The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘standing stones’

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

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

The Llangernyw Yew

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

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

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

Speaking to Yew

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

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

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

Of course, the first thing I did, after thanking the yew of course, was to grab my rods and begin to dowse around the tree. I picked up a strong line connecting the yew to the church, but intersecting the church at an odd angle. Like I say, it was as if the line was there before the church, ans I raced around the other side to see what was there. What was there? Only a raised tombstone surrounded by a couple of old standing stones! This, I dowsed, was the terminus point of the energy lineThe direction energy takes when moving. It may be straight or curved, in several dimensions and be composed of one or more different types of energies, i.e. negative, positive or neutral. Energy lines can be found at standing stones and ancient sites but are a general feature in all energy fields. going through the church. Now THAT’S a vision, I thought! Where you see things in your mind that turn out to actually be there, although to be honest I didn’t see the stones, only a blurry end point where the energy congregated, but nevertheless, it bowled me over somewhat, and I went off to tell Kal all about it whilst it was fresh in my mind.

The Shaky Hand of Fear?

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

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

The Moonlight Spotlight

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

I showed him the hidden side of the church as the moon began to dominate the sky with its light. I followed the dowsing rods around the church asking to be taken to the first power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘Alignment’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. they could find. They found several, all linked with each other, and at significant “features” in the ground, such as a small bump, a faerie ring of grass, around a standing stone, the raised grave, and between two pillar stones next to the church’s southern wall.

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

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

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

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

Them Skulls and Them Bones

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

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

Gwas.

Dancing in the moonlight.

As I mentioned in my post about an update to the Sacred Sites page recently here is a more detailed account of my recent visit to the rather small but beautifully formed site that is The Bridestones. By some accounts what remains is but a small part of an originally much larger collection of stones and chambers. Here is a quote from the Unknown Phenomena Investigation Association’s web site:

“The site is very different to its original structure; many tons of stone were taken from the cairn by the builders of the nearby turnpike road in 1764. Other stones were used to build the adjacent house and farm, and more were recycled into an ornamental garden in Tunstall Park.
However, before this large scale ransacking occurred, it appears that the Bridestones was an incredible monument, perhaps unique in England. Evidence from a variety of sources indicates that it was a chambered tomb of massive proportions with a paved crescent forecourt and a port-holed stone dividing the main chamber. The complex was supposedly 110 metres in length with the horned cairn being 11 metres wide. A report from the 18th Century notes that in addition to the main chamber which still stands today, a further two subsidiary ones were located at a distance of 55 yards. No traces of these have ever been found, but there is much debate as to whether they are located east of the surviving chamber, or west. The latter seems more likely as they were probably covered by the same cairn as the main chamber.” (source: UPIA web site)

My task on this visit was not to investigate the former scale of the site, but to map the remaining energies in detail. I set about the task with some vigour as there was a cool wind and the sky was thickly clouded – not a day to be hanging around sun-bathing!

Luckily for my work the site was empty and there was little passing traffic from Dial Lane – the road passing the site across the adjacent field. The field contained a small group of young bullocks, though, and brought to mind several dowsing visits where cows had curtailed such dowsing endeavours. This spurred me into action all the quicker!

Yet I couldn’t start dowsing just yet. I had to have a good look around and get “into attunement” with the site, which is simply a question of being there, without thought, tuning into one’s senses and taking in everything at once without analysis. Moments later I felt myself blend into the site much better, and then I was ready to start dowsing its energies.

I started at the entrance and worked inwards to the chamber. Once I found a connection to the chamber I stayed in there for a while finding its power centres, denoted by terminating spirals. The alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. of the power centres seemed beautifully balanced – a male here, then a female, then a male and female centre combined. It felt lovely to be dowsing here – some sites feel ‘difficult’ or complex, but this site was beautiful in its simplicity and balance.

Inside the chamber

I stepped into the chamber by the right-hand edge’s gap and felt a compulsion to light a stick of incense in there. These days I go with such feelings, so I lit one and it scented the air nicely as I dowsed the rest of the chamber. Were the remains of the dividing wall between the two parts of the chamber the place where there was a hole that could fit a man, allowing access between the two when there had been a roof? It was hard to tell. The dowsing rods indicated that possibility, but were not conclusive about it.

Re-emerging from the chamber an intriguing lone pointed (male) stone caught my attention and I found that it had a connection to an energy that formed a ritual path into the nearby chamber. I was finding this feature almost every time I dowse a site now, and am beginning to think that Stone Dowser may have been on to something with his ‘ritual paths’. It does indeed seem like there was a specific way to enter some sites, irrespective of simply finding entrances.

The bullocks begin to take an interest and come over to see what’s happening. We have a short one-way conversation where I quiz them about why they might be interested in my dowsing. When questioned they move away as though they had never been interested after all.

I followed the spirals I had found to their termination points. Where did they go? Were they self-contained or did they link to other sites, I wondered? The female-to-female spirals I knew were self-contained, as was the male energy around the outlying male stone. It was the male/female power centreA place where a person of a particular alignment (see ‘Alignment’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. that needed to be explained. I followed the female energy to a large spiral a few feet outside the entrance to the chamber. The male energy flowed through a gap at the back of the chamber to sinew its way out of the back of the site but I couldn’t follow it far through the thick rhododendrons, brambles and assorted other obstacles that sealed off the rear of the site.

