The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘knights templar’

I’m afraid that I am unable to post my episode concerning a house clearance that I did recently. The parties involved wish the story to remain undisclosed. I am respecting their wishes. However, I did recently have an encounter with a dark energy force that was far more powerful, and during the course of which I learned so much more about the process that it eclipses the first story anyway. Here is my story about a dark energy form at Gawsworth Church. The story involves my good friend Mike – a psychic healer of incredible bravery and talent, as you are about to see demonstrated yet again. You may remember our first encounter with dark energy together at The Bridestones recently.

It was a darkening evening with the sun just setting as Mike and I made our way to Gawsworth Hall with the intention of finally finding and eliminating the source of the dark energy that had plagued the hall for several years. Mike had first identified a sorrowful figure of a lady in the Solar Room of the hall years earlier. He had banished this depressing spirit energy from the hall only for us to find later that she had taken up residence at the dark energy spot in the corner of the grounds near the lake. On this occasion we thought we would be able to finally identify the source of the pitiful darkness that was still seeping into the hall’s grounds, and which the local yew trees were struggling to contain despite their size and undoubted grounding capabilities. Now on this night we hoped to discover whether this particular spirit was still in need of release, or whether something else was still haunting the small village of Gawsworth. Maybe, we hoped, it had all dissipated of its own accord and there was nothing to find?

We had a “new guy” in tow. His name was Joe, a local farm-hand who had recently been developing a burgeoning psychic talent. This was to be Joe’s first encounter with dowsing and dowsers at work, so it was to be something of a baptism of fire for him. Given the nature of the work we were about to do he did well not to freak out and run for the safety of the streetlights!

We approached the incoming darkness of the churchyard without a moment’s hesitation, despite not knowing what the strength of our adversary that night. As we entered the grounds Joe pulled up immediately, “There’s something dark in that corner over there.” he said. Both Mike and I confirmed that there was – I felt it -  but it was not the darkness we had come to deal with, and was not anything of a problem at this time. Maybe we would come back to look at it some other time, but for now we had a more challenging target.

I showed Joe how to dowse briefly, and we left him playing with his new-found talent. Every now and again we would hear a yelp as he discovered something new, which was delightful. However, as we ought to have expected, our own work would get regularly interrupted as he fired question after question towards us about how it worked, what could be located, whether his responses were genuine, and all the other beginner questions that always emerge when first the rods begin to react. We pitched in where we could, and were always polite, but our main focus was now turned towards the side of the churchyard nearest Gawsworth Hall itself. For something dark and fearful was looming in the shaded areas near to the tall brick wall.

Read the rest of this entry »

Knights Symbol on Grave stone

Since beginning my Knights Quest I have been asked to obtain 9 Blue Keys to present to Cailleach this coming Autumn (see the Knights Quests posts).  This last weekend (12 Feb 2011) Gwas and I decided to visit some sacred sites that I had chosen in and around Llangollen in Wales. My choice had sights had been pretty much random (I felt) and only constricted by the fact that we were going to the area of Llangollen.

The night before I had driven across the country from West Devon (about 4.5 hours) in an onslaught of rain and wind. My faith in us getting a good visit out was diminishing with every mile. But that is what faith is about isn’t it? Believing when all the evidence is pushing the other way.

Llangollen Abbey

Having said that, Saturday morning was bright and fresh, and again amazed both Gwas and I in its presenting us with a full sunny, dry and warm day. Our first port of call was going to be Llangollen Abbey. After our fantastic success and experiences at Bolton Abbey (and my years intent to explore abbeys more) I had picked this sacred and ancient monument. We were not disappointed this time as Gwas will relate to his experiences.

After wandering around and getting a sense of the Genius LociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place. I dowsed for the best place for me to stand (the grass was too wet for sitting) and commune with the spirit of this magnificent place. Eventually the rods took me to first in three broken pillars. Still standing some 5 foot in height, I clambered up and called across to Gwas to note that as soon as I had stood upon the pedestal the sun had come out from some clouds…coincidence!…

As I slowly twirled around on the pedestal trying to determine the ‘best’ direction to be facing I saw the half moon over the high windows of the abbey. Gwas informed me that this moon was called the Wolfs Moon. Curious as a couple of weeks ago I had purchased a t-shirt with a white wolf on it and was wearing it for the first time on this outing, another coincidence?

Apparently facing the moon and also being in the light of the sun was the best place for me at this particular abbey and without further messing I stilled my thoughts and let my intuition flow. A few minutes of silence and observation of the three other people in the huge main hall of the abbey, my attention was caught by Gwas as he had completed his work and was giving thanks to the place.

It was at that time that I got a messagethe site didn’t want anything from us. What it wanted was an 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.. It wanted us to play its tune. What a wonderful insight this was and I mused on it for quite a while before jumping off and relating the experience to Gwas.

A sacred site isn’t looking for gifts of gratitude, it is looking for an 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.. In essence this: A site, if you will is vibrating at a certain frequency of energy, what it wants (if I could use that word) is for visitors to align (vibrate) at the same frequency of the site. In more poetic terms…

The Genius LociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place. sings a song in harmony with its environment, the gift we can give it during our visit is to sing its song for a while.

