Some science behind the scenes
Sacred geography - ley lines
The word ley line is regarded by modern researchers into this aspect of sacred geography to be rather old fashioned, but the word has been incorporated into so many place names in the UK that I think it is worth preserving.
Some background
It was Alfred Watkins who first noticed that the sites in the UK could be lined up and interconnected. Many of them could be aligned, some lines all converged to known sacred sites. He called the imaginary lines ‘Ley Lines’. His book about his work has become a classic – ‘The Old Straight Track’.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
My main theme is the alignment across miles of country of a great number of objects, or sites of objects of prehistoric antiquity. And this not in one or a few instances, but in scores and hundreds
The combination of the sacred sites and the lines that link them form a sort of sacred geography, a sacred geography that certainly exists in Europe, but quite probably exists all over the world, as such sites and straight line roads exist on every continent.
Mapping the roads
After his book was published, a number of amateur readers set about seeing if they could trace out ley lines in their area of the UK and the evidence eventually amassed showed that wherever a study was undertaken, ley lines could be found and they linked across counties and other boundaries. The UK seemed to be a huge network of such ‘paths’, some extremely long lines stretching for miles and miles as well as a network of smaller lines radiating out from certain points – these were extremely thick on the ground.
Watkins estimated that ley lines were built during the time of hunter gatherer communities - the sorts of communities that still exist in Australia, parts of Asia and Canada. The Native American Indians that Hugh Brody has written about in ‘Maps and Dreams’ for example.
In the UK, Watkins believed the hunter gatherers of prehistory lived ‘long before the Neolithic period’ even as far back as the Paleolithic. He envisaged it as an age where peaceful hunter gatherer communities with little incentive to war amongst themselves but each with known hunting and gathering ‘territories’ ‘built tracks’ to define the boundaries of their territory and to visit ceremonial and religious sites. It may be worth mentioning here that Alfred knew nothing of either spiritual experience or out of body experience, so imagined all this as being physical.
He further imagined that knowledge of the ‘trackways’ had virtually disappeared by the time of the Roman invasion because no historic record of them exists:
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
..the ley system must have practically died out before a period of historic record (written language or symbols) commenced in Britain, for it is not recorded
The evidence for ‘spiritual’ ley lines
Watkins was methodical and scientific in his study. He did not even conjecture that ley lines were ‘spiritual paths’ but treated the whole study as an exercise in trying to find old trackways – physical paths and tracks that had long since gone out of use and disappeared because of the march of time. He postulated that there were surveyors [called Dods] who, using surveyor like ‘rods’, gradually marked out the paths of the tracks between sites.
Over time, however, he clearly became puzzled at some of his findings:
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
..firstly how thick the old straight tracks were on the ground; secondly, how few and far between are the fragments remaining of present day roads or track on the leys
Initially, he appeared to have become worried that he was just making assumptions – the tracks didn’t really exist, they were just imaginary lines he had created. Then he started to find mark stones, hollow roads, stone rows such as those on Dartmoor, tree avenues apparently leading nowhere and even paved causeways buried several feet deep under the ground and uncovered by accident or by archaeologists, that indeed did follow and mark out the tracks. Not many, but enough to convince him he was onto something.
He clearly wanted to show that leys existed, but found some of the evidence contradicted the idea of them being physical trackways, he often tried to provide an explanation for the anomalies – at times these appear a little far fetched. To give him credit, however, he did not expunge the evidence that puzzled him. His observations, which were entirely factual in nature, showed no bias in either direction.
All his life, in order to ensure his work was taken seriously, Watkins kept to the scientific approach. But his books are littered with references that show that over time he started to realise that the tracks may have been there, but in some respects they weren’t there. This appears to have puzzled him throughout his studies, but at no time did he call these roads ‘spiritual paths’ or ‘shamanic flight roads’ or similar. In the following extracts, I will provide some of the observations that particularly puzzled him and seemed to contradict the idea of these being physical tracks across the landscape.
Inaccessible routes - Watkins noted how many of the lines seemed to take effectively inaccessible routes – through ponds and rivers, over the top of mounds, as well as directly up almost vertical hillsides.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
… The fact has to be faced that if a track is on a sighted ley it does not go along a selected route, but over whatever steep and seemingly improbable obstacle comes in its way..................
