The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘ghosts’

The weekend of the 20th February M and I had one of our now-regular meetings with our friends Mike and Maddy - our psychic dowsing friends. We had made plans to go dowsing in the afternoon but firstly M and I had to overcome a slight problem – we had locked ourselves out of our house by mistake! An hour later we were back in courtesy of my lovely helpful mother coming down to rescue us. Not an auspicious start!

When I met Mike one of the first things he said to me was he had to pass on an urgent message that had been related to him by his spirit guides several times over the previous few weeks. The message was that I was to begin to dispense with the dowsing rods. I should begin to trust my intuition and to develop my psychic skills with a view to not needing the dowsing rods except to act as confirmation. I understood what was being asked of me – it was something that I had even said to a friend who had asked me about what dowsing was, to which I had replied, “We used tools to reveal the information but really the aim is to do without the tools completely when we master the feel for the energies.” Now here I was being asked the same thing the very next day!

After a hearty lunch together we made our way to Astbury Church, near Congleton - a place I’d passed many times and always wanted to visit. Maddy had been before and mentioned that she had felt a crushing pressure of the weight of the energies there, and a feeling that there was a sadness associated with the church which she couldn’t explain. I was keen to see what the energies were like around the church and noticed firstly that the church was called St.Mary’s – my first hint at what lay ahead. Apparently Bronze Age urns were found in a reputed barrow site opposite the church’s current position, where the cemetery is today, which showed me that the site was probably older than the current church building would lead you to believe. I went off dowsing as Maddy began to give M a lesson on dowsing.

Site of Bronze Age urn at Astbury, Congleton

I went directly to a female 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. at the south-western edge of the church. This was linked to a strong female line coming out of the western porch. There was another line coming out of the other side of the porch. It was a female arch over the porch. The source of this female energy was somewhere inside. Possibly the two holy wells that the church is reputed to have been built over?

Now we moved on to try to find more interesting things about the church and its energies.

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Llangernyw, Conwy, Wales – 23rd October, 2010

For the first half of the year our visits to Llangernyw were characterised by Kal having experiences or encounters with death energies, earthbound spirits or shades, however you want to term the spirits of the dead. As befits a graveyard they are around and about and thanks to the pacifying influence of the yew tree in the churchyard they are docile. My visits to this churchyard were characterised by me taking the mickey out of Kal for being named “Spirit Walker” by the yew tree, and for having the kinds of encounters that he continually rejected. Then came Samhain 2010 and the tables turned.

The church entrance way at Llangernyw

We arrived at the end of our interesting Samhain journey at Llangernyw churchyard. The now familiar posters and small hand-made signs greeted us telling us all about how the Christian profession was going to celebrate this turning point in the year. This always makes me consider how long the yew tree has been there on that ground – long before the Christian religion was even invented, yet along when this particular church was built.

I immediately went to speak with the tree. Kal had wandered off somewhere else, but I was dead set on finding out what the next part of the year held in store for me. Little did I know what I was about to let myself in for! I meditated a while and connected to the tree, introducing myself as usual, and asking the tree for guidance as to what my quest might be. In my mind I got a picture of the portal stones at the rear of the church and heard the words “Go to the portal stones” in my mind. As usual this was in my own voice, but a deep version of it, and I felt it was some otherness that was producing that phrase. I thanked the tree and swiftly moved around to the other side of the church to find the stones.

The portal stones at Llangernyw

I stood between the portal stones and felt the energy flowing immediately. This was not my energy, but energy that is flowing between the stones by itself. I stood between them and felt myself go into a meditative trace, a receptive state of mind to hear whatever would arise in my mind. Very quickly the words came to me “Free Spirits“. Just that. That was my simply-stated yet clearly complex task – to learn how to free the energies of the dead. Niiiiice. Not something I had anticipated doing, and something that I knew Kal had already rejected. Still, I reasoned, if unquiet energies were disrupting a sacred site then they might need to be cleared so that I could revitalise the earth grid? We will see.

That was our amazing and enlightening Samhain day as we moved into the final stage of the year up to Yule. It seemed that I had taken over the mantle of Spirit Walker and would be the one who would be learning how to deal with spirits and to free them from whatever was binding them. All this was to be learned and practised until absorbed into everyday use. These are the tasks of a practising hedge druid.

Gwas.

The Hedge Druid blog has reached 300 posts! Thanks to those of you who are reading our posts regularly, everyone who has contributed to the comments section, and to casual visitors who may just happen on by. We hope you are enjoying the journey along The Path. Our experiences seem to resonate with many of you.

Since late 2008 we have delivered three hundred almost-believable, sometimes vaguely interesting pieces of information to you all. For Kal and I the blog began as a means of recording our experiences whilst out dowsing, and for me particularly it was a means to record the cross-over that I was experiencing with my newly-emerging interest in druidry. Since then we have developed spiritually and the metaphorical goal-posts have shifted somewhat.