Isn’t that brilliant? Consider the appreciation you give a performer by singing with them? As revelations go this was a wonderful one and one that perhaps we knew unconsciously but to have it voiced and come into consciousness was a enlighteningmoment. You will be herein more of my Singing with Genius LociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place.’s in the future!

Saint Mael and Saint Sulien’s Church

The second site I had randomly chosen was the church of two Saints, Mael and Sulien in Corwen. Gwas and I parked up the car and as we walked up the lane towards the hotel that the church was behind we saw a 15 foot high statue of a knight greeting us and pointing at the church (quite probably the hotel too). A knight? The implication and portent of this sign was not lost on either of us.

I love it when synchronicities abound, surely it is a sign that we’re on the right path, or rather a path with a heart. It certainly feels like such.

After a short stop for some food we made our way to the Church. Apparently it had two stones of note. I wandered around the churchyard in attempt to spot them and as I returned to my starting point Gwas pointed them out to me. One was stuck in the wall of the entrance to the church and the other (a ring stone) was at the base of a cross.

I dowsed as to whether these were the original positions of the stones and the answer was no. Asking to be taken to there original position I was taken to the back of the church to a spot just by a grave. As I approached I saw Gwas there and learned that he too had been looking for the original place. Independently we had both found the same place!

I asked if there was anything significant about this spot and was pointed at the nearest gravestone. It was so worn that nothing remained of the inscription except on the upper part of the stone there was the symbol of a Rose.

I pointed this out to Gwas who is more learned in such matters and he noted that it looked like a Rosicrucian symbol, a Rose. He also informed me that the Rosicrucian order was intimately involved with the Knights Templar. Really! I was impressed. I had to look it up later…

“Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology “built on esoteric truths of the ancient past”, which, “concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm. “Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rosy Cross.” Rosicrucian

 As I read this I find a curious synergy with another a book that I am putting together entitled Radical Enlightenment which might be described as “built on esoteric truths” and “… insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm…” however rather than concealing these, revealing them!

An amazing find I think in hindsight and I will be exploring this relationship further. But back to the duo saints church. So I was faced with this grave and its marking. With Gwas’s input, I asked:

• Whether this spot had anything to do with knights? Yes.
• Was there a knight buried here? Yes.
• Was he an important figure? No…Oh
• Was he knighted by Arthur (it was a hopeful question) alas No.
• Was he knighted by a prominent King/Queen? No.

It seems that the relevance of bringing me to this place was purely to get me the connection of Rosicrucian and Knights Templar. Before I move on to our next site I would just like to point out the following…

Sulien… interpreted as being derived from the Welsh sul, meaning “sun” + geni, meaning “born,” Sulien being the name of a Celtic solar deity.

Can I just remind you that I am so much a Sun aligned person, of course…a coincidence.

Stay tuned for my next post on this outing…’Tyfos and Being Directed’

Kal Malik – gathering clues on a knight’s quest

There have been many wild and fantastic suggestions and theories about the coming of the group known enigmatically as The Shining Ones. Some “theorists” have said that they were so called because they gave off an unearthly light, or that they were extra-terrestrial visitors who came down to give knowledge to the human race to move them out of savagery and into civilisation, and that they established the concept of kingship because the savages they encountered viewed them as gods from another world. Maybe this was actually what the people believed, but we can never know this from archaeology or any written source. Instead, their influence is only fleetingly spoken of, and the last remaining scant written evidence is from the Irish myths of the Tuatha De Danaan.

This group of people are known by many names: The Shining Ones, The Tuatha De Danaan, The Annunaki, The Great White Brotherhood, or The Ascended Masters. Of course, each of those who is a devotee of these subjects will argue that they are subtly different, but the idea of ancient hidden knowledge being carried through to our own time is the essence of each of those designated groups, irrespective of their supposed sources or incarnations.

My quest has been to get back beyond the time of the Druids to the source of the megalithic structures, or certainly the inspiration for their design. To do this the only tool I have available is dowsing – no amount of scholarly research is going to reveal anything that isn’t utterly without a duality of meaning and a massive degree of interpretation. Besides – we simply do not have any written knowledge from those times, and I am talking about before 3000 B.C.E.

I am interested in understanding stone circles and other megalithic structures – how they work who made them, why they were made, and for what purposes they were built. The only method I have available is a blend of gnosis, intuition, and the application of rationality after a collection of knowledge has been obtained.

It may strike you as a completely illegitimate and unreliable means to recreate this lost knowledge, but the tool of dowsing is capable of allowing us to tune into the flow of the universal consciousness and retrieve knowledge. Using these tools I have re-constructed the following pieces of knowledge concerning this shadowy group known to us as The Shining Ones. Take from it what you wish – discard anything you do not trust, or cannot verify for yourself. Dismiss anything you don’t instinctively apprehend as having a high probability of being true. How can you tell? You can’t – it’s all guesswork, but over the years I have developed a sense of trust in my dowsing responses, and that’s all I can offer in terms of validation.

After having established a degree of trust in my dowsing work with whatever the source of this knowledge might be, I felt it was time to try to work out who the Shining Ones might be, or at least to try to get some pointers on their influence in the process of megalith building. So Kal and I visited the Nine Stones Close circle, as it seemed to have the right kind of character to acquire knowledge from.

