The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘sun’

This is a short and simple post explaining the sources of four of the types of 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. that can be dowsed.

1. Male Radiant - from the radiant energies of The Sun
2. Male Earth - from the action of primal underground water over rock
3. Female Radiant – from the reflection of the energy from The Sun on The Moon, the Planets, and from other Stars (in descending order of strength)
4. Female Earth - from living or dying organic material (animals and plants)

There is an additional energy, which we call “Neutral“, and we will spend more time this year uncovering the properties and qualities of this particular energy, because we feel we don’t yet know enough about it to write authoritatively or from deep experience. Stay tuned for that post coming later this year.

In subsequent posts I will also discuss the ways in which some of these energies can combine to produce subtle energies with different qualities.

Gwas.

Section 2. Dowsing and Earth Energies

A lot of work was done by Kal in particular this year relating to the modification of energy centres within houses. Some people call this “house dowsing” or “healing sick houses”. It relates to a concept called “geopathic stress”, but we have found that this “stress” has more causes than simply a water course running under the house. There was a fantastic checklist produced by a British Society of Dowsers member in the December issue of the group’s quarterly magazine ‘Dowsing Today’, which lists these causes, and I will post more on that soon, because I think the information bears repeating and distributing.

I was lucky enough to spend a day at Carnac in France this summer. It was a most glorious day and highly productive, but I absolutely must go back to spend longer there. I feel there is more to be learned still from this massive and impressive site. Other interesting sites this year include: Druid’s Circle above Penmaenmawr; also Nine Stones Close and Nine Ladies stone circles in Derbyshire. I will publish a full list of sites as one of the summary posts in this series.

Here are some of things we learned about dowsing and earth energies this year:-

2-1. House dowsing:

• We can dowse houses accurately, either locally or remotely
• We can either send and receive energy to specific points in the house, providing the house has not been “sealed off” and permission is given
• We can modify the energy formations on site
• Crystals can be used to repair this energetic state, and to change unhelpful or misaligned energies into helpful and aligned ones
• Plants can be asked to contribute to this
• The beneficial effects take some time – depending on how far the energy has to convert from harmful to beneficial, this can take from hours to weeks to achieve. Also dependent upon the amount of new positive input into the formation(s).
• The Moon or Sun can also contribute to the energetic change, acting as a catalyst for the change, and also providing either male or female energetic input.

2-2. Flat recumbent stones attract female energy (moon), whilst pointed stones attract male energy (sun). We don’t yet know which elements of a site attract star or planetary energies, but we know they are present at sites, especially stone circles.

2-3. Kal found that certain geologically faulted locations with water running through them can pin energy to a place.

2-4. Ironwork and iconography (in the case of stones in Brittany I found that it was Christian crosses) can restrain the energy of a standing stone, reducing its aura (field of effect).

2-5. Earth energy spirals are created from sacred geometrical principles and number. Even manifestations created by us have the same properties. Of particular significance has been the discovery that stone circles are based upon sacred geometry in their design. For exmaple, Moel-Ty-Uchaf stone circle in North Wales is based upon a pentacle,or five-sided shape. I have found that this is linked to specific “deities”, but more importantly, that these deities are actually one of the planets. The pentacle therefore is associated with Venus, which itself describes a five-sided geometrical figure around the earth in its annual travel.

2-6. Power centres are the central point of two cones of energy- one going up into the air, the other going down into the ground. Also confirmed by Viktor Schauberger’s research.

2-7. Avenues or rows of standing stones have male and female energies intertwining, and travelling the length of the line of a stone rows of standing stones.

2-8. Tumuli can provide a terminus pointfor energy to sink back into the earth. As an example, I found this double mound pictured below was a terminus point for the energy running through the Kermario avenues of standing stones at Carnac in France.

2-9. Cup-marked stones often provide a rising point, a focal point or source of earth energies entering into sacred sites. Some standing stones that are cup-marked are a map of the energy power centres nearby.

2-10. “Hand spread” patterns of energy fields can be dowsed on the side of circles where energy is being dispersed out of the area. They indicate areas of high fertility energy.

2-11. Many 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. leys travel the length and breadth of lands, and have accumulated sacred sites and churches along them. I suggest this is similar to the geometirc patterns that many dowsers and researchers have discovered overlaying the British Isles, and some say, the whole of Earth (cf. John Michell)

2-12. “Martin”, “Margaret” and “Anne” are other synonyms for the male and female energy lines surrounding national leylines, as well as the better-known “Michael” and “Mary” energies. This year I traced what I call The St.Martin Line running from South-West England through France and into Italy.

