my iPhone compass application and set it to magnetic North in the settings. I ahd to wait a while because the compass had interference again. Every time I come to use a compass in an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. – there’s interference. Eventually it settled down and caught up with itself. I aimed in the direction of the ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. – North. Due North. The line ran North-South. Exactly as expected, even though we had no idea which direction we were facing when we got the rods to align to the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. Proof enough for me. Here was the final test – I asked the dowsing rods whether this line was the same line that existed at Arbor Low – YES. Strongly affirmed.

The orientation of the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. was a 45 degree angle through the front entrance porch of the pub. Oddly, I took several photographs of the pub and the entrance but they have all disappeared from my camera. Hmm…more interference. In the photograph below the ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. follows the angle of the telephone wire that you can see.

A strange place to find a major ley line

We followed the line back towards the centre of Shipley town now that we had an orientation to follow. As we approached the market area we came across a couple of surprises. We saw how the line went through a statue of a ram sitting upright. In heraldic terms this silver ram denotes peace and authority. This statue was dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana, which seemed odd for it to be on an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. This is reminiscent of things that David Icke talks about in terms of the memorial that was placed on top of the Pont D’Alma bridge under which the ill-fated Mercedes car crashed on the night she died. There is a theory that energy leys form a network of channels along which both good and ill energy can be spread. Hamish Miller, the legendary dowser, had a keen interest in this aspect and would work with a group of like-minded friends to attempt to restore these lines to have beneficial properties.I say “restore” because I believe that at one time this is how they were charged – with positive energies.

From that point the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. then goes through a simplified mediaeval labyrinth design inlaid into the floor of Shipley town centre. Notice the intertwining red and black serpent shapes. I find it interesting that this coincidental pattern is at the exact spot where the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. is. Perhaps the spot was chosen because it “felt right” or it was the symbolic centre of the town. Either way – it is a rapid way to identify the ley’s crossing point now. We should have walked the labyrinth, but it didn’t occur to us at the time – we were more interested in sandwiches, if I recall! A wonderful opportunity presented but missed, I feel.

Labyrinth on the Shipley ley line

2. St Helen’s Well in Eshton, near Gargrave, Skipton – for cleansing and connection to the spirit of the divine feminine. [Map / Megalithic Portal link]

As we arrived in Eshton village near Gargrave we felt the warmth of the sun. The sun was shining all around making the area light and welcoming – a good start. We looked around for possible locations that the spring might be. Looking back at it now it should have been obvious to us that the spring that we had intended to find was the one at the far end of the field through which the Eshton Beck ran, and where a small footbridge had been built. Later on we would see people walking back from that very area, but by then we had found what we came for anyway.

From the very start let’s get one thing clear: St Helen is nothing other than Elen of the Roads. Elen is the lady of the green bower who shows seekers the invisible paths that connect the land. You could call her the patron saint of dowsers, but as a pagan that would be a strange moniker to afflict her with. St Helen is certainly not named after St Helena of Constantinople – for that would be very strange indeed.

We located what we thought was the well on the other side of a mossy wall near to the road bridge. We clambered over into the small woodland patch and everything felt great. The spring was bubbling with clear water, and streaming down the shallow hill to reach into the nearby Eshton Beck, surely soon to be renamed the Eshton River, for it is surely becoming too big for its boots! In the dappled sunlight through the trees we dowsed as to whether this was the correct place to be – both of us got a strong YES. With that we began to meditate – first lighting incense to prepare our spaces. Part way through my meditation I had the urge to touch the water and I moved to the well-head and anointed myself with its cleansing fresh waters.

The new Elen Spring

I went back to the meditation and soon I felt the presence of a gentle female force. I invited a friendly water spirit to join us, and the moment that happened I was treated to a journey that I will never forget! As I stood at the top of the stream I was mentally plunged into the babbling well-head. I became a molecule of water, being thrust through the churning currents, gliding around the smooth rocks in the stream, playing with the other water molecules, and whirling, falling, rising, flowing down the stream in a torrent of joyous aquatic acrobatics. Half way down I leapt out and returned to the top of the stream – like some kind of Telletubby, I cried “Again, again!” and jumped back into the stream for another experience of this – laughing, smiling, loving every second of this Alton Towers ride I was being given.

