On this day I had dowsed for which of these wonderful sites I should visit – Avebury? West Kennet Long Barrow? Silbury Hill? None of these! In fact, the site that the dowsing rods said I should visit was East Kennet – a long barrow that I had tried to find twice previously, and now I was being asked to risk a glorious day on trying to find it again. I was wary, but if the rods said I could find it then I would try.

I parked next to the church in East Kennet village and then found the path leading through the farm and stables signposted for the White Horse Trail. I followed the bridleway up the hill and then walked along the adjoining fields, always making sure to keep to the unploughed or un-planted sides of the fields. This time, unlike previous efforts, I had a print-out of an OS map to guide me. I could see from the firm soil that many others had done the same over the years. Thankfully the barrow is still possible to recognise by its huge size. I guess that the clump of woods on the side of the roundest hill was a likely candidate for the barrow’s location. It had been especially helpful that I had seen the photographs of it in Peter Knight’s book about the nearby cousin site of West Kennet Long Barrow. This was my third attempts t spot it and this time I had a more keen sense of where it should be in the landscape, and I was more in tune the rods, which could act as quick guides.

As I paced along the field boundaries I positioned the rods in front of me – “Please point to the barrow known now as East Kennet Long Barrow!” and soon the two rods were pointing in the same direction – up the hill and to the left of the next. After using the rods I put them away. Now I asked Nature herself if she would confirm the position of the barrow for me. A few seconds silence was pierced by a ptarmigan twenty feet to my right jumping into the air next to me and climbing low and slow over my head towards the clump of trees in the middle distance. I had my confirmation – the bird’s flight had confirmed what the rods said.

A startled Partidge

Now, as the clump of light green tree dominated by view ahead I could begin to establish the size of the mound – some 105m (348ft) long and 6m (19ft) high approximately. As it hove in to fill my view I began to feel for the path that I should take to approach the site. I felt that I needed to walk round to the “front”, which for some reason I felt was at the end that I hadn’t got to yet, so I walked slowly and reverently round to the front. As I neared the end of the copse of trees something reddish brown and larger than I expected was emerging and fleeing from the long grasses ahead and hopping and hiding in the cornfield next to me. I, and the rest of the animals in the vicinity, momentarily held our breath then exclaimed our surprise at the sudden movement that was rippling the air around us in a sonic boom of movement. Crows squawked, smaller birds jabbered, bunnies fled, and I said “Oh!”, or some words which intended to give a surprised sound. That was less reverential. More ‘residential’, language from the housing estates.

Clumsy fumbling for my camera was never going to capture the pace and grace of an already hidden deer. With my heart still racing I tried to calm myself down as I approached what I felt was an entrance., Certainly the local badgers like that area and have made many hands paths with which to approach the barrows highest and steepest end.

Approach to East Kennet barrow

The east-facing edge was covered in Spring wildflower – Elder bushes in white bloom, dandelions, nettles and cowslips in abundance. All contributed their lilly-white lustre to the emerald green backdrop what covered the site like a well-fitting blanket. I stood at the edge of the tree line and felt for the boundary of the site. It was a few feet outside of the trees, and I stopped to ask for permission to enter from any site guardians. This was, after all, a new site for me so I was being careful, putting up protection from any negative influences at the same time as asking for permission to enter.

Permission was granted in the usual manner (see hundreds of previous posts to this effect) and I began to make my way up the slope using my intuition to guide me as to the best path to take. I passed several large beech trees on the way and stopped at each to commune and feel for the response. It was all positive – almost lonely! I got the feeling that the trees would like more visitors than they currently get, but as there is no public right of way this might be putting some people off. I say, go anyway. If you feel the urge you should claim your human inheritance and visit the barrow.

I reached the top of the mound without using my dowsing rods for guidance, and I already knew where 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. would be – I had walked past it and it had caught my attention, pulling my energy body towards it. I took some pictures then went to stand in 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. which was marked by a slight bare patch where no plants were growing. I got my rods out to confirm or deny the hunch – confirmed – I was standing right on the best spot for me to me. And what was the best place to communicate with any nature spirits at this site? Right where I was standing. Again the rods confirmed my intuition. Getting better at this!

Along the top of East Kennet Long Barrow in Spring

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind

After some minutes of settling into the sights and sounds of the barrow I began my trance work, seeking to connect to whatever nature spirits may be resident at this place and who might wish to communicate with me. Soon I had a connection with a spirit that revealed its name to me. This was really positive, so I continued, using the wind as an indicator of answers to questions I was posing. If the wind blow then the answer was positive, and it it quelled then the answer was negative. A crude indicator, but no more or less so that dowsing, and much more “natural” for the spirit to communicate this way.

I asked questions about my latest Beltane quest – “See with the vision of the hawk“. The information that came back to me was that I was right to think that it involved a pilgrimage, and that there really was a landscape figure in the Cheshire countryside in the shape of a hawk. I also determined that the vision would be required to identify the hawk, but then there was more to do once I had found it. All useful information, for which I thanked the spirits and the winds for their assistance. Now I understood a bit more and could make progress.

I came out of trance and looked around – something was about to happen…..my phone rang. It was M. The number of times she does this is incredible. She always manages to ring just as I’m finishing a meditation!

I said my farewells to the site and began to pick my way through the badger sets at the base of the mound. From the barrow itself there are some interesting views of the nearby sites. West Kennet is visible and next to it Silbury Hill. You will notice in the photograph below (and it’s even more obvious from the barrow itself) that  Silbury Hill is perfectly aligned with the horizon. From the barrow it is the top of the hill. From the foot of the barrow it is the terraced level just below the mound’s summit. Amazing alignments to see.

West Kennet and Silbury Hill from East Kennet

I was happy to have finally found the mound that I thought I would never locate.  I had been fortunate enough to have had the time to listen to the winds, and speak with a spirit of Nature on the barrow. Maybe one day someone will re-open this site to the visitors it deserves. Until then, only those who want to find it will, eventually.

