The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘energetic shroud’

I really ought to give some form of recognition to Saint Beuno. Whenever we encounter this saint’s sacred places on our journeys around the northern wildernesses of Wales we always end up learning something of interest. On this occasion Kal and I stopped off in the small village of Gwyddelwern – not a village noted for anything much except the fenced off remnants of a well that couldn’t find. That wasn’t such a disappointment given that we would then go on to drive to St Sara’s Well, and Kal has already posted that experience.

St.Beuno’s church in Gwyddelwern is tucked away behind a now empty inn of some outstanding beauty that stands in the centre of the village along the main road. We walked into the churchyard without a script or agenda for what we would be doing here. We had already visited several sites that day and there were more to come, but this was an off-the-cuff excursion and sometimes they turn out to be some of the most interesting. For me, this would turn out to be the case.

St Beuno's Church, Gwyddelwern

Go Gently Into That Dark Night

One of the first features of St.Beuno’s church in Gwyddelwern is the beautiful elevated yew tree that sits close to the entrance to the churchyard. It is one of the first things one notices on approach. Of course, it was the first thing I made a bee-line for, noticing it, admiring it, and making my presence known to it by introducing myself. As I didn’t feel I had any work to do that involved it, I passed it by, but Kal stopped to do some dowsing around it.

If you have read any of the many posts we wrote last year when I was going through the Yew Stage of Druidic learning then you will know that the yew tree has symbolic significance for this path – it is the symbol of life, death, re-birth and transformation. As such it is a powerful force and ally in such work, but I was not here for those properties today. There is another aspect to the yew tree that is very much overlooked and little understood these days – its ability to pacify and ground the energies of the wandering shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life)..

A calming yew tree at Gwyddelwern

What this means in practise is that churchyards that have yew trees (and the greater the number or the older and bigger the tree then the stronger the effect) will have largely peaceful spaces – there will be very few energetic remnants of human beings left to wander the grounds, potentially attaching themselves to living humans of doing whatever it is that amuses them to do with us! There will usually be one or two shades, but rarely will there be lots of them. Maybe there is some form of energetic exchange going on between the yew tree and the energies surrounding graves, I don’t actually know. What I know is that we rarely find much shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). activity when yew trees are present, and that if you dowse for the connection between a yew tree and anything else in the area you will usually be taken to each and every grave site on the plot. They have a relationship, and the relationship is based upon some form of pacifying quality that the yew tree offers. The same is true of Gwyddelwern churchyard too.

“Celebrations of the Winter Solstice focus strongly on the yew as it is supposed to be closely linked to the deities of death and rebirth. This mystical link means that it was used (collections of the bark at least) during funerals or laid on top of graves as a reminder of death merely being another part of the human journey to what happens after life.” (source: ParanormalHaze.com)

“As a reminder...”, they say. Well, maybe that is how the knowledge has been interpreted in recent times, but I think it has a more practical purpose – the energies of the yew tree can ground human death energies.

This is where our research differs from other information you may find on the Internet. Kal and I are working with these trees to uncover their secrets, discover their properties, and understand what they can do. This is practical druidry – not a theoretical regurgitation of some information passed down through a hundred creative re-tellings. This is direct first-hand experience. In that sense, we know our information is more useful to us than reading about the properties of a tree and then going to enact someone else’s rituals beneath it in the hope that such magic will work. Our form of 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. is based upon direct experience with these entities, and visionary and intuited knowledge in the presence of these great teachers – the trees themselves. The forces of Nature themselves craft the rituals we perform.

Vampire Shades

There was at last one shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). that managed to escape the attentions of the grounding energies of the yew tree. How it was able to do that, I don’t know, but we have come across this at other churchyards too. As Kal was checking the properties of the yew tree, I was searching around for any remaining shades. I found one – a lady who had been interred in 1872, but whose shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). – her remnant energy body – was still present in the churchyard. Who knows what level of intelligence remains in these energy bodies? The accounts of psychics and other sensitives tell us that they are largely automatic – existing in a world outside of an awareness of time, re-living the strong emotions that perpetuate their energy forms, and drawing upon available energy resources such as passing humans whenever they can.