Some sort of rambler’s club began to make their presence known by gabbling loudly as they walked up the lane to the site. I decided this would be a good time to retire to consider what I wanted to do next, and leave the site to them for a few minutes. In my experience visitors to ancient sites are usually frequent, but fleeting. And so it proved. Minutes later your anti-social Hedge Druid had devised a set of questions to ask at the site and was back on the job without distractions – even the curious bulls had retreated faced with the retirement party.

I made a more respectful entrance, introducing myself to the guardian of the site, stating my name and purpose, and asking for permission to enter. A curious ritual, but one which I have learned from reading about and trying to understand the mind of The Druids. It was at this stage that things began to take a mystical turn!

I’ve posted recently on the strange phenomenon of the sun making an appearance when Kal and I meditate at sacred sites. Standing on the power centre in front of the tall stones outside the chamber I felt a gradual warmth penetrate my eyelids. I opened my eyes to see the whole site, and only the site, bathed in the spotlight of sunbeams the were radiating through a gap in the thick cloud cover that had been the constant feature of the day’s weather. This was highly improbable, but certainly very welcome!

Power centre lit up by sun

I smiled. I felt integrated with the site’s energies, and in response the sun was smiling down on me. Of course, it’s pure coincidence, but when it happens like this you feel something special is happening. I felt this was a good time to get the rest of my questions answered.

Here are the questions I asked the dowsing rods to help me answer about this site:-

1. Is this site still capable of performing its original function? YES.
2. Is the site still energetically active? NOT RIGHT NOW. (3:50pm on 3rd October 2009)
3. Can the site be activated? YES. AT SAMHAIN.
4. Can the site be used for education, revelation, healing, transformation, communication or something else? EDUCATION by nature spirits, REVELATION, HEALING, and TRANSFORMATION.
5. Does the site need restoring, healing or balancing? NO to all.
6. Is there a 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. present at this site? YES. FEMALE.
7. Does this site respond to human interaction, the position of the sun, moon or stars? YES to all. Specifically the FULL moon, and the sun at NOON. Stars, less so.
8. Is the site an observatory, a calendar, an initiation chamber or a burial place? OBSERVATORY, CALENDAR, INITIATION CHAMBER.
9. Is there underground water at this site? YES.

With that information in mind I went back to do some quick dowsing for where water might be present at the site to see if it had any obvious significance in terms of where it might flow. As you can see from my sketch below there were two main flows of underground water crossing the site, and indeed they did tally with significant places for energy – namely the female spiral links just behind the entrance to the chamber, and the other, wider stream being marked by an outlying stone.

As I drove away from the site back towards Congleton I saw the group of bullocks react. They saw me driving away and began to gallop as a tight group stalking the car from across the field. I watched in a kind of amused shock. What were they doing? Then they turned like a flock of starlings straight towards me as they approached the end wall of the field. Now they were galloping towards me with a speed I could never have supposed a bovine to be capable of! I waved to them and wished them a cheery good day as my car dipped down the hill and beyond the confines of the field. Very strange behaviour!

From the information gleaned from this site I can see that there might be more to be learned, but that the next interaction would need to be a much more spiritual affair, guided by the information that I have obtained from dowsing. I think this clearly demonstrates the way in which dowsing can be used as a powerful investigative tool that can lead one quickly to understand qualities of a site, and the times when these qualities can best be utilised for the purposes that the site was designed for. We shall see!

Gwas.

A quick visit to The Bridestones of Congleton yesterday furnished me with enough information to provide an energetic map of the place for you. Check it out in the Sacred Sites section for more details. I’ll do a post of the visit, and add some pictures to the Gallery soon to fill in some extra information too.

Tuesday 12th May - Lampouy, Brittany

Another unexpected opportunity to do some dowsing, thanks to the wonderful “Megaliths of Brittany” guidebook from Aubrey Burl. We were supposed to be heading our to Rennes to have a look around the town, but because of the variable weather, and a lack of enthusiasm, we actually changed our minds half way there! So, out with the guide book – which sites may be nearby? Oh – the Lampouy Alignments, which, according to Burl, are “”second only to Carnac in importance“. Supposedly a collection of standing stones in four sets that were aligned to a main tall standing stone. Well, an opportunity not to be missed, even if the dowsing time may be limited due to an impatient passenger!

We veered off the N12 towards the Lampouy alignments and eventually found them. It seems as though, in Brittany, if you are heading in one direction you get good signage – but if you’re approaching from any other direction then there are no signs at all, or they are facing the wrong direction!

The first thing you see as you arrive is The Pierre Longue stone. I didn’t have a lot of time here. After ten days of menhir-hunting I was testing my spouse’s patience to the very limits – “what about our holiday” was the constant refrain. This WAS a holiday for me! Anyway, I was going to be quick. Too quick it turns out. I should have read Burl’s account properly before I started because I missed the southern-most stone, or “white stone”. Next time.

Anyway, to make the most of time I hurried along to the Pierre Longue stone which stood alone in a field of newly-sprouted crops.

The stone did not seem to have the neutral 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. ley going through it that the sign indicated may be present (linking Mont St.Michel to Carnac), but instead I found a male line going out towards the set of aligned stones that were the most intact, the largest, and in the most beautiful setting.

