By WiLdFyRe
wildfyrebean [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk
'Here are the sounds sounds,
That thunder past past
Speak now, whisper whisper
Speak, deep in the earth earth
We are the flow flow, the flow of life
Life, a fractured memory.'
It's what I call a 'sherbet morning'. The ground, finely dusted with
sugar frost. The air, icy, crisp and cold. The faraway sun, glimmering
softly through the trees - and the sky, blushing with the most brisk and
beautiful shade of baby blue.
Not a whisp of cloud in sight.
Dragonfly and I arrive at the Rollright Stones, one of Britain's oldest
stone circles.
The Rollright stones live in North Oxfordshire. They're a little hidden,
secretive, along country roads - a mile from any village. Despite this,
they get a lot of tourists, though the stones themselves are as not as
high profile as bigger sites like Avebury or Stonehenge. To me, there
is a very intimate energy here - it's cosy, and peaceful.
The frozen grass beneath our feet crackles and crunches deliciously as
we trudge our way around the perimeter of the stones. Our imaginations
transform each rock into a face, a body or an animal. We spot a dragon,
and two people kissing.
As with any sacred site, there are various tales and legends surrounding
the Rollrights. One particular legend insists that it is impossible to
accurately count the number of stones.
Soon after we arrive, a small group of twenty-somethings nearby are involved
in a surprisingly intense debate over the number of stones they think
there are. One member of the stressed company, sighs irritably, turns
his back and begins, loudly and reluctantly, to count them again "One,
two, three.."!
For others, the art of 'dowsing' is more appealing. The wardens have
a small collection of dowsing rods for sale or loan, and as the afternoon
draws on, a number of people stand around the circle, tall and precise,
holding the copper rods carefully in front of them at waist height. One
girl looks slightly uneasy with her rods, self-consciously holding them
out as if they will bite her. A friend has more luck and gives an enthusiastic
shout as his rods swing wildly in one direction and the other.
Dowsing, also known as 'Water Witching', 'Questing' and 'Doodlebugging'
is an intuitional practice for locating earth energy lines, discovering
underground water or even for finding missing persons or items. Since
England has an abundance of water, most dowsers in Britain use rods, or
pendulums to dowse for lines of earth energy - or 'leylines'. The L-shaped
rods can be easily made from bent coathangers, and pendulums can be created
with light thread and a weight or some kind - a ring, for example.
The Rollrights are said to lay on one of Britain's major leylines, but
it doesn't take a dowser to figure out there is something special about
the place.
Dragonfly and I experiment with our own copper rods, moving to different
areas around the circle. The rods move confusingly in varying directions,
seeming to follow no regular pattern. We decide on a different approach.
We hold a rod each and close our eyes, opening them seconds later to see
if we've match directions. Nine out of ten times success.
Tired out, we sit at the edge of the circle in silence, just content
to be where we are. Typically, a group of around fifteen Japanese tourists
arrive, wiping out the wardens supply of dowsing rods and chattering happily
as they walk. Closing my eyes and ears against the bustling noises I meditate
on the Anima Loci - the spirit of the place. I hear whispers and I write
down the words I recognize.
I've always believed that each place has its own special spirit, and
no doubt this energy is very susceptible to change - for sometimes a place
may seem warm and welcoming, whereas other days it is moody and unsociable.
It is important to respect the spirit of a place, in the same way that
you would respect someone's home if you were to visit. Many sacred sites,
including the Rollrights, have had problems in the past with people leaving
litter, candle wax, and offerings which do not decompose, and cause an
undeniable hazard to other visitors. If you're planning a picnic or a
special ceremony at a place of power, take an extra plastic bag and make
sure you pick up all your rubbish afterwards. And to quote countless school
teachers - leave it looking better than when you found it!
As for Dragonfly and I, we realise that it's time to go. The solemn sun
has already begun to diminish. We stand up and dust ourselves off, and
I quickly take some last minute photographs of the site, threatening Dragonfly
with a snap. She buys a pair of dowsing rods on the way out, and we quickly
visit the Whispering Knights, a cluster of stones further along the road
in another field. Dragonfly's new dowsing rods go crazy and we vow to
come back in warmer months, perhaps on what I call a 'caramel evening',
with the smell of newly mown grass and barbeques. We leave this special
place now, with talk of hot chocolate or tea - and the winter sun above
us, carefully dowsing its own line across the sky.
