The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘transformer’

On a recent holiday to Brittany I was able to visit some new amazingly tall menhirs, standing stones, and some ones that I had visited before. As ever I was impressed by their sheer size, and I briefly had the chance to try to extract some more information about the stones and their properties. In this post I will discuss some of those properties, and how I think they may be generally applicable to standing stones.

Before I go on to my theories, however, I want to hark back to one of the pioneering ideas concerning standing stones. As you may know, we at the Hedge Druid Blog do not stand on ceremony and are more than willing to fly in the face of any established theory providing we have our own evidence to back such statements up. Just preparing the ground a little, you might say. Now, Mr Tom Graves is the exprt on the matter of standing stones, and his theories are expressed in his book “Needles of Stone” (download the book in HTML format here).

“Return to that stone circle that we saw before, glowing and pulsing with points and lines and zones of coloured light. As you watch, the battered and timeworn stones seem to dislimn, becoming smoother, finer, sharper: needles of stone set in the body of the earth, to match the needles of bone the ancient Chinese set in the body of man. Stone or bone, the needles controlled, and still control, the flow of energy through each body.

But stand back – you stand too close to see. Rise up into the air, higher, higher, like a hawk: the stone circle recedes to a glowing dot in a landscape that rolls away into the distance below you, a patchwork quilt of light. Around the circle the glowing lines spread out to connect every cell of that body: you see a fine filigree of threads just below the surface, weaving their way outward from the centre that glows; you see harsh beams of light connecting centre to centre across the country in straight lines. These centres are dotted along every line, but here and there you can see major intersections of the straight lines and the filigree, like focal points in a vast multi-layered cobweb. In some ways the whole scene is reminiscent of a micrograph of nerve cells and their ganglia, but on a much larger and brightly-coloured scale: in a sense, that is what the centres are, for in a sense what we see here is the circulation and nervous system of the body of the earth.

The focal points, the node-points in this matrix of energies, are the equivalent of acupuncture-points on a landscape scale. And set into these points are ‘needles’ not just of stone, but of all the five elements: a lone Scots Pine on a One-Tree Hill for wood, a sacred well for water, a barrow-mound for earth, and an ancient beacon for fire. For metal, a modern steel microwave mast, or the postbox that replaced the mark-stone on a lonely crossroad. The pattern of the past repeats itself in the present.” (Ch.5 ‘Needles of Stone’ -  Tom Graves)

“Dislimn” – that’s a great word, isn’t it? The WordPress spell-checker threw a wobbly at that one! It means to efface, or to cause to become indistinct. Such a poetic and infrequently used word, but so gorgeously succinct. You’ve got to hand it to the man – he can write beautiful phrases, and he sweeps you away with his ideas.

So, the idea he is expressing is that standing stones are just one aspect of the many megalithic or natural features that form the energetic body of the land. He is stating that they serve a purpose in pinning, locating, diverting or alleviating the subtle energetic forces within the landscape just as a practitioner of Chinese systems of medicine would do with their methods.

Next I will discuss my own theories on the way in which these tall stones work.

Read the rest of this entry »

Section 5. Ancient Sites

From the beginning of my journey with the tools of dowsing I have sought to understand the way in which ancient sites may have been used, and how the energies of those places were shaped by the formation of the ancient monuments. During the year this directive has had to sit alongside the fascinating development of my work with Nature itself, however, some very interesting developments have occurred not in spite of that growth of spiritual practise, but because of it. Here are some of the main points that have been gleaned from dowsing and druidry this year concerning the nature and function of sacred sites.

This year has seen us visit some of the most awe-inspiring ancient sites from the stunning background scenery of the Cumbrian circle, to the fields of stone rows at Carnac, the giant megaliths of Brittany, and the quaint but powerful sites along the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Not forgetting, of course, all our favourite sites in North Wales, Shropshire and Derbyshire, with which we are becoming quite familiar.

