Touchstone - No 055 - 2001 04

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 55
Date: April 2001
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group

This issue of Touchstone delves into the fascinating world of earth energies and ancient alignments, with a primary focus on a significant ley line dubbed the 'Royal Road to Weybridge'. The magazine also features an in-depth exploration of the Monk's Ford ley in Somerset, alongside letters from readers discussing various aspects of earth mysteries, UFO phenomena, and related research.

Royal Road to Weybridge?

The lead article, "ROYAL ROAD TO WEYBRIDGE?", by an unnamed author, details the exciting discovery of a ley line alignment extending south-west from the Mall and Buckingham Palace. This alignment is traced through numerous significant locations, including Oatlands Palace in Weybridge, New Haw, the church of All Saints in Woodham, Richmond Park, Bushy Park, and the ancient church at Walton-on-Thames. The author notes the presence of other interesting leys passing through Walton-on-Thames and mentions a poem attributed to Elizabeth I found by the pulpit. The article highlights how the Mall itself serves as a spectacular tree-lined approach to Buckingham Palace, with its other end passing through Admiralty Arch to Charing Cross, the site of an Eleanor Cross raised by Edward I.

The ley is described as fairly wide, approximately twenty-three paces across, a measurement consistent wherever dowsed, even near Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard. The alignment is noted to be slightly offset on the Mall, with the right-hand boundary passing through the centre of the Victoria Monument and the left-hand edge touching the circular paving around the Monument. A tendency for trees lining the road to lean inwards towards the ley is also observed.

Charing Cross is marked by a statue of Charles I, rather than the original Eleanor Cross. The ley is said to run through Buckingham Palace gardens and a double leaning tree visible from Grosvenor Place, leading to St. Peter's Church, Eaton Square. This church, described as an eighteenth-century 'Greek temple' type, is grazed by the ley, which is noted to have 'just-off' points and is not a perfectly straight line. The ley is also said to pass through a small green at a junction in Whiteheads Grove, where 'rodspin' was experienced, indicating a ley centre, before continuing to St. Luke's Church, Chelsea.

South-westward, the ley crosses Richmond Park and Bushy Park, exiting near Hampton Court Road. It then passes through Walton Church and skims the edge of the Broad Water in Oatlands Park, near a 'Doric temple' and the site of Oatlands Palace, one of Henry VIII's residences. The article mentions the remains of a Tudor wall and gateway from the palace and quotes J.W. Lindus Forge's history, which refers to secret passages connecting to Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, and London, suggesting a possible connection between ley traditions and these legends.

From Oatlands Park, the ley continues through New Haw by a canal lock, then through Woodham village, passing All Saints' Church, and the Six Crossroads Roundabout on Horsell Common, before following the first straight stretch of Woodham Road, Horsell. Woodham Church, built in 1894, is noted for its circular grounds, and the Six Crossroads area is planted with conifers, with Woodham Road exhibiting trees leaning towards the ley.

The author expresses surprise at finding this ley on an Aldershot and Guildford map, confirming previous work. The ley then proceeds through a church in Horsell, St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Church in Brookwood Cemetery, Bastion Hill, a church in Aldershot, a crossroads at Bentley, two churches in Alton, and a multijunction south of Chawton Park Wood.

The Monk's Ford Ley, Somerset

This article by the late Anthony Roberts, originally published in The Ley Hunter, provides an excellent account of ley research. The author recently visited Monk's Ford and found the area as described, though the shallow waters were more torrential and the road resembled a river. The ley runs across Somerset from East of the Mendips to West of Bridgwater, terminating on the Quantock Hills. It is remarkable for having over 17 exact points of reference in 26 miles. These points were plotted on an Ordnance Survey map and corroborated by fieldwork. The article emphasizes that a minimum of five points are needed to prove a ley's existence.

A significant feature of this ley is a well-preserved section of a sacred processional path, locally known as "Monk's Ford", near the ancient city of Wells. Old, cobbled stones of this ancient track are visible beneath the shallow waters, continuing onto a raised, paved embankment. This embankment is in line with a track up a nearby hill. Eight points proving the ley's exactness have been discovered in this short section alone, including remnants of a markstone at Yarley Cross and an old dew pond.

The author discusses his belief that leys are a crucial link between prehistoric science, alchemical magic, and the buried histories of Mu and Atlantis, seeing them as veins of the living planet, with UFOs carrying descendants of 'Sky People'. Somerset is described as a remnant of the ancient British realm of Logres, with its landscape criss-crossed by latent lines of power.

During a visit to the Wells-Glastonbury area, the author learned from Mrs Patricia Higgs about the old path through Monk's Ford, used by monks from Glastonbury Abbey and later for carrying coffins. Her father, Mr Barnard, added that the path was once well-used and that a shaped stone called the "Diamond Stone" at the centre of the paved section was used to rest coffins on their journey.

Upon visiting Monk's Ford, the author noted the clear alignment and the embankment. The square-shaped granite blocks of the path and the 'Diamond Stone' were uncovered. The atmosphere was described as peaceful and redolent with geomantic sensations.