Information source!

Here is what I found out after having “unlocked” the power centres at Nine Stones Close stone circle, and then dowsed about the Shining Ones:

1. Shining Ones were human, they lived before Druids, and there are none around today
2. Although they discovered the way to harness the properties of the earth, they did so not for its worship, but for the benefits they could extract from doing so. They supplied the knowledge of how to build the megalithic structures – the template, the basic mathematics, the sacred geometry, the planetary alignments – but they used the cover story of worship in order to motivate the populous to help them to build these structures.
3. They installed the concept of kingship in human society
4. The Druid Orders, then The Knights Templar, and finally the Freemasons were the inheritors and protectors of their secrets. This is against Nature, as no knowledge should be denied to those who may comprehend it. Those who cannot understand will be shielded from it, if not its consequence.
5. Our paths are not their paths, although there may be many crossing points. We can learn their lore, but we should not follow their teachings.
6. The Shining Ones understood the workings of Nature.
7. These people were influential from the period of 5500 bce up until 150 bce. The Druids came after them and inherited much of their knowledge and status.
8. They were not in any way connected with extra-terrestrial beings- they were learned human beings who received their knowledge from Nature through processes of Gnosis and meditation and the use of their megalithic structures to induce connectivity and trance.

The Matthews categorise any being within the Otherworld as being “Shining Ones”. Does that take the shine off their special status? Not if we examine the myths surrounding the appearance of this group of people – in these myths their status is exemplary: they are the bringers of truth, wisdom, knowledge, law, and skills. All of these are brought to the uncivilised groups living in the northern hemisphere spanning from Ireland across the Celtic landscape and into the Indes.

That is about it for the information we have about them. As one might expect from a time when written records were minimal, and considering all of the great literary losses our race has endured over the centuries (e.g. The Library of Alexandria), coupled with the sense that the written medium was only beginning to be introduced when this supposed race of people appeared, then we are unlikely to be able to verify any of this with factual material. What we are left with is more questions than answers. I only hope that through my dowsing work I can at least begin to scratch the surface of the intentions and origins of these historically and mythologically important people.

References to Shining Ones:

Excerpts from The Book of Leinster about the Tuatha De Danaan

Books:-

1. “The Shining Ones” – by Christian and Barbara Joy O’Brien [buy]
2. “The Ancient and Shining Ones” – by Deanna J. Conway [buy]
3. “The Shining Ones: The World’s Most Powerful Secret Society” – by Philip Gardiner [buy or view in Google Books]

Videos:-

• Learning from History – Part 1 [link]

Links:-

• A typically vague description provide here.

————————————————————–

Gwas.

I have held back from posting this particular account for a number of reasons. There are some visits that Kal and I do whose purpose is not to dowse for information – sometimes that is a secondary approach. Some visits are more personal than others too, and some more sensitive, or even unbelievable. We have begun this year, as you may have noticed, to study some of the more esoteric aspects of earth and cosmic energy, for want of better terms. I have labelled this approach: “druidry” or “energy work”. Kal, of course, has his own labels for it: “meditation” or “spirit work”. People from different backgrounds with different intentions would read this how they may. So be it. I return to my primary purpose for writing this blog: as a source for me to record and recall the amazing spiritual journey I have begun – a path that I call Druidry, and am proud to do so. The Yew Stage of my learning process is all about discovery of what matters, and its tramsformation into useful and purposeful work. If I can get something out of it, so can those who may also read this work.

So, this post is about a trip one evening in late summer (very late summer) to visit The Llangernw Yew. This amazing tree is said to be over 4000 years old, possibly as much as 5000. Think about that for a second – that means that this tree has seen pretty much all of what we would consider to be human recorded history! It is a truly amazing tree. Here’s a picture of the magnificent yew, straight from the Wikipedia page dedicate exclusively to it:-

The Llangernyw Yew

It goes without saying that this tree was growing into maturity well before the advent of our currently waning Piscean religion known as Christianity. The undoubted earlier spiritual history is nowhere mentioned or speculated upon in the text of the little plaques and signs around the churchyard. Well, this is not something that over the last few years brings me much surprise any more. Christians are obsessive about stamping their own impression upon a site to the exclusion of all else in my experience. That is the way of the “one true” religion. At least, in this case, the presence of the new place of worship has ensured the preservation of the much older tree. Here’s an example of the information you can expect:

You see – the ancient monoliths mark the grave site of an early Christian! Now you know.Matter settled.  Before Christ, you say? Pah!

Anyway – polemic aside – we started dowsing for the aura of this magnificent tree. It was some fifty feet from its trunk, and covered the little porch that was the main entrance to the small church. I think it must have been reaching out to touch the letter that David Bellamy had written about the yew and which was posted inside the porch. He’s an unusual character now sadly absent from our TV screens who has actually written a book about yews; or rather, more a conversation with one. How appropriate that turned out to be in retrospect!! He’s also got an interesting explanation of the work of Viktor Schauberger who studies nature’s energies.