As I returned to my waking consciousness I thanked the spirit of that well for her truly exciting and enlivening play. As each journey down the stream had been different a realisation struck me – Elen had been trying to tell me something : “On this journey one never goes by the same path twice to the same destination.“ In return for this sage advice I scoured the stream for rubbish and soon I was reaching in picking out the cans, bottles and plastics that were the inevitable detritus of the passing and uncaring race that calls itself civilised. That was my return payment, and I gave service willingly. The stream was free to flow as it willed.

The official old well location looked like this:

The official spring of St.Helen (c) Marion Benham, posted on Megalithic.co.uk

In a way I was glad that we missed that old version of the well and found the new one instead. The reports of the old well mentioned that the incredible stone carved heads found in the well had been stolen, and that the well was now in a bad state of repair, neglected and desecrated. Perhaps the spirit of the waters had also gone too. We also missed the giant’s grave mounds nearby, but then we had had our inspiration and it was time to move on to the next site – we had a lot to do in the short daylight hours.

3. Malham Cove, Malham, near Settle. [Map] – for the sake of curiosity.

Due to some typical poorly-researched navigation and wanton inattention we ended up going through Malham, mere minutes after I had been telling Kal about how busy the place gets. He had said, “I wonder why it is such an attractive place to people?“.Now, here we were unexpectedly witnessing the lines of cars parked along the lanes leading to Malham village, and soon we were up above the village passing by the cove itself. We had to stop and see if we could work out why the energies were so attractive here. We did. Both Kal and I dowsed a strong response for earth-related energy forms at Malham Cove, and some water energy too. That fits with the cove/caves and river running down the valley, I suppose. Not a surprise really. Sometimes dowsing just confirms common sense!

Malham Cove (c) Paul Heaton

On the way down the other side of Malham Cove we were both gob-smacked by the stunningly beautiful strata of limestone features that lined the route around Arnecliffe, called Yew Cogar Scar. It was all I could do to keep my eyes on the steep, narrow, and cyclist-infested lanes with all the beauty that surrounded us.

A view to run off the road for

Those were the first sites of the day, and there was plenty more to come on our Yorkshire tour. In the afternoon we would visit a cairn (inadvertently), go to a stone circle (eventually), do some very important dowsing work at Bolton Abbey, and then have to return to the stone circle (stupidly). All will be revealed soon.

Gwas.

Like Kal I intend to do this summary in a single post. Last year it spread across about seven posts. I have learned to be more disciplined in this last year, and I will keep it to one. So, having sifted through all the millions of posts this year here are the absolute best bits. I didn’t believe that 2009 could be bettered, but I was wrong – 2010 was a vintage year that will live long in my memory, and below you will find out some of the reasons why.

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT

Meeting and integrating with the spirit of Merlin

Things had been progressing towards this all year. Firstly I had met Arthur’s 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). at Tintagel, and he tasked me with keeping Merlin’s legacy alive by connecting up and re-energising sacred sites. Then shades that I interacted with began to call me “Son of Merlin”, which I took to mean “follower” rather than literal progeny, or “spiritual inheritor” perhaps. Finally, at Dinas Emrys, it all came together and I descended into the Underworld to meet with Merlin’s 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 as we emerged onto earth we merged in a kind of Rosicrucian marriage of male and female energies.

Of course, all of this can and perhaps should be seen symbolically, rather than literally. It works from any point of view – psychologically as the culmination of some form of inner desire, or as a desire to perpetuate a myth symbolically because it serves some psychological purpose. I’m sure it could be read many ways. For me, it was the fulfilment of my magical self. It was the integration of the intention with the delivery. It was the satisfaction of the edict “Make magick manifest”.

Meeting Brian Conquer and Feeling The Goddess in Glastonbury

Man, I almost forgot this. I was thinking about something completely unrelated and suddenly the whole experience came back to me and I had to add this bit into the post on 14th January 2011.

I remember being at the Chalice Well Gardens this year and meeting Brian Conquer, “Just a silly little Hedge Druid” as he described himself to some American tourists in search of free wisdom. I was intrigued by him - his eyes told me he knew many things and together we scolded those who leave Nature in a mess and praised those who make their own tools with love and care. That made me think of Oonagh.

