The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘druid’

Introduction

This year has been the most fascinating year of my life. I have embraced areas of study that I has only ever fantasized about being involved with. I have learned things that I never believed in before, and have travelled further along my spiritual path than I thought I could. I am more aligned with my life purpose through the work I have done this year than I expected to be. I have visited places that I never thought I would see, and am more in touch with earth energies as a result of it.

In the following sections I answer some general questions that I posed to try to encapsulate this progress. Also included is Kal’s interpretation of those same questions – you will find these in the last post in the series. I hope that by the time you finish reading our summary of this year you will see just how far we have travelled in such a short time span. Some people we meet still pour scorn on our relative “youth” in these subjects. Of course they are right, we never know enough, but when you see how much information we are consolidating from so many sources, I think you will see that we are working hard to cover all aspects 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. research, and our work is fast-paced, thorough, considered and wide-ranging. Compared to many of those we meet, who seem to have a part-time dalliance with these subjects, I’m sure you will agree our work is fast, deep and meaningful, and everything we learn we gain from direct practical experience.

In the light of the amount of information produced this year I have divided the summary of the year into NINE posts, which I will be releasing for the rest of this month up until Christmas. Between Christmas and New Year I hope to reveal the results of the work that we were supposed to have undertaken this year – to find out whether earth energies do respond to specific times of the year. I think we have our answer already, but I’m going to wait for the Yule Winter Solstice to cap that research off.

What have I learned this year?

I learned so much this year that I almost feel as though my life’s education has started again. When I wrote it all out I found that I had accumulated so much information that I have had to divide it up into separate posts. The topics I chose to organise them into are:-

1. Natural MagickThis is a system of belief that is often defined as being the appropriation and re-use of naturally occurring forces for the purposes of healing, transformation, communication, or a host of other subtle effects. The natural elements of the magick can also be seen by the under-pinning concept that the use of these forces should be co-operative rather than coercive.
2. Dowsing and Earth Energies
3. Tree, Spirit and Death Energies
4. Astrology and Astronomy
5. Ancient Sites
6. Miscellaneous
7. Highs, lows, surprises and disappointments
8. A list of all the sites we visited this year
9. A summary from Kal’s perspective

Please forgive the inevitable cross-over between these categories – I have tried to place the information into the category that was most pertinent, with the inevitable “other” or “miscellaneous” bucket to catch the overspill.

A big growth topic this year was that of Natural Magick, as was the Tree,Spirit and Death Energies category. It seems that Kal and I have had many of our preconceptions overturned and have had to eat our words on many occasions as a result of some detailed dowsing work and an open mind in researching those areas. I will start off with Natural Magick.

Section 1: Natural Magick

The following information can loosely be classified as “Natural Magick” – the use of nature’s own energy forces and human creative potential to produce new effects and visions. My definition, as you can see, is quite general – I don’t include the usual categories associated with Natural Magic, such as herbology, spell-making, and the like. I started out the year by defining the rules of working in this manner, and the additional information is supplementary to that, and only limited by those rules and the human creative potential, it would seem. The information is on no particular order, other than being grouped here.

1-1. Some rules of Natural Magick:

• Intention must be honest, if only to yourself, in order to succeed
• The desired effect cannot be commanded, it must be negotiated, or asked for respectfully
• To contrive a circumstance in order to display an effect will guarantee failure,if not abject humiliation
• Your abilities are limited by your desire to learn, and the depth to which you can form a trusting relationship with Nature
• A degree of humility is required to execute natural magick, and smugness at a positive outcome will garner no respect.
• Conviction and sincerity make the relationship stronger, and the outcome more defined.
• Leave your intention fuzzy and a fuzzy event will occur which only partially fulfills the intended result.
• Results come when they should be delivered, not when you want them to be. Again, tied to the concept that the forces of Natural Magick will not be ordered around.

First stated early February. I have not been able to contradict any of these as the year progressed.

1-2. The historical/mythical figure of Merlin is a significant totem figure for me. He is like a form of spirit guide, but not personally connected to me. I encountered his presence at the ancient site of Dinas Emrys, near to the mountain of Snowdon in Wales – a place traditionally associatesd with Merlin.

