autumn quarterly edition / March 2005
the free web magazine of dowsing & geomancy,
in Australasia and beyond. Edited by Alanna Moore.
Welcome to the autumn issue of Geomantica, for March-June 2005.
It's a salt-of-the Earth issue if ever there was, with much on the dire issue of increasing soil salinity in Australia. The good news is that people, such as the WISALTS organisation, have worked out how to lick the problem. We just need to get the scientists and 'authorities' to give it a go and stop scoffing at the dowsers. (Ideas how anyone?) We're all in the same sinking ship after all.
It's been a lovely mild and unusually wet!! summer here in central Victoria. Water has been deadly elsewhere in the Australasian region - if you happened to have been affected by a tsunami. Or if you were a dolphin or whale around the northern parts of Tasmania and New Zealand around Xmas time, when seismic testing for oil prospecting was so bad that many chose to die by beaching themselves.
The sea is perceived as being either cruel or kind at times. It is simply her moods, the yin and yang of water. But we shouldnt be making it worse and there is a code of conduct for the siesmic testing people who are supposed to refrain when cetaceans are expected to be around. As for the tsunami, a consequence of two earthquakes on either side of the Australian plate, Susan Wilson will give us her two bob's worth in this issue.
It's sad to report the passing of one of Australia's great dowsers - George Williams, 1915 - Dec 2004. A founder of the Victorian Dowsing Society in 1975, George, was actively involved with the society and his dowsing work until the end, but died shortly after the death of his wife. He will be remembered with great respect and love.
This issue comes out a bit before time, as usual, but the winter edition is going to be a bit late, and due out in July. I will be escaping the winter doldrums and spending time in the northern hemisphere. The next issue is already chock-a-block, with a feature focus on megalithics and stone circles, but feel free to send in your contributions of all kinds.
Many thanks go out to the contributors to this issue: Susan Wilson from northern Victoria, Sergei Skryrabin, from the Czech Republic and Lyn McLean of Sydney. And the letter writers too. (I know you are shy little woodland creatures, but please be forthcoming with your questions, stories and comments. It cheers up the editor too.)
Although the office will effectively be non-operational between May - July I can still be contacted at info@geomantica.com. And I'm open to suggestions of magic places to visit on my sojourn, for, as, Kurt Vonnegut once wrote -
Until July -
Peace and bright blessings
from your editor - Alanna Moore
My dear Alanna
Just finished Divining Earth Spirit.
Congratulations. It is a beauty.
I have saved many marriages using a motif in Dr Guirdham's book "A Foot in Two Worlds".
A woman in Brisbane told me the beatings she was getting from her drunken husband were so severe now she felt sure he would kill her.
I put his name on the motif, rescued him from 3 discarnate possessing entities. She never had another bashing. That is only one sample.
I am heavily involved in personal and distant healing, kept very busy.
Cheerio
Frank Moody *
(PS I am 101 on 7/12/04 now)
* Frank is a radionics practitioner and healer, still active at age 101 and living in north Queensland.
Dear Alanna
I would be glad for you to publish my positive experience with radionics.
...After seeing Wynelle Delaney on your video and in Geomantica I emailed her to see if she would help me (and my family) with her radionics. Fortunately she said yes and I have been on her radionic broadcast since November.
As a result I have had a drastic improvement in my health on many levels and dimensions! She has confirmed my experience in my latest scan where my energy levels are much higher and my aura has increased from something like 12 feet to 100.
Additionally, Sheldon (hubby) says to tell you that straight after having a radionic clearing on one of our rental properties a problem tenant decided to move out, which was fantastic!
G. L. Feb 2005
(Note: for more info - see Wynelle's advert
at the end of the last Geomantica)
Hi there Alanna,
I have been meaning to make contact with you, particularly since
our little meditation group, The Circle of Light, made contact
with the Deva of Mount Barker Summit. We were blessed to be able
to send her healing energy, and to provide the human intention
and permission for Lord Michael to assist further. The Deva is
around 5 miles wide! She gave us a gift, a talking stick. Mind
you she led us on a merry chase to collect the gift, but that
is a story for another time, perhaps.
Thanks for thinking of us here!
Paul Hannaford, Mt Barker, SA.
Dear Alanna
Just a note to say thanyou for the film with my interview.* On listening through the second time I think that I gave a far overview of the WISALT system of sustainable agricultural soil conservation, if anyone could understand my message.
These days everyone has their own ideas on what should be done and it usually finishes up with no action. So that is why I prefer to put my thoughts on paper before I get 'contradictory' cut in remarks!
The most important requirement for being an 'Accredited WISALTS Consultant is to be proficient in Dowsing Skills. Something that Scientists and Soil Conservationists dont want to understand, which results in many 'basic mistakes', when they dont know where or how to start. Nothing is done because it is too hard to understand what is happening to Water Movement in the Sub-Soils, but how much more simple can it be when you are a competent Dowser!
The Rurual Towns Salinity Programs in W.A. have made so many errors of judgement because they discredit basic Dowsing Skills. This results in a waste of Federal, State and Local Government Funding.
Instead they prefer to site piesometers only using Random Selection of sites, instead of being 'sited accurately' on the 'Throughflow'; which is the cause of why so many of the Waterlogged areas remain in most Rural Towns - and they advertise that they are Tackling Salinity in Rural Towns!
Over the last few years I have checked out numerous piesometer sites in various towns, only to find that in most cases where they think it is a rising Water Table, it is only a reasonably shallow lateral flow from a Recharge that remains unidentified and untreated for both waterlogging problems (eg at Katanning).
An early example of not knowing where the Recharge and throughflows are located can be seen at Merredin Town where Pumping has only lowered a cone of Water, but if the Pump Site had been defined and located on the nearby 2km long throughflow fom the East, a drawdown could have relieved several hundred metres of their water-logging problems. But that is not scientific!
One of the Salnity Programs Officers told me last year, that on no account would they ever do anything which a Farmer has recommended! So it doesn't matter what I write about.
Yours faithfully
Laurie Adamson
* Laurie is one of the stars of the Geomantica film 'Grassroots Solutons to Soil Salinity'
Books on Buderim, 70 Burnett St, Buderim.
** South Australia New Dimensions, 310 South Tce, Adelaide.
(selling them at various events around Perth).
** Victoria - Stonemans Books, Mostyn St Castlemaine.
Yasodhara Spiritual Centre, Vincent St Daylesford.
Avant Garden Books - Vincent St Daylesford.
Metaphysical Shop, 45 High St, Kyneton
Friends of the Earth, 312 Smith St, Colllngwood
P.O. Box 6125, Tauranga, NZ, 3001
Ph: +64 7 544-1477, Fx: +64 7 544-2149
Email: philip@newpage.co.nz
Part 1: Dowsing, Greening & Crystal
Farming 26 minutes.
Alanna Moore and Marilyn Sprague give some tree selection and
planting tips in drought stricken Victoria, including Alanna's
dowsing and planting methods. Then in W.A. Dave Kennett shows
us some of his dowsing and planting techniques at a field day;
and wheat farmers Geoff and Elaine Scholz explain their methods
of crystal farming, which have been a great success.
Part 2: Eco-Gardeners Down-Under 26 minutes.
Tour the temperate climate gardens of permaculture pioneers Bill
Mollison and David Holmgren, who give us many practical insights
to permaculture design. Then in tropical north Queensland see
the jungly gardens of Jane 'Many Leaves', with unusual food plants
and Transylvanian Naked Neck chickens featured.
Part 4: Growing & Gauging Sustainability
26 minutes.
Malcolm Borgward describes his progress in developing sustainable
farming methods, guided by 'Universal Knowledge' - which he accesses
with kinesiology (muscle testing). He has achieved outstanding
results with soil enhancers including rock dust, lime and microbes.
Retired organic farmer David von Pein then tells us how we can
monitor the value of soil inputs using various probes and meters.
He demonstrates the use of the Brix meter (a refractometer),
which measures the level of sugars in crop plants - as a good
indicator of their health and nutritional value.
So now you can buy the set of 8 films, and they are cheaper that way too.
(See in the Videos page of this website for ordering details.)
And another film in the Geomancy Today series is now also available:
featuring clairvoyant investigator Billy Arnold.
The fabulous landscapes around Alice Springs, in Australia's red centre, are home to the Arunta Aboriginal people, whose culture still holds strong. In order to protect their sacred sites the Arunta have divulged information about them and they are afforded legal protection (which doesn't always protect them!)
Billy Arnold, a clairvoyant researcher, astrologer and laya yoga exponent, lived in The Alice for several years discovering the Dreamtime dimensions of the landscape and identifying the nature spirits / devas that he encountered, with the help of Aboriginal friends. These people, the owners/ custodians of Dreaming stories, are proud to share them with other peoples, through the medium of art, dance and song. Their paintings - the spiritual dimensions of the Dreaming made manifest - have achieved international recognition. (The more esoteric aspects and understandings of stories are not usually divulged to non-initiated people.) The film features Dreamtime artists and their spectacular art, with some explanations from Billy of their significance.
