The arrival of the New Energies in 2020 marks a turning point.  It is the fifth, and halfway stage, in the increase of energies from somewhere deep within the cosmos. Each year I ask the same question, where does this energy come from? I get the same answer that we will not be told as our very natures and our potential to misuse this knowledge forbids it. We are not ready! 

The last four increases have strengthened the energies of the Earth dramatically. At each increase more  of the forgotten and hidden knowledge has been revealed. Although 2020 may have been dominated by the fear and restrictions brought about by the pandemic the energies have been showing us the way forward into the light.

What happened at this Winter Solstice? More powerful energies arrived reinforcing and extending the energies that have arrived in previous years. Throughout our landscapes there are powerful Beacon Trees. Over recent years they have formed vortexes of energy around their edges. At the time of the first increase these vortexes were thirty six heights above and below the tree. A height is from the top of the tree’s canopy down to the base of its roots. Four years ago when the the new energies arrived cones of energy formed at the top of each tree vortex and travelled down below the tree. At each of the Winter Solstices the cones of energy have remained thirty six heights above the tree but have increased incrementally by thirty six heights below.  At the 2019 Solstice these had doubled to two hundred and sixteen heights below the trees. At this Solstice these have doubled again to four hundred and thirty two heights below each tree. Through visions I now know that the cones of energy will go down even further into the centre of the Earth. It will connect the four main elements from the fiery centre up through the earth to water and then the air.

While the Beacon Trees are becoming the Trees of Life and Knowledge other trees are becoming energised. These are the Tree Devas, the shinning ones, who through the phases of the moon build up energies which are then released to strengthen our biosphere. When we spend time in the company of trees they are likely to become Tree Devas.

The New Energies have also been entering the water based energy lines which flow below and on the surface of the Earth. When they first arrived through the Beacon Springs and Wells the energies transformed these water based lines into swirling vortices which caused much disruption.  After each Solstice there have been a series of moon based events which have helped to calm these energies. Tree Guardians and others have been making river and water pilgrimages to both open up and calm them. Through Despacho and simple ceremonies gifts have been given to the water which have opened up other entry points for the energies leading to more overall balance. When they arrived and entered the energy lines the energies have also doubled.

We need to spend time with, place simple gifts in or leave intentions for the water around us. Why do we need to do this? The water based energy lines are fundamental to the Earth. They form the Elemental Web which is one of the energy grids that surround the Earth. We are water and like many other beings we need it for our very survival. But it goes beyond that. It is the very basis of our spiritual world. A world that has been suppressed for so long is now reawakening. Working with trees I am aware that all the trees and plants are talking to each other. Species that have never communicated with other species are now having conversations. They are doing this through the elemental web which is a relay of roots, fungal networks and water based energy  lines. Over time if we connect with the earth’s energies we will have no need of the internet and other communication technologies. Through this web we will be in touch with our world and the other worlds beyond it.

Since my arm-saving operation and the changes in my blood my abilities with the trees have seen further transformations. One of these is being able to dowse for the details of a tree from an image someone sends me

One of my ideas to speed up the process of getting Tree Guardians to their Beacon Trees is to send them map details of where it is situated so they can seek it out and send me an image to work with.
I tried this with a fellow Guardian who sent me a fuzzy phone image of what she thought might be the Beacon. I recorded the details of the tree and sent them back only to receive a confused return message. I had given the full details of an oak when she had sent me an image of a London plane.
Rather than doubt my abilities I realised that the trees were giving me yet another valuable insight.
Before I could be sure of what had been revealed I had to go and visit the London Plane to find out what was happening. As we entered the wood we visited a large oak which my fellow Guardian had thought could be the Beacon. I dowsed it but it said that it was a Tree Deva so we had to go further into the wood in search of the Beacon. As so often happens finding a Beacon can be a slow process. It is understandable as the Beacons have not been contacted for so long and they are very reticent until they can trust us approaching them. We reached the London plane and it was clear that it was not the Beacon but it did want the ivy to be cut from its trunk. The dowsing took me back to the large oak at the entrance to the wood. It then revealed that it was the Beacon Tree and it also wanted the ivy to be removed from its trunk.
What had happened is that the London plane acted as a conduit for the Beacon Tree.
All the details it had given were correct apart from the age of the Beacon. It had given its own age.

I already knew that trees communicated with each other but that was only with others within their own species.
Through the introduction of ash saplings from Europe and an appalling lack of bio-security ash die-back disease ‘Chalara fraxinea’ arrived on mainland Britain. As soon as we were made aware of the problem I started working with ash trees to find out how it was affecting them. They made it clear that no mature tree should be cut down as many of them are resistant to the disease.
As the energies increase they will become stronger and the indications are that the loss of ash trees will not be as bad as many predict.
I am able to communicate with ash trees across the country via their root structures and the network of mycorrhiza (the fungal network). Through the misuse of the land many of these mycorrhizal networks have been broken but the trees are still connected by the bands of water based energy that travel below and above the ground.