1-3. Totem animals: Kal has the crow, I have the dove/pigeon/eagle. Theysometimes indicate significant events, sights or show us direction, and can guide our intuitive responses when we go out to sacred sites.

1-4. A pilgrimage may seem like an old-fashioned concept, something that may only be a religious remainder. Our experience of inadvertantly making such a journey was something quite profound: a spiritual journey through the chakra points, each one awakening at the special places we visited, and each one progressively opening up channels to higher spirituality and connectedness.

1-5. This year saw the emergence of the double helix of energy in my meditations. I now began to connect using two threads – one male and one female. This seemed to echo my progress into the second stage of Druid development – the Yew Stage.

1-6. Following a path with a heart has opened up my life to influences that have enhanced my well-being and desire for life. A path with a heart may be defined as being acts or intentions, decisions or choices that one makes that are instinctively right, and not based upon the usual rational characteristics of what is sensible, beneficial, rewarding, or easy.

1-7. Some sacred sites promote the ability to perform magical acts, such as telepathy. I encountered this particularly at sites that were less “famous”, i.e. less visited, and yet which still maintained a strong energy. The covered alleyway at Créhen in Brittany, in particular, demonstrated to me how easy it was to transmit information to another person whilst there.

1-8. Seeds or fruits containing seeds seem to serve as perfect gifts or things to leave at sacred sites. I felt from the outset that something ought to be given in return for gaining skills, visions or information, but the usual trinkets (ribbons and the like) did not suit me. Instead I have found that, for me, a seed, an apple or a pine cone, or something similar always gets a positive response when dowsed as to whether it is a suitable or fitting gift to leave at a site.

1-9. Sigils, often dowsed as manifestations of a site’s energy signature, can be found and used as means to gain entry into an energetic relationship with a site.

1-10. Cup-marked standing stones within stone circles have been found to be maps which can unlock the power centres within the circle for energy work. This now needs to be tested at a greater number of sites, but for several already this has proved to be accurate.

1-11. Setting up protection before doing any energy work in a new place is essential to self preservation. I now have to thank the unusual small man whom I met in Alderley Edge a couple of years ago – you were right and I was wrong – thanks for your advice!

1-12. Overcoming fear in a forest or other natural space allows you to be as one with the place, and this opens up the range of possible experiences, as animals will not be frightened of you. I now want to discover how being fearful may change one’s energy field.

1-13. I was shown a vision of an ancient magician performing a ritual in which the circle’s energy was activated and he was in charge of the energy. The elements of his work are things I will now have to put into practise myself next year. I have learned that rituals have their place, but that their paraphenalia is not for me.

1-14. Sigils and crop circle formations ought to be meditated upon to act as keys to the entry into the Otherworld. This was the lesson of the Knighton Hill maize circle. I have yet to discover anything from these patterns, however, so can’t confirm this.

1-15. A dream seat can be found at major stone circles used for transformation – this promotes shamanic flying, or out of body experiences of the profoundest kind. The Llangernyw experience definitively proved this to me, as did the Castlerigg stone circle.

The most magickal experience of the year

Glastonbury at Summer Solstice when I felt integrally connected to the whole area’s energies and felt like I was in an increasingly mystical state of mind.

Gwas.

For some time now I have been trying to get closer to the spirit of Merlin. In the fabulously detailed and helpful book “Walkers Between the Worlds” there is a section dealing with such encounters. One of the recommendations is to immerse yourself in the history of that figure. Done that. Next, the Matthews’ recommendation is to visit some of the sites associated with that figure. Well, I’ve done that too. But one of the places that regularly comes up in the literature about Merlin is Dinas Emrys.

In his book “Merlin And Wales” Michael Dames says this of Dinas Emrys:-

“Three miles due south of Wales’s highest mountain, Snowdon, stands a steep-sided, flat-topped hillock. Rising a mere 76 metres *250 feet) above the river Glaslyn’s valley floor, it is known as Dinas Emrys. Din Emreis, as it was termed in a charter of AD 1199, plays an outstanding role in the welsh Dark Age and mediaeval tradition. Here Vortigern, king of Britain, tried to build a refuge. Here the boy Merlin almost lost his life while red and white dragons intertwines in a magic pool beneath his feet.“

A good summary of the story to be found here: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/legends/dinas_emrys.html and a study of Vortigern in history can be found here: http://www.vortigernstudies.org.uk/artwho/dinas2.htm.