In their tour of some of the sacred sites of the region, Billy, Alanna and fellow researcher Rhonda travel into the other dimensional world of the Dreaming amidst magnificent wild landscapes, and in some suburban areas too.
Available now on DVD For $20 posted or VHS for $25 posted within Australia. (Can be also purchased together with the 2nd film in the series 'Glastonbell Dreaming' for no extra charge.)
As for the new film described last issue - 'Grassroots Solutions to Soil Salinity' - there has been no reponse so far from anyone who has received a complimentary or review copy, apart from the people involved. It's probably all a bit too threatening to the staus quo. Meanwhile the environment degrades at an alarming rate.
If any readers know of an open minded magazine editor or anyone in the landcare movement who might be interested to review the film for any relevant publication - please let us know their contact please!
(I don't want to waste time and money if editors are just going to throw them in the bin!)
The main feature story on Soil Salinity later in this magazine compliments this film.
The rural press reported how funding to stop salt encroachment has been very slow in coming.
"The $1.4 billion National Action Plan to fight salinity is well beihnd schedule and will probably not reach its targets, a federal audit has concluded" the Weekly Times reported, Dec 22, 2004, with "only half the allocated NAP budget spent half way into the 8 year program."
Geomantica thinks it's probably just as well, with action plans often doomed to failure due to lack of proper understanding of the problem. A letter to the editor from Geomantica about this was not published by the Weekly Times or The Land. See the feature article on this serious land care issue.
Significant studies connecting electro magnetic radiation (EMR) with health impairment were reported in the Oct-Dec issue of EMR Focus, as extracted below.
"....Our data suggests an increased risk of acoustic neuroma associated with mobile phone use of at least ten years" a Swedish study concluded - which replicated a previous study from 2002. Long term mobile phone users face a risk of 2.5 times the norm of getting these tumours, which can become cancerous (and typically are found adjacent to where phones are normally held at the head).
An Austrian study of a town in Spain with 900 GSM and 1800 GSM transmitter antennas (for mobile phones) has found a higher than average incidence of symptoms known collectively as 'microwave sickness'. These include fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, appetite loss, sleeping disorders, depression, feeling of discomfort, difficulty in concentrating, memory loss, visual disorders, dizziness and cardiovascular problems.
"Amongst policy makers who have chosen to recommend a precautionary stance" writes editor Lyn McLean " are several Nordic nations and the World Health Organisation, which has just released a new general framework on the topic of precaution."
The shock news is that the EMR Association is to be officially dissolved! This community organisation has been lobbying the 'authorities' and educating the public on these matters for 9 years. It is a great loss to Australia. The website remains up at www.emraustralia.com.au
And if you need to get more clued up on EMR
- Lyn McLean's book 'Watts the Buzz' is highly recommended and
was reviewed in Geomantica no. 18. See Lyn's article amongst
the features.
Back to the top
© Alanna Moore 2004
Australia is an ancient continent and its soils present many challenges to farmers. After the rising levels of acidity, the next most serious problem of farm soils is their growing salinity levels. According to the Australian Dryland Salinity Assessment, published in 2000, around 5.7million hectares of Australia's agricultural land, 20,000km of waterways, 20,000km of major roads and over 200 towns are at high risk of salinity. 1. Huge areas of inland Australia were once an inland sea, so this is probably not very surprising.
Worst affected is Western Australia - an enormous state of some two million square kilometres. It is mostly arid, except for a fringe of green around the coastline, with only about 2 million people living there. Huge salt lakes are a feature of the inland areas and salting is affecting many important agricultural areas. The loss of arable land in this state was estimated to be 1.8 million hectares in 1998 and could reach 3.3m ha by 2020. And these figures don't include land of the verge of being ruined.
Hardly a new phenomena, salting has caused concern in WA for many decades now. Back in 1917 Professor Paterson was speaking to a Royal Commission on marginal agricultural lands in the south east of the state and stated that probably one third of the area was too saline for profitable farming. But his advice was ignored and the land cleared.
The often sandy soils of WA suffered greatly from drastic tree loss - a consequence of government policy and ignorance. In the early days of white settlement land was given out freely on the condition that it be totally cleared and farmed. Inappropriate European farming systems were blithely adopted and as a consequence many a family were eventually forced off, as their farms quickly become rabbit infested dust bowls.
Science at the grass roots
Harry Brookton was born at Brookton, a couple of hours drive
south east from WA's capitol of Perth. 'Springhill' had been
selected by Harry's dad back in 1897 and when his father died
in 1942 he went back there to take over the reins.
In his childhood, Springhill produced excellent cereal crops, had abundant household vegetable gardens, a permanent creek and an ample year round water supply. But by the 1930's the creek had filled up with sand, its water only found beneath the surface and the seepage that used to run into it from the banks was no more. In the winter wet season it was transformed into a muddy, raging torrent. On the slopes there was bad erosion gullies, some over 3m deep. Waterholes were either dry or saline, while the valley floor was waterlogged and unusable. After fifty years of farming all the fresh surface water had dried up, and Harry had to make dams to catch rainwater.
By then there was also very low fertility. By 1946 sheep numbers were reduced because of the shrinking areas of good pasture, while yields from the slopes had gone below profitability. Even the family home was affected by salinity, with plaster started to fall off the walls. By 1958 it was uninhabitable.
Useless advice
Harry approached the Department of Agriculture for advice. They
told him that the problem was caused by a 'rising water table'
and that it could never be restored to its previous fertility.
They advised him to plant salt tolerant trees, shrubs and grasses
in the saltiest areas. Of the many species recommended that he
tried out, only some tamarisks survived.
The ineffectual advice given to him by the Ag Dept in 1946 is basically the same given out today, Harry noted in 1975, in the book he wrote about his experiences. 2.
Harry had to find his own solutions. He saw a film about engineering works done to control soil erosion around dams in the Tennessee Valley, USA, by the Soil Conservation Authority there. They were tackling similar problems that he had, such as eroding slopes and the waterlogging of valley floors.
Inspired to study the problem deeper, Harry decided to find out for himself if the salt problem was actually caused by a rising water table, or just by changed seepage patterns. It was around 1950 when he began hand drilling holes into a salt scalded area. Some went down to 60cm, some were 3 m deep, one went down to 6m. Below the surface of every hole there was always dry clay. So there was no evidence of a 'rising water table' at all.
Seepage patterns at the top of the slope and near the valley floor were monitored and it was plainly evident that the excess water was coming from sub-surface through flows. So where was all the salt coming from? In 1955 Harry saw data from the Ag Dept showing that rainfall (coming from clouds formed over the Indian Ocean) in Perth was quite salty at 543 milligrams per litre. The figures were less for inland areas, with Brookton only receiving 57mg/lt. He worked out that this meant 1.25kg salt/ha for every 25mm of rain that fell on Brookton. With an average rainfall of 425mm, this meant an approximate 21kg salt/ha/year was being dumped. With all the cleared land this salt then washed down the slopes and accumulated on the valley floors, where scalds mostly started. Harry also estimated that 50-60% of the superphosphate being applied was ending up being washed away too.
Yet the Ag Dept was only advocating pasture furrows and the planting of salt tolerant plants, and the only assistance on offer was help in installing pasture furrows. In desperation Harry agreed to do a trial. Furrows were created about 8m apart and after the first rains they all washed out. These were re-ploughed several times, but after only some 5mm of rain they kept washing out.
Following his instincts
Finally Harry set about putting his own ideas into practise and,
with a sympathetic bank manager, he was able to get a loan. The
Ag Dept helped with a little surveying but they were opposed
to his engineering solutions. He made friends with a bulldozer
driver and built his first interceptor banks along the contours.
These were successful at stopping surface run-off, but not seepage. He learnt that they should be located starting from near to the top of the slope and spaced at close enough intervals so that run-off didn't gain speed. At approximately every 3m drop in elevation he placed a bank. Banks were designed to collect and hold the average rainfall and were dug down to the depth of the plough sole / hard pan. He also filled erosion gullies. 1955 was a very wet year but the banks held out and did their job, with previously waterlogged areas starting to dry out.
Encouraging results
By 1966 improvements were obvious and considerable. Once waterlogged
areas were now supporting pasture. Surface run-off was now percolating
down deep into the sub-soil to recharge underground aquifers.
And water had begun to again seep from the banks into the creek.
In the drought of 1969 this recharged aquifer supplied vital
water for stock and drought- proofed the property. People from
the Ag Dept drilled some holes down to 6-8m and found good water
in the underground reservoir that had gone dry some 40 years
ago. Salt scalded areas were much reduced and the wheat crop
was greatly improved on smaller amounts of fertiliser.
