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February 2007 edition the free E-magazine of dowsing & geomancy, in Australasia and beyond. Edited by Alanna Moore. Welcome to the (14th) February 2007 quarterly edition of Geomantica. Yes, I think publishing in February, May, August and November is the way to go. More fascinating articles and letters this issue Thanks also to my son Sky for ironing out some website bugs! There's exciting news on the new book front, with a book on water, unlike any before it, by your editor, that's almost finished. I'm asking for some assistance from readers for my water book. I would like to have some more 'old timer's predictions' - observations of nature that foretell rain in particular. Doyou know any such country wisdoms? If so - I'd love to hear them, if you could drop a few lines or words as soon as, to info@geomantica.com, I'll be eternally grateful! The Speaking Season starts this month for me and this Sunday morning I am giving a public talk on Building Biology at the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo, a huge annual event in Victoria. With amazing exhibits from lovely llamas to wonderful worm toilets, it's going to be the place to be this weekend! Meanwhile - back to writing the last three chapters of the book! PS - Please dont send me any big attachments
people, without checking with me first. I don't have broadband
and slow downloads are irritating! As are the several chain letters
I have been sent recently - don't bother sending more! I'll be
spending your 5c pieces and the letters are in the recycle box.
Until the May issue, peace and bright blessings Alanna Moore
* Letter about Aquifers and Groundwater Nitrate Pollution To Alanna I have been having trouble in making the experts
beleive what I have been feeling as I have esp and can predict
the future especially in weather and what they are doing with
the aquifer,and my divining accuracy as to depth direction of
flow, flow equalization and geological eras and that the water
follows coal seams. I confronted Greg Hoxley, Sinclair Knight
Merz's head hydrologst at a meeting and as soon as I mentioned
Darcy's Law (1856 Darcy's law for headpressure ) and I asked
him whereand do I take my research off shore & his reply
was you take it off shore. I have approached an overseas university
with an international underground water research center and they
jumped at the chance to look at the problem, but I do not have
the finance to carry this through as I am a farmer and the more
I look at the pumping of underground water the more problems
& the more finiccy it becomes as there are many other things
to think about not just using the water. The following are the points that research
done by scientists and hydrologists overseas all come to the
same points as me: from Roger Brien Email - rogerbrien@iprimus.com.au Note - Roger welcomes feedback and assistance with his research. I asked him to explain a bit more, including the word 'graben,' and this is his reply. Ed. Hi Alanna I have deen monitoring the extraction using
the age old water witching method and a local hydrologist that
worked on the Barwon Downs graben in1974 states that the graben
will only take an extraction of 4000 megs in any given year
and Barwon Water have extracted 9000megs from May 1st 2006 to
28th Feb 2007 at the rate of 31 megs a day and the depletion
of the aquifer ...We are causing great enviromental damage by over exploiting the undergroundwater because of global warming and what damage the Achai earthquake has caused. I have done an experiment with the past and present pendulum and it shows now much the Earth has moved on its axis by lining it up with the magnetic line that runs through the center of the Earth. ...The trouble is that all of the good hydroligists have been given packages and told to keep quiet because their figures were correct and were not what the government wanted to hear so they doctor the figures on the high side and when the water runs out then there is an inquiry if we are lucky or they simply keep on denying that there is a problem, until pressure is brought to bear by the amount of users being affected. at the moment we are clutching at straws at anything that we think we might be able to use to correct things, I have bought the following books to help - 'Geology of Victoria', Henry P.G.Darcy and other pioneers in hydraulics, 'Contamination, Sources and Hydrology' vol 1, Water Resources Management, Inland Waters Australian Environment 2001, 'Nitrates in Ground Water, 'Managing Water Well Deterioration' and 'High and Dry - The Transfer of Water in Agriculture from Low Input Industry to High Input Industries and the Disasterious Results That It Has'.
from Roger
* Letter about Homeopathics, Geopathic Stress and Nitrate Pollution Hi Alannah, .....There's a lot of nitrate pollution in
some areas of Ireland. If you In my own essence making and dowsing work,
I've lately found the I love this work and feel there is a big demand
for it. I've seen how Anyway, good to correspond with you. (I asked Mark for details about Spectrum) ....The Spectrum co. remedy is a combination of many colour remedies prepared by the British homeopath Ambika Walthers. Another Brit -- Roger Dyson gave a talk at
this year's Homeopathic I've since used Spectrum co when dowsing and
clearing two houses and The nitrate pollution is critical in some
parts of the country and I'm sure we could do that as part of the village
project in Happy Solstice Alanna, Mark
Note - Alanna Moore returns to Ireland this August to put up more Power Towers and Mark is organising workshops there.
* Letter from a Reader of 'Stone Age Farming' (Chinese edition) in Taiwan Ms. Alanna Moore
Attached to this email was a rather large
attachment of 3 pages of hand written notes in Chinese, I don't
know which type of Chinese. If anyone can help with a translation
- that would be greatly apreciated. But don't overwhelm me with
requests, as it takes me a half hour to send it from here, down
the old phone wires. Editor. from Queensland based permaculture teacher Janet Millington (who is featured on the Geomantica fiilm 'Making Power Towers') and originally published by Homa Therapy Association, Feb. 2007
"I have to admit that I felt a bit skeptical when I walked into the meeting when Lee and Frits Ringma came from Om Shree Dham to present us with the Homa farming concept. I saw the tools (I saw them as merchandise) and I cringed and wondered when we would get to something useful like what I should plant that month and what it was that made my tomato leaves curl. My toes curled and I checked my watch. How was I ever going to have any credibility with my neighbour that I dragged along that night? The talk began and I wiggled uncomfortably in my seat and then I was listening and the toes uncurled. The manner in which Lee presented the Homa practices was so honest, with no ego and in a manner that supposed no prejudice or judgment removed the barrier and I listened and I heard. My neighbour and I were so impressed that we went to the weekend workshop and we finished the 3 months without missing one Agnihotra at both sunrise and sunset for three months.. We both gained a great deal but the property gained the most. Mick just couldn't handle the practice at all and made all sorts of humorous comments regarding my "Woo woo ness". However it was Mick that noticed the dam had cleared. after 8 years of turbidity. You can now see the bottom out past the jetty, and we have never been able to do that. Yes, I had been throwing in the Agnihotra ash and 6 days short of 3 months.the dam was indeed clearing. I replanted my Energy Decent Garden (raised beds and other technologies) I added the usual cow manure and lovingly prepared composts and in one I put the Agnihotra ash. Only yesterday Phil Gale a friend of Permaculture and a good friend to many permies on the coast, and a student of soils with Graeme Sait, arrived with his meter to measure the mineral uptake of the plants in the 3 garden beds. He used a refractometer that measures the mineral/sugar levels in the plant (or the energy content. A reading above 12 will mean the plant is resistant to pests and disease. This test is referred to as the Brix test, and much to my delight, the scientific reading showed the level in the Agnihotra ash garden was twice the reading of the other two. This was a journey I never would have taken without the open, nonjudgmental and brave decision to invite the "new" method practitioners to our meeting.. I remember a time when Permaculture was not acceptable!" by Janet Millington.
