The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘spirit’

Last month I visited one of Manchester’s north-eastern satellite towns called Shaw.I went on a whim, and had map-dowsed the place I should go to, only to find that it had family connections – my grandparents had lives there. I remember visiting my grandmother in Shaw, but my grandfather had died before I was born, so I never knew him except via a photograph. When I got there I was directed to go and meet with the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of my grandfather. He told me that he had a special message for me, and that I would need to return just before Samhain in order to obtain the information.

I waited eagerly until close to the fated time and then began to get twitchy – when would the day be best to do this? I dowsed it out and found that Wednesday 26th October would be the ideal date, and then the energy associated with this task would wane very quickly. Only one slight snag with that date – I was due to attend a day’s course in London for work and I couldn’t do otherwise!

By Wednesday evening I had almost given up hope of making it back from London in a reasonable time. Traffic was terrible, the weather was bad, and I had missed my motorway junction right at the start adding half an hour to my journey time. Several hours later I was in two minds as to whether to go, given that I only got back home at 9pm. Nevetheless I went, travelling an hour north past Manchester to reach the hills above Shaw. Call it dedication. Call it madness. Call it a calling. I made the journey in the darkness and dampness.

Having recce’d the site before everything was straightforward, even though it was dark this time. I knew where to park, how to get to the hill, and what kind of path to expect. Even though it was new moon and there was no moonlight the hill was oddly lit. Maybe it was the ambient lighting of the towns in the valley below?

The dowsing rods led me to the same place as last time to communicate – a small semi-circular recess slightly back from the edge of the sheer drop into nothingness at the edge of the Besom Hill‘s sheer edge. Oh yes, “Besom Hill”. as in “besom broomstick” associated with witches. On Halloween. I know. Again – I was completely ignorant of this until I came to write this post up and view the place on an OS map. Really! This is just how these things happen.

I crassly asked for a physical sign of my grandfather’s presence. This was responded to by a distant boom, like a loud firework going off or a thunderclap. I took this to be fireworks because Bonfire Night was only a week or so away, and I tried again. Same thing. I asked for one more time. Same happened again. I asked for something more local to happen, and nothing happened. I can’t be sure what happened really, whether I was repsonded to or not, but the dowsing rods confirmed the presence of a spirit that responded as my grandfather.

I put some crystals around me to enhance my protection and focus the spirit. We communicated, and after a few minutes I began to see images and hear my voice talking about ancestors. It was talking about gathering the energy of my ancestors and accumulating that energy to enhance my own personal power – not in an egotistical way, more as a means to increase my abilities. My grandfather’s spirit suggested strongly that I should begin a task of going around finding and collecting any remaining family ancestor energiesA term I have used to describe the subtle energy imprints left at a particular place of power (a power centre, perhaps) by our ancestors - those family connections from whom we are descended and have a genetic link to..

I asked if it was the same thing to obtain the energy of a spirit such as the one I had obtained co-operation from at Clun Castle. The answer was NO. This was different. Then I was shown a picture of ancient people going into megalithic sites to go through a ritual to commune and merge with their ancestors’ spirits. I asked if I could do the same. I felt something sit with me in the same place as I was, and then it began to merge with me so that I was seeing through its eyes, which were my eyes, because it was also seeing through me. I felt the energy form become one with me and I shivered a little, even though I was warm.

I dowsed as to what had just happened. My grandfather’s energy had entered into my own energy form. I had been protected against other spirits doing this, and had only allowed the spirit of my grandfather to do this, so I was happy that I had got the right energy form. I set off back home and got diverted back a junction again on the M62 motorway. Really, someone or something was trying to make this as difficult as possible for me! I was tired enough already from nine hours of driving that day!

When I got home I dowsed if any change had occurred to me – YES, my spiritual and magickal power had increased. I don’t know what this means yet, or how I could measure it, or what the consequences might be, but it was an interesting experience. Time will tell if it was beneficial! In terms of collecting my ancestor spirits – one down and several to go?

Gwas.

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.