Gwas.

The first task was to identify what these stars were that had these required energies, and which sacred sites were built to align to them.

SITES ORIGINALLY ALIGNED with the three fertility stars

1. Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis) in the constellation Orion (The Hunter)

- Merlin’s Stone at Drumelzier Haugh, Broughton near Peebles – down by the Tweed River. Most associated with The Hurlers stone circle on Bodmin Moor, especially the circle that I spent time in on my last visit!

2. Kraz (Beta Corvi) in the constellation Corvus (The Crow)

Associated with the site “Trethevy Quoit” in Cornwall.

3. Mirphak (Alpha Persei) in the constellation Perseus (The Hero)

Meaning “The Flank or side” and sometimes “the elbow”. Associated with Silbury Hill – the male fertility symbol! Also, the West-North-West stone at The Hurlers stone circles marks Perseus.

These associations are for the site’s ORIGINAL alignments. These sacred sites no longer align to these stars, and now I needed to find some new sites that did have alignments with these three stars and their constellations. The results for this were:-

SITES CURRENTLY ALIGNED with the three fertility stars

1. Orion’s Belt - Lud’s Church – Gradbach, Staffordshire – [map] / [SJ987656] / [Wiki]

2. Corvus - King Arthur’s Cave, Great Doward, Symond’s Yat, Ross On Wye, Monmouthshire. [SO 5450 1560] [map]

3. Perseus - Beddarthur stone circle – near Gors Fawr stone circle at Mynachlog-Ddu village, Pembrokeshire. [map] [megalithic]

I have to visit each one in turn, and then perform some tests using control seeds and ones that I have held to see whether this produces any difference in growth rates or the strength of the plants. I will describe that test when I get to that stage. For now I am trying to clear space to visit the last site, and then I will be able to describe each visit for you, and its effect.

Gwas.

This year's Mysterious Earth lectures

The three speakers of interest to me were:-

• Kevin Rowan-Drewitt – Neolithic Observatories
• Pete Knight – West Kennet Long Barrow: Ancestors, Landscape and the Cosmos
• Gary Biltcliffe – The Belinus Line & The Spine of Albion

Here is a run-down of their primary themes and some notes that I took about each of their lectures.

Neolithic observatories by Kevin Rowan-Drewitt

Kevin Rowan-Drewitt

Kevin’s talk was informative and a feast of facts. Having read many books on the subject of Alexander Thom, his Megalithic Yard, and of his convincing argument that most if not all stone circles are designed as neolithic calendars to track the movements of the sun and moon, I didn’t find too many points that were new to me. However, Kevin’s lecture was clearly delivered, well structured and well-argued, even if he was simply relating other people’s theories. For those who may have been new to the concept of neolithic astrological observatories it would have been truly enlightening.

Some notes that I made that were particularly significant for me were:-

• Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey has in-built alignments for tracking Venus and the Summer Solstice. You may remember that I was called there in 2009 to observe Venus, even though at the time I had no idea what I was seeing.
• Mayburgh Henge in Cumbria is aligned to the eastern sunrise
• The book ‘Uriel’s Machine‘ by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas contains the practical workings out of the theories of ancient astrological circle structure, and they based much of their work on the ‘Book Of Enoch‘, particularly the section ‘The Book of Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries’
• In the Book of Enoch the circle-makers are mentioned as The Watchers. Rowan-Dewitt interprets this as being the Beaker People.

Personally, I feel this Bronze Age Beaker culture only created some of the last generation of megalithic structures, not the first ones, even if their structures were the most sophisticated, impressive and enduring. The astrological know-how was already in existence and evidenced by timber and rudimentary stone circles before the arrival of the so-called Beaker culture, so this doesn’t hang together for me.

• Also in that ancient text, The Nephilim are mentioned as being from the Orion Constellation.
• Newgrange, in the Boyne Valley in Ireland is aligned with the Winter Solstice sunrise but also with Venus too, on an eight-year cycle.
• The line of ‘lozenge’ shapes or crosses on the lintel at Newgrange may denote the Venus cycle, as there are eight such symbols in a row.
• Thornborough Henge in Yorkshire is aligned to Orion.
• The Sun has a 32-year cycle until it rises at exactly the same spot on the horizon. This fact is used by Rowan-Dewitt to support the idea that astrological observances and star lore must have been passed down through the generations or preserved in some fashion because neolithic people had a relatively short life span.
• Most measurements of megalithic structures are in 0.5 Megalithic Yards, or 16.32 inches. The Megalithic Yard of 2.72 feet was used for convenience by Alexander Thom.

West Kennet Long Barrow by Peter Knight

Peter Knight

Peter Knight is a well-practised and engaging speaker. His presentation was slick, precise and moved you from one concept to another easily and with a sense of passion. I am a fan of the West Kennet Long Barrow myself and have had many visits to the site mostly unaccompanied and without anyone else around, so I have been able to practise many of the things that Peter talked about in the shamanic parts of his talk. However, in the first part he went through the various alignments with the surrounding megalithic sites such as Avebury, Silbury Hill, East Kennet, and many of the lesser-known circles, tumuli and hills that form the rich Wiltshire megalithic landscape.

Some notes that I made on this talk were:-

• There are sun and moon rising or setting sight alignments from West Kennet to many of the surrounding features.
• Some of the lesser-known sites include Belas Knap chamber, Silbaby (or Woden Mound), Morgan’s Hill and Harestone stone circle.
• The long barrow itself is constructed with layers of large rubble, then fine rubble, turf, then a sarsen stone core. The layering is reminiscent of Wilhelm Reich’s Orgone Accumulator principle.
• There is an acoustic “hot spot” close to the stone called “The Skull Stone” which is considered to be a portal to the Underworld.
• Long barrows and chambers in the area are mainly aligned to the South-East (the Midwinter Solstice).
• East Kennet is aligned to the Orion constellation, West Kennet to the Gemini constellation.
• A cave was usually associated with a process of initiation or transformation.