5-1. Recurring features of stone circles: We have found some identifiable and consistent component parts of a stone circle’s layout:-

• a King Stone – sometimes called a ‘Heel’ stone as well. This is a standing stone of a height similar to the stones within the circle, but outlying the circle. The distance from the circle itself can be quite variable, from a few feet (Druid’s Circle) to a hundred yards (Mitchell’s Fold). We term the stone ‘King’ stone because tends to dowse as being ‘male’, and usually has a source of male energy. This male energy is obtained from two sources: The Sun’s radiant energy, and the placement of the stone upon underground flowing water at a geological fault.
• a Transformer Stone. I also call this a ‘Queen Stone’ because it draws down the radiant energies from The Moon and transforms them into female earth energies to add to the stone circle’s energy flows. The other source of female energy is energy from structure of the rock – either from the stone itself or the geology beneath the stone.
• a Grounding Stone. So-called because its function is to draw down energy from anything that interacts with it. If a person sits on such a stone they may begin to feel drained or tired. People sensitive to subtle energies can feel the energy being drawn into the stone and surrounding earth. It seems to have a cleansing effect leaving a person’s energy aura “cleaner” – i.e. free of the detritus of modern life, such as electro-magnetic radiation (this is just a working assumption at the moment – an intuition). When considering the concept of ‘cleansing’ before any ritual or energy work, we now consider this stone to be part of the preparation for that work.
• Male and female energies. We have spoken many times on the fact that male and female energies are present at sites, and on their relative strengths and qualities, even on their possible sources. What we discovered this year was their interaction with each other. The male and female energies, like the double-helix of a DNA molecule, interact by alternately attracting and repulsing each other, and this dynamism creates the ‘vibrancy’ of the energy at a site.
• Neutral energy flows in straight lines across a site, travelling through it, and providing a course for the helix of male and female energies to latch onto. 
• Celestial bodiesaffect the flow of energies within a site. We are not yet sure whether the design of the site determines which planet’s radiant energy is able to be captured, or whether the planet’s energy has determined which type of structure would be built.
• A double helix of male and female intertwined energies, usually flowing to and from the outliers (e.g. King Stone or Grounding Stone).

5-2. Home-grown circles: We could build our own stone circle this year at Castell Dyserth by placing rocks. This was re-inforced for us when we repaired an existing circle’s flows by adding in these extra home-made circles.

A home-made stone circle

5-3. The geology of sites: seems to affect the purpose, but not type, of the energy present at the site. For example, limestone sites are useful for healing and purification, whereas granite sites are useful for transformation, and for fixing information in place which may be recalled later. It is particularly female earth energy whose character and purpose seems to be determined by the geological properties of the area.

5-4. A site with a strong nemeton attracts visitors, or, a well-visited site reflects the energy of its visitors in a stronger dowsing signal.

Le Champ Dolent - a well-visited megalith

5-5. Some standing stones and their notches serve the purpose of showing astrological alignments of sun, moon, planets and stars. The notches have been made by human hands specifically to record such alignments, presumably to inform people of the time of the greatest energy flows when planets are at their zenith or in conjunction, or when the moon or sun are at a specific phase.

5-6. Aligned entrances: Sacred sites have entrances. Some sites have one for solar-aligned people and another for lunar-aligned people. Some sites have specific entrance stones that have an energetic barrier between them. The purpose of this is not exactly known yet.

Solar southern entrance

7. Ritual paths: Some sites have ritual entry paths. As we can’t be sure whether we are picking up the traces of previous ritual paths determined by the long-term use of humans, or if those paths are naturally-occurring doe to the formation of the sites themselves, we can’t be sure of their exact purpose.

5-8. Tall artificial moundslike Silbury Hill focus energy to the peak of the mound. Like the capstone of a pyramid Silbury Hill, for example, focuses all of its energy flows into a conical space at its peak. It seems designed specifically for this purpose, energetically speaking.

5-9. Chambered ‘tombs’: have small chambers that serve specific purposes, which can be decoded using the rods. These chambers can be used for vision quests and transformative experiences.

5-10. Petroglyphs: can be linked to specific places in the site. In other words, by dowsing it is possible to be taken from a cup-mark, hollow or line to its corresponding place within the site. In this way petroglyphs or cup-marked stones can be seen as “maps” of the energetic places within a site.

Gwas.

This is the final part of The Perthshire Trilogy, as I’m now calling it (don’t worry – it won’t stick). This post covers Lundin Farm, a site particularly mentioned by David Cowan as forming a component of an energy formation covering a large area around Loch Tay and Crieff. I then go on to reveal the questions that I posed at the sites, and the accompanying answers that were dowsed, for what they are worth.

Lundin Farm circle

Lundin Farm can be found on a small track just off the main A827 road, about a mile and a half north-east of Aberfeldy, Perthshire. A short walk up the steep track reveals a large King Stone with four stones in a circle some thirty feet further on. Truly a beautiful sight – four stones nestled beneath the protective arms of a spreading oak tree. The site is perched on a hill overlooking a valley that runs East-West following the River Tay. 

