Touchstone

Magazine Overview

Title: Touchstone
Issue: No. 117
Date: April 2017
Publisher: Surrey Earth Mysteries Group
Focus: Earth Mysteries, Archaeology, Ancient Sites, Ley Lines, Astronomy.

Double Henge at Bulford

The lead article details the discovery of a significant archaeological site near Bulford, UK, featured in the TV series 'Digging for Britain' presented by Professor Alice Roberts. In 2016, a team from Wessex Archaeology, led by Phil Harding of 'Time Team', excavated a site east of the River Avon, about three miles from Stonehenge. This revealed a 'double henge' monument, a Neolithic structure not previously seen in Britain, characterized by two circles and a series of surrounding pits. Excavations of these pits aimed to determine if they were contemporary with Stonehenge. Finds included a hand axe and chalk balls, some with visible tooling marks, suggesting they were buried soon after creation. Forty pits were excavated over a week, yielding similar finds, with one pit containing the bone of an aurochs, a giant extinct species of cow or bull. These finds suggest the site was used for ritualistic purposes and religious feasts.

A trench dug across the ditches revealed a piece of late Neolithic grooved ware pottery, indicating the site's age was similar to Stonehenge. This discovery highlights that the east bank of the River Avon was as important as the west. The axis of the two circles does not align with Stonehenge but appears to align with the midsummer sunrise (or midwinter sunset). The article notes a ley line running through the site, connecting three tumuli on the Bulford Ranges, the Iron Age hillfort known as Vespasian's Camp, a tumulus at West Amesbury, the Lake Group tumuli, Stapleford Castle, Hanging Langford Camp, and the church of St. Margaret of Antioch at Chilmark. The church is associated with the legend of a female dragon saint.

Another ley line links the Bulford double henge (south-western circle) to Stonehenge, passing through tumuli on Beacon Hill, Bulford, and adjacent to the Avenue, before reaching Stonehenge itself. This ley continues west, passing another tumulus and Longbarrow Crossroads, closely following the A303 and skirting Yarnbury Castle. The article notes that skirting camps and hillforts is considered legitimate contact by ley hunters.

Other Archaeological Finds

The programme also covered finds made at Tintagel in Cornwall by English Heritage and the Cornwall Archaeological Unit. While the castle dates to the medieval period, archaeological remains from around 600 AD, the Arthurian period, were found. Excavations revealed a construction of three flat terraces on the east side and, surprisingly, steps leading to a one-metre-thick rock wall with a level floor on the south side. This discovery was described as extraordinary, with nothing similar found in Britain, though walls at Camlet Moat in London were noted as being over five and a half feet thick. A rubbish pit yielded a boar jaw, a high-status bowl fragment, rare Merovingian glass thought to be for wine, and an amphora handle from the Mediterranean. The building was eleven metres long and four metres wide, suggesting a substantial structure that was part of a large complex indicating immense wealth and trade.

Stars and Songlines

This section discusses the 'songlines' of the indigenous Australians, as featured on the 'Stargazing Live' TV programme from Australia. Dr. Normanna, an elder of the Nungar people, explained that the first Australians, arriving about 50,000 years ago, used the big southern sky to explain their world. Their creation story involves a great serpent creating trails (songlines) across a flat land. People are born on, live on, and die on these trails. The 'W' shape formed by five bright stars (Canopus, Sirius, Rigel, Betelgeuse, and Aldebaran) is represented on Earth by features like the Stirling Ranges, Wagin Narrogin, Wave Rock, near Merredin, and Lake Moore, with each star aligning with a prominent granite rock marking a turning point on a songline.

When Europeans arrived, they followed these ancient trails due to thick vegetation, and modern roads often follow these songlines. Ghillar Michael Anderson, an Euahlayi elder, explained the Milky Way as 'Wurrum-Boorool', the great river in the sky, with the Coalsack Nebula representing the head of an emu and an old tree. The Southern Cross, near the emu's head, points the way to 'Boolimar'. The article draws parallels to the northern hemisphere constellation Cygnus (the Northern Cross), which Gary Biltcliffe noted as a place where souls come from and go to, with sites associated with Shakespeare in Stratford fitting this pattern. The River Avon is also suggested to represent the Milky Way.