During 2013 not a single oak or ash tree here on this part of the Blackdown Hills produced a single acorn or key. This was to make use of the increasing energies to strengthen themselves to face the changes that are on the way. However every sycamore produced keys and following Spring there were young sycamores sprouting everywhere. Before then I had never tried to communicate with sycamores.
It was hard work trying to talk to them. They are not a native tree and woodsmen see them as weed trees. This may be the reason why they are so insular and do not even communicate with other sycamores.
Now the older sycamores are talking between themselves and the other trees that surround them.

At the moment it is only the older trees and all the Tree Devas that are talking to each other.
As the energies continue to increase even more trees and plants will be communicating across vast distances.

This is another stage in the re-awakening of the elemental web of energies that surround the Earth. In the past much of this web was localised but now we have the potential to broaden our relationship to everything that is all around the world.
In time we will be undertaking detailed conversations with other living and spiritual beings across the elemental web.
It will help all of us to balance the energies and attain new levels of consciousness.

 

Some Holy Wells are decorated with strips of cloth and objects left by visitors. These gifts are votives presented to invoke the special healing qualities of the well.
With the continued increases of energy we are at a stage when we need to leave gifts at the Beacon Springs and Wells to heal them in order to balance these energies. Many of these springs and wells are hidden away or even forgotten within our landscapes. It will take a while to find and spend time with them to help in this healing process.
In the meantime the New Energies are building up in the water based energy lines via these springs and wells. They will continue to have the potential to cause a great deal of disruption.

A solution to help calm these energies has been revealed by fellow Tree Guardians, often working alongside others with a strong connection to Earth Energies.
As part of a project to reclaim our rivers, last year, a special ceremony took place on the water meadows of the River Frome in Frome. I was asked to check the energies before and after the event. After the Despacho Ceremony a powerful energy field was created on and around the river.

A Despacho is an Andean prayer bundle similar to a mandala. It is a work of Sacred Art, born of your deepest prayers and longings that you bring to your life.  In Spanish, despacho literally means “dispatch or shipment”. We dispatch our prayers to Mother Earth, to the Sacred and to the mountains (Apus in Quechua) with great respect and honour and ask that they be answered. 
Each despacho is different, reflecting the intimate connection to the one who is offering prayer. Breathtaking in its physical beauty, a despacho ceremony is a journey to the soul of nature, an organic process where, in deep reverence, we offer our most heartfelt prayers for deep healing.

In November another Despacho Ceremony took place on the River Thames in London. This ceremony took place alongside the Extinction Rebellion event where thousands took over five London bridges. South of the Houses of Parliament in the gardens the despacho was created. Placed on a raft of willow it was floated on the Thames.
Though the combination of the Despacho and so many with strong connections to Earth Energies a massive energy field was created. This energy field is re-opening up long forgotten and hidden energies which have the potential to transform London. 
I have shown the map of this energy field to a fellow Tree Guardian. 
Her immediate reaction to this new energy field is a place of New Ideas. It will have the potential to change lives by opening up and expanding our consciousness.
She agreed with my concerns that these powerful energies will also cause turbulence as they get stronger. The energies of the rivers tend to be constrained so they will need to be released.

At the Winter Solstice the New Energies entered at these energy centres on the Frome and Thames as well as Beacon Springs and Wells.
A fellow Tree Guardian received the a gift of a rose quartz which she then placed in the stream above her house. This gift opened up an another entry point for the new energies.
A large ceremony will create a large energy field but a simple visit to a river or stream to place a gift seems to be just as effective. The energies around it will not be as strong but it forms another means of easing the arrival the new energies.
In the coming years we need to leave gifts at known and unknown places along streams and rivers to calm the water.

Energies that were slowly leaching away over time are now returning to re-awaken the Earth. During the last two Winter Solstices new energy has arrived to strengthen the underlying energies of the Earth.

At the 2016 Winter Solstice this energy connected with the vertical vortexes that are above and below the Beacon Trees which have been hidden and forgotten within our landscapes.
Not only were these powerful trees energised but other trees which have a close association with us were also re-awaken to become the Tree Devas who strengthen our biosphere.

At the 2017 Winter Solstice the energy arrived to travel deeper into the earth below each Beacon Tree and create more Tree Devas. But something else was energised!
When I map out the many energy lines which travel below us I find Beacon Springs and Wells as well as the Beacon Trees. Like the Beacon Trees these important energy points in the landscape have been lost or forgotten over time. They are the direct connections to the water based energy lines that pass below us. These bands of energy are tidal following the phases of the Moon. Like the tides at sea these energy bands consist of water and moisture. Up until the last Winter Solstice these energy bands only followed the levels of the water below us. At the Solstice this all changed when the new energy entered the energy lines via the Beacon Springs and Wells. They became swirling vortices of energy transforming the energies below and around us.