It has been to my personal delight that you have followed our progress in increasing numbers. Good on you, but shouldn’t you be out in a field kissing a flower or something? Only kidding. It’s great to have you here, and we hope that our exploits inspire you to try some of the unusual things we get up to for yourself. You’ll notice we often leave the detail for you to work out for yourself? That’s deliberate.

Two years after we started blogging we have hit a major milestone. I feel like we readers of this blog are a small band of Spartans facing the hordes of rationalist unbelievers in their many guises and poking them sternly in the eye with experiential evidence. Of course, we’re all mad. We need to acknowledge that, If anyone asks, you don’t believe a word of this, right?

Over that time we have indeed covered many esoteric and “flaky” subjects: crop circles, crystals, healing with energy, earth energy lines, coincidences, elemental spirits, ghosts, power centres…and many more that I can’t bring to mind but which make me muse and ponder. We aim to test them all in time.

Over that few years we’ve been spending less time dowsing and more time on energy work/magick. Dowsing has currently (and unfairly) been relegated to an aide to our other work. In the near future we’re going to go back to re-investigating the dowsing principles because we think there’s more to learn from that. Expect some updates to the Sacred Sites page with its map of energies. Expect some new ideas to emerge from our findings.

Here is just a flavour of some of the topics we will be covering soons:-

• Lammas – what it means to me and what I will be doing
• Crop circles – our ideas about where they come from and who’s making them, and how they are made, and what their importance might be
• Stone circles – are they schools for passing on mystical information?
• The newly-discovered wood henge near Stonehenge – our first dowse of it
• The power of numbers : five, seven and eleven

Hope you’ll stay with us for the next three hundred. Charge!!!!!!

Gwas.

The third part of this evenings adventure (part 1 and part 2) took place at the back end of this fine church/grave yard.

Church yard

As those of you who have read my other posts, one of the names that I was given here at this site on a previous visit was “spirit walker, the walker between worlds” On that occasion I declined, respectfully that offer but it “seems” that the offer wasn’t conditional. Anyways as I am walking amongst these graves late this night, ostensibly dowsing through some of the revelations I got minutes before (see post 1,2). I get the feeling that “something” is accompanying me.

Not really the feeling you want whilst in a grave yard is it…

Thriller

This “feeling” made me think my time was done at the site for the day and it was home time. But fear is a bit of a driver for me so I stock around to see what would happen…

After some moments, I was given an impression of something wanting to commune with me. Hmmm Trees I don’t mind but I am not interested in talking with any old spirit.

Seeing the Dead

However, the impression gets slightly stronger and I am heading for the comfort of the Yew tree and as it happens more light. As I stand by the tree I feel its protection and warmth. I close my eyes and am filled with knowledge. It seems that the “spirits” need energy from me before they can commune. Interesting, so how does it work with mediums and channelers?

“With most mediums it is a case of them “giving of” random energy because their “shielding” isn’t good enough. Passing spirits (and other energy beings) use this to manifest in some way.”

Wow – where does all this knowledge come from??

“Channelers are the same but there energy is given off internally and that is why energy beings/spirits are able to “use” them.”

Amazing…

“Haunting’s are sometimes passing energy beings/spirits that use the emotional energy that has “charged” a place to manifest. By doing so they slowly dissipate that energy.”

“You have more control of your energies that is why the spirits couldn’t manifest. But you can allow them to use it and then they will come to you.”

O really? No thanks!

“You should, they can tell you much that I cannot not”

O – why is that?

“I am a balance of things, some of them don’t care about it”

By this time I was getting overly scared of things, where is the steadying company of Gwas when you need it? So with a “Thanks, but not today” I hastily left this wonderful place.

Kal

Sam Hill – it’s nearly Samhain!

The original Celtic New Year begins on the night of the Full Moon closest to October 31st and November 1st. This year that will be Monday 2nd November. It is the time when the Summer was overcome by the Winter – often played out as the Solar Hero being overcome by a Dark Knight (see Mummer Plays).

This time sees the beginning of the Dark Half of the Year – a festival honouring the dead, and importantly forming a link between the energies of those who have been before us, and those of us here now. Samhain is a gateway between the worlds of the Otherworld and the Middle Earth, and becomes passable by the denizens of either world – the “veil becomes thin” as some describe it. It is therefore an opportunity to commune or communicate with forces in a much stronger and clearer way that at other times.

There is lots of miscellaneous information about various customs relating to this time of year, old and new, to be found here.

Playing with Fire

Samhain is a Celtic fire festival, so inevitably one should look for a sacred site or grove that will enable you to have a fire without causing a disturbance, if you plan to celebrate it in style. Leave the fireworks for the sham that is “Guy Fawkes Night” though!

This being a fire festival means an opportunity to obtain the co-operation of a fire spirit if you do not already have such a relationship. This will promote change in your life and ways, so you need to know if this is what you want, or make adequate protection against inadvertant change being wrought through your life by a rampant fire spirit!

Samhain is a time of feasting on the profits of the year – whether that be literal feasting on food, or consuming the fruits of our labours and learnings over the profitable summer months. It is a time to gather in the rewards of your experiences, reflect upon them, and begin the process of working them into your life over the Winter months to come, ready for the next Spring.