Despite the high cost of putting in interceptor banks and very active opposition from the Ag Dept other farmers were keen to get in on the act and Harry began to help others to get started. By 1978 enough interest had been raised for a group of keen farmers to begin a formal organisation called WISALTS Whittington Interceptor Salt Affected Land Treatment Society, after a big public meeting with 270 people attending. They began an educational programme with regular field days and held their first school at Mullewa with farmers attending from all over the state. Consultants learn to diagnose problem areas from aerial photos. Membership peaked at 1200 early on and is now down to around 300. But still it was not possible to do collaborative research with the Ag Dept and all the committee's travelling expenses came out of their own pockets.
However the group was able to obtain some government funding to enable two members to tour the USA and meet with soil conservation experts there. Drs Al Black, soil scientist, and Eugene (Red) Doering, soil engineer (a supervisory Agricultural Engineer from the Northern Great Plains Research Centre, USA), were particularly interested in the WISALTS approach to controlling waterlogging and salinity. They had had extensive experience with soil conservation techniques in America and subsequently accepted the invitation to visit WA to study the Whittington Interceptor Bank system. When they did this they were very impressed and thoroughly endorsed the principles of the system.
Whittingtons achievements
Whittington had a lifetime of community involvement and held
many important positions in farming organisations the Farmers
Union, Grains Council of Australia, Rural Water and Soil Conservation
Committee. He was often interviewed on regional radio and quoted
in the press. In all forums he campaigned for the urgent need
for soil conservation. Some people even refer to him as the 'Father
of Landcare in Western Australia'.
Despite his articulateness and influence there was continual opposition to his ideas, which were a slap in the face for the unproven dogma espoused by the Ag Dept. Western Australia's Director of Agriculture in 1978 was quoted in the press as having to "come out strongly against what he calls 'black magic cures' for salt encroachment on properties."
On a television programme (Countrywide) in 1982 Bob Nulson, of the WA Ag Dept, stated that "We won't concede that salt land is caused by shallow moving water. We don't see that we can comedown on our scientifically based theories which are in agreement with people from other departments in other eastern states and overseas, that this is the cause of salted land." This still remains their blinkered view.
Whittington passed away in October 1999 and was active with his campaigning work up until the end. He had been granted an Order of Australia medal for his landcare work, but it came late in life.
What happens when banks go in?
Water moves up the slope from an interceptor bank by capillary
action, allowing soil bacteria to revitalise the surrounding
soil. In one case, monitored with a soil moisture probe, the
hardpan/ploughsole on the scarp had broken up, as a consequence,
within four years, with crop yields around 250% better. Non wettable
soils have been transformed in a few short years too and wind
erosion reduced through the denser root material holding it.
Sometimes banks must be built on a slight grade to send run-off from a neighbours to the nearest watercourse and banks can also be designed to deliver excess run-off to a dam. Unfortunately some farmers have used the banks more for drainage than anything else and are sending salty water into watercourses. This has given the system a bad name in some people's perception. But these drainage banks are not correctly designed according to WISALTS principles.
WISALTS has been involved also in community works, flood prevention in towns, and conservation work in wetlands. They have also given advice and help to the Main Roads Department and local shires in preventing water damage to roads by locating and sealing throughflows.
Innovations to the system
WISALTS member Laurie Adamson brought two important innovations
to the design of effective interceptor banks. Laurie was a water
diviner and found that dowsing made the task of finding the sub-surface
water throughflows etc a simple task. First he practised dowsing
for certain water features, then confirmed their presence with
a backhoe, digging holes to check. Laurie wrote a comprehensive
consultant's handbook, including the use of 'the wire' for surveying.
A consultant nowadays can only qualify if they are a proficient
dowser. Unfortunately, this has only reinforced the 'voodoo'
label in the Ag Dept's eyes!
Laurie also introduced the use of plastic sheeting to seal the banks to ensure their effectiveness. This was a great breakthrough, especially where throughflows of water were in sand seams and banks difficult to seal. Laurie also wrote a booklet for high school students to raise awareness of soil conservation issues.
One man's interceptor banks
One of the many farmers who have been helped by WISALTS is Alex
Martin. Alex is a retired beef and sheep farmer from northern
Victoria whose farm of 2000 acres Illalangi -was starting
to show signs of soil salinity. Since childhood salt had been
creeping into Alex's district.
After a wet spell in 1972-73 he noticed that some of the native trees were starting to look sick. He was stunned to realise that soil salinity was on the rise here too, when he thought it was just a problem of somewhere else.
Agriculture Department people advised him to plant salt tolerant trees and to write off the affected areas. Luckily he came across a couple of articles about WISALTS, and read of a South Australian farmer whose land was ruined by salt, who then put in banks and afterwards was harvesting 3 tons of wheat to the acre. He went there to visit and see for himself. The house lawn had died, but only 18 months after the banks had gone in the local trees were shooting new leaves, salt scalds were receding and the farmer was mowing his lawn again.
Alex had already started to apply WISALTS principles on his own farm, where a 10 acre area of water logged salt scald had been growing. Four kilometres of banks had been constructed by 1981 and these were controlling the water over 90% of the catchment. By August 83 Illalangi's interceptor banks had filled with water for the first time and Harry Whittington and Laurie Adamsom came to visit.
"When our interceptor banks were constructed there was not only a dramatic reduction in the salt scald itself, there was an equally and more subtle improvement in the health and vigour of both grass and trees upslope. This improvement far exceeded the non-productive area taken up by the banks themselves" Alex says.
Alex was so impressed that he went over to Esperance , WA, with his son and a neighbour in 1982 and attended several one week WISALTS schools the only ones of their kind in Australia. They learned how to read the land and to design earthworks for several properties,
Unfortunately on their return this neighbour did a rush job on the cheap and was very gung ho about bank construction. Consequently the banks did not work.
Alex attended another WISALTS school in '84, as he wanted to find out the latest ideas which might help on the remaining bare 10% of the farm that was affected by the run-off from neighbours. He learned how to seal banks with plastic and on returning home constructed another 2.7km of grade banks. As a result the developing salt scald shrank by two thirds and sickly looking trees were throwing out new shoots.
But in Victoria he was pretty much alone with his interest. To try to stimulate others he invited the state Minister for Agriculture to view what he had done, in 1983. The fellow showed some interest, and planted an oak tree, but unfortunately resigned from his position not long afterwards. Agriculture Department people were invited, but they showed no interest in coming. Alex wrote articles to share the benefits, to no avail. One CSIRO scientist stated at a salt seminar in Victoria in '81 that the WISALTS system would not work in Victoria because there was no scientific reason for it to do so!
"Farmers have spent more money on interceptor banks than the entire research budget of the WA Department of Agriculture. WISALTS needs co-operation from all levels of government, not just studied disinterest and criticism based firmly on ignorance" says Alex.
Alex has developed his own theories of soil degradation, which are not necessarily the conclusions that the WISALTS people came to.
"I think the disc plough and rotary hoes create impervious layers and ultimately cause soil salinity problemsin fact I believe that salinity is caused by three things: 1) poor sub-surface drainage, 2) soil compaction (from livestock, ploughing etc) and 3) soluble chemical fertilisers."
Alex is a firm believer in getting the organic matter levels up in soil as another water balancing strategy. The amount of water absorbed instead of running off is hugely increased as organic matter levels rise, he says.
He has been applying biodynamic sprays to 300 of the 2000 acres for some 12 years every autumn and spring. At a field day he learned that 500 can help with salt problems too.
"Where has tree planting helped soil salinity?" Getting the water balance right is a better first step he feels. "If you put in the banks properly, starting up high on the hill, you help the water to be evenly distributed, rather than waterlogging the valleys. This is the key to controlling salt, Alex says.
In the past it has been tough times with low wool prices. With the expense of bank construction not accepted as a tax deduction no wonder there is not enough incentive to many farmers to take the plunge, he points out.
An Acres subscriber, Alex contacted me to try to gain some publicity for the WISALTS system. I got to see an area at Illalangi that was once 10 acres of salt, now covered in pasture, with only a few sparse bits. Sheep were happily grazing there. Alex admitted that his banks were poorly maintained these days and were often leaking. But they were still doing the job to some extent.
Controversy over banks
When I mentioned WISALTS to a meeting of the Permaculture Association
of Western Australia (at one time the biggest such group in the
world) it immediately caused a bit of heated discussion.
"WISALTS doesn't work. It just sends salty water off somewhere else and into the rivers" Ross Mars, a permaculture educator, complained. It turned out to be a common perception, I discovered. And salinity is a very sore point in this part of the world.
I asked Pat Dare, convenor of the group, about why the system hasn't been taken onboard by every farmer.
"Lots of people tried the banks out, but they were so expensive to build" she told me. "Some people banded together to import a big American drain digger, but it didn't turn out very successful. There's just no way of getting around the huge expense Lots of people have tried to put them in on the cheap, cutting costs and compromising and then they haven't worked. So a lot of people had 'failures', but they hadn't done them properly in the first place. Often the banks that are giving WISALTS a bad name have been put in too low down in the valley and are just acting as big drains. They haven't started them up high enough in the catchment. So those ones are just draining off water, salt and chemicals that end up in the waterways" she explained.