Those of us who have a connection with earth energies will have noticed this dramatic change. Some will have felt disturbance as these energies stir up and clear any negative energies that surround us.

This is only the beginning of this re-awakening as there is more new energy to come.
Now is the the time to immerse ourselves within the natural world around us so we can benefit from this increase in earth energies. One positive move we can make is to seek out trees that have had little contact with us. Time spent in their company ensure that they will become Tree Devas at the next Winter Solstice.

 

The New Energy that arrived at the Winter Solstice has not only re-energised the Beacon Trees but it has also brought about a change in other trees.
A local tree with strong energy is now surrounded by the same golden light that spirals around the cone of energy that envelopes the nearby Beacon Tree. The canopy of the tree, its trunk and roots below are a ball of golden light. This has happened to all the trees that have a strong association with us through connections to individuals and communities.

As well as the ball of light they also have energy fields around them. They vary in size depending on their contact with us and all the other creatures. For Example: an oak in a local community woodland has a large energy field as it has become a meeting and storytelling tree.

Whereas the Beacon Trees are male trees all these trees are proving to be female. They may not have the power of the Beacon Trees but it is clear that they are the ‘Tree Devas’, The Shining Ones who help strengthen the earth and the biosphere.

The energy that surrounds the Tree Devas fluctuates with the phases of the moon. It spirals out from the tree, a day at a time, and reaches the edge of it’s overall energy field after seven days. Then the energy retreats day by day rising up into the biosphere.

In the myths and legends, as well as the foundations of world beliefs, the Tree
Devas have played a crucial role in our connection to the natural world.
In The Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh oral tales which are a combination of fact and folklore, the young knight, Peredur, comes across the following:
‘On the bank of the river he saw a tall tree: from roots to crown one half was aflame and the other green with leaves’.

With the energies around Beacon Trees and Tree Devas the earth is being strengthened. We must seek out and spend time in the company of these trees to help us heal both the Earth and us.

The Fire Sculpture I created for, and fired at, this year’s Vernal Equinox proved to be the most successful sculpture to date. It has now become an annual event for family, friends and my fellow tree or spring guardians.
Using gash timber from our old hay store I created a three sided structure with a raised pinnacle which, as to order, disappeared inside once the fire developed a life of its own and roared away.
Just before everyone arrived a large white goose waddled down the lane and walked into the orchard. All the guests were greeted by a honking goose. The goose stayed for a few days sleeping on one of the raised vegetable beds.
The Vernal Equinox is a time of change so I encouraged my guests to bring an object, charm or totem to place on the sculpture so all the negative energy of the last year could be consumed by the fire. Since the arrival of the New Energy at the last Winter Solstice the trees have told me that we need to drop and ignore all the negative energy that surrounds us.
We need to take a more positive path through a deep reconnection with the natural world. 

There have been no blogs for a while as I have been interpreting, checking and re-checking the new knowledge that has been revealed by the trees.

The New Energies that arrived during the last Winter Solstice have transformed the energy within the powerful Beacon Trees.
Over the previous four years at Winter Solstices, along with a combined Lunar Eclipse and Red Moon, the energies of these trees have been increasing. As well as the large energy fields around, above and below them they are surrounded by a vertical vortex of energy.
These spiralling vortexes are 36 heights above and below the ground. A height is measured from the top of the tree’s canopy to the base of its roots. The reasons for these vertical vortexes were revealed to me after strange experiences in Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor and a shamanic drumming workshop. I was shown that when the New Energy arrived it would start to form a cone of energy just above the top of the vortex. The cone would then enlarge to form a larger spiral of energy at ground level and then an even larger one underground at the base of the vortex.
During the afternoon of the 2016 Winter Solstice the energy arrived in this form. The Beacon Tree that is my guide now has a cone of golden light surrounding it.
This energy is to strengthen the earth below and the creatures upon it. For those of us who have a strong connection to earth energies this will lead to new knowledge and strength. It will help us guide others in the path they need to take to cope with the changes that are on the way.
This New Energy has also arrived before at three other times in our past. Looking through timelines it is clear that the energies that have arrived in Beacon Trees have formed the foundations of our development and above all our thought.
They are the trees of Life and Knowledge!
We must now take advantage of these energies the trees are giving us to work with the earth and re-address its balance.

As the trees present us with a wonderful display of Autumn colours it is time to go out to view and celebrate them. As the leaves fall we can see and marvel at the structure of each tree. Place your hands on the trunk of a tree and follow the tactile map of the bark to reveal its history. After exploring the structure place your back on the trunk and face out from the tree. Open up your senses to the world around you. You will see and experience the world from the trees’ viewpoint.

Through the recent ‘Find a Tree’ exhibition, which I curated, it became clear that each of the ten artists who took part had developed a unique connection with their chosen tree or trees. It often led to some unexpected approaches in the representation of these trees.