This is not an area that I spend much time researching. I have read several books on hauntings, poltergeists, ghosts and the books of mediums, but it is not an area that I feel particularly drawn to study. Druid courses often included elements of “getting in touch with the ancestors”, and whilst I think this is an interesting form of divination or access to knowledge beyond our normal sense, I personally believe it is a world that I do not have much ability to comprehend, so I tend to stay away from it. However, saying that, I do not shy away from the necessary skills that I must achieve if I am to progress, and I recognise that druidry entails some aspects of working with death energies. With that in mind I investigated this interesting shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). that had managed so remains here for over 100 years – just how had she done that? The answer was a little startling!

St Beuno's Church

As we have mentioned many times before, asking “How” or “Why” questions to dowsing rods is like asking a baby to solve a Times Crossword - cryptic questions lead to unsolvable puzzles. Instead I used Kal’s patented method of asking to be taken to a place that would give me a clue as to how this shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). was managing to stay active. The rods swung away from where I was, by the side of this lady’s grave, and moved me towards the newer patch of burial sites until the rods crossed atop a grave that was only a few years old – possibly the newest grave in the churchyard. The markings on the grave indicated that the person had died relatively young – in their forties. So, here was the clue – a potentially vibrant human energy had been interred and the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). had seemingly drained or leeched that energy from this person’s body. As I began to dowse more to check this feeling all the answers seemed to confirm this – the remnant shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). drew energy from each new corpse that was laid in the church, if the circumstances were suitable.

I know what you’re asking – what are the circumstances? I don’t know. There are many questions raised by this finding, and few answers. In my experience a person who seems in some way aware of death and can make preparations has more opportunity to ground themselves by neutralising their energy – balancing it out – righting wrongs, settling debts, that kind of thing – they are the ones who will neutralise their energy body and free their spirits to return to the source. The dying person’s objective is to ground their energy as they approach death. If the death is sudden or unexpected then this release process may not happen and the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). may get stuck outside of the planes of existence that it is intended to travel to. This is one idea – there are many theories but only death itself will confirm or deny them for us. Do report back when you go, won’t you? I have so many questions!

One more detail that I did manage to elicit from the rods was that death energy that isn’t grounded is liable to become fodder for vampiric shades who can leech the energy. The shades are able to sustain their lifespan in this way for about 8-12 years per draining. Why some become shades I don’t know. One theory is that it is to do with an attachment to life, or to some person on earth that the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). simply cannot bring themselves to leave. I’m not sure that the answer is so simple, because the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). seems unable to be with the person that they may have been so attached to, so why bother sticking around? Another of many mysteries about death energies and their forms. Perhaps time will straighten this out a little?

Gwas.

I think that this was my first ever conscious experience with what we now (Winter 2010) call Energetic Shrouds. Inevitably it was in the company and guidance of that majestic The Ancient Yew that this experience or lesson unfolded.

Gwas and I had arrived at the church late one evening and as usual I wandered over to the Yew tree to express my love of this wonderful creature. As I stood under the eaves and communed with it, I got a message straight off the bat.

“There is a lesson for you in the graveyard below, it’s dangerous but worth your while”

My relationship with Yew has been so trusting that I couldn’t refuse a “worthwhile” lesson, so taking up my rods I asked them to guide me to the place where this lesson was in the offing.

See? You just have to appreciate the versatility of dowsing with rods. Consider, if you got that message and had no rods to work with, where would you go?

I followed the rods as they weaved there way down the path and along its side to a point close to the flowing river. They then took a slight left and crossed over a place where there was a bench. Was I to sit on this bench? Yes. So I sat on the bench and wondered what this lesson would be. As I pondered I began to feel as if energy was slipping out of me.

Ever since I was initiated into Reiki, whenever I am exchanging/sending energy out from me my palms start heating up. This is a common feeling amongst healers particularly those who have been Reiki attuned.

As I said, I felt this energy draining from me and wondered what and where it was going, not only that but it felt disconcerting to have it just flowing out. So I grabbed the rods and determined where the energy was going. It was to the nearest grave, some 5 feet away. What a curious thing. Was something taking the energy from me? Yes.

Intrigued, rather than frightened (in a graveyard, at night), I querried as to what was doing this draining? Was it an entity? A energy being? Elemental? Or any other type of sentient creature? No. Some more pondering and intuitive guess-work and I came up with…

A shroud, a memory, a replicant

I further specified this answer with “not the spirit of a person”. A Shroud? The energetic remains of a living person. The concept was entirely new to me. Of course we have the biological remains, buried or burned. But the Energetic remains? I had thought that that passed on and/or was the spirit. Apparently not!

