May 2007
Contents:
New GM wheat trial seeking submissions before approval now!
Welcome to the latest quarterly edition of Geomantica.
In this edition you can read Ciaran Graham's fascinating follow-up article on geopathic stress, plus your editor's latest musings (written inbetween writing my next book 'The Wisdom of Water' - which won't be much longer now!) As well as three feature articles there is a lot of very interesting news to get your teeth into.
Currently, a great deal of rain has lately fallen in my state (Victoria) and the farmers are very happy. It's been over 30 years since such heavy falls have come to many parts, the west, in particular. They came just in time to sow winter crops on schedule. Plus soil (and air) temperatures are up, which is great for germinating seed. The fields are green again - hurray!
It seems that the ten plus year drought is over here. This is what wildlife, the plants and animals, had been predicting... But if you want to know more about that - you'll have to read my water book when it's out. (And I'm still keenly collecting rural folklore about this, if anyone knows something and wants to share it.)
For any would-be article contributors out there, please don't hesitate to submit your writings. And if you want to keep the editor happy, always put a capital E for Earth, otherwise -technically speaking, you are referring to soil only.
Alanna Moore
"A massive prehistoric 'henge' site has been discovered in Lismullen, beside the Hill of Tara. The circular enclosure is over the size of 3 football fields, and is without doubt a national monument because of the rarity of henges in Ireland, as well as its importance to the Hillof Tara archaeological complex, announced the Tarawatch press release of 1st of May 2007.
The next day the Irish Times reported that: "Just 24 hours after Minister for Transport Martin Cullen turned the sod on the ¤850 million M3 motorway in Co Meath it has been confirmed that a site of "archaeological importance has been discovered.
The large circular enclosure is clearly visible on a hillside at Lismullen in the Tara-Skryne valley. It most probably would have been used for rituals in either the Iron Age or Bronze Age. The motorway would pass through it, they said.
The Campaign to Save Tara were very pleased at the decision for construction to be stopped on the proposed route of the M3 through the Tara/Skreen Valley.
"Under the National Monuments Act the archaeologists contracted by the NRA were forced to declare a likely National Monument has been discovered. It had been the Save Tara Campaign that first alerted the National Museum to the potential significance of the Lismullen site, a wood henge which is within 100mts of the Rath Lugh monument, and directly within the path of the proposed motorway" they reported on May 2nd.
In Australia, the second most Irish country in the world, activists are doing what they can to stop this destruction also.The Anam Cara for Tara campaign can tell you how to help too, check out their website at
- a Report from Australia
by Lorraine Dean Rodda
In my home State of Victoria Australia three temporary sand and grass labyrinths have been created over the last three months. All have plans to become permanent. All of these labyrinths independently have in someway surfaced a link to the original inhabitants of our land, the Australian Aborigine.
San Remo's Santa Rosa 7 circuit, Seaside Meditation Labyrinth was visited by aboriginal people from Uluru in the North Territory. An entry in the Labyrinth's Reflection Journal indicates " the labyrinth allowed us visitors to bring the spirit back to our shared land." "Congratulations to the builder for the vision." This was a very powerful message to look into the spirituality of the labyrinth for the aboriginal people.
Geoff and I discovered local as well as visiting aboriginal clans of the Bunurong people met for long periods of ceremony in this area. Geoff and I are seeking collaboration for this to become a significant Aboriginal Ceremonial Ground with the potential of a labyrinth as a Healing pathway. This could be similar to the one created in Wonthaggi.
The Wonthaggi Arts festival launched the labyrinth with a significant aboriginal feel. It had three very clearly defined concentric circles. Black plastic tubing was used to retain the pathways made of a rich terracotta, yellow ochre and charcoal grey with white sand in the centre. The labyrinth was the stage for dance, song and labyrinth inspired verse.
In Healesville, TLS Member Merran Macs, through her work with people who have a mental disability, engaged the wider community in making a temporary labyrinth. There will be Reconciliation Pathway linking the labyrinth to the Wurundjeri People's ceremonial area containing a sand dance circle and ceremonial fire pit. The labyrinth is a contemporary version of the Classic Cretan 7 circuit design.
During my research I discovered a book "The Magic of Menhirs and Circles of Stone, June 2005. by Alanna Moore. Alanna writes "in eastern Australia an equivalent of the British stone circles are circular Aboriginal dance grounds known as bora grounds or earth/kiparra rings, denoted merely by a ring of raised earth. These low key temples are found, by dowsing, to be also pulsing with powerful energies.
The bora grounds were used for general corroborees and were always linked by a curving pathway to smaller circular grounds, although in many preserved examples the second ring has been lost. The smaller ring was secret ritual space used for initiation. My dowsing has found an upward vortex in one and a downward vortex in the other circle, and, linking them together, a dragon (Earth energy) line that flows down the pathway" (www.geomantica.com)
During the absence of Nhys Glover, Australia's Regional Representative, a newsletter is being developed for circulation, via the internet, to enable TLS members here for networking and determine our future directions.
by Kelly Curtis
Rylestone NSW, March 2007
The WSS is a project to build a stone circle dedicated to peace and reconciliation in the Rylstone-Kandos area of NSW. This space will be non-sectarian, a place that people can come to experience beauty, peace, healing and a connection to the Earth & surrounding landscape.
A beautiful prototype was built at Helen and Per Kristensen's place just outside of Rylstone on the Bylong Road. With the help of Englishman Ivan McBeth and other committed people, this circle of stones was a trial run if you will, to determine just what sort of people, resources and knowledge it would take to build a structure such as this. The question we asked was could this be done on a larger scale and designed as a place open to the wider community, on community land? Helen and Per's circle of Standing Stones has since created a sense of peace, health and prosperity for all who have visited it. This circle is affectionately referred to as "The Small Circle" or the HelPers (Helen/Per's Stones) the largest stone is about 4 tonne in weight. Each of the 10 stones are arranged to mark the 4 cardinal directions, equinoxes and several of these stones have been aligned to natural phenomenon on the horizon, e.g Mount Marsden, Bocoble and Tong Bong Mountains.