‘Common Ground’, an arts and environmental charity, has explored and celebrated the different qualities of our landscape through artist-based community projects. One of these was the annual ‘Tree Dressing’ project where we were encouraged to decorate our favourite or special trees for the first weekend in December. This celebration of trees has historic and mythical connections in Britain, Europe and the world. When I worked as an art lecturer I often set this as a project for my students working on a large or small scale with local trees.
Elaborate Tree Dressings require a great deal of planning and if the tree is in the public domain you will need to seek the necessary permissions. If you want to decorate a tree keep it simple. Make something from natural, bio-degradable, materials which will eventually disappear if you do not take it down.

Small statements are just effective as the large ones.
I make totems from sticks, wool and twine which are hung from the lower branches of trees in the garden and orchard. One of the most successful student projects I ran was the creation of small totem figures in clay which were placed in the nooks and crannies of trees.

Be safe when putting your decorations on or in a tree and remember not to harm the tree or the creatures that have a close relationship with it.

From small beginnings we can revive ‘Tree Dressing’ to celebrate and highlight the very special living beings that surround us.

Find a Tree,  Lay down below it,  Or sit with your back to it,  Close your eyes and Listen,  Take in all the sounds and smells,  Become aware of the world around you,  After time you will become that Tree,  When you leave Thank it,  Never Forget the Time You Spent Together.

Find a Tree exercise No 1

When we spend time with a tree we help to increase its energy which is then maintained by all the other creatures that interact with it. After our close contact with a tree we leave feeling relaxed but also energised. Through regular visits to trees we can develop a better understanding of the natural world around us and our place within it.

Find a Tree or let a Tree find you,  Look at it closely,  Experience its smells sounds and textures,  Then drawing or photograph it,  Write a poem or song about it,  Then in the future when you want to forget your cares,  Look at your image,  Recite your poem,  Sing your song,  and Remember the Time You Spent Together.

Find a Tree exercise No 2

Whether in word or image trees have been a source of inspiration for artists for centuries. The artist Piet Mondrian would never have discovered his unique form of abstraction if he had not studied the structure of trees. This is your opportunity to find inspiration from a tree.

The exercises were given to a group of artists. Their interaction with trees can be seen in an exhibition titled ‘Find a Tree’ at the Meeting House Arts Centre, Ilminster, Somerset from the 3rd to 29th of October 2016. On Sunday 9th of October in the gallery there will be a talk and an opportunity to meet some of the artists. 

The Staple Hill Beacon Tree is one of the few examples that exist only in the form of pure energy. In the image you can just make out the concrete trig point which marks the current highest point on the northern escarpment of the Blackdown Hills. 

This was not the highest point as three metres to the west there was an oak on higher ground. In the image you should be able to see a ring of stones that mark the footprint of the tree.

The 772 year old oak was cut down 195 years ago in 1821AD so its timber could be used for shipbuilding. Over time its roots rotted away and the area was cleared around it for farming land, followed by forestry.

Physical traces of the oak are long gone but its energy is still there and it has grown in scale over the last four years. It now has a vertical vortex of energy which is 36 heights above and below ground. A height is from the very top down to the bottom of its roots. When it was cut down it was 12.5 metres, top to root bottom, so the vortex is 450 metres above and below ground. Its lateral field is a giant bubble of energy up to three quarters of a mile in all directions. The energy has remained and grown as nine energy lines cross at this point. There is the three mile wide Dragon Line, a two mile wide River Line, a one mile wide line and six half mile wide lines. There have been male oaks on this site since 3585BC. The first oak germinated from an acorn stored and forgotten by a jay. The next six of the seven oaks on this site were generated by acorns produced by the oaks towards the end of their lives. All these six oaks were pollarded and harvested but in time they became a meeting place for the woodland peoples.

The Beacon Tree has made it clear to me that everyone who quietly spends time within the ring of stones will benefit from its energies and insights.
Beacon Trees have a secret name which I can only reveal to those who are chosen as their guardians. In this case it has told me that I can reveal its name to everyone.
The Staple Hill Beacon Tree has the name of ‘Ty’.
Seek him out and spend some time within his field of energy.

2015 has been an interesting year where so much has been revealed.  On the 20^th March it all started to happen as I shared my 65^th birthday with the Spring Equinox and a Solar Eclipse.  I was told changes were going to happen to natural energies and a week later I found the first of these.  Upon visiting a Beacon Tree in a local wood I found that the edge of its energy field was impossible to find in two directions.  Using maps I found that this band of energy goes to a beacon well in one direction and to a beacon tree in the other.  The edges of this Spirit Line change dramatically from day to day revealing that the water and moisture below us is tidal.  So far I have only found spirit lines here on the Blackdown Hills.

In April there was a third Red Moon in a sequence of four and I was informed that I would be undergoing a form of transformation.

In May on holiday in Brittany I revisited the ancient woodland where I had the out of ‘body of experience’ which opened my connection with the trees.  On my second visit I felt another presence within the wood which was not man or animal.  I had come face to face with my other self, my green self, which is pictured above.  I was informed that my transformation is to help strengthen me in my work on behalf of the trees.  Already I have noticed improvements in my physical body and my connections to earth energies.  These changes are ongoing.

