Touchstone - No 002 - 1983 07

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 2
Date: July 1983
Focus: Surrey Earth Mysteries, paranormal phenomena, UFOs, and related topics.

Editorial and Introduction

The editorial in this issue, No. 2, notes that it is larger than the first and has received a good response in terms of articles, though no letters for publication have yet been received. The editors apologize for not yet being able to include exchange lists due to the magazine's size but express gratitude to publications that have exchanged with them and given mentions. Issue No. 1 is reported as sold out. The editorial is signed by Jimmy Goddard.

The ASSAP Garden Party

This event, held on June 25th at the home of David Christie-Murray in East Molesey, is described as a great success despite previous day's rain. A large crowd gathered to view stands from groups interested in "anomalous phenomena." The Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, represented by Paul Baines and Jimmy Goddard, set up their display boards. The official opening included a brief speech by David Christie-Murray about ASSAP's aims, followed by Brian Inglis, who officially opened the gathering. The event continued for five hours, attracting a large public audience, with Jimmy Goddard expressing surprise at the degree of intelligent interest shown, even by those who were initially incredulous. Paul Baines provided demonstrations of dowsing. Touchstone No. 1 sold out during the event, and some interest was expressed in the group. The Press and L.B.C. were present, with an interviewer from L.B.C. interviewing Jimmy Goddard. The event concluded with a talk by Mary Caine on the Kingston Zodiac.

A Surrey Out-of-Place Cat Sighting

By Cara Trimarco, this article recounts a childhood sighting of what appeared to be a lion in her garden near Farnham, Surrey. Trimarco grew up in "Surrey Puma country," where sightings were common in the '60s. She describes the animal as a huge, beautiful, honey-coloured male lion with a splendid mane, instantly recognizable. The sighting occurred when she was about five or six years old. The animal was seen sitting in the next-door garden, flicking its tail and showing no interaction with its environment or the child observing it. When she alerted her mother, the animal had disappeared, replaced by a poodle. Trimarco's mother dismissed it as imagination, but her father and an uncle later believed her, especially after a friend reported a "Surrey Puma" sighting nearby. Trimarco connects the sighting to "out-of-place animals" research, particularly the work of the Bords. She posits that the animal was not a real flesh-and-blood creature due to the lack of other witnesses and the improbability of an escaped lion going unnoticed. She suggests a paranormal element, linking it to water and earth energies, noting the presence of underground streams and springs in the area. She also mentions the impact of building development on the local environment and its potential effect on these energies.

Commentary on the Cat Sighting

Chris Hall, a "Puma researcher," provides commentary on Cara Trimarco's article. He notes the location as high on the North Downs at map reference SU 832491. He mentions a recorded "puma" sighting on the A287 on the weekend of 6/7 September, 1964, near Ewshot (SU 81394939). He suggests that Trimarco's incident likely occurred in late August or early September 1964. He also notes another report of a male lion from this area of Surrey, and lioness reports from Hale Common and near the Farnham By-pass. The presence of a water tower at SU 82864913, existing in 1964, is also recorded.

The Old Straight Track in Surrey

By Jimmy Goddard, this article details two ley lines in the Woking area. The first, "Fox Hill," starts near St. Nicholas church at Pyrford and follows a wide bridleway that becomes straight for nearly a mile, ending at the road at Old Woking. Goddard describes the walk as pleasant, noting a distinct feeling of walking an old straight track, with a peak in the middle marked by Scots pines. The ley passes Roundbridge farm and an odd out-building with a conical roof. The second ley, "Carters Lane," begins by skirting Newark Priory and runs along a public bridleway. This path is metalled and straight for about half a mile before a junction. It then becomes a narrow footpath, parallel to the road. The path continues straight for a quarter of a mile, crossing a bridge and becoming twisty, leaving the ley to cross a field. It passes under pylons and an electric cow fence, through a farm gate, and emerges at a lay-by near Newark Priory, leading back to Pyrford church. Goddard notes that many leys are found along road edges rather than their centers. The Fox Hill ley is also described as skirting St. Georges Hillfort at Weybridge, passing through St. Mary's church in Byfleet, and continuing through aligned stretches of road and a cross-roads with a spotmark, finally reaching two churches in Farnham. The Carters Lane alignment is described as less impressive as a map-ley, starting by skirting Newark Priory and running along the track, passing through churches and possibly aligned tracks before reaching a church at Odiham. The next issue will feature "Ferry Lane, Chertsey."

Aspects of Ley Energy: The Columnar Standing Wave (CSW)

By Paul Baines, this article delves into the nature of the Columnar Standing Wave (CSW). It is defined as a non-linear, coherent, non Maxwellian-Gaussian electrodynamic field, distinct from Hertzian waves and not strictly electromagnetic, though it can interact with and produce EM waves. The field configuration is a cylindrical column of stacked toroids. A CSW can travel through various media, including sea-water and earth, at speeds faster than light (approximately 3 x 10^8 times the speed of light) and does not dissipate with distance, sometimes arriving stronger than when it left. This characteristic is compared to H. Winfield Secor's work with undersea and underground wireless systems used by the USA in WW1. The collapse of a CSW results in disintegration into three spinning vortices of charged particles, leading to a plasmic explosion. An example cited is the Bell Island (Canada) incident on April 2nd, 1978, where a CSW collapsed, producing energy levels expected to cause devastation equivalent to a nuclear explosion.

Natural CSWs are discussed, with ball lightning identified as a rare example of a natural columnar standing wave. Earth stress lights are also mentioned as a form of CSW, possibly involving complex mechanisms like 4-space electrostatic potentials, scalar waves, and piezoelectric effects of quartz. Anomalous lights are often associated with geological faults and monoliths, which are typically located over junctions of water-bearing fissures, linking them to UFOs, leys, and ancient sites.

CSWs can be generated artificially. A properly designed pyramid, like the Cheops Pyramid, can act as an antenna for focusing tachion energy. The Hopi Indians' rain dance is described as imitating the 'clocking' motion of tachion pairs to build up a CSW that causes rain. The article suggests that tachion energy is analogous to Orgone energy, and Wilhelm Reich's 'cloudbuster' device, which could induce and disperse rain clouds, is presented as an example of interacting with underground water flow. The spiral energy release from standing stones is also suggested to bear resemblance to a CSW, with quartz and proto-ceramic materials acting as transducers for orgone energy from underground streams. Ritual dances in stone circles are thought to have a similar effect to the Hopi rain dance, potentially being more potent due to stored quartz energy. The article notes that CSWs do not interact with their surrounding environment, and ancient sites and medieval cathedrals were often designed to avoid blocking geodetic lines and aquastats, with "Spirit Holes" marking these points.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine focuses on "Earth Mysteries," encompassing a range of paranormal and unexplained phenomena, including out-of-place animals, ley lines, and theoretical physics related to energy fields like Columnar Standing Waves. There is a clear interest in linking these phenomena to geological features, water sources, and ancient sites, suggesting a belief in interconnectedness within these subjects. The tone is investigative and speculative, presenting research and personal accounts as evidence for underlying, often unseen, forces and events. The publication appears to be a platform for enthusiasts and researchers in the field of the paranormal and unexplained, with a particular regional focus on Surrey.