Single standing stones, circles, or avenues have been markers of key earth energy points all over the planet for thousands of years. Many Pagans are only familiar with a few in Europe, such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and some of the standing stones in France. But the different peoples marked their energy points in diverse ways. In South America huge carved stone spheres have been found deep in the jungle that puzzle most archaeologists, but it seems that this was that civilization’s way of marking key energy points. When I was travelling in Australia I learned about the Aboriginal practice of depicting sacred springs on cave drawings as spirals, mimicking the energy pattern that is found around many springs that are considered sacred by many cultures.

The spiral or fractal nature of the energy in the areas marked by standing stones solo or in a pattern can be readily discerned by dowsing. This system of detection works by physically exaggerating the human body’s bioenergetic field response to those in the environment, much as the vibrations of tuning fork or ruler can be enhanced by placing them on a table. Traditionally dowsing was done using a forked stick from a willow or hazel tree balanced with a twisting tension of the hands so that the effect of the earth energy fields on the dowsers caused the free part of the rod to point up or down depending on the type of energy sensed.

Because of the physical nature of this system it was frequently hard to master, leading to the idea that dowsing was only for ‘special’ or ‘gifted’ people. In some societies this was thought to be a special skill inherited down the generations and terms such as “Water Witch” were used to describe people who were able to do it. Only in the last century or so has it been found that more sensitive instruments such as the pendulum,’ L’ rod, and stick pad can be used by most people with accurate results. Also that these are just tools to channel the body’s response and as the person becomes aware of this they can tune in to this and discard the tool.

Sometimes the response to a particular energy can be strong enough to produce a reaction in someone even when they are not deliberately attempting to become aware of it. In France and Britain some so-called “accident blackspots” have been attributed to an energy stream or nexus at a point in the road that causes drivers arms to twitch and the vehicle to crash. This seems to be connected with certain times of the year, or phase of the moon, and the rest of the time the area is perfectly safe. This would tie in with why certain sacred sites were used at different times of the year of lunar cycle for rituals connected with enhancing their effects on the land, or people performing the ritual.

The connection between land and energy points is a complex one, and has been likened to the traditional acupuncture points on the human body. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine these too change according to the time of year, and stimulating the same point can have various effects on the body depending on the season or position/stage of the moon. Just as there are different types of Chi affecting the health of the body so there are different types of energy in the land. A Pagan who had studied this subject for several decades said that his researches suggested that these included:

Piezoelectric energy: When certain minerals are compressed they produce electricity. This is how electric lighters work without needing batteries. On a bigger scale at fault lines, and the subduction areas of continental plates where one plate passes under another, the piezoelectric effect can be enormous. At its most extreme it can produce Ball Lightning- plasma enclosed in a strong magnetic field, this can cause electrical effects in the brain leading to hallucinations and changes in the nervous system which could be permanent. At the milder end these areas of electrical activity could enhance the healing of conditions including broken bones and lessen reactions such as excessive histamine. This is how the ‘clickers’ used to reduce the effect of insect bites when you put them against the bite, and click it 12 to 15 times to stop the itching, work.

Seasonal energies: Connected with the seasonal cycles of the planet these energies are the most perceptible at many of the stone circles in the UK. Perhaps one of the best examples of the interactions between the land affecting the energies in the Ley lines and areas marked with stones, and appreciating or managing the energies to affect the land and its inhabitants. For this reason over thousands of years different societies have appropriated the same standing stones and circles into their culture. Currently the most obvious case in point is the building of Christian Churches on sites formerly occupied by monoliths or circles. In Europe there are a significant amount of churches that incorporate sacred sites, particularly those associated with healing, in their construction. The Chappelle des Sept Saints in Brittany, France, has a stone circle in its foundations, and in the Church at Arrachinaga in Spain there are several megaliths incorporated into the structure. According to the Pagan I was talking with this was to “encourage” people to come to the new religion that had taken over from the old one on both a practical and energy level.

Celestial Energies: Usually sites associated with these are marked by three large broad vertical slabs topped with a large flat stone these look more like a shelter than a traditional stone marker for a sacred site. Some Pagans who live near these in Cornwall in the UK use them as mediation chambers, because doing so seems to bring a closer connection to the Otherworld, and aid in skills such as remote viewing. According to Pagans who work with these markers at certain times they can accumulate a static-like charge that can enhance the effects of talismans and crystals when conducted into them.

These days appreciating and interacting with earth energies via traditional standing stones, stone rings, and other markers of ancient sacred sites is becoming more common with many Pagans. Particularly those with an interest and connection to them either because they are local to where they live, or they have access to them through their work or interests. Such as Pagans working in the fields of archaeology. As knowledge in this field accumulates it may lead to further advances in the associated areas of effective magick and ritual in Paganism as a whole.