In September at the combined Lunar Eclipse and fourth Red Moon there was a massive increase in earth energies.  The energy fields of beacon trees, springs and wells have expanded dramatically.

During the last few months I have been checking and rechecking the information the trees have given me to find out what is happening. 

It is now clear that we have to reconnect with the natural world if we are to survive the dramatic changes that lay ahead.  By visiting Beacon Trees, Springs and Wells those with a strong earth connection will benefit from the renewed energies.  With each Beacon Tree having a vertical vortex energy above and below it they are the Trees of Life and Knowledge.  They will strengthen us and help us develop the skills we will need for the future.  We must work closely with the natural world as it has the hidden knowledge we will need.  We have to renew the simple, symbiotic relationship the woodland peoples in our distant past had with the natural world.

 

 

Seeing the moon as a ring of red light was an incredible experience. Even more so when this lunar eclipse – fourth in a sequence of four red moons – will bring about a new age of awareness. For months I have been going through a period of transition. Others who have a close connection to earth energies will have experienced this change.

During a solar eclipse the silence is broken by the baying of dogs but the only sound throughout the lunar eclipse was the fluttering of bats. They were feeding en-masse and causing the intense stars to flash as they flew past. The re-appearance of the moon bathed the landscape in a soft light and on the cusp of dawn the black shapes of the bats were replaced by crows. Two flew into our oak  and started to summon the many crows that roost down in the woods. Suddenly the sky was black with a swirling mass as the crows headed in one direction to the North West. Normally they split up following the different cardinal points but this morning they all left along one of the energy lines I have mapped out.

The trees have informed me that this transition has reached its final phase. They have told me that I will be strengthened and become even more aware of the worlds around me. I was expecting this to happen all at once but rather than overload me this will be phased in over a period of time.

Once the sequence of the eclipse and red moon was fully complete I checked the nearest beacon tree to see what had happened to it. There has been another dramatic increase in the shaft of vertical energy. It has gone from 24 heights above and below to 36 heights (height is from the very top of the tree to the bottom of its roots). All beacon trees, certain springs and wells have had their energy fields increased. Springs and wells where five or more energy lines cross are surrounded by a bubble of energy making them, along with the beacon trees, powerful places. Over the last three Winter Solstices and this last Red Moon the beacon trees, springs and wells have had their energies renewed. In the very distant past when we had a closer connection with the earth and its energies they were points of awareness and knowledge. A guiding point in our relationship with the earth.

The indications are that this will be the last increase for a while. Rather than let these energies wane we need to make contact with these special trees, springs and wells.

Transition (felted wool on board)

For the past couple of months I have been working on artworks for exhibitions. These works express the changes and new knowledge I am experiencing.

In a previous blog ‘Transition’ I described these changes and hinted at the experience of seeing my other ‘green’ self. The artwork above is one of two visualizations of what was revealed to me in the ancient woodland in Brittany. I have been using felted wool as a new medium. It is organic and at times an alchemic material. I have been attending Geraldine’s, my wife’s, felt workshops and taking over our dining table in order to make the works.

As the end of this period of transition approaches every ache and pain I have seems to become stronger but these only highlight the changes that are happening to me. I seek information and reassurance from my local beacon tree which is, at this time, unable to give me firm details. As I go through this transition the beacon trees are also going through a period of change. At the last three Winter solstices they have experienced large increases in their energy fields. This will strengthen them as Trees of Knowledge and their shafts of energy will become the first contact points on directing our way forward into the future.

The artwork below is a representation of this shaft of energy that surrounds a beacon tree.

Tree Energy Mandala (felted wool and hazel on board)

During one of my recent tree dowsing workshops I asked the participants to dowse a sycamore tree. It seemed resistant to contact  and when they tried to find the outer edges of its energy field it indicated that it was very tight and compact.

This intrigued me and I started to find out what was the cause of this resistance. I have visited a variety of sycamores from young to mature and I am getting the same responses. They are all well and have no real problems but they  all have lateral energy fields confined to the edges of their canopies. As I have the ability to act as a conduit to bring latent energies to a tree I asked each sycamore whether they wanted me to increase their energy fields. The answer was always No!

Other trees I have visited are keen to have their energy fields extended but sycamores are happy but sycamores are happy to remain as they are. At each of the last three Winter Solstices when there has been an increase in natural energies the sycamores have absorbed it into themselves. Last year when no oak or ash produced seeds the sycamores all seeded. With no competition the ground is covered in baby sycamores. With more questioning it became clear that they are putting all available energy into growth and the production of seeds. Their self-imposed energy field is confined to the edge of their canopy, going up to the top and very bottom of the tree. The best way to describe it is as a truncated tube of energy spiraling, in a clockwise direction, around the tree. In their matter of fact, insular approach they get on with the job of growth.