Extracted from the e-newsletter
of the * Letter about Lorraine's Labyrinth, at Griffiths Point, off Back Beach Road,
San Remo, Victoria Tue Dec 19, 2006 Hi Alanna ...Yes we did dowse the site for the centre,
entry as well as the pile of stones. These stones, representing
ancient labyrinths, are being taken on the walkers journey around
the labyrinth and then given to the labyrinth as the walkers
blessing for a permanent labyrinth. Thanks for oferring to put info in the next newsletter. The labyrinth will be there at least until
after Easter. Cheers, * Letter to an Academic about CLOAKING To Professor David Smith. Duke University Durham NC27708 U.S.A. I, Laurie Adamson, am very Interested in your 'Cloaking' experiments which were Featured in our "West Australian" Newspaper on the 24-10-06 and also on a T.V. Program in Western .Australia. My chief Interests have been in 'Accurately Defining' the Subsurface Movement of Water in Shallow Streams in the Landscape without having to Read Randomly Sited Piesometers, and in Defining the Associated Throughflow E.M.F. Radiation and Control, so your Report on 'Cloaking', Shielding Objects and People from View , is of Particular Interest to Me. I have known for 50 Years that You Don't Camp Dogs or People over Subsurface Streams: Dogs go Mad and People develop Serious Health Problems! I have no Academic Qualifications, but as a Layman, I have been interested initially in 'Shielding our Bedroom' from the E.M.F. Radiation coming up from a Sub-surface Stream that passes under our House in Quairading, Western Australia, creating a Radiation Problem that could be affecting our Health: E.G. Dementia ? Just from a chance Remark from a Friend who had some Health Problems, had been advised to put a T.V. cable around his Caravan, led me to isolate our Bed from the E.M.F. Radiation coming up from the Sub-surface Stream, with an Electric Copper Cable. This was Effective Immediately, effectively
creating a Neutral and Safe Sleeping Area That success then led me to Shielding the Electric Clock- Wireless, by surrounding it with a copper cable, as well as Locating the clock at arm's lengths away from my Head, resulting in better Sleep and a less itchy skin over night. This Short Cable requires discharging each week through the Three Pin Plug, to a suitable Earth at least weekly. Other Copper Cable 'Shielding' features that the Cable could be useful for is; protecting People from Radiation influence when using Mobile Phones, Micro-wave Radiation T.V. Magnetic Blankets and other Electrical Appliances, and Over-head Power Transmission Lines ( Guildford Grammar School in Western Australia Sports Ground directly under the Big Power Line!.) A Copper Cable Shields both Inward and Outwards and Downwards E.M.F. Radiation. Some People are Allergic to Static Electricity.(
I am ) The Earth's Natural 'North-South Orientation' feature remains unaffected by the Copper Cable. The Geo-mineral Survey Aircraft is equipped with a Large Surrounding Copper Cable, but it is used to send Pulses to the Earth to detect Mineral Deposits.
Will You Survive your Mobile Phone?? Long-term mobile phone users are more likely to develop a particular type of brain tumour on the side of the head where they hold their handsets, research to be published later this year in the International Journal of Cancer, suggests. Those who regularly used mobiles for longer than 10 years were almost 40 per cent more likely to develop nervous system tumours, called gliomas, near where they hold their phones. It is the second study to suggest the increased risk of a specific type of brain tumour because of mobile phone emissions, says the article of January 2007.
Source: 'Mobiles linked to tumours', Sydney Morning Herald, January 26, 2007, found at - http://www.smh.com.au/news/phones--pdas/mobiles-linked-to-tumours/2007/01/25/1169788694585.html
The ABC studios at Toowong, Queensland, were evacuated at the end of 2006. A difficult decision, as they nowhere to go! Broadcasts are being done in different places here and here in Brisbane, sometimes in vans in carparks! It may take years to get new premises sorted out. The sudden move was made because of the fear
generated by the epidemic of breast cancer, particularly bad
amongst women who shared the same news desk and for women who
had been there the longest. "An independent panel of experts
has found 10 women have developed the disease while working on
the site since 1995... (and) chairman Professor Bruce Armstrong,
says the rate of breast cancer at the Toowong studios is up to
11 times higher than what would normally be expected". While a study of the old studios revealed nothing over the statutary allowed electro-magnetic radiation limits, perhaps this is a sign of the inadequacy of the Australian Standards? And perhaps not all frequencies of radiation were looked for? As the ABC has to move all their high tech equipment and set it up elsewhere - are they just taking the problem with them? A review of all Australian ABC studios and peoples' health is also being undertaken. Source: Breast cancer scare forces ABC
to relocate
ABC TV reported on developments in 22/12/2006: "The Burrup Peninsula is a rugged outcrop
about 1,600 kilometres north of Perth. It's only 27 kilometres
long but it is a hub for some of Australia's biggest resource
projects, as well as home to what's believed to be the world's
earliest recording of Aboriginal life. Among the red rocks scattered
across the peninsula are etchings that tell the tale of a people
who have lived on this harsh terrain for more than 30,000 years. WILFRED HICKS, WONG-GOO-TT-OO WEST NGARLUMA
ELDER: The European people, you know, they go to church. This
is our Bible that's on this land here. KEN MULVANEY, AUSTRALIAN ROCK ART RESEARCH
FOUNDATION: The rock art of the Burrup basically tells a story
from the Ice Age until the present, from when the Burrup was
an inland set of mountains to them being a set of islands. KATE ARNOTT: The carvings depict animals,
symbols and people and Wilfred Hicks, elder of the Wong-goo-tt-oo
West Ngarluma people, remembers his grandfather telling him the
stories that accompany the rock art. He says, for his people,
it is a spiritual guide handed down over generations. WILFRED HICKS: No matter what we try and do,
it's the Minister is the one who's got the answer. We could sit
and cry day and night and they'll just turn around and say, "There's
only black fellas. We'll just go straight through them. We want
this project to go ahead. We'll go straight through it."
And that's the way it's happening. KATE ARNOTT: Archeologist Ken Mulvaney, who
is President of the Australian Rock Art Research Association,
says the collection of rock art on the Burrup Peninsula is the
most abundant and important in the world. WOODSIDE STATEMENT: "Woodside's intention
is to destroy no rock art the design of our facitlities has been
modified to ensure heritage sites are avoided wherever possible.
As a result, 95 per cent of the 3,000 engravings on the Pluto
leases will be undisturbed by the development. Woodside will
relocate around 150 engravings to undeveloped areas within its
leases." KATE ARNOTT: Those who want to preserve the
art see world heritage listing as the only way to protect it
from encroaching industrial development, but the West Australian
Government is squarely on the side of industry. FRED RIEBLING: We've dreamt of this area becoming the most important industrial region in the southern hemisphere for 20 or 30 years, you know, and finally the realisation's starting to happen.
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Get-Up organisation reported a happy development in this saga. "In a stunning backflip, both the Western Australian Government and Woodside have just dropped their opposition to heritage listing. This is a huge step towards saving the remaining rock art from destruction, and making Burrup what it should be - one of the world's most well-known and safely-visited heritage sites. The West Australian reported, "...Woodside director Keith Spence said yesterday the company had changed its position after being influenced by public opinion...". While nationally our Federal government tries to erode hard won Aboriginal land rights, in the name of 'progress', here is a good news story of how one state is trying to set things right.
