The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘crows’

We are still on our first day in Ireland, having just landed at the hotel and taken a breather from our long journey through the “non toll” roads of Dublin, we decided to hit out for Tara.

As Gwas will no doubt relate some of the historical aspects of this site I will deal with an interesting experience that occurred there for me.

We arrived, the long way around (this seems to have been a popular theme in Ireland) and the sun was just setting across the western countryside.

I wandered around the many gentle mounds of the site and eventually ended up in the church yard that is situated there.

The church is dedicated to St Patrick and to be honest, that late in the evening with the many crows nests above, it could have easily doubled as any Hammer House of Horror setting.

With the crows squawking there sleeping call I sat where the dowsing rods had led me i.e. in the church yard there looks to be the remains of a wall. You can see it in the picture below. So there I was, having been “called” to this haunting place by the rods promise of an “interesting” place.

After many moments of contemplation, with no result and it getting a bit cold, the day had been gorgeously sunny but the night was much cooler. I was thinking that it was about time to leave.

When a couple of crows landed right infront of me. They gave me a true fright and I half got up to run, but in the past I have had strange portents with crows so I decided to watch these with intent. They both jumped about and seemed to be fighting over some food on the floor, but I couldn’t see any. Then after a few minutes they let off an almighty screeching…it sounded to me like they were screaming “kay-leech, kay-leech” after a couple moments of this one flew off, then the other. I was dumb struck by the behaviour of these creatures and the mesasage they were trying to communicate.

About fifteen minutes later I met up with Gwas and we exchanged experiences. I asked him whether he had heard of anything called kay-leech. His response was no, so I let it skip from my thoughts. Then some time later to fill a curious void I decided to google it (at great expense!) and as I put in the words, google suggested …”caileach”

What! Seriously! I delved further…

“The cailleach is a sort of mystery; a Goddess who survived eons after her worship died out. she is vastly ancient, so ancient that we virtually nothing of her original myth and ritual. she can be found in Ireland and Scotland and England, traced through folklore, through the names of ancient monuments and natural wonders, and through enigmatic verses and stories.
It is not possible to obtain an idea how long she was worshiped, or by whom. The Celts came to the lands of the Cailleach some 2000 years ago. bringing their own pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. The new arrivals recognized the Cailleach as already ancient, for as a famous Irish poems says, ‘There are three great ages; the age of the yew tree, the age of the eagle, the age of the Cailleach.’ It is impossible to know what this Goddess meant to her original worshipers.
Cailleach must have been very important, for she did not disappear as countless other divinities have, If nothing is truly known about her, paradoxically she is still alive, still a power in the lands once dedicated to her. from these vestiges, we can reconstruct  something of the powerful original figure of ancient times.
She had many names Cailleach Bheur or Carlin in Scotland; Cally Berry in northern Ireland; Cailleach ny Groamch on the Isle of Man; Black Annis in Britain; the Hag of Beare or Digne in Ireland. She was of fearsome appearance, with only one eye an eye of preternatural keeness, in the middle of a blue black face.  She was noted to have red teeth and hair white as a frosted snow covered mountain top. Over it she wore a kerchief and over her dull grey clothing a faded plad shawl.” Source: Order of White Moon

What did this mean? I was at a loss to explain it that night, but the next day had more revelations and a deal to be had. But if you want a hint…it is right there in the text above…”There are three great ages; the age of the yew tree…”

Just before I finish this post I want to mention the locations that this path took:

• It started at Tara and St Patrick
• More was revealed at Knowth
• Concluded at Four Knocks

Google is a fantastic tool and I searched for a connection with these terms and found one that connected Tara, St Patrick, Caileach and Four Knocks… An Imbolc Celebration , stay tuned for more!

Bless,

Kal

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.’s Egg: Avebury

In the final part of chasing 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.’s trail I found myself amongst the most impressive of Wiltshire’s ancient sites – the immense stone circles of Avebury. I arrived at 6pm as the sun was beginning its descent and shadows were growing long and dark across the split village. The occasional traffic still rumbled through, but parking was much easier than previous visits. Avebury can become a bustle on holidays, and even now it was hosting the occasional small family groups and couples admiring the ambience.