Speaking to Yew

Whilst Kal milled around the site I knew what I was here for: I wanted to see what the famous yew had to say for itself. I hd been putting off trying to commune with yew trees because of their reputation. An earlier experience with in Rhosesmor had prepared me somewhat for the type of agenda that comes with yew trees: death, rebirth, transformation. Sometimes you’re in the mood to handle that kind of conversation, and at other times you aren’t. I knew for a fact that Kal was in a delicate state, as this was the first time he’d been on an outing for a while since his mother passed away. I understood he had his own healing work to do, and that the yew tree may not figure in that, so I went alone.

There was none of the usual foreboding as I approached the great tree. Of course I asked permission to enter its expansive canopy, and I showed the utmost respect for it. I asked the dowsing rods for the best location so sit, and they took me to a well-worn low u-shaped branch. I could see I wasn’t the first to spend time here! I dowsed for places to put the five crystals I had brought with me. Looking back I think that was unnecessary, but it helped me relax to be protected from external interference at this new site. I relaxed and blended my senses into the tree, its huge canopy, and the surrounding noises of the village of Llangernyw. I used the remaining sunlight as my focal point as it dappled through the low branches in just the way I liked for these occasions. Soon I was unaware of myself except as a space to think.

I slowly became aware of an urge to communicate, so I let a thought emerge, a thought to make contact with the tree. I have learned patience over the last few years, and let the response come slowly slowly, until an Other voice joined my own in my head. A conversation began, during which I asked to be shown a vision that would help me with my work. The result came slowly, but once it started it was quite powerful. In my vision I was lifted up, as though on the shoulders of the yew, and shown an ariel view of the churchyard. I could see all of the lines of energy flowing from the tree and through the church. The church itself disappeared as though it had never been there, and what remained was just the yew tree and some geometric collection of something on the other side of the church, which I hadn’t yet visited. There was more, but I don’t recall it clearly enough to reliably re-tell, so I won’t go on. It felt like an out of body experience, and the nicest flying experience I can remember, floating lazily and in the gentle cushion of the yew’s energy field.

Of course, the first thing I did, after thanking the yew of course, was to grab my rods and begin to dowse around the tree. I picked up a strong line connecting the yew to the church, but intersecting the church at an odd angle. Like I say, it was as if the line was there before the church, ans I raced around the other side to see what was there. What was there? Only a raised tombstone surrounded by a couple of old standing stones! This, I dowsed, was the terminus point of the 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. going through the church. Now THAT’S a vision, I thought! Where you see things in your mind that turn out to actually be there, although to be honest I didn’t see the stones, only a blurry end point where the energy congregated, but nevertheless, it bowled me over somewhat, and I went off to tell Kal all about it whilst it was fresh in my mind.

The Shaky Hand of Fear?

Kal seemed busy down in the lower graveyard – a long rectangular graveyard packed with headstones and with a rectangular path all around it. I decided to leave him for now, and to take some photographs for the blog. The strange thing is, when I pointed the camera anywhere near the yew tree and check the picture – they were blurred! I couldn’t seem to steady my hand at all. I took, re-took, took again – all blurred. I wondered if my eyes were going funny! I deleted the blurry ones, and became increasingly static and poised as I braced my arm, my hand, breathed out – every trick I knew to get a clear photo. I think I got ONE (the one above) and even that’s not very good. Here’s an example of the blurry photos that I thought were OK on the day:

This is, I have found this is not a one-off happenstance. When I take pictures of some trees, the stronger their aura the more blurred the photograph! I remember taking and deleting loads of pictures to try to get at least a few good ones, then when I got back to inspect the ones I thought were OK – they were almost all blurred. I’m sure this is more a reflection of what a rank amateur I am with a camera than anything else, but I must say it’s another of those odd coincidences, as it seems to happen a great deal with highly energetic places, and especially old trees. It happened to me in the Forest of Dean a few months ago too. Very odd. It’s such a shame too, because I thought I had taken some great shots of the full moon peeking out from beneath the canopy of the tree – all blurred beyond recognition! The ambiance of the churchyard would have been properly conveyed had they been publishable. Ah well, the memory will have to remain locked in my head.

The Moonlight Spotlight

The sun had dipped behind the trees. I went to catch up with Kal and hear his tales, and they were more interesting than mine, even! I was more amazed at his capacity to delve into himself when most people would simply want to be alone and undisturbed, superficial even. Not Kal!

I showed him the hidden side of the church as the moon began to dominate the sky with its light. I followed the dowsing rods around the church asking to be taken to the first 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. they could find. They found several, all linked with each other, and at significant “features” in the ground, such as a small bump, a faerie ring of grass, around a standing stone, the raised grave, and between two pillar stones next to the church’s southern wall.

I placed my crystals around the small 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. that the rods had identified as being aligned with my own energies, and faced the moon. By one of those unbelievable coincidences the moonlight formed a spotlight through the trees as two clouds parted at just that moment, and the light shone directly into my face and formed a circle the exact same size as 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. I had just dowsed. I know – even I could barely believe it. Everything felt right, so I stayed their a while feeling the energies bubble up from the earth and into my inner core, powering me, cleansing me, making me feel light-headed and “spacey”.

