The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘Cheshire’

My Beltane quest, to be completed before the Summer Solstice, is the “See with the eyes of The Hawk”. That was the message from the ever-useful Llangernyw Yew tree meditation that I did within the hollows of one of its ancient branches. Whilst trying to interpret this information I had tried to elicit a bit more information from the other sites I had visited that Beltane day on the 1st May and had found out that the vision was an ariel view of a landscape figure showing a hawk in flight.

Whistlebitch Well

The starting point to find this figure in my locality would be a sacred spring or holy well somewhere in Cheshire. It didn’t take me long to draw up a list of the 20+ wells in the county and then work my way through them with the help of the dowsing rods to eliminate all but the last – Whistlebitch Wellnear Utkinton. Seemingly, at one time this was a much-visited attraction, but its whereabouts are much harder to discern today. I went out one evening in the fading sunlight to try to find it. If it still existed then perhaps I could try to get in touch with the spirit of the well and reveal some more information about my quest?

I passed a gentleman walking his dog in the woods close to the well and asked him if he knew of it. He knew of many of the features of the surrounding woods, having spent thirty years walking the area, and was able to show me pictures of many of the features too! He was unsure about the well, though, unless I meant the old St Stephen’s Well that was close to where we stood chatting? That must be its alternate name, I said, there was only one well in the area. He said he thought it was connected to the stream we were standing on top of, so I bade him a kindly farewell and followed my instincts to walk through a field next to the stream. Then I heard what sounded like a water source in the damp ditch next to the field. I gingerly waded through the nettles to find the remains of a signpost and a square iron cover – just like the pictures on the Megalithic Portal – this was it!

Whistlebitch Well near Utkinton, Cheshire

After having uncovered the well and washed my crystals in its waters I laid them our around me and meditated to the sound of the trickling waters. Soon I was in contact with the spirit of place, a male water spirit, who was very glad that someone had visited and more so that they were being respectful of the place. I asked the spirit what he knew of The Hawk of May, but he was unable to expand upon that concept. He was only a lowly Nature spirit watching over this well, and who did not go anywhere else or meet any Hawk of May spirits. I would have to figure this one out alone.

The Landscape Figure

Back at home I began to investigate maps of the area around Whistlebitch Well. Would anything reveal itself to me about the outline of roads, paths, tracks and rovers in the area, or be revealed in the names of places? I had experience of reading about Katherine Maltwood‘s Glastonbury Zodiac figures, and Mary Caine‘s subsequent revival of the concept which she then began to apply to the Kingston-Upon-Thames area too. I knew what a landscape figure might look like, but could I find one in a modern map?

After several hours of scrying, this figure appeared:

The figure is formed primarily by the crag ridge of Willington village, and is centred on the village of Utkinton. It extends as far as Cotebrook at its east side, and Duddon to the west and Boothsdale to the north. At its northern extent is the natural feature of Primrose Hill, and within that is Whistlebitch Well. A road extending from the hawk’s beak seems to tether it to the village of Clotton. [full size map here].

The shape of the figure was suddenly so obvious to me that I started to get excited. What could this mean in terms of my current quest? Now that I had identified a possible landscape figure, what next? I was at a loss as to what to do with this information, and when in such a situation I tend to turn to a favourite divination tool of mine – the tarot.

Tarot reading about the quest

It just so happened that a friend of mine had gifted me some tarot cards that they didn’t want. They thought they would use them, but actually they weren’t suitable, but they thought that they would be perfect for me to use. I already have the Druidcraft Tarot, and was perfectly happy with the success of this deck, but nevertheless I decided to try out the “new” deck – The Tree Angel Oracle – to see how effective it might be. I must admit, I was slightly put off by the “Angel” reference and wondered if they might be a bit too “New Age” and “airy fairy” to be useful.

I would start simply – a three card draw to answer three simple questions about how I should interact with this Hawk of May and the landscape figure.

