Monday, June 22, 2009

The Magic of Menhirs & Circles of Stone





Have you ever wanted a sacred site in your own back yard? This book and DVD (packaged as a set) will help you to achieve that dream. Alanna Moore is an Australian writer and film maker who looks at ancient traditions, dowsing techniques, and places of power around the world. She’s put together this book and film for those who are interested in stone circles, earth energies, and learning how to recognise and create spiritual places in our environment.

The book is the first in a series of guidebooks, and it’s called A Little Geomantic Guidebook to The Magic of Menhirs and Circles of Stone. It is only 35 pages in length (spiral bound), but it is a useful addition to the excellent reference book Divining Earth Spirit, published by the same author earlier in the year.

Chapter one gives us a history lesson on the ancient uses of places such as Stonehenge. It also looks at the link between the stones and healing energies, and fairy traditions too. The concept of creating your own stone circles, and the making of medicine wheels using big stones or small pebbles, features further along in the book, but don’t skip any chapters in your haste to renovate the back garden, it’s all worth reading.

Sites created by the methods in this book are said to generate new ley lines as soon as people “began to use these constructions meditatively.” But Alanna points out that setting up stone circles can also attract unwanted energies, so be careful where you build them, as underground streams may be attracted, and their energies can be harmful if they pass under your home.

A few pages are devoted to labyrinths (geometric patterns created from hedges, stones, mounded earth, etc.) and the transformational effect of walking a labyrinth is described in detail. These patterns are linked to the ancient practices of initiations and shamanic journeys, and provide the opportunity for a blissful inner journey.

The book is well illustrated with photographs, and there are line drawings that clearly show how to draw or build your own labyrinth. The author’s aim in publishing this series is to give “practical information on the spiritual and energetic aspects of environment”, and this has been easily accomplished with this compact volume on geomancy.

Megalithomania is the companion DVD to the book reviewed above, and is part three of the Geomancy Today film series. It looks at the stone circles in England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are over 9,000 stone circles through the British Isles, and it’s nice to see images of famous structures such as the Stone of Destiny at Tara in Ireland, and the stones that surround the village of Avebury.

Significant, natural formations in New Zealand and the Nimbin Valley are shown, as well as sacred stones of Central Australia. Touchstones are explained (the place where you respectfully introduce yourself to the spirits of a sacred site) and Alanna also shows how to create modern stone circles that can enhance the energy of an area, and attract nature spirits.

The DVD is fairly short (32 minutes) but it covers lots of interesting areas. The retail price for both items together is only AUD$24, and this includes postage and handling. It’s good value, and it will encourage you to create your very own labyrinth or stone circle in your backyard. I’d love to tell you more about this book and DVD set, but I have to go and collect some stones for my circle!

Author: Alanna Moore
Published by Python Press
PO Box 929 Castlemaine, Victoria, 3450
Email: info@geomantica.com
www.geomantica.com

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