As Burl explains there are four sets of aligned stones on the south side that look like four longboats rowing towards the Pierre Longue. This male line from the Pierre Longue stone was coming out of the rough dark patch of the stone that was facing south-east, and is facing us in the picture above. The picture below shows the direction.

Next stop was the alignments themselves. I rushed down to the first alignment row. The four alignment rows were in various states of repair. Some were covered almost completely by grass and bushes, others seemed to be quite derelict in the shape and position of the stones, and whether they were standing or recumbent. As I moved from one to the next the situation improved. I wondered at the possible reasons for four sets of aligned stones – was this too a form of energy generator, like I have theorised Carnac to be, or did they form some sort of channel, ensuring that energy lines that crossed the country were funnelled through this point?

At the first set of aligned stones I dowsed for the types of energy. It had a male and female energy stream (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.). There was no alignment ley here either. They “felt” good (I was beginning to tune into the energy patterns by now, and beginning to imagine I could feel their qualities – whether beneficial or detrimental). There was nothing I wanted (or had time) to do other than get a feel for them, check their alignment, dowse for what types of energy were within them (or they were on top of) and trace a quick pattern around them following the male or female energy lines. The energy between the stone linked them together, but somewhat randomly (sometimes a stone would be missed out by a female line, whereas the male lines were more consistent). I moved on to the next alignment eagerly.

The second alignment was even more derelict than the first, and was quite difficult to spot as most of the stones were small and hidden beneath grass or ferns. I spotted them edging a groove in the ground that snaked away into the far fields beyond the farmhouse half a mile or so away. Energetically there was nothing interesting to note. On to the next, with the hope that it was more intact.

The third alignment was hidden in a row of trees and had stones that diminished in size as they went northwards. In the picture below the view of looking south towards the larger stones. Most of the stones had been felled, but they nestled conveniently between the line of trees and seemed to form a counterpoint rhythm to the line that the trees had grown on.

Testing for 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 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. (a neutral 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.) running through it I again found nothing. The tourist information sign seemed to hint that there was a line somewhere around, though. Was I just not finding it? Was I being too quick and not thorough enough? I asked the rods the kind of question that makes Kal wince, “Is there a neutral alignment ley line running through the Lampouy site somewhere?“. YES. Right, it was here, I just had to find it. Next obvious question for the rods, “Please lead me to the nearest place where I can find a neutral alignment ley.” – hoping that there weren’t loads of them, as I was short of time! It took me further to the east, along a trail that seemed to be heading towards the furthest set of alignment stones.

The fourth alignment was the most interesting. It had the largest stones and had the alignment ley I had been searching for. Apparently this alignment links Mont St Michel in the north-east with Carnac to the south-west of Brittany. You can just about see the line drawn in this photo:

I dowsed around as usual and found some very strong lines running around, into and through the large stones in this alignment set. Soon I put the rods down and just wandered in and around the stones.

The alignment seemed to draw me from the southern end to the northern end, weaving around each stone, following what I felt to be the female line. Trying to feel the energies again I did indeed feel the “motorway” of the neutral ley running through this section, and I felt the sinewing power of the male and female lines as they inter-wove around the alignment. It was quite thrilling, and emotionally charged. I felt a frisson of energy and was smiling, even in the face of the light drizzle that had started.

Time to get back to the car. As I was about to take my hiking boots off I spotted a stone that had been lying in the back of my car from a previous site visit months ago. For some reason I couldn’t stop looking at it. I decided it wanted to remain here, and that the Pierre Longue stone was a suitable new home, but I also had another idea for it rather than just leaving it – I would make an energetic bridge between this leyline and my power centreA place where a person of a particular alignment (see ‘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. back home! After placing the stone and doing some energy work I dowsed the stone – yes, it recognised a link with my house. Good. Done. Time to go and get on with our holiday!

Gwas.

Leaving a marker.

Kermario, Carnac – 8th May 2009

In this sixth installment of the Brittany series, the second part of the Carnac visit, I found possibly the most interesting aspects of the whole Carnac visit (not to put you off the next post, but this is the ‘main feature’, if you like).

Entrance stones

As we walked across the road to the next section, called Kermario, we walked into a larger section of woodland than was around Ménec.On either side of the road winding through this woodland were two large boulders.

I stopped as I reached the point between them. I could feel a barrier of energy! There was a definite flow of energy between them that made my midriff feel a tug, just like when I walk the energy paths down a hill, or stand next to a large menhir. What was the purpose of putting these two stones here? I glanced around. I had missed two other similarly sized boulders that were fifty feet or so away. They were sites in an enclosed field nearby. Two pairs of boulders? The previous pair looked like they might designate the end of the Ménec field, whilst the pair I was standing between might demarcate the beginning of the Kermario field, I wondered? I dowsed between them – a strong male line going back and forth between them. I asked for permission to enter and the energy stopped tugging at my stomach, so I passed through. Hmmm….entrance stones for the energetically-aware?

Nemeton size: more guerrila dowsing

I was glad we were walking instead of driving now. I was seeing much more than if we had just whizzed by on a whirlwind tour from the car as most people seemed to be doing. This fast-paced tick-in-the-box tourism was beginning to become anathema to me. We stopped alongside the Kermario field of stones.