These findings should be viewed in the context of the complementary section coming soon on our findings at Ancient Sites. I hope next year to concentrate on water dowsing, or rather, dowsing the energetic properties of water, sap and blood. Next in the series – Part 3 – I will be summarising our findings relating to tree energies, elemental spirits and death energy.

Gwas.

The complexities of life often catch me by surprise. The mix is so varied, meaningful and relevant that it is difficult to describe where a particular chapter (of your life) begins. For me it seems quite common that the web of life interweaves multiple phenomena, experience and whatever was left over from last night’s cooking into the mix to create a new day that seems unique and individual and yet if one takes but a single thread and follows it (down the rabbit hole) it leads to truly unexpected and to what I original thought of as unrelated phenomena.

Humbling is a word that begs for deeper meaning when I traverse such tunnels of thought and speculation. I am not going to enter the debate of intelligent design, god, gods or indeed evolution. I am certain of one thing, if you think you know anything (and I mean anything) think again!

Today, being the third day in the trinity (for me) of Samhain, the festival of fire (see Gwas’s post here) traditionally marks the end of harvesting and the beginning of a period quietude and reflection. Alas, as is my wont I am going to have to differ somewhat with the traditional view of this dividing day. This leap of (semi) rationality can be forgiven I hope since we (most of us) do not reside in the world of harvesting (fantastic though it may have seemed a hundred years ago) technology has given us the ability to have any harvested product at any time of the year.

A new interpretation of Samhain may be that it is a period of flux (I love that word). A time that can be utilised by any who have the means, belief, understanding and (the essential ingredient) desire or intent.

For me (please note that ‘for me’ bit) Samhain festival was divided into three components. You may ask, why three? I can only answer that it was a mix of intuition and divine (by this I mean divination using the rods) answers. So it was an event(s) that encompassed three days Saturday 31st, Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd. Furthermore – an indication of each days activities was that it would follow the pattern of:

1. Preparation
2. Transformation
3. Confirmation

The promise (or result) was that should I not mess it up (the divine indication was that it was highly likely that I would – cheers!) Anyway the promise was of invisible blocks to be released and pathways cleared of obstructions.

A strange promise to honest, because at this present time in my life I am feeling that anything and everything is possible. Indeed and therein lies (or rather lay) the rub!

Spirit

Gwas and I had planned to be out together on Sunday and so I was left in the preparation phase to my own devices. Now, very recently my dear mum passed away, and whether it is real or a method of comforting myself (what does it matter which?) I have been in commune with her of and on as the days have waned into weeks and months. Strange it seems to me that such energetic commune seems more effective and solid(?) when at her graveside.

As an aside, you must realise that my belief in life after death wanders from believing to not believing constantly – this paradox doesn’t really bother me – in fact it’s refreshing.

Prior to my visiting my mum’s graveside I had no notions of the above trinity or anything else on the matter of Samhain.  However whilst in meditation at the graveside (I’m not really a prayer-for-the-dead kind of person, and frankly on the days that I believe in life-after-death I don’t really think the departed need it). I digress. So there I was meditating with some incense burning away. When I got the message that the following two days could be utilised to great effect should I not dawdle and make a mess of it.

Okay, you may be asking where this message came from – I will be honest, it was my mum. Now, you may think it was just my imagination – and if it helps you any, I will think that too. Again, who cares what and where it came from? Surely its reality is only defined by whether you do anything about it? And since I did, the message was real, even if the originator is unknown or suspect.

The day this occurred was Saturday, A nice, warm and pleasant early afternoon. After receiving it I consulted the oracle of the divine i.e. the rods for further information and was given to understand that a visit to the sea would be of great advantage as the Preparation phase of the Trinity.

Water and Wind

A random point along the coast of Wales had me sat in between some boulders watching and listening to the music of the waves rolling in. A few months ago I had an very humbling experience with, what I am going to call Poseidon, but you may as well call it the sea, ocean or water, I guess.

Poseidon conjures up a nice vision for me and perhaps we create our reality based on our beliefs and thus my containing whatever I was connected with into that image, that is what it became.

On this particular occasion I was very humbled by Poseidon, it is something that is not to be messed with – I guess one might say the traditional view of the sea as being a tempestuous spirit was coming to truth for me. Or…tempestuous is wrong, it was…”beyond approachable”. My attempts at being recognised where in vain.

After a while, the wind slowly rose and I pondered whether there was any significance to the winds change?

How does intuitive knowledge come to you? One particular means for me is just a gentle pondering, answers come when beckoned. To trust or act on these answers is the prerogative of the listener I fancy.