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It was a fine English summer’s evening, in other words the sun was threatening to appear and it wasn’t yet raining. A good enough excuse for me to go and visit a local beauty spot and see what I could learn. “Every day”, as they say, “is a school day”. I obtained a meagre repast from a mini-market in Alderley Edge and pointed the car up the hill towards the Druid’s Inn car park alongside Alderley Edge forest.

My goal? Tonight, as I began to walk into the trees, I instructed the dowsing rods to direct me towards “something that will advance me on my spiritual quest“. Vague, yet promising. The rods twitched and I began to follow them ‘blindly’, trusting that some other forces understood the directive better than I did and would work on my behalf as they had done so many times before. As I walked I asked a quick question – “Would it be wise for me to put up some protection in the forest?” YES, said the rods. I was already doing it! Only positive helpful influences tonight, please!

I was brought into the forest by the usual path, even though I still don’t recognise it until I have reached the first high point! I was taken by yet another alternate route but the destination was familiar – a small rise covered in pine needles where the rods twirled around on a nondescript spot that I knew was probably full of powerful energies. Could I not sit on the nearby lovely mossy mound, I asked the rods. No, they chided, this was the spot to sit on. I sat.

At first I admired the view, wondering why I had been led to this place, and toying with the idea of ignoring this bit and carrying on. Three or four minutes later I was still wondering, when I realised that I could feel my “modern world” energies being stripped from me, and my senses attuning to the sounds and sights of the forest. I was hearing distant wildlife. I was sensing the movement of the gentle breezes as they played with the higher branches. I was feeling the flavour of the forest. I was attuned! Wonderful. NOW I could proceed.

View through Alderley Edge from a magickal spot

After being cleansed and attuned I felt … really good. I didn’t want to move, but I forced myself onwards with this evening’s work – where should I go next? The rods began to lead me down a familiar off-road track through the dense forest and I was walking on to my next intriguing encounter.

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In this third and final post on the Beltane trip I will reveal how I discovered the true meaning of the phrase “See with the hawk’s vision” – a phrase that had been given to me during my meditation beneath The Llangernyw Yew tree.

After Llangernyw we drove the twenty or so miles towards the north coast of Wales and soon were speeding along the main arterial road that feeds the northern holiday towns with their tourist lifeblood durkng the summer months. We passed Llandudno, then the junction for Conwy, through the short tunnels and out into the shadow of the hills above Penmaenmawr. This seemingly innocuous and insistinctive village is actually a gateway to one of the tightest agglomerations of cairns, circles and cromlechs anywhere in Wales.

Our destination on this May Day was The Druid’s Circle – a stone circle known to have 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. or association with the energies of the Beltane time of year. We drove up the ridiculously steep hill, threading our way from the centre of the village in alternate left and right turns that were now well practised and instinctive despite the infrequent and late signage. If you plan to visit the stone circle for yourself then we recommend a good map, and a willingness to explore the housing estates above the village!

A beautiful view from Penmaenmawr Druid's Circle

On the top of the hills above Penmaenmawr the view was clear and beautiful. We had endured the harsh winds all the way up and now stood bullied by the winds as we drank in the views across to The Great Orme at Llandudno. F0r the first time we took an interest in some rocks that seemed to form 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. with the small cairn circle that we previously named “The Little Druid”. There may not be any significance in this 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 stones across the hillside, but nevertheless we noted it for future visits.

Busy Beltane at the Circle

Kal was soon to disappear as we reached the main circle. He had taken an interest in the outlying people and stones, probably because the main circle was populated with several groups of people all engaged in their own Beltane work. I had work to do too. I wanted to connect with 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 place, as I had done previously, and to see whether I could get information about the Hawk of May quest.

I went into the centre of the circle (which I usually avoid, but on this day it seemed charged with potential, whereas it is usually quite confusing and difficult to work with). I stood there and cleansed myself of my worldy energies. Soon I was off towards one of the stones in the southern edge. Kal had been sat at one of those stones too, but now he wandered off in search of something interesting to do. I was trying not to use my rods, but instead to feel for where I should be. I felt one stone in particular was the right one to be at, so I sat there being blasted in one ear by the strong wind.