I sat back down on the seat and pondered this truly revolutionary idea. As I looked across the graveyard, I sensed rather than saw little willo-the-wisps, energetic leavings dotted about the place. I wondered why I had come to this one in particular and not any of the others that were floating around? The answer came immediately, there is not enough energy in them.

Didn’t the Yew ground these energies (months ago we had dowsed that a Yew tree grounds the – what at the time we said were spirits – but now might be changing to energies of the dead)? Yes it does, but visitors leave scraps of energy that we use to manifest. I stopped, “we”? It was then that I realised I was communingAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. with this shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).. I also felt a nudge from the distant Yew, It’s stealing your energy I came to myself and quickly struck up some protection and as a after thought gave the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). an energetic slap (never done that before).

I felt more solid but could still feel the thing hanging around, it was telling me that it had other knowledge and secrets to impart but I was feeling drained. it had done a good job on me whilst I was sat in the seat. Then I realised that of course, with the seat being there people would be resting on it and thus providing this shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). with its meal-ticket.

I got up and walked warily and wearily back up to the Yew for some grounding of my own energies. Fortunately I was able to get back to some semblance of normality before we departed this place of interesting lessons.

Kal Malik – Definitely on the Edge

PS: Here are the original notes of this experience:

• Yew – you should do it, its dangerous, but it will be a good lesson
• finding the grave – by a seat
• letting the energy flow – or seep out – it feeling un-natural
• “something” accepts the energy
• what are you? a “shroud”, a memory, a replicant. not the spirit of the person
• Something interesting, willo-the-wisps dotted across the graveyard, energetic “leavings”
• why didn’t i go to one of them? there isn’t enough energy in them?
• doesn’t the Yew ground you all? Yes, but visitors leave scraps of energy and we used that to manifest
• getting a call from the Yew, “it” stealing energy, giving “it” a slap
• are you alive? no, we cannot grow, we just fade
• Why did I come to this grave? A sense of the seat is indicated. because people sit there and i have “picked up” some of their energy
• Another attempt to steal energy and an insistence to stay and ask more. Time to depart
• Energetic break, feeling drained

Bakewell, Derbyshire – Saturday, 20th November

The air was charged with a sense of the impending arrival of Winter and the festive season. I could smell ice – a talent I have developed since I broke into the world of druidry. Bakewell town was alive with well-wrapped people jostling to see potential presents in the rows of unique shops that the town’s inner sanctum exhibits. Kal and I had just finished our lunch at one of the local cafés, and stopped to admire a tree in the town centre that we had somehow never noticed before – it was a bare ash tree adorned with coloured lights, and making many people stop to admire it.

I wanted to do some work with spirits and decided that Bakewell Church, with its ancient Celtic cross, seemed like an appropriate place. We walked away from the throng and up towards the hill upon which the church was perched like a gothic gargoyle overseeing the business of the town below.

Bakewell Church at a jaunty angle

Overlooked by several tall townhouses we nevertheless had the place almost to ourselves. By now we were used to working in the glare of the public spotlight, so we were unfazed by curious onlookers as they passed through the churchyard starting at us and our obvious tourism. How times have changed! Only a year ago this would have been very uncomfortable, and we would have had to do this work in the late evening or even at night. Now, we were unabashed.

We investigated the cross with our trusty copper L-rods, but it had been enclosed in iron and now had no energy left at all. It had once been strongly energetic, we reckoned, but this had been completely banished by the imprisoning iron cage. All that was left was inert decorated stone, but pleasingly decorated with swirls and animal carvings that we knew to be symbolic in many instances of the subtle earth energy flows. In this instance, however, it felt out of time and place, and I longed to have seen it in its original position, uncaged, possibly acting as an acupuncture point to mark and manipulate the earth energy beneath it.

A cross that looks strangely out of place

Releasing the Old Lady

We turned our attentions to other work. Kal identified a shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). which he found to be at one end of a bench near to the stone cross. He then wandered off to find other work to do (kicking his feet out at the spot where he had found the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). in mock repugnance to ward off its clinging draining tendencies). Ah, the simple life of a sidekick – in every sense!

When I asked which shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). I should work with the rods led me to that same shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).. (For a definition of a shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life)., please see our Glossary page). I prepared to do some work along the lines of what I had been reading by various spirit rescue workers. Firstly I put up a lot of protection and lit some incense surreptitiously underneath the bench. The gentle aroma of Nag Champa drifted lazily up into the cool afternoon air making some passers-by sniff curiously as they wandered past.