Pat's family property at Wagin had, years ago, experienced a developing salt scald which had grown to some 4 ha. The family fenced off the area and planted paspalum grass, according to the recommendations of the Ag Dept. The grass grew okay, but the salt scald grew to beyond the fence line. Harry Whittington and Ag Dept representatives were invited to the property for a public field day. Both spoke to the group about the problems of salt and the 'rising water table'.
But Pat commented loudly afterwards that the measures the Department advocated just didn't work, while Whittington's did. The Department officer scowled at her and jumped in his car and left immediately!
Eventually the family got into planting trees and these and other perennial plants stabilised the scald, which has never grown bigger, at least.
A Showcase Property
Alex Martin urged me to visit the Edward's sheep and cereal cropping
property south of Perth, WA, if I ever got a chance, as it was
shining example of the WISALT system.
Finally, in September 2004, I got to see it, travelling 2 hours south east of Perth to Kweda, with three interested companions. Here Crash Edwards had put in a fantastic WISALT system, together with many kilometres of rows of trees. He had transformed a fast-becoming wasteland into something of an oasis. His son Jeff and wife Lear now run the farm and are passionate about tree planting. I got to interview the family and we were taken on a grand tour of some 15,000 acres. My colleagues and me all agreed that it was the most impressive farm of its kind that they had ever seen.
From wasteland to paradise
Crash had first come to Kweda when he was just 17 years old and
didn't have a cent in his pocket. The farm had become a wasteland
by 1938, when it was abandoned all sand and rabbit infested
with lots of scrub and gum trees. You would be lucky to get a
bushel to the acre of wheat, while nowadays 4 tons to the hectare
is average. Crash put clover in, but this made the ewes abort.
He was advised to try rye grass. This is now considered a pest
species. He kept wethers, while these days Jeff breeds a few
lambs as well.
In 1982 he put some interceptor banks in. This and a policy of no-till farming along the contours has resulted in a uniform crop down the length of the slopes, where once only the lower down crops thrived.
"It's not a perfect system" Crash admitted "a few of the banks leak and some of them are getting too waterlogged, they need to be able to be drained off."
He reminisced about the once higher rainfall enjoyed in the district, up to 22" a year. Nowadays, in the last 15 years, 16" (60cm) is more usual." Rainfall in the last few years has averaged 6.5" to 7".
The Avon River, that borders some of the property, was once drinkable, Crash remembered but now" it's putrid". Floods used to be common with his first and second crops of wheat and lupins getting flooded out. Nowadays the biggest threat is from scale rust which has become epidemic for the first time. Spraying had been continuous for the past 5 months, I was told.
Crash used many of his banks for water harvesting and put in a lot of dams as well. He got his 'ticket' from WISALTS and did consultancy work, helping other farmers.
There are currently 189km of interceptor banks, spaced at about 200m apart on the family farm. They were placed where there is a 2.5m fall (in altitude). Now any run-off is not salty, but fresh water going into the Avon River.
"In the past ploughing did so much harm to our sand plain country here" Jeff explained. "The banks used to run water for abut 3 months in the year. Now we don't see that. The no-tillage methods we use now means much less run-off."
(As well, the prolonged drought across much of Australia over the past several years has seen much reduced rainfall.)
Between 1980 99 the Edwards have spent around $1 million on building the banks, but this has been recouped along the way with the increased yields. "Per hectare the banks cost about $11" Jeff said. A grader is required to clean out the silt from the bottom of the banks, around once every 15 years.
But the banks have obviously paid for themselves. The district average cropping yield is 2.3 tonne/ha. "We also have a reputation for big wethers" Jeff told me. The crops we saw were uniformly thick and green.
In 1990 a new section of farm was bought and the top lying 50ha was put into trees. Now there is more biomass and the best producing paddock is closest to those trees (whereas before such areas were in the bottom of the slopes, wherever waterlogging had not yet occurred.)
A passion for tree planting
The second generation of Edwards, Jeff and his wife Lear, who
moved back to the farm 20 years ago, are passionate tree planters
and Jeff had just been fencing off hilltops when we came to visit.
"We planted 27,000 trees last year" they told me.
With the mechanical tree planter the couple
can put some 2000 trees in, in just one morning.
Jeff started tree planting with his father when he was 15 and
he would hand water thousands of trees to get them established.
Some 100ha has been set aside for trees, and this has resulted in better crops all round. "Rain tends to fall where there are trees", he told me. The property enjoys a higher rainfall than others around it and people comment on how it appears like an oasis, especially when viewed from above.
The fenced off granite hilltops are kept stock free, as Land for Wildlife, with the help of the Dwarlaking Catchment Group, an alliance of 10 local farms. Through the group they are able to gain government funding for fencing. Much of the Avon River which flows through the property has been fenced off, often at the family's own expense.
The idea is to create green corridors for wildlife and to link these areas with the local nature reserve, the 5000ha Tutanning Reserve. Only one local farmer won't join, so there is still a gap in the corridor.
The corridors are abuzz with birds, bees and orchids etc. An interesting find by a conservation specialist was the presence of ancient Aboriginal stone lizard traps on these hilltops, which, if stock were present, would probably not have survived.
Oil Mallee
Jeff likes the idea of multi-functionality and so his favourite
trees are Oil Mallees these eucalyptus trees have been
planted on 24km of banks, mainly on the downside, but many on
both sides of the banks. The trees block the wind and take up
some of the rain run off.
They will also provide another crop when fully grown good quality eucalyptus oil can be extracted from the leaves. An oil extraction plant is in the process of being set up in nearby Narrogin. Sugar Gums and wattles are also planted on the banks, the latter not being the best though. To get trees established stock have to be excluded for 5 years.
The salt pan is shrinking
The Edwards took on a daunting 100 acre salt pan, that had developed
since 1975. To stop water getting onto the salt scald a grade
bank was made around it and around 5000 trees were planted around
the banks. Four kilometres of fencing along the bank tops around
the scald was all painstakingly hand made.
Over the last 7 years since this has been done the salted area has shrunk back considerably. Once it wouldn't grow grass and vehicles would get bogged. "What's surprising is just how few trees can make such a big difference" one of my colleague commented.
What do the locals think?
"Around here about 90% of the farms are family run, as well
as 10% corporate run. 50% of the younger farmers are pretty aware
environmentally," Jeff told me.
But Jeff has copped criticism for some of his tree planting. "Some people think our roadside plantings attract kangaroos" he says. The 'roos being considered a pest species.
What has science to offer?
Meanwhile the National Dryland Salinity Program has "invested
in excess of $25 million on more than 50 major research projects
since 1993" my local country newspaper reported in July
2004. 3. The result being a set of 3 manuals and a CD-ROM, but
no shining examples of salt land reclamation.
Fortunately, not all scientists are blinkered by the unhelpful, unproven theories of soil salinisation that the Ag Dept stubbornly clings to. I met Rob Gourlay recently and was overjoyed to find that he has developed scientific methodology over the last 12 years which proves that Harry Whittington's assertions were correct.
Rob discovered that gamma ray data can be used to map electrical conductivity of soils, as well as other soil properties, across landscapes. It is a cheap way of finding out where the salty areas are, and it is always confirmed by the ground truth. With this method it is seen that salt follows pathways/ through-flows through landscapes that are more determined by geological structures than anything. The 'rising water table' theory should now be dead and buried!
"There is just no correlation between government models of where salt is expected to be and reality" he told me. But the Ag Dept is still in denial and government funding (and we're talking here about over one billion dollars) to address salt problems is dependent on following the old 'rising water table' theory. No-one using gamma ray data will be accepted for funding and Rob intends to challenge this via the Department of Fair Trading.
Rob's research company has won several awards from various government departments and universities for his innovative technology, which is a world first in its practical applications of gamma ray mapping. Yet he is consigned to the 'voodoo' basket by the Agriculture Department, when he could be helping many more farmers. His only crime being to upset the status quo and threaten the authority of the relevant bureaucrats.
Perhaps, if people are better informed about such developments, there is hope that more farmers will lead the way and eventually the 'authorities' will catch up with them!
1. (Bendigo Weekly, April 8th 2004).
2. Whittington H S, 1975. 'A Battle for Survival Against Salt
Encroachment at Springhill, Brookton, Western Australia.' Self
published.
3. Midland Express, 23/7/04.
Other references and contacts:
Sally Paulin 'Why Salt? Harry Whittington OAM and WISALTS: Community Science in Action', Indian Ocean Books, 2002.
Laurie Adamson 'Notes on Soil Conservation for Schools' WISALTS publication.