The stunning setting of the Druid's Circle

This southern stone, not one of the ‘feature’ stones of the circle by any means, I felt had a connection with 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 went into a trance and my mind wandered up and down, to the sky and into the earth, then back to the circle. When I connected it to 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.’s spirit then things began to occur. It was difficult at first to hear anything because I was trying to listen over the top of the howling wind. As soon as I made the wind the backing music to the trance then the low distant voice of the spirit of this circle emerged to speak. I made my now customary offering of emotion and information, offering love, gratitude and a download of my recent druidic events in return for the information I might receive. Once I had donated this gift then the gift was reciprocated, and soon I learned some things about my quest.

I was taken into the air, flying like a hawk above the scenery. I knew I was in a hawk’s form because I could switch my perception between two modes – an aerial view where I could see for miles around in all directions, or I could focus on one spot and zoom right into that place in minute detail. I practised this way of seeing for a few minutes until I grew comfortable with how it worked. I wasn’t exactly sure whether I was seeing a real place, or a concept of a place because it was hard to recognise the landscape with these two new ways of seeing. Either way, I went with it, and began to ask my question to the spirit of place.

1. Is this way of seeing the end point of my quest? – NO, this is a gift for you to learn from.
2. Should I been seeking a real or a metaphorical hawk? – BOTH. You should find the hawk that is really in the landscape.
3. In the landscape? Is this a terrestrial landscape figure I should find? – YES.
4. Where can I find the hawk? – CLOSE TO HOME.
5. How will I be able to begin to identify the hawk? It seems like an impossible task! – FIND A HOLY WELL. This will be your starting point.

The connection faded. Either I was weakening energetically, or the information was dwindling. The connection faded and I returned to normal waking consciousness and found myself back in the circle with all the other people and the howling wind. I had almost forgotten about them for however long I had been away! Now the wind made itself known again and I wrapped myself up against its cool penetrating fingers as they pulled my hair around into stupid shapes.

This new dimension to the quest made it more exciting. It was just like something out of “The Secret Land” that I had finished reading some weeks before, where terrestrial landscape figures were found by scouring old maps. Now I had my own local quest to find a hawk in the lands close to my home. I couldn’t wait to start searching, but first I had to search for Kal, and to thank the spirit of this marvellous circle for again providing me with the state of mind where I could explore this quest in more detail. Despite, or perhaps because of the sense-blocking weather conditions, yet again I had come away from the Druid’s Circle one step closer to achieving my goal.

Gwas – Hunting the Hawk of May

A few weeks ago I was back at Woodhenge as part of my travels from Arbor Low to Christchurch. I was busy tracing the line through a barrow which I later found out was called “Ratfyn Barrow” locally, and which was positioned on a hill just south of Durrington and west of Bulford. Woodhenge’s location was a pleasant place to stop off and look around with the dowsing rods again, and also to look at why I had never gone to look at Durrington Walls which is right next to Woodhenge! 

From pillar to post - Woodhenge timber circle in concrete form

I stopped off at Woodhenge in order to have some lunch, like most of the other people who were there it seems, but unlike them I actually went into circles of concrete posts (they mark the original positions of the timber structure).  There were several cars parked at the car park next to the site when I arrived but no-one seemed to be visiting the place. Later, when one couple of girls appeared at the site they lasted, oh…twenty seconds? Long enough to walk from one end to the other, read a sign, and then leave. OK, maybe a minute, but no more! As Kal and I have said many times, what are you expecting to find unless you are prepared to spend time tuning into the place? I expect many people imagine some information board is going to reveal all the site’s secrets instantly, and perhaps they are disappointed by most sacred ancient sites when they don’t actually reveal much to the casual visitor? I often feel like shouting out, “Buy some dowsing rods!!” but it’s a pointless rant.

I had the place to myself to dowse and I began by asking a question that Kal had sent me by text message (ah, techno-pagan that I am!).