The WSS smallest stone is expected to weigh in at roughly 4 tonne, the largest within the vicinity of 40 tonne. Ivan chose these 34 stones when the HelPers were selected. The Stones have lain patiently in a quarry near Home Rule up until now. Likewise, many months ago, a site was chosen along Bartlett's Road (3km from Rylstone) for the circle to be erected upon. Quietly as they do, Helen & Per purchased the land in order to secure the site for the group. We also refer to this land sometimes as "Wally's Block" a euphemism that has stuck due to the name of it's previous owner. The land had two titles and our biggest hurdle was convincing council that we should be allowed to subdivide it for the project.
So, we are at a critical point in time. We have made several presentations to various council groups and the Quarry at Home Rule these have been received favourably. As always, money and resources are obstacles we need to overcome. We are in the process of submitting an application for Incorporation. This will enable us to better deal with government bodies, including Mid Western Regional Council (MWRC), gain funds to purchase the land set aside for the project (3.4 ha) via grants and sponsorship of the Stones. Our first AGM is held 12 months from now. As a teacher, I will be approaching all local schools soon to ascertain how we can best meet curriculum needs in Science, Math, Technology, Art & HSIE via the WSS project.
The number 33 has featured significantly throughout the project, but that's a story for the campfire next! 33 is a significant number in itself. It has been used symbolically in designs for enhancement and is used in stories to assert regal or esoteric connotations. Number 3 reflects the family unit. Number 9 which when written 3X3 indicates humanity as a whole. As a result it was suggested that the membership fee be a 33 and the sponsorship of the stones a 33; hence the $33 membership fee and the $3,300 sponsorship per Stone.
Helen, Rob and Peg have provided further information
on the Land, Stones and World Peace Flame aspects of the venture.
If you know of any group or organisation that may be able to
lend support to this project by way of being able to "use"
the "final product" (e.g artists, school groups, recreational
organisations), or donate in-kind or sponsorship resources (e.g
tradespeople/professionals or a group/organisation who may want
to sponsor a stone) we would welcome you sending their details
to me.
Finally, if you would like to become a member
of the incorporated Wollemi Standing Stones Inc., please send
your details and postal address to me so I can return to you
the membership form and payment details.
This venture has become a reality because of all the wonderful
support and encouragement of people such as yourself - our love
and gratitude for this!
Blessed Be
Kelly.
- email - kellyacurtis@yahoo.com
(please ensure you use "WSS" in the subject area, so I know the message is not SPAM)
Address :WSS Project, C/O Kelly Curtis, "Rathdowney", Acacia Drive, Rylstone, NSW 2849.
THE STONES and dealings at the quarry so far
by Rob Lavender
The stones have been accessed at a
quarry at Home Rule, on a property owned by the Drew Family.
This is the same place the Small Circle was sourced from and
is the same quarry that the granite that graces the Sydney Opera
House was sourced!
Discussions have been ongoing since early 2004 in regards to
our interest in some of these stones. I have been in contact
with Mrs Norma Drew, her two sons, Karl and Robert and Joanne,
Karl's wife- they have all been interested in the project. In
October 2006, Mrs Drew contacted me with a request not to go
to the quarry until she notified me. I agreed. When she next
contacted me I learned that a company called Australian Granites
(a subsidiary of Gosford Quarries) now had the lease of the quarry.
Joanne Drew then approached the quarry people on my behalf to
arrange a meeting with them. This took place on 15th Feb with
Phillip Brown representing the company.
Helen and I were present; we checked all the
marked stones and Phillip indicated that there would be no problem
with us acquiring them and he would not ship them away. He indicated
that the rock would cost $300 per cubic metre (approximately
$1800 each stone this however is not "set in stone"
and may end up being less).
Discussion then centred on the procedure of getting the stones
out. Phillip indicated the need to have a qualified mining supervisor
on site whenever we are there to get stones, due to the fact
we would need at least a 50 tonne excavator to move the stones
selected.
A meeting has been arranged with an excavator operator to see if he can actually move the stones and to get him to estimate what time frame he sees for the job as it will cost roughly $200 per hour. Considerable time has been spent talking to and measuring the stones to ascertain the weight of them. As granite weighs 2.8 ton per cubic metre, we have to be fairly accurate for trucking etc. I have had talks with Keysekker's Trucking, Hooper's Cranes and Henry's Cranes with regard to costs related to the project with a detailed budget coming to you in our next update.
My thoughts
The stone circles of ancient times
appear to have been built to recognise the spirits in the land
and the connection with the universe, aligning with the solar
system planets etc. European traditions of spirit, fairies etc
and the intelligence of nature, are no different to Aboriginal
thoughts, and we share a common spiritual heritage from earliest
times.
My feeling is that by placing the stones in this sacred space
we are reconnecting them to the Earth, the peace this will generate
with the spirits in the stones will be felt by all who venture
within it.
The space will be open to all, the access unrestricted, my feeling
that every one connects to all as a brother or sister means to
me unconditional love - totally non-judgemental .
Quote from Alanna Moore
"We all have the power to create heaven on Earth, we have
the tools, the know-how. But the universe is not just nuts and
bolts and it is our spirits that propel us forward, while we
are thinking with our hearts"
LAND information to date
by Helen Kristensen
You will remember that "Wally's
Block" came with 2 titles with the division of approx the
same size... In 2006, the owners of the land submitted to MWRC
an application for a dwelling entitlement, which was allowed
on the proviso that the blocks be consolidated to form one block
of 41.64 Ha.
Since then, the Council Planning Dept has
been approached on 2 occasions and the story of the WSS has been
told....We were asking THEM to show US how a subdivision and
separate title be created so that the Wollemi Standing Stones
could become a reality. It is especially important that the land
on which the Stone Circle will stand will be under community
ownership. We were fortunate that recent directive to the Planning
Dept is that ANY project with "tourist potential" in
and around Rylstone Township is to be treated kindly... This
has resulted in a great deal of work by the Planners in the effort
to accommodate our wishes for a small parcel of land. They have
also advised us to work on this quickly as come November of this
year, subdivision sizes must fall in line with the rest of the
state minimum 100 Ha.
The Planning Dept has come up with 'a still to be tried' clause
available under Rylstone Local Environment Plan 1996... Section
21 which will allow subdivision of the block for the purposes
of erecting a stone circle ...there is still a deal of paperwork
and another presentation that should PROVE A NEED for 'the circle'
and its associated buildings.....