1. What gift should I bring for the Hawk? Card = The Pear – the gift should be intuitive.
2. How will we interact? Card = The Yew- in silent meditation, possibly at a yew tree, crossing into the Otherworld to meet The Hawk of May.
3. What will I gain? Card = The Sycamore – “Precision of the eagle”, “Clarity of the blue skies”, “The power of lightening” and “Breath of the winds.”

This is remarkable considering the reading was about my quest for “Meeting the Hawk of May”. Did this mean literally control of lightening and wind? I asked a psychic friend to interpret these symbols for me, and he told me that it was more to do with the wind symbolising the concept of sound, a sweeping away of barriers, and that this would signal the rise of a clairaudient ability. The lightening flash, he said, was symbolic of the ability to control these new druid powers that I was gaining. I was a little embarrassed by this, and the proof of it remains to be seen.

Soon I will recount the tale of meeting the Hawk of May and how prescient and useful these tarot card readings would be!

Gwas.

To coincide with St.George’s Day Gawsworth Hall are running their annual dowsing day, and I will be hosting the day along with my good friend Michael Clowes. This stunning old Cheshire hall and gardens provides the perfect setting for a day’s discussion and practical dowsing sessions interspersed with Gawsworth’s famous catering in the form of teas, coffees, cakes and sandwiches. Perfect for the beginner or intermediate dowser the course will go through a history of dowsing, its practical uses, techniques for getting started, and discussions about the many avenues in which dowsing can take the practitioner. Beginners get to learn their new skills in practical sessions in the Gawsworth rose gardens, and intermediate dowsers can hone their skills with a variety of different dowsing implements to test their skills.

Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire

In the afternoon there is discussion of the more esoteric aspects of dowsing including topics such as colour dowsing, spirit forms, divination and earth acupuncture. This is followed by another practical session in the grounds where a series of fun tasks are set to test your skills suitable to you level of ability. For booking, prices and general information please visit the web site at:

http://www.gawsworthhall.com or ring 01260 223456.

Come enjoy a lovely day out in the countryside and learn something fun, intruiging and exciting – it may change your life!

Gwas.

Follow the Hedge Druid on iTunes too

We have started the New Year back on track with the release of our first podcast.

There’s plenty to get your teeth into in this episode, including new books I’ve received this month, plus reviews of the ones that I have read too.

For the first time on a podcast I do a reading of a Ted Hughes poem, there is some response to reader feedback, and some indications of the directions we will be going in for the coming year.

Of course, there are all your favourite regular features too, so sit back and enjoy the latest podcast, to be found as always on our podcast page.

Happy New Year!

Gwas.

For what felt like a very long time (although, if I look back it is probably only a year or two) I have tried to locate the position of the Spirit of Place within Delamere Forest. The forest is one of the largest in Cheshire, and it used all year round by mountain bikers, dog walkers and anyone else within a fifty mile radius.

When I initially tried to locate the Spirit of Place (hereafter – SOP) I was led around in circles until, exhausted, scratched and dripping in sweat I admitted defeat. Since then I have tried several more times, each time being led on a wild good chase over hill and down dale to various end points that were clearly neither energetic nor particularly convincing as old and powerful trees.

This year, within the last month, I was diverted away from my usual homeward route and forced to go through Delamere. As Idrove through the forest I began to think about finding the SOP again and so I switched off my normal “guidance systems” and simply stated that I wished to be guided to the Spirit of Delamere if it was appropriate for me to meet it.

I drove part way along one of the forest roads and soon felt the urge to pull over in a place I wouldn’t normally stop because it is too close to the cluster of houses near to the village, and it is often very busy with cars. Today, however, it was clear and I stopped. I got out my dowsing rods and began some preliminary questioning – Which side of the forest road should I start on – the left or the right? RIGHT. I walked across the road and began to follow the rods, taking them with locating the spirit of place.

Delamere's beautiful paths

Within seconds I was being taken down a straight wide track that I had never walked on (because it is straight and wide, and not the kind of path I like). Luckily there were no people around at this time of the evening, but the path that the dowsing rods were describing was snaking side to side along the straight path, which filled me with confidence.