It was an even more impressive sight than Ménec, because you could see down the slope through several fields, and the alignments just kept going on and on into the middle distance. We had found a nice spot amongst some outlying rocks that were not fenced off, but were close to a point that looked convenient for hopping over the fence unseen to most eyes. Whilst I waited for the occasional couple of tourists to wander by I did some dowsing at the edge of the field of stones.

I wondered if all those stones were producing any kind of nemeton field collectively? I walked back into the woods some fifty feet, then asked if I was in the nemeton field and got a “NO” response. I walked towards the fence surrounding the stones until I got the familiar barrier response indicating the extent of the nemeton. It was about 20 feet from the nearest row. I tested for its qualities – FEMALE and NEUTRAL EARTH energies were found. I have begun to differentiate between male, female and neutral earth energies and the corresponding genders of human energies. Kal and I have found that when the earth produces 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.” of positive, beneficial energy it is a combination of male and female. Since discovering this I have begun to qualify the energy types by stating whether they are earth energies, radiant energies, or human energies. This nemeton field was earth energy.

The Energy Engine

As we progressed down the path alongside the fields of stones, admiring the amazing lines that flowed in parallel across the undulating landscape we spotted a tower in the distance that looked like a great vantage point from which to view the whole scene.

Before we got there I wanted to ask the rods some more questions about how the purpose of this place. A convenient stopping point was where the path crossed between two fields of stones near to a ‘creperie’, actually a farmhouse built right in the midst of the aligned rows of stones. At this point the rows seemed artificially disconnected by the path and farmhouse, so I took the chance to check my findings so far, and verified them all. Now that I knew the way the energies flowed I was less inclined to continue asking the same questions all over the site. How about finding something out about what this was all for?

I knew that archeo-astrologers and other researchers have picked up on solar, lunar, maybe even stellar alignments, and like most sites I knew that this was a comp0onent of their construction, but not their entire purpose, I felt. Only part of the story. I suspected that the astrological alignments simply told the druids and other people who understood these sites WHEN they would be at their maximum and minimum in terms of their energetic potential. The question now was what would they be doing with this energy, and why was this particular site built like this? I asked the following questions whilst standing in the energy flow between the disconnected rows of two fields of stones:-

• Was the purpose of this site to gather energy by transforming radiant energies and drawing up earth energy like some kind of massive energy generator? YES, came the response.
• Was the whole series of stones all one big engine? Er…NO, not really. OK, let’s be more specific.
• Is this Kermario section all one engine? YES. So, was each named area an engine unto itself? YES.

Wow, this must be some huge engine! Where was the energy going?

• Was the energy produced in each section of the Carnac site going to a specific place? YES.
• In the Kermario field, where I now stood, was there a single nexus point for the energy? YES. Would I be able to locate it? YES.
• Was it on a path accessible to most people (I asked hopefully)? NO.
• Was it within a mile of where I was? YES.

Armed with that much I set off intent on finding this single point where all the energies of this huge field of stones was focused. I asked to rods to take me to this focal point, and I followed them as they led me down the path alongside the field of stones towards the tower in the near distance. As I approached the tower, wondering to myself whether this was the place, the rods swivelled left and I turned with them to see where they were now pointing – at two small green mounds ten feet in at the end of this section of stone alignments! I hadn’t even seen them as I approached, but now they stood out like…well, like a pair of green breasts on a nun!!!

The Mounds and The Tower

Again I hopped the fence. Luckily the mounds were only a few feet away from the path that intersected the fields of stone rows. I asked the rods to take me to the exact place where the energy from the alignments went to. It was the mounds. The rows of stones petered out before the mounds. I couldn’t tell exactly where the energy from the rows came in, but the flow was certainly directed into the mounds. I checked for a nemeton around the mounds and found it circling the two small mounds in a sort of kidney shape, indented more on one side than the other, but flowing around the two of them. It registered for male and female energy combined – a white stream nemeton of earth energies, flowing anti-clockwise. Possibly the male energy went clockwise, I don’t know. I didn’t want to linger too long in this forbidden territory!

I now asked several miscellaneous questions in an attempt to get some idea of its strength. If this was the focal point for all these stones then it might be quite strong. Asked for its relative strength on a scale of 1-10 and got a response at 9. Was it ever a 10, I asked? YES. When? January? YES. February? Less so. March and April? A decreasing response until at April the rods parted. May? The rods began to cross again slightly. June? A more positive response. July? YES. Full cross. August? Less of a response. OK – January and July it was. Two months? I thought about other sites I knew of that were powerful, and asked how this site measured against Arbor Low, for example. Please tell me how many times stronger these energies were. Same strength? NO. 1.5x stronger? NO. I kept going up until I got to 8. Then the rods crossed. Eight times stronger than Arbor Low! Kal would love it here.

When I got back home I checked my “In Tune With The Moon” book which tells me exactly what phase of the moon occurs when in the year. In 2009 the full moon in July coincides exactly with the apogee – one of the two times in the year when the moon is exerting its strongest influence. In January the full moon was at its perigee – i.e. at its nearest, pulling most upon this side of the planet. In July it would be pulling the other side of the planet strongest. I asked the rods if the sun energies would be strongest at the Summer Soltice in June to which the answer was, YES. I was beginning to see how these calendar times meant the times of the greatest energetic potential of the sun and moon radiant energies in relation to the stones at Carnac.