PETER’S WEB SITE: Stoneseeker

The Spine of Albion by Gary Biltcliffe

I have been eagerly awaiting Gary’s book about this subject for over a year now. Hopefully it is due to be published soon. Gary has spent a lot of time, effort and money on travelling up and down the country in pursuit of a ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. that he is calling the Belinus Line, after the ancient Celtic god Baal or Bel. The name thereafter got associated with a king of England called King Belinus, who was supposedly one of the great road-building kings, although many believe that the lack of historical evidence suggests he may be a mythical figure rather than an actual king. Certainly, it is not uncommon for people in power to associate themselves with great engineering from lost generations, for example the Romans simply paved many of the existing spirit roads that were created as embankments by the druid culture and those before them too. We all now know these roads as ‘Roman Roads’ which is testament to the power of a written historical record, rather than to the feats of engineering.

For the talk in Preston Gary concentrated on those sites which were more local to us, rather than describe all the sites along the line. Given that it had taken him 20 years to follow them, he was unlikely to get through them all in an hour!

• Seven Barrows Down is the crossing point for the Belinus Line with the Michael/Mary Line.
• The village of Dunsop Bridge is the geographical centre of the Belinus Line
• North/South ley lines are associated with physical and East/West lines with the spiritual, thus the Belinus Line is mainly a physical line with very few spiritual centres on it.
• The line goes through various centres including Lichfield, Birmingham, Manchester and Carlisle.
• 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. stories hint at the location of sacred sites such as caves, wells and mounds.
• The Belinus Line has twelve bands of energy – balanced with 6 male and 6 female.
• Guy Raglan Philips was the first to identify the line.
• The female lines are violet in colour and the male lines are gold/yellow
• The line goes through The Bridestones – formerly one of England’s largest long barrows.
• Marton church gives a unique view of the sunrise over The Cloud in Cheshire
• Shap has an avenue of stones similar to Avebury
• The Kemp Howe stone circle is on the line
• Other sites on the line are Merlindale, Knowlmere, Alderley Edge, Caverswall, The Rollright Stones, and Uffington 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. Hill and White Horse
• In Carlisle Catherdral is a stone carving of kissing dragons
• Arthuret Church in Cumbria holds a familiar title of King Arthur’s burial place, and has a well called St.Michael’s running through it.

GARY’S WEB SITE: The Belinus Line

I hope those comments make some sense to you! They are slightly out of context, but they may be more relevant if you get to see them speak for yourselves.

Gwas.

Silbury Hill

I had just spent a fruitful sunny afternoon at Avebury and was ready to head back to my rooms in Devon. As I pulled out of the car park I noted that my sat nav had gone a bit awry. That not withstanding I set off down the road I had arrived on and immediately hit traffic. At the first available round-about I flipped around and headed back, looking for a less congested route.

By this time my sat nav had kicked in and was telling me to join the traffic again so I ignored it. As I drove off I thought that I would take a route that would have me passing Woodhenge and Stonehenge. Fabulous!

However, as I came onto a roundabout that would have me on the road towards that direction a ‘mad’ driver nearly ran me off the road and I was forced onto a side road. As I looked for a place to turn around I spotted Silbury Hill in the distance. Although I was in a hurry to get home I had to stop off and admire the highest man-made mound in the country and of course a powerful energy site to boot!

I have been to Silbury hill a couple of times in the past, but only in passing. It seems that this was going to be a similar occasion. I parked up in the car park right next to the site and walked up the little path that led to a notice board proclaiming the ‘official’ history of the site. There was a note saying that the site was closed off to stop erosion. Which surprised me because it is a monument that is thousands of years old and presumably survived all that time.

- It is a topic that often surprises me. Erosion and loss of site Vs Non use of site. Which option would you opt for?

I clambered through the bared wire fence (not the one around the site) and made my way towards the site. I  wasn’t intending to Guerilla Dowse it today. I just wanted to get close enough to get a ‘feel’ for the place. To touch 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 my way up to the hill, asking for a place suitable for a quick meditation. I ended up at the side facing the sun (no surprise) and a few feet away from the fence.

As I sat down and got comfortable, I jumped right up. Something wasn’t right. A quick dowse comfirmed that today wasn’t a good time for me to be here. O, was there any other time I should be here? Yes.

Rather disappointed I walked back towards the barbed fence and my car. I stopped to look back wistfully at the hill.

It was then that I saw something fluttering at the top of the hill. I peered up at it for several moments. Then I realised that it was a shopping bag that had tagged on something and was fluttering in a light breeze.

I turned back to clamber through the fence and stopped again and looked back. What the fluttering bag had reminded me of was a flag and I had just recalled that my Knights Quest had me looking out for a ‘castle’ to fly my penant from. Was this an indicator of such? A quick and indecetly fast flick of the rods told me, YES!

Fabulous, once again by ‘chance’ it seems I had come across a result.

Kal Malik continuing his quest for knighthood

In this post I want to report some of the ways in which other druids mark this time of the year, the associations they make, the rituals they do, but most importantly I want to report on how I have found that I can mark this passing from one season to the next. It was something that I learned very recently, the smallest merest thing, but it was so profound that I think it will probably become my way of noting this change every year from now on. Before I come to that, though, here are some ideas on what Autumn Equinox means.

Autumn in Cheshire

What is Autumn Equinox?