The bold way in which the track plunges, not merely towards but directly through pieces of water, both natural and artificial is at first a matter of perplexity….
Most amazing of all experiences in ley hunting is the fact that not only do leys often go precisely through small ponds … but [if there are ] …. paved roads or causeways.. [they] are sometimes found at the bottom of ponds [for example at Holmer and Bridge Sollars].................
A stock objection to the fact of long sighted tracks in Britain is that of England at the Roman invasion being too thickly wooded for sighting methods to be practical
And, one might add, for there to be any incentive to build a path directly through the wood when you could go round it. Watkins postulates that at the time the paths were built, the vegetation might have been different.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
…the next objection is that early roads went the easy way – along the sides of the hills – did not cross the thickly wooded valleys and certainly did not go straight up the steep sides of hills, as man would take the easy course
His answer was that the hunter gatherer had a different mentality to present day man!
Clearly if the paths are spiritual and flown over by shamans in ‘out-of-body’ experiences, the fact they go through ponds or over rivers or up vertical hillsides is irrelevant. No physical traveling is taking place, it is spiritual travel over the landscape following spiritual lines of travel.
Best seen from air - He noted that a number of the sites on the ley line are best seen from the air.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
A Surrey correspondent tells of a conical hill, topped with Scotch fir which he purchased since the war. A timber merchant told him that many applications had been made to purchase the timber during the time of scarcity, but the Government refused to allow it to be cut down, as it was on the line of flight for aeroplanes to France and was used as a sighting mark.
The naming of the places en route - Watkins noted that Black or similar derivations were used in place names on the ley lines to a very considerable extent.
Blag, blake, blac can mean ‘blessed’ or ‘light given’ and the idea of ‘Black ways’ is not at all how we would interpret it now. These days black has an association with satanic and dark powers - the devil, but this association was given it by the Christian Church [probably as a means of stamping out indigenous beliefs]. ‘Black ways’ were ways or tracks associated with Light.
Watkins himself also managed to come to the same conclusion.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
Look up the word in the New English Dictionary and it is said to be a ‘word of difficult history’ … it seems to come from blake and blac which even in Anglo Saxon time did not mean without light, but ‘shining, white, pale’ and which has in fact given us ‘bleach’
Another name which was found very frequently and led him to give the tracks the name ley lines is the word ‘ley’. Many place names on these routes ended with ‘ley’ as well as derivatives ‘lee’, ‘leigh’, ‘legh’ and so on.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
The New English Dictionary notes that the word is etymologically connected with …. “leug” to shine
In summary
A sacred geography exists and marks the 'spiritual flight paths' connecting sacred sites. There is also a clear link here between the sacred geography of our landscapes and the Mysteries.
Observations
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- Alfred Watkins - Ugandan ley lines
- Amsterdam
- Babylon
- Babylon - The Ishtar Gate 01
- Babylon - The Ishtar Gate 02
- Babylon - The Ishtar Gate 03
- Babylon - The Temple of Ésagila
- Babylon - The Ziggurat of Etemanki 01
- Babylon - The Ziggurat of Etemanki 02
- Babylon - The Ziggurat of Etemanki 03
- Bayard Taylor - Poems of the Orient – Nubia
- BBC - The growth of St Oswald's healing cult
- Brittany - Carnac and its symbolism
- Brittany - Spook weg, corpse ways and ley lines
- Brittany – Carnac – A curious vibration when touching the stones of Carnac
- Cassidy, Joe - dowsing
- Celtic - Diodorus Sicilus and Pindar - Stonehenge
- Celtic - French ley lines
- Chichen Itza - Mayan - Pyramid
- Chin lines
- Coba - Mayan - White ways and pyramids
- Cornwall - Saint Michael's Mount
- County Meath - Tara - Lia Fáil
- Crete – The Cave of Smnisos
- Delos - 03 The sacred geographical features
- Eleanor C Merry - The Flaming Door - Carnac, the Messenger and the Labyrinth
- Eridu
- Eusevgny Faygdish - Mystic Cosmos - Flying over Dragon lines