Later, as I walked around the grounds he caught up with me and gave me a precious gift – a rugged clear quartz crystal. “Take that and go stand between the yew trees.” he instructed with a twinkle in his eye. “Call for the goddess.” I did what he said and minutes later she responded by visiting me – getting right inside me - expanding my aura to an incredible size and strength. So much so that a lady who was standing behind me went nuts, “Oh my God!” she kept screaming, “That’s AMAZING!“. I knew. I was feeling it. A stunning unforgettable moment for which I will repay Mr Conquer one day. 2011 is my year of service, after all.

WHAT I LEARNED

Here is a list of the twenty most valuable lessons that I learned from this year’s tasks, quests, encounters and experiences….

The Bull sigil

1. Sacred sites have an energetic imprint that can be dowsed. This imprint or sigil can reveal information about significant dates associated with the site. For example, the date when the site is most energetic, or the date when the site was created. Some reveal a sigil specific to the resident 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..

2. Most sacred sites have some form of astrological 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. – either they are oriented towards the Sun, Moon (as calendars), or they may be designed upon a sacred number that is associated with a particular planet, or they are imbued with (or resonate to) the frequency of energetic emanations from particular stars. Often particular entrances can be found that align to celestial bodies, or significant stones are aligned to these heavenly objects are particular times of the year. These then act as guides to the types and timings of subtle energies within that sacred space.

3. There is a fourth kind 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. beyond the male, female and neutral forms – Primal Energy. This is energy without gender association, and which has yet to be shaped or transformed by any agency such as the sun, moon or human. We recognised it first in crop circles, but then realised that we had been dealing with it energetically for some time without knowing what it was. I do nto have a clear distinction in my mind between primal and neutral energy forms and this is something I will endeavour to clear up in next year’s work.

4. It is possible to imbue objects with energy such that they can retain that energy and it can be drawn out from the object at a later date by those who are aware of it. The energy imbued is in a primal energy form – neither male nor female until shaped after extraction. One one occasion I absorbed the remaining spirit energy from an ancient dying oak tree before it was lost completely.

5. It is important to have a purpose when visiting sacred spaces. Having a purpose means that the rewards from the visit are less random, and the information can be chained together over a period of time leading to pools of new insights, rather than just patches of new knowledge.

6. Spirits are real. Whether these be further sub-divided into spirit, 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). or ghost I have come to learn that they have a real existence beyond my imagination. This has seen a complete reversal in my belief system on these subjects. Previously I imagined them to be something created by humans, or were simply an expression of Nature in her many forms. Now I know that they are sentient and purposeful in their own right, and only an expression of Nature insomuch as we are all an expression of Nature.

7. I have developed trust and lost a fear of the dark. By walking barefoot at sacred sites for much of the year, even at night, I have learned to overcome my fear of being hurt, and to place my trust in those spirits who are concerned with my welfare.

8. The earth’s energy grid is in need of healing. I have been led to this conclusion by many different experiences over the year. At the start of the year I was told to go and re-awaken some sites. Later I would re-energise and link sites up. After that I would create my own neutral energy bridge between sites after pledging to take this role on, in the spirit of Merlin. I suspect that we have simply demolished, destroyed, desecrated and saturated too many of our “earth acupuncture” points on the earth grid upon which our islands lay. I feel it is my task to make what efforts I can to re-energise these points, especially after the death of Hamish Miller this year.

9. Arbor Low is a hub for neutral energy lines. This finding sparked a deep investigation into the nature of neutral energy. We later found that this sacred site was particularly beneficial for learning. I spent a time tracing where these neutral radial lines went to and found some amazing correlations which all need further investigation.

10. Stimulating, cleansing and closing the Chakras are a means to controlling the flow 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. between the human energy form and other energy repositories. I spent a long time this year working through these processes at various sites and found the whole process very mystical and beneficial to my understanding of how the human energy system can be controlled.