I wondered if the energy came out of the mounds and went anywhere else, so I asked to follow any 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. coming out of the mounds. I was taken back over the fence and down the path back towards the road. It led me through the woods on the far side of the road, along a barely-visible trail, then back along the road, back up the path and around the tower. Beyond the tower it went into the woods on the other side of the field and emerged again to re-join the mounds (more fence-hopping). The shape was somewhat like a three-fingered hand, or a shamrock, an elongated trefoil shape.

As I was back at the mounds I asked if the field was male, female or neutral. I got a response for a mixture of male and female. So, the area defined was all white stream positive energy. I asked too whether there were any burials within the mounds, as they were suspiciously human sized – NO. Looking down the rows I thought about their placement. Were these rows placed because of the geology of the rock beneath them, I asked? YES. Well, I could investigate this at some future point when I had access to more information. As it turned out, I checked a geological map of the area and found that the alignments were all placed on a shelf of granite that began at Carnac. Interesting. We have found this at every ancient complex of sites – they all make use of solid crystalline volcanic rocks. The crystalline nature of the rock seems important to their function as energy generators or harnessers. This was something I was about to put to the test in my own small way.

A sense of purpose

Now I turned my attention to establishing the purpose of these incredible alignments of stones. What were they here for? I had a series of things I wanted to test for using the dowsing rods. I stood in the field emanating from the mounds and began to ask some serious questions:-

• Was this site an engine to generate energy? YES
• Could it be used for healing? YES.
• Could it be harnessed for transformation of human consciousness? YES.
• Could it be used to create a protective field? YES.
• Could it be used for any ‘magickal’ purpose? YES.

This was amazing. It seemed as though this energy could be utilised in any way that seemed appropriate to the requirements of those who built and used it. This amazing energy generator would create energies that could be employed for any kind of energy work that was needed. As Kal mentioned to me later - is this akin to the legendary Philosopher’s Stone?

Healing with crystals

People were starting to wander up to the tower from the road again, so I hopped back over the right side of the fence. M was sat atop the tower but now she joined me again, complaining about her joint pains, as she frequently does. I wondered if I could harness the positive energies that surrounded us at this moment? I asked if I could use some crystals to do some healing work and the rods happily crossed. I set up my five crystal Venus set according to where the rods said I should put them. It was almost in the usual formation, but two of the crystals were interchanged. I dowsed for where M should stand, and where I could stand to help direct the energies. I asked M to imagine drawing up the energy from the floor whilst I gave the intention to heal her joints. Several minutes later I cleared the crystals away and asked M how she felt. No pain now, she said, but that could have been a placebo effect, however she didn’t complain about her aching joints for the rest of the week, so I guess that tells you something. Believe me – she had been mentioning it several times a day before this incident!
It’s amazing stuff this crystal work. A year ago I would have laughed myself out of the country for doing such a thing (Kal: Don’t worry - I still laugh at you ).

The AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. Stones

Now I hadn’t completely dismissed the idea that there were parts of the complex at Carnac that were used calendrically. As we walked back to Ménec alongside the Kermario field we spotted two standing stones that were a hundred feet off to one side. It looked like a make-shift car park that very few people used, but at the end were two standing stones of an odd shape. We have seen shaped stones like this before at sites. I can think of Callenish in particular where the notched shapes of the stones were almost universally believed to provide sightings for alignments of the sun, moon and with particular stars like Aldebaran. These two stones looked just like those shaped stones. I decided they warranted some investigation.

The taller pointed stone only has one “disfigurement” – a slight chunk taken out of its western edge. The smaller stone which stood only six feet away from it had a profound notch hewn from it that meant that its top half was only half the width of its base. I dowsed for energy coming out of the stones and found that a male line emerged from the hewn edge of the smaller rock and led to the flat hewn edge of the pointer larger stone. Interesting. Again, this correlates with so many other stones that have been similarly worked.

Next, I concentrated on finding out which types of energies these stones might be pulling down from radiant sources or drawing up from the earth. The taller stone was drawing male sun energy and also pulling female energy from earth, as was the smaller stone too. Presumably they were also pulling down moon energy, but I forgot to ask! Silly me. It’s easy to be “completist” about these things after the fact. The two stones were involved with both drawing energy from the Kermario field of stones as well as sending it back to them in a sort of circuit.

I asked the rods whether the notches on the smaller stone aligned to specific celestial objects and got a positive response for sun, moon and star alignments. That confirmed their purpose for me. These stones were here to allow users of the energies to determine specific times of the year when the energies were best suited to their purpose, I theorised.

With that we walked back to the car in order to head out to the furthest field – Kerlescan. Here there was another field of stones, but I wanted to concentrate on the side shows – The Giant’s Stone and The Quadrangle, said to once have been a large tumulus.

Gwas Myrddyn

Following an intuition

Carnac, Brittany - Friday 8th May

The 8th May is a public holiday in France. There are loads of them in May, and it seemed like a good day to be heading down to the seaside, so we packed for a trip to the greatest megalithic site of the whole of France – the legendary fields of aligned stones that constituted Carnac. Carnac is a small town on the south-west coast of Brittany, between the towns of Vannes and Lorient. As I checked the map for a route I noticed that almost every village in that area began with the prefix “Ker“. This prefix means ‘horn’ , or the symbol for a crescent moon. It was going to be a two hour drive to the coast at least so I let M have a go at driving to give me a rest, and to allow me to pick the places I wanted to see, and to navigate – badly as it turned out.