Some hundred yards down the track the trees began to encroach and darkened the path a little. Here the rods swung off to the right again, pointing into the cluster of young beech trees and wanting me to follow. I picked my way through their undergrowth only to find a small little-used path leading to another trail, again very small and winding. The rods wanted me to follow it along a ridge and then the trail began to dip into a hollow. As the trail turned towards the hollow I began to get snagged on brambles, ferns, to trip over roots, slide in mud…everything seemed out to stop me! How strange! Was something trying to protect itself? Birds began to make noises in the canopy above me, shuffling around, cawing nervously. Was I nearing something important?

I moved forwards more cautiously. As I did so I felt something and stopped. I felt a boundary, and energetic boundary. I stepped back and moved slowly forwards again. Yes, the air was different – back a step and the air was cool, move forward a touch and it was slightly warmer, and…thicker? More resistant?I recognised this as the boundary of an aura, and I asked permission to enter, asking that the “guards” be called off, and introducing myself as my druid name. I also stated my purpose – I was here to meet with the Spirit of Delamere should it allow me to do so. I waited for a sign. A little bird in a nearby tree chirped lovingly – a very different sound than I had been hearing all the way into the forest so far – and I knew this was a “go ahead” sign.

Now, as if my magick, I no longer got snagged on anything, or slipped, or tripped, despite heading down an incline at an angle along this narrow path. The undergrowth still spilled over the path but now it fell back easily as I passed. I walked down into the hollow and then stood at the bottom, as the path opened out, and stared at the sight before me…

The Spirit of Delamere Forest

There was a feeling emanating from this area. It crawled and pulsed with a life force that wreathed and writhed around you like so much invisible mist. I got my dowsing rods ready to ask some questions:

• Was this the strongest energy spot in the forest? YES.
• Was there a particular tree here that was the Father of the Forest tree? NO.
• Was there once a tree here which was the dominant tree of the forest? YES.
• Does the energy of that tree remain at this site? YES.

I felt privileged that I had finally been allowed to find and to recognise this place. I knew it for what it was now – the very beating heart of the forest, full of life, growing, pulsing, emitting life force. I sat and watched the wildlife for a few minutes to see how they reacted to it. Small birds landed alone onto the higher branches and sang songs. Flocks seemed to direct their course over the top of the clearing, as if drawn to it. No creatures seemed to go within it, though. It was as if they swarmed around it, but wouldn’t venture inside. Interesting. I wouldn”t venture in either – the land looked as though it wouldn’t support my weight. I wasn’t fooled by the green mosses and grasses. This was a place that demanded respect in many ways.

I said my farewells and made my way back to ‘civilisation’ and the gravelled paths. I felt so pleased and in a way a little better about how much I had progressed since my last efforts.

Gwas

Having just returned from a visit to Glastonbury with Kal (more about that very soon) I wanted to do something for the Summer Solstice and to keep it local. Where better, then, for me to go than to our local holy well – Plegmund’s Well in the little hamlet of Plemstall which adjoins the larger village of Mickle Trafford in Cheshire.

I had visited Plegmund’s Well earlier in the year on what was something of an uneventful excursion (hence no post), but now there was a good reason to go again because at this time of the year a local committee have revived the ancient ceremony of well-dressing. On my previous visit I had tested the energies of the well. They were weak to the point of non-existence, and the only energy that I could find was that left by people’s devotions (i.e. intentions of good-will, or adoring energy). No earth energy at all, which was unusual for a well, as running water, especially primal water that has passed through rock and minerals is usually quite energetically active. Here, there was none of that, although a set of iron railings prevented me from seeing inside the well itself (iron again! are people insane? iron at a sacred site nullifies energy!).

Who the smeg was Plegmund?