This is how the pertinent clause reads:
Subdivision for other purposes within Zone No 7 (c).... Water
Catchment Zone
(a) the purpose for which the allotment is to be used involves
the supply of goods or services for which there is a demand in
the locality, and
(b) the land could reasonably be used for that purpose, and
(c) the anticipated level of demand for the goods or services
which are to be supplied from the allotment, and the extent to
which that allotment will be used to meet that demand, justify
the creation of the allotment notwithstanding its agricultural
or protection value.
Council has so far, offered favourable consideration to the creation of 2 blocks by subdivision...One with the standing dwelling entitlement of 38.14 Ha and the block for the Stones of 3.4 Ha.... We just need to prove that 'a demand' exists.
The World Peace Flame
by Peg MacLeod
One of the discussion points at our last meeting (and as seen in the draft proposal), was a permanent home in The Central West for an eternally burning World Peace Flame. Since the WSS project is about fostering peace and harmony, we thought it would be an added dimension to the project. The story is an interesting one
In 1999 The World Peace Flame initiative was launched. Seven flames from Asia, Africa, Europe, Australasia, the Middle East and the Americas were flown by military aircraft and united together to form one eternal flame of peace and hope. The flames were lit by royalty, indigenous elders and eminent peacemakers. This flame has since been presented to decision makers and peacemakers across the Globe and there are now eternal World Peace Flames on all continents in the world, burning to remind us of optimism and hope for all of humankind.
'The Weekly Times' (Victorian rural paper) of April 4th covered Maarten Stapper's exit from the CSIRO. (Of course Geomantica readers would have already known about it happening, from Stapper's paper that was published in the last issue.)
"Organic groups have hit out at CSIRO for refusing to continue funding the work of a vocal opponent of genetically modified food" they reported ( in Kate Dowler's 'Claims made of GM bias'). Stapper took a well aimed last shot at the CSIRO - claiming it had gagged him from airing his concerns about GM.
7% of CSIROs resources are tied up with GM projects. Stapper had proposed a study comparing the economic and soil health outcomes of organic and conventional farming. But the CSIRO refused to fund his proposal. They wouldn't do it because they are basically pro-GM, Stapper says. "There's no patents in organic or biological farming, so CSIRO isnt interested"
Now that the CSIRO has wound up its one small research program supporting biological and organic farming, which Gene-Ethics director Bob Phelps said had "upset the management", they could 'conveniently' let Dr Stapper go.
Stapper's contract ended April 5th.
Geomantica wishes Dr Stapper all the very best in his future work.
"Salute to a Grain Saviour" was the title used by The Weekly Times when they covered the death of sustainable farming identity John Pannan recently. John was well known in western Victoria and beyond. A star pupil of Arden Anderson's radionics training, his Horsham based business Bio-Agrology Unlimited, will be continued by his son, Dave.
"Biological farmers have lost one of their most passionate advocates" wrote Simone Dalton, (The Weekly Times, April 18th). Only 62, he died after a long kidney illness. It was suggested by a radionic farmer I met in Tasmania recently that Pannan might got 'burned out' by doing too much agricultural radionic work. "He was always out there to help others and probably neglected his own wellbeing", he suggested.
Pannan and Dr Anderson ended up running biological and radionic farming seminars together and Pannan had clients all over the country. At the same time he continued working his own patch, farming 1200ha in the Wimmera. Last season he "stripped an impressive 2.4 - 2.8t/ha of barley and 2.1t/ha of wheat, at a time when many (other people's) paddocks were not even being harvested" (due to drought ) the paper reported.
The self-taught biological farmer had "taught us a lot and introduced us to the value of caring for and nurturing the soils" said his client of 6 years, Carl Loeliger. "His death is a considerable loss to the alternative agriculture community."
Geomantica extends its condolences to John's widow Marjorie, who was very involved with his work.
by Cieran Graham, Ireland
2006.
Traditionally, geopathic stress has been associated
with the influence of underground streams passing under one's
house or office, and resulting in some form of ill health for
the occupants. In strict definition terms, it is defined as an
unfavourable reaction of the human, animal or plant's biological
system as the result of exposure to radiations from the earth
that would have been dowsed as detrimental. But in 2006, life
is changing more rapidly than ever before and our health is not
improving with these changes. Our hospitals are bursting at the
seams. We have never had so many people working in the health
industry, some would prefer to call it the health service, but
either way it's under strain and to say the least is not winning
the game. Then we hear the arguments for why the health service
is failing, consultants? Management? Bed shortage? Department
of Health? _____ What about Geopathic Stress? Why not? It has
equal validity to all the other reasons mentioned, so let us
take a few minutes to reflect on how the influence of earth's
energy has on our lives before dismissing it and how earth is
coping with the new influences prevailing in the environment
compared to 50 years ago.
All life on this Earth has evolved under the influence of cosmic
energy, and the cosmos has also evolved with the earth being
an intrinsic component of its living energy field. Our forefathers
were very much aware of this close relationship with the cosmos
and understood the influence that planets within our solar system
had on our very survival. The great Earth monuments and megalithic
sites that have survived for more than 5,000 years on this land
are testament to their knowledge and foresight in harnessing
and managing these energies for the generations that were to
follow. Such structures were not built as glorious burial chambers
to their former leaders, but rather they are unique energy centres
through which both cosmic and earth energy were received, transmitted,
processed, and managed, to enhance life on this earth and beyond.
This energy was tuned, and became harmonic. Today we enjoy the
results of a technologically advanced people whose work with
natural energy influenced harmony in subtle energies many thousands
of years ago and in no small way has contributed to specific
elements that support our life on this earth today. It is now
time for us to return to this technology and support the re-tuning
of Earth's energy with the atmosphere and environment.
The energy created by and through the structures our forefathers
designed can be measured to this day, through dowsing methods,
or even simply by the amount of people who travel to these megalithic
sites in their thousands on an annual basis and marvel in awe
at their structure and simple beauty. On a scientific level,
significant changes in the mineral content of water has been
measured on samples charged at different locations on certain
sites, clearly demonstrating that the sites have specific energies
which have yet to be replicated by science, but which have a
significant influence on the biological system.