- Evelyn Lip - Chinese Geomancy
- Father Bernabe Cobo - Inca Religion and Customs - Ceques and guacas
- Father Bernabe Cobo - Inca Religion and Customs - Titicaca Temple of Sun and Moon 1
- Gaudi - Professional work - 04 The Sagrada Família
- Gaudi - Professional work - 09 Casa Batlló
- Gaudi - Professional work - 11 The Artigas Gardens
- Geraldine Mellor - The Home Owner January 1964 – A manifestation of ley power
- Glastonbury
- Glastonbury Tor
- Hernan Cortes - Aztecs and Mexica - The view from Tlatelolco
- Incas - Macchu Picchu
- Indus valley - Dholavira - 01 Introduction
- Indus valley - Dholavira - 03 Sacred geometry layout
- Indus valley - Dholavira - 04 Water and the step wells
- Indus valley - Mohenjo-Daro - 01 Introduction
- Indus valley - Mohenjo-Daro - 02 Layout and plan
- Indus valley - Mohenjo-Daro - 03 The Citadel
- J. R. Mortimer - Forty Years' Researches – Mapping constellations to the landscape – the Howes in Yorkshire
- John Michell - The View over Atlantic - Dragon lines [lung-mei]
- John Michell - The View over Atlantic – The sacred geography of China
- John Michell - The View over Atlantis – Choosing sites and shifting sites
- Karnataka and South India - 03 Airavatesvara Temple
- Karnataka and South India - 04 Bhoga Nandeeshwara and Arunachaleswara Temples
- Karnataka and South India - 05 Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
- Karnataka and South India - 06 Ekambareswarar Temple
- Karnataka and South India - 07 Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple
- Keeping the spirit paths open
- Kish - The Kish archaeological site
- Lagash
- Lagash - Sacred geography
- Larsa - And the Great Hymn to Shamash
- Lethbridge, T C - A Step in the Dark – Ridgeways and the role of Lucifer
- Lethbridge, T C – ESP Beyond Time and Distance – Stone circles were laboratories in which power could be collected and stored until such time as it was needed
- Macfarlane, Robert - Chanctonbury Ring
- Malta - 01 Introduction
- Malta - 02 The Temples
- Malta - 02 The Temples detail
- Malta - 03 The 'cart tracks'
- Malta - 06 Tarxien Temples
- Malta - 07 The Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni
- Malta - 08 Mnajdra Temple
- Malta - 09 Xagħra Stone Circle
- Malta - 10 Ħaġar Qim
- Marad
- Matthew Paris - Flies to Apulia from London
- Mayan - Sacbeob or White ways
- Mayan - White roads and cardinal directions
- Mesopotamian - Means of achieving spiritual experience 09 Creating a sacred geography
- Mircea Eliade and R Bradley on magical flight and ley lines
- Misc. source - The Lines of Nazca and Pampas de Jumana
- Morrells, Luce and the loom
- Nineveh
- Nineveh - Jonah prophecies the destruction of the city
- Norse - Borum Eshoj
- Norse - Faro
- Norse - Gamla Uppsala - Adam of Bremen
- Norse - Gamla Uppsala - The Three Great Mounds
- Norse - Gamla Uppsala - The Ynglinga and Njals saga
- Norse - Gutasaga
- Norse - Helgo
- Norse - Jelling
- Norse - Jelling - The North and South Mound
- Organisation of Pictish society – Roles - Knight - The Whitham Shield
- Palenque - Mayan - Pyramids and ball courts
- Paris
- Paul Devereux - Flying over the landscape
- Paul Devereux - Inca paths
- Paul Devereux - Kogi spirit ways
- Paul Devereux - On the role of the out of body shaman
- Paul Devereux - The Anasazi culture
- Paul Devereux - The sacred landscape of Native Americans
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 01 The Mountain
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 02 Surroundings and cosmic egg
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 03 Gate of All Nations
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 05 Stairs and ladders
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 08 Naghsh-e Rostam
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 09 Estakhr
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - Abu Simbel
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - Temples with pronaos
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - The sphinx
- Sacred geography – Picts
- Sacred geography – Picts – Barrows 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Barrows 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Barrows 03
- Sacred geography – Picts – Barrows 04 - Camster
- Sacred geography – Picts – Brochs 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Brochs 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Brochs 03
- Sacred geography – Picts – Brochs 04