I got my dowsing rods out unashamedly – well, if I couldn’t dowse here where could I? All day the rods had drawn interested people over to question their purpose and capabilities. Each enquirer had been polite and genuinely interested. I guess this area attracts inquiring minds. I asked the rods to take me to the place where I could meditate upon 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.’s Egg (see previous post: Uffington). I was confident and hopeful as I was clearly guided around the avenues of stones, taking the straightest path to a stone on the south-western side of the village, close to the road and the ditch.

This image, taken from the interesting article on the JS Design web site, shows the south-western sector in which I found the stone I should sit next to:

(c) John Smout – JS Design

As I dowsed along a line of stones the rods reacted to one, directing me in a spiral around it until both rods touched the stone – this was the exact spot I should meditate at. I looked around – the sun was shining on the side where I should sit, there were very few people near the stone, and there was a perfect path of grass for me to sit on.

I took up a comfortable position facing the last rays of the sun and relaxed. I concentrated on feeling 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.’s egg shaped area that I had in my chest area. Weird, I know. But I could feel it energetically, although it had no physical properties at all. As I cleared my mind of thoughts a flock of crows rushed overhead, cawing gently as they whirled round towards some trees at the edge of the ridge that enclosed the stone circle.

Despite being in what I felt was an appropriate mood I felt none of the magick that I had felt so far this day. I stood up and looked at the stone. Its pitted marks drew my attention. I picked up my dowsing rods and asked a few questions about whether these holes were relevant at all. I got a positive response. Several minutes later I had worked out that there was a series iin which I should ‘activate’ the stone, by placing my hand in certain holes in a specific order. It was very similar to one of the stones at Nine Stones Close in Derbyshire that I had decoded for myself recently. Now confident that I had the potential to unlock some special energy field I tried to replicate the sequence I had dowsed.

Something was wrong, however. The first few holes had felt warm, but then I put my hand in a cold hole and stepped back. Not what I was expecting. Oh damn, I realised, I had done it in the wrong sequence! Now all the holes felt cold as I tried to repeat the sequence. It wasn’t working now. I had blown it in my impatience! Just a few more moments memorising the sequence and a bit less haste in executing it might have been a different story, but now it seemed I might not get another attempt at this.  As if to answer that silent question the flock of crows flew back from the trees over my head cawing again.

That was the end of my day. I retired to the Seven Stars Inn a few miles away and pondered what I might do the next day. Would I continue this 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.’s Trail? Would I try to do something with 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.’s egg again? Would I find a crop circle in the area still? Or would something even more amazing happen. As it turned out, the next day was going to top even this one!

However, in a coinciudence that took the mickey  as I made my way over Windmill Hill late that evening. and parked up scanning the fields below for crop circles, a song came on the stereo - it was British Sea Power’s song “It Ended On An Oily Stage” which contains the lyrics “He found God in a Wiltshire field, whilst you did not.” OK lads – no need to rub it in! I hadn’t found any yet! Maybe next time I would learn to be a bit more focused.

Gwas Myrddyn

Holding on to 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.’s tail.

Technically we may have wandered across county borders, but essentially we were dealing with Shropshire circles this day – April 31st. One of the circles we wanted to visit was actually in Powys, but we don’t really care for county boundaries much. After all – they change shape with the seasons. Many lovely things lie in wait for the inquisitive traveller in Powys, but there’s a lot of ground to cover for that reward. I’m going to summarise this visit where possible to stop you all from yawning and drowning in the detail. There are, nevertheless, some interesting things to come out of this day’s visit to Kerry Hill circle, Mitchell’s Fold and The Hoarstones circle. Some interesting developments in our findings about the nature of nemeton field energy and our interactions with it.

Kerry Hill  circle

Track to Kerry Hill circle

We parked at a small official car park at the entrance to what seemed like a decimated conifer forest somewhere in Wales. That’s what the first ten minutes of walking entailed, walking past stacks of ripped, cut and shredded conifers stacked in neat bundles, ready for who-knows-what fate. Not a fun start. When we found the small circle in a field at the top of the hill overlooking the top of the valley though, we were in better spirits, and here’s what we found at Kerry Hill circle:-

• Twenty feet wide circle of small stones.
• Centre stone was a link point for neutral arcing energies from all stones except one.
• The one stone with no link was a female transformer stone. It transformed starlight energy mainly, with a little bit of moonlight.
• The central stone dowsed for male, female and neutral energies – a white 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..