11. The sacred geometrical numbers five, six, seven, eleven and twelve kept cropping up this year. Particularly, ’5+7=12′ and ’5+6=11′ were important equations. The 12 equation represented the current order of things: five being man, seven being spirituality and twelve being civilisation. The 11 equation seemed to represent an alternative or older way of thinking: five being man again, six being magick, and eleven being a bridge between worlds. It was like I was being shown that there was an alternate route to a higher consciousness through other numbers than those which society currently enshrined.

12. My spirit guide can be communicated with via symbols of crosses, particularly ancient Celtic crosses. It took a visit to Ireland to discover this, but I have since found it useful in this country too. I haven’t found out why this is so yet.

13. Wounds from the past can be healed by acts of redemption in the present. I found this out when I was encouraged to clean up a local pond. I took a day off work to do it. No-one saw it, no-one helped me, but when I had finished I had healed a deep distant scar from yesteryear.

14. The Arthurian metaphor works best for me. The symbols of the dragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. (spiritual energy), Merlin (celestial energyThis is a term that I use to collectively describe any energetic influences that reach us from celestial sources. As with its companion term ‘Telluric EnergyA general term encompassing all forms of earth-bound or earth-generated energy. This is in differentiation to forms of celestial energy. Telluric energy can be both subtle energy and what we may call “gross” energy – in other words, energy that can be measured by current scientific instrumentation and which is electro-magnetic in nature.’ the energies of the celestial sphere are many and varied, ranging from cosmic rays (which can be scientifically measured), the sun’s various energy frequencies, the reflected energies of the Sun which arrive via the Moon, and those of the stars and planets within and beyond our solar system.), Arthur (earth energy) and all those associated medieval concepts – these are the images that I work best to interpret and bring through into my magickal learning. There is no value in my spending time learning any other symbol system or lore.

15. The star Sirius has emerged as an important energetic influenceon many things – it affects fertility, offers protection from harmful radiation, is a facilitator of the enlightenment process, radiates a blue light that resonates with our throat chakra, and it provides a strong motivational energy.

16. Weather systems are very complex and shouldn’t be toyed with. It almost didn’t need saying, yet I learned a valuable lesson when I tried it.

17. Crystals and incense are valuable tools for creating the right atmosphere, and for taking the burden when performing magickal rituals. I am now well stocked with both and appreciate their value after extensive use this year.

18. Giving promotes the right state to receive. This year I have done a lot of energy healing on humans and sacred sites. I have also done more charitable work than ever. All of this has been done unbidden and I in return I feel that I have been offered more gifts than I can possibly take on board. I hope to continue with this form of work.

19. Using the proper respect when dealing with sentient entities has led to easier access to their knowledge and beneficence.

20. Coloured energy lines can be used to reveal a picture of the energy status of a site. For example, black lines indicate an unhealthy influence on the site, whereas white, gold and purple lines are very positive and healthy. This is an area that deserves a more detailed examination next year.

THE HARDEST LESSON

In amongst all of the good things that happened there were some hard lessons. If I were to resolve all of those lessons down to the one important factors that is going to change the way I view life then it would be this…

Warning signs should be heeded.

The leprechaun energies of Ireland taught me that. Now I pay special attention. Signs generally are more worthy of our attention, especially if we are following the ‘flow of the universeTo join with the flow of the universe is to follow a natural progression in tune with Nature’s own direction of development. Religion has called this concept “following the divine will”, but then has proceeded to make it a law, rather than a useful option for personal and communal progress.’ through the ‘wheel of the year’ (see glossary). The more in attunement with Nature, the more we should pay attention to her signs.

The consequences of ignoring signs deliberately can be dire and dramatic.

NEW PATHS STARTED

When the Wheel of the Year turns around to a new year it is very difficult to see where the rotation of the wheel will take you on that journey, or what wonder you will pass on the way. This year here are some of the new paths that I have ventured down, or threads that I have picked up from previous years’ work.

Spirits (including Siddha). Specifically I have become attuned to and aware of a spirit guide. Beyond that I have extended my awareness to include a spirit helper for healing, and have acknowledged a spirit guardian. Up until this year I would say that I was one of the last people who would have acknowledged these forces, yet they have graciously made their presence known when requested to do so, and I have received nothing but help and kindness from them.