My answer was that it was the element of Air combining with that of Water. I sent out a thought to the Sea “Will you come with me tomorrow and help?” I got back an echo of the question. I had to laugh – I was so far down the scale of things that I wasn’t even something that would (or indeed could) be acknowledged. Still I felt from the combined wind/water a sense of…yes.

Divine (this word is going to get popular) knowledge said that preparations were complete for part one of Trinity. It also added an addendum – that my Solar plexus and Crown chakra energies would be worked on in the coming day.

Wind and Water Companions

Sundays arrival was marked with rain and wind. As I went for milk in the morning I remarked to myself that a sliver of Poseidon was in that air. I arrived at Gwas’s in the early afternoon with a gentle breeze and a few raindrops in tow.

A long drive filled with discussions about Gwas’s adventures in gathering spirit forms had us arrive at Nine Stones Close. As we walked through the fields Gwas’s intuition decided on a different path than normal and we found ourselves climbing up a rocky hill. As id often the case we split up and followed our own energetic paths through this new territory.

I am often surprised at our ability to go-off and do different activities at these sites and then return with individua tales to tell.

My path led to a place where the boulders had fallen in such a way as to create a cave like structure. I sat in it for a while feeling its shape before pointing it out to Gwas. Once we moved away from the cave we walked further around the hill only to have to come back on ourselves a little so as to find a path to the Stone circle.

Often we have foundthat recapitulating upon experiences results in little connections that were at the time missed. For example – upon reflection – it seems to me that the deviation in our path was to find that cave and for me to sit in it, Gwas didn’t. Which becomes meaningful in a moment.

As we approached Nine Stones Close the wind was a surprising gust and my spirits rose. I am really connected to that site because of a beautiful Oak tree that is there. Fortune had a particular smile for us today as the neighbouring field was devoid of its usual cows. Cows are the bane of dowsers! This absence allowed me to climb into the next field and become more acquainted with the Oak tree.

Divine knowledge guided me to the best place to stand and I stood with my back to the tree, my hands were positioned with palms facing the tree and behind me. As I stood there for many moments the wind whipped up into a strong breeze continually changing direction. Even though it was quite cold, I found my hands warming up behind me. It was as if the tree was warm.

Fire

After a while I felt myself filling up with warmth from the tree. But it was more than just inside of me, it seemed that it was my aura filling with orange flame. CommuningAn interaction with an invisible and natural sentient force that is independently identifiable, even if it cannot be named or classified. The interaction takes place at the level of a subtle amalgamation of the mind of the perceiver such that a dialogue or transference of feelings may occur between the two sentient parties. The interaction that is ‘communing’ is purposefully initiated by the perceiver for the express purpose of learning or simply to transfer feelings in a sympathetic manner. with the tree gave me to understand that the winds frenzy was necessary to ensure that my aura would contain the flame otherwise it would be released. It was also at this time that two other realisations dawned on me.

First, was that the Solar plexus chakra is associated with Fire and second, that my understanding of the use of cave structures is to shape the aura. Thus only a few minutes ago I was shaping my aura and now it was being filled with flame. Of course these are all coincidences right?

Upon completion of this filling, I was given a small seedling from the tree, which I transferred to my pocket and minutes later we were done and moving off upon our normal path back to the car (completing ‘the’ circle). Upon the return walk to the car I found a white feather which I also pocketed. White feathers are rare – I’m usually a Crow feather man.

Addition: Just to note that Gwas’s and I checked the trees aura and found it to be a healthy size. And again – why do I do this? I decided to follow the shape of the aura around the tree and found that it had some strange shape and twist to it. Further divination revealed that several head sized rocks had fallen of the wall and were interfering with the aura of the tree. Gwas and I quickly divined that this was not a good state for the tree and returned the rocks to the wall.

A ten minute drive later we arrived at the Nine Ladies circle just as dusk was approaching. Clouds were ominously covering the full moon. Again as we approached the circle we divided off into our own little projects. I went and greeted the Oak whilst Gwas meditated on the circle.

With the wind howling away and Gwas’s news that he had to wait until complete darkness before his work could begin. We spent a leisurely hour or so watching the moon rise.

Earth

When the time came Gwas and I entered the circle and began to do our individual work. I was only moments in when it became clear that the power-center in the circle was Gwas’s area. I was told to embrace the wind. Who am I to argue? So I was up and off, following the wind to its source. I was led to the King-stone and sat down upon it. I’ve never actually sat on it before and found that it has a comfortable little niche in it.