This could be said in other words, that their
spiritual being is moved by the spiritual energy of the structures
themselves, spirit being another word for higher energy that
is not limited by religious dogma or commercial influences and
is freely available to all those who seek it. The technology
used by our forefathers can still be used today to harmonise
noxious energy in our environment. Such energies are being generated,
for the most part, due to our ignorance of the subtle effects
of electromagnetic transmissions on all life forms. Their source
is found in the myriad of radio transmissions within our atmosphere:-
* Communication
* Electrical
* TV
* Satellite
It is their inter-reaction with naturally occurring Earth energies, that results an un-harmonic frequency which has an adverse effect on human, animal and plant biological systems. The influence on both the human and animal neurological system by exposure to this new form of environmental energy is not known at this time, but it is likely that it contributes to the onset of certain types of clinical depression.
In addition our environmental atmosphere is
influenced by:-
* The structures we create and place on this Earth
* The way we design our houses
* The geometric form that the structure takes
* The design of energy flow to and from the building and within
the building.
Feng Shui, the Chinese discipline of energy
management is well known, while in Europe the art of Geomancy
'(placing structures on the Earth) is a much less documented
technology but its application techniques are extremely relevant
and potentially more suitable to coping with geopathic type stress
generated by 21st century technology and living styles than Feng
Shui. Why? When we look more closely at the reasons why geopathic
stress is becoming far more prevalent at an exponential rate
when compared to 50 years ago the reason becomes obvious.
Isaac Newton introduced a simple and enduring
relationship character to us, "For every action there is
an equal & opposite re-action." This has profound implications
in our lives today, for every minute of every day there are literally
thousands of artificially generated electromagnetic radio waves
passing through everyone's body, organs, and cell. This radiation
has not had its origins in nature nor have these energies evolved
in harmony with nature. They have been designed and tuned so
that naturally occuring energies from the earth and cosmos have
the minimum influence on their transmission in order to improve
their efficiency. In simple terms, modern radio transmissions
suffer very little interference from adverse weather conditions,
and are able to be received inside of most buildings without
the use of an external antennae. Satellite surveillance transmissions
depend upon the reflection of their transmission signal from
the object being observed and this is also the case in terms
of:-
* X-Ray
* MRSI
* Ultra Sound Scans
all of which depend upon the same technical principal. However
in terms of low level satellite transmissions there is a growing
body of evidence, which suggests that such transmissions may
not be as benign as originally thought.
The Earth with all its living elements is
a simple yet complex group of organisms that are all inter-dependent
upon the reception of light and electromagnetic transmissions
from our immediate solar system and also from cosmic energies
beyond in the greater cosmos. However this essential form of
life giving energy is now reaching us through a soup of man made,
man generated radio frequencies, through which cosmic energy
is now being filtered, or to say the least knocked out of tune
before it reaches its intended target. In addition we have the
naturally occurring earth frequency which also has to inter-react
with all forms of man made radio transmissions, coupled with
corrupted cosmic energies, which results in an un-harmonic environment
that is detrimental to specific biological life forms.
How does this new environment affect us humans and our friends in the animal kingdom? Because our environment is changing so rapidly, we have not recorded all critical elements that have an immediate effect on our health, coupled with the fact that we have a limited range of instruments to identify one of the most influential of these energies, namely radiation! We are all aware of radiation from radon gas and the hot spots associated are known throughout the country. However, radon gas is only one of the many unstable gases that are released from the Earth, and there is growing evidence that such noxious gases are been released at an increasing rate. This is based not on field studies of radiation levels, but rather by analysing an increase in the rates of debilitating health disorders whose origins can be traced to an in-balance in the individual's blood.
So let us briefly look at this health trail, low level radiation is absorbed into the bones, blood is manufactured in the bones, change the resonant frequency/energy field of the bones, you change the cellular structure of blood! How does this manifest itself in the body? Disorders of the blood will be influenced by this change of energy, so we can list leukaemia, certain other forms of cancer such as non-Hodgkin's, food allergies, MS, & ME and certainly some neurological disorders. Due to the rise in the Earths temperature which we are currently experiencing the breathing pores of the Earths skin, namely the Earth surface, both above and below water level, will become more open, with the result that we can expect to observe and be witness to an increase in the levels of radiation being released into the atmosphere. Unfortunately we also have to contend with the reception of increased cosmic radiation due to the depletion of the ozone layer.
Over the past ten years my research has identified one particular natural Earth energy influence that to the best of my knowledge has been overlooked as a critical influence in the health and well being of animal and human life living in its immediate area. I am referring to the existence of echoes. When we find the existence of an echo in rolling countryside we will find health problems close by. What I am referring to is, where we find an echo in a field for no apparent reason, because there is no structure to explain the existence for the echo. In such a case we can explain that the echo is due to a wall of energy rising out of the ground (an earth energy breathing hole). In such a scenario, a man made sound resonates off or is rebounded off an invisible wall of energy. The breathing hole of Earth energy may very well be coming from deep within the earths crust, and according to my case studies contains a certain level unstable radio active isotopes, or radiation. This phenomenon has gone un-noticed by science and environmentalists and as a result we are building some of our houses / estates in extremely unhealthy areas, and within a short period of time a pattern of illness soon emerges. It is in such areas that I have been able to explain the existence of health clusters, or health black spot, where there is an abnormally high level of cancer and or, neuromuscular health problems. In such cases, we find the health authorities will hide behind the mantle of the scientific body, who fail to explain the reason for the high concentration of ill health. At the same time they will dismiss the influence of geopathic stress and its adverse effect on human health as having no scientific credibility. Our inter-reaction with sound frequencies is as old as music itself. When we hear music that resonates with our soul we respond immediately, by
* Movement of body
* Alteration of brain frequency
* Alteration in mood
* Respond in song or dance
If the music is not of our taste, not in harmony with us, we
will feel down, maybe get a headache, and will certainly remove
ourselves from the source of such a sound. Now I am certainly
not hoping for any positive response from the scientific world
on the potential adverse influence of echo centres in the land
based on my findings, however if find your health is out of balance
and there is an echo near your home or work place, then the cause
of your ill health may be due to leaking radiation from deep
within the earths core.
Now the good news is that nature has given us the means to harmonise energies such as geopathic stress, and even the harmful effects of the afore mentioned echo centres, in effect neutralising their adverse influence and allowing us to create a truly harmonic environment where our physical, emotional, neurological, and spiritual energies can really shine and grow. We can use the simple yet beautiful forms of placing stones in the Earth in specific but simple geometric forms, carve the stones to tune them to the required frequency. We can use flowing water, or create labyrinths in the ground, we can use plant life likewise, to bring harmony to the land. In other words we can tune into the Earth elements, assemble an orchestra and dance, sing and live in harmony on this Earth for the good of our own health and that of our family and neighbours with the elements that Mother Nature has placed at our feet.