The journey didn’t start well. We got diverted almost immediately and my blood boiled at being unable to get us onto the road that would reduce our journey time by half an hour (not yet into the relaxing part of the holiday). Instead we were forced to go miles out of our way. Luckily the rest of the journey was quiet and trouble-free, through small Brittany towns and villages, and down beautiful stretches of toll-free dual carriageway. After two and a half hours we were approaching Carnac and the excitement was mounting (well, for me anyway). We dived into Carnac town and got a site map from the Tourist Information to work from before heading back out to park at the Ménec centre.

Phases of megalithic building in Europe

The fields of stones are effectively divided into three parts – Menec, Kermario and Kerlescan. Each site is bordered by paths through beautiful woodland, and boasts its own particular interesting element in addition to the fields of aligned stones, as if they weren’t enough to be impressed with! 

We started at Ménec near the visitor centre. The weather was threatening to be warm, but clouds kept rolling over the sun spoiling the photographs. Walking into the tiny hamlet of Ménec we were greeted by our first full view of the field of aligned stones and it was a truly amazing sight. Silence. Standing. Staring. Open-mouthed. Into the distance were eleven rows of stones, some ten feet high, most around four or five feet in height. They just went on and on, snaking slightly with the shape of the land into the distance. Now what is to be made of that? It was my mission this day to try to find out.

View along Ménec field

I had read the various folk tales, myths and archeological theories about their presence, but as with so many other sites they were simply nonsense, or had little substance to them other than being quaint stories. The ideas that have been submitted are:-

1. They are Roman soldiers turned to stone by St.Cornelius as he was cornered by them at the coast whilst trying to escape
2. They are gravestones for every person who has died in the area in ancient times, the larger ones being the rich people and the smaller ones the poorer.
3. They are a solar and lunar observatory used as a calendar to mark specific sacred times of the Celtic year

For me these “explanations” mean nothing. They add nothing to our understanding of the value and immense effort that was engendered into the Carnac sites. The idea that literally thousands of stones would be placed in an East-West 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. along a shelf of granite simply to act as a calendar is laughable, and even more so when you’ve actually visited the site. A simple stone circle would have achieved such a calendar function if that was what was intended. It’s clearly only a mere fraction of the site’s purpose. However, I’ll come back to the purpose of the site later. It suffices to say at this stage that these myths do not take into account the energetic intention of the construction. I, on the other hand, had this uppermost in my mind as I strolled along the fenced perimeterof the Ménec field.

Don't fence me in!

Guerilla Dowsing

Yes, fenced. It was all fenced off. Like Stonehenge, apparently we simple souls can’t be trusted to keep our sticky mitts to ourselves and would be hacking away at the stone for souvenirs if we were allowed to, or we would be clambering all over them and felling them left, right and centre if we were permitted access to them. Only a guided tour at specific times of the day (and considerable cost) would allow anyone access to the stones themselves. However, I had not come a hundreds of miles to this place merely to walk along the edges. It was time for some Guerilla Dowsing, i.e. dowsing in places where you were clearly not encouraged to do so and may be arrested for trying to. I did so. I picked a quiet spot, then hopped the fence with my rods and began to take some readings.

Here’s what I found out at Ménec:-

• Two lines of energy run in and out, and in between the stones. One is a MALE energy flowing close to the stones in the usual way, i.e. not deviating much from the most direct course between stones. The second line is a FEMALE energy, as one might expect this energy deviates wildly between the stones, sometimes going up to several feet away from the alignment of the stones. The female energy will also often miss out flowing around one of the stones in the row and be pulled back into a path around the next stone. This is unlike the male energy, which seemed to flow regularly past each stone in turn (although my sampling of this was limited to the occasional sneaky raid over the fence).
• There are 11 rows of stones in each ‘field’ (Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan) and the energy paths of the male and female energies flowed in one direction down one row, then in the opposing direction for the next row. So, if the alignment is East-West the first row flowed West to East, then the next row flowed East to West, then back to West-East, and so on across all the rows of stones.
• Some stones were MALE (pointed shape) and some were FEMALE (flat-topped stones). The male stones were drawing down SUN energy and transforming it into the male energy lines that I had dowsed between and around the stones. The female stones were drawing down MOON energy as well as drawing up female earth energy, transforming them into the female energy that I dowsed flowing more vigorously along the aligned rows of stones.

That was all that I dared to do at first because there was a constant stream of visitors walking up and down the path that we were on, and I felt guilty about breaking the rules. I didn’t want to be escorted away from the site at this early stage, so I bided my time until I could find a place that was a little quieter. Next time I will book a guided tour, although I’m not convinced the tour guide would appreciate having to stop every few minutes for me to dowse around! Having got to the end of the first field of stones I was eager to see what the next set looked like.

The sun was alternately popping out and back in again behind clouds, which threatened rain, but we walked across the main road towards the next part of the Carnac site – Kermario. As we crossed a stranded field of stones made me wonder how much the roads and the traffic were affecting the power of the sites, but it was too dangerous to dowse whilst dodging the cars!