"THE Githabul people of northern NSW will get joint management control of World Heritage-listed national parks after securing the biggest native title deal struck on Australia's eastern seaboard" The Australian reported in early 2007. "The NSW Government has agreed to hand over joint control of 19 national parks and state forests in some of the nation's most picturesque country. The claim covers parts of the Githabul nation, which stretches for more than 6000sqkm, straddling the NSW and Queensland border near Mt Lindesay and taking in the World Heritage-listed Border Ranges and Toonumbar national parks. "However, large tracts of the land will be withheld from native owners due to the intransigence of the Queensland Government, who had refused to negotiate on the claim for 10 years. As a result, native title over the lower half of Mt Lindesay has been granted, but not the peak... Githabul claimant Trevor Close said that "...the significance of the Githabul agreement was that it dealt with the interests of farmers, did not seek compensation for past acts, included the grant of some freehold title, recognised sacred areas and secured such a large tract of interconnected national park and forest reserves. "The agreement is scheduled to be signed at a ceremony at Toonumbar in the state's northeast on February 28 - three weeks before the NSW election - and will be attended by NSW Premier Morris Iemma and rock bands Midnight Oil and the Warumpi Band.... "Under the agreement, Cazna Williams is being given ownership of three areas, which the anthropologists' report for the claim said were among the most significant within the larger Githabul cultural landscape. The sites include a roadside water spring and Capeen Mountain, which Ms Williams is not permitted to visit because it is a men's place. The mountain is regarded as the residing place of the skull of the Nyihmbuyn, or powerful spirit. "Ms Williams said she would not prevent anyone drinking from the spring or having access to the areas. "In Aboriginal culture we don't own the land, it owns us," she said... The Githabul clan was able to trace its genealogy back to 1790 and its original ancestor, Yagoi, meaning bandicoot, using detailed records kept by the United Aborigines Missionaries staff who gave out rations on the basis of skin colour. An anthropological survey of 10 families has documented how family links and cultural traditions have survived European settlement. "The local Githabul language is still widely spoken and taught in the local Woodenbong school" said The Australian, Tuesday, 2 January 2007, in 'Deal struck on native Eden' by Graham Lloyd.
Water and the Rise and Fall of Civilisations, Droughts in Australia, Weather prediction by nature, Rain-making traditions, Sky water harvesting. Re-watering Australia's landscapes, Household water conservation, Improving water quality, Water magic today. Back to the top
The SEER Centre in Perthshire, Scotland has this important tip: REDUCE GREEN HOUSE GASES VIA CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Visit: www.seercentre.org.uk/conference
© Alanna Moore, 2006.
So you have some land and want to know the best building spot? I am often asked to help people decide. As well as an appreciation of sustainable design, from a grounding in permaculture, I use fairly esoteric methods of assessing a place, such as dowsing and meditation. I like to deeply connect to the Earth and Nature, for I am geomancer. Geomancy is a way of looking at landscape that assesses the subtle forces at work, its mythological elements, plus the historical dimensions of place. All up it refers to the overall feng shui (Earth harmony) of place, but its origins are universal, not just Chinese. Geomancers divine the energies of place and determine whether they bring detrimental or beneficial affects. In animist cultures intensely energetic sites are afforded highly sacred status and are never interfered with by the populance, except briefly, on ritual business. Extinct paradigms in the modern world? Not really. In Perthshire, Scotland, a land developer's plans in 2006 were thwarted by locals insisting that a large stone that he wanted removed was the sacrosanct home of the fairies. Scottish geomancer and author David Cowan was interviewed for television at the site, after which he left an offering, putting a one pound coin inside a 'cup and ring mark' (ancient petroglyph), he told me. Other people, then, also started to leave offerings, he told me.... The developer had to go back to the drawing board and design around it. Folkloric associations with the land there obviously have highest priority. In other parts of the UK, crop failure has been connected, in the peoples' minds, to the removal or destruction of local standing stones that had been carefully placed millennia ago for various sacred purposes. Permaculture is about designing sustainable systems using the inherent qualities of energy at sites. Geomancy can provide a spiritual component to permaculture design, helping us determine the ideal placement of design elements, in order to maintain or enhance good fengshui. So the two systems are perfectly complementary for a holistic approach to Earth care. But how to gain an appreciation of the geomancy of place? Discover your locality Check out your local region. Go slowly, cars are too fast and disconnect us. Walk the land. Find out the local history and discover where one can visit indigenous peoples' special sites. Develop a relationship with these places. If we visit the sacred sites with our senses and our hearts wide open, we can learn amazing things! One can absorb the Earth wisdom first hand, directly, at sacred sites. Especially at initiation grounds, such as in eastern Australia where they are often marked by circular earthworks called 'bora rings'. Be aware of the strong gender divide associated with Aboriginal sacred sites. It's always best to visit those sites traditionally associated with your own sex, or else the sites that are open to both. If you are not sure and feel uncomfortable it's probably not a good idea to stick around! We can also visit sites where horrible things have happened and send some healing, loving thoughts to the place. Saying "sorry" to the land is long overdue in many cases! And it all helps. In our own backyards And before major upheavals, such as earthworks, are begun, the respectful way is to give plenty of warning to the place about what is about to happen, well ahead of, and up to, the event. The same applies to tree cutting and branch lopping. Nature is intelligent, so talk to it! I have been respectfully developing my own land and there have been some beautiful results and that is another story, as they say. Mankind has been 'at war with topography' for too long. I think that we owe it to the Earth to take a gentle, caring approach to our custodianship of Her. And that can start in our backyard! Creating a personal sacred site might be what is needed. The ancient Greeks would devote one wild untamed corner of their gardens to nature. This temenos/ wilderness patch can be a great way of helping to conserve nature's biodiversity, but is usually kept out of bounds. Perhaps a circular oak grove? Or an artistic outdoor altar that could be a focus for the peaceful pursuit of creativity. Animist resurgence Perhaps this is because mankind in the 21st century has inherited a spiritual desert, with orthodox religions giving justification for domination over nature. The denigration of indigenous wisdom paved the way for the cold hearted commodification of the planet, where a beautiful tree or rock outcrop becomes just another 'resource' to be plundered. European traditions of the genius loci /spirits of place and the intelligences of nature are no different to Aboriginal paradigms, and we share a common spiritual heritage from earliest times. Aboriginal people have lamented the loss of their traditions and cycles of ceremony as the reason for the decline of flora and fauna species. We can ask them to inform us about the land. If there are none to consult with, then we can pick up the threads and sing to the land ourselves, honour it and protect it from harm. There is the potential for a brighter future in Australian land management, where a new, deep connection to land can evolve, while the hurts of the past are acknowledged and eventually healed. Many people today are living on the land in co-creative relationships with nature and it brings them great wealth, in terms of joy and land productivity. Sacred sites are calling out to people, to anyone who will listen. The landscape devas crave positive relationship with us, yearn for our voices singing and bodies dancing. We all have the power to create a heaven on this Earth. We have the tools, the know-how. The universe isn't just 'nuts and bolts' and it is our spirits that propel us forward, while we're thinking with our hearts. By listening to the quiet voices in the rocks and plants, with a spirit of generosity, we can help to restore Earth harmony lost and honour and enjoy it where it is still tangibly present.