© Ciaran P. Graham - 9/11/2006
or tasting the real thing?
- a nine point reality check
by Alanna Moore, May 2007
When is geomancy non-genuine or inappropriate? The question is presumptuous, implying that geomancy can be dodgey or irrelevent, and that the questioner knows the real thing. But any profession can polish its potential with a bit of peer review. Hence I feel that it is time to have a brief look at the profession of geomancy.
I see geomancy as a living tradition going back to mankind's earliest cultural landscape associations. It is a recognition of the inherent energetic qualities and intelligence of landscape and mother nature, and it aims to establish or re-establish harmony with people, buildings and place, and to help where places have suffered disturbance or neglect.
Much geomancy is these days being taught, written about, painted, or sold by consultancy. Recipients of these 'products' would be hard pressed to know how to choose what might be appropriate for their owns needs.
And sometimes one comes across expressions of geomancy which are more in the way of wishful thinking, or even attempts at inappropriate energetic manipulation. Some are lacking in 'street credibility'; some might be inexperienced and over-confident. Or they may overly rely on 'channelled information'...
I may be old fashioned, but I believe that we should be listening to the land and not fixated on overlaying our own egoic agendas onto it.
Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with creating a system of relating to one's environment. Chinese geomancy, known as 'Feng Shui', is one such system of conceptual geomancy, one which mainly panders to human needs and incorporates customs such as ancestor worship, which may hold little resonance to people in non-Asian cultures.
Unecessary exotic cultural baggage can get in the way. But as long as you sift through feng shui for eternal Earth wisdoms or ancient building biology know how, and use what is relevant - it can be useful. But much feng shui assessment seems overly complex, impractical or expensive, with many schools of feng shui thought existing, and sometimes having conflicting methods or ideas. If feng shui consultants don't consider geobiology and electro-biology, they are out of date a few thousand years!
Then there are the new age authors and artists who describe various energetic connections, or geometric forms, linking Aboriginal or planetary sacred sites together. If they ignore Aboriginal wisdom in the imposing of their concepts onto sacred sites here, they are not doing geomancy in Australia a favour. And they could well be accused of cultural imperialism, by the Aboriginal owners of the sites!
There are vast numbers of chakra points on the Earth that link up together energetically and connect the world in sacredness. But if we get hung up in their forms, their shape and number, we may be losing the point of why they are there and what their function might be. It's a bit like considering the road trip to be more interesting than where the road takes you to.
There's also fake 'Aboriginal wisdom' lurking around too. Take the ever popular paperback book, Marlo Morgan's fictional 'Mutant Message Downunder' which pretends to be a real account of a spiritual journey with a wandering Aboriginal clan by a white American woman. Except it is obviously made up and appears to be more influenced by native American spirituality than anything. (Nonetheless, Morgan has pocketed over two millions dollars from sales of this book.)
Guboo Ted Thomas was a Aboriginal man with an impressive track record of protecting his forest homeland and sacred sites from the bulldozers, and who passed on several years ago now. Later in his life Ted discovered the perks of being a new-age guru and ran many 'Renewing the Dreaming' camps. It was the earliest times of the re-discovery of geomancy by white Australia and Guboo had been indoctrinated by white, Christian culture in his upbringing.
Unfortunately he didn't always respect the sites where many of his ceremonies were being held and he violated local Aboriginal laws, upsetting the actual traditional owners. Many of the camp participants afterwards got sick, I was told by Junitta Vallak, who attended several of the camps. And it got more and more diffficult to organise them. An attempt to gather people to hold hands around Uluru in 1988 failed dismally.
I have come across Guboo's sleazy side myself and also met a travelling American Indian guru figure, who, like Guboo, also seemed more interested in seducing his followers.
But I am diverging from my point. Esoteric author Robert Coon recently sent me an article on what I have since dubbed 'conceptual geomancy' - where typically some pretty geometric patterns are superimposed onto the map of Australia to represent energy lines and figures, which supposedly connect certain sacred places together, in geometrical forms.
I welcomed the opportunity to quiz Coon about his ideas, being a curious editor and not having come across his books. The response was a bit surprising. I was told that I ought to be familiar with his work and that the article offer was now withdrawn. So, sorry folks, that one's off the menu. But this article is a replacement!
But Coon made me think about fundamental questions, such as - if we don't know about the existence of something, is it really there?
Slovenian geomancer Marko Pogacnik made a good point when he said, in his book on Earth healing, that if just one person or a few people do some sort of Earth healing work on the quiet and nobody else knows about it, and no-one comments about things improving has anything really happened?
Pogacnik has the luxury of being employed by local authorities to help harmonise fractured energies and revive flagging ones, in Europe's cities and towns. He is able to incorporate his sculptures, music and ceremony for public consumption at inaugral ceremonies, so that everyone can be involved as contributors of positive energy. Public recognition being a necessary step in re-harmonising the collective unconscious aspects of place.
Projecting ideas about place
I see dowsing as a science, a discipline that we use to unravel
mysteries and resolve problems. But dowsing may not be immune
to the energetic influences and ideas that others might project.
We are all influencing our environment at all times and our energetic impacts can be sensed by dowsing. Strong emotions have some of the biggest impacts and hang around longest. Dowsers can pick up people's thoughtforms too and, as English author Paul Deveraux once mused "we do not know the half life of a thoughtform".
People with strong ideas about place can project them onto it. This has been done deliberately and it fooled the dowser into thinking they had discovered an Earth energy current, when it was actually a 'thought line', created by human thought alone. So might geomantic systems be created, as 'conceptual geomancy' suggests. (To be maintained and lasting, they may well need regular inputs of thought reinforcement and/or anchoring with physical objects or structures.)
Ley line is a term that has been hijacked to mean many things, but it originally involved landscape patterns that are strongly associated with man made additions. Ley line enthusiasts love to discover linear alignments of buildings and monuments, the so-called megalithic engineering works of ancient times. The alignments can also have energetic components flowing above them and these 'energy leys' - linear aerial pathways of energy flows - may be detected above the physical alignments, by dowsing. Energy leys may well be gigantic thought lines. Especially if you consider it true the spiritual maxim, that - energy follows thought.