- Sacred geography – Picts – Castles, Palaces and Forts 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Castles, Palaces and Forts 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Caves 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Citadels 01 – Mither Tap
- Sacred geography – Picts – Citadels 02 – Callanish
- Sacred geography – Picts – Citadels 03 – Orkney and the Brough of Birsay
- Sacred geography – Picts – Crannogs 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Crannogs 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Cursus 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Mark stones
- Sacred geography – Picts – Sacred trees and sacred groves 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Sacred trees and sacred groves 03
- Sacred geography – Picts – Souterrains or Step wells 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Souterrains or Step wells 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Springs and wells 02 - Ben Newe
- Sacred geography – Picts – Stone circles 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Stone circles 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Stone circles 03 - Corrimony
- Sacred geography – Picts – Wheelhouses 05 - A’ Cheardach Bheag South Uist
- Sacred sites and the FieldREG experiments
- Schuré - The Great Initiates – 01 Reconstruction of an Initiation ceremony
- Scotland, Lewis - Cailleach na Mointeach - moonrise
- Susa
- Susa - The meeting place for mystic systems
- Susa - Ziggurat of Chogha Zanbil
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Archway [Barrow]
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Concentric circles [Complex site]
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Double crescent [Barrow]
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Double disc and Z rod [Crannog]
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Mirror [Broch]
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Rectangles and squares [enclosures and camps]
- Symbols – Picts – Sacred site - Three ovals [Menhirs]
- Taq Bostan 01
- Tepe Anginah
- Tepe Ecbatana
- Tepe Hasanlu - aerial views
- Tepe Kangavar
- Tepe Khatkuda Kalandar
- Tepe Marlik 01
- Tepe Pasargadae
- Tepe Sasanian Gur
- Tepe Sialk
- Tepe Tureng
- Tepe Yahya
- The Ancestors - Arminghall henge - Dr Christopher and Jacquetta Hawkes
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - Avebury henge
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - Marlborough Mound
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - Silbury Hill
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - The Sanctuary
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - West Kennet Long Barrow
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - Windmill Hill
- The Ancestors - Bryn Celli Ddu - A Dowsing survey by Norman Fahy
- The Ancestors - Bryn Celli Ddu - The Cairn
- The Ancestors - Bryn Celli Ddu - The Henge
- The Ancestors - Bryn Celli Ddu - The Ritual Pit
- The Ancestors - Castlerigg Stone Circle
- The Ancestors - Cornwall - Carn Euny
- The Ancestors - Neolithic Orkney - Maes Howe
- The Ancestors - Neolithic Orkney - The Ring of Brodgar
- The Ancestors - Neolithic Orkney - The Standing Stones of Stenness
- The Ancestors - Somerset - Cadbury Castle
- The Ancestors – Stonehenge – 01 Dr Christopher and Jacquetta Hawkes
- The Ancestors – Stonehenge – 02 Dr Christopher and Jacquetta Hawkes
- The Ancestors – Stonehenge – 03 Dr Christopher and Jacquetta Hawkes
- The Great Mound of Ching
- The Rev. Archer Sheper, vicar of Avenbury (Herefordshire County) - the church that emits organ music without an organist
- The Sacred geography of the Amazon basin
- Tikal - Mayan - Overview
- Uluru
- Ur
- Ur - Ziggurat of Ur
- Uruk
- Uruk - The Anu ziggurat
- Uruk – The Anu district of Kulaba
- Uruk – The Eanna district of Uruk
- Uruk – The Stone cone and Limestone temples
- Using sound to levitate
- Uxmal - Mayan - Overview
- Vatican
- Vatican - Castel Sant Angelo
- Vatican - St Peters Basilica
- Vatican - St Peters square
- Vatican - Vatican city gardens
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - Celtic and Egyptian Mysteries compared
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - Celtic Sacred sites and their conversion to Christian sites
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - The Pyramids as the site of the Mysteries
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - The symbolism of coins
- Watkins, Alfred – The revelation that helped the discovery of the UK’s sacred geography
- Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu
- Zoroastrian - Means of achieving spiritual experience - 12 Creating a sacred geography