For me the place had an almost magnetic attraction. I have experienced such a “pull” before from other sites. It starts as a recurring thought, then becomes an insistent thought, then a growing physical feeling in your heart and stomach that you have to visit, and finally you can’t think of anything else but getting there! It really is a strange compulsion. It feels like waiting for Christmas as a child.

I set my hopes and expectations quite low for this visit. I was going to have to go after work, and I knew the travelling time would be at least two and a half hours from there. Even in Summer I would have little time to appreciate the site, and that’s if I found it straight away. I decided that this visit would be a simple recce: find out where it is, how to get up there, what’s there, how it feels, quick dowse, go home.

As I approached Snowdonia I realised I had come ill-prepared. No head torch. No OS map. No compass. All I had was a zoomed in MultiMap print off of the area around Beddgelert. Well, perhaps luck would take over and guide me there? Maybe.

I parked at the National Trust car park at Craflwyn Hall. It only took me half an hour of walking up the hill to realise that I was walking up the wrong one. I had parked too far away! I got my GPS out to check my hunch: the batteries ran out immediately. Oh this was too much! I saw below me the outline of a hill that I felt was familiar – that must be Dinas Emrys. I raced back down the hill, realising that I was now even shorter on time, and that the light would only be with me for another hour!

Parking in a lay-by next to the hill I found a gate and a path that headed off gently along the hillside. The path reminded me of the labyrinthine path around Glastonbury Tor. Was I going to be walking myself into a trance state?  As I walked up I soon arrived at a caravan park. Oh dear. Should I be going through there? I didn’t know. I decided that the best policy was not to disturb anyone, so to avoid the caravans I went straight up the hill, following some incredibly steep animal paths through the ferns, and in between the boulders.

Drenched in sweat I reached the summit, and connected with the proper path that I should have taken from the caravan park. I make that sound easy but at one point I thought I might slip and die it was so steep! On top I walked around to find the castle remains – there seemed to be about three small peaks on top of the summit area. I headed towards the one with the tree.

This area turned out to be the main ‘castle’ remains – a rectangular set of walls enclosing a lower grassy area with some marsh reeds. Marsh reeds? To me that signified flies, midges and other biting insects. Hmmm. And here I was covered in sweat – an attractive meal, no doubt. Immediately I dowsed for the entrance to this enclosure: it was due east, and the exit was south next to a large ash tree.

The ash tree dominated the site. It was unlike any ash tree I had seen before – having a splayed out canopy, and a trunk whose bark was battered and old, yet still maintained an integrity against the moss, lichen and weathering. I was quite taken by it.

I tried to meditate for a short a while, but the midges were too much and I had to flee my seat within the enclosure and stand atop the summit’s edge, craving the light breeze which kept the midges away. I stood admiring the view…

Well, if I couldn’t sit still for any time, perhaps I could move and dowse? I dowsed for power centres – a male one showed up under a pile of three small rocks, and a female one was located where I had sat around a camp fire, on some strewn rocks. Well, how fortunate was that? I seemed to have instinctively chosen the right place to sit!

Continuing with the dowsing I found that ‘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 ‘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 connected to the ash tree by a female 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.. Not at all unusual, I thought. At that moment I was considering whether to continue dowsing, and how long I might have before the light went. Suddenly, the sound of a bird of prey screeching made me look up to see one swirling around in a hunting pattern on the opposite side of the valley. Each circle brought him closer to me. I had seen the same behaviour only the day before over the fields at the back of my house, which I’ve never seen before despite having lived there for 15 years. The screeches from the bird of prey felt to me like a warning sign: was he warning other birds of my presence, or warning me of something? I looked around,  inspecting the hillside above and behind me for any potential danger. It was then that I saw a rolling cloud of mist was descending rapidly down the hillside towards me. Good warning! Suddenly I noticed that the light airy summer breeze had a cold tinge to it now. I began to pack hurriedly, thanking the bird for its warning.