• We traced the combined male and female energies around the stones and they formed a flowing path that circled all the stones.

Mitchell’s Fold

Mitchell’s Fold circle nestles in the arms of Corndon Hill, on a plateau between the hills and still above the surrounding valleys. I’m going to leave most of this to Kal, as he really enjoyed this site, and seemed to get the most out of it. We dowsed for what type of energies made up the site, and what its radiant source was, and found that the site was mainly male energy, obtained from starlight, but that the female transformer stone was also creating a male energy pattern around the site. This suited Kal snugly, whereas I did not get such a good connection with it, even though I enjoyed the atmosphere and feeling of the place. It was more suited to a sun-aligned energy worker like Kal.

Here’s what we found:-

• Instantly we liked it, as soon as it hove into view. We started at the King Stone. Kal dowse this, as I took an interest in the collection of stones that surrounded a small depression or hollow.
• The hollow, I thought, was a shelter where people visiting the stone circle would prepare for whatever energy work they were about to perform.
• The King Stone was full of male energy and linked to the main circle.

• My major revelation was to ask about the interwoven energies that surrounded the site, which we call its nemeton. I asked how many times I should follow the lines around the circle and got the answer of four.
• As I walked around dowsing each circular line it became more erratic. Each time around the sway from side to side got wider – the amplitude of the sinewy wave form got larger.
• When I dowsed the four lines again the final time around the spikes in the energy field were only two feet across the base, but each spike was five or six feet in length! This told me that my perambulations were having the effect of ‘stirring up’ the energies, making them more active.

This seemed like a breakthrough in understanding these energies. Interaction through perambulation caused an increase in the vibrancy of the site’s circular energy formations. That’s how it felt, if you were paying the right kind of non-attention to it.

• Kal’s meditations kept bringing out the sun. Another thing I noticed was that there seemed to be an endless number of crows around that day.
• My meditation was initially aimed at sending healing energy to my wife, but it wasn’t happening. I re-directed the energy I had accumulated to the birds that I could hear chirping gently in the Spring air. When I came to the noise level of one particular bird became so loud that it was funny, then he flew in front of us performing acrobatics until we smiled and grinned in appreciation.
• Met a couple of other people at the site and introduced ourselves. They were called Amanda and James, and wanted to try their hands at dowsing. She got a response, he wasn’t so convinced. Rapidly they both stop doing it – too freaked out? She confesses she has been up here before dancing with a strange group of people. Kal confesses something similar. I think they just want an excuse to dance with strangers.
• On to the Whetstones – a blasted and ruined collection of rocks in a vaguely circular formation only hundreds of yards away from the main site. Quickly we decide there’s nothing to be salvaged or gained from this site.

The Hoarstones

Again it was difficult to find. All we had was a printed OS map obtained from MultiMap, and Aubrey Burl’s scant directions. Still, if Burl had bothered to record it I supposed it was worth visiting. We wandered down a path alongside a wood to emerge into a fallow field. As we scanned you could see a clump of grass and gorse that signified an un-ploughed area, and we tromped towards it eagerly. When we got there we could easily spot the four feet high central stone, but most other stones were couched in marsh reeds or clumps of winter grass.

Here’s what else we found out:-

• Quickly identified our favourite stones – mine was a triangular flat stone about ten feet away from an iron spike that had been driven into the ground close to one side of the circle.

• Kal’s favourite stone in the circle was on the same side as mine, but as further ten feet away from mine.
• Having identified male and female power centres Kal started asking about black power centres and streams. He identified three places – the central stone, a stone in the far eastern side, and the stone next to the four feet tall iron spike.
• The white power centres we sat upon didn’t seem to have the usual empowering effects. We dowsed them to find that they were being counter-balanced by the negative black streams.
• The black streams, or sha energies, were being produced by the placement of the iron spike. We both have found that iron is counteractive to earth energies, causing them to re-direct, be cancelled, or change quality their qualities to mix with the neutral energy created by that metal. Neutral and male energy forms black streams, in our experience – energies of a harmful or disruptive vibrational frequency.

Kal and I worked at the site to re-balance the energies into a more harmonious relationship, and the end result that Kal dowsed proved to be very favourable. We felt quite calm and contented as we packed to leave. It felt like a great day’s work all round, and we hadn’t had to rip any spikes out with our teeth!

Gwas.

Following a sha stream.