Shades. I had no dealings at all with death energies of energy forms until Kal relinquished his dealings with them part way through this year. Then, from that moment on, I seemed to get requests to learn about and deal with shades. Shades, as we denote them, are the remnant energy forms of spirits that once inhabited human bodies. Having moved on they can leave a form behind unless this energy is grounded properly (as it was in earthen mounds in ancient times through ritual and right attitudes to death).

Ash staff. I have found and restored an ash staff this year. It is now one of the most treasured objects that I take with me to sacred sites. My interactions with the staff have been crucial this year, and it has become a powerful druidical tool for me to wield out in Nature.

OLD PATHS DISCARDED

Of course, no path is ever completely discarded – it is only passed by on this journey. Later in the journey the path may re-appear. However, these are the aspects of my spiritual journey that I have chosen not to pursue further unless I need to.

Crop circles. After finding that they were created by extra-terrestrial forces and then filtered through Siddha, we gave up trying to understand their relevance to us on our spiritual quest. They remain an interesting quirk that I predict will end by 2013.

Tarot. Although I have found a talent for using the cards I have found little use for them despite believing that I would. I am not discarding them completely, and I encourage anyone to use them if they would be of value, but for me they have little use compared to the inter-relationship with spirit forces. I think the cards are just a means to access this same information anyway, and I now prefer a direct spiritual connection rather than a symbolic one. Again, I re-iterate, they have their uses, but I don’t see much use for them myself. Watch next year be totally dominated by tarot now!!

THE UNEXPECTED

There always seems to be something unexpected arising on my journey. This year I have been surprised by getting involved in the following things….

1. Shades and spirits – thought they we a bit of nonsense, actually, but found I was very very wrong. Might all still be in my mind, but if that’s the case then my mind is very very wrong!
2. Charity work – I wasn’t one for doing “good deeds” until this year. Then gradually I have been finding myself saying ‘yes’ to more and more events, and going off doing things just for the sake of it and without recognition or reward. Most unlike me! But I like the new me.
3. Psychics – I met a psychic and listened to him rather than laughed at him. Well, I could hardly laugh at him now that I was talking to spirits myself! Anyway – turns out he made a great deal of sense, and has been very insightful. I am pleased that I was led along this path to meet him.

WHERE THIS LEADS ME

Looking back I think that all of this leads me to begin the next year by turning my attentions to the following areas:-

Colour dowsing – I need to know what the colours mean (for me) and what colours can be found in Nature and specifically at sacred sites.

Sacred geometry – I kind of left this one hanging, but I mean to dowse for the sacred structure of stone circles and see if this has an astrological correspondence.

Earth energy grid – I want to determine why certain sacred sites seem to be linked together energetically, and if those links are damaged I want to set about repairing them, to restore the sites to their full working capacity where possible.

Book – yes, folks, I have been ‘advised’ that I should write a book. Never one to question the muses I will be putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) almost as soon as this post goes live. I don’t even know what it’s about yet, but I’m hoping ‘unseen forces’ can help there. I hope to post status updates through next year.

SUMMARY

Of course next year I will continue to follow the seasons and the Wheel of the Year, but I suspect I will not be as keen to mark every full moon. Yet the full moon is definitely an indicator for me that the energies around that time can be put to good magickal use and I will continue to preference dates close to full moons as opposed to their strict calendrical dates.

This year has been the most remarkable year of my life so far. Thanks, as ever, to my faithful sidekick Kal for his courage, inspiration and motivation - he truly does make this all worth the effort. Thanks, too, to those who have helped me. That includes you. dear readers, who have have witnessed my remarkable year on these pages, and I hope that you too have been inspired to go out and make your life’s quest as meaningful and magickal as you can. I am looking forward to what next year will bring if only to see if it could possibly match the wonders of this year.

Happy New Year, folks.

Gwas.

Related posts:-

• My Eight-Fold Year – The First Four Folds
• My Eight-Fold Year – The Final Four Folds

It was fast approaching the weekend and I was wondering what to do. My heart was set on a visit to Avebury and Stonehenge but the distance of 3 hours drive was putting me off. Then as Saturday loomed I placed other commitments on my time and so I left it for Sunday. Then of course the weather on Saturday for a mid-December day turned out to be in sparkling form. Just my luck!