When I felt the time was right I moved to the two upright pillars next to the church. I dowsed quickly to determine what this feature was that had attracted my heightened attention. The answer that I eventually hit upon was some kind of energetic barrier, that, if triggered, could take me from one world into another. Sometimes the right questions just pop into your head and the rods respond. Tonight in particular, with the full moon, the rods were swinging strongly and clearly, and my intuition was highly tuned.

I placed crystals around me to enhance the energies and stepped up to the space between the two stone pillars. I could feel the energy pulling me, and I knew I could walk forward and something would happen, but I was afraid of what that was, so I didn’t enter. Sorry. I just felt slightly wary of it, wary enough not to go fully into it. Instead I leaned forwards to see what would happen if only my head passed the stones. As my head moved past them I could feel my thoughts being pulled into the church wall, my attention being thrust through the wall and out to the tree, but again I panicked and pulled back. I wasn’t ready for this yet. Soon, but not now.

 With that I removed the crystals, and went back to 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. to discharge and cleanse myself. I was sure that something amazing would have happened, but this wasn’t the right time to do it. One day soon I will go back and be ready for it. I’m sure that one day Kal will also tell his side of the story, but again – when he’s ready. This stuff take time to assimilate sometimes before it’s ready to come out or be relived.

Them Skulls and Them Bones

A final note: there were masonic or Templar symbols similar to those I have found at Glamis churchyard (see the Gallery page) carved onto the raised tomb that is surrounded by the standing stones. This only goes to strengthen my feeling that this elite brotherhood knew a lot more about the concepts of nature’s energy, energy lines, position and empowerment than they are currently credited with. Of course, that is pure speculation, as so much is when there are few solid known facts about this shadowy organisation and its past. Certainly, I don’t think the use of that knowledge is much in evidence today:  the organisation seems to be more about money and political power now, than esoteric knowledge. The knowledge is being built back up though, by we erstwhile dowsers and energy workers. A picture, however fragmented and hazy, is beginning to emerge of the veneration of place, the importance of symbols and the 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. of sites that characterise the old Templar, and now masonic buildings. A quick search of the web sites dedicated to understanding the significance of the most obvious of the remainders of esoteric knowledge - the Rosslyn Chapel - will lead you down all sorts of interesting blind alleyways of research. Therein you will find reference to King Solomon and the Temple of Solomon, the Freemasons, the Green Man and paganism, and all sorts of modern mystery and myth. I prefer to go back to the source: these people were venerating Nature, and they worked with sacred number and geometry to fashion places that promote power. The rest is embroidery.

There are some great pictures available from The Modern Antiquarian site concerning this yew and the two standing stones that are hidden behind the church : http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/6996/llangernyw_yew_and_standing_stones.html. No-one seems to know anything about them, but for me the dowsing showed that the stones were in their original position, and that other nearby standing stones, placed there at a much later date, formed an energetic gateway – a portal through to the Otherworld. Certainly enough there to keep the curious person busy, that’s for sure.

Gwas.

Dancing in the moonlight.

I recently got the chance to scout around the countryside between Loch Tay, Crieff and Dundee. This is David Cowan’s neck of the woods – the Scottish earth energy researcher – so I was delighted at the prospect of visiting some of the megalithic sites in the area.

In this first part of a two-part report I visited some of the megalithic (and other sights) that may be of interest to earth energy students, or students of the arcane and esoteric – all of which are accessible in a day’s drive around the area near Dundee in Perthshire, Scotland.

Dundee Town

In dry dock at the Discovery Point (brown signs everywhere in Dundee pointing to it) is the RSS Discovery ship formed part of several polar expeditions by Captain R.F.Scott.

Interesting design inlaid into the floor outside Discovery Point, with the cardinal points guarded by four vicious-looking penguins. I thought the personification of the winds was quite traditional, along with the presence of the sun, moon and stars. Knowledge exchanged with the Phoenicians about navigation, perhaps? Certainly a knowledge of the movements of the stars and the moon must have been treasured information, as it enhanced the naval prowess of any country that could use it.

In the centre of Dundee, in the middle of the main shopping thoroughfare, you can find this fairly large dragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. statue. It’s a magnet for kids who want to be ride it. It’s also close to the main banks, and so echoes the dragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. statues that surround the financial centre in The City of London.

Walking from the central church in Dundee towards the Discovery Centre you may come across a newly-built wall. It looks very organic and yet intricately organised. It’s a delightful work of art, and more walls should look this good! Every so often a small decorative stone is featured, and the symbols carved hark back to quite ancient roots: the trefoil and spiral, for instance…

…or some Ogham script, the language created by the British druids, the tree alphabet…..

Cultural echoes of a past being re-discovered and reclaimed. It’s like we’re blowing the dust off our heritage, bringing it once again out into the light of day and exposing its symbolism and shape to a new audience who are more able to listen, even though the modern world has been constructed in such a way as to distract us, to obscure its significance, and often to simply annihilate it without trace. Like the Green Man the familiar foliage re-appears each year anew. That’s happening in Dundee. You wouldn’t have thought it was a prime candidate for an archaic revival!