This article was written for and first published by the Permaculture Association of South Australia in July 2006.
© Ciaran Graham, 2006,Wicklow, Ireland
It was a beautiful dry October afternoon when I drove up the tree lined avenue of Jack Beans grain and sugar beet farm, some 25 miles north of Kilkenny city. Extending to over 270 acres, the land would be considered highly productive but the same could not be said for Jack's family over the previous 12 years. The deterioration in the family health appeared to have started after 1987, when a number of earth tremors were felt on the east coast of Ireland. Health problems included, breast cancer, depression, ovarian cysts, lack of energy, higher than normal incidences of infections. During Jack's initial phone call to me, I had enquired about the health of the animals, prior to devoting the farm entirely to tillage production. The only health problem that Jack could recall was with a bull. "What was the problem with the bull" I enquired. "An echo" replied Jack. He went on to explain, the bull was kept in a small field near the yard, but there was an echo in that field, so that when the bull roared, he would immediately hear another roar. A competitor! Bulls are not fond of competition, especially when a cow is ready to mate. So the bull would chase around the field trying to detect the location of his competitor and dispatch him on his way. Alas he searched in vain, but for every call the bull made his competitor would always respond immediately, but never showed his face, and this led it a very stressful time for the bull. Jack had noted the bull becoming more frustrated as the years moved on, and at times it became difficult for him to concentrate on the job in hand. Mother Nature is always teaching us new things, and in this incidence we have to learn a little Bull! I had asked Jack were there any megalithic sites in his area, standing stones, earth mounds, ring forts etc, but he said no. After introducing me to members of his family on my arrival, I asked to have a look at the local Ordinance Survey map of the area. This showed a ring fort on one of the farms adjoining his land, while the farm on the opposite side of the road was called Rathdubh or Black fort. So we went out to walk the yard, and the land and in particular to view the field with the echo. The land was undulating, but not hilly. This was clearly a well run enterprising farm, with a well laid out yard and a system of farm roads. So we made our way to the echo field which was by this stage a very small section of an 85 acre field, which is large by Irish standards'. Jack brought me to the centre of what was once the echo field, and he whistled his dog. The dog immediately came running and started to bark! Then there was another dog barking, competition! The sheep dog barked again looking for the visitor, the visitor replied but never showed his face. I was glad the bull was no longer in that field. The interesting aspect to the echo is that this was a flat division of land, we were not standing up against or near large buildings, walls etc, so why was the sound being transmitted back to us? Looking around the field, I noticed a large mound of boulders in one corner. I enquired from Jack, what was the storey behind the stones. "Ah" says Jack, " this was known as stoney hill when I bought it, so over the years we have been clearing them off the land'. (My megalithic site) "Jack, I believe you have cleared this land of a large megalithic site" I said. He was not over impressed with my observation. His daughter Clare (15yrs) decided to join in with her piece of wisdom, "Tell him about where the giant played with his marbles" Jack did not wish to indulge in imparting fairy tale like stories to me, but I like fairy tales, so between Clare and myself, Jack had to impart the story. The were 4 large indentations in the 85 acre field we were in. The largest of these would have extended to some 2 3 acres, round and at least 10metres in depth. They were in effect earth bowls. Local folk lore, says that this is were the giant played with his marbles. We got into the jeep and drove up to view the "marble holes". I walked down into the centre of 3 of the bowls, and stood in the centre of same. It was not a pleasant experience. On all 3 occasions, I felt nauseated, my solar plexus was being twisted, my crown chakra was being strangled. This was not a pleasant place to be. I left feeling the worse off for entering these earth bowls. We returned to the yard, they asked me many questions before I departed for home. I also had a lot of questions to ask my guides on this case if I was to explain the reasons for the family's poor health history.
i) Jack in his innocence had cleared the land of a large configuration of megalithic stones. ii) The echo in the field was an interesting influence and could not be ignored. What role did it play? iii) The giant and his marbles, folklore, yes. They also have an influence in this storey. iv) Stony hill! These large granite boulders have a storey to tell. What would they have looked like if we had an aerial view of their original location. v) The Earth tremors, deterioration in health was noted after their presence was felt. With the above factors in my memory, over the next couple of nights I went to bed, waiting for the insights to come and explain this puzzle. Many will remember the old cowboy movies, when the native American Indian, would hop down off his horse and put his ear to the railway track and listen for the sound of the Iron Horse coming. On the odd occasion he would also have been seen to hop down off the horse and put his ear to the ground to try and detect any approaching sound. The ear to the ground, was never really explained in detail and how it worked. In life, rather than Hollywood life, the Native Indian would have identified a vibrational location by sight which was sensitive to sound vibrations. In other words, a sound made some distance away from the observer and not audible, maybe transmitted along water vanes, or rock faults. The sound is absorbed vortex generated by a blind spring, absorbed by the water in that spring and in effect re-generated at other blind springs that are duly connected to the original. Our Red Indian friend who hopped down off his horse, was in fact placing his ear immediately over such a blind spring. Insight No. 1. An echo is described as the re-bounding of a sound signal, but when you are in the middle of a flat plain, and there is an echo, this theory fails to explain why the sound is rebounded. However, if there is a rising wall of energy coming from the ground the sound signal, could be absorbed, deflected, or rebound. In the case of our bull friend we learn that it is re-bounded. Stones influence energy in many ways, they can be like weights in a balance. Harmonising two independent forces and maintaining equilibrium. When we remove stones from the place in which they have stood for many thousands of years, we disturb an energy balance in that immediate area . We in effect destabilise the energy flows in that location. When Jack cleared his fields of stones to modernise his farm he left himself and his family open to harmful energies that may be transmitted through the earth. Insight no. 2 Folklore is passed down orally over many thousands of years, and with time a certain level of romanticism creeps in. I do not know the truth about the giant and his marbles, but when such folklore refers to a particular field, some form of activity of an esoteric nature was sure to have taken place there in the past. Insight no. 3 A farmer is normally very observant, in Jack's case, he remembered the earth tremors, and shortly after noted the deterioration in the family's health. Ireland does not suffer from earth quakes like Britain, which is reported to have upwards of 300 minor quakes per annum. What we get in Ireland is the reproduction of the sound on the movement of the rock, most audible in areas known to have a natural echo.