Sunday I awoke and as I lay in bed I pondered the options. I still wasn’t finished with some committed work that I had started on Saturday, Stonehenge was still inviting me and…my thoughts rested on an idea. The Hurlers and Piper stone circles weren’t as far as Henge and they might give my wandering heart respite from its ache.

I lazied in bed some more and then decided. I would up and dowse, if any offerings were vital then I would go, otherwise it would be the local Costa for breakfast.

I asked whether Stonehenge or Avebury would be a beneficial site for me to visit today? Not really. What about the Hurlers? O yes! Do I have to go (asked the lazy part of me) and I got a No. But it would be beneficial if I did go? Yes.

Even as I got changed and headed down the stairs my mind was split in two, Coffee or Hurlers? As I opened the front door, I decided, Costa it would be!

I stepped out of the door and onto the pavement, just as I did 2 crows flew right into the middle of the road infront of me. I stopped, they were an obvious sign! I turned back towards the house to get my car keys and as I grabbed the door, I stopped…Costa was calling. So, I ignored the “sign” and made my way into to town for coffee and breakfast.

An hour later I was walking back home and I the crows came to my mind, along with the dowsing results and the desire for the chase (see last weeks post) So I got my keys and was off on the two hour journey to Minions (the nearest town to the Hurlers).

Grade one easy

Two or so hours later I parked up and was off onto the moor land. The last time Gwas and I were here there had been a mist in the air and visibility was poor. Today the sun was bright, the air was a clear crisp frost and you could see to the horizon. Perfect.

As far as it goes the Hurlers are perhaps one of the easiest sites to reach, literally two hundred metres from a large carpark. Given this, I was amongst the stones before I knew it. I circled them a few times to get a good sense of 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. before thinking of doing any dowsing.

As you can see from the pics, it is a beautiful double circle with plenty of energies to go around and play with, which is what I did for a fair while before getting down to some serious business.

I began by asking whether this was a good place for me to ask questions about my quest, Yes

My quest here was to see how I could fix my in-ability to practice self healing (see link above) I had already found that this was affecting my world considerably and I wanted to learn more about it and importantly how to fix it.

So I dowsed for an appropriate place and found it, oddly just out side the circles. A kind of wet little patch that had a soft depression, hmmm who am I to argue with the rods? Actually I did and asked several times to be taken to the most appropriate place and each time the same answer was forthcoming! You would think it would be inside or between the two circles wouldn’t you? But no, this was a boring little place about 5 foot outside of the cicles.

I asked whether any “tools” would be required and the rods said no to incense and crystals, cool. It was just me and the rocks.

I asked whether I could learn more about why I couldnt energetically self-heal, the answer was a surprising yes. I felt that this was a really good place to figure things out, the answers were coming easy and with no fuss.

Was I infected with something? No. This was a good answer to get, as I had tried Energy bombs and the like as well as crystal aided protections but none of these had produced any results.

Had someone done something to me? A scary question to ask, but needs must and the answer came back…kind-of. I was puzzled, but hit on what I thought was the answer…Ah, had someone un-intentionally done something to me? No. O that was a let down.

I mused and pondered the “kind-of” result whilst a huge family of people and dogs walked through the circle. Then it popped into my head, Did I do this to myself? Yes.

A very interesting answer if not more puzzling. I had done this to myself, Intentionally, I asked – this got, what Gwas and I call a “Half-Yes” answer, i.e. one rod swings in a “YES” mode and the other remains motionless. This is the response that I got, a half-yes.

As I explored this answer further I learned that I had done something (what I don’t know) and that the consequences had been to leave me in this state.

Could I fix the problem? Yes, Today? No. Was it dangerous for me to be in this state? Yes. Very? Yes. Crap! Then why couldn’t I fix it? Was it not the right time or place? Both…and something else…I wasn’t ready. Great!

Further intuition came in the form of telling me that the cure (to use a word) was more dangerous that the problem. Wow now that was a surprise result.

When would I be able to heal or cure this issue? I used the days/weeks/months year scale and ended up with a “before the end of the year” answer. That’s a relief.

