Touchstone

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 71
Date: October 2005
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group
Focus: Earth mysteries, ley lines, ancient sites, paranormal phenomena.

Wideley at Churchinford

The lead article, "WIDELEY AT CHURCHINFORD," details the author's experiences in the Blackdown Hills of Somerset. His wife, Doris, is an assistant priest in a group of six churches in this less-known area. The author describes Churchinford as a village on a five-road junction, which no longer has a church but once had a chapel of ease. He notes the presence of a ley line running from Otterford Church through Churchinford and Fairfield Green. Using dowsing, he discovered a particularly wide ley, measuring 28 paces normally and 56 at sunset, which he found to be the widest he had so far encountered. The article also mentions the historical significance of Fairfield Green as a former fair site and the presence of headhum, often found at powerful ley points.

Ley Lines and Ancient Sites

Otterford Church and Associated Leys

Otterford Church, a thirteenth-century structure, is described as being in the middle of rolling farmland without an associated village. It was once a 'chapel of Otriforde' and a pilgrim church. The area is noted for its barrows, such as Robin Hood's Butts, one of which contained a circle of large stones and layers of soil, suggesting a connection to ancient technology and ley energy. The ley line discussed continues through Stoke St. Mary Church and various other points, including cross-roads and ridgeways, before crossing into Devon. The article details a complex network of leys passing through numerous locations.

Moot at Buxton

The "MOOTAT BUXTON" section reports on a meeting of the Society of Ley Hunters. Speakers included John Hall, who discussed folklore sites on the Isle of Man, mentioning ghosts, the wild hunt, and local legends. Lucy Pringle presented her research on over 600 crop circles, suggesting that while some are hoaxes, many are too large and complex to be man-made, and that they have demonstrable effects on people and crops. She also cited the historical 'mowing devil' incident from 1687. Rob Stephenson spoke about the landscape artist Caspar David Friedrich, and George Chaplin discussed Thornborough Henges in Yorkshire, highlighting their threat from quarrying operations and their significance as ancient communal religious sites.

Arbor Low and Gib Hill

The author recounts a visit to Arbor Low stone circle and henge, guided by archaeologist John Barnatt. The stones, now recumbent, were originally standing. The site has two entrances and a nearby tumulus. The discussion then moves to Gib Hill tumulus, a round barrow on a long barrow, with a bank that may have been a later boundary. A stone on top was the capstone of a collapsed internal cist.

Buxton and St. Anne's Well

Buxton is described as an eighteenth-century spa town with a Crescent terrace modelled on Bath's Royal Crescent. St. Anne's Well and the Pump Room are mentioned, with the water still being popular. The well features a statue of St. Anne and the water issues from a lion's head.

Leys in Guernsey

The island of Guernsey is highlighted for its rich prehistoric landscape and pattern of leys. Several ancient parish churches are identified as ley centres, and some have Neolithic 'statue menhirs'. The article notes instances of subconscious siting, where later churches were built on leys.

Vale Church and La Varde

In Guernsey, Vale Church is discussed as being on a small hill, with a nearby dolmen. The ley line through the church and its surroundings is detailed, linking to other churches and ancient sites. La Varde chambered tomb is also mentioned as being powerful inside.

La Table des Pions

Another ley originates from La Table des Pions (Fairy Ring) in Guernsey, passing through various sites, including Portelet Harbour, a standing stone, and Castel parish church, which has a Neolithic statue menhir.

Letters

Norman Darwen (Bolton, Lancashire): Visited North Berwick, Scotland, noting the prominence of North Berwick Law and prehistoric sites. He also mentions a standing stone near the A198 and the ancient St. Andrew's Old Kirk, associated with witches raising a storm to drown King James VI.

Rienk Noordhuis (Wageningen, The Netherlands): Ponders the static nature of the ley system, suggesting that monuments may have moved relative to each other over millennia, citing measurements in Scotland.

Book Reviews

• "Our Alien Planet - This Eerie Earth" by Sean Casteel and Timothy Green Beckley: A compendium of unusual phenomena, including leys, White Horse Triangles, and terrestrial energy networks. It concludes that Earth is a living, conscious being.
• "The Stane Street" by Hilaire Belloc: A book about the Roman road from London to Chichester, predating Watkins' work and proposing a theory of alignment using huge wheeled structures. The author argues that Stane Street, unlike other Roman roads, does not use earlier routes, though the reviewer notes that it is also a ley.
• "Map of the Ancient Landscape around Glastonbury" by Palden Jenkins: A wall map detailing leys, energy centres, and ancient remains in the Somerset area, including the Glastonbury Zodiac and great circle lines.

Cornwall: A Mystery Centre

Two articles from the Daily Express and Daily Mail highlight Cornwall as a paranormal centre. Lionel Fanthorpe's study for Sky TV's "Mysterious World" series found that the "Penzance triangle" area has a higher likelihood of UFO sightings and ghost encounters. Colin Wilson suggests this is due to radioactivity from granite interacting with ley energy, potentially powering the recording of historical events.

Landscape Figures round the Earthstars

Chris Street's work on "Earthstars - the Visionary Landscape" is discussed. He reported finding landscape figures, similar to zodiacones, around the Earthstars circle which contains London. A lion and unicorn are depicted on either side, facing outwards, with a dove flying into the Barnet Triangle, symbols of the Holy Spirit.

Was Atlantis where Plato said it was?

This section discusses a report in the science magazine Focus regarding the possible location of Atlantis. Dr. Jacques Collina-Girard suggests that an island named Spartel, now submerged, existed in the Atlantic in front of the Pillars of Hercules around 12,000 years ago. This area is susceptible to violent earthquakes and tsunamis, consistent with Plato's account of Atlantis's destruction. While the exact details of Plato's story are unlikely to be vindicated, there is a real possibility that it describes a human catastrophe from prehistoric times.

Notes and News

Announcements for London Earth Mysteries Circle meetings and TEMS meetings are included, with details of speakers and topics such as "Your Greatest Fear - Being Buried Alive" and "Children of Aradia - the Witchcraft Revival". A report on "Europe's oldest civilisation" mentions the discovery of 7,000-year-old temples in Germany, Austria, and Slovakia.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of Touchstone are ley lines, ancient sites, earth energies, and paranormal phenomena. The magazine consistently explores the interconnectedness of these elements, often linking historical sites, folklore, and unexplained events through the concept of ley lines. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, presenting research and anecdotal evidence from various sources, while acknowledging the speculative nature of some of the topics discussed. There is a clear interest in challenging conventional historical and scientific explanations, particularly regarding ancient sites and unexplained phenomena.