The article mentions Wycliffe Well in the Australian desert, known as the 'UFO Capital of Australia', and notes that 'Stargazing Live' also featured this location. It also references a video about it on YouTube.

Dowsing and Ley Energy

Richard Elen contributes an article on dowsing and the concept of 'ley energy'. He questions the effort involved in constructing megalithic alignments, suggesting it was more than just astronomical observation. His hypothesis is that megalithic man used an energy flowing between sites for healing, communication, and revitalization. This energy, he posits, can be felt by sensitive people, traced by dowsers, and registered on scientific instruments, with the potential for future use in electricity generation.

The article explores the practice of dowsing, noting its natural occurrence in animals and its potential in humans. It discusses how dowsers can find water, springs, and mineral deposits. The concept of 'ley lines' is introduced, referencing Alfred Watkins' work, and distinguishing between regional lines and broader flows. The article touches on Celtic traditions and the use of curraghs, suggesting an awareness of undersea currents that might parallel land-based energy flows.

It is suggested that Druids were dowsers, using their skills for architectural planning and locating boundaries. The article notes that early Christian buildings were oriented, incorporating 'flowlines'. The practice of dowsing was also used by Romans, and later by Druid scholars and Christian brothers for architectural planning.

Ley Energy Detection

Professor John Taylor and Eduardo Balanovski's research at a standing stone near Crickhowell is described, where they measured magnetic fields corresponding to 'wavebands' identified by ley hunter Bill Lewis. The instrument used was a sensitive gaussmeter. Jim Goddard, a Surrey leyhunter, proposes a hypothesis that ley energy magnifies the piezo-electric effect. He has developed instruments using natural quartz to detect this magnified voltage.

Some researchers suggest ley energy might be a manifestation of Reich's 'orgone Energy', with structures like Silbury Hill acting as 'orgone accumulators'. The article provides advice on testing Taylor's research using a suitable gaussmeter and mentions variable results with a simple magnetometer, recommending a device that can remove the normal Earth field.

Richard Elen describes two instruments for detecting piezo-electric effects, one responding to both objective and subjective changes, and a more sophisticated one responding only to objective effects. These instruments use piezo-electric transducers and oscillators. He notes that the 'tingling' from a 'sandjar detector' might be vibration rather than an electrical effect, as it was reduced by sweaty hands.

Book Reviews and Resources

The issue includes a review of Willem Vittebeen's book 'The Great Pyramid of Giza - A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge', which is described as thought-provoking and drawing on a wide range of disciplines. The review highlights figures like Tesla and Edward Leedskalnin.

• Several booklets and a CD-ROM from the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group are advertised:
• 'The Hidden Unity and Beginnings' by Jimmy Goddard, exploring subconscious siting of ley points, earth energy detection, and cognitive dissonance.
• 'Earth People, Space People' by Tony Wedd, detailing extraterrestrial contact claims and investigation into extraterrestrial language.
• 'The Legacy of Tony Wedd' CD-ROM, an electronic form of Tony Wedd's exhibition on flying saucers, landscape energies, and lost technology.

Information is also provided for 'Meyn Mamvro', a publication on ancient stones and sacred sites in Cornwall.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of Touchstone are the exploration of ancient sites and their potential energetic properties, particularly focusing on ley lines and megalithic structures. There is a strong emphasis on connecting these sites to natural phenomena, astronomical observations, and indigenous traditions, as exemplified by the articles on the Bulford double henge and Australian songlines. The magazine also delves into the practice of dowsing and the scientific and subjective methods of detecting 'ley energy'. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into earth mysteries, presenting research and hypotheses from various individuals and groups within the field, encouraging readers to explore these concepts further through books, videos, and their own investigations. The publication positions itself as a newsletter for the Surrey Earth Mysteries Group, suggesting a community-focused approach to these subjects.