Eassie sculpted stone

In the ancient church of Eassie village, just west of Glamis Castle on the A94, you can find the encased remains of a Pictish Sculptured Stone. It is one of many in the surrounding area (see ‘Fowlis Wester’ below). Pictish culture, so-called because their legacy of mainly pictorial, was around for the transition from a predominantly Celtic imagery and mythology to one that was a mixture of Celtic and Christian imagery.

This quote published on the Megalithic Portal site by C.Michael Hogan:-

“The appearance of a tree branch in conjunction with the cross on the Eassie Stone is taken to represent the sacred manner that certain trees were held in regard by the Caledonians. (Wise, 1884) The appearance of sacrificial cattle on the Eassie Stone is common to other Pictish Stones after the instruction from Pope Gregory to Abbot Melletus in 601 AD; that instruction permitted the Picts to sacrifice cattle at their ancient pagan temple sites, only if the sites were sprinkled with holy water and consecrated to the true God. (Bede, 731). A procession of ecclesiastics is also evident on the stone, a theme being common to other carved stones of this era. (Hogan, 2005) A portion of the Eassie Stone has been likened (Leslie, 1866) to a crouching warrior image (Kells, ) in the Book of Kells, potentially connecting this site to events at Iona, where the Book of Kells may have been produced.” {Eassie Stone entry on Megalithic Portal}

Not to mention the angels that stand sentinel perched on either shoulder of the stone like some kind of Angel and Devil figures as expressions of conscience.

Take a wee look at those symbols that are shown in the plaque above. A boar – a symbol used to denote King Arthur – is easily discernable. The other look more artistic. A crown, perhaps, with the two central swirls similar to the cobra symbols on Egyptian crowns? The symbol on the right looked to me like a geomantic map of the energy formations at a sacred site, but I’m sure it’s just a stylised squid or something.

A quick digression

In the churchyard itself there are lots of graves that still display their carved symbols of the hourglass, the skull and crossed bones, and the ceremonial vase used to contain a person’s ashes. Now, either there were a lot of pirates buried in Eassie (although it’s far inland), or these are masonic symbols. Some people do propose a link between the Templars and the Pirates, so when I say “charnal urn” you say “bottle of rum”, okay?

A strong link is often made by authors tracing the history of the masonic teachings between Scotland and France, a link of Knights Templar and Freemasons, Masons supposedly emerging out of the dispersal of the Templars. You may recollect we found such symbols on the graves at the church in Dyserth village too, in North Wales. One often finds Templar or Masonic symbols of bones, skulls, time markers, swords, unicorns, lions, dragons and shields emblazoned with simple crosses at ancient churchyards, usually where an ancient pagan church has been built over by a Christian replacement (always aligned East-West to follow the sun).

Some authors make a convincing case for these organisations being the receptacles of an ancient knowledge that has to be handed down through generations unchanged so as to preserve it. The organisations insist upon a belief in divinity, but not in any specific deity. Their history includes the building of round towers and churches on ancient aligned sites to the proportions of sacred number. In short – they retained and re-educated their members in some very old traditions that incorporated ancient deities that have been regarded as sun-gods and moon-goddesses. Quite pagan.

Some authors argue that these organisations were of an altogether different spiritual 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., and that they are a boys club for the super-rich families and the well-connected to retain power over decision-making bodies. Sounds like a description of the ancient druid orders where rich kids would be sent to the druid colleges to be taught by a group of powerful men who were exempt from much of the law. These royal children were sent for an education in what is now called “The Classics”, but which back then would have been the Western Mystery Tradition.

Others say that the symbols simply mean something quite banal: an hourglass denotes a full life is vertical, a life cut short if horizontal; the cross-bones denote the mortality of man; the skull means…er..the mortality of man; the cross-swords that he was a warrior, veteran of a war; the urn denotes…er..human mortality encapsulated in a vessel of….er..hope of the resurrection into the eternal life. There you go – all easily explained. Unless you’ve read John J.Robinson’s “Born In Blood“, then things look a bit less arcane. (See also: Skull & Bones Society)

Some of the Eassie grave symbols:

There we can see an hourglass, crossed swords, a skull, a charnal urn (“bottle of rum!”) and crossed bones. This was repeated with only slight variations (some had fewer symbols) on many of the graves around the church. “3-2-1 – you’re back in the room“.

Fowlis Wester cross (not circle)

I say “not circle” because there is a circle somewhere up in the hills around Fowlis Wester, but I didn’t have time to find it. I satisfied myself with the sculpted stone that rests in the centre of the village.

This stone had very similar markings to the Eassie stone, and was in a very well preserved state, possibly because it’s a replica! The original in on display in the nearby church of St Bean’s, but the replica was interesting enough. The sculptor has used the bottom of the stone to represent the sea, and it is replete with human figures, animals (seals?) and a great decorated serpent. Very similar to how the Aboriginals of Australia depict the Rainbow Serpent.

Glamis Castle and Fergus Well

A fairy-tale castle is how most tourist literature describes it. Well, you have to think of some way of pulling in five coach loads of tourists in an afternoon. And that was just one firm’s coaches! Luckily they have a big tea room and toilet facilities at the back.