As I descended the main path that I should have come up, I found an enchanting glade. It had rings of old oak trees regularly spaced. There were beautiful mosses growing at the feet of the trees, and the glade seemed protected from the elements above and the winds around the hill. Hmmm…must remember this spot for next time. I continued down the path, passing sentinel oak trees and stopping to briefly acknowledge their presence and purpose, apologising for shortcutting them on the way up! It still feels daft to do this, but the reciprocal energy you get from them gives you a sense that you were right to do that, yet you could feel their annoyance. I hoped for a better reception next time when I ascend in a more respectful manner  rather than bypassing them.

At the bottom of Dinas Emrys I met a sheep roaming the roadside greenery. I told her to stay off the road. We seemed to connect somewhat! I felt she was trying to understand my warning. For one brief moment there was a very strong connection, and that was very strange. As I drove past minutes later I saw her carefully nestled in lush grass on a knoll away from the road.

All the way back home I had in front of me a harvest last quarter moon. I had to drive in silence as the radio wouldn’t pick up any pre-programmed station! In a way it left me free to think about what had happened with the bird of prey. When I got home I got the rods out and asked if the bird of prey was associated with an energy form – YES. Was it a nature spirit? NO. Was it Merlin? YES. Well, this quick recce of a visit had revealed something special after all!

Gwas.

In search of Merlin.

This week Kal and I visited a graveyard in the small village of Rhosesmor in North Wales. Kal had been there previously on the recommendation of a friend who had talked of the unusual atmosphere of the place, and how it was surrounded by ancient yew trees. During the visit Kal and I both surveyed the site with dowsing rods, and meditated under the canopy of a triangle of yews.

We dowsed quickly, affirming some of Kal’s previous findings concerning the location of power centres for each other respectively. Soon we decided that meditation was the order of the evening, and so found places close to each other in a triangle of yews to one side of the graveyard. After settling down, quietening and protecting ourselves we each went into our own meditation. Here’s what I found out from this encounter with one of nature’s teachers concerning the subject of rebirth and transformation.

Rebirth

1. Asked about the process of rebirth:  the tree showed me someone having a revelation after a near-death peak experience. I compared this with Hamish Milller’s near-death experience and how that turned him on to dowsing.
2. Asked if there was a slower way of achieving the same result, and the tree showed me smaller time slices but emphasised that each slice should work on a particular aspect to be changed, eventually achieving the same ends as the revelatory approach.
3. Asked where this should be done and I flicked through several typical types of megalithic site in my mind, hoping that the tree would show me which type I could use. It responded that each site is unique. Unique, like each type does one thing? No, unique in every respect – the energies it transforms, the memories it holds, the effects it can have. Each site has a unique combination of energy fields, and you need to find the one that fits you at the time that you need it in order to transform and rebirth yourself into a higher state of mind.

Lessons about the life force

Then I was swept up inside the tree’s inner core. Inside I could see the inner life force of the tree snaking upwards, its lively redness coiling and curling up and down inside the tree. Around it was a thin black sheath forming the inner core.  It showed me that this life force is always active, even when the exterior is dormant or appears dead. That’s just a shield to the world. Inside the life force flows excitedly. I knew that this life force was fed by the death energies and earth energies around the graveyard.

Transformation

1. The yew tree told me that when I go through transformation experiences I should retract an inner core of my own life force energy. When the outer shell of my body was cleansed I could then let my life force flow back into the body’s field and I would re-fill the empty vessel I was previously, but still with an inner core that was me up until that point.
2. I suddenly saw that the inner core that was black in this tree was very thin. Like the tree, I too had such an inner core of blackness. The tree showed me that it had to work on removing those inner darknesses until the majority of its trunk was its natural reddish colour. Only a thin sheath of black remained inside. I saw that this was a state that I would progress towards by working on my own inner weaknesses. Each transformation would be a rebirth process and would thin that inner dark core a little more each time.

This was the lesson of the yew tree concerning rebirth and transformation.