1. Were there any of the shades there that he had brought with him from Barnstaple recently? There were – only three though, and I knew that he had brought many more than that, so where were the others?
2. Were these shades nearby? No.
3. Had they departed of their own accord? Yes.
4. Had they followed 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.? No. I stopped for a moment to think about other possible  methods of egress….
5. Had they attached themselves to visitors, perhaps? YES. All of them? No, some had dissipated due to the energies of the site, and the work Kal had done by burying one of this crystals. This had seen 25% of them shades being grounded and released, but the rest had attached themselves to visitors!
6. Were they doing any harm to these people? No.
7. Were they having a beneficial effect upon their hosts? YES.

Shades and shadows at Woodhenge

I asked if I could release the three remaining shades and got a positive response. With the help of the dowsing rods I visited the site of each of the shades in turn and then, once I had felt its presence, I called upon some spirit guides that I use for this purpose and they helped me to remove the shades safely and for their benefit. None were too reluctant to go, it seemed, which was comforting (I don’t know why, but I guess it makes me feel like it was the right thing to do if they wanted to go anyway).

On the way out I dowsed a ritual path that would retain all of the energies that I had collected, or rather, would prevent me from losing energy. Blooper alert - watch me heading in a sun-aligned direction at first and then correcting it for moon-aligned folk (such as myself). If I wasn’t filming it I would have giggled. Here is the result:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHWxwZMoC7o

Gwas.

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

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

St Beuno's Church, Gwyddelwern

Go Gently Into That Dark Night

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

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

A calming yew tree at Gwyddelwern

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

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

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

This is where our research differs from other information you may find on the Internet. Kal and I are working with these trees to uncover their secrets, discover their properties, and understand what they can do. This is practical druidry – not a theoretical regurgitation of some information passed down through a hundred creative re-tellings. This is direct first-hand experience. In that sense, we know our information is more useful to us than reading about the properties of a tree and then going to enact someone else’s rituals beneath it in the hope that such magic will work. Our form of Natural MagickThis is a system of belief that is often defined as being the appropriation and re-use of naturally occurring forces for the purposes of healing, transformation, communication, or a host of other subtle effects. The natural elements of the magick can also be seen by the under-pinning concept that the use of these forces should be co-operative rather than coercive. is based upon direct experience with these entities, and visionary and intuited knowledge in the presence of these great teachers – the trees themselves. The forces of Nature themselves craft the rituals we perform.

Vampire Shades

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

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

St Beuno's Church

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

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

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

Gwas.

In this post I will attempt to define my current understanding of the ghost, the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). and the spirit. Before I begin to do that let me say that although both Kal and I have read considerable amounts on these subjects, and though we are energetically-aware, the world of ghosts, shades and spirits has been a topic that we have stayed well away from. We both have had good reason for this, and yet, I have recently been led back into a set of tasks that will place me directly on such a path where meetings with such energies cannot be avoided. Such is the path of the druid who learns his skills without shirking his responsibilities. My aim is complete knowledge of my path, and thankfully I have been expertly guided to and through these processes by my mental and physical teachers. Without their guidance, without the dowsing, I would not be attempting this at all.

DEFINITION OF A GHOST

In my experience ghosts are known by several names and pahrases, each of which is entirely synonymous and interchangeable. These are:-

1. Ghost
2. Apparition

For a plain definition of this phenomenon I turn to Linda Williamson, a plain-speaking medium, author of several books on the subject, who defines a ghost like this:

“If a person has experienced intense emotion such as pain, suffering or fear in a particular place, some fragment of their energy may linger there. It can remain for many years, even for centuries, imprinted into the very bricks and stones of a building. This fragment of energy has no consciousness and cannot interact with the living. It is just the empty shell of the person, like a suit of clothing the wearer has long since discarded. The peron’s spirit, their real essence, has passed on into the spirit world.The fragment that is left behind is a ghost.” (Source: “Ghosts and Earth-Bound Spirits” by Linda Williamson)

This is a simple explanation, and has several things that need developing further, but it is a neat starting point because it introduces some concepts about these energies – they remain for a time, they are remnant energies, they have no intelligence, and they are often linked to a particular place. We will develop and explain each of these concepts momentarily.