David Cowan uses the term “four poster” to describe the circle, and it is certainly a comfortable and restful place to spend a few hours in quietude, but I think there may have been possibly one more stone in there. I also think there were some around the outside of the tall inner circle, although it’s difficult to distinguish the detritus from the avenue of stones that leads down from the hill behind. Some of this is in place, but much of it has been either purloined and re-used or dumped in one corner of the site next to a wire fence.

I didn’t pay the dumped material much mind until I asked to find the transformer stone and was taken to a large flat rock that sat amidst the general smaller rubble. I was quite surprised that it was still linked into the main circle and was active, although being female/moon oriented the incoming energy felt like a low-level trickle whilst the sun was out. The link was to the two stones nearest the approach road (nearest in the picture above). These two circle stones dowsed for female qualities and were linked by the same kind of nemeton field as I found at Carnac in Brittany for the two mounds at the end of the Kermario field.

Apologies now to David for using an image from his books, but hopefully it will inspire you to go and take a look for yourself like it did me, and to determine for yourself what the purpose of these links between stone and sites may mean for the longevity, the power and the influence of these energies through the land. Here we see that David links Lundin Farm’s circle to others at the “Praying Hands of Mary” split stones near Loch Tay. My dowsing results indicate that the energy link is from the Praying Hands to the Lundin Farm circle. The energy comes in, but doesn’t go out again. Now I need to go back and test some of the others. What is the nature of their energy links to the central point? Does this bolster the idea that the ‘surrounding’ connected circles were drawing energy towards the local constructions – in other words, several places benefited from having a storehouse for earth and radiant energies, much like having your own generator in the back garden! According to my findings (see answers to questions below) there is only energy coming into this circle, and not going back out. If there is a connection with other sites (and I agree there is) then Lundin Farm circle has a parasitical relationship with the energy circuit.

The King Stone

This unassuming stone stands at the edge of an entrance to a field. There is such an entrance on the other side of the track too, so you could say it stands at a crossroads. In terms of its energy patterns I found that it was sites atop a geological fault. I also dowsed for the presence of water crossing that fault line, and I believe this effect is responsible for the energy that this King Stone is placed close to. The stone itself registers for the presence of male and female earth energies. So, next I dowsed for the energy coming up from the earth at this stone – it was female earth energy, as found at many other sites. So, where did the male energy come from?

Where the water crosses the fault ion the rock below an earth energy power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. is created that is a combination of male and female energy. his was difficult to distinguish at first, until I realised that the male energy was coming OUT from the power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre.. The King Stone then seems to attract the male energy to itself, absorbing it into the side facing the stone circle. Back at the power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. there is a female energy there too – where does it come from? I dowsed it back along its spiral course until it wove into the King Stone close to the termination point of the male energy. So, the female energy was coming up from the earth, through the stone, out of the stone and into the power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. a few feet away. The male energy was coming out of the power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. (fault + water) and heading for the King Stone. All together the two energies and the two power points produced a neat little circuit of opposing energy polarities.

Dowsing the circle

I dowsed the four or five stones (the recumbent stone next to the tallest stone is not ‘counted’ by Cowan) and found out the gender characteristic of each stone. Three of the stones (the smaller, flatter ones) were FEMALE. The two taller, pointier stones were MALE. It’s almost getting to the stage now that I can tell what gender type stones will align to by their shape and position. Recumbent, flat, or rounded stones are usually female. Pointed, sharp-angled, tall stones are often male. When I say that they “are” male or female, I mean I can’t tell yet whether the stones ARE that gender, or contain earth energy of that polarity, or whether the earth energies of those types simply flow through the stones and they register this polarity. I’m not sure which, yet.

I’m also not sure yet whether the shape of the stones dictates the qualities of the earth energy.  Do the pointed stones have male energy in them because they are shaped like that? Do the female stones give off or attract female earth energies because they are flat or round or recumbent? I don’t know yet.

The Transformer Stone

Another often-overlooked aspect of these circles is the Transformer Stone. Such a stone serves the purpose of transforming radiant energies from bodies such as The Sun, The Moon and the ‘stars’ (in this I include other planets that predominate the sky at particular times of the year, as was the case earlier this year when I was transfixed by Venus). As the study of Astrology suggests there may be some very subtle energetic influences radiating from such stellar bodies, and their relative proximity and aspect seems to form part of the matrix of radiant energy that Transformer Stones can draw upon to perpetuate the energy flows within sacred sites.