These lovely people from all sorts of different areas of the druid craft have got their own ideas about what makes Autumn special. Here are some of the ideas I collected from a quick search on the subject:

“The turning point in this Lughnasadh season of the harvest, the autumn equinox is again a time when the day and night are of equal length. Occurring at some point between 20 – 23 September, it is known commonly by the Welsh/Brythonic Alban Elfed, pronounced elved, meaning ‘light of autumn’. Celebrating the end of the grain harvest, it is the festival of Harvest Home.” (Excerpt from Ritual by Emma Restall Orr)

“There is a distinct relationship between the Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangel Michael. This Archangel is the sword or spear wielding 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. slayer and his day is held on the 29th of September each year, this is one week after the Sidereal Equinox actually occurs. The new religion of the Catholic Church absorbed the existing traditions and their symbols. Archangel Michael replaced the Pagan God of Wotan in upper Europe, the temples of Wotan were on hilltops and there are churches on many of these hilltops today. There is a major earth 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. across northern France, southern England and the southwest of Ireland that is known today as the Michael and Mary Line and in Ireland off the coast of Kerry is the island hilltop temple called Skellig Michael or the Rock of Michael. 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. being pinned by the spear / sword is the Earth Energy currents. “ (source: Celtic Druid’s School)

“To honour the dead, it was also traditional at Mabon to place apples on burial cairns, as symbolism of rebirth and thanks. This also symbolizes the wish for the living to one day be reunited with their loved ones. Mabon is also known as the Feast of Avalon, deriving from the meaning of Avalon being, ‘the land of the apples’. (source: New Age)

(all my epmhasis)

Welcome in the Autumn

A single brown oak leaf

I have some suggestions as to what hedge druids might do in relation to the Autumn Equinox. The idea was given to me, quite literally dropped in my lap, so to speak, when I was meditating in Alderley Edge forest recently. I had in mind the question about what I should do to mark the changeover of seasons at Autumn. As I sat there a brown oak leaf fell onto the back of my hand and balanced there. No other leaf fell during the whole of my visit, but this one did. It was a sign. I interpreted the sign like this: to celebrate autumn, enact autumnal processes. I took the leaf with me and later stood on a cliff and dropped the leaf off it, expecting it to float serenely down to the floor. Actually, it floated some ten feet or more then landed on another oak leaf, just as it had done on my own hand an hour earlier. Again, I felt this was significant.

So, you want to celebrate autumn? Do something autumnal- drop leaves like a tree would, make cider from fallen apples, pick brambles and other fruits that only come to fruition at this time of year – I’m sure there are many things in your area that can only be done at this time of year. Find one. Do something with it in the name of welcoming in the new season. From my example you can see how simple that can be – I dropped a leaf. That’s it! Whilst doing it, though, I welcomed in the new season.

Looking back in anger

I am certainly better prepared for Autumn Equinox this year than I was last year. Last year I was angry to have been called away by work to have to be away from home and down in the south of England. However, it turned out alright. I drove for a couple of hours to reach Silbury Hill and, again angry at having to sneak around the hill because it is officially sealed off from the public, I did a little meditation on the top and was blown away by its powerful effects. No wonder it’s sealed off! Looking back at my summary of the year on the blog I noticed that I had reported being at Uffington for the 19th/20th August. True, but clearly that wasn’t the Autumn Equinox! How odd. Little mistakes. I do aim to rectify anything I find that’s reported incorrectly, and it’s why I like to write things up as quickly as possible to avoid such problems.

The lovely mix of brown and green shades relfect on water

Looking forward in hope

For me, this year, the Autumn Equinox also means a change of “task”. You may remember that every eighth part of the year so far I have been assigned some directive or tasks to perform which will guide me further along my spiritual path. Some have been onerous, some physically challenging, some embarrassing, some were things I never anticipated ever doing. All have been hugely beneficial to me, and I thank whoever is directing this course of study, because I have come on faster this year than all previous years combined having this structure to work within.

In the next few weeks I will be able to reveal my next task or direction, and I am looking forward to that. Bring on the Autumn!

Gwas.

At the start of the year I faithfully followed the proposed dates that aligned with the current Gregorian calendar. As the year progressed beyond Summer Solstice I came to feel that the dates that were marked as celebration dates bore little relation to the times when earth energies were specifically active. The Gregorian dates for the Pagan Festivals in particular felt wrong, and were egergetically unremarkable. I started to align my visits with other criteria. My reasoning was that, for Equinox and Solstice days - celebrations of the sun – then the exact day as stated originally was accurate. For the pagan festival dates I took the nearest full moon date to be the correct day to try to do some dowsing. Often, this didn’t quite work out because I had already booked the Gregorian dates off work and so was often only free to dowse at sacred sites on those dates.

Here were the dates that I had written down as being the days to test for subtle energetic potential:-  

• Imbolc – 1 Feb (First Quarter moon)
• Spring Equinox – Thu Mar 20 5:48 GMT
• Beltane – 1 May (almost First Quarter moon)
• Summer Solstice – Sun Jun 21 0:59 BST
• Lammas – 1 Aug (six days from Full Moon)
• Autumn Equinox – Mon Sep 22 16:44 BST
• Samhain – 1 Nov (Full Moon)
• Winter Solstice – Sun Dec 21 12:04 GMT

You will notice that I have used the original Gregorian dates rather than those that I shifted eleven days prior to these trying to account for the calendar shift in the Middle Ages. Here were my original propositions and thoughts as a reminder of what I was trying to do:

We’re going to have to dowse on those days as we go through the year and see what happens. When does it feel right, and when are the energies particularly active? … I would hope that the male energies would be more active on the days of solar worship such as Summer Solstice, or the Equinoxes. If we get sun in Britain on those dates then we have a chance to test this theory out by visiting some of the sites we went to over this Winter period, when the energies seemed distinctly quiet and weak, with no evidence of male energy activity at all. On active solar days we would expect to find the qualities associated with maleness – protection, transformation through initiation, and the manipulation of energy.

The festival dates when the moon is very present coincide with the lunar festivals of the cross-quarter days (Beltane and Samhain) this year. That’s lucky for us and we can report on the status of the female earth energies at sites on those dates. We expect that the traditionally female aspects will be in evidence on those dates, that is fertility powers, sanctuary and healing.