Gwas.

Following rows upon rows of stones

Equinox on Anglesey

We had fun and games trying to get to Anglesey for the time of the Vernal Equinox. We were trundling along, yapping away and missed the junction just over the Menai Bridge. We doubled back, went over the older bridge, then got behind slow drivers – all good fun. But we made it. Just in time to deposit our bags and relax on top of the mound at 11:45am – the exact Vernal Equinox at Bryn Celli Ddu (pronounced ‘brin kethli thee’) by my best estimation. There were no other visitors that morning until we were about to leave for Penmaenmawr – which made our relaxation easier. [Kal ~ and the two visitors that did appear were named Deanah and Rob, Deanah was a "good witch" and felt she had some innate sensitivities (don't we all have them? Perhaps we dontall feel them?) And Rob was her enabler, his words.]

We tried sitting inside the mound but quickly found this wasn’t where we were supposed to be. We went to sit back on our respective power centres that we had found on top of the mound, and soaked in the experience of the exact balance point between light and darkness that day – the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. The equilibrium point of night and day.

[Kal ~ Both Gwas and I had a most unusual sensation whilst at BCD. Up until that day our usual modus operandi has been to set about dowsing around and generally getting a feel for the Genius of the place, which then innevitably leads to other more directed questions and interesting paths (figuratively and literally). However on this occasion we seemed unconcerned with dowsing and when we both speculated on this - via the rods - we were given a resounding message "you are here to just be" - which, for the most part, is what we did]

When we had relaxed enough we started dowsing. I noticed the WSW-ENE 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 the chamber with the remaining sighting stone and vowed to check that once I got home. I found that if you follow that orientation across North Wales it runs through several significant places, not least of which is the intriguingly named Woodchurch on the Wirral Peninsular. I also picked up a seed whilst sat on my power centreA place where a person of a particular alignment (see ‘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 mound for no apparent reason. I pocketed it as a souvenir.

Baaad vibes

An hour later we stopped off for supplies in Penmaenmawr village. The journey up the hill was slow and dramatic with stunning views thanks to the clear and sunny weather. We tramped up the hill towards our next dowsing objective – a lone boulder in a field next to a line of tall fir trees and a house at the end of a track. As we slowly readied our dowsing rods and gingerly approached the stone, the sheep that were in the nearby fields looked up. Quickly, they began to assemble, from all directions. With every step we took three more sheep joined the gathering flock – and they were bleating like crazy at us! What an unusual welcome! I talked soothingly to them, but they were having none of it and warned us off in no uncertain terms.

Kal took the lead and dowsed towards the stone regardless. His rods crossed strongly and he backed away quickly. “Very strong bad energy.” he warned. We looked at each other and at the sheep. They had now blocked our path to the stone, and we were beginning to take the hint. As we packed our rods away the sheep fell silent, just watching us. We walked away further up the track a little and the sheep began to disperse.

[Kal ~ this has to be one of the strangest occurences that we have come across and deserves some more attention. When Gwas says the sheep gathered, this is an understatement - they came in from surrounding fields too, through gates and gaps. Talk about eerie! Before I even got to dowsing I got a buzzing in my head that felt like a headache coming on, which prompted me to dowse for -ve energies. Perhaps we should have a note to self - ensure protective shields are set up prior to wandering around ancient sites - as on this occasion we came up against a monster of a bad one and, as you will see further down this post, another -ve energy encounter. And here is another question that we will be investigating in a lot more detail in the future - Why didnt we do anything about the -ve energies around that stone?]

As if to break the uneasy silence Kal pointed to a fallen branch – “Didn’t you need a staff?” I preferred to have one, and had ‘forgotten’ my own in the morning rush to get ready, so I picked it up. It felt light but strong, and was a perfect height and weight to walk with. So be it. We would continue to the circles.

‘Decorative stones’

It’s always nice to meet people who take an interest in what we do. As we arrived at the Druid’s Circle we saw and heard two gentlemen who were discussing the origins, history and purpose of this site and others. After we did some preliminary dowsing during which Kal managed to find all the same paths and main energy points as I had found on my previous visits, even down to the order of strength of particular stones and power centres. That was very validating, and I was pleased that not one single thing was different. I vowed to show Kal my pattern sketches of the site and really freak him out!

We were soon joined by the two strangers who quizzed us about our dowsing activities. After they got more familiar they ventured their own theories about significant stones and suggestions that the ring of small stones that surrounded most of the major standing stones at the site were “decorative”. Kal eager to find out using only the rods. He asked – “Were they merely supportive ?”. No support from our rods. We asked: “Do they enhance the energetic field of the stone around which they are placed?“. Yes. The onlookers sensed a conspiracy and pulled their faces. We weren’t speculating, though. Just trying to ask good questions backed by practical experience.

We found the main power centre for the Druid’s Circle to be the patch of earth slightly off-centre to the circle. This has become a regular feature of some sites, but not all by any means. However, it didn’t surprise me because I had found this on my last visit too. Our friendly dowsing newbies were struggling trying to get the rods to do anything other than stay straight (if only you knew the irony of THAT statement!). They gave up trying to find any energy emerging from “The Hooded Man”, as one fo the stones is apparently known. I dowsed it and found a four feet wide band of neutral straight aligned energy that crossed through the Hooded Man and the tall stone opposite – the infamous “phallic emblem” of the tall rock and two small round rocks. Were ancient people trying to tell us that this circle was mainly MALE energies? Well, they are right.