Energetically we see the male earth energies, and those living energies produced by the trees, begin to retreat back into the earth, their influence waning. The celebration of the rising female energy influence is encapsulated in the celebration’s coincidence with the full moon.

You’re My Venus

Astrologically, Venus is appearing in the mornings. Jupiter and Mars are also in attendance over Samhain. Other major planets such as Mercury and Saturn have significantly disappeared from the northern hemisphere just before Samhain.

I’m looking forward to visiting a sacred site that is out of the way, and which is associated with Venus and the sacred number five. Last year none of that would have made any sense – this year I have learned that such specifics will mean that I am at a site that is energetically at its peak, and full of magical possibilities for me.

Enjoy your Samhain celebrations, whatever you do!

Gwas Myrddyn.

Hedge Druid.

One thing that has always seemed incidental to my research into stone circles and other megalithic sites has been the discrepancy between dowsing responses and the official reports on the purpose of such sites. These official histories can be found placed outside the sites by helpful country councils eager to attract tourists to any old thing they can offer on a rainy English summer day that might seem cultural or educational.

Every one of these signs, without exception, is adamant that, because a tweed-attired chap with a trowel and monocle dug up a small pile of cremated bones from the centre of the site in 1921 that this is categorical evidence that sites from then on should be designated for “burial” purposes. Don’t get me wrong – valuable archaeological work has been done at ancient sites, and I do not dispute the accuracy of the work done, or the professionalism brought to bear on the excavation in modern times. However, I believe that in respect of human remains and funerary practises the evidential tale takes a major leap into “faction” – a curious meld of fact and fiction that then becomes a widely-publicised and accepted “truth”.

Inscription for Lligwy Chamber

Here is a list of unscientific things that I find contradict this widely-held scientific hypothesis:-

1. Every time we dowse a site where bones have been found to see whether it primarily served the purpose of a burial site – the clear and unequivocal answer has been “No”. We have to say ‘primarily’ because of course bones have been buried there, so if we asked the questions differently we might get a misleading answer.
2. Why would you bury people in a stone circle that was clearly intended for astronomical use? This was the calendar of the ancient peoples, and the movement of posts to track the heavens would have required regular visits. Clearly, stone circles in particular served a calendrical purpose above that of being a cemetery.
3. Cromlechs and “passage graves” are always labelled “burial chambers”, yet many cromlechs have interior spaces that are too small to hold a human skeleton. Yes, many remains have been cremated, but even so the “real estate” is quite limited. Passage graves are aligned with astronomical bodies, not dead bodies, and their passages stream with light on specific important dates. Their chambers also resonate sound superbly, and the mounds above the passage are structured like Wilhelm Reich’s Orgone Accumulator – layers of different materials that retain and transform nature’s energies. A sophisticated structure for a grave, with may superfluous features, wouldn’t you say?
4. If the site was for burial, why would you bury a small number of people there? The stock answer is that it was the site of the burial of heroic people – druids, famous warriors, chieftains. So, why do you only get a select number of skeletons there, and not lots layered on top of each other, as successive generations marked great people? This would indicate that the structure served a one-off purpose of the burial of specific people, possibly for a specific purpose. The argues against the idea of the function of such sites being primarily for burial.
5. Many of the funereal urns containing the charred remains dug up from stone circles are dated to around the latter end of the Bronze Age (3200-1200BCE), yet stone circles have themselves been dated from thousands of years before that. It seems that the burials were later additions to the ceremonial aspects of these sites.

If your old religion and civilisation was being systematically destroyed by invaders, as the last in the line of the Circle Builders, where would you wish to be buried? An ancient site. Was it a final act of dedication, a magical attempt to preserve the energies of the sites through their sacrifice and burial at astronomical positions? Or were they places where communication with and inspiration from the ancestors could be obtained at specific times of the year when the veil between worlds was thinner?

So, my theory is that the ancient sites were indeed used for burying some people, but that this was not the primary purpose of such sites. I do not see any evidence at all that the design, the layout, the siting, and the structure of the ancient sites have anything at all to do with burial as an inherent and continuous part of their purpose.

As Aubrey Burl puts it:-

The most likely explanation for these bizarre collections of bones, some of them lacking skulls and far too few to represent even a minute fraction of the population, is that they were the remains of an ancestor cult in which the living ritually used skulls and longbones, believing that the ghosts of the dead would protect them just as dedicatory burial would add potency to a ceremonial monument. In the new stone age death and the dead obsessed the living. But, needing to control these powerful and dangerous spirits, the people confined the bones inside ‘magic’ rings of earth or stone.

I have a slightly different perspective on that which includes aspects of “death energy” being ritualistically interred into the sacred site in an attempt to bring stability to a community (a rallying point), fertility to the land, and perhaps to retain the presence of that person’s spirit by “fixing” their presence into the energy formation at such crossing points on the earth energy grid.

Gwas.