Oaks and ashes communicate with each other but the sycamore is silent. As a non-native, imported tree that is often described by foresters as a weed it does not have a good reputation. A mature sycamore is a good looking tree with many assets and uses. We need to look at them more closely as the indications are that sometime in the future they will start talking to other trees and us.

Over the last three Winter Solstices we have had massive increases of natural energy which have gone into the trees and plants. These increases have strengthened them so they can cope with future change.

There is also something happening to those who are very sensitive to earth energies. In my case this recent change started on the 20th 0f March, my 65th birthday, the Spring Equinox and the third in the phase of four Super Moons. It is hard trying to describe what is happening to me but the nearest description is ‘growing pains’. I know that this transition will be completed on the fourth Super Moon in September. After a recent visit to Brittany I now what is happening to me but I still have no idea how it will manifest itself.

The information was revealed in an ancient wood in Brittany where all my major revelations take place. It was there where my first life changing experience took place setting me on the path I am now following. With a stream running through , along with the many mills, it still retains a medieval quality. Amongst the verdant plant growth and flowing water it is as close to the energies of the earth as anyone can get.

When I go in search of a Beacon Tree I expect to find a gnarled, veteran oak rather than small trees you would normally walk by. It is these surprises and the hidden histories that make these searches a fascinating experience. Here are two recent contacts I have made and the stories they have to tell.

The searches start from notations on local maps. Where two or more energy lines cross there tends to be a beacon tree, spring or well. In a local community woodland a variety of energy lines crossed on the boundary of the wood. My search starts with me asking my dowsing rod to take me to the tree. The journey through the wood took me to its edge and an old oak that looked the part. It was not the tree but the path next to it indicated that it was further along the edge of the wood. I ended up down a ride that lead me back into the wood. Part the way along was a double oak covered in a mantle of ivy. I made contact with the tree taking care to ground myself and control the flow of latent energy. I asked it how it was. It was not happy as the ivy was throttling it and it asked for it to be removed. On my second visit I took a folding saw and cut the ivy at the base of each trunk. In due course it will fall away and let the tree(s) breathe. As it was a double oak I asked it if it was a gypsy child burial. It was! I later checked two double oaks further down the path and they indicated that they were gypsy child burials. In the past when a gypsy child died they were buried in a quiet hidden place with an acorn in each hand. It was only on my second visit when I was cutting the ivy that I realised that the right hand trunk was not an oak but an ash. As the beacon tree(s) had not been contacted for a long time the answers were confused so getting its age and history took time. The tree told me it was 437 years old indicating that the gypsy child was buried around 1578AD. As the right hand grew faster than the left hand it was cut down for timber at 258 years and the base of the trunk rotted down over 17 years. An ash key seeded itself on the remains of the trunk. The right hand ash is 162 years old and makes this the first oak/ash beacon tree I have found. Both trunks are male and the lateral energy which I helped to release covers a large section of the woodland. As with all beacon trees its shaft of energy is 24 heights above and below it. It revealed its name which I will pass on to whoever is selected as the trees guardian.

The second beacon tree was in a wood near Churchstanton Church. The church is well worth a visit as it has many of the bench ends that were in Dunkeswell Abbey. They are 543 years old indicating that they were carved in/around 1472AD. They feature green men and plant motifs. The search for the beacon tree was long and convoluted as the tree was well hidden. I could understand why as the woodland was in complete contrast to the community wood where I found the previous beacon tree. The only management was removing tree branches that might get in the way of tracked vehicles that travel through the wood churning up and creating new tracks putting pressure on the trees. Beside one of these tracks surrounded by holly trees is the beacon tree. The hollies camouflage and hide a male oak with a low pollarded trunk. This trunk is covered in burrs with the remains of branches growing out of them. The branches growing up from the top of the trunk are long and thin like a spindly crown. The tree is 362 years old and was planted by a tree man around 1652AD. The tree is the way it looks as it was continuously cropped for timber to make furniture. The new growth would have been suitable for chair and table legs. It seems there are other similar trees throughout the wood. As it has been hidden for so long its lateral energy was still compressed but with further visits it will open out. Its vertical shaft of energy is 24 heights above and below. It has revealed its name and has chosen its guardian.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The Blackdown Hills are proving to be one of the most powerful places in Britain. So much so that The Dragon Line makes a large detour in its North/South journey to cross the hills.

I am still in the process of marking out all the main energy lines that cross the Blackdown Hills but have also started to explore the points where many lines cross. One of these points is a wood on the Northern escarpment of the hills.

