There is an opinion, propounded by such exponents of the dowsing game as T.C.Lethebridge no less, that the world’s energetic forces (including us) are but points on a spiral, rising up through levels of consciousness and perception. With each level of the spiral comes greater awareness, greater connectedness. This was how I felt today whilst walkihg around the myriad footpaths of Alderley Edge in the heartland of Cheshire today.
I had taken my staff with me this time, and had no conpunctions about being seen with it. It’s just a walking stick, right? A rather tall walking stick. I had also press-ganged my wife into coming along to alleviate her obsession with the garden at home. We were also hoping to escape the almost inevitable cloudy dull summer’s day that the weather portended. If we were under the cover of a forest perhaps we wouldn’t notice the rain so much.
The trusty Peugeot cranked into life and whizzed us at a dizzying rollercoaster of a crawl to the top of The Edge and we parked at the first opportunity. I was going to show M the trails that I had found interesting when I dowsed around here a few months ago. So, for about an hour we rambled along the ridge’s edge, our mood getting better with each turn of the path.
After an hour or so a small gentleman approached sporting a day pack and charm necklaces. “Can you tell me where the stone circles are?” he asked M. She looked at him blankly, as though she had just been visited by a hobbit or elf but didn’t realise she was in a film. She referred him to me – astonished at being asked such a question outright by such a visually curious character.
I had found the circle on my last visit months ago, but I had been following the rods and not the paths, so I couldn’t imagine how to get to the folly stone circle (the only one I knew about) from where we were – the place is a maze of interlinking paths and trails. The only means I could think of to help him was the rods. My trusy dowsing rods were in my pack, so I got them out (to the gentleman’s astonishment). “Oh, do you believe in divining rods then?” he asked. “They’re usually quite reliable.” I found myself saying, although the Gors Fawr incident replayed itself in quick succession as I answered!
I rotated slowly on the spot with the rods in my hands and asked specifically for the folly stone circle I had visited recently – lead me to it, please! The rods swung to our left, although with a corrective pull to the right afterwards to show that the path went right after that, at some point. I sophisticated answer, I thought, but one which I am simply going to trust was correct. I quick, ‘thanks’ and then we walked to the swing of a single rod as it led us onwards, and to the right, then right again shortly afterwards.
The diminuitive gentleman obligingly followed us, chatting along the way. He was a wizard with a strong interest in trees and nature. Oh, I thought to myself. That rings a bell – a small tinkly bell. “Do you do magic?” he asked me bluntly. “Only with you dowsing and all...”. “I trust the dowsing, and …” I left it at that for now. I don’t do conjuring tricks – it’s not something I do like a conjuring trick – it’s a relationship. I wasn’t about to take anything for granted just to impress. The dowsing should be interesting enough.
I was just about to turn round to state that I thought we were going in a square, when the stone circle revealed itself from behind the pine trees around it, perched on a little rising mound that flanked the path we were on. “Here it is.” I simply stated. The gentleman seemed mildly curious, as though his brain was considering adding another subject to a list of ‘Interesting Things I Have Seen Happen – possibly for future investigation ‘.
I proceeded to dowse around seeing as I was there now. I dowsed and re-drew the two lines – one male and one female – that went in opposing spirals inside the centre, powered by the tall pine tree next to the circle. I realised that I was identifying the nature of the lines by recognising its pattern – a loosely-wound spiral was male, and a tightly-wound spiral was female. Noted, but not made a rule yet – to be checked often. Kal always finds the inverse anyway – so much for rules!
The strange gentleman continued whilst I dowsed with this tales of covens, the importance of protection devices during spell ritual, you know what it’s like when you’re casting a circle, and…who one earth did he think we were? I was amused, and the general bliss of being in the forest was turned into a wide smile as I parried most of his more personal questions concerning my beliefs. I spoke of an appreciation for nature – he should see the huge beech tree while he’s got time – and ritual is personal to me, and doesn’t rely upon ‘proper procedure’ beyond establishing a relationship with openness, truth and good heart. The establishment of trust is made then. “But what about bad vibes? People can leave terrible energies at a place. It spoils a coven when there are people who don’t properly believe and they spoil it for everyone.” “More reason to work alone. I prefer it that way.” I responded clearly, but without judgement. If he found solace through mutual sharing of energies, then good for him. For me it is a personal relationship with all of nature.
This was the first time I had spoken to anyone other than Kal or M about my ideas. I wondered if they sounded abrupt or uninformed. I had felt them as I spoke them, but you never know how people are going to take hearing someone else’s opinion if it differs from theirs.
His next topic, talking mainly to my wife, was about the etiquette of group rituals – a horror story unfolded concerning a young lady and the wandering hands of the Mr.Bad Vibe in the circle. M and I looked at each other not knowing how to respond. M had worked in the mental health field for twenty years, so she was trained for this kind of thing – I began to formulate the hope that I wouldn’t have to beat him with my staff if he went any deeper with his unbidden tales.