A few minutes of quite reflection and the wind quieted down followed a few seconds later by the clouds clearing and the full-moon’s spotlight felt like it was falling directly on me and the King-stone. As I sat there wondering what would happen next I felt the Orange flame seep out of me into the King-stone and follow the energy tracks down to the stone circle, flow around it once and dissipate into the ground. I felt deflated and was wondering whether the activities of the night were completed when I felt that a blue flame was filling me up, but not from the ground up at before but from the top down. It was coming from the Moon! Blue moon energy?

The blue flame filled me up and again it filled my aura to the brim (my aura was about 2 feet outside of the physical me – or so it seemed).

The right way

I knew then that it was complete and stood up from the stone. As I looked down to the circle I knew I had to come down and walk once around the circle (widdershins as Gwas had divined earlier). So I walked back to the circle and completely forgot to walk around it!! Instead I headed for the Oak tree and a second later – Wham! a branch had hit me straight in the right eye!

Funny isn’t it, as Gwas noted later “I didn’t hear you cry out” – it’s because I didn’t. As soon as my senses returned I stepped back andheaded around the circle! Point – literally taken! The funny thing is that I didn’t have the usual “kicking the tree” reaction that one might expect – instead I thought “Hey how lucky is that – I could have had my eye out!”

Thanking 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 we both felt that the nights adventures were complete and I wondered whether Monday’s divination would reveal success/failure.

Sunny kinda guy!

It is unquestionable that I am a “sun” aligned guy! Although I love the moon and its creative juices. I just love the sun energies. Which I have to say doesn’t have anything to do with lying on a beach any place – definitely not!

As an aside I have to say that I am a star person too – which kind-of makes sense to me because they after all are suns too!

Upon returning home on Sunday night I was shattered! I came in and went straight to sleep, which is definitely unlike me, I am a midnight at least person.

Monday, I awoke and wow! The sun was shining and the sky was blue and the wind was gone. There was only one element around this day. Sun.

I got up and changed and hit the outside – I just walked and walked taking in all that sun energy. I sat in my garden in the lunch time sun meditating upon the Trinity. What puzzled me was why I was filled with Blue – the colour for the Crown which is what I would have expected – if I had expected anything is Violet.

But divination revealed that I had it right. I was filled with blue flame. Now my intuition took me in this direction:

• Blue -> Throat Chakra -> Understanding and Communication

Then in my meditation I got the urge to go and write something on my computer and before I knew it the words were flowing like – well – like they used to before I lost my muse when my mum passed away. I wondered…was that the block that had been removed? The divine answer…one of the smaller ones. Just wait til you re-alise (re-align) one of the bigger ones that is gone! I’m still figuring out what that one is!

And so it is that that the following was also released into the world today!

Kal

One of the methods I proposed in the Theories & Thoughts section concerning the path to learning how to progress with Druidry was to notice coincidence. Now, unlike films like “The Number 23” it is not then inevitable that one becomes obsessed with this coincidence. Indeed the moral of the film is that such an obsession can destroy the fabric of your life, or at least take it on a wildly varying tangential path, often with disastrous consequences! Yet, it is helpful to be mindful of coincidences, and it strengthens one’s sense of justification for choosing a spiritual path when they occur. It’s like being a child and turning to your father after you’ve demonstrated a new skill that you’ve just learned, and he smiles at you in encouragement. That feeling is priceless. The positive feedback spurs you on to greater achievements.

Positive feedback is very welcome on the often lonely path of the Hedge Druid, but where is one to look for such encouragement? There is no-one around, surely? Oh yes there is. Nature herself rewards you with each step you make, each risk you take, and each time you sound like a lyric from a song by The Police. For myself and Kal, when we have visited sacred sites we set out to notice as much as possible about the experience – in other words we open ourselves up to a wide range of sensory input:

• what’s the weather like,
• how is it changing,
• which smells are around,
• are birds singing or flying,
• how is the wind playing with the trees,
• who’s around too,
• can we feel anything unusual about the atmosphere, etc, etc?

The behaviour of animals at sacred sites is very interesting and has thrown up a number of questions, but I will deal with these in other posts when I have accumulated more information. This post deals with one particular aspect of coincidence: the appearance of the sun at specific moments.

Now, the sun coming out might not seem to be a particularly unique thing to notice, were it not for the particular circumstances under which it makes its appearance. You have to also remember a number of factors that would inhibit its appearance. Firstly, almost all of the experiences I am discussing take place in the British Isles. If you are unfamiliar with the climate of Britain then let me briefly summarise it: predominantly dull, grey and cloudy for most of the time. That’s all year round, all through the day, and particularly at night. We’re not a good place to observer the stars from, let’s say. This aspect of our climate is thrown into stark contract if one goes away to Europe or the U.S. on holiday, for instance. Suddenly it becomes apparent just HOW dull this country is, and how much cloud cover we have across our skies. Other countries seem so bright, their skies so unrelentingly clear!