The wood is owned by a friend who has a deep understanding and a powerful connection to earth energies. After lunch we went in search of the potential Beacon Tree where all these energy lines crossed. I knew that once I made contact with the tree all the latent energy around it would be released, but I was ill-prepared for what happened. As soon as I touched the tree there was the normal frission but as soon as I was in full contact with it I started to sink into the ground. I steadied myself and climbed out to the realisation that something very different had been released. Once through my initial questions about the tree’s well-being and age I then checked on its energy fields. There was the expected pillar of energy twenty four height measures above and below. I then checked on the lateral energy field as on the Winter Solstice of 2013. As expected it covered a large section of the wood. When I checked the the energy field from the last Winter Solstice it ran through the width of the wood to disappear off the grid. When we got back to their house I did a quick check on the map. It travels across the landscape to the Beacon Tree at Otterhead and the Holy Well marked at Holywell Lake in the other direction.

On our return home I did a more detailed check and found a band of energy running through the landscape which varied at each of the Beacon Trees. The unknown element was the Holy Well at Holywell Lake. Another friend carried out a search for me and believed it was in the front garden of a house opposite the village pub, the Holywell Inn. When I checked it out on the ground it was confirmed as a powerful Holy Well. I did not need to enter the garden to confirm  its position and course. It left the garden through a pipe in the wall and then through an underground culvert. You can hear the strength of its flow as it bubbles down under the road to a stream. I walked from it through the village to find the edge of its lateral energy field. It went to the outskirts of the village in different directions. It proved to be a large bubble of energy that also goes above and below the well. It is also clear that it acts like a bubble ebbing and flowing in its shape. As with all the energy lines the moon’s cycles affect its flow. I will be mapping out edges of this ‘Spirit Line’ for each day of a moon cycle to see how it changes and influences the landscape around it.

I have called this new band of energy a ‘Spirit Line’ as my friend believes her Beacon Tree to be a Spirit Tree. She also asked me whether these powerful trees had names. I asked her tree and the one here at Otterhead and they both gave me their names. It was made clear that these names are a secret and I should only reveal them to whoever will become the guardian of that tree. Once I have worked with more springs and wells I will ask them whether they have names.

During the last few weeks I have been working on the task the trees set me at the Winter Solstice. To search for the energy lines that cross the Blackdown Hills.

With the Taunton and Blackdown Hills OS map set out in front of me, a dowsing rod in my right hand and coloured pencil in my left I have been mapping out these lines.

With the Dragon Line as my starting point I searched for all the lines that come into contact with it. The Dragon Line is a band of energy three miles wide (one and half miles either side of its centre). The centre is where the main energy runs and it is clear that only this line is three miles in width. Although it takes a West to East route through the West Country it is a North/South line. The next lines I looked at were the St Michael and St Mary lines. The book that Hamish Miller and Paul Broadhurst produced ‘The Sun and the Serpent’ presents their journey of discovery along the lines and provided me with the reference I needed. To do their work justice I spent a lot of time in detailed dowsing over maps. These lines are two miles wide and in their sinuous journey travel West to East. I then looked for other two mile wide energy lines and found many running from the mouths of rivers to those of other rivers. So far the longest of these has been the one from the mouth of the River Otter, near Budleigh Salterton, to that of the River Parrett, North of Bridgwater, via the Blackdown Hills, Glastonbury Tor and the Polden Hills.

I then moved on to one mile wide and then half mile wide energy lines. What has emerged is a map covered in sinuous lines weaving in  and out of each other and crossing en masse at certain points. These points are very powerful places and either have a beacon tree, spring or well. These are the energy centres that should be visited to help us reconnect with natural energies and the knowledge and guidance they can give us to cope with the changes that are on the way. Where even a few lines cross there are springs, wells and beacon trees. I am now checking all these intersections so I can start visiting them to check their energy levels. This year I will be producing artworks which explore the major energy points and the energy that flows from them.

It is clear that these bands of energy cover the whole of the landscape. They overlap each other providing powerful energy levels below the surface of the earth. What are these energies? As they started me on this course I asked the trees the question. The answer was not magnetic forces but that of water. It is understandable as these lines are flows of water and their centres map out the main sources of water. The water below and above the earth is in a constant state of flux. I asked whether the bands remained constant. It seems their edges ebb and flow. Water under the earth and at those points where it reaches the surface are the realms of the Moon. It also forms a communication web. When I asked questions about the health and future of ash trees I was in contact with trees across the country. They were able to give me a wide consensus on their future.

I then asked the question ‘What happens if we interfere with these bands of energy?’ As the energy bands are in a state of flux they can cope with a certain amount of change but if we continue to create too much interference we are in danger of disrupting these flows of energy and putting ourselves at risk.

Water is our Life Force!

We need to protect it and learn to work closely with it if we are to survive.

At 3pm on the Winter Solstice I went to my local Beacon Tree (1). Each time I touch the tree there is a frisson. This time it was like a powerful electric shock running through me. As normal my hearing goes and then returns with all the natural sounds enhanced. However this time the hearing went for longer and the returning sound was  sharper.

All the trees seemed to be glowing with white light as the increased energy pulsed through them. I had a premonition that this third and final increase of natural energy would go directly into the trees rather than increase their lateral energy fields. I later checked a variety of other trees and this was the case.