So, if this is Plegmund’s Well, who was Plegmund? Well, it turns out he was quite the scholar in the time of King Alfred. Here’s what the interweb has to say about the fellow:

“He was of Mercian descent and is believed to have lived as a hermit on what was at that time an island which became known as Plegmundeshamm or “The Isle of Chester” at Plemstall in Cheshire. He would have been affiliated to a monastic community either at nearby Chester or near the site of the current church of St Peter, Plemstall.” (source: Wikipedia)

The well dressing ceremony took place on Sunday 20th June, but the panels of creatively decorated flowers stays in place for the Solstice Day too. M and I went down to the church of St.Peter’s that was the original island that Plegmund lived on. There we found that we were fortuitously in time for a bit of tea and cake. As a huge cake lover I was particularly pleased.

We bumped into a friend of ours – a lady who was the last person to have been baptised in the waters of the well. That had been a tradition for all the children of the area for as long as anyone could recall. We chatted about the well-dressing ceremony, got a bit more background history, then went off to experience the well itself.

The Dressed Well

Britannia - emblem of The Lady in Britain

The lady depicted in the floral decorations around the well was Britannia – a mother goddess, a genius loca of the British Isles, and a personification of the nation. Britannia is the kind of emblem that has such modern connotations of nationalism, and yet has been a depiction of the Mother Goddess (The Lady) for so long that she inhabits the corners of the mind of every denizen of these isles, whether they realise it or not.

What I did do was to create a posy of wild flowers after asking permission from the local plants, and threw it into the well dedicating it to The Lady. You’ll see why I did that dedication when I reveal my Glastonbury experience soon.

No water flows through the well now since the nearby Shell plant lowered the water table of everywhere nearby when they extracted all the local water for their own purposes. This probably accounts for the lack of earth energy at this sacred site. That makes the ceremony of well dressing in this case is now just an echo, a memory of what its purpose once was, and a way of bringing local people together – a positive aspect and worthy for sure.

Britannia composed of seashells and flowers

Happy Solstice to all you druidic and dowsing people out there. May you keep alive, nay found your own local tradition to celebrate flow of the seasons.

Gwas.

Once upon a time, when I was a small boy growing into his own sense of identity, I went through a phase of what can only be called “gang mentality”. I was living in urban Nelson in Lancashire at the time, and my only thoughts were to have fun with my small coterie of friends. Our idea of fun was to race around, shouting, running through gardens, knocking on doors then running away, smashing found glass bottles, throwing stones at things, and anything else that could be classed as “small boy mischief”. We took delight in egging each other on to fresh heights of stupidity and crassness.

One incident in particular I remember for its utter simplicity. It’s devastating effect upon me would only be felt many years down the line and remains with me still. It’s a really inane thing, but this is what happened. My gang and I were walking down the main street in our neighbourhood and we had just bought some sweets. We were busy walking, eating and unwrapping the sweets as we went, and we each threw the sweet wrappers into the street, onto the pavement. A boy slightly older than us, but who had a look of being a ‘nerd’, or at least not as socially popular as we thought we were, he stopped as soon as he saw us doing this. He watched us with scorn in his eyes – with disbelief as we merrily discarded the waxed paper wrappers all around us.

I caught the look in his eye and so did my friends. We smiled at each other – instantly recognising that we all had the same idea, and we threw more wrappers down. Then the older boy did something that we didn’t understand. Without a word, he began to pick all the wrappers up and put them into his pocket. We looked at him in disbelief. He must be a simpleton! We could have some fun here! It was one thing to disapprove, but here he was cleaning up after us! We couldn’t miss this opportunity, so we began to test how willing he was to do this again, walking on a little bit then wilfully scrunching another wrapper, eating the sweet and throwing the paper onto the floor. He turned around and began to follow us, a few feet behind, picking each wrapper up silently!

This continued for far longer than was fun for us. He wouldn’t go away. Whenever we dropped a wrapper he’d pick it up. We walked for miles (having three big bags of sweets to play with) and still he silently followed us, mopping up after our disgraceful littering. That incident has stayed with me all my life. Now, thanks to that episode, I abhor littering.

Last night Kal and I were discussing the idea of “picking up the litter” of one’s life by making some form of retribution, or an act of kindness or service. Kal had already been through this process and explained the cathartic effect it had had upon him. I said that I felt like I needed to make some kind of gesture of service, but at the moment that was a nameless, placeless and faceless platitude that I was sure I would “get around to” one day soon. As we parted I mentioned that I might be going out the next evening, “on a dowsing mission” but that I didn’t know where yet. He wondered whether to come, but I responded “It will be wet!” observing the dark clouds above, and he shivered and declined to follow it up.