Despite the cold chill in the air I found it relatively easy to slip into a light trance after a few minutes of quiet meditation. I have mentioned my meditation technique in previous posts (also available in audio format as the first podcast ‘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. Ritual‘ – see Podcast page). It has varied slightly since I first developed it, but whichever element feels most important I try that, and then see what works 0n any given day. Today I connected to The Sun and The Moon, and with The Earth. A stalwart visualisation that usually works in all situations. Once grounded in the earth and centred in a bubble around myself I set up some hardened protection for my ‘shell of light’. I brought in some light blue energy because I felt that was most protective in this instance. My energetic sphere reacted accordingly, solidifying against unwanted energies permeating my space.

I turned my attention to the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). beside me on the bench. I tried to let the image of whoever it was appear in my mind and soon I was seeing an old lady with short white hair, kind of trendy looking, in a long knitted dress with grey and black hoops stretching all the way down to her black boots. She looked thoroughly modern, and a little vacant, distant, unattentive – world-weary, almost.

I reached out my energy to mentally tap her on the shoulder. I asked her if she knew she was dead and she said she did, but that she was staying because she thought her family still needed her. I understand that asking such a question is bad form, now, so I won’t do that again. Lessons learned every day, and I’m new to this work.

I asked her if she was really needed here, and whether she ought not to move on now. She agreed that things had changed since she first decided to stay, and now she would be happy to go. I offered to help and she shrugged, which I took to be a non-committal sign that she would be prepared to leave if I assisted. I intended to, if only because I needed the practise with a mild-mannered shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). such as this before I would even contemplate anything more intense. I realise this was a semi-selfish act, in that I was primarily practising my art, with her release as a secondary effect of this. Such is life and death – I will atempt to rectify this in future, because I am essentially good at heart.

A gloom-laden Bakewell Church

I tried to imagine a light for her, and to generate some love and compassion but it wasn’t my day – neither felt like they were being generated. Something wasn’t right – I was doing something wrong. I snapped out of trance and picked up my dowsing rods – I needed some help here! (Serves me right for being selfish, huh?) I dowsed if some crystals would help me, and the rods swung quickly to say ‘yes’. The dowsing rods indicated my single rose coral crystal would be the most useful. Of course! This was the crystal that the lady in the folly tower crystal shop in Ryde on the Isle of Wight had said would be the most useful for my work when I needed my heart. And here was just such a need.

I placed the coral crystal against my heart, filled it with love, and then placed the crystal on the seat where the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). was hovering. This time when I imagined light there was a huge phosphorescence in one corner of my eyes towards which I could feel the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). moving. I implored my spirit guide to assist with the release. In a blinding flash and dissolution of the light I knew that the sending had been completed. The dowsing rods confirmed this.

I was pleased to have possibly been of some help, but I was more pleased that I had found a good method for doing this work involving the coral crystal – this seemed to fulfill the prophecy that the crystal shop lady had made, and that closed off at least one long loop of coincidence. Now I felt ready for more of this work, and more confident about having a method to do it.

Gwas.

It was the finest day of a long series of fine days that were typifying the last of the lingering end of year sun. We were loathe to call this Autumn when it felt like Summer. The sun was shining, the air was warm, the ground was dry, and there wasn’t a hint of wind. We set sail for Derbyshire in the mid-afternoon, heading for Arbor Low. Surely, if any day, today was the perfect day to avoid getting blown over, dying of hypothermia or being flooded out? Surely, today was the day to have a pleasant experience at Arbor Low?

I had no set agenda when we arrived at the small lay-by near to the farmhouse (that is actually a guesthouse too!). I was here merely to bask in the rays of the evening sun and to marvel at the fact that it was pleasant to be here for once. As often happens when I head out on such journeys to sacred sites my expected peacefulness was shattered by a small amount of dowsing that I did. You know, sometimes you should just leave things be! No, I’m glad I did it because I got to meditate in the evening sunset and found out some useful information, and picked up a new skill into the bargain.

Entrance into the Otherworld

The Spirit of Arbor Low

I had entered the site asking to find the current location of the Spirit of Place. I was taken around the trench that rings the site in the shadow of the raised embankment. When I stopped I was standing at the left-hand edge of the southern entrance. I felt a little shudder, which is how I know that I am in the presence of an energetic form. I then asked to be shown the path that the spirit had taken, from the current moment back to midnight. I began to follow a path that curved around one of the many recumbent stones that formed the inner circle of Arbor Low’s henge, and then into a tight spiral that turned anti-clockwise.