So, you can see, we’re already at a significant disadvantage in terms of getting to see the sun. What Kal and I have noticed, though, is that the sun does make an appearance when we visit sacred sites, and it does so in response to quite specific combinations of variables. The variables we have recorded are:-

• the sun is not already visible behind the cloud cover
• we are within the energetic aura field (the nemeton) of an ancient sacred site such as a stone circle or long barrow
• we have performed some ritual to interface with the energies of the site, which could be as simple as relaxing and not thinking about anything
• we are positioned on top of a power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘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. or stone (see recent post for definition of a power centre) that is aligned to our particular energies
• we have usually finished the ritual, the connection, or the discovery of some new information

Once we have these elements in place then the sun will usually appear, as though in a confirmatory response to our progress.  I can hear what you are saying, “Nonsense, coincidence, you’re just noticing something that would happen anyway.…” and so on and so forth. I understand those remarks, really I do. When it happens a few times you notice it, but don’t consider it further. When it happens regularly, you begin to take notice of the circumstances under which it is happening and you begin to wonder – is there a pattern here? When you notice it almost every single time you visit a site no matter what the time of day, or season, then you begin to wonder if something is happening that is beyond your normal understanding. It is now noteworthy if it DOESN’T happen when we go to a site!

I have recently begun to collect photographic evidence of this phenomenon, but the pictures do not in any way constitute a form of evidence, really, and they certainly do not capture the pure magical feeling when the event occurs. It can be likened to the feeling that the ancient cultures programmed into their long barrows such as Newgrange, where the sun would strike a specific point in the inner chamber at specific times of the year, thus capturing and assuring the self-same experience as I am trying to describe here.

So, when doesn’t it happen? Well, there are quite specific circumstances in operation when that occurs too. Here are some of the factors that govern the sun not making an appearance:-

• we are outside of the nemeton field of the site
• we have not attuned to the site, or cannot attune to the site – the site may no longer be energetically functioning
• we are making a fleeting visit for information purposes only, e.g. to dowse for energy paths only
• we are both energetically at a low ebb from too much dowsing

A Note about Attention

 Obviously, we are noticing the sun’s appearance. In return you could say that the sun has drawn our attention to its appearance through a remarkable timing. The sun has not, of course, appeared “just for us”. That’s crazy talk! It has appeared, drawn our attention through the timing of that appearance, and then we have payed particular attention to that coincidence of appearance and timing. Neither has the sun made an appearance at our behest. We have not intentioned anything in relation to this phenomenon, we have simply remarked upon it, and it of course has happened for everyone in the area, not just us. However, it should be noted that on most occasions we have noticed that the sun has made an appearance through a small aperture and the spread of the light has been quite distinctly local to the area in which were were located.

The philosophical question thus becomes: did the sun appear for us? The only answer we can give is that it appeared, its effects were localised, and we noticed it. To us, that is really all this phenomenon is about. All other interpretations are meaningless – only these specific circumstances have meaning to us due to their locality, timing and more importantly the symbolism.

The Symbolism of The Sun

This is way too big a topic for me to go into too much detail, but specifically in relation to this phenomenon I can think of some correspondences and meanings within phrases involving the sun and its light that seem appropriate:-

1. “The Way Is The Light” – appropriated by Christian and Masonic cultures, but originally very much from sun-worshipping cultures. The meaning of this phrase is that if you follow The Path (i.e. your Way in life) then you should be orienting yourself in the direction of illumination.
2. “The Light at the End of The Tunnel” – again, the symbolism refers to making your way towards a source of illumination, yet with a sense of hope, and a hint of finding a source of truth and stability within a realm of darkness and chaos.
3. “Being in the spotlight” – to highlight that something is worthy of attention, and particularly being praiseworthy.

For myself, I am particularly struck when the sun breaks through thick dark cloud and shines a spotlight onto the site where I am stood. The drama involved in the scene is almost enough to make you weep with emotion, and it is difficult not to get overawed by the spectacle. A sense of awe and astonishment do much to keep you motivated to remember humility and yet the specificity of the message, that it is directed at you as a consequence fo your actions, is something divine to experience.

I hope you will experience it too.

Gwas.

Standing in the spotlight of the sun.