Gwas.

Learning every day.

Another stiflingly hot German evening in late July. I was at the end of my stay and would be heading back to England soon. Before I left I ventured out further than I had walked before in the quaint town that formed my temporary residence. It was eight o’clock in the evening and still twenty-eight degrees, although the light was soon to begin its descent below the horizon. A waxing quarter moon would stamp its presence in the night sky later that night.

The fields that I had been hidden by last week had been harvested, but as I walked out of the town following my intuition I noticed that I was taken a different way, past the fields, but not to them. A municipal broad concrete cycle path led out of town for miles and I began to follow it until I saw a sign for a quieter path, which attracted me more strongly.

The path led me to the edge of a wood that seemed to link several local towns or villages together, so I got my dowsing rods out to guide me as to where I should walk. My thoughts to the rods were: “please find me a magical place in the forest where I can meditate peacefully.” I followed a narrow dirt path into the heart of the woods, and the rods kept indicating small groves amidst trees off the track to the left and right as I walked. Each one I scrutinised for suitability, but none felt quite right. During my slow walking a pair of red deer looked up at me, then turned and fled into the thickets between the trees. It was a lovely sight.

Stopping again the rods were both pointing down a small track, seemingly made by a two-wheeled vehicle, that had long wispy tails of grass down its length. It was an easy track to see and I noticed that eventually it led back to the main path. Well, that wasn’t where I wanted to go, so I turned around and I changed my request to the rods slightly: “please show me a magical place on the path that I was walking before.”

Only moments later the rods crossed at a dry spot between two trees. This spot felt different in a subtle way. I could feel the aura of the tree behind me to the right of the path, but also one emitted from the beech tree immediately to my left as well. Also, the air felt different here – clearer, lighter, easier to breathe, filled with the sparkling motion of faint speckles of energy. I knew this was the place, but being on the path – would I be disturbed? Again, I resorted to the rods for the answer : NO, I wouldn’t be disturbed. OK. Well I just had to believe that.

When I dowsed as to exactly where the best spot for me to sit would be the rods insisted it was on the near side of one of the trees, practically sat on the path. Was it not around the back where there were some comfortable looking leaves, I asked hopefully? NO. Oh well. I tried.

Settling In

For the first time I took my shoes and socks off, enjoying the coolness of the earth and night air on my hot feet. Never done that before. Ready and settled in the roots of the tree (again, it was a perfect fit and very confortabe) I asked if I should use crystals. YES. Should I set up protection? YES. I laid out my small five crystal set and set up circle. As the light was fading I felt that I needed to protect it very strongly. I sat meditating for several minutes until my breath was almost nothing and I was completely still. The forest went still too, as the birds went to sleep, and the slight winds abated.

It seemed appropriate at that moment to introduce myself to the forest as Gwas Myrddyn. servant of Merlin, merely by emitting the thought all around me. Recalling a Caitlin Mathews idea I formulated the plan to call upon the spirit of Merlin himself. Where better to meet him than in the depths of an unfamiliar forest at dusk? I asked Merlin to show me a sign, a sign that would show me where I was on my journey. A sign to show me the way to go on this spiritual path of druidry. I fell silent again and stilled my mind to become aware of any response.

The Black & White Minstel Show

The noises started. A loud crack of a thick branch inthe dark realms of the thickets to my left. I smiled, but my heart rate increased and I re-doubled the protective circle I had estabished around me. Something fell from a tree close to where the I had heard the snapping branch. Another crack - farther down the path into the gloom of the darkening tunnel of undergrowth and the overgrown canopy of young birches, It kept my attention pinned to my left. I let it slip back to the circle and waited again, calming my blood.

A loud rustle to my left, close by, from behind the tree I was meditating besides – at the lush-leaved spot where I had wanted to sit initially. It sounded like a small dog. I didn’t move except to turn my head slowly towards the sound. A black and grey striped snout and body appeared only two feet away from me. A badger! It stopped when it was almost touching me, looked up at me, realised I wasn’t a bush and ran for its life down the path inthe direction of the snapping rustling noises, which I now realised must have been other badgers making their way to their night-time feeding grounds!