Some questions arise out of this definition. Why are emotions imprinted? Why do some emotional imprints fade only slowly whereas others fade very quickly? How interactive are these ghosts, and how can they communicate? Why are their energies linked to a specific place? Good questions. Here is my current theory, developed largely in conjunction with Kal.

EMOTIONAL IMPRINTING
When strong emotion of any sort is given off by a living being it has the ability to merge into and be absorbed by surrounding materials. The stronger the emotion, the wider and deeper is the energetic “bow wave” or “explosion” of that emotional impulse. Usually, the earth, the air, fire and water will all diffuse and dilute these emotions transmitting them away from the source like the resonance of a shout heard on a hilltop. The more genuine emotion is involved in the outburst of energy then the stronger that energy is. If that emotional state is prolonged or strong then there is more energy flowing into the surroundings. In open land this will easilyand quickly dissipate, but in enclosed spaces the energy gets reflected and absorbed by the surrounding material, like a wall would absorb dampness. Water is a very apt metaphor for this effect. If a bucket of water is thrown at a brick wall every day (symbolising a large outburst of energy regularly) then soon the wall will become damp inside as it absorbs the moisture. If a tap drips onto a wall slowly over a long period of time it may have similar effects, eventually causing the wall to crumble with the amount of moisture it has absorbed. In this way emotion seeps into static absorbant material.

THE LONGEVITY OF ENERGY
Emotional imprints will fade and dissipate if they are not fed by an energy source. If a man pours his misery into a particular room for a day then leaves that room never to return, how long will the energetic imprint last? Not long – hours only, maybe days. The factor that makes emotional inprints remain for longer is that the emotional is imprinted upon a source of earth energy. This is one of the many reasons why ancient burial structures are sited near to other megalithic structures such as stone circles. Whereas stone circles were areas for activity of the living, dolmens and mounds were the areas afforded to the energies of the dead. These structures were situated on top of earth energy centres where the earth’s own energy rises up at a poit of weakness in the underlying geological strata. Whether it be a chalk aquifier, two seams of permeable and impremeable rock meeting, fractured seams, or igneous rock with a high crystal content, all of these areas of natural geology gave rise to the deliberate siting of ceremonial and burial sites.

Ancient centres or sites of megaliths are just oen example. All over the world there are places created by either geology or by natural energies from rocks, trees or water that have become places of natural earth energy and power. Another commonly-used example is the siting of large houses, stately homes or halls upon ley lines. Where two ley lines cross there is a natural vortex produced that acts in exactly the same way as a natural earth energy centre in that it is a “sticky spot” where emotional energy can become fixed and empowered, ensuring a longevity that it would not otherwise have if allowed to dissipate naturally.

INTERACTIVITY OF GHOSTS
Some mediums consider that ghosts are like two-dimensional imprints and they cannot or should not be interacted with. I have found in my own personal experience that they are primarily dumb. Watching a ghost is like watching a video of a partcular set of sequences from a person’s life. Some ghosts do not move much at all, whereas others follow a pattern acted out in life. ghosts should therefore not be feared because they can do nothing to harm you having no malice or intent in themselves, only the emotion that they were imprinted with.
For sentitive people, people who are aware of these ghosts, then those people can unwittingly perpetuate a ghost. Standing in the same place as a ghost will lead the sensitive person to mimic or attune to the emotion that is imprinted. If the sensitivie person then gives out the same frequency of energy they can unwittingly feed the energy form, and thus perpetuate it. If you walk into a dark corner and feel fear because fear is imprinted there then the fear will take longer to dissipate because you have just fed more of the same energy into it.

SHADES or EARTH-BOUND SPIRITS

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

A shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). (also called an earth-bound spirit) is a human energy form that is much more interactive than a ghost. A shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). has a sentient intelligence and a range of emotions, even if the expression of those can often seem more or less refined than our own. Kal calls these forms “Energetic shrouds”, a term derived in part from the work of the mystic and priest C.W.Leadbeater.