We hope to be able to answer whether the times of year of the festivals correlate to a particular quality of the powers of the moon or sun at that time. The White Virgin (the first stage of the goddess) is linked to Spring. Are fertility powers stronger at Beltane and Spring Equinox? May Day was always seen as a fertility festival. Imbolc is associated with Brigid and healing. Are the healing energy frequencies strongest at this time?

Not all dates were able to be tested due to circumstances or time restrictions, but where they could then I have recorded the results. My conclusions will be compared with my expectations as recorded at the beginning of the year.

I am very unhappy with the quality of the results for this experiment. There were notable times when we didn’t take any measurement of the relative strengths of the energies and this has made the results quite inconclusive. Therefore, I will endeavour to be more rigorous this year and to try to capture the information more reliably and objectively. Therefore, please consider these results as an “indication” of what might be the case.

I also believe that there are some factors that have come to light this year that affect the results, i.e. the position of various planets at that point in the year, the position of the sun and moon, how clear the skies were, and to take into account the strengths of male and female energies separately, as well as differentiating between earth and radiant energy strengths.

Therefore, all in all, I feel the results from 2009 are of purely subjective value. However, I am including what data I did gather so that I can compare this year’s information with it to see if anything at all does begin to form a pattern.

———————————————————————-

IMBOLC – February 1st

Actual visit date(s): February 1st & 2nd

Moon Phase: Almost First Quarter

Location: Dyserth village

Sites visited: St.Bridget’s Church, Castle Dyserth (quarry where we made a stone circle), Graig Fawr hill, Dyserth Waterfall, Gop Hill

Dowsing results: A significant change in the strength of the male energies from 1st to 2nd February. As there was significant cloud cover I could not attribute this increase to the appearance of the sun.

Activities: Only dowsing. Nothing relating to energy specifically.

Post Link: Dyeserth 3

———————————————————————–

SPRING EQUINOX - March 20th

Actual visit date: March 20th

Location: Bryn Celli Ddu, Anglesey

Sites visited: Bryn Celli Ddu, Penmaenmawr stone circle

Dowsing results: The energy “felt” balanced. We were not inclined to dowse much at all. What dowsing was done turned up a perfect balance between male and female energy strengths. Was this purely suggestive, or was it real?

Activities: Attuning ourselves on top of an ancient mound, healing a stone circle with positive balancing energies.

Post Link: A Balance of Light & Dark

———————————————————————–

BELTANE – May 1st

Actual visit date: May 1st

Moon Phase: Almost First Quarter

Location: Helsby, Cheshire.

Sites visited: Helsby Hill, Woodhouses Hill and a modern man-made mound.

Dowsing results: Again, we failed to measure the relative strengths of the energies. Energy was successfully sent from one site to the next, however.

Activities: Lighting incense and manifesting energies from hilltop to hilltop.

Post Link: Firing Manifestations

———————————————————————–

SUMMER SOLTICE – June 21st

Actual visit date: Jone 20th and 21st

Location: Glastonbury, Somerset,

Sites visited: Barrowbridge Mump, Wearyall Hill, White Spring, Glastonbury Tor, Gog and Magog trees

Dowsing results: Very strong male energies, overwhelming the female energy (which wasn’t weak either). Strongest male energy of the year.

Activities: Meditating at various sites, being intuitively led to them, and instinctively having our chakras opened at those places to receive an influx of positive inspirational energies.

Post Link: The Opening of the Chakras

———————————————————————–

LAMMAS - August 1st

Rejuvenated forest clearing

Actual visit date: August 1st

Moon Phase: 5 days from Full Moon

Location: The Sandstone Trail, Cheshire.

Sites visited: Beeston Castle, Peckforton Castle, Utkinton, Delamere Forest, Frodsham.

Dowsing results: Finding healing white energy spirals (composed of female tree and earth energy).

Activities: Drawing energy from the land (energising), healing,

Post Link: Llamas and Lammas

———————————————————————–

AUTUMN EQUINOX – August 22nd

Actual visit date: August 19th and 20th

Location: Wiltshire and Oxfordshire

Sites visited: Alton Barnes White Horse, Wayland’s Smithy, Uffington White Horse

Dowsing results: Unusually strong male and female energies that were well balanced. The sun was glorious for these two days, and I felt completely relaxed, to the point where I was “spaced out” by being at sites – this “good feeling” was due to the “white” energy of the balanced and combined male and female energies, I believe.

Activities: Using sigils, following intuition, a pilgrimage of ancient sites, balancing chakra energies, transformation process.

Post Link: Trail of the White 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.

———————————————————————–

SAMHAIN – November 1st

Actual visit date: November 2nd

Moon Phase: Full Moon

Location: Wiltshire.

Sites visited: Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow.

Dowsing results: Stronger response than first visit I made some months earlier. The energy was male energy atop this mound. It was so strong it made me dizzy! I felt highly charged with 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., and I could draw upon both male and female forms. Dowsing response was incredibly strong under the full moon.

Activities: Meditating, shamanic flying, empowerment of energy fields.

Post Link: None.

———————————————————————–

WINTER SOLSTICE – December 21st

Actual visit date: 21st December

Location: Anglesey

Sites visited: Bryn Celli Ddu, Bryngwyn Stones, The Soar Stone, Lligwy Chamber

Dowsing results: Stronger female energies surrounding Bryn Celli Ddu; minimal male energy coming only from the stones. Male energy at Soar Stone restricted to close to the stone. Weak in nature. Male energy at Lligwy was confined to power centres, whilst female energy was again enclosing the central stones, as though protecting them? Our normal alignments (m/f) were reversed for this day – Kal went for female energy whilst I sought out male energy.

Activities: transformation, shamanic flying, empowerment, balancing of chakras.

Post Link: Anglesey Winter Solstice

———————————————————————–

CONCLUSIONS

There are hints within this set of information that various factors such as the time of year, and the position of the sun and moon, all affect the strengths of the subtle energies at sacred sites and elsewhere. However, the poor quality and consistency of the information I gathered does not allow me to make any clear statement to that effect. Therefore, this year I will try to take more accurate, consistent and objective records of this data, including the new factors that I believe may be relevant including the influence of planets, and whether the sun or moon are visible when the dowsing takes place.