My heartbeat was raised, and I was ultra-alert. This was not a meditative state, and I needed to assimilate what this meant. so I started to pack away crystals. As I gathered my things the badger that I had startled returned to watch me from about fifteen feet away, standing in the middle of the path and sniffing the air.

As I walked past the two trees I thanked them and left. On my slow and steady way back I noticed that the moonlight was picking out the side path formed by the grass and car tracks – the one that led to the main path. That was exactly the quick escape route I appreciated. How lucky to have found it before!

Once back at the apartment I thought about the evening’s events. What had this meant? Anything? Undoubtedly the crystals and circle had given me the mental strength to resist any fear that had arisen. Within it I felt safe and secure. The rods had been correct to indicate that no person would disturb me. I had asked for a sign about my way along this journey, and in the stillness and silence I had experienced something unique in my life : an intimate natural encounter. I had been rewarded with a fabulous experience when I adopted the correct attitude and presence.

The Badger As Symbol

What of the badger as a symbol? Here are some quotes I found relating to Celtic concepts of the badger:-

“An animal said to possess unyielding courage in the face of danger, the badger was noted for its tenacity. In the Welsh tale of Pwyll’s courting of Rhiannon, a badger was mentioned as a guide during dreaming. The Badger was symbolic of the fight for individual rights and the defence of personal spiritual ideas.” (Source: Celtic Symbols)

“BADGER (Breach): Tenacity and courage. The Badger will teach you perseverance and endurance in the face of adversity. The badger is a powerful protector of both material possessions and ideals held close to the heart. ” (Source: Celtic Animal Allies)

“Unyielding courage in the face of danger.”? Well, it was hardly danger – more mild alarm –  but it was quite exciting meeting the badger. I had learned something here this night and I knew it with every fibre of my being. Be still and silent and things happen. The nuifre, the fire within, burned brightly all through that night’s sleep.

Gwas

Chased by small mammals

The phrase, “You shoudn’t judge a book by its cover” has never been more starkly brought into focus for me as when I received a copy of Philip Heselton’s “Secret Places of the Goddess: Contacting the earth spirit (1995)“. Bless Capall Bann publishing, their repertoire is excellent, but the covering artwork and styling of the book leaves a lot to be desired and made me feel quite nauseous!

Capall Bann have a range of fantastic books that I have already picked several titiles from and will continue to do so, for they seem to support pagan ideas and have a largely sensible and useful catelogue. A worthy pursuit, but please, ditch the toffee brown washed artwork!

At various points in the book Heselton refers to the possibilities of dowsing as a viable method of discovery of earth energies and of validating the presence of unseen forces in general. It wa only when I came to research Mr Heselton that I dscovered this excerpt on the Controvescial web site:

“In 1962, together with Jimmy Goddard and other UFO enthusiasts, Philip founded The Ley Hunters Club, a revival of The Straight Track Club (1927-1948) first founded by the earlier pioneer of leys … Alfred Watkins.  In 1965 to support growing interest in the club’s activities and findings, they also founded:  The Ley Hunter magazine.  Philip edited the first few issues of magazine from 1965-66, before handing it over to other members so he could concentrate on his University studies.”

Source: Controverscial web site

In “Secret Places” Philip Heselton takes the reader through a structured introduction to the fundamental naturalistic elements that form the basis of pagan understanding of the world around them. I won’t spoil the book, but instead I will urge you to read it. Whether a dowser or a druid the book has lots to offer in terms of explaining the power of place, the spirit of nature, and the ways in which anyone can begin to acknowledge, then work with those energies. Depending on how far you wish to take it there is something here for anyone interested in rediscovering the landscape around them, wherever that may be.

To give you a flavour of what you can expect I have reproduced the chapter headings, but thy do little justice to the uality of the material within them, and the very easy-to-read style that Heselton has adopted for his work. The chapter headings are:-

1. The Magic of Place
2. The Earth Spirit
3. The Wild Wood
4. The Body of the Earth Goddess
5. The Waters of Life
6. Spirit Paths and Holy Hills
7. Finding Our Place
8. Entering The Presence
9. Inbreath – Experiencing the Sacred Space
10. Outbreath – Responding to the Spirit
11. Embracing the Site

I hope that has whetted your appetite. If you regularly read this blog then I am confident that you will find that this book is an indespensible guide to your interests. It is also a good waymarker for where my own studies are heading, and accurately matches my own thoughts at every turn of the page. In many ways, this is the book I always wanted to write!