The grounds were superb, consisting of a “pinetum” (an arboretum of pine trees), a natural trail, a walled herb garden (currently being re-constructed) and a area where city kids can see what animals really look like.There’s also a free “museum” and video history of the castle, although some of the exhibits are a bit … tenuous. You get a mannequin sporting a royal dress from the 1930s next to a tableau showing a farmer on a tractor ploughing a field near some sheep. Still, when it comes to the royal history they’ve got some jazzy coloured carboard displays with gold lettering and pictures and everything. No expense spent, I mean ‘spared’.

There were some spectacular trees in the grounds, such as this very old sycamore tree:

Inside the tree were the ancient bowed branches forming a welcome shelter from the hot summer sun:

Some interesting things about Glamis Castle:-

1. It is mentioned by Shakespeare in the play Macbeth.
2. It was home to Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
3. A castle existed on the site 1000 years ago

Glamis Church and St.Fergus’ Well

Coming out of the castle ground you arrive at  Glamis village, with its churchyard and well dedicated to St.Fergus. The well is situated down a path alongside the church and is well worth searching out. You almost walk right past it, so keep an eye out for the sign on the wall.

As you descend to the river there is an air of calm, broken only by the sight of a swarm of gnats buzzing furiously over a part of the rover where it breaks into white horses on the pebbles and rocks on a bend. Also on that bend you will find Fergus’ Well. Not much to look at, but when I dowsed it there was a strong neutral energy coming out of it and flowing towards the river. A female line also emerged from the well and rolled along the river bank, following the flow of the water.

I have never seen gnats, even Scottish midges, swarm so furiously before. Exactly at the point where the neutral energy from the well intersected the river, and where the river was bring churned up by the stones. Somehow, those things are all related. I will have to watch the activity of gnats a bit more closely in future.

Kirkwynd, St Fergus’s Church, Glamis village

At the local ancient church I found more of those gravestone with the esoteric symbols carved on them. Yo ho ho! The church is also the repository for the departed Earls of Strathmore. If only they had lived to see their bottled water concept go global! A sculpted Celtic cross was found at the site during some excavation. The site is described as an early Christian church (probably). What were they doing with a Celtic cross, then? Ahh…borrowing it for good luck. A gift from the local pagan community, no doubt. Kind fellows.

There’s them there sim-bulls again. In part two of this blog post about the area around Dundee I go looking at some stone circles that reveal some fascinating aspects: a cup-marked stone that provides a central link point for several earth energy leys, and a beautiful circle with a tree in the centre.

Gwas.

Following the high road.

Every once in a while I am stopped in my tracks when I read a passage from a book whose description of the subtle energies is so closely in accordance with my own experience. In Chapter 3 of Serge Kahili King’s book, simply entitled “Earth Energies”, I have found just such a correspondence. Describing Baron von Reichenbach’s experiments with magnets and so-called “sensitives” (people who are particularly sensitive to energy) King makes this statement:-

“A fascinating discovery in relation to the magnet was what Reichenbach called ‘the rainbow of od“. A great number of sensitives during thousands of experiments reported a spectrum of colours appearing within the blue or yellow-tinted flames of the poles of the magnets. When not disturbed by breath or motion, these colours arranged themselves in a orderly rainbow sequence, with red at the bottom and dark blue and violet-red at the top. The top colour ‘died gradually away into a smoke-like vapour.’ The whole spectrum of colour was intermingled with sparkling points of light.”

A rainbow of od, or Odic Force. Or perhaps the rainbow of Oz? The Baron used the term ‘od’ to denote the ethericSomething tangible to the heightened senses, but invisible and beyond the normal range of everyday human senses. We use the term to describe the subtle energies that surround the human body. We also use the term “etheric” to describe the energy forms of Nature’s sentient spirit energies that can be detected through dowsing, or through deep meditation or states of heightened awareness. field that seemed closely related to Mesmer’s concept of ‘animal magnetism‘, which was later termed ‘vril‘. Other names for it are ch’i, ki, and prana. It is the life force of Nature in druidic terms. It is the 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. field whose flow dowsers tune into. It may be the ‘dark matter‘ that scientists have recently ‘discovered’ and theorised about.

From my perspective I am just pleased this this is yet another source whose descriptions of the qualities of this force mirror my own, non-scientific, experiences.What struck home with me were two things: the sparkling points of light and the rainbow colours. In this blog series both Kal and I have mentioned finding and testing the rainbow colours many times. One of our most recent sessions working with them was at a small ring cairn near Castle Dyserth in North Wales, where I dowsed the rainbow pattern created by Kal standing on a pre-dominantly male 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.:

“I dowsed for the edge of Kal’s aura, his nemeton as I approached again. I found it about 12-15 feet away from the small ring cairn’s centre. I followed it around both sides and behind Kal. Behind him the nemeton was very thin, only several inches wide, but at each side and out in front it expanded into an large ellipse shape, like a pair of butterfly wings. The clouds were quickly disappearing now as the sun burned through.

I dowsed for Kal’s rainbow chakra colour field to see if it was any different from his aura. Indeed it was. His violet coloured boundary was a further ten feet beyond the edge of his aura. Again the bands decreased in width as I approached Kal. His red band was a mere inch from his body as he stood on that spot.”