This evening I dowsed in my house for a direction to travel in – south. South? I never went south. It was all city, town and concrete to the south. East, West or North were beautiful, and all points around, but South…I had never been dowsing to the south of my home. South, the rods said. How far, I enquired. Four miles, just under. Where the heck was that? Mentally I scanned the area, knowing it well, but couldn’t see anything. I decided to drive four miles away to the south and see what happened.

I got in the car and drove the requisite four miles whereupon I reached a roundabout and instinctively turned left. Then I tried to turn into a cycle path thinking it was a junction on a dual carriageway almost causing a pile-up behind me. Waves of apology to all other drivers. Something had wanted me to turn in there, so I followed my hunch of keeping turning left in an ever-decreasing spiral. I ended up parking in a small village that I didn’t even know was there, just outside of the nearby city. As I got out of the car I noticed that at the end of the road there was the dual carriageway I had tried to turn off. Aha – this was the right place to start then. I found a quiet place and asked the rods for directions – my next turn will be….right, and after that it will be…left. Then I would walk one kilometre and I would arrive “there”, wherever “there” was!

I turned right up the main village road. Would I find a footpath going left? No, the next left was a small road. I walked the road for about a kilometre until it was about to cross over a motorway. But wait! There was a service road alongside the motorway with an open gate…. I asked the rods to guide me in. They swung along the service road, so I followed. Immediately they swung to the right, and I walked through a gap in the hawthorn hedge…to reveal a stunning sight – a small pond, surrounded by old willow trees and sitting by the side of a beautiful field carpeted by buttercups and wild flowers!

I had directed the rods to take me to a place where I could integrate all of the lessons I had recently learned in Ireland. Here was the place, I knew this, and it didn’t get any wetter than this – a pond! I sat on the edge of the pond and thought about why I was here at this place. As I gazed into the pond I realised what I was looking at – the willow tree opposite, and in the only bit of clear water in the whole pond, from this exact place I could see the tree’s entire reflection! I understood immediately that this was the image I had been seeking – the integration – all that is above the water line, and all that was below it in perfect symmetry – the very symbol of integration!

I meditated for a while hoping for some sort of inspirational message, but I on;y got one thought. To complete this integration, to learn my lessons, I had to clean this pond up. I had to come back and remove all the litter, the cans, the wrappers, everything that bespoiled the site. That was my mission. That was how I would finally erase the memory of that litter-bug incident – by an act of pure selflessness. I, and I alone would clean this pond up.

I will report back when the work is done. A Hedge Druid’s work gets harder every day!

Gwas.

This is the second post describing our Beltane excursion to Derbyshire’s finest megalithic sights. In the first post I introduced my reasons for being on this purposeful quest on this particular day, and now we were heading back to some more of our favourite sites but this time with a more relaxed approach, seeking only to learn whatever it would be our pleasure to acquire on this occasion. Little did I know that I was in for a bit of a revelation, and some fine titbits of dowsed information along the way. In this post we head back West from the heart of Derbyshire, picking out sites along the route.

5. Nine Ladies

We entered Nine Ladies from the longer and more fulfilling route from Stanton Moor. On the way we amused ourselves following energy lines without dowsing rods, spotting energetically-alive places and watching out for the signs of birds. All good tricks for a would-be druid to learn – we don’t always have dowsing rods handy to guide us, and developing a sense for energy is a useful skill that is bringing greater rewards the more we train ourselves to recognise its feeling and forms.

Nine Ladies from the King Stone

One thing struck me as we approached the gentle rise that marked the slightly higher ground of the stone circle’s siting – and that was that there were far fewer trees around this year, since our last visit last in 2009. The area felt…stripped back, opened out, as though it had had a severe hair cut, and perhaps against its will. A shudder went through me and I blocked the through out for fear of being overwhelmed. I had a tendency to get upset at things like this these days.