I reversed the path so that I was now following the chronological sequence. I unwound the spiral, travelling clockwise as I traced the spirit’s path through the dark hours of the night and into the morning. At the position that represented dawn the path straightened, and then began to turn anti-clockwise as the “day” unfolded beneath my rods. This was the inverse path of one that I had dowsed for another Spirit of Place at Moel-Ty-Uchaf, which had followed what I assumed was a convention of being clockwise in the day and anti-clockwise at night. Clearly, such assumptions are fallacious, yet the principle remains that the Spirit of Place traces a double spiral pattern on its journey around the site during the course of a day.

The Spirit of Place's path over a day

I stood once more in the place where the spirit was currently located and tried to commune with it. As I entered into a trance state  I asked, “What can I learn about my forthcoming task of meeting the spirit of Merlin?“. A feeling came through that made itself resolve into a notion that I could learn about invisibility here at Arbor Low, that this was a place where learning was easy, and in fact the site was designed for this purpose. I came back out of trance, thanking the spirit and began to dowse again, “Take me to a place where I can learn about invisibility.” I asked of them. They led me to a slight dip in the ground near to the central stones.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the final post of our Cornwall visit I have reserved the best tale until last. Tintagel was supposed to be simply a passing visit to an historic site, but as usual mystical things began to happen once the dowsing rods had pointed the way.

Tintagel is renowned as a site associated with the legend of King Arthur, although signs dotted around the castle grounds do readily admit that there is little actual evidence for either the existence of Arthur himself, or his relationship with the castle. Yet, this has not stopped the small town of Tintagel from attaching the Arthur and Merlin names to almost every shop, pub, hotel and entertainment venue in sight. I made a reluctant Kal take my picture next to a life-sized plastic Merlin. Oh, the shame on both sides!

The rain that had been tumbling all day had slightly relented, but louring skies heralded more soon. Yet, our enthusiasm was not dampened. I, in particular, was quite excited about the prospect of testing Tintagel Castle for the presence of Arthur and Merlin – whether that be an historical remnant or simply the hint of association. We avoided the Land Rover offering an expensive ride down the steep hill to the castle, and we joyously let our legs find their own speed down the hill, noticing a sign to a church on the way down. We paid our dues and then the rain came down, just as we were about to make the precarious crossing of the wooden bridge between the mainland and the steep cliff-lined island that formed the formidable fortifications of the castle.

As the seas crashed below us and the rain lashed our already damp clothing we climbed the steep slippery steps to stand with the stunning sight of huge caves, high headland and strange islets as we stood looking out over the edge of Cornwall. We stood on a promontory looking at Merlin’s Cave when the thought struck me – was there anything I could do to find out whether this stuff about Merlin and Arthur was actually true? Was there anything I could do – I was supposed to be a dowser! Of course there was something I could do!

The Spirit of Merlin and the ShadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of Arthur

I got my dowsing rods at the ready and began to consider what I was going to ask about, but as soon as the mental images of Arthurian characters began to formulate itself into a question there was a nearby flurry of feathers and flaps as a hawk swooped across our vision only feet away to land in the small outcrop of rock just above us. I hate to say it, because in the next few posts this is going to get repeated quite often and is likely to become a little boringly repetitive, but I have come to see the appearance of a hawk as a sign of Merlin, ever since an encounter at Dinas Emrys one evening when I was pursuing an encounter with the spirit of Merlin.

After getting over that ‘sign’ I began the dowsing proper. I began by framing the context of the questions. I would be asking about the concepts of “Merlin” and “Arthur” and until I asked specifically I was not distinguishing between the physically real and the mythological concept of either of those figures. Here are some of the questions I asked:-

• Had Merlin been born at this site? NO
• Had Merlin lived at Tintagel? NO
• Had Merlin visited this place? YES. Interesting.
• Had Arthur been born at this site? NO. Not much information being revealed so far!
• Had Arthur lived at Tintagel? YES. Oh!
• Had Arthur been buried on this site? NO.

Time to move on to the question of whether these characters were real or mythological.