Many moons ago (pardon the pun) I was posed a riddle by an oak tree. Sounds barmy, but it was in this tree’s presence that I received a vocalisation of a thought-form, and I realised that it was my long-term task to solve this riddle. As time does, it flowed along its course and I made several attempts to find an answer within my existing knowledge. I soon realised that I didn’t have the experience or learning to make this answer known to me.

Tonight I re-visited the riddle almost a year on. The answer was immediately clear. You can find my new interpretation on the Theories and Thoughts page.

I need to preface this post a little. Up until last year I didn’t believe in the whole invisible landscape of energies, ghosts, spirits, thought-forms, visualisation, magick, and especially astrology. I had no interest in physics, mathematics, history, astrology, any of the sciences really. Since I started on this journey through dowsing I have had to reluctantly grapple with almost all of these subjects in some depth since then, even though it has been a monumental struggle, and only rarely pleasurable. Nevertheless, an understanding of the nature of the energies at sacred sites, I felt, warranted a bit of effort on my part, so I have learned what I needed to, and been carried where my dowsing and questioning has taken me.

Someone who is very energetic told me recently that they had seen a presence, a white light, glinting near me. This was not the first time it had been seen (several times in late February 2009), but after having witnessed it several times they decided to mention it to me. It was at what can only be described as one of the most incongruous moments that everything stopped, the light was pointed out, and I was left to think about what had just been said in a somewhat bemused state!

“I have a white light that appears behind me?” I queried. “Where behind me?” I was shown a spot about six feet behind my left shoulder and a few feet out – in my blind spot that occurs just beyond my peripheral vision. It was the kind of place that you see shadows from when you’re out at night, so I am familiar with that position (and you can read about that in my post called ‘Alone in the Dark – Part 2‘). I remarked that the distance at which this light was supposed to appear was about the extent of my nemeton field. I made very few further enquiries, vowing to pursue it further once I got home.

At home I dowsed it to find out what was going on. Here are the results of my first round of questioning:-

1. Was this person right about there being a presence behind me? – YES
2. Is this presence attached to me? – YES
3. Is this presence benificent? – YES
4. Is the presence a living entity? – YES. Not sure if that nailed down whether it was a dead spirit, so…
5. Was it once a living human? – NO
6. Has it always been with me throughout my life? – NO
7. Is it with me now? – YES
8. Can I learn to communicate with it? – YES
9. Would communicating together benefit us both? – YES

Now I was curious. The line of questioning was beginning to go beyond its existence, or its presence, and to move towards finding out how I get in touch with it. I wanted to know a little more before I started anything off.

1. Has this presence manifested as part of the work I am doing? – YES
2. Is it here to help me with my work? – YES
3. Is it a spirit similar to that described by many authors as a spirit guide? – NO
4. Does it have a name? – Maybe (the rods slowly twitched together without much force, indicating a so-so answer, or an ambiguous question that could have many answers).
5. Do I need to know this presence by name in order to work with it? – NO
6. Is it ready to communicate with me? – YES

Right then. I was ready to speak to it too. I decided to write this up while I remembered the answers, and then began my meditation….but I fell asleep every time I tried to connect to it! It seemed to want to communicate tio me in a sleep state, but I had too many questions that needed answering first! Energy levels too low to connect any other way, I reverted to dowsing.

So, Round 3.  Another twenty questions:

1. Is this presence still around me? – YES
2. Is it in the same position on my nemeton? – NO, now due West of me, on left hand side.
3. Is its placement relevant to communicating with it? – YES, now more difficult to do in its current position.
4. Is the source of this white light from a specific celestial body? – YES
5. Is it a planet – a star – a sun – a moon? – PLANET, and STAR. More recognised as a planet. Aha!
6. Is it from a star that is only visible for me at particular times of the year? – YES
7. Is the star Venus? – YES
8. Is the purpose of it being around me so I can learn? love? live? – LOVE and LIVE
9. Is there a sacred site in the UK that is dedicated to the form of this energy? – YES, lots of them. All of them? NO.
10. Can it assist me in removing geopathic stresses? – NO
11. Do I need to do something specific to invoke its powers? – YES
12. Can I command this presence by voicing an intention? – NO
13. Can I call upon this presence to help me? – NO
14. Is this presence commanded using crystals/thoughts alone/intention/will power/harmony/co-operation/questioning/reasoning/pleading/prayer? – CRYSTALS, INTENTION, QUESTIONING, PRAYER
15. Is it empowered by particular times of the year/month/day? – YES to all three. 8th-9th March 2009 is strongest, also between MIDNIGHT-SUNRISE, and influence is from FEBRUARY-APRIL.
16. Is this presence protective / healing / empowering / informative / other? -  HEALING, EMPOWERING, INFORMATIVE.
17. Does this presence have a human form? Can it take one? – NO, and NO.
18. Can the presence be connected to by my manifestations, or by a natural source? – BOTH
19. Is this presence linked to anyone I know who works with energy? – NO
20. Is the position of the presence related to Venus’s position in the sky? – YES