Gwas.

Guided by masters.

When I think of Rorschach I think of that fantastic character from The Watchmen comic and film, however, it was the less than fictional Dr. Hermann Rorschach who invented the famous psychological inkblot test in 1921. Why am I telling you this? Because it prefaces the idea that human beings have a tendency to distinguish facial features in seemingly random or natural patterns and textures.

Recently Kal and I have been noticing that particular stones in stone circles have almost human features, faces that can be made out of the undulations and imperfections of the rock. Here are some examples for you to consider that come from our recent excursions to megalithic sites.

Nine Stones Close

In the rock pictured above I can see the right-facing profile of a bearded man. The man is wearing a skullcap-type helmet not unlike the one worn by Nicol Williamson in his depiction of Merlin in John Boorman’s Excalibur film – a picture I have featured in previous posts, but here it is again:

Of course it’s nonsense. However, this is not the only face in the rock we have seen recently. We don’t take pictures of all of them because they appear so regularly. Here are a few interesting ones to compare.

Stanton Drew

If you let your eyes un-focus you can clearly see a well-defined face in the lichen. When you catch it right you’ll see a skull facing to the right with head slightly tilted down. Another face with down-turned eyes and an open mouth can be seen facing you as well, but this is more contrived than the skull, which just pops out once half-focus your gaze.

Lligwy Chamber

I’ve posted this photo before, but now I can put it in context with others too. Here’s one from last year. He’s cute!

Black-eyed face

Glastonbury Abbey

Even in the hallowed sanctuary of this ancient abbey lurks a face in the rock that is possibly the easiest one to distinguish, but that many tourists seem oblivious to. If only they could make their gaze less intense, widen the searching beam of their stares, then perhaps they could also see the face of Gog in this stone in the Abbey’s museum:

Can you see that one? No? Ah, it must just be the cider or the summer heat affecting my tiny brain!

Gwas

Facing up to the fact that it’s a rock. Nothing but a rock.

Tuesday 5th May – The St.Uzek stone and the Isle Grande ‘allé couverte’

Being up at the crack of dawn to disembark the ferry at St.Malo, then driving an hour in unfamiliar territory, and on the opposite side of the road to reach your holiday base, then unpacking and heading straight out to the Pink Granite Coast in north-western Brittany – a mere two hours away – is all in a day’s work for an intrepid ley-hunter and day-to-day dowser. That kind of enthusiasm is only to be expected when the quarry being chased is so tempting!

On the agenda shortly is Mont St.Michel, but on this first day I headed to the highest point along the stunning Pink Granite coastline in my trusty french steed, with my redoubtable wife. The rewards were indeed worth the hunt. On this first day I got to find a huge menhir called St.Uzec (or St.Duzec) and an “alle couverte”,or “covered alley” – a long passage grave or dolmen, in effect. Details about that later. First – the St.Uzec menhir.

The menhir is to be found in the village of Penvern (which sounds more Cornish than Breton). It is almost signposted and a little faith will get you there. It seems very well visited, but no-one lingers for more than a minute or two. And I found out why! As M and I walked up to it from the little car parking bay, admiring its immense height and red granite composition, there was a moment when things went still and quiet. M decided she didn’t want to go near it and veered off up the small road going uphill to follow a trail leading to the chapel nearby. I walked into the fifteen feet long walled enclosure and dropped my bag off at the base of the menhir, next to what looked like a tiny font placed at its base.

There were some symbols carved into the stone’s upper area – a sun, a geometrical figure, other obscure images, Atop the stone was a cross made from a different stone, and a different time. It was a Christian addition, probably added when the stone was given the saint’s name that it bears now. From ealier drawings and pictures I have seen of this stone it was once adorned by a carving of Jesus hanging from a cross.