The butterfly wing shaped aura was reminiscent of the field effects of a bar magnet, the very item Reichenbach was using in his experiments. As for the sparkling lights, remember my description of a visit to Cerrig Pryfaid stone circle, which is on the landward side of Tal-y-Fan, close to the Druid’s Circle formations of Penmaenmawr?

Here’s what I wrote about the energy around that site:

“As I stood there I slowed down my thought processes. I concentrated on the silence. I began to hum and softly speak a few “Awens” to relax myself – a form of druid meditation. I don’t usually make any sound, but the sound seemed to suit the silence of the hillside and the circle seemed to bounce the hum back at me even though the stones were only a few feet high. As my mind stopped being demanding for stimuli I quietened to let the silence engulf me totally. Nothing was making a sound. No sheep. No car. No bird. It was utterly silent. All I could hear was my own slow breathing. My eyes narrowed slightly and I stopped focusing them on anything in particular outside of the stone circle. In that state I was able to see sparks of white horizontal flecks that fizzled and flashed like a TV screen without a channel tuned in.”

This is all very intruiging. Kal and I have come to discover most of the information we have gathered through intuitive responses and off-the-cuff experimentation. Often the results have been above and beyond expectation, and often they have been contrary to any ideas we may have been harbouring. Yet here, in this book as with others I have read recently, I am finding a large degree of correlation in the descriptions of their work with the 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. fields.

I feel as though the theoretical side is finally catching up with the wealth of experiential evidence that we accumulated in 2008. This year is shaping up nicely for a mind-blowing collaboration between the two!

Gwas

Following in the footsteps

Updated 26th Nov 09

The exciting thing about working with ancient sacred sites is that, despite many sites having been destroyed, there are an astonishing number still waiting to be found, or at least recognised as sites of energetic interest, even if their name and usage has faded from common knowledge. There are many out there to be discovered still, and not all have been catalogued despite the wonderful efforts of collating them by sites such as The Megalithic Portal and The Modern Antiquarian.

If you are wondering how we manage to find some of the sacred sites that we have listed in our blog section entitled, un-mysteriously “Sacred Sites”, then we can reveal that the simple answer is Google Maps. We don’t use Google Maps because they do particularly great maps (other sites are as good if not arguably better) but because of their simple facility to draw a straight line on a map and store that map for later use.

In combination with sites such as MultiMap‘s utterly fantastic Ordnance Survey mapping it is possible to trace a line between known sacred sites, save it, and then use MultiMap’s OS detail layer to find out if your new line crosses any known ancient placements such as tumuli (barrows), circles, standing stones, hilltops, hill forts, sacred wells, and all the rest.

Of course it’s possible to argue that drawing a straight line between any two points on a map of the United Kingdom will inevitably pass through or close to other sites of interest. True, but not the whole story (see my Random Ley Map where I drew four cardinal lines at random). It gets particularly interesting if you set yourself some rules of the game before you begin, for example, the line is only interesting if:-

• it starts and ends at a known sacred site that align along cardinal points (particularly North-South and East-West alignments)
• it passes through at least TWO other known sacred sites on that path
• it passes directly through the sites, right in the center – not slightly off to one side
• it passes close or through towns or villages ending in the word “-ley”, “-leigh”, “-lea” or “-lee”

When you establish some ground rules like that you will convince yourself much more clearly when you find such a correspondence. Then you can start adding together many of the other intruiging ‘sideline’ properties of these correspondences, such as:-

• if the line passes through a golf course, the course is often split to avoid the line.
• the line goes through the wealthiest areas of a town or city, or the most exclusive villages.
• lots of churches on that line are dedicated to either St.Michael, St.Mary, St.George or St.John (the Baptist). St.Margaret is also a frequent contender.
• The place names along the line have obvious druidic references such as: the word ‘Druid‘ or it’s Welsh equivalent ‘Derwydd‘ (as with “Derwen’ or “Derwent’ for example); a grove, or an ancient woodland.
• The place names include the words “cross” or “bridge”, e.g. “Lea Bridge” or “Crossley”.

We do not fully understand yet why the 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. leys (as I prefer to call them) link in this way, but there is mileage in the suggestion that the lines form a worldwide grid of energetic straight paths known to many older cultures. The Chinese know them as DragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. Paths, the Incas called them the Nazca Lines, Alfred Watkins called them Ley Lines, and many other cultures recognised these lines either as pilgrim paths for their religious groups, or may have employed them to navigate the globe before modern navigation techniques (see the ‘conspiracy’ theories surrounding the navigational capabilities of the Phoenicians, the Knights Templar or the masonic knowledge supposedly in the hands of early globetrotters such as Christopher Columbus or Ferdinand Magellan). Today we recognise the Hartmann Grid as a manifestation of that knowledge.

With Google Maps it’s possible to find so many interesting correlations of sites that happen to have a mystical connotation, a myth, or that is a natural wonder waiting for you to discover it. Many delightful and mystical expeditions have been traced out by drawing straight lines around the North West of England and Wales. Some of my lines connect the North and South and draw us ever onwards to new adventures.

Here are some of the maps I have created using this tool:-

1. Arbor Low’s radials
2. The St Martin Line

Always a worthwhile activity.

Gwas.

Follow the energy paths.