However the Beacon Tree had increased its energy field. It had doubled the incredible vertical shaft of energy that runs above and below it. All the Beacon Trees have this circulating shaft of energy as well as strong lateral fields. Whatever its size each Beacon Tree is measured by its total height including the root structure. Each tree’s pillar of energy was 12 heights above and below. Now this has doubled to 24 above and below.

The Beacon Trees are found along powerful energy lines that criss- cross the landscape. Smaller energy lines are connected to these powerful lines and in turn connect all the trees. I have been set two tasks. The first is to search out the Beacon Trees as in the past these were and are now our main contact with natural energies. The Beacon Trees offer us insight and protection. My second task is to map out in a small area the mass of inter-connecting energy lines that run through the landscape. Through artworks and interventions I will present my findings in order to get others to seek out and make contact with these powerful trees.

(1) On the fifth anniversary of my experience in the ancient woodland in Brittany I returned to it. This March it was revealed to me that the stream that ran through the wood is on the same energy line that runs through the Blackdown Hills. Along it I found powerful trees which I have named Beacon Trees. All the findings are revealed in my notes in ‘The Dragon Line’ file.

In the period between full sleep and awakening I have been receiving messages from the trees. The most recent was a dream or vision of gnarled and foliate faces looking at me. Talking to the trees I realised that I was being told the origins of The Green Man.

Sculptured images of the green man appear in churches and other buildings as well as forming the basis of ceremonies and rituals across Britain, and beyond. They have been interpreted as pagan forms representing renewal and fertility. It seems this is not the case.

From 500BC when the clearance of the woods and forests was gaining pace woodland peoples strengthened their connection with the trees. They carved human faces into the trees to reinforce this close relationship. It was never an act of worship. It simply represented a mutual association between living beings. The woodland peoples worked withe trees rather than against them. In due course they became the craftsmen who worked with wood and later stone. The images of green men carved in wood and stone that appeared in churches are representations/reminders of our continued loss of contact with trees as they were removed for increased building and farming.

It is clear that we have to renew our relationship the trees using as many means possible. Creating green man images and sculptures is the perfect means for us to reconnect with the trees around us. I have been directed to create green man artworks that can be placed in trees. You can help by creating your own green men to place in your favourite tree or trees. When you fix your  artworks to a tree search out different ways to display them. If you need to use nails use thin steel ones as these should not cause too much harm to the tree. Above all treat the trees with respect and you will be rewarded through this reconnection of living beings.

Here on the Blackdown Hills none of the ash trees have seeded. At this time of the year the leaves have been blown away as the Autumn winds gather strength but the keys (seeds) are normally still there until in due course they drift down to the ground. But there are none so I asked the question-Why Not?

Over the last two years I have been asking ash trees about how the ash die-back disease (Chalara) is affecting them. They still continue to make it clear to me that only 12% of ash trees on the British mainland will succumb to the disease. These will be young trees (including all the imported ones) and some old trees which already have a multitude of problems. Over a year ago they informed me that all ash trees will show symptoms of the disease but they will recover in one or two years once their resistance has kicked in.

The answer to the question is that this year the ash trees have put all their energies into themselves in order to cope with the changes that are on the way. This coincides with the second increase in natural energies (see previous post) and it looks likely that the third and final increase will be concentrated on strengthening them. Although they are part the way through this process of re-energising themselves the indications are that they will show no signs of ash die-back disease.

During 2012 the press marked the end of a Mayan Calendar with its typical uninformed blather about the coming apocalypse and the end of the world.

On the morning of the 21^st of December I went out to check the energy levels in the trees, but nothing had happened.  When I went to check again in the middle of the afternoon the energy levels of the trees, and all plants, had doubled.  The trees made it clear to me that there would be an increase each year for the next three years.  These increases are to help the natural world cope with all the changes that lay ahead.  These increases will also benefit those of us who are attuned to both earth energies and the natural world.  It will strengthen us so we can guide and help others cope with these changes.

There was another doubling of energy levels in 2013 and on the 21^st of December this year there will be the third and final increase.  You should make time to spend with a tree from 3 o’clock onwards on Sunday 21^st of December.  I suggest you visit your favourite tree which you have visited over a period of time.

If you visit a tree that you have not been to before spend no more than 30 minutes with it.  The reason for this is that some of us act as conduits for latent natural energy.  A tree which has not been visited has a confined energy field and when a human conduit spends time with it the energy flows through them into the tree.  For us it can be a draining experience which often leads to us feeling very tired and in need of rest.

Do not be concerned if you cannot visit a tree on the Winter Solstice itself.  Although that is the optimum time to experience this increase in energy it will be there for the full year and beyond.  Visit as many trees as you can as this will help strengthen the energies of the trees and you.

Try and encourage as many people you know who have an affinity with natural energies and the natural world to go out and visit the trees.

… to the new blog for artist tree dowser Gordon Field