Watch for this post next year to see if I can get anything that might be approaching a conclusion!

Gwas

The penultimate post is a reminder of the sites we have visited this past year. The sites are ordered from North to South.

• Callenais I, II and III, Dun Carloway Broch, The Truiseil Stone and other sites on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland [Callenais I, Callenais II, Callenais III, Truiseil Stone]
• The Eassie Stone, Glamis Castle, St.Fergus’ Well, The Fowlis Wester cross, Lundin Farm circle, and Monzie circle in Scotland [Eassie Stone, Glamis Castle, Fergus' Well, Fowlis Wester cross; Monzie Circle; Lundin Farm]
• Castlerigg circle, Long Meg and Her Daughters circle, Little Meg circles, Mayburgh Henge, Oddendale, Kalmott ring cairn, Gamelands circle in Cumbria [Mayburgh, Kalmott, Oddendale & Gamelands; Long Meg; Little Meg; Castlerigg]
• Pendle Hill in Lancashire [Pendle Hill]
• Arbow Low, Nine Ladies stone circle, and Nine Stones Close circle in Derbyshire [Arbor Low 1, Arbor Low 2, Nine Ladies, Nine Stones Close]
• Alderley Edge, Delamere Forest, Frodsham Caves and The Bridestones in Cheshire [Alderley Edge, Delamere 1, Delamere 2, Bridestones]
• Bryn Celli Ddu, The Soar Stone, the Bryngwyn Stones and Lligwy Chamber on Anglesey [Bryn Celli Ddu 1; Bryn Celli Ddu 2]
• Cerrig Pryffaid, Dyserth, Moel-Ty-Uchaf, Penbedw Park, Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall, Dinas Emrys, Snowdon, and Penmaenmawr Druid’s Circle, Rhosesmor, Hawarden and Conwy Falls in North Wales [Dyserth, Moel-Ty-Uchaf, Pistyll Rhaeadr, Dinas Emrys, Druid's Circle, Rhosesmor]
• Golden Grove and St.Elmo’s Summer House in Mid-Wales [St.Elmo's & Golden Grove]
• Llangernyw village, Lake Vyrnwy and Bala Lake in Wales [Llangernyw 1, Llangernyw 2, Llangernyw 3]
• Mitchell’s Fold and The Hoarstones circle in Shropshire [Mitchell's Fold & Hoarstones]
• The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
• Waylands Smithy, Uffington Chalk Horse, and The Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire [Wayland's Smithy, Uffington, Rollrights 1, Rollrights 2]
• Alton Barnes White Horse, Winter Hill, Windmill Hill, Silbury Hill, West Kennett, and Avebury in Wiltshire [Alton Barnes, Silbury Hill, West Kennett 1, West Kennett 2, Avebury]
• Crop Circles at Knighton Hill, Alton Barnes, Silbury Hill and others in Wiltshire [Knighton Hill, other crop circles]
• Stanton Drew stone circle, Barrowbridge Mump and Glastonbury in Somerset [Stanton Drew, Glastonbury]
• Carnac, Locmarquier, Créhen, Lampouy, Ile Grande, Merlin’s Tomb, Mont St.Michel, Champs Dolent and St.Uzek stones in Brittany, France [Merlin's Tomb, Lampouy, Créhen, Carnac 1, Carnac 2, Carnac 3, Champ Dolent, Mont St.Michel, Ile Grande]

====================================================================================

Gwas.

New additions:

• Hawthorn at Long Meg
• Rowan at Pendle Hill
• Oak at Nine Ladies
• Tallest tree in Wales
• West Kennet Guardian Oak

Now updated again (9th Dec). So go see a tree!

Gwas.

It’s time to introduce you all to the concept of Guerrilla Dowsing. It was invented by my colleague Kal on your first visit to Stonehenge. He was a bit miffed by the fact that we had travelled a long way to visit the site and it was all cordoned off. You couldn’t get within two hundred feet of the actual stones, unless you had made a prior arrangement to visit after normal visiting hours. Well, we were only down for the day and hadn’t made such arrangements. Consequently, Kal was all for jumping over the low cable strung around the edge of the site and dowsing until he was forcibly ejected. It was only my protestation that made him reconsider. On reflection I wish I had not said anything. We should have just done it, but I am a bit less gung-ho than Kal when it comes to breaking the rules. That’s a lifetime of English culture bearing down on me, I suppose.

But tonight I was heading across country with two purposes in mind: firstly I wanted to confirm my findings at West Kennet, and secondly, I was just going to climb Silbury Hill and dowse on top of it – to hell with the consequences. And so I did just that, and I’m glad I did. Barbed wire or no barbed wire I wasn’t going to be denied “my heritage”, especially not now that I have found the Way of the Druid. Silbury Hill was made for people like me, by people like me, and is NOT the preserve of some archaeological unit. For some reason English Heritage have not seen fit to re-open the site despite stabilisation work started in 2007 that was due to be completed in Spring 2008. It’s late Summer 2009 and the site remains closed off to the public. For our own safety and the preservation of the site, of course.

It was a very steep slimp up the 51 degree slope. Apparently this angle is the same angle that the Great Pyramid of Giza shares with Silbury. Perhaps the designers conferred before construction, or maybe they got the same guys in to design it? I followed a well-trodden path up the ‘back’ slope away from the lights from passing traffic on the A4. After a few minutes of excited but exhausting climb the slope levelled out briefly before descending into the circular depression that had presumably been repaired. I trod carefully watching out for potholes or sinking chalk, but the ground was stable. Perhaps it would be less stable if we had rains like those of 2002 when the site was closed off?