The Bryn Celli Ddu to Childwall Ley

It’s not every day you make a new discovery. Or at least a discovery that’s new to you, if not to anyone else. Today was such a day, although it took several hours of plotting and lining up in Google Maps to reveal just how interesting the discovery was. When a line is drawn from Bryn Celli Ddu through the two circles at Penmaenmawr it traces a route through Old Colwyn, Mynydd Marian, Woodchurch on the Wirral, Croxteth Cemetry, Cbildwall Manor, Mcgoldrick Park, and probably beyond that in either direction too. The alignment is on a WSW-ENE path.

The only other notable finding at Druid’s Circle (the day was ebbing away) was the entrance to the circle. This was located in the gap between two flat stones at the southern end of the circle. One of the entrance stone (again, as we are now often finding) registered for strong female energies, and Kal proceeded to place some quartz crystals on the rock and put his bottle of water in the middle of the crystals. I dowsed a link from that stone to the other female recumbent stone on the western edge, where I had lain my staff to ‘rest’.

As the two now-disappointed gentlemen packed and left with hearty goodbyes, Kal and I decided to see what links there might be with other sites nearby. I dowsed a male line starting at the tal stone with the two ‘balls’, which seems to be the key stone, as it has all three energy forms in and around it. The line led in a slow sinewy path out of the circle and over the small hill to a formation of stones a few hundred yards away. I returned to the Druid’s Circle to determine the nature of the linkage. Was there any other form of link? Yes, a neutral ‘bridge’ between the two sites that went through the air, following the path of the alignment ley. Well, well. We’ve seen that before too!

Monument 280: The Healed Circle

“Monument 280″ is such an impersonal moniker for an ancient sacred site. the Megalithic Portal categorises this site as a ring cairn. Fair enough. It’s sort of rounded in shape, and the stones aren’t very large – not large enough to call it a stone circle.

This circle seemed different. The stones were smaller and far more rounded by weathering than the jagged male phallic symbols of the Druid’s Circle. We dowsed for its age – older than Druid’s. We asked if it had fallen into disuse – yes. Well, still unsure as to what that meant, but I didn’t want to take it further right then. However, there was still a link.

We were about to leave – fairly disinterested by this circle’s lack of drama when I turned to Kal: “Should we ask if this circle’s alright?” He knew what I meant. Could we, should we, re-energise it? I hesitated, then asked him to go ahead and dowse for the answer. Despite his disinterest he got a positive response! Oh no! Then we had work to do here, and couldn’t call it a day just yet. The sun was now beginning to drop along with the temperature, and the sun seemed permanently masked by a thick veil of cloud.

Before we did anything we decided to work out which stones had which qualities. We located the Key Stone (the most energetically important), and that had male, female and neutral energies. Most other stones were male. Two of the longer stones opposite each other (pictured) dowsed as female.

We found male and neutral energies were creating black streams affecting the energy balance of the stone circle. Kal dowsed for the source of the black streams. Hmmm..maybe we shouldn’t have asked. Peculiar goings-on at this site! Some dark energy workers had been utilising this site for their own ends, it seemed. We recoiled and chatted for a moment about what to do next.

The Straw Deer

We decided to protect ourselves and try to re-balance the energies (i.e. remove the black streams). Kal dowsed that this was work for me to do, with his help from outside the circle. He went off to put some protection around me, and I did the same. Later, when we compared notes the sensations and visual metaphors employed were identical in every way. I certainly felt well protected. I quietened my mind (with some difficulty) but soon felt as though I was able to let thoughts form from outside my rational consciousness. I suddenly knew what I had to do – I had to create the symbol of Venus that I had been shown earlier that week at the base of the stone that Kal had identified as the key stone for transmitting the new energy form we were about to create.

I got up from my meditation and scoured the area. I had to form the symbol out of something real, I felt. I found some dry grass stems and suddenly remembered the little seed that I had picked up for no reason at Bryn Celli Ddu – that would form the eye-shape I needed. I had to make sure that the symbol wouldn’t be blown away as soon as I laid it down, so I cut back a layer of turf and placed the symbol on the earth directly, at the place where Kal had identified as most suitable for energy work.

As I patted the grass back down the sun came out from behind the veil of mist and I gasped in amazement at the synchronicity. But then, we have come to see this happen so many times that I really shouldn’t be surprised any more. I smiled deeply. Confirmation that we were on the right track. Now we felt as though we needed to disconnect and cleanse ourselves.

We went back to the Druid’s Circle to drink the water that Kal had placed in his circle of five quartz crystals. It tasted great. Then we both stood with our backs to the flat main stone on the eastern edge. We faced the remains of the day’s sun and drank in the last rays. After a few minutes we felt the stone pulling energy out of us – cleansing us of the traces of the other circle’s energies. A few minutes later we both stepped away from the stone simultaneously without prompting. Time to go. A quick dowse : had we done any good? Yes. Was the other circle being balanced by our work? Yes. Would it have any adverse effects? No. We made a note to check it regularly.

We watched the sun set as we headed back down the hill to the old faithful little blue car.

Gwas

Following some newbies with copper sticks.