Detailed alignments are provided:

Alignment to the West: Includes Monk's Ford, Yarley Cross (a markstone at a crossroads), Henton Shaped Ridge, an old dew pond, a field gate, two old trees, Brook Farm Bridge, Westhay Moor Track, and Edington Moor Track. It also includes East Bower Alignments, Saint Mary the Virgin Church in Bridgwater, Durleigh Village, Lovedere Farm Track, and Broomfield Hill.

Alignment to the East: Includes Henley Hill, Priors Hill, and barrows in a field at Whitnell Corner, with the largest barrow forming a stone-lined pond. This barrow is aligned with another large barrow nearby.

The article concludes by stating that the Monk's Ford ley runs for 26 miles in exact alignment between the Mendip Hills and Quantock Hills, emphasizing that true geomancy must be experienced physically and emotionally, not just through maps.

Letters

Rienk Noordhuis, Wimbledon: Writes about Paul Devereux's book, questioning his dismissal of energy currents in leys and the concept of 'death roads' in Holland. He notes the association of old churches with footpaths and the potential effects of microwaves from mobile phone masts on churches and leys, suggesting a general appeal to oppose these masts.

Norman Darwen, Blackpool, Lancashire: Enjoys Touchstone and Amskaya. He shares an interest in the 'Green Man' motif, noting its prevalence in official literature on Sherwood Forest and its appearance in Southwell Minster and Lincoln Cathedral. He also mentions evidence of site continuity in Lincoln, with Roman temple and later structures on the same site.

Danny Sullivan, Hassocks: Discusses the establishment of the Society of Ley Hunters (SOL) as a replacement forum for The Ley Hunter, aiming to be an inclusive organisation for discussion of leys and associated subjects. He mentions the society's website and seeks reciprocal links with other groups.

Cheryl Straffon, St. Just, Cornwall: Agrees with the review of Paul Devereux's book, finding his claim of being uniquely qualified to write about Earth Mysteries to be hubris.

Notes and News

• Bat News items:
• The Bat-phone, Robin! An article from the Daily Telegraph discusses the possible effects of mobile phone masts on bats, noting that church towers are often used as sites for these masts and that research suggests electromagnetic radiation may harm bat colonies.
• From the same issue of Bat News: A personal anecdote about bats in churches and a mummified bat found in Wookey.
• Bat News Summer 2000: Describes Woodchester Mansion near Stroud as an intriguing and reputedly haunted building, home to a colony of nearly 50 greater horseshoe bats. It details the mansion's history and ongoing tours.
• Another medium for the Green Man: Mentions finding a Green Man figure made of white chocolate in Wells Cathedral.

Ghosts and Feng Shui: From Goddard Association of Europe Newsletter, February 2001. Gillian Goddard experienced disturbances in her thatched cottage, including odd knockings. A feng shui practitioner suggested turning her bed and identified an active energy source flowing through it, possibly a Ley Line, which caused her electric meter to whirl and click.

TEMS meetings: Lists upcoming meetings and conferences for The Travel and Earth Mysteries Society, including a conference with BUFORA on "You Can't Tell the People" by Georgina Bruni and a talk by John Spencer on "The Encyclopedia of Ghosts & Spirits Volume 2".

London Earth Mysteries Circle meetings: Provides a schedule of upcoming meetings covering topics such as the Templars, Akhenaten, Sex Magic, Crop Circles, and Execution Sites.

Meyn Mamro: An advertisement for "Ancient stones & sacred sites in Cornwall", described as a smashing magazine with a professional gloss.

The Hidden Unity and Beginnings

• This section reviews two publications:
• The Hidden Unity: Explores the phenomenon of subconscious ley siting and the predominance of places of worship on leys. It investigates two ley centres, the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking and the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Scunthorpe, with an appendix on the significance of Pagan religion. It costs £2 plus 30p p&p.
• Beginnings: A collection of potentially useful discoveries made by Jimmy Goddard over twenty years, including earth energy detection, natural antigravity, and subconscious siting. It also covers cognitive dissonance and the discovery of leys by Alfred Watkins. It costs £2 plus 30p p&p.

Earth People, Space People

This section reviews a booklet prepared to compensate for the loss of Tony Wedd's unpublished manuscript "Earth Men, Space Men". It details extraterrestrial contact claims, the history of the STAR Fellowship, evidence for life in the Solar System, and extraterrestrial language. It costs £2 plus 30p p&p.

The Legacy of Tony Wedd

This CD-ROM is an electronic version of Tony Wedd's travelling exhibition, featuring his research on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology. It costs £12.

Subscription Information

TOUCHSTONE is the newsletter of the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, available for £2 for four quarterly issues from J. Goddard.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of Touchstone are ley lines, earth energy, ancient sites, and their connection to geomancy and prehistoric practices. There is a consistent interest in exploring the physical and energetic landscape, often linking it to historical events and beliefs. The magazine also engages with contemporary issues such as the potential impact of technology (mobile phone masts) on these energies and phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into earth mysteries, encouraging fieldwork and personal experience, while also acknowledging and reporting on UFO sightings and related research. There is a clear advocacy for the validity of ley systems and earth energies, often contrasting this with more conventional scientific viewpoints.