Let me just describe the scene for a moment…the sun was shining brightly, the air was crisp and fresh, no wind and it was warm enough not to need a coat. All on the moors in mid December. I am sure some, if not all of this was combining to create a fantastic dowsing experience.

I still had so many questions, why, how, for what purpose (if any). And also when had it first manifested? I couldn’t recall exactly I knew it was recent though…weeks maybe a 2 or 3 months at most. Was it anything to do with my move to Devon? I asked, and got a half-yes.

I think it was then that it hit me – square between the eyes…has this anything to do with my Energetic Double? Yes, wow the rods spun on themselves!

Interesting and interesting…

I pondered this idea for a while and as I did the penny slowly and surely dropped from cog to cog, like one of those old penny games in arcades).

Of course I couldn’t be specific about the dates but it sure felt like the timing was good, in that I had noticed the healing issue sometime before I was tasked with finding my Energetic Double.

Then there was the issue with Dreaming too, if I recall my arcane law correctly, I think that the Energy Body has something to do with Dreaming too? It fitted into place.

But was this leading to the conclusion that my Energy Body and I were at one time one? I asked the rods and the answer came back, Yes. I wondered if I had asked this question before, now it seemed like an obvious question to ask? But I couldn’t recall having asked it.

What about this matter of me merging with my Energy Body being a dangerous thing? I asked the rods and they still confirmed that it was highly dangeous. But why?

I had been merged with it before I even knew it existed, so why was this merger any different? Til now I had been on a intuitive roll but now I couldn’t find an appropriate question to ask.

I asked whether the resolution to my issue a merging of me and my Energy Body? Yes. But now was neither the time or the place, I was told. But still before the year was out.

Would it be dangerous? Yes, but less than me not being without my self-healing power. Hmmm…

Again, my mind was filled with why? Why had it been mortally dangerous 6 weeks ago and less so now?

Had my circumstances changed since then? Yes. Really? How?

I pondered that last question, my circumstances had changed of course, in many ways in the last 6 weeks. but these were as Gwas calls them changes in the mundane world, were these the circumstances that I was being told about? Yes.

It was right at that moment that three Crows flew out of nowhere and landed on the stones before me, they cawed three times and then flew off. Seriously!

I watched there flight in a kind of daze and recalled the crows from earlier in the morning. Coincidence? After all North Devon is literally crow city, as I have mentioned before.

“Of course it is, that’s why you were sent here”

Where did that thought come from? The place where I am staying has so many crows flying around that I had given up on the second day of being here in trying to gain a “sign” from them, they were everywhere. Now it seems I was being told that “that” was the sign. I queried my supposition and it was affirmed.

The whole town being filled with crows was a Uber Sign and I had missed it, because it was too big. Wow!

And if you recall from previous posts, I was shown that I would land in the South West coast of the UK when I had been looking for my Energy Double atop Gop Hill some months ago.

You see, how this one single penny was dropping and knocking lots of things into place?

I wondered as to why I had split from my Energy Double? Was there a reason? A cause? Was it a good thing or bad thing? Indifferent even? Questions poured out of me and the rods rapidly supplied an outline…

Personal energetic development had caused my double to split from me, to “come out” as I think its called. But it hadn’t been controlled, foreseen or catered for and so it had (and is) causing me energetic damage.

The Ancient Yew (from whence I gained the quest of finding my Energy Double) hadn’t gone into this detail and had just said, “find your energy double”

I had leapt at the quest without a thought as to why and wherefore. Apparently wiser heads were steering a path.

Now it seemed that the shoe was on the other foot. It was my turn to stalk my energy double.

As readers will know, in previous excursions I had picked up the knowledge on how to call it (at Druids Circle one windy night).

I had also learned how to protect myself from its full gaze (at Arbor Low).

Without me knowing it I had been given the tools and knowledge to continue my quest.

Now what remained was to find out when, where and how.

Kal Malik – Hunter

Last minute sunny-day decision to divert to Arbor Low

As we drove into the hills, I realised that we were passing close to Arbor Low and with the weather being auspiciously fine, I suggested that we take in Arbor Low as we have never had the occasion to visit that site with such great weather. In an instant it was agreed and we changed tack and headed towards the Stonehenge of the north.