WISALTS c/o president Brian Whittington
PO Box 89 Bakers Hill 6562 WA Australia
http://members.westnet.com.au/wisalts/
Rob Gourlay - orbtek@austarnet.com.au
NOTE: This article was first published in Acres USA January 2005 edition.
by Susan Wilson
As we all know an earthquake, reputed to be the strongest in forty years, caused a tsunami on Boxing Day resulting in the loss of about 300,000 lives and the devastation of many Asian coastlines. Is there anything we can learn from this disaster?
It seems that a scientist who had been studying the area had warned authorities of the impending danger, but his warnings were not heeded. His studies also showed that another tsunami is probable in the near future. Seismologists, in Australia, were aware of the probability of an earthquake but evidently did not realize it would be in the sea. We have the technology to record these events but the 'word' doesn't seem to be getting out.
One of the more reliable sources of information is animals. Animals were in tune enough to sense the danger and escaped to safety, if they could. It seems that monkeys, who generally frequent one of the popular resorts, were elsewhere on Boxing Day. One could be forgiven for wondering, if we should be relying on technology or our innate senses, as the animals do, to avoid potential disaster areas.
Another aspect of the earthquake and resulting tsunami is to look at the event symbolically. For thousands of years most humans have operated within a patriarchal society. This society has often concentrated on aggression, competition and power over others. It is now recognised that this time is coming to an end and a change to more appropriate balance between the male and female aspects of life is happening.
Change is signified by the old being swept away to make way for the new. This is the life and times that we live in. Part of this change is reflected by Earth changes. The Earth is birthing a new beginning. Earth is, symbolically, the physical vehicle for the spiritual aspects of water, wind and fire.
Earth and water are regarded as feminine in nature and wind and fire are masculine. Sometimes, the feminine aspects of life-nurturing and receptive-are referred to as goddess symbols. The aspects of masculinity are action and projection. Historically, society has placed religious reverence to god and the balance between male and female seems to have been lost.
However, times are changing and balance is inherent in nature. Balance comes as the feminine aspect rises to meet the masculine as has been expressed in patriarchal society. Earthquakes are representative of the feminine rising. They are the shifting of the Earth's plates. Just as a woman's body shifts to accommodate a baby in the womb, the earth's bones and joints are softening and moving in preparation for birth.
When an earthquake happens an energetic wave
is formed as one plate rises. This wave gathers force as it moves
and when it encounters the higher sea bed it gathers up as the
bottom of the wave slows and the top gathers speed. For example,
when we fill our lungs with a large breath of air and expel it
all to blow out candles, so an earthquake draws in and then expels
water into huge waves.
As water also has a feminine aspect, symbolically, the wave sweeps
all before it and destroys. Life is the continuous cycle of birth
and destruction. Life is destruction of the old to birth the
new. This is nature's law, one of which we are all a part of
but, unfortunately, many of us fear death and destruction.
What did the tsunami destroy? Obviously many lives, homes and business, but also maybe it will destroy some old habits and attitudes. For example, on the island of Sumatra, the Indonesian government has a chance to rid itself of corruption and cronyism. Only time will tell if this opportunity to deal with these symbolically negative masculine tendencies is taken as rebuilding of the community unfolds.
What did the tsunami give the world? I feel the answer is the opportunity to share and express compassion as people saw the devastation caused by nature. There was no one to blame. Not a terrorist in sight! Nature's power brought us back to Earth with a jolt! And somehow we could express our humanity, our empathy and compassion, towards those who had lost family and possessions and honour those who lost their lives. The world had an opportunity to show its positive feminine face and help those in need.
© Lyn McLean
Abstract
Mobile phone towers or antennas are
a phenomenon of the age of instant connectivity and they affect
us all. They emit radiofrequency radiation that affects our bodies
and potentially our health. The relevant Australian standard
protects primarily against the heating effects of radiation,
but not the non-heating effects that have been identified in
many scientific studies. Legislation presently gives extensive
rights to the telecommunications industry at the expense of the
public and this is particularly true for the category of antennas
known as "low impact" facilities.
Chances are that, wherever you live, you are being affected by the radiation from at least one mobile phone antenna. Chances are that, wherever your children go to school, preschool or playgroup, they are being affected, too. Wherever you live, work or play, if your mobile phone is receiving a signal from a mobile phone antenna, then so are you.
There are already tens of thousands of mobile phone antennas in Australia. With another 7000 expected to be built in the next two years alone, mobile phone antennas are an issue that affects every one of us, especially if we live in an urban area. What are their implications for our health, where can they be erected, and what are our rights?
Mobile phone antennas, sometimes called phone towers or base stations, are the price we pay for instant connectivity. They range from the looming scaffold-like towers that dominate the suburban skyline to arrays of panel antennas located on poles or rooftops to tiny microcells located on inner-city traffic lights, in train stations or in shopping complexes.
Each of these antennas services the mobile phones in its local area or cell (hence the description "cell phones"). These cells can be anything from metres to kilometers in diameter, depending on the power of the antenna's signal.
Each of these antennas relays signals to and from the mobile phones it services in the form of radiofrequency radiation. If these signals were visible, we would see ourselves bathed in multiple layers of radiation. Imagine a blue signal from one mobile phone antenna overlaid with a red signal from another and a yellow signal from a third.
What is the impact of this radiation?
It is generally accepted that radiofrequency radiation affects our bodies. What is less certain is just how seriously.
The Australian Government and the telecommunications industry take the view that the radiation from telecommunications networks is not a health risk. "The weight of national and international scientific opinion is that there is no substantiated evidence that RF emissions associated with living near a mobile phone base station or telecommunications tower poses a health risk." 1
Put simply, this means that a considerable number of studies have found that there is no evidence of risk from radiofrequency. This is hardly surprising given that much scientific research on this issue has been conducted and/or funded by the telecommunications industry itself.
Evidence of risk
Even so, many studies have
found evidence of risk. Researchers have found that radiofrequency
radiation from various sources is associated with brain
tumours, cancer, leukemia, heart problems, reproductive problems
and effects on the nervous system, learning and performance,
sleep, immunity, hormones and genes.
Only a few studies have been conducted specifically on mobile phone antennas themselves. In France, Dr Roger Santini conducted a survey of people living near mobile phone antennas. He found an increased rate of unpleasant symptoms within 300 metres of the antennas. People living within 10m of an antenna experienced symptoms of nausea, loss of appetite, visual disruptions and difficulty in moving. People living within 100m of an antenna experienced symptoms of irritability, depression, concentration problems, memory loss, dizziness and reduced libido. People living 100-200m from an antenna experienced headaches, sleep problems, "feelings of discomfort" and skin problems. People living between 200 and 300m from an antenna experienced a high rate of fatigue. 2
A study in Spain produced similar results. Dr Gerd Oberfeld and his team assessed the impact of two GSM antennas on the population of the town of Murcia. They found that exposure resulted in increased reports of fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, sleeping disorders, depression, feelings of discomfort, difficulty in concentration, memory loss, visual disorder, dizziness and cardiovascular problems. 3
Not surprisingly, people are beginning to report uncomfortable effects from living near mobile phone antennas. Over the years I've been contacted by people experiencing motion sickness, fatigue, concentration problems, illness and seizure-like symptoms.
In the UK communities concerned about mobile phone antennas have begun collecting data. They have found a surprising number of cancer cases in the areas of highest exposures near towers that have been in place for many years. Although this is not a scientific study, it does suggest the need for further investigation, particularly of the long-term health impacts.
The effects of radiofrequency radiation on the general population have already come to the attention of medical practitioners. On 9 October 2002 a group of German doctors expressed their concerns that this radiation was having an adverse effect on their patients in what has come to be known as the Freiburger Appeal. They wrote, "we can see a clear temporal and spatial correlation between the appearance of disease and exposure to pulsed high-frequency microwave radiation (HFMR), such as installation of a mobile telephone sending station in the near vicinity [and] intensive mobile telephone use." 4
The standard argument
The emissions from mobile phone antennas
are well within Australia's safety standard. 5 Typically, the
amount of radiation you might expect to receive in the area around
a base station is around 1-2 microwatts per square centimeter
(_W/cm2). This is around one thousandth of the standard which
allows people to be exposed to around 1000 _W/cm2.
This would be extremely reassuring - if the standard were in fact protecting public health.
The Australian standard protects people primarily from health problems that are known to be caused when radiation heats the body by 1 degree C. And this it does admirably. However, considering only the heating effects of radiation may be like considering only the sound of a bullet being fired from a gun.
There is now a great deal of evidence that radiation is producing non-heating (athermal) effects on the body and this could explain the health problems that are being reported. There are now hundreds of studies that show adverse effects from radiofrequency radiation at non-heating levels of exposure - levels that are far below international standards. However, the standard provides no protection against any of them.
The Spanish phone antenna study mentioned above found unpleasant symptoms at levels a thousand times lower than the Australian standard. The authors wrote, "based on the data of this study the advice would be to strive for levels [of exposure] ... equal to a power density of ... 1 _W/cm2."