Insight no.3 Jack's farm lies in an area that is known to have geological deposits of uranium, an unstable radio-active substance. Insight No. 4 The pieces of the gig saw begin to fall into place. The reason for the onslaught of ill health on Jack's farm:- When Jack removed the large boulders on the farm, he destabilised the harmonic balance of earth and cosmic energy on his land. When the earth tremors of 1987 where felt a communication channel was opened up directly with Jack's land and Britain. This communication channel has a nasty element to it. The fault line or communication line connects his land to the nuclear site at Sellafield. The resonance of activity at Sellafield is in sympathy with the radioactive substrata on which his land lies. Certain elements of the radio-active pollutants being handled in Sellafield are being reproduced on Jack's farm, and other land in the near vicinity. It would appear as in magnetic energy, that the weaker field of radioactive energy attracts the stronger. This concept will be difficult for many to accept, but here is a simple test you can carry out with a friend. 1. Locate 2 different springs ("A" & "B") at least 100 metres apart, but in identifying these springs, they should have a common communication channel, either through underground streams, or through rock faults. 2. With the use of a tuning fork and a pair of divining rods, the diviner should stand immediately over spring "B" waiting for the rods to react to the reception of sound from spring "A". 3. Your assistant should strike a piece of hard wood over spring "A" in the usual manor with a tuning fork. Striking a signal note on a string instrument will also have the same effect. 4. The diviners rods will not react immediately as if the sound were audible over the surface, but rather more slowly when travelling through the system of earth energies. 5. The interesting fact about this test is, that the diviner will appear to receive 2 reactions, one soon follows the original. What I call the echo effect. Subsequent to my visit to Jacks farm, a man contacted me from Kilkenny city, with an usual form of skin complaint. He was unable to sweat. When his body would get hot, he would break out in a form of rash or red blotches. My explanation was that he had been exposed to some form of chemical poisoning, or exposure to some form of noxious energy, as the energy field on his skin had been severely damaged. The sweat glands where not able to re-act to the flow of water. They were in actual fact closed. But he did not work with chemicals, or in a hazardous environment. On further questioning of the mans background, I was to learn that his parent's farm, joined Jack Been's farm. His skin had been exposed to an excess of radio-active pollutants altering the energy field of the sweet glands. When we site a factory, no account is taken of the existence of underground streams, and their influence. What has been brought to my attention in the case of Jack Been is, that the vibrational resonance produced ( pollutant energy) by a factory in Liverpool may very well be reproduced in a small village in the foot hills of North Wales or further afield, where the population may experience a higher than normal rate of terminal illness. The underlying catalyst that allows the transmission of toxic energy in the manner described here, is aquatic vortex technology. The energy that can be applied to harmonise and render it benign such toxic energies will also employ aquatic vortex technology. We must remember that a pollutant, is a particle of energy that has no useful purpose in our Eco- system. When a pollutant comes in contact with healthy elements it will tend to have a negative influence on the life of same. If however a pollutant is exposed to a specific harmonising field, its malignant character can effectively be come benign and harmless. We are currently obtaining very positive results from our research into this technology. The cause of local health clusters are unlikely to be explained by the scientific community. The case of Jack Been is true, only the names and location have been changed to protect the parties concerned.
Next issue Geomantica will publish the next part to Ciaran's fascinating unfolding story: 'Living - or Surviving- with Geopathic Stress.'
Extracts from a Talk Presented at the
Summary: Problems (Maarten then talks a bit about NPK fertilisers and DDT etc) To improve soils, farming methods in annual cropping have recently changed from intensive cultivation to minimum tillage and no-till systems as being environmentally better and with good returns. Such 'sustainable' systems, however, are empirical as they are developed without a full understanding of long term outcomes. Impact of associated intensive chemical use is the unknown factor. It is the combined and repeated impact of chemical use that affects the system, factors not tested in product registration process or long-term field research. Negative soil related developments in these 'new' systems have already been identified in Queensland (Bell 2005). Brown (2004) formulated these phenomena as "For every action on a complex, interactive, dynamic system, there are unintended and unexpected consequences. In general, the unintended consequences are recognised later than those that are intended". Current practices continue with the use of
harsh chemicals and ignore the delicate balance of humus,
Ecosystem (Maarten goes on to talk about ecology and symbiosis on farms) Further ecosystems improvement may be achieved
by managing natural energies with permaculture (PRI 2006), Yeomans'
Keyline Designs (Yeomans 2006) or Natural Sequence Farming (NSF
2006) to fit paddocks in a sustainable landscape. Natural Sequence
Farming is a rural landscape management technique aimed at restoring
natural water cycles that allow the land to flourish and be less
sensitive to drought conditions (Newell 2006). This goes back
to the natural balance of water cycles as pioneered Another aim towards sustainability and the protection of ecosystems is reducing the vulnerability of farming to effects of diminishing oil availability by decreasing the reliance on petrochemical products. Science Much of the sustainability research is fiddling at the margins of entrenched methods and tends to work on symptoms rather than primary cause of problems, as evidenced by appearance of new problems. It is not simply a matter of doing better what we do. 'Best practice' locks us in status quo which is still not good enough! If agricultural research is to deliver anything approaching sustainability, therefore, we need to change the science paradigm (Jackson 1985). Or as Dr Albert Einstein said: "No problem will be solved with the same level of thinking that created it in the first place". Over generations research has become increasingly "reductionist", that is, reducing and outlining systematically the area of interest and the disciplines to be studied. While this approach has delivered a lot of knowledge about the workings of particular crops, pastures, livestock, insect pests, chemicals, etc, focussing too intensely on closed systems with narrow boundaries on single, isolated components of the bigger "real-world" system means we are blind to larger cycles and patterns within which component parts exist (Stapper 2002). New problems keep emerging as each of them
are dealt with as single issues resulting in partial solutions
that don't necessarily solve the problem, for example, acidity
(with lime) and salinity (with lowering ground water). Partial
solutions tend to equate a single solution with the cause of
the problem but lime and ground water, for example, are not always
directly related with acidity (Anderson 2000) Alternative causes for dryland salinity have been derived from experiences with soil management in New South Wales (Wagner 2005), Victoria (Nathan 1999) and Western Australia (Paulin 2002). Experimental results of individual components
are thus difficult to apply to paddocks, being complex systems
in time and space. What does an 'average' mean in a paddock?
Other management factors are likely to be working against individual
research results, thereby inhibiting change. Hence, problems
continue to emerge in agricultural production systems. These
are now proposed by science to being solvable with genetic engineering.
Another oversimplification in our fragmented agricultural science, The standard multi-factorial research methodology seems ill-suited to study complex biological systems where every thing is linked with everything else. To obtain functional outcomes, no factors may be considered 'constant' in trials while varying a few 'important' factors to quantify their impact. Also the boundary conditions of research objects
chosen by specialists (eg pots & small plots in growth
chamber, green house or research station) are often not appropriate
and representative of real ecosystems (especially microclimate)
and create results not transferable to farming systems level. New methodologies and directions of research
are required in the search for resilience, to achieve reproducible
and predictable outcomes in farming systems across agroecological
zones. Such research needs to be planned, executed and analysed
by a transdisciplinary team working across ecosystems at representative
scales, agroecology (Gliessman 2000, Altieri 2006). This is to
allow measurement and observation of expressions of the multitude
of interacting components within and between different scales
of the farming system. Plant health (Anderson 2000) and animal
health (Voison 1958), for To reach sustainable agriculture we have to
look at the whole system and develop holistic tools with agricultural
science that bring together, from across disciplines, the knowledge
obtained through analytic reductionism, without getting lost
in small component detail of the 'which single factor? The how?