In the picture above you can see the Transformer Stone, which is now nestled amongst some stones strewn around one corner of the small hill upon which the main stones stand. This transformer is still active and supplying female radiant energy (moon) to two of the circle’s stones that are closest to the road. These two circle stones have a female field around them that has the same shape as the two small mounds that I dowsed at the end of the Kermario field of standing stones at Carnac. The nemeton even forms the same kidney-bean shape! This energy field dowses as having female and neutral qualities.

A demolished avenue and a collection of boulders

The Lundin Farm site is surrounded by strewn rocks of various sizes. As you walk up the hill at the ‘back’ of the circle you will see slight raised earth ‘tramlines’ forming a rough avenue, and occasionally there are some small stones demarcating this narrow channel. I wonder if this once formed an approach avenue, much like the avenues close to Stonehenge or Avebury, but on a much more intimate scale?

In the field next to the stone circle is a collection of larger boulders. At first I thought this would be the site of the cup-marked stone that Cowan refers to in his books when he talks of this site, but I couldn’t actually find anything that looked cup-marked, and I had a ruddy good look! The boulder site looks similar to some destroyed “preparation” enclosures that I’ve seen (such as the one at Stanton Drew). I can only speculate, as there was nothing energetically significant about the stones here, so I left it to the sheep to continue to use as a wind-proof toilet facility!

Question Corner

During my visit I asked a series of prepared questions, some sensible, some far-out and superficially ludicrous, just to test what the responses would be, and perhaps to reveal some surprises. Just to remind you of the questions I was asking:-

Q1. Was this site created…

1. …before the time of the Druids?
2. …by The Shining Ones?
3. …according to principles established by The Shining Ones?

Q2. Was the purpose of the sites….

1. …to generate subtle energies?
2. …to collect and store such energies?
3. …to disperse such energies into the land?

Q3. Where does the energy at the site…

1. …come in?
2. …leave?
3. …get generated?

Q4. Were there any burials at the site, and if so, did such burials imprint the person’s energies into the site?

Q5. Is this site part of a larger energy system?

Q6. Was this larger system created to…

1. …generate energy?
2. …act as protection?
3. …harness the energy for some other use?

——————————————-

Here are the results for Lundin Farm:-

Q1. Who created it?

• Built on the principles established by The Shining Ones. Also responded to the idea of The Annunaki. A confirmation from the earlier Monzie Circle site.

Q2. What is its purpose?

• Healing and human fertility (as opposed to the fertility of the land). Given that the energies don’t seem to emerge from the site this fits with the dowsing results, as I guess that all activity (ceremony, ritual, magic) would have taken place within the energy field of the stone circle.

Q3. Where does energy come in and go out?

• Comes in through the Transformer Stone, and does not emerge again. The energy is contained in the circle.

Q4. Is there anyone buried in this circle?

• No.

Q5. Is this site part of a larger system?

• Yes.

Q6. What was the purpose of the larger system?

• Could not be identified, perhaps because the question was too vague or had multiple answers.

——————————————-

Conclusion

You know it’s funny. You can’t make out in these pictures the telegraph poles that run alongside and very close to the stone circle. I spent a couple of hours there and didn’t notice them either until I walked away up the hill from the circle and turned around to watch the darkening clouds looming over the high hills to the south. I jogged back to dowse for their influence on the circle – they were affecting the circle’s energies – perhaps this was why the circle wasn’t outputting anything? Maybe. There was also an irrigation channel dug alongside the site and I think that the unnaturally straight flow of water also had some energetically-draining qualities about it too. I’ll have to go back with more time. But then I had to head off in search of the cup-marked stone that was somewhere nearby. I didn’t find it and now I was really pressed for time and had to leave.

Still – things learned, some things verified, and a delightfully peaceful timewas had sitting under the oak tree, listening to the beck babbling, the birds singing, the lambs bleating. Not even the cloudburst that appeared next could dampen that moment. Just before I go – here’s a thing I’ve begun to take notice of. I know we have changeable weather on this island, but it seems like every time I do energy work at a site the weather changes. If it’s sunny it will cause wind and rain to arrive, and if it’s cloudy a small break appears and the sun shines through. Just like the effects of Wilhelm Reich’s Cloudbuster. Just noted, that’s all. I read that, according to New Scientist magazine, our brains are hard-wired to detect patterns in just about anything. Must be useful for something then, eh? I wonder if the Druids who are doing a ritual to keep the rains away from the Green Man Festival this year are doing something more than ‘praying’?

Gwas

Following the high road