Leys can be useful markers if you are searching for old monuments and the like hidden in the European landscape. (It is the sites they connect up to that I would find more interesting.) But in Australia, we didn't have those megalithic engineers, so ley lines are not such a big feature or issue here. Of course there are some out there, like spiders webs, linking the built environment and our special places. They are also found occurring naturally, 'in the wild'- these are the lines that link peaks and follow mountain ranges. We dont really need to go ley hunting in Australia. We already have rich indigenous geomantic traditions here and we dont need to graft on any new ones.
So how do you tell if geomancy is going to be appropriate and useful for your needs?
I've come up with a Nine Point Reality Check for Geomancy to help you spot non-genuine or less relevent varieties.
1. Have Aboriginal / indigenous traditions been considered in the development of the geomantic concept? And have Aboriginal people been consulted about the use of their sites? They are very sensitive about interference to their sites, even if 'merely' of an energetic nature. To not recognise any pre-existing ancient wisdom of place does not go down well in this day and age.
2. Are an authors books currently in print? If they are, it suggests some currency to their ideas. (This principle does not apply to Marlo Morgan.)
3. Does the author/publisher/teacher have some special agenda to their ideas?
For example, Martin Doutre and the British Israelite Society which funded printing of his massive tome on 'Ancient Celtic New Zealand' . These people seem convinced of a white, Celtic influence in New Zealand's distant past and cannot accept that Polynesians were capable of curvilinear artworks, stone buildings and the like. They must be popular amongst Maori historians (for target practise).
The book sports a fake Celtic stone circle in New Zealand on the cover. It admits its fakeness in small print inside, unfortunately only seen after I'd parted with a large sum (for my book budget). Another lesson don't buy a book with a fake stone circle on the cover.
4. Do these people have reference lists in their books? If not, there's the danger it has been made up or merely 'channelled'.
What's wrong with 'channelled' info? Well - some channels can become murky, so be discriminating. If several people in different places keep telling you the same story about a place, then there's probably something to the messages. If the message is out on a limb and is not useful, forget it!
It's very easy for low grade mischevious entities to use channels to get attention, by masquerading as whomever the channel requests and throwing out useless information in the process.
5. Are courses super expensive and do they include the word 'secret' in the title? The secret of money extraction is more probably the motive here.
6. Are the geomancer's ideas product driven?
Some teachers offer quick fixes of geomantic enlightenment and
magical products to cure all ills. But generally it is our wallets
that become much lightened. Typically this is the American
style of geomancy.
A classic case just came in, in the form of a flashy email attachment for an American geomancer's workshops coming up in Melbourne. In the blurb I was informed that
"Slim Spurling began practicing the ancient art of dowsing in 1970 and invented a very simple and inexpensive method of neutralizing geopathic stress Slim began research in subtle energy phenomena and technologies in 1985. In 1992 he invented a device now known as the Light-Life-Ring™. Further inventions based on this technology are the Acu-Vac coil, the Feedback Loop and the Harmonizer, the use of which are all covered in the workshop."
Now that sounds to me to be a product driven seminar.
My belief is that we don't really need products. We can always find natural things, stones in particular, for Earth energy work. There need not be any expense involved, certainly not a large expense. Otherwise it takes away not only our money, but our power, if we think we are not effective without certain physical tools. (I'm not totally against products per se)
7. Is the geomancy accessible to 'ordinary' people at some level, or it so exclusive or so centred around a particular individual or group that it is hard to reproduce elsewhere in their absence? Also, if you join their club and get their accreditation, you will also be in the club, and that will look very official to your clients, won't it.!
8. What is the relevance of the geomantic ideas? Are they pertaining to and extolling the virtues of exotic places? The Great Pyramids may be great, but so is Australia, or wherever you live. It's better to interact with your own local sacred spaces than to love other peoples' places to death on an escapist holiday.
We've heard enough about Stonehenge and the megalithic wonders of Europe that we don't have in Australia. And Feng shui is loaded with cultural traditions and expectations that may not always be relevent. Better to study local indigenous culture which can provide a more relevant wealth of Earth wisdom. Or to tune in yourself to the spirits of place and power centres.
9. Which gets me to a final point. There usually isn't much point to many of these conceptual ideas. Nice fantasies, perhaps, for those who can't handle reality. They may make their conceptualisers look awfully clever, perhaps, or even deluded, and there is usually little in the way of practical applications that can be usefully made.
I don't want to see the art of geomancy become tarnished, or for would-be geomancers to be lead astray, when the world urgently needs them to be powerful and effective in their Earth protection and healing work.
In Australia (and elsewhere!) key work at hand is to identify the sacred sites and power centres in the landscape and to make sure that they are protected from developments, such as from mobile phone towers being put on hill tops that are often key Earth chakra points. We can also create new sacred sites, in the absence of ancient ones.
Once local power centres are identified we can begin to develop healthy relationships with them and even practise community geomancy - appreciating what we have in our own region and energetically interacting with its local sacred spaces.
At these key points in the land we might gather to harness the power of our focused intentions, in order to promote greater environmental harmony. And we will enjoy the magic of deep connection with nature at Earth's temples in the process.
by Alanna Moore
In April 2007 I drove down to board the 'Spirit of Tasmania' in Melbourne, my Suburu chocka with books and pendulums, and embarked on a fascinating workshop tour of Tasmania. I circumnavigated the island on my 1000km drive, a similar trip to my first workshop tour there in 1987. With more time this trip, in the two weeks I had I was able to savour several geomantic delights on this magic isle!
The Tasmanian Permaculture Association hosted most of my tour and Della was a great organiser for them, in spite of being 9 months pregnant! She has since come through with the goods and wrote
" A short note to say baby girl finally arrived safely on Saturday morning (May 5th). 3.76 kilos, born at home into water after overnight labour. No name chosen yet, but she's here and healthy." Nice one Della!
It was great to have a few days free to meet up with interesting people and places and film them, plus I had fun writing a poem, as below (where poetic license, not me! kills a devil). Doing 'research' for my water book at the Hastings Hot Springs geothermal pool, south of Hobart was also very pleasant!