Here are some things we found out at Nine Ladies:-

• The oak “Wishing Tree” still feeds 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 ‘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., as previously identified.
• Water flows under the site, and there is indeed a blind spring – much to our amusement (because we so rarely find this feature that is supposedly common to ALL sites according to some dowsers who don’t seem to get out much).
• A pan type of spirit is present at Nine Ladies. Pan is a TYPE of spirit, not a particular singular spirit.
• The transformer stone was active during the sunlight/moonlight duality and it transforms male and female radiant energy and mixes it with neutral earth energy, splitting it out into male and female earth energy that circulates the site.
• There were four female energy rings surrounding the circle, of increasing amplitude – and one male ring that stayed close to the stones.
• A stone that I had identified as female during evening visits was identified by Kal as male this afternoon! It would seems that during the day some of the stones have different energy polarities. I verified this by dowsing the flat stone that I had always identified as being female and it too was male.

That last point is a bit of a bugger then. It means that all the diagrams I have posted on the Sacred Sites section need to come with a time stamp! I will have to introduce the caveat that the polarities are described as they were recorded and that they male be reversed depending upon the time of day/year/wind direction!!

Some people perambulating sunwise

We met a very nice couple from Shropshire (pictured perambulating in blue and black) with whom we had a discussion about the stone circles we had all visited. They were very forthcoming and knowledgeable about the site on Dartmoor and later even gave us a pencilled list as an aide-memoire of the long list of names they had discussed, for which I was very thankful. Kal and I are heading down there in August, and intend to visit these recommendations then.

6. The Bullstones

The sun was moving in on the horizon like a teenage boy edging towards the girl in glasses in the last few minutes of a school disco, and like the dance floor the sky had cleared completely. All around the blue-ness blazed at us as we headed back West towards the setting sun. There was another site I had in mind – The Bullstones.

I had recently met Michael Clowes – a highly sympathetic and complimentary dowser also local to the Cheshire area. He had held a one-day course at Gawsworth Hall which I had taken my wife M along to in order for her to, as she put it, “see what this stuff is that you’re into“. The day was very interesting and intimate, and the tuition unhurried and nurturing for all levels of skill. If you are free around the end of September I would highly recommend coming along – from beginner to expert, Michael has something to teach. And the jam-filled scones are not to be missed.

Michael was a revelation – here at last was someone who totally got where I was with my dowsing, and his relaxed but effusive style made me re-invigorated and re-assured as to my developing skills. Almost as an aside Michael had told the tale of his “coming into his powers” when he touched The Bullstone, and he described its location sufficiently well that I was able to find it later on a map. Guess what? We were going to see what happened when we touched it too!

A bullish stone

The circle was a disappointment. We edged nervously towards it, dowsing as to the appropriate approach point. Neither of us got any kind of “shock” of energy from the central stone. I felt a bubbling of energy up through the stone, but there was nothing else of interest surrounding it. We looked at each other, suspicion growing in our eyes – was this an actual stone circle? We were cautious. If it was it was practically the closest to us, and one we could visit regularly….but….something wasn’t right.

I went off to check the outlier I had seen in the adjacent field. After some barbed-wire hopping I found it’s smooth edge pointing back to the stone circle, but the direction of its alignment puzzled me – it wasn’t pointing at the circle exactly, but slight to one side of it….usually the circle-builder were SO precise about these things….suspicion was bubbling up again.

Bullstone outlier points to stone circle

Like the Hollywood denouoment of an episode of Scooby-Doo, by the time I had hopped back over the fence Kal had solved the mystery. He found that the circle had been reconstructed, and moved about twenty feet away from the original siting, which was on top of the hill, rather than the side where it is now. In the picture below you can just about see my copper L-rods marking the exact size and location of the original stone circle’s centre.