We arrived in good time and dropping a few coins into the box, we walked up the slight slope towards this magnificent artifact, all the while marvelling at the weather conditions.

Learning what to do on the outside of the circle

Gwas being more akin with moon energies sought an appropriate path into the circle. I, being more irreverent, just walked in. I have to say I love Arbor Low. It is a hard task master of a site but it is always rewarding and their is always something new to learn there. I think Gwas once played with a theory that sacred sites were ancient teaching areas. If there was ever such a place, it is definitely Arbor Low.

As I walked about the place, letting it feel my energies and vice-versa, I asked whether there was any “Energetic Double” work I could do here. The swing to a “yes” was remarkable (did I mention that this is the Stonehenge of…) So I asked to be directed to a place where I could discover what to do. The rods took me to a place just outside of the circle of stones. I was surprised because I expected it to have been inside it someplace (perhaps a power center).

I dowsed around the place trying to figure out why this spot was the best and finally intuition kicked it and I discovered that that spot was where the DragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. that resided at Arbor Low was currently situated.

As a quick point of interest I dowsed for the best place for me to conduct this days work and the rods took me inside the circle. But didn’t cross. They just wandered around aimlessly in the circle. Intuition kicked in again and I asked, could I work anywhere in Arbor Low? Yes!

How to entice my energetic double – not being able to fake “intention”

As I paced about the Dragons Spot I queried the rods as to what I should be doing here and eventually I got to an answer. I was going to learn how to call my Energetic Double. Wow, a frightening enterprise as I had previously been told that if I physically encountered my energetic double the experience would end in my death. Seriously!

So I was very apprehensive about this venture and further dowsing revealed that normally (at my current stage) I would have a snow ball in hells chance of calling my double, but here at “this” sacred site it might come. But I also learned that this wasn’t to be the aim of this exercise. At this time I was only supposed to learn how, not actually call it.

Setting up a decoy

I dowsed for instructions and slowly they dawned on me. I had to begin with intending my Energetic Double to hear my call. But, I questioned, could I “pretend” intend? My point was how did one pretend to intend something? How could you practice it? I asked the rods if I could pretend to intend, No. But I was still supposed to intend? Yes.

For many minutes I sat upon one of the stones and mused on this dilema. After a while my focus returned to my present and I noted that I was staring at a little rock that was right by the DragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. Spot. I knew that it was significant in someway. So I went over and picked it up (Yes you guessed it) I asked whether it needed to be in another place? Yes. So I moved it to a known power center in the circle.

After I returned to my seat to muse some more over my dilema a thought occured to me, “that rock is a decoy” If you use it as such you can intend for your Energetic Double to hear your call without the fear of it appearing.

What, where, how??? I have no idea! But that is what the dowsing told me so I was going to put my life into its hands, so to speak.

Doing the work on the inside

As I mentioned earlier, the work was to be done inside, anywhere apparently was good. So I went to one of the nearby stones that had a comfy seat on it and sat down to “sing” to my double.

How to call your energetic double

It is odd that afterwards when Gwas and I were comparing notes on our days work. He had been trying to make himself invisible, whereas I had been trying to make myself seen. This then is the way “for me” to call my energetic double and it is surprisingly simple.

I visualised my own “current” energy rising from my body some ten foot above me and the like a lighthouse flashing energy in all directions. I was a bit concerned with this since I thought, wasn’t I saying “here I am” to every energetic thing out there? The answer came “no”, because I had intended the message for my double.

As a side note, As I did this “signaling”, I felt a tug from the rock that I had placed in the circle. It felt akin to it grounding me in some way and I knew that my “protection” was in place.

I had a feeling that my energetic double had heard my call and I wanted to go and try to visit it like I had done at the Druids Circle. But try as I might I could not. As I puzzled over this an intuited answer popped into my head, “It is too far”. Wow, I thought were could it be? And an aswer came to me that it was in a parallel reality and I hadn’t a hope of breaching that barrier, even as a “astral” energy.

Seriously!

Do I have to believe in all this stuff?

Kal Malik ~ the disbeliever