Some scientists have suggested mechanisms to explain how the effects at non-heating levels of exposure might occur. For example, radiofrequency radiation has been shown to lower levels of the hormone melatonin, a free-radical scavenger that protects against cancer. Exposure has been shown to result in cells releasing heat shock proteins (HSPs) which have also been associated with cancer. While none of these effects has yet been proven to cause health problems, they are certainly suggestive of risk.
Whatever the scientific and anecdotal evidence, for radiofrequency radiation to be a risk to health would be a monumental inconvenience to Australia's Government and telecommunications industry. The Federal Government has received billions of dollars from spectrum sales and licence fees and reaps lucrative income from the latter each year.
David vs Goliath
The telecommunications legislation
enacted by the Federal Government gives extensive rights to the
telecommunications industry and leaves precious few for the community.
A 1997 Determination allows carriers to override local government
and state government regulations and install what is known as
"low impact" antennas without the approval of the council
or local community. 6 (More on low impact facilities later.)
In fact, until two years ago, carriers could install these facilities without even notifying councils or communities and surprised neighbours would often arrive home to find an antenna being built next to their home. Subsequently a code was introduced to improve matters slightly. The Code for the Deployment of Radiocommunications Infrastructure, introduced in 2002, ensures that councils and local neighbours are notified and/or consulted about low impact facilities but does not empower them to reject the antenna.
Yet the carriers' powers extend far beyond the ability to construct low impact facilities without council or community approval.
Legislation currently allows a carrier to enter your land and build an antenna on it with or without your approval. The 1997 Telecommunications Act allows carriers to enter any land to assess it. It empowers them to build a "low impact" facility on the land without the landowner's approval. Further, it provides the option for the carrier to obtain a special permit to construct a non-low impact antenna on the land without the landowner's permission. 7
While legislation allows carries to override state and council legislation in building these antennas, it allows the community, at best, the opportunity to submit comments about a proposed antenna to the carrier or council. Needless to say, these submissions carry no real weight and their recommendations are not always heeded. The failure of telecommunications legislation to provide democratic rights for the community has led to a plethora of impassioned anti-phone-tower protests in this and other countries.
Is it really "low impact"?
The Australian Government has exempted
"low impact" facilities from state and council planning
regulations in order to facilitate the rapid rollout of telecommunications
networks, using the argument that they are an essential service.
However, are these facilities "low impact" and do they represent an essential service?
Firstly, let me make it clear that so-called "low-impact" facilities are not low impact in terms of the radiation that they emit. They can emit exactly the same amount of radiation - or theoretically even more - than an antenna that is not classified as "low impact".
The basis for classifying antennas as "low-impact" is their appearance. Theoretically, smaller antennas fit the classification as "low-impact". Yet in reality "low impact" facilities are not low visual impact at all, for they are often to be found in clusters on rooftops or on the top of tall poles.
Many of the antennas that are currently being built, including antennas of the new 3G networks, are classified as "low impact". Because network requirements mean that these antennas must be built more closely together (sometimes as close as 900m), they are being constructed throughout residential areas, next to homes, schools and children's playing fields.
Nor, it might be argued, are mobile phones an essential service. While the ability to make phone calls has obvious benefits for convenience and safety, newer, more novel features do not. The ability to connect to the internet, to take photos and videos, to text friends, to act as an alarm clock, to download interesting ring tones - are hardly essential services. Yet these are the features that are driving the construction of at least four 3G networks and the building of thousands of antennas in our communities.
In as much as mobile phone antennas facilitate the operation of mobile phones, their construction is driven by our use of this technology. As long as we continue to use the technology often, we create demand for the antennas. As long as we continue to delight in the novel features of mobile phone technology, we create the demand for third generation - and subsequent generation - networks that that will provide us with connectivity. And it may just be connectivity from an antenna quite close to our house.
Biography
1 ARPANSA Fact Sheet no 9, www.arpasna.gov.au
2 Santini et al, Pathol Biol 50: 369-373, 2002
3 Oberfeld, G et al, "The Microwave Syndrome Further
Aspects of a Spanish Study" soon to be published.
4 http://www.emrnetwork.org/news/IGUMED
5 "Radiation Protection Standard Maximum Exposure
Levels to Radiofrequency Fields 3 kHz to 300 GHz"
6 Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 1997
(as amended)
7 This is known as a Facilities Installation Permit and it can
be obtained from the Australian Communications Authority.
Lyn McLean is Director of EMR Australia PL (www.emraustralia.com.au), author of the book "Watt's the Buzz? Understanding and Avoiding the Risks of Electromagnetic Radiation" and Editor of the quarterly newsletter "EMR Focus". Lyn can be contacted on 02 9501 2665, PO Box 738 Gymea NSW 2227, email - office@emraustralia.com.au
Sphinx - The Fractal of Earth's Development
Introduction
Some years ago I had written an article while I tried to apply a logic of images in the astroarcheology area. In the article I had proclaimed that the Mt.Olgas (Kata Tjuta)- Ayers Rock (Uluru) complex is a direct prototype for the Giza Pyramids-Great Sphinx complex in Egypt.
My belief is that the shapes of Uluru and Kata Tjuta are maintained through the same mechanism as the shapes of Pyramids and Sphinx in the Cydonia region on Mars are maintained.
To better understand the subject matter consider
the next contemplation.
Where, for example, does regular color as such exist? We cannot
find color
as an object in the world: all electro-magnetic quanta have one
and the same
physical nature being different only in the value of frequency.
We cannot find
color as an object inside our brain even if we have the ability
to see the
colored dreams. But we are sure that the color as such is an
object: we perceive
the different colors confidently.
Hence we can draw the opinion: a new spirit
world had been created by the influence
of the systems of atoms on space, and the color as such and our
consciousness
belong to this new world. That is - not the atoms themselves
are the world where our
consciousness resides, but something created by their joint existence.
I call it the 'Field Uluru'.
I suggest to develop methods based on the properties of the iron atoms in the arkose stuff of those mountains. In the case of success we could be able to detect the source of the deliberate influence.
Best Regards,
Sergei Skryabin,
Czech Republic.
The Fractal of Earth's Development
Let us assume the cytology identification
criteria to be our level of
identity. Thus, in the cytology two myofibers or two neurons
are
found to be identical though they do not possess at least one
geometrically
identical shape or line, myofiber being different from a neuron.
At this level a hypothesis is being suggested that the process
of Earth
formation was influenced by a certain generating intellect. Possessing
a
great degree of intensity this generating intellect allowed now
and then
some irony and joke which do find their reflection on the face
of our mother
Earth. People, having committed an epoch-making step into Space,
which
opened a new era of cosmic, global thinking, find substantial
proofs to the
fact that the hypothesis is not ungrounded.
The first proof is that our planet is oriented axially to the dull gleaming but still bright enough Pole star in the celestial sphere, deprived of other bright stars there.
This orientation degree is high enough (less
than 1 grade of arch). Really the
Pole Star is a triple star system with the pulsar (lighthouse)
amongst
them. The second one is that the Moon has the perceived/visible
angular diameter of the Sun's diameter and, as it does not rotate,
it always keeps the same side facing the Earth.
There are two constellations of the White
Bear and of the Black Bear (big
and small). Which is white and which is black? Examining the
map of
Greenland and Canada transversely we can't help noticing the
likeness of
Greenland's outline with the shape of the polar bear's head (correlation
is in
color too), while the outline of Canada is very much like that
of the black
(grizzly) bear's head. Greenland too is closer to the Pole as
well as
the Small Bear constellation being closer to the Pole Star. (Correlation:
smaller constellation - smaller continent + shape + color). As
these
continents are found in the northern part of the sphere - we
have
nothing like an Antarctic white bear.
Now a question arises - where should the information concerning
Man be
enclosed? It reminds us that the anthropologists consider the
North of
Africa to be the place of the First Man. Let us look at this
place on the map
closer. It catches our eyes at once that the African Continent
brings about
the association with the head of a man with the back of the head
in the west
of Africa, the chin - in the south of it.
Where an eye is supposed to be - one of the
biggest though proportionate to
the size of the Head - the Lake Victoria is well fitting. Within
the arch
of Lake Victoria and reminiscent of the eyebrow's arch there
are mountains Kenya
and Elgon with the peak of Margaret. Tanganyika and Nyasa lakes
are the
ways of tears. Cameroun Volcano is a symbol of an ear opening
in the scull
(Africa). Ways of Blowing Nose coincide with two volcanos (one
of them
being the biggest one in Africa) Kilimanjaro and Meru. (Other
close lying
mountains are not volcanoes.)
The Coherent speech Organ is symbolized by
the Victoria waterfalls, the biggest
in Africa, found on the Zambezi river. To imitate glottal accent
the waterfalls of Livingston on the Congo river add to the picture.
Eight mountain peaks in the southwest end of Africa are symbols
of eight
pairs of teeth in Man's Jaw. (The profile of the human scull
discovers only
eight pairs of the teeth.)
Thus the largest and the most peculiar of
natural objects in Africa
(volcano, lake, waterfall, etc) are the semantic models of the
most meaningful
organs and features of the human face (nose, eye, tongue, etc).