The original siting on the top of the hill had many alignments with surrounding hilltops, and we dowsed where the original five stones were, and the hills that they aligned to. I spun around on the spot, looking down at the ground, pinpointing the location of the five invisible spots where the original stones had been. Every time I said, “There!” Kal said – “…And that spot aligns to that distant hill!”. Each time I looked up and saw that he was right. Perhaps this site had once been another “hub” for ley lines like Arbor Low?

The real Bullstones location

And with that revelation the circle ceased to be of any use to us, and there was nothing to learn from or experience with it. It had been reconstructed. Even though the stone had been placed on another point from which earth energies were emanating, nevertheless there was no energetic value in the formations as they remained. We headed back to the car somewhat quietened by the experience. Another destroyed site, and why? What purpose did it serve to destroy it, or to move it?

7. The Bridestones

As we swung from side to side propelled by the centrifugal forces of the tight Derbyshire bends heading back towards Cheshire I felt like there was still more to be wrung out of the day. The sun was warm enough to be outdoors in comfort, I had no time pressures, and the day did not feel finished. I fished around for sites nearby, and we made a faint attempt to find a nearby standing stone, but missed the turn-off by a mile. Then it struck me with some force – I had forgotten that I had planned to visit The Bridestones near Congleton. And to top it all, where were we close to now? We were ten miles from Congleton. Decision made. And I knew how to get there (roughly). Best of all, Kal had never been before.

Sunset at The Bridestones near Congleton

I had forgotten about the protocol of respect required when entering new sites. Or rather, I paid my respects to 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., the spirit that watched over The Bridestones, but Kal flounced in and began stomping around like any old disrespectful visitor. I could see what was going to happen, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. Sometimes it’s more amusing not to.

For several minutes after clambering over the stones like a climbing frame Kal sported a puzzled look as he dowsed around. “I’m getting confusing results!” he complained. I gave him a disapproving look, “Well, you know why, don’t you?” He didn’t want to acknowledge that, and so ignored my unspoken advice and shrugged. Seems like he was not going to let it bother him, and he was certainly not going to apologise to the GL or defer to it. That’s his way, but this is one of the consequences – the spirit of the place was sending his rods haywire – he would get no sensible results from this site! He insisted the issue was due to him playing around with his aura – trying to make the crowd of young bulls move away. Could be, but I had other ideas. he was just being stubborn.

My dowsing results were good and consistent. Here’s what we found out during dowsing:-

• The genius loci spirit was localised to this site – it had never been anywhere else
• I found two centres – a combined male & female centre at the back of the burial chamber, and a neutral centre near to the entrance.

Youthful admirers

I asked the rods if this was a suitable site to obtain some information about the chakra colours and energies that I had been directed to research for the next few months. The result was that this site would be a good place to do that. I lit three incense sticks and placed them at strategic points around the site, and then prepared myself to go deep into a meditation. Here’s what I did:-

1. I was shown how to extract my own chakra energy when sitting on a combined male/female centre
2. I chose a root chakra/red colour energy, which was easy to extract on its own due to being sat within a male/female white energy stream
3. I pulled the energy out of my navel and shaped it into a ball
4. To prevent it disseminating I had to collect neutral energy out of my lower energy centre (dan tien) in order to coat it in neutral energy and keep it in a ball shape.
5. I had to expend some collected sun energy from my upper energy centre to harden the coating and ensure the neutral energy didn’t dissipate

A superb meditation centre

My second lesson was how to do the opposite, and for this lesson I went to sit on the neutral energy centre. Here’s what I did:-

• I used the moon to draw up neutral energy from the ground where I was sat
• Using my own male and female energy forms I created two streams of energy that flowed to the point where my body met the ground
• At this point the male and female energy acted as a filter so that I could draw the neutral energy up as only red light, or root chakra energy
• I refilled my root chakra with this red energy, then disconnected

This was a very difficult meditation, and one which I will have to practise in order to master it. Now I had learned how to extract only the specific energy frequency I needed, and how to replenish any energy that was used from the source “neutral white” light energy. I only had to learn to what purpose the seven different frequencies of light energy could be used, and I would have fulfilled the tasks I had been set for this time frame before my visit to Glastonbury at Summer Solstice.

Gwas.