the why?' Such tools are unlikely to be quantitative, hard systems,
as dynamic interactions by Therefore, a soft systems approach is required, synthesising knowledge into management guidelines for sustainable land use involving careful monitoring of status. Australia's public R&D in this research direction is minimal and seems to be one of the lowest of OECD countries as was evident at the recent International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Congress in Adelaide (ISOFAR 2005). However, we need to search for productive agricultural systems with reduced usage of petrochemical and energy, and not rely on 'Techno- Fantasy' to help us out. In an economy without cheap oil, Heij (2006) examined the role of science in the context of this profound socioeconomic change now gathering momentum around us. Management We can learn to use the power of nature rather than fighting it with synthetic chemicals and unproven new technologies in a war we can't win. Organic Farming is surging and Biological Agriculture (Anderson 2000, Zimmer 2006) is emerging as a sophisticated farming system in transition between current and organic. Both benefit from reintroduction and enhancement of humic and soil biological activity which was already in the foundation of Biodynamic Farming (ATTRA 2006). In contrast to the Organic standard, Biological farming allows minimal use of the most microbe-friendly fertilisers and herbicides with humic additives and molasses or sugar to enhance effectiveness and reduce damage to microbes. This requires ever smaller quantities as the system is balancing and moving towards Organic, a process that occurs much quicker when actively managed with biological inputs. Management aims to balance chemistry, physics and biology in the soil aided by improved organic carbon content, appropriate mineral balance and a diverse and abundant soil life. Thus stabilising our fragile soils and creating a sponge that stores and makes available required plant foods and facilitates prolific root growth. Soil biology helps building and maintaining soil structure to secure aeration and prevent compaction. A balanced biological soil will have the maximum levels of available minerals coinciding with maximum demand by plants. The farming system is intended to enhance biological activity in soil and on foliage, enabling a balanced supply of required minerals for effective plant growth, providing energy to plants and grazing animals, and building internal resistance to diseases and insects (Callaghan 1975). Soils are actively remineralised, inoculated with soil microbes and supplied with food for microbes, all required to attaining and maintaining an energetic balance. Cover With cropping and in orchards, the soil should be covered most of the time by plants or stubble to protect from high temperature and water loss. A litter layer as cover will be a continuous source of carbon for soil organisms and also provide temperature insulation and water retention. Green manuring provides opportunities to convert rainfall into soil fertility. Weeds Weed growth is minimised with soil minerals being in balance and with lowest levels of freely available nitrogen. Mineral availability provides conditions that produce certain weeds, which can be used as an indicator of mineral deficiencies (Walters 1999). The weed spectrum changes immediately when soils are balanced using appropriate materials. For example, from stinging nettle domination (sign of calcium unavailability) one year to no nettles and some shepherd's purse as main weed the next. This is the ecological concept of succession, with different suites of species supported on the same area of land as soil conditions change over time (Ingham, this proceedings). Variety choice
Most current varieties have been selected to produce well in
high-input management systems and therefore expect such treatment.
New varieties have to be developed under organic- biological
conditions to optimise production with low input on healthy soils.
The first step is to Rhizosphere The rhizosphere is the area of intense biological and chemical activity close to the root inhabited by soil microbes feeding off exudates from the root, thus facilitating nutrient supply to the root and protecting it from pathogens. Fertiliser with the seed at sowing decreases root growth, root branching and the number of root hairs. Applying microbes, humic substances and food for microbes with the seed generally results in a vigorous seedling with a thick rhizosphere, prolific branching and many root hairs, without a need for conventional seed-dressing. Such annual plants when pulled out of the ground at flowering still show a vigorous rhizosphere. Microbes keep colonising the roots as they grow thus providing a continuation of that good rhizosphere. It has been demonstrated that an active rhizosphere can be created in degraded, acid or saline soils with that neutral zone around the root allowing vigorous plant growth. Such a carbon pump into the soil will improve that soil and the increasing soil biology will segregate negative compounds. Carbon may thus help stop dryland salinity (Jones 2006, Seis this proceedings). Inputs
The most important inputs are foods for the soil microbes with
the most effective one being carbon exudates from roots of growing
plants. Maximising the time of active plant growth therefore
is most important. Rotational, cell or planned grazing, for example,
facilitates root growth and delivers more carbon to the soil
than set-stock grazing. Another example is pasture-cropping where
winter Residual stubble and roots are also important
sources of carbon. Stubble, however, needs to be broken down
to be available for soil organisms. To facilitate this a stubble
digest, containing cellulose digesting fungi and some urea to
lower the C:N ratio, can be sprayed on a slashed, spread and
rolled stubble with or without incorporation. Such decisions
depend on the amount and kind of stubble, Carbon can be applied as molasses, sugar, humates or brown coal, in order of decreasing availability. Humic substances, such as humus, humate, humic acid, fulvic acid and humin, are important forms of carbon for plants, playing a vital role in soil fertility and plant nutrition. Plants grown on soils which contain adequate humin, humic acid and fulvic acid are less subject to stress and are healthier, and the nutritional quality of harvested foods and feeds are said to be superior (Pettit 2006). Soil microbes and minerals can be applied as required by spreading, down the tube or as foliar or soil spray with possible micronised minerals. Microbes can be applied as compost tea (Ingham 2006) or as commercial mix available on the market, such as EM (Effective Microbes) or 4/20 both internationally renowned products. These mixes may contain free-living nitrogen fixers (Azotobacter species), bacteria that establish in the litter layer and can provide 20 to 70 kg N per ha per year depending on moisture and carbon availability. Phosphorus solubilisers are another bacterial group that may be included to make available the P applied in the past and locked up in the clays. Importance of biodynamic preparations and application (time and method) does not just rely on its bacteria content, but also stimulate the activity of other soil bacteria and fungi. Other inputs can be organic in nature, such as seaweed, guano, soft rock phosphate, lime and rock dust, or in biological farming, inorganic microbe-friendly fertilisers in small amounts, such as sulphate of ammonia, calcium nitrate or mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP). Lime is regularly applied (0.4 to 1 t per ha) for calcium to be available, which is a very important mineral and requiring fungi for availability to roots (Ingham, this proceedings). Compost is an important and effective method to deliver carbon, organic compounds, minerals and microbes to the field as a readily available organic fertiliser. The best compost would contain up to 90% of the carbon in microbial biomass, that is, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes (Ingham 2006). Compost tea can be extracted from good compost and sprayed in orchards and on broad acre crops and pasture (Ingham this proceedings). Vermicomposting is the process by which worms are used to convert organic materials into a humus-like material known as vermicompost. Trials
It is good to do trials on your own property to find out what
and how things work. It is best to leave test strips on the paddocks,
including a nil strip to see what would have happened if you
hadn't done something. It is important to keep good records and
markers in the field to be able to keep track of a treatment
in one season over subsequent years. Current yield monitors are
providing grain Monitoring
"you can't manage what you don't measure"
Monitoring of soil and plants is important to be able to see
improvements when changing management and to allow early detection
of required management. It is good to keep track of differences
between paddocks and use it to try to Smell the soils and discover the sweet smell of a healthy soil. Lab soil tests are the classic tool to get some chemistry numbers of what's in the soil. However, it is important to also assess the biological availability of essential elements and their balance, as provided by special labs. Deficiencies are relative as productivity can be adversely affected by excess. Soil minerals can work together or be antagonistic to each other. An excess of one will create a deficiency of another. Tools
Descriptions of home-made equipment are given with the Soil Health
Card (NR 2006). A wire quadrat is used for soil cover estimates
or weed/plant population densities, a penetrometer to monitor
hardness of soil and an infiltrometer tube to measure rate of
water infiltration. A pH-meter can provide you with information
as to whether plant sap is at the healthy neutral level, meaning
the soil is in balance energetically. In Biological Agriculture
a pH-meter should also be used to make sure herbicides are applied
with a pH as low as 4, and with fulvic acid as additive, to greatly Outcomes Standard successes are crops of canola and lucerne without insect damage and not needing pesticides. Animals show the most extraordinary health (eg. lack of foot rot, bloat, pink eye, mastitis), fertility (eg. +25% lambing) and longevity. They need less fodder and graze shorter compared with available conventional feed. The animal health is astounding when you think
of what could happen to humans if we ate such food! Biological
farming can reduce fertiliser use by up to 70% and eliminate
fungicides and insecticides within three years of commencing.