You may notice that I quickly formulated questions relating to celestial bodies, and included stars and planets? For the last month I have been driving home from work in the early evening, looking at the shapes of the trees as they silhouetted against the deep blue evening sky. It’s only the last few weeks that I’ve noticed that all the way home, right in front of me in the sky, repeatedly drawing my attention, has been a bright star. I wonder which one that is?

Off I go to the internet to find out about Venus – who she is, where she is, when she’s in conjunction, or at her zenith….

MARCH 8th 2009: VENUS goes retrograde

From the pompously titled but nevertheless informative “The Psychic One” web site:

“The Venus Retrograde (March 6, 2009-April 16, 2009)

This retrograde deserves a page on it’s own because of the powerful effects this one planet can create. I know one of your main concerns when calling me is about love, romance, friendships, and money. Well this planet effects all these subjects. When we think of a Mercury retrograde we think , schedules, transportation, computers and how we think. When Venus retrogrades it can stir up more drama then what Mercury and all the other planets combined when they go retrograde.”

Question 21. Is this presence’s power at its peak when Venus goes retrograde in motion? – YES.

Venus as seen from Berlin Feb – Mar 09

MARCH 8th 2009:  SATURN is in opposition (opposite side of Sun)

From NASA JPL site:

“March 2009:
Saturn is at opposition on March 8th. It rises at sunset, transits at midnight (at its highest elevation, best time for telescopic views) and sets at sunrise. Saturn’s ring tilt opens to 2.3 degrees this month, and the planet is closest to Earth and therefore brighter.”

If there’s two things I hate it’s beetroot, coleslaw and astrology. OK, that’s three, but if you only count foodstuffs as one category I can get away with it. Seriously, I don’t do astrology, or even astronomy at that. I have one book about constellations, and it’s a small reference book for idiots like me who don’t understand these things, or refuse to look into them deeply enough. So – Venus goes retrograde on March 8th, and Saturn is in opposition. ??? Apparently, it’s a time for relationship strife, for not buying a new wardrobe or house, and Saturn is swinging by for a closer look at us. ???

Here’s another prediction from Alan Oken (cheque book open):

“March 8: Mars conjunct Neptune at 24.50 Aquarius.
This is not one of my favorite aspects as it brings out the influence of the Sixth Ray very strongly. This augments astral currents and is very much an influence of the urge to martyrdom, i.e. suicide bombings and other acts of violence in the name of religion and devotion to idealistic doctrines. If this aspect is in close contact with your natal chart, take care that you do not give up your sense of personal power for the sake of yielding to someone else’s needs or demands. Addictions flourish under this contact.

March 8: Mercury also enters Pisces on this day, further diminishing rational communications. In addition, the Sun opposes Saturn at 18.23 Virgo/Pisces, an aspect that opposes authority and challenges social order.”

Believe me when I say I’m not about to get sucked into this particular black hole that is astrology/astronomy. Yes, it would appear there is some celestial significance to sacred sites, and to times of particular energy fluctuations brought about directly by the conjunctions of astral bodies. However, it’s a long and winding path to understand the heavens, and I’m not sure I need to just yet. I’m going to sit back and watch what happens around those dates, maybe dowse a bit, and report back. It seems as though there’s something specific I need to be doing. Now I need to find out what that is before March 8th.

Gwas.

Following the Evening Star

IMBOLC

This year I have decided to see what impact each of the pagan festival dates – the eight points in the solar year – have upon the earth energies we have been investigating. My aim is to try to coincide with the times when the earth energies are at the peak of their powers, when the sun and moon are at their strongest. My aim is to see what difference that makes to the strength of the dowsing and druidry experience at some specific sacred sites whose qualities match those of the festival that marks them. I will attempt to repeat experiments at later (not astrologically significant) dates to obtain a comparison (although there are many factors involved). Just what can I expect to happen if I’m paying the right kind of attention at the right time? I aim to find out!

I’m not going to pretend I know what the old Celtic festivals were all about. I have been reading Paul Broadhurst’s “The Green Man and The DragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t.“ book, so I have a good background on the myths of some of those dates, and the ways that they have been celebrated and venerated going back to the start of recorded history and beyond. However, our aim is to discover for ourselves whether the festivals have these mythical qualities for a reason, and specifically by reason of the qualities of the earth and celestial energies at those particular points in the cycle of sun and moon over the year.