The most valuable part of the human scull
(head) is the forehead. Einstein
is said to have pointed to his forehead-saying" That is
my laboratory." Ask any
Muslim what place on Earth is sacred for him and he will show
Mecca, found
on the Forehead of our "supposed Man". The Arabian
peninsula is that
plain spread of the Forehead.
The physiologists mark the lobe brain zones
responsible for certain
functions. Abstract thinking zone coincides with the most regular
geometric
figures on the Earth -Egyptian pyramids, the construction of
which is another
proof to the interconnection of all things. Where the physiologists
usually
draw a leg to mark the center controlling moving (kinetic activity),
our
generating intellect chose to "draw" a leg too - the
Italian peninsula.
If Rome was fed by its feet - its legions
marched more than anyone else, Greece
was fed by its hands. (Greece is the Center of sculpture - plastic
art
liable for hands.) In regular sequence as Appenine Peninsula
("leg") e.g. we
find the shape of a hand (Peloponnese) with its five fingers
and a palm
(little finger - Corinthian isthmus) marking the control of the
movability
of a hand.
The Indian peninsula reminds us in its shape of a heart with
a drop of blood
under it (Sri - Lanka Island).The Indian religion is world famous
for its
mercy, a cow being a sacred animal, all out against the animal
slaughter, as
well as matrimonial love proclaimed to be a feat - a wife being
burnt in the
fire after her husband died.
There is a place of the continental surface of the Earth which
corresponds to the right brain hemisphere. Japan, Korea and China
make use of
hieroglyphs in writing which are much in keeping with the right
part of
brain tendency (imaginary).
Now for the Madagascar shape - we find its
likeness to the nose of the Africa's
Head of the Earth.
We also see as like rock paintings , of a kind of Primitive Art
- direct illustration without encoding: the Sakhalin region in
the Far East is the place of the salmon nesting, where the Sakhalin
reminds us of a fish moving towards the land;
Kamchatka is a fish (a salmon with its "hunch" carried
towards the open sea); Hokkaido is a gigantic scat - manta, Honshu
is a sea otter.
Australian correspondences
North Balance was guessed in the ancient times - Terra Australis
incognita, i.e. - in the south our Earth was suspected to be
reflecting
certain lands of the Northern Sphere - hence Australia is a smaller
repetition of Afro - Euro - Asiatic continent.
The Sahara desert is repeated in the west
and central Australia's deserts, Eyre
peninsula is the repetition of the Indian Peninsula (Eyre has
also small
islands to imitate the blood drops as it do the Sri - Lanka for
India).The
York peninsula imitates the Indo - China peninsula.
The New Guinea placed eastward reminds us
of a kangaroo or dinosaur and has its
model in Kangaroo Island, while Fraser Island imitates Japan.
Tibet
(the highest ever point) is reflected by the peak of Kosciusko
(the highest
point of the Australia). Tasmania is a mirror image of Australia
upside
down.
The New Zealand isles are the reflex of America
itself. The North Island
with the weak similarity of Alaska (in the northern part) is
the reflection
of North America, the South Island is the reflection of South
America.
Terrestial zodiac?
After this, it is easy to understand that our planet Earth represents
a kind of an informative model, whose development was programmed
like that of an embryo. In result, it has been realized that
our planet was created by powerful cosmic (parent-father) civilization
of the Pole - Star planets.
Like ancient Greeks who painted their ceramic
pots with images illustrating their
mythology, our Gods pictured the surface of Earth using the shapes
of the
continents and islands as symbols. The main pictured idea is
the following:
the Head (Africa) looks onto the area of the stellar sky (Indonesia).
Like
the Earth's axis goes near Pole - Star the Equator goes near
Halmahera
Island, which is a picture of this Star. Halmahera Island (sign
of Pole -
Star) and Morotai Island (sign of the planet near Pole - Star)
signify the
solar system of our Gods. Sulawesi Island signifies the astronomic
pointer
(trilithon PI or Stonehenge) on that planet. Great Bear and Lesser
Bear
constellations have been marked by Sumatra and Kalimantan islands
which are
divided by Malacca (which resembles a cobra) just like those
two
constellations are divided by the Dragon constellation, as long
as a snake.
The Fractal of the Development
Assume we must not consider the continents completely covered
by ice. Then we have the next sequence of the fractal -like systems
of images:
1-st level (Down World) 2-nd level(High World)
Australia =======================> AfroEuroAsia
Tasmania=======================> Australia
New Zealand (North Island)==========> North America
New Zealand (South Island)==========> South America
That is the previous step: Australia, Tasmania,
New Zealand (North Island
and South Island) repeated on the next step by Afro-Euro-Asia,
Australia,
America (North America and South America) correspondingly. Australia
is
playing two roles: one role is of Australia itself on the Global
level and
the two is the role of the Afro-Euro-Asia on the model level.
Does this
fractal - like the sequence of the system of images depict the
development
of our world? And is the participation of Australia in two roles
simultaneously(as itself and as a reflection of others) the principle
of
this development?
Moreover, the main and most interesting problem
in Australia is the Ayers
Rock's (Uluru) peculiarity. Everybody can see that the law of
the destruction of its material greatly deviates from the general
statistical law: all stones around it turned to sand, but it
remained as a monolith. In juxtaposition Mount Olga
(Kata juta) was placed about 30 km aside. This group of the rocks
shows the
appropriateness to the general laws of the destruction statistical
ensemble of
the different sizes.
The hypothesis is that what is now Ayers Rock
(Uluru), once upon a time in
the past was a part of the macro-quantum process, and even a
place of the
landing of some cosmic device of our creators in the result of
which the sand
had been influenced by unknown interaction, whose traces might
be discovered
by ordinary scientific methods.
Considering Australia as a prototype of Afro-Euro-Asia
we can approximate
(figure out) the prototype of Africa (Head) in Western Australia
region with
a chin (South Africa) corresponding to the southwest region,
and the face
looking along the southern direction onto the Antarctic continent.
Then we may
assume that the Mount Olga (Katatjuta) complex is a prototype
of Egypt's
pyramids and, similar by the cause of their creation, it corresponds
to some
constellation on in the Southern Sky, maybe to the Southern Cross.
From this pointof view, Ayers Rock (Uluru)
is a prototype of the Great Sphinx and it corresponds to the
Pointers Stars of the Southern Cross (alpha and beta Centauri).
As much as mankind has solved the problems which have been given
by the
Sphinx, we must disclose the enigma of Ayers Rock's (Uluru) peculiarity
in order
to make one step further along the way in the discovery of God's
Majestic Mystery.
Addendum.
Considering the described Fractal of the Development
as an informative
model, we can skip it down to the atomic scale sizes. In this
case we have
the next proportion repeated by the same objects: Egypt's pyramids
depict
the crystals and Sphinx depicts the living creature. Hence on
the previous
step of this fractal - like sequence we have the proportion of
their
prototypes: Mount Olgas (Kata Tjuta) complex depicts the scanning
tunneling
microscope image of the atoms which form those crystals marked
previously by
pyramids, but Ayers Rock (Uluru) depicts the living cell which
was
imaged by the same instrument: the layers of sand stand vertically.
It has
the mitochondria - like structure ("Brain" - rock formation)
and vacuole
("Stomach" - rock formation).
Concerning the aim of the Ayers Rock's (Uluru's)
investigation it is
interesting to understand by what means God is able to exert
appropriate
influence on the rock's material in order to produce the desirable
shapes?
Glasshouse Mountains
Mt. Coonowrin in the Glasshouse Mountains group represents
(marks) the Cape York Peninsula of Australia (compare their profiles
and
relative positions on the continent ). Because of this reason
the Mt. Coonowrin
is among semantic attributes of our informative model,
therefore it was also artificially created by means of unknown
interaction
and it is important to investigate its stuff by methods of the
tunneling
microscopy. It is worth to include into the list of the peculiarities
the Wave Rock in Western Australia and the Candle Stick in Tasmania.
P.P.S.
How did I come up with this?
I noticed the likeness of the outline of the
Africa to the human head profile.
Then I applied the "invented" method ST(largest, highest,
nearest, brightest, etc.) to the
map of the Africa. I have used the largest and most prominent
objects - (largest)Lake Victoria,(highest)Mount Kilimanjaro,(largest)
waterfalls Victoria - and got the (semantic)profile of the human
head as a shape of the continent.
When I discovered the Great Fractal of the Development (Tasmania <=> Australia <=> Afro-Euro-Asia), I outlined the profile of the human head in Western Australia with the chin in the southwest and I got then the prominent objects around the expected places (Uluru <=> Sphinx of Giza, Kata Tjuta <=> Great Pyramids of Egypt, and Wave Rock (as a tongue) <=> Waterfalls Victoria).
