Touchstone - No 052 - 2000 01

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 52
Date: January 2000
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group

This issue of Touchstone, the newsletter of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, delves into various aspects of earth mysteries, focusing on ley lines, ancient sites, and unexplained phenomena. The cover story, "In Tony's Footsteps: The Hampstead Heath Tumulus," revisits the research of Tony Wedd, an artist and designer who explored the connection between flying saucers, ley lines, and ancient landscapes.

In Tony's Footsteps: The Hampstead Heath Tumulus

The article details Tony Wedd's 1949 walk over Hampstead Heath, inspired by Alfred Watkins' book "The Old Straight Track." Wedd describes discovering a solitary pine clump and, nearby, a tumulus with Scots pines and a "crown of thorns" around it. He noted its prominent visibility and its alignment with Westminster Abbey, which sits on Thorney Island, named after a clump of thorns. Wedd believed this alignment indicated a significant ley line. The author of this section, writing in September, recounts visiting the area and finding the tumulus and a nearby stone. The ley linking the tumulus and Westminster Abbey is traced on a map, passing through various churches, the Post Office Tower, and other notable landmarks in London. Another ley from the tumulus is traced towards Sunbury Cross, crossing Chertsey Meads and Addlestone. The article also mentions a ley passing through the summit of Woburn Hill and continuing through a local area.

Further Findings on the Reactions of Animals to Leys

This section, by Rienk Noordhuis, reports on observations of animal behavior in relation to ley lines. The author conducted dowsing experiments at Morn Hill (Winchester) and found a 6-pace ley, an 8-pace ley, and a 3-pace ley. Slow worms were frequently found near the 6 and 8-pace leys, and common lizards persisted on the site. Further observations at Kingley and a farm complex near the A31 suggest that barn swallows and house martins are attracted to areas where leys cross. The author notes that wider leys and their crossings seem particularly interesting to swallows. The article speculates on the relationship between ley energy and animal behavior, posing questions about the Hartman pattern and the significance of ley crossings for wildlife.

The E-Line and St. Michael Line in New Zealand

This article discusses the extension of the E-line, a powerful ley investigated by the group, to New Zealand. The author notes that the line appears to pass through Stewart Island, off the southern tip of South Island. An email from Sam Sampson confirms this, suggesting the line passes through the town of Oban and the Anglican church. The article also explores the St. Michael line, discovered by John Michell, which links places with St. Michael dedications. Plotting this line on a globe reveals that it also passes through Stewart Island, creating a potential global significance for the island at the crossing point, possibly Peterson Hill. The article details the paths of both lines across continents.

Letters

Fred Hadley from Surbiton thanks the magazine for linking disparate interests and mentions a book, "Ancient Energy of the Earth" by David Cowan and Ann Silk, which discusses Earth energy lines and their connection to ancient burial grounds and standing stones. A reader from Kent shares personal experiences of sensing energy flow in a valley near their home, noting that the perceived energy flow is slightly different from a mapped ley line. They also mention a local lady who stables her horse in the valley due to its "nice energy."

Notes and News

This section provides information on upcoming events and groups. The London Earth Mysteries Circle has a schedule of talks on topics such as Ogham, Ancient Lemuria, crop circles, and the paranormal. The Travel and Earth Mysteries Society also lists several talks, including those on ancient Jordan, primeval earth gods, and the mysterious window of St. Martha-on-the-Hill. A brief report titled "That Cigar Again!" describes a sighting of a cigar-shaped object in Wiltshire in November 1999, similar to one seen previously.

The Legacy of Tony Wedd CD-ROM

This section announces a CD-ROM titled "The Legacy of Tony Wedd," intended as an electronic exhibition of his work. Tony Wedd, an artist and designer, was fascinated by contact claims and researched ley lines, connecting them to flying saucers. The CD-ROM is divided into three sections: "Flying Saucers," "Landscape Energies," and "Lost Technology." It includes his personal communications, research into leys, and theories on universal energy.

Surrey Earth Mysteries Group Meetings

Details are provided for the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group meetings, held on the second Thursday of each month, with a special joint meeting on February 10th featuring a Zechariah Sitchin evening. The section also lists several "Good Web addresses" for those interested in earth mysteries, including the group's own website and sites on extraterrestrial contact, dowsing, and Watkinsian information.

The Hidden Unity and Beginnings

This section briefly describes two booklets: "The Hidden Unity," which examines the subconscious siting of ley points and the prevalence of worship places on leys, and "Beginnings," which covers various discoveries related to earth energy detection, natural antigravity, and subconscious siting, concluding with an account of Alfred Watkins' discovery of leys.

Earth People, Space People

This describes a booklet based on Tony Wedd's unpublished manuscript "Earth Men, Space Men," detailing extraterrestrial contact claims, the history of the STAR Fellowship, and evidence for life in the Solar System.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are ley lines, earth energies, ancient sites, and UFO phenomena. The magazine consistently promotes the research and ideas of figures like Alfred Watkins and Tony Wedd, exploring the connections between the natural landscape, historical sites, and unexplained aerial phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, encouraging readers to share their findings and participate in group discussions and events. The emphasis is on personal research, dowsing, and the interpretation of landscape features as evidence of ancient energies and potential extraterrestrial interest.