• Was Arthur a real king of England? YES.
• Was Arthur a myth? YES. What?
• Was Arthur both a mythological character AND a real person? YES. Confusing!
• Was Merlin a real magician? NO.
• Was Merlin a myth? YES. But…earlier the dowsing had said that he had visited….
• Did Merlin visit Arthur at Tintagel in some magical way, rather than a physical way? YES.

OK, that was both a little clearer and a little muddier at the same time. I wanted to see now whether there was anything remaining at the site of either of those people (or ideas).

• Was there any of Merlin’s energy remaining at Tintagel? NO.
• Was there any of the Spirit of Arthur’s energy at this site? YES.
• Was there anything of the mortal remains of Arthur at this site? YES. Oh, now that was interesting!
• What was it of Arthur that remained? His bones? NO. His energetic shroudAs coined by Kal after reading the definitions of C.W.Leadbeater – the early 20th Century mystic. Leadbeater considered that man, when he died, could become stuck in a “ShadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).” – an energetic shell that would retain many of the characteristics of the human in his physical life. It is frequently taken to be what is termed a ‘ghost’ but although it has a certain amount of sentience, it would seem to be limited in terms of its ability to move from the space within which it has anchored itself. It must be stated – it is NOT the person who has died – it is a remainder copy that contains the memories and characteristics of the original energetic fields of the human, but now has no physical organism to work with.? YES.

So, a real person who had either been named Arthur, or who had adopted the title, had ruled here at Tintagel, and now there was the remains of his energy somewhere on this island. That was quote exciting, so I set about trying to find it with the dowsing rods, letting them lead me to where this ‘shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).; might be. I didn’t know yet what I was going to ask when I got there, but the hint was on!

Arthur’s Viewpoint

In one of the last scenes from the excellent film “Excalibur” there is a poignant moment where Arthur is laid to rest in his final moments with a view out over the ocean, high up on a cliff-top. Now that I have visited Tintagel that scene makes much more sense to me – of course if Arthur had died anywhere close to Tintagel then that would be where he would want to spend his final moments. Who wouldn’t?

View of The Sisters islands from Tintagel

My dowsing rods led me to a place on the island where they indicated that the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life)., the energetic shroudAs coined by Kal after reading the definitions of C.W.Leadbeater – the early 20th Century mystic. Leadbeater considered that man, when he died, could become stuck in a “ShadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).” – an energetic shell that would retain many of the characteristics of the human in his physical life. It is frequently taken to be what is termed a ‘ghost’ but although it has a certain amount of sentience, it would seem to be limited in terms of its ability to move from the space within which it has anchored itself. It must be stated – it is NOT the person who has died – it is a remainder copy that contains the memories and characteristics of the original energetic fields of the human, but now has no physical organism to work with., or the remnants of his spirit, could be found. I am not going to say where that was. I wish to respect his peace. If you want to find this place then feel free to make the effort to locate it for yourself. Perhaps he will have moved by the time you get there. Perhaps he is in different places for different people. Whichever is the case, it was a special place. I felt that straight away and soon I stopped dowsing questions about who or what this was, and I sat looking out at the view. I asked if it would be appropriate for me to ask for information spiritually, and got a positive response, so I began to tune in. Soon I was deep into a conversation inside my head with whatever this spirit was.

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Saturday 29th May – Knockbrack Hillfort, Country Meath. [map]

The second site of the day, after our experience at Four Knocks, was of a wholly different character. It seemed to be the theme of the weekend that for every achievement or gift I received there was a price to pay and I was invited to offer my services, energetically, to give something in return. Well, it was a fair deal, and I was only too pleased to gain the experience. Here was my first obvious opportunity to make some amends.

The site that we picked out was known as Knockbrack, but we had no idea whether we could reach it, or if it was worth visiting, or what we would find there. We trundled through small villages, along back roads, until arriving at the bottom of a hill and parked up. There was a track up the hill, which was a good sign. We’ll come back to the concept of “good” vs. “bad” signs later in these Irish stories. For now, the only other scene-setter I need to add is a light drizzle – a kind of Irish mist that was descending over the hill by the minute. Of course, nothing would deflect us from a sense of purpose.

Walking up to the hill at Knockbrack two things caught our eye : the scatterings of quartz-striped stones that lined our route and the gigantic radio antenna and dishes that hove into view as we ascended. As we reached the top of the hill we saw the ancient site that we had intended to visit: it was a rough circle around thirty feet in diameter and only a few hundred yards from the mass of telecomms gear.