There was a large turn out for my workshops and two 'overflow' days had had to be scheduled in during the week. Amongst the participants who attended, most were new to dowsing and there were many new friendships made. After the Westaway workshop there was so much enthusiasm about dowsing that people were talking about getting together to practice at each other's homes. There was even some talk of the possibility of reviving the northern Tassy Dowsers Club - one of three in the state which have been dormant for some time now.
Picture Below It started to rain as we began to make the Tower at Penguin on Tassy's north coast. This shot was taken after the blessing ceremony. Bernie, the super-duper workshop organiser of the event, says that she now wakes up feeling bright & vitalised each morning, since the Tower went up!
On the road
Driving around Tassy isn't like New South Wales, where I come
from. There are no long straight highways stretching off to forever.
It's more often all up and down mountains, winding bends and
thick forest alternating with monoculture tree plantations. But
I was treated to endless magnificent scenery, blue skies and
sun shine, plus gorgeous autumn leaves of many colours. (Although
people in the drought stricken centre and east were heartily
sick of the 'fine' weather.)
In the wilder terrain, unfortunately, a lot of wildlife ends up as roadkill. Tassy must qualify as the Roadkill Capital of the World! (I avoided driving at dawn and dusk, when animals are moving around and didn't have a problem.) In 1987 I saw countless squashed Tassy Devils on the road. Poor buggers love to eat roadkill themselves, then they can become victims as a result. Now with their facial tumour epidemic it's estimated that 90% of the population just isn't there anymore, in many parts. And I didn't see a single one, dead or alive.
Land of the giants
A visit to the Styx Valley, often called the 'Valley of the Giants',
to see the tallest hardwood trees on the planet, was both awesome
and saddening. Not many of the enormous trees are left standing
now, they're replaced by Blue Gum plantations, so it's death
to the true forest. The Wilderness Society has a brochure describing
a self-drive / walking tour of the area, which is only about
2 hours drive west of Hobart.
"There is very little tall old growth forest left in Tasmania" their brochure states, and, " in 1997 only 18% of pre-European tall old growth forest remained."
Logging company Gunns has been suing the WS (the 'Gunns 20' group) for actions arising out of the campaign to protect the old growth, wilderness forests. Around 4500ha have been protected in the Styx Valley, which is next door to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, but the majority of giant trees left unprotected are doomed to be turned into wood chips. A proposed pulp mill will create an ever greater demand for wood chips and spell disaster for remaining forests. Protestors are currently trying to save the forest of the Florentine area.
I urge anyone to go and see for themselves what is happening there. As you drive out of Maydena, the last town before the Styx Valley, you'll see a little old timber ex-church building and home on the right, with a hand drawn 'Forest Info' sign. This is the place to find out what's happening to the forests and the anti-logging actions. The logging areas are behind locked gates and laws protect the loggers from interference, so you need guts to be a protestor. If you don't have the guts or the time to spare leave a donation of money or camping equipment at Maydena. And write some letters to tell the powers that be how you feel about it.
I'm driving Tassy's winding ways.
Replacing Mother Nature with industrial paradigms.
Wooden fences lines and wooden gates
All thanks to copper chrome arsenates.
Better duck'n'dive or the game is up.
Lookout! an old growth forest falls
And our roaring silence just appalls.
Of 1080 poison for forester's enemies
They herbicide the re-growth
Kill the fluffy beasts
Plant the rows of blue gum
Where real forests used to be.
Then turn 'em all to woodchip
For some economic sleaze.
Better duck'n'dive or the game is up.
Lookout! an old growth forest falls
And our roaring silence just appalls.
Foul green hydro-power that they make
Wholesale destruction in the money game.
Slam on brakes, but another devil's dead.
I'm mourning mashed marsupials.
But it's rapture to a raptor on the open road.
with their meal time boofing
Spreading cancer to their buddies
A disease of disaster
And I know that they languish
'cause their numbers are down
from '87 when I went there
and they littered the ground
when the car was their carnage,
their executioner.
Wildlife safari,
a dead
Wildlife safari
Better not get out, or it'll bring you down.
Acid rain desert, bosom of Queenstown.
Appalling genocide of Aborigines.
that unravels
who're the real
devils?
© A. Moore April 2007
Eco Farm Resort
On a brighter note, I was happy to meet sustainable farmers Tim
and Jane Parsons and stay at their lovely Curringa eco-farm,
near Hamilton, on the banks of the Derwent ex-River (now dammed),
where one of my workshops was held.
Curringa is an award winning eco-tourism venture, unique in Tassy, on a 300ha sixth generation family sheep and cropping farm. There's a strong ecological focus here on landcare and sustainable farming practices, and tour groups often stop by to check it out. The areas fenced off to allow bush regeneration are looking fabulous! Staying in the lakeside cottage ('4 star farmstay') was a delight! (There are two to choose from.) Now there's a Power Tower to crank up the landscape energies!
Places of the heart
I was particularly beguiled by the north central region around
Deloraine, an area also popular with people interested in alternative
lifestyles. Here the Great Western Tiers form a magnificent inland
backdrop to the coastal country, where hills of lush red volcanic
soil sport a colourful patchwork quilt of opium and other crops.
There are several highly sacred mountains in the area, including
Mt Roland and Quamby Bluff.
Wherever I went, people kept telling me that Quamby Bluff has great significance for Tasmania, as a heart centre, for this island that is shaped much like a heart. And some people suggested that Tasmania is becoming a heart centre for the whole planet too!
Quamby is inland from Deloraine and I was drawn there like a magnet! A new friend, Jo Dean, was also drawn to live near the Bluff, all the way from America! She had met the Spirit of Tasmania there and it wasn't a boat! She took me up there and I discovered the mountain's magic for myself. And it was good for my heart too!
Jo told me that her Tasmanian destiny was
foretold long ago. "As a child, lying on the grass on summer
nights star gazing, I heard very distinctly a voice that said
to me, "Your destiny lies in the land beneath the Southern
Cross.". At that time, I didn't know what it meant as you
can't see the Southern Cross in the Northern Hemisphere. Now
I understand why my destiny lies in Tasmania. I am working with
the very strong energies that are emitted here in the Land of
Rainbows," she said.
Jo also took me further up into the highlands to see Pine Lake, which is similar country to the Cradle Mountain wilderness area. I realised that it was my last day off before leaving and it could be the last chance to get a cover shot for my water book. So I happily snapped away at that pristine (World Heritage listed) lake. And I did get a beautiful cover shot!