After all these things I have chosen the brightest and the nearest stars in the sky, and I got the Alpha Centauri (3d brightest, 2nd closest [after Proxima Centauri]) star as the most probable candidate to host our parent-mother civilization.
Now I completely believe I was right: Alpha Centauri is a double-star system with the stars approximately of the same kind as our Sun. As a result we can see that the our planet Earth is a crossroads of the Bear Highway(starting from the icy prototype Greenland => North America => South America => New Zealand Northern Island => New Zealand Southern Island ) and the Brain Highway (starting from the icy prototype Antarctica => Tasmania => Australia => Afro-Euro-Asia).
At the end our planet Earth has two parent
civilizations: Father from Polaris star and
Mother from Alpha Centauri.
N.B.: As like as the construction of the Great
Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza
has been hypno-induced to people in accordance with the existence
of their
prototypes Uluru(Ayers Rock) and Mt.Olga (Kata Tjuta),the construction
of the Borobudur Buddhist complex in central Java has been hypno-induced
by the same powerful Intellect, because it is positioned on the
straight line which goes along Sulawesi's pointer, Halmahera's
pointer and Morotai island.
The Fractal of the Development acts not only
on the Earth but in the Universe
as a Whole. As like as some objects in the Down World are the
prototypes to the objects of the High World, objects in the Quantum
World are the prototypes to the
objects in the Macro World. This Fractal represents (is the informative
model about) the Algorithm of the Development of our World.
Sergei Skryabin
by Alanna Moore, Python Press Australia, 2nd edition September 2004
Reviewed by Jilli Roberts for Pagan Times, Summer.2005.
This book is an excitement! And how could I have missed it (now in its 2nd edition) or this author (she has two previous books to her credit in line with self sufficient food production).
So here I am, reliving my teenage fascination with earth energies that began back in the 60s with the British contemplation of ley lines and sacred landscape, Gaian theory, South America's giant land art, China's dragon lines, Amerindian medicine wheels and Europe's shamanic past. My fascination became a spiritual way of life where I tend to disappear into the past; Moore's has become a passion for the present, for using geomancy to raise awareness of the language of landscape, as well as preserving it from destruction.
Geomancy is "the study of Earth's subtle energy and spirit, an art derived from the intuitive observations and subtle energy perceptions of the ancients". Moore catches you up in her passion, begins her stories, introduces you to her companions, her colleagues, and lays out lists of brilliant book references to help you go off and find your dream author -I recognised quite a few of my own. And best of all, someone, at last, has linked to the landscapes of Australasia and offers us the thoughts of westerners who speak within the same spiritual ethos of sacred landscape as the indigenous populations.
The stories are separated into their own chapters, the contents page is long and detailed. You can dip in, find a complete, concise overview of any particular aspect of geomancy, together with the book references. Or read a report about an excursion, a meeting of minds, a geomantic experiment. And all in a language which is free, flowing, and easy to absorb.
This book is not full of spiritual theories,
it is a working diary of the dowser's art of reading or interpreting
global form and energy, as it lives and breathes beneath our
feet. Moore, herself an experienced dowser, introduces us to
networks of practitioners who work in various parts of the globe.
But more particularly, I think this is a rare chance to see this
happening in our own part of the world, so often ignored by a
British/USA ethos, which tends to dominate such matters.
And throughout this tome on geomancy, are the foundation philosophies
of witchcraft, presented in another form: "there's no such
thing as good or bad energies .." p. 182, or "asking
permission" before cutting a wand from a tree. Although
a geomancer would warn us not to presume that permission is granted!
And, to be frank, language cross-references many times in this book, using Asian understandings which we all have now: standing stones as acupuncture needles, the use of feng shui to remedy our man-made out-of-control electromagnetic environment, devas and chakras, and mandalas. This, I believe, is absolutely necessary because we have totally lost our own language references to enable us to Talk About sacred landscape in a serious manner. We just can't do it without appearing rather silly (fairies and so on). So I have no problems with this sort of language piracy. We are forced to borrow language from other cultures to address this new awareness. In fact feng shui is so socially mainstream now, that many geomancers explain themselves by saying they practice a western feng shui (eg. Tim Srachan, Sydney geomancer p.181) . No doubt it sounds better than struggling with the lack of language we are saddled with. It is still hard to discuss a living Gaia in anglo-saxon, even after 40 years. But 'chi' and 'feng shui' Are understood, even in the deepest, darkest Australian Bush, we are told.
There is also a good scattering of low key black and white photography throughout, but even they contribute to the quiet, traveller's joy atmosphere of the book, as Moore works with people in the most unexpected places.
The book finishes with reporting on a selection of vibrant workshops, which have occurred in Australia over the last year or two. And a web-link for those who are intrigued enough to get practical, get physical, and start a dialogue with Gaia by hooking up to this network of like-minded people.
This book is a compelling and powerful introduction to geomancy, and Moore herself is an excellent guide as she begins to steer you through her introduction of historical fact no pagan industry waffle here. And before long, you find yourself in the realm of fairies at Findhorn or a weekend at the Gariwerd Gathering of 2000 indigenous elders in the middle of the Victorian Grampians.
Reviewed by Sue Bussell, Natural Resonance Study Group, Jan 2005
How does one begin to review a book like this? Alanna has compiled a massive collection of fascinating information on the earth energies or spirits from around the globe. I was only able to read the book in short segments, as I needed time to digest the information before going on to the next part.
This inspirational work is conveniently divided into six parts with the chapter headings and paragraph headings all listed at the start of the book, so that it is easy to refer to any segment.
Alanna's opening words are: "Geomancy, the study of the Earth's subtle energy and spirit is an art derived from the intuitive observations and subtle energy perceptions of the ancients the world over."
Alanna uses her own intuitive perceptions, backed up by dowsing experience to explore this fascinating collection of information gleaned from around the world. She correlates ancient lore with modern scientific research on the various energy grids that encircle the planet, above and below the surface and interact with universal energy grids. She has also put together a valuable section that points out the dangers of geopathic stress zones to the health of humans, animals and vegetation. This ancient earth wisdom has lately been scientifically investigated, the noxious energies measured and their effects verified.
Alanna's research on the earth spirits, spiced with anecdotes of her own experiences led me to remember many of my own experiences of these wondrous beings.
She introduces Geomancers from Australia, New Zealand and Britain who tell of their involvement in the care of the planetary 'Dreaming'. This whole book is a guide to understanding the nature of different sacred sites and the Devas that inhabit them. To attune to their energies and needs, using the various methods Alanna describes, in order to correct any negative energies.
I can only close by concurring with Alanna's final words in the book: "I feel these understandings have brought a greater richness and effectiveness to the esoteric agricultural technologies that I have been working with. And they have also brought me more joy and wonder at the amazing powers of Nature."
Reviewed by M Duncan for Insight magazine,
I knew the name Alanna Moore as an author but hadnt yet read her work. Divining Earth Spirt was a great way to start! .....One thing that Alanna writes that I really liked was -"Landscapes are constantly under threat from insensitive and inappropriate developments. One way to help protect the sacred places is by helping to build bridges of understanding between the two seemingly different cultures."...
Open the doors to Earth energy awareness and healing with this book, you'll be glad that you did.
Reviewed by Alanna Moore
This 55 page booklet, with helpful diagrams, describes some of the 28 different types of Earth energy that the author seeks, when dowsing for geopathic and electro-stress, as well as beneficial energies. Dahse has done much field work over the last couple of years and provides some fascinating insights into the art of the geobiologist.
For instance, on page 15 he writes about deflecting water veins and energy pathways. "Some of my early experiments in deflecting these lines seeemd successful but I didnt fuly believe that I could cause this effect. What I needed was an objective source of confirmation. I found that source within the next 3 days as I saw a new deer trail becoming more and more obvious. The deer were following a path of water and etheric energy that I had deflected. And if you follow any well-worn deer trail through the fields and woods you'll always be following an etheric pathway!"
On page 31 Dahse gives an interesting account of a study of stray voltage in his area.
"In 1990 I was one of a number of dowsers and electrical engineers called to participate in an event at a nearby farm. The milking cows at a number of farms in the vicinity were displaying some typical EMF stress symptoms, such as nervousness, reduced milk output and odd health problems unrelated to diet or other environmental factors. The engineers were curious about the ability of dowsers in detecting these electrical flows, locating their paths and quantifying the power flowing from pole to pole. The results were eye-opening to both the engineers and the dowsers."
"Pathways found by the dowsers not only correlated with those suspected by the engineers, but some dowsers could accurately quantify the power readings found by electronic instruments connected to ground rods along the power pathways."
"Needless to say, as is often the case when dowsing meets mainline science and technology, this brief exercise in co-operation didn't lead to any vast improvements in the way the grid is wired. But the dowsers present did see a demonstration of how the negative effects of emr could be dissipated. One of the dowsers had copper rods with crystal filled copper cups at the top. He drove these into the ground at intervals along the power pathways and the flow seeemed to disappear!"
To contact the author: email - geopathfinder@yahoo.com