The strange small gentleman continued chatting, and soon we reached a junction of paths. A good opportunity to take stock of the situation, I felt, so we stopped. The small gentleman said: “I have to get back for my train soon. I’ll look out for that tree you mentioned. Which way do I get back to the Wizard’s car park?” ‘Wizard’s Car Park’? Was this a scene out of a badly-scripted Harry Potter film? Nevertheless I took the opportunity to hurry him on his way.
Not being too familiar with the forest we pointed him in the rough direction of the main road with vague instructions about main paths, and we said our goodbyes. Well, what a strange small gentleman he was! “These woods are chock full of magic types.” I muttered to M. “It’s well known for it. I found out recently.” 😉
Half and hour’s rambling and we had gone full circle and suddenly came upon a point in the main path where I had diverted M to go look at a huge birch tree – the Father of the Forest, I called him. He’s got massive bouchs strecthing 40 or more feet across each side. Just then, lo and behold, the strange gentleman appeared along the main path – “I’m not stalking you!” he joked. We sort of laughed together.
“Well, you’ve come upon exactly the right place.” I informed him. “Just up here is the birch tree I was talking about. You must see it!”. And we walked with him up the slope into the forest, to arrive beneath the tree’s cool canopy. The small guy was awe-struck, as we always were, but felt the need to mention that he’d already stood against this tree when passing by it earlier – he seemed to find that coincidental. So be it. We languished in the tree’s incredible canopy for a short while, breathing in the cool clear air.
Going back down to the main path we continued a short while, then, checking his watch the gentleman asked us again for instructions on finding the car park we had never been to. I was tempted to get the rods out again, but simply pointed in the general direction, and hoped he would make it to the road alright. He thanked us and wandered off again.
Now we took a new path down the Edge. Only to climb back up in a short time through patched of mud and thickets of bracken, sweating with the closeness of the air in the afternoon sun. At the base of the Edge I had picked up a small clean round rock, which looked out of place. I warmed it with my hand, and then held it as we climbed back up, thinking of streaming all that I was seeing of the view, and putting those thoughts into the rock.
Back on a main path we headed for the road ourselves, and soon came upon a felled tree bent completely over to touch the ground at the roots and tip. How marvellous a construction! We decided to eat here, and soon I was dowsing around the tree in between bites of my cheese sandwich. The power centre was at the roots end, liften and torn though it may be. Two lines extended from either side of the roots – one male and one female line. The male line to the left hand side wound in a loose spiral quite soon, but the female line on the right curled under the tree to terminate on the left side too. It passed beneath the tree at just the place where M had been standing when she first arrived here. She noticed that too as I passed under the tree.
Next we found a man-sized hole on the lee side of one of the occasional high mounds in the forest. We played with it for a moment, wondering how many couples may have taken advantage of its convenient size and quiet location, then walked on. I wondered if we might be able to locate the Wizard’s Well in this maze of a forest. I had seen it pictured with a Green Man face and moss-covered rocks. I invited M to dowse for it, and she took the task on nervously. Soon we were marching close to the edge again, and she must have wondered if we were going back down to the bottom, but instead the rods wavered at a junction leading down the hill, but she pushed on and the rods soon led us to the top of a clearing at a rocky promentary. The rods spiralled and she looked at me puzzled. “They mean here.” I interpreted. “There must be something coming out of this rock?” – I leaned over the edge but couldn’t hear or see anything on the path or rock face below.
“The rods wavered at this junction just back here. Let me see what I get.” M handed me the rods and I walked back to the junction, asking for The Wizard’s Well. It pointed down the path, clearly. We shuffled down the dirt path to the path below. As I turned after helping M down I spotted a stone basin at the foot of a samp moss-covered rock wall – right under where we had been stood a minute ago! “Looks like you founda well!” I beamed. M couldn’t believe it, “So I was right, it was just here!” I think she was shocked. “I’ll never doubt them again.” she said. There was no Green Man’s face, and it didn’t look like the place I had seen in a photo. Well, we had found another wizard’s well then! We wiped our brows with the water. I gave thanks quietly, and we headed off on this path in the direction of the car.
As we walked back I paused to place the small smooth rock I had been charging into a neat crevice at the base of a tree growing just above a nearby fallen rotted pine tree. I hoped that the energy might have some positive effect on the small tree’s growth, and spur it on to regenerate the area in the canopy vacated by the fallen pine. I also picked up some tree berries from the path and sprinkled them onto the land around – perhaps they might take hold? Who knows?
As we saw the path back to where the car was parked we sat to admire the last (and for some, the only) view over the surrounding land from the top of the ridge. Several other couples were loitering at this spot too. My rising confidence made me get the rods out again to check the edge of the ridge for energy, passing closely to the bemused folk who were sitting near the edges. Inwardly I smiled as the line waved gently across the very edge of the rock’s face to spiral at the start of a little path leading down the hillside. I hope they wondered what all that was about!
Mischief over, and in great spirits, we left. I still had to find the Wizard’s Well though, Where was it hiding in this Wizard’s Maze? We vowed to return whenever we needed an uplifting experience from Alderley Edge.