Moon over Silbury

It was a beautiful night atop the hill and despite the darkness the view was stunning – twinkles of lights in the distance all around and the occasional sweep of car headlights rearing over The Sanctuary and then passing behind me. Above me was the celestial majesty of a curtain of stars laid out all around. Directly above me was The Milky Way, and I haven’t seen it so clearly since I went up onto Moel-Ty-Uchaf stone circle above Llandrillo in North Wales last year. It seemed to me that the centre of the Milky Way was directly above me and craning my head back made me want to sit down to get an easier view. I vouched to do that in a minute or two.

Firstly I soaked up the atmosphere a bit more. A slight breeze was blowing, just enough so that you would know you were on top of a hill, exposed, but ducking down into the hollow immediately engendered an almost complete silence – not a breath of wind was felt. I marvelled at how I could see so clearly and looked up to the east to see a quarter moon bathing the hill in moonlight. I was quite incredible how the hilltop caught the light like I was on stage or something.

Time to dowse, I felt, before I did a bit of meditating. I picked up my dowsing rods and walked to the edge of the hollow area, edging towards the steep slope from which I had come up. From there I asked to find 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., and was led back to the hollow, but instead of going into it I began to circle around it, widdershins (i.e. anti-clockwise). I traced a path around the edge of the hollow, and then began to spiral inside the hollow ridge. I must have circled around some six or seven times before eventually reaching the spot near to the centre of the hollow – right where I had first sat! I looked around – yes, I had managed to put my bag right on 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. in the absolute middle of the hollow without realising it (because initially I had no idea how far the hollow extended when I put it down). Another startling coincidence in a long catalogue of such things.

I dowsed to find out which energies were present at this 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 got reactions for male, female AND neutral. So, it would seem that I was situated on a ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. linking with other nearby sites (not surprising considering where I was, close to Avebury, The Sanctuary and West Kennet). The combination of male and female energies also meant (to me) that I was on what we call a “white streamA flow of positive energised and healing subtle energy. The white streams usually emanate from a source of good energy such as a holy well, a sacred site, a power centre or a place of worship of good intent. We have found that white stream energy consists primarily of male and female energy combined in a balanced and harmonious blend, such that the two streams “play” with each other, warping and wefting in a dance that invigorates and enlivens everything that comes into contact with it. If a human stands in such a stream then they will feel positive, happy and energised, warm even.” – a very positive energy centre. It certainly felt strong – streams of energy could be felt rising out of it if one quitened down and tuned in keenly to the body’s sensations.

I wanted to dowse one more thing before I stopped – what could the purpose of this hill be? This is a altogether trickier thing to dowse for, and usually involved a combination of educated guessing and listing things that have previously given a response at other sites, as well as some creative questioning. “Proper” dowsers would be abhorred by this, I’m sure. Scientists would wet themselves laughing, but I have found that some sense can be gained if one tries hard enough. The technique I use is to quiten down the mind and allow 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. of the site to speak for itself. Sometimes a response can be heard, or a thought pops into your mind that you wonder where it came from. That’s often a good starting point for investigation and confirmation with the rods. I did this, and the thought arose that the combination of energies at a single point was significant, as was the structure of the mound itself – the shape rising to a pyramidal point suggested the concept of “focus”. I heard myself repeating this word, so began to ask questions about the concept of Silbury being a focal point. Soon enough I hit upon positive responses, and finally I concluded that the best guess I could make with the rods was that it was a central point in the surrounding complex of sites, and the hill shape was constructed to be the focal point for all the energies travelling through it from connected sites. The question of why this should be so is much more difficult to get at and will require further visits, I feel.

A few weeks later I was reading Paul Devereux’s book “Earth Memory”, which talked about Silbury Hill in terms of it being the centre of the Marlborough Downs complex too, AND he displayed a diagram showing a ley lineThe term used by many British dowsers to describe an energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight 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. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies.. It is easily confused with ley and therefore its use is not recommended by dowsers. connecting Beckhampton, Silbury and West Kennet Long Barrow. Here’s a quote from Chapter 3 -”Being and Seeing” :

“Many people have commented how strange it is that Silbury Hill, a tremendous achievement of Neolithic engineering, should be located in such a low position, tucked away alongside Waden Hill. A superficial, imposing display had clearly not been the intention of its builders. As I looked at the great mound, it suddenly dawned on me that the focus of the Avebury complex was not the henge…but Silbury Hill instead….I suddenly felt as if 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. had whispered in my ear.” (p.75)

I felt completely validated by this! It was a wonderful moment. Until I visited the hill I hadn’t really considered how it fitted into the overall scheme of things because I couldn’t get to it to dowse it and verify things for myself. Now I knew that my idea wasn’t an isolated crazy notion. Someone else shared my madness, even if Devereux would be horrified by the flakiness of the energy dowsing that he seems to despise so. We had got to the same point by similar means – allowing the hill to speak for itself.

Back to the action. After my connection with the spirit of Silbury (however fleeting or superficial that was) I decided to sit back and admire the Milky Way and Moon combination that was hovering in the sky around me. I propped myself up on my backpack and sat looking directly up into the heart of the Milky Way.

After a few minutes I began to drift into the core of the galaxy, my mind travelling further and further into the dark heart of the universe. Then the Milky Way began to slowly churn around, lazily drifting clockwise around me as I ascended into it. This effect got stronger and faster the longer I held my gaze and suddenly I became cautious and awareness of what was happening dawned on me. As it did so I managed to pull myself free by seeing the periphery of my vision again, unfocusing from the centre. I had known I needed to re-engage with the earth because I was beginning to get physical sensations of nausea accompanying the ‘journey’ and it momentarily made me aware of my body again. I knew this sensation – it was dizziness! My eyes tried to hold onto something nearby, but I was spinning as though I had spun around twenty times! I stood up and fell over again immediately. Wow! What the hell…?