I stepped back out of the enclosure with my dowsing rods, walking to the far side of the approach road. I had had experience of the size of the nemeton field for stones of this size before so I was giving it a good run-up! I dowsed for the edge of the stone’s field of influence. I walked forward. And kept walking. When I got four inches away from the stone the rods parted in a barrier reading. Four inches away! What?! I was stunned. On Lewis I had dowsed the Truiseil Stone which had a nemeton of some thirty feet. Now four inches for a stone that was just as tall if not taller, and twice as wide.

I asked the rods some questions. Was the nemeton being restricted unnaturally in some way? YES. Was it a result of human intervention? YES. Were the symbols on the rock related to this in some way? YES. Was it the placement of the cross on top that was restricting the stone’s energy field? YES. Was there something I could do to repair this energy field? SORT OF. Could I do it permanently? NO. Would it be something temporary then? YES. Did I have the means to do this work? YES. But I didn’t have the strength. My rods hung loosely and I started to look around aimlessly. I took a few more photographs then wandered away and met M as she came towards the stone from her travels around the historic route she was taken earlier.

As we walked away from the stone, me explaining that there was something awry with the energy field, I realised that a strong tightness in my temples was lifting. I kept walking away from the stone and it went completely as I got more than fifty feet away from the monstrous megalith. There was something seriously wrong with the energies around that stone – no wonder no-one stayed close to it for very long! You may have noticed from the picture that a cross has been placed on top of the giant menhir. It caught my eye too. Back to the rods one last time: Was the reason that this menhir did not have a proper nemeton directly related to the placement of the cross on top of it? YES. This stone had been “capped” by the placement of this cross. Was it simply the cross shape, I wondered? NO, said the rods. Was it the intentions of the people who put the cross there that inhibited the energy? YES. Time to move on.

We decided to go to another nearby site on the Isle Grande which was only a few miles the other side of the village. Well, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we found it, no thanks to the signage! The allé couverte that I was searching for was on Isle Grande. This is also the name that Aubrey Burl gives to the site as well as its location. It was thanks to Burl’s description in his ‘Megalithic Brittany‘ guide that I was able to find it at all. The French, it seems, are only vaguely interested in denoting the presence of their megalithic treasures, much as we English have also mainly achieved. The site was marked by a small knee-level sign that was side-on to the road making it invisible to passing traffic!

The avenue of stones was constructed of flat but wide slabs, with the square entrance way being wide and tall enough to stoop within. There were seven large capstones supported on standing flat stones. There were two chambers, the first being the longer of the passageways utilising five of the capstones in length, whilst the remaining two capstones comprised a second smaller chamber large enough for maybe two men kneeling or tucked in tightly.

As I dowsed the site I found no female energies there at all, which was very surprising, as I can’t remember the last site that I dowsed that didn’t have at least some female earth or moon energies present. This site was simple inhabited by two energetic sources – a male line with two power centres at either end, and a neutral 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. that looped back upon itself. Finding a neutral power centre was another rarity. Already I was sensing that dowsing in France was going to be an interesting endeavour, and one where I would need to try to be as objective and comprehensive as possible. Unfortunately, on this occasion, time was pressing for us to organise some food for the self-catering aspect of our holiday, and so I didn’t ask all the things I could have.

I did find out that a neutral power centre located at the end of the first longer chamber encompassed the inside and outside left-hand (southern) edge. The right-hand edge of the passageway is fed by a male power centre on the right-hand end of the inner passage, directly opposite the neutral centre. There was another male spiral at the centre of the smaller passage. This came out of a hole between two capstones to join with the male energy travelling along the first chamber.

I did some dowsing as to the purpose of the site and eventually narrowed the concept down to it being a place of transformation and initiation. How that was done exactly I don’t know. Perhaps it’s something you have to try for yourself one moonlit summer’s night?

What a great start to the holiday. Two sites visited on the first day of landing. I honestly didn’t expect that, and was amazed at how many sites there were in the environs around St.Brieuc. Perhaps I would run into some others as we travelled around in the next ten days? Indeed we did.

Gwas

Following the pink coastline (this is not a euphamism)