Shades can range all the way from mischievous and disruptive spirits (sometimes labelled poltergeists) through to lost souls and other forms of confused or disorientated and trapped forms, and on up to figures of renown and importance whose veneration remains in our psyche. Some people, who refuse to believe that sentient forms can remain in existence, believe that such entities are merely thought-forms conjured upon conception. That’s a real “If a tree falls in a forest...” conundrum. Do things only exist if we give them attention?

Shades gain energy from the sun and moon, and from living human energy fields (particularly the aura). Often they will try to keep a living human talking if he has made contact with them in order to drain his energy unwittingly in order to prolong their own existence. In this sense they could be called ‘psychic vampires’.

SUSTENANCE OF SHADES

In order to remain present on the Earth shades seem to need recognition, in whatever form. This could be the adoration of a following who remember them, the esteem they have been accorded in history, or as a fond memory that is frequently remembered perhaps via a celebration or a particular date to trigger a regular remembrance. I call this requirement “renown” – shades require the energy of renown to remain. Shades are maintained, therefore, from the energy of love and gratitude in all its forms.

Another attractor is a place on the earth which has some natural or unnatural 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.. At sacred sites, whatever their form but particularly burial mounds, natural 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. is often being captures and enhanced by the positioning of sacred stone sites over geological fault lines and other areas of surface weakness. Sites that have a predominantly crystalline geology are particularly effective at generating and corralling this earth energy.

If a human has imprinted emotive energy at a place (due to a moment of high emotion) then that energy can become imprinted into the fabric of the place, absorbed into the rock or the soil of a place. How long this energy lasts is a matter of whether the place has any of the geological characteristics mentioned above, but the mere fact of an emotive imprint is often enough to attract shades, who seem to be able to make use of that energy to sustain themselves – like re-charging a battery through osmosis.

PSYCHIC VAMPIRES

Shades have one final ‘food source’ – us. We give off emotive energy quite often and the more emotionally unstable or extreme a person is the more likely they will attract the attentions of a shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).. People who have psychic talents, I have noticed, are particularly prone to being preyed upon by shades, and I suspect this is because they are often unaware of the state of their aura. Controlled use of psychic energies is unpredictable to the shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life)., but if a psychic person has an aura that is leaking energy then this can become an habitual food source for shades, who will attach themselves to the damaged part of the aura and live off that energy, often draining the host psychically, mentally and physically.

Of course, if the host is completely drained then they fall ill and don’t generate much energy, so the relationship is usually kept at a symbiotic level where both host and shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). are maintaining a constant cycle of rising and falling energy levels (the more extreme the better). I have seen a friend go through this unwittingly, and even when it was pointed out to him, he still continues to act as a host, unwilling to expunge himself of this parasitical entity because it keeps him just below the level where he has enough energy to do something about it. Of course, I have offered to help, and now intend to raise my friend’s energy levels sufficiently that he can rid himself of this pest.

SPIRITS

As mentioned in my prelude post, ‘Body, Aura and Animus’, Spirit is animated by the Animus. Spirit is the literal form of that animus energy, albeit a very diffused form.

In the true sense of the word ‘spirit’ this refers to the essence of the human being that is extant before and after his or her existence in physical form. Some forms of non-human and human spirit can make their presence known to living people, and these come to us in many forms:-

• avatars (messengers),
• spirit guides,
• ascended masters (enlightened humans)
• god forms

Some may appear as archetypes from myth of legend that have become embodiments of a collective human expression of qualities that living humans seek to attain, such as Merlin or King Arthur.

Some spirits, I have learned, regain an interest in humans if they are given a task to complete that involves us. Without the bindings of duty, or the incentive to progress, the temptations of the whole wide inhabited universe must have its appeals. This is mainly speculation, however, because apart from spirit guides I have no information about the motivations and further existences of spirit – it is a world too far removed from experience to describe with any certainty.

Gwas.