I had to roll myself away 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. quickly, I knew that. I crawled on my hands and knees to the rim of the sunken area and grabbed onto a clump of vegetation to steady myself. The feeling passed after a few moments anchored to the rim of the hill. I stared at 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. where I could make out the shape of my bag in the moonlight, trying to take this in. Sitting and letting my mind wander on that 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. had been a trip and a half! Such an upsurge of energy! Now I was in no doubt at all – this place certainly was a focal point for energy and I had been foolish enough to let myself swim in its effects for a few moments, and was nearly swept away!

David Inshaw's 'Silbury Hill on a Starry Night'

This left me in no doubt – Silbury Hill forms a powerful link with other sites, and is a focal point for all three forms of energy (male, female and neutral) to combine with immense force. I felt that I had to reclaim the use of this site for energetic experimentation. It’s incredibly and indescribably strong and full of potential for shamanic uses. I for one will return again another day or night to work with these energies again.

Gwas.

Positioned on a point of power.

As expected there were several other people visiting the barrow. It still amazes me that so many people want to visit these sites, even so late in the evening, because I arrived at around half past seven, as the sun was dropping low om the western sky, filling the area with a pleasing orange hue, contrasted clearly by the bright blue cloudless sky above it. The perfect time for the purpose I was beginning to form in my mind: I was going to see if I could finish the job I half started on my last visit – to go through the barrow’s chambers, meditating in each for the requisite time, to see what the result might be.

Before that there was some dowsing to do. I walked up the long shallow hill to arrive at the front of the barrow, out of sight of the remaining group of fellow ‘crusties’ who were perched on top in the barrow’s saddle, and began some preliminary questioning using the trusted copper rods:-

• Was it a good time to do meditation here? YES.
• Was I in the right physical, mental and spiritual frame of mind to do this work? YES.
• Was I correct in my previous interpretation of the purpose and timings of the chambers within the barrow? YES.

Going well, so far! Very encouraging.

• Would my work be enhanced by the use of crystals? YES – the stones I got from Callenish that I had been using recently were the best ones to use.

I asked whether the procedure was the same as I had worked out previously, involving a specific route up to 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. on top of the barrow first? YES, and I should wait there until I felt a ‘calling’ to go into the chamber. Then the procedure would be:-

1. Cleansing myself of ‘external’ energies
2. Stating my intention
3. Getting permission from the guardian of the site
4. Re-energising myself
5. Undergoing a transformation process

Was I ready for this? Not really! I had no idea what I wanted to achieve yet, so I followed the rods up the right-hand side of the barrow to find 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. on top, where I laid out my five Callenish pink granite stones around me in an unusual pattern, roughly circular. The route and location of the centre were exactly them same as on my last visit – every single step was the same. That gave me a level of confidence that my previous findings were accurate. Curiously, I would find when I got back that a kind gentleman from the British Society of Dowsers had posted in the forum saying that he had dowsed my initial findings and confirmed them as accurate in every respect, which was pleasing. Little did he know that I was about to confirm them in a very practical way myself!

I’m not going to reveal what my intention was that I finally formed. Everyone has their own path, and it’s not important to others what one wishes for. In the past I have had great difficulty thinking of anything to want to achieve. Perhaps this is a malaise of the modern world, but for me it was a tricky thing to find a balance between personal gain and the benefit of others – I wanted to achieve something in the world and not simply personal empowerment. Here was a potentially powerful tool that our ancestors had constructed and it must be respected, I felt. Whatever I asked for it would have to be something that would bring wider benefits. I thought of something, and formulated a clear sentence in my mind. Armed with that I felt ready. Well, not quite. I was nervous, and as the last visitors moved away I felt the need to relieve myself in the scrubland alongside the barrow. Hey, it’s a “call of Nature”, right? Maybe that was the signal to begin because then, alone on top of the barrow, I felt ready to go into the barrow and meditate….

About twenty minutes later I emerged. It hadn’t been the vision quest I had been expecting, but something had happened in there. I didn’t feel any different, but I knew something subtle had occurred. I asked the rods to confirm whether I had been successful – YES. Would I notice the difference immediately? NO – it would take several weeks for the change to take effect. OK. I was happy with that, and will look out for that. I may even report back when the change happens, because it will be the culmination of several years worth of effort if it works. I think I should document that if and when such an event occurs, don’t you?

I returned to 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. to have a think. I sat quietly waiting to see what would happen if I could become as still in my mind as the air was outside now. A picture began to form after a few minutes peace. I saw Nine Ladies stone circle in my mind. A bearded man in a long white robe approached the circle from the moor side and stopped to touch the King Stone quite deliberately. In my mind I heard the term “Heel stone”, though, which is not a term I use, but I understood what was meant by it. Then the man went through all of the stages that I had just been through, but with slight variances. Those stages were

1. Touching the Heel Stone to activate the energy
2. Grounding or cleansing himself on the draining stone in the circle;
3. Walking around the circle clockwise three times stating his purpose
4. Standing in the centre of the circle, giving praise to the sun, moon, stars and the earth, facing north, south, east and west in turn
5. Sitting on 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. in the circle to charge himself up and then receiving a revelation or inspiration

After this he stood and faced me and I knew that he was now in command of the energies of the stone circle. Now I knew what all this process was about – it was a generic process with slight variances to take account of the type of power place that the work was being performed at. I understood. And I knew that soon I would get a chance to try this out too.

Before I could, something was nagging at me – what was I giving in return for this knowledge? The nag got louder. I got the rods out again to help me, and after a short while I hit upon a positive response: I needed to give something of great value in return for my “gift” that I had meditated for. Well, that was something that I knew earlier cultures did – there are several lakes in North Wales and elsewhere that have been the site for votive gifts. Now I was beginning to understand why. Upon realising this I was restless to go, so I picked up my Callenish stones and packed to leave. All the while the sight of Silbury Hill was drawing me. The light was almost gone now, but there was a hint of lighter sky in the west which silhouetted the hill in a wonderfully dramatic way. Time for more dowsing, I reckoned, but that’s another story.

Gwas.

Putting theory into practice.