Such personal statements about achieved outcomes are available
in newsletters and articles in rural magazines but independent
quantification is rare (Stapper 2004). Most methods haven't been
proven scientifically, failures are experienced if methods or
conditions are not Improved soil biological activity becomes
visible through presence of earth worms and many creepy crawlers.
Common soil problems have been alleviated such as acidity, salinity,
compaction, water logging and wind erosion (no dust behind sheep).
Water holding capacity has been improved which shows, for example,
on irrigation farms through a 2-3 day extension between irrigations.
Water As in current systems, not all inputs are
always effective. Success in biological systems depends on many
factors working together. Soil organic carbon formation from
roots and stubble, for example, requires important nutrients
to be available as the C:N:P:S ratio of organic carbon is stable
across the world (Kirkby et al. 2006). Something can fail
if a catalyst is missing. When everything connects we can get
responses beyond expectation as synergies ('1+1=3') start to
occur. However, we are on the right track. An organic farmer
from the UK, a Nuffield Scholar having visited the USA regularly,
stated in February 2006: "I have seen some truly exceptional
farmers who are light years ahead of anything I saw in America,
particularly where it really counts, in the practical application
and making Lal (2006) found that enhancing soil quality
and agronomic productivity per unit area through improvement
in soil organic carbon pool will increase food production in
developing countries, with numerus ancillary benefits. Adoption
of recommended management practices on agricultural lands and
degraded soils would enhance soil quality including the available
water holding capacity, cation Many have studied the impacts of farming methods
on environment and food production. For example, studies have
shown reduced nitrate leaching and enhanced denitrifier activity
and efficiency in organically fertilised soils (Kramer et
al. 2006). Impacts of herbicides on rhizobium survival and Cuba is the first country to develop agroecological
systems nationwide. This was following the disintegration and
collapse of the Socialist Bloc and tightening of the US trade
embargo which prevented access to petrochemicals. Cuba successfully
turned to self-reliance, organic farming, animal Road to Sustainability How do we find the road to sustainable agriculture producing healthy food in a healthy landscape? How do we turn our 'Clean and Green' image into a reality? Minerals and microbes are the key in both soil and human health. Mineral density of foods has more than halved last century (Berger 1997, McCance and Widdowson 2000) and we need to increase it again through production and keep it available with proper processing of food. Good nutrition comes back to agriculture and the way our foods are grown, processed and prepared. Real medicine must start with the patient's diet and ultimately the nutrition on the farm (Anderson 2000, 2004). Worthington (2001) found genuine differences in the nutrient content of organic and conventional crops which improvement could be greater if all organic crops are actively managed with microbes and minerals. Farmers and graziers are to be paid for such quality. Active management of the soil foodweb, remineralisation
and greatly increasing the required soil organic carbon is essential
to reaching ecological sustainable production systems and a (lessun)
sustainable agriculture. Such a system produces healthy food
with good taste, structure (ie calcium and silica availability)
and extended shelf-life. Trees are important as shelterbelts in a dry, wind-swept continent. There are examples in many districts where farms converted say 10 percent (often from 0.5) of their property to trees and wetlands, and resulting in improved productivity by being less sensitive to droughts. This will especially be the case when appropriately combined with Natural Sequence Farming (NSF 2006). Organic-biological farming methods also seem
promising on a landscape and catchment scale as they result in
farming systems which stimulate biodiversity, minimize use of
synthetic chemicals, stabilise the soil, and balance hydrology
thereby reducing off-farm impacts. It is important to mix and
match such systems with landscape changing factors such as permaculture
(PRI 2006), Keyline Design Most districts have a property with sustainable
practices as outlined above. These practices were achieved with
persistence by the manager through trial and error under the
financial pressures on fragile soils in our highly variable climate.
It is the task of science with participatory research to connect
these dot points in the landscape using appropriate concepts
and principles. A typical agricultural manager is time poor and
cash poor thereby easily following advise from (trusted) outsiders.
Action research is needed to visualise farmer knowledge of natural
resource management By Maarten Stapper Soon-to-be-ex-CSIRO Plant Industry, maarten.stapper@csiro.au Note - It's sad to hear that the CSIRO doesn't need Maarten Stapper any longer in their ranks. But if you have read his talk no doubt you'll guess why. The CSIRO certainly has a reputation for making its scientists tow the government line, even if it goes against scientific findings! Every day it seems, the intergrity of public science crumbles a bit more. Editor.