Discovering Tasmanian Aboriginal culture
It was also great to meet, in that same region, Carol Horton,
a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman who, with husband Hank, runs 'Jahadi
Indigenous Experiences' (near Mole Creek). The Hortons offer
people an unique opportunity to learn about indigenous culture,
when many of us wouldn't even know it existed in Tasmania!
The Hortons are very busy with their business and coach loads of school kids were expected when I visited there. They probably don't need to advertise, hence few people are aware of what's on offer. Carol showed us her paintings in the little gallery building and I was impressed by her talent and the stories depicted in the art works. She was happy to be filmed talking about her paintings.
For another Aboriginal cultural experience I also took a walk through bushland, from the main road closer to Mole Creek, to see a sacred women's Ochre Dreaming site. The site at Alum Cliffs, is well worth a visit, for it's excellent intepretative signs and awesome scenery alone. Ochre was dug from cliffs that can be seen at the end of the track, viewed from a platform that's perched on the steep mountain side.
Ochre had great value for body and hair decoration and this small quarry, while part of the Aboriginal equivalent to today's cosmetic industry, had the added distinction of being considered highly sacred itself. Some ochre sources were more highly valued than others, and ochre harvesting and trade was a women-only business here.
A lovely parting note
At one point on my last workshop day, on Tuesday 24 April in
Somerset, we gathered around a highly energetic spring fed dam
on Stephen Bock's property. We were practising deva dowsing and
I had shown them how to tune in, by dowsing, to the lovely water
spirit stationed in the middle of the dam. As I prepared to sing
my water song, to honour the spirit of water, I could see Stephen's
face light up with astonishment, while keeping lips firmly shut
and pointing subtley towards the water.
There on the surface of the dam, in the middle of that cloudy morning, a platypus had emerged and was pottering around. Soon there was a whole mob of astonished looks. When it realised a crowd was watching, it soon vanished. Platypi are incredibly shy!
What a perfect blessing, I thought! It was Stephen's first sighting of one since moving in there and highly unusual for the time for day. It made our lovely water ceremony all the more magical.
Geomancing the media
The media showed a bit of interest, much more interest than I
would expect on the mainland! Eliza Wood, an ABC Radio rural
reporter, turned up in Penguin to cover the workshop and she
arrived just as I had spotted some fairies up a tree! In the
lunch break interview the first question was about the fairies!
(It made a nice change for her, from the usual beef cattle sales
and the like.)
Our 13 minute interview, edited down to just a few minutes, was broadcast on the morning ABC Countrywide program of Tuesday April 24th and it squeezed in talk of fairies, Power Towers and scientific dowsing! Later another Eliza (Grey) interviewed me for an article in the Advocate newspaper. As there was much interest at the workshops to get me back (- and I'm hopefully returning in late November for more) I appreciated the publicity!
I was still feeling invigorated by my Tassy experiences when I got back home to central Victoria. The following weekend Aunty Dot was booked to give a talk on Aboriginal wisdom for the Victorian Dowser's Society and I was keen to make the 2 hour train trek down to Mt Waverley to catch it. It was the AGM and there was a full house of expectant ears.
But Aunty Dot failed to show up! Newly re-elected President Fred Ward was about to have kittens, so yours truly put her hand up offering a talk about recent Tasmanian experiences and a bit about Aboriginal culture and sacred sites too. This impromptu talk generated a good deal of interest. (And I won the raffle! - some nice Polish dowsing rods.) The audience response inspired me to write it all up now for Geomantica, when usually I keep these things to myself!
Many thanks go out to Della and all the wonderful people who hosted the workshops on their homes and farms. I won't wait another 4 years to return next time!
Actually I can't wait to get back!
Della Cooper email: della.cooper@permaculturetas.org
www.permaculturetas.org
email mail@curringafarm.com
Hank and Carol Horton, email - jahadi@microtech.com.au
www.treedomfighters.org.au
www.gunns20.org
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This Chinese classic is a limited edition hard cover book, a translation from the Chinese by Er Choon Haw with editing and commentary by Stephen Skinner. I'm sure this gem of a classic would take pride of place in any feng shui practitioner's library.
Water Dragon formulas are key feng shui formulas which show how water should be organized outside a house to provide the maximum benefit. They are usually associated with increasing wealth. The text comes from a collection of key feng shui texts collected in 1739 by Chang Ping Lin, a little known but respected feng shui master who lived in Fukien in the early 18th century.
Chang Ping Lin preferred to refer to his art by the old term ti li, a term now used in modern China to refer to geography. This reinforces how linked the ancient art was with the actual physical landform and its water flows. Fukien was the original home of the compss (or li ch'i) school of feng shui. This authentic text, never previously available in English before, has formulas which the author says are "clear and easy to apply, provded you have a lo p'an" (compass).
Stephen Skinner toook his degree in English literture and geography at Sydney University and then worked as a geography lecturer. He wrote the first 20th century English book on feng shui - The Living Earth Manual of Feng Shui' in 1976. He went on to write seven more books on feng shui and founded the Feng Shui for Modern Living magazine. A founder member of the International Feng Shui Association, he currently lives and consults in Singapore.
The book is only available from Stephen Skinner's website and will not be sold through bookshops or Amazon.
Price: £46, US$86.
Website for ordering - www.skinner.com/books.htm
A 35 minute film of a project of the Genaren Hill Landcare Group and Peak Hill Local Aboriginal Land Council. Reviewed by Alanna Moore.
"In March 2000 a ground breaking project took place in western New South Wales. A project that sought understanding from the land and from those who depend upon it".
In the film you join the archeological survey team, including many local farmers and Landcare members plus local Aboriginal Wiradjuri people as they survey an intact block of land at 'Genaren'. This land has never known the plough or been much disturbed. Two weeks of intensive surveying brought up many discoveries, from seed grinding stones left in situ, to paintings in caves, that the Wiradjuri were able to decipher meanings from. Some of the paintings described a nearby initiation area, it was felt, but this was unfortunately not located.
In the process of the survey the participants share an intense connection to land and get to have a rare window to Wiradjuri culture.
Hopefully this film will spur on people to cast a more careful eye over their own land, for the possible occurrence of Aboriginal artifacts and special sites.
I bought a VHS copy for $16.50 at a tourist information centre in western NSW and really enjoyed it.