So, here are some quotes from other people concerning the background to the Imbolc Festival.

Wikipedia:

“Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 2, since this is the cross-quarter day on the solar calendar, halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. Originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid’s Day. In Scotland the festival is also known as Là Fhèill Brìghde, in Ireland as Lá Fhéile Bríde, and in Wales as Gwyl Ffraed.”

From Sig Lonegren’s Mid-Atlantic Geomancy site:

If the Quarter Days start a season on the cycle (Winter Solstice starts winter, Spring Equinox starts spring, etc.), the Cross Quarter Days mark the high point of each season. For example, here in Vermont, the old-timers say that you should have half your hay and half your wood by Candlemas (Imbolc). We also have our coldest nights (40 to 45 degrees below zero) just before the first of February. High Winter.

Imbolc – This day is sacred to the Celtic fire-Goddess Brighde, “the Bright One” also known as Bridget, Brigid, and Bride. Other cognates are Brigantia and Britain. Bride was a Sun Goddess who presides over the hearth and smithy, over the inspiration and skill of sacred art and craft, and over the world of crops, livestock, and nature. In particular she is important to sheep who (on the British Isles) begin to lamb at this time of year. The starting of their lactation is a sign that Imbolc is near. Milk has always been important to Bridget. You can see her above the south western door of the tower on Glastonbury Tor. She is milking a cow.

Another “holiday” around the time of Imbolc is Groundhog’s Day. While perhaps it might not seem that way on the surface, there’s something very ancient about this one – especially because it has to do with the Sun and whether it shines or not, and whether the groundhog sees its shadow. In the context of sacred space, this is very interesting. There are shadow paths that have been found in Britain where, due to the gently downward curvature of the land, a single standing stone casts a shadow that is half a mine long! Shadows and light play an important role in any sacred space, and the lowly American groundhog has become the recipient of a much older, I suspect European, tradition. Another connection between Groundhog Day and Imbolc has to do with weather prediction aspect of this day in early February. The major role this simple herbivore plays is to give us the answer to a most important question in northern climes: “Will winter end soon or will it drag on?”

Properties associated with Imbolc

Wikipedia:

“Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to the North American Groundhog Day. A Scottish Gaelic proverb about the day is:

‘Thig an nathair as an toll
La donn Bride,
Ged robh tri traighean dh’ an t-sneachd
Air leachd an lair.’

‘The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.’

Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) is the goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.”

There are several factors that I am considering may affect the timing of these visits:-

1. The 11 days difference between the original calendar and that imposed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
2. The nearest appearance of the full moon to these festival dates
3. Whether there is a coincidence of a full moon already on any of the festival days as it falls in 2009.
4. The site must be conducive to, and relate to, the traditions and supposed qualities of the time in question – e.g. a male deity worshipped at a site that is aligned with the sun will be best suited for solstice days.

My working theory is that because the energies of the earth respond to celestial proximity and strength that this will determine the best times to visit the sites. Here are the dates for 2009:-

(from Pagan Calendar site)

As the current Gregorian calendar is most closely aligned with the movements of the sun I will have to work to those, however if the nearest full moon is taken into account then the dates shift to a lunar 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. like this:-

So, which dates are correct? The first set, the second set, or mixtures of both? I honestly don’t know. We’re going to have to dowse on those days as we go through the year and see what happens. When does it feel right, and when are the energies particularly active?

How many times do the sun and moon align this year? First Quarter moon on 1st May 2009. Balance at the Beltane festival. No moon showing for Summer Solstice. New moon next day.  Moon perigee and new moon day after 21st July (Lammas -11 days). 2nd November (the day after Samhain) is a full moon. It seems the modern calendrical dates for the cross-quarter days of Beltane and Samhain will have strong moon influences this year (balanced, then full).

Imbolc goddess

I would hope that the male energies would be more active on the days of solar worship such as Summer Solstice, or the Equinoxes. If we get sun in Britain on those dates then we have a chance to test this theory out by visiting some of the sites we went to over this Winter period, when the energies seemed distinctly quiet and weak, with no evidence of male energy activity at all. On active solar days we would expect to find the qualities associated with maleness – protection, transformation through initiation, and the manipulation of energy.

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

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

It’s perhaps a foolhardy quest to try to answer this in one year of dowsing and druidry work. Nevertheless, we like challenges, so we will report back soon after Imbolc with a report of where we went and what we found there. Is the forecast for snow? Ha!

Gwas Myrddyn

Following the sun and moon.