'Ley Lines the Greatest Landscape Mystery', by Danny Sullivan, Published by Green Magic UK, 2004, reprinted 2006. Reviewed by Alanna Moore
The retail price is $34.95, it is available from most book shops and is distributed by Australian Book Group. Reviewed by Alanna Moore
'Your First Easy Steps to Feng Shui' 2nd edition 2006 by Roseline Deleu is published by Harold Tietze Publishing www.fengshuisteps.com www.happyology.com
Reviewed by Alanna Moore by Jilli Roberts for PAGAN TIMES SPRING 2006 Ithink this is the third Film Series by Alanna Moore that I have reviewed, and each one is better than the one before, and the creative qualities of Alanna and her film crew are coming through. The photography, camera work, the editing, and the music that occasionally stirs the spine, are all very good. The gentle voice-over is appealing and appropriate, almost meditative, moving at a pace that allows the words to sink in and be comfortably understood and assimilated. I have said before that I find Alanna's films give you a sense of being confronted with a row of open doors through which you can choose to go if you want to discover more than that which Allana gives you. This is not a fancy way of saying the films are in ëmagazine edití, or put together like TV bites. That is not the case. I particularly want to make this point because The Geomancy Today series is an excellent presentation of the basics of what is being discussed. The quality of information and balance of sources is excellent and interesting. These are not magazine edits but well thought out presentations, crammed full of information. So I feel it is important to get over that first hurdle of 30 minute disk, flick in the machine, all over response that this product may get at first glance. Please give it the time, if you are interested in this subject matter. It is more than it seems. DISCOVERING DEVAS We are all aware that the word Deva is one of those purloined by the West from Indian culture, as have karmaíand chakraí Iím over this now (you heave a sigh of relief), but I was interested to discover that the word Deva has now gone beyond spiritual concepts and now heads companies in the business of producing among other things: music, cosmetics, fashion, seaweed, and computer products, to name but a few. Despite this dilution, Deva remains a powerful and popular word in our culture to describe the concept of : celestial, shining, elemental spirit, intelligent entity, god, goddess, etc. This word does have links to similar ones in European linguistics such as the Lithuanian dievs and Prussian deiwas, the Germanic Tiwaz , and the Latin deus and divus ëgodí from which the English words divine deity, French dieuí and Italian dio derive. In this context we should feel comfortable in using the word of another culture so freely, although personally I prefer to work with words and concepts from my own immediate culture: in this case, the Fey. In this film, Alanna takes you through the history of Devas and their equivalent, in many cultures, including Aboriginal Australia. The inclusion of Aboriginal spiritual beliefs in this film is another strong point of the whole film series and injects an understanding for the viewer of some aspects of these beliefs which may not have been there before. As in previous films of the series, we also see interviews of national and international people who have experience of working in the area under discussion, in this case, communication with Devas, visionary artists and dowsers. One memorable interviewee discusses the Devas he has observed in the Australian Parliament House in Canberra. (I wonít print any spoilers here.) The absence of any discussion on the balancing dark side of the Deva realms is not necessarily a worry, if this film is aimed at new seekers, but one hopes that awareness is broadened as training and study progresses under the umbrella of Moore's films and workshops. All round, this film is a delight, and gives you the feeling of being part of a Whole, of swimming in a cosmic balance, and tantalises the viewer with the discovery that our eyes do not necessarily see all that is to be seen. Again, this film takes you on a fact- filled journey, this time through some of the myths and legends associated with the water Element in human consciousness, from yin/yang to homeopathy. No in-depth explanations are given, just the brush of a butterfly wing on each topic, a door blowing open to invite your imagination and personal quest. But, as always, you are made aware of the connections between many cultural manifestations of thought on the same Our histories are burgeoning with the stories of how humans have interacted with the spiritual aspects of water. Here you are shown a variety of some of these: purification rituals, the persisting legends around wells, springs and aspects of The Great Mother. The legends of mermaids from different cultures, flit through the script. Scottish silkies represent the British water Fey, and their relationship with humans is glimpsed in a fleeting chorus of The Silkie folksong. There is so much depth to all of these areas: follow your quest. Rain making ritual is shown, a modern blessing with water, and above all we are shown examples of how human culture in the past and present has given honour to this particular Element. A performance of Aboriginal storytelling is included, as is the personal journey of a western storyteller, who discusses the moon tides effect on our bodies and our connection with the cosmos. Dowsers make an appearance again, of course, and the overall theme of this film is the need to respect and care for this Element which makes up about 80% of our personal space and communal space. Moore's film products are unique, individual and idiosyncratic. They are almost the documentary equivalent of the Japanese poetry form of haiku; short and focussed, with every component being Very Important. You have to concentrate, almost meditate, as you watch. I can only repeat that if you like visual imagery and verbal guides, then these films are an enjoyable way to take a break from the written word. If you seek stimulation, inspiration, or even a starting point for your personal spiritual quest, then you may well find that nugget in one of Alanna Mooreís films. In today's world, research is easier than it has ever been before, and you can go forward by just putting in your keyword. In these two films reviewed here, the doors are open to communicate with, or even enter, realms other than the one we inhabit, as well as offering an impetus to acknowledge the water Element in all its guises, which is ever present and within. In this context I recommend this 2-film package.
Bill Harney is a senior elder of the Wardaman tribe, living southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory of Australia. Previously anthropologist A. P. Elkin worked with Harney's father, resulting in a collaborative book published in1968- 'Songs of the Songmen', W.E. Harney & A.P. Elkin. Elkin had mentioned the great importance of the night sky to the Wardaman and others in northern Australia and noted that shamen undergoing intitiation would "travel to the Milky Way into the Southern Cross / Dark Coal Sack area for a 3 day initiation". Harney invented the term 'cosmoscape' to describe the geomancy of both Earth and sky. In Wardaman cosmology, the night sky is the home of spiritual presences who journey along vast songlines. In this collaborative book co-author Hugh Cairns explains the similarity of cosmoscapes across Australia. For example, the Great Emu Spirit was first described in the literature in 1925, by Prof Baselow, who describes its exact location (usually in the Dark Coal Sack). In perhaps the oldest of all the world's cosmologies, the typical scenario finds a Sky Boss, an Earth Mother and a Rainbow Spirit - who is usually represented as a serpent and is responsible for water. Different other totemic beings inhabit the sky, of varying significance to various tribes. Two outstanding songlines, originating from the Leo and Pleiades constellations, traverse the Wardaman sky on their journey to the Southern Cross, and ancient stories are enacted across time and space each year, as different presences reveal themselves along the way. The stars, and the dark spaces (cosmic dust nebulae clouds) with their "shadows" of powerful spiritual presences, provide maps for Earthly navigation, as well as dictating the annual cycles of life, of ceremony and the training of the young in the stages of initiation. Across the songlines the Creator Dog a Thylacine, marsupial dog now extinct, carries a Bag of Songs given him by the great Sky Boss, in a cycle that starts in late April, the beginning of the ceremonial year and ends in October, after which the wet season begins. This dog is accompanied at various stages by the Lightning Children, borne of the great trinity of beings, plus the totemic Creator Spirits (usually in animal form) and human spirits too. In rock art too, Cairns explains, we can discover cosmic meaning to several petroglyphs that he has studied, from examples in the Sydney sandstone country, to ancient Mootwingee in outback New South Wales. There is evidence of cupules that suggest star patterns, alignments with standing stones (a rarity) and grooves that suggest the counting of moon phases. And concentric circles in Wardaman country that indicate the sun, with the number of rings indicating the different seasons and degree of heat. Their calendrical function being a necessity for determining the timing of ceremonies. Not alone in their personification of the dust cloud nebulae - where northern Aboriginals see a kangaroo, emu or crocodile spirit, South American tribes see a jaguar or panther. The Wardaman regard the Pleiades as a place from where Law has been dispensed, while Sirius is represented by a decorated owl, in their vast cosmic menagerie. There is a Wardaman tradition that each evening the sun sets and sinks beneath the Earth, travelling through the underground waters, which Rainbow releases at times, to emerge cleansed and refreshed the next morning. On Earth the Rainbow's representative for the Wardaman is the exquisite Black Headed Python (featured in my film 'Discovering the Devas', Ed.). It was the main landscape creator, gouging out river beds and gorges with it's body and elsewhere known as the Rainbow Serpent. Following the few scant published references to the subject, in 1997 Bill Harney was asked by Cairns about his traditions of the night sky. No-one had ever asked him about them before! The result is this book, published in 2003 privately by Cairns, who describes it as "Perhapsthe first recorded, comprehensive and public account of detailed indigenous Australian astronomical knowledge" 'Dark Sparklers by Hugh Cairns and Bill Yidumduma Harney, self published by H.C. Cairns
2003, rev. 2004.
Reviewed by Alanna Moore .
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