Raditation from modern telecomms equipment on Knockbrack Hill

The ancient site we were visiting was the remains of a hilllfort. I always have issues withthe term “hill fort”, much as I have issues with the term “burial chamber” or “passage grave”. Finding buried bones at a site is not an indicator that the site’s original purpose was for burial, much as finding a crumb in a hotel room doesn’t mean that the room has been used as a restaurant! So, “Hill fort” is simply a label that we can use to indicate that at some time the vantage point was defended. Well, fair enough, but usually when we dowse these things the rods swing to a wide “No” position when we ask if that was the original purpose of the site. Usually, defensive elements have been constructed around sites either to protect the site itself, or constructed much later (we’re talking Bronze Age onwards) when the nation became very warlike. Only then was it really used as a “fort”.  Another thing to bear in mind is that there are plenty of folktales, legends and written documented material stating that hills were held as sacred places in tribal cultures throughout the known world. Hiill tops are therefore is dual significance – firstly as vantage points, but probably more importantly as sacred places. I am no archaeologistand so not in a position to argue with archaeological evidence, but I am a  dowser who has come to trust his dowsing. I trust my own first-hand experience. And that is what this blog is all about – first hand direct experience, not stated second-hand opinion.

Back to the action. The site was made up of a number of small mounds that looked like…well, burial mounds really. Shrouded in drizzle and mist the site took on an air of oddness that makes your spine tingle a little bit. We dowsed for whether there was any work that we needed to do here. Kal found that it was all down to me, and I return dowsed that he had to help me. So we worked together. I found a power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. and stood there for a short while, tuning into the site. Kal tried to dowse the purpose but within moments I had had a vision of what was required (strange how this was happening to me a lot in Ireland – I swear I don’t usually have visions at all – mostly I have feelings about places, but this was a synaesthesic shift in my perceptions). I saw the spirits of soldiers killed at this site and with that vision I got a feeling of deep unease. Not unhappiness, because I think the remaining “energetic shrouds” of these former people were happy in their form, it was just that they had been disturbed. It didn’t take much of an intuitive leap to guess why – the telecomms equipment. I would have to construct some kind of a barrier to reduce the effect of the electro-static noise pollution radiating from the neighbouring mast. [Note: 'energetic shroud' - a term used by C.W.Leadbeater to describe the remainder of energy left by a human after their death]

On the way up the hill I had picked up a beautiful dark green stone with three bands of pure white quartz striating it. This was to be my signature and I knew I would have to leave it at the site. It throbbed in my hand and felt warm despite the cool mist and altitude. I knew instinctively what I needed – some more stones like this one! I sent Kal on a mission to retrieve three more similar specimens. When he returned I was energised from the power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. and ready to do the work.  I placed the three rocks at points close to the fence of the telecomms site and the three-band rock was placed on my power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. in the site.

Lumps and bumps caused by bones at Knockbrack Hillfort

Following only intuitive directives I walked around my power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. in a sun-wise direction many, many times winding in the power of the sun, and calling it to help me generate power as I walked towards my three-band rock in the centre. Then I did the same in the opposite direction, walking from the outside in but in a counter-clockwise direction, calling on the moon’s energies to help me too. I imagined connecting all the four rocks with two streams flowing counter to each other, but both forming an impenetrable barrier against he electrical radiation. Looking from above the placement of the rocks formed a kind of crescent shape. A banana barrier!! Ha ha.

Staff safely positioned at the back of Knockbrack - away from radiation effects

After I had declared the work was finished Kal dowsed for what effect I might have had. Initially we had determined that the strength of the radiation affecting the site was EIGHT on a scale of one to ten, ten being the strongest possible effect. By the time I had hardened the protective shell around the barrier, Kal had dowsed that I had put a barrier up for three and a half years and that the disturbance was down to a level of ONE. Job done, I felt. Even if only for a relatively short period of time.

On the way down Kal pointed out a strange-looking rock – it was a crescent shape! I turned it around to mimic the shape I had just created energetically! This was too much of a coincidence not to go unnoticed, and I took a picture of it to remind me of the work I had done.

A crescent-shaped rock makes itself obvious to us

Almost as soon as I had finished snapping that rock I found another smaller rock on the floor that had a crescent shaped discolouration and I picked it up as a souvenir of the work I had done. “Give, and ye shall receive.” rang through my mind all the way back down to the car. We went off in search of food, and soon we were preparing for a interesting afternoon when the tables would turn on us. More about that soon.

Gwas.