Some science behind the scenes
Sacred geography - water sites
Water has symbolic significance as do islands, oceans and seas. If you find a hill, mound or even a mountain - anything cone shaped - surrounded by water, for example an artificial moat with water, or a marsh or Ocean and sea, then it is a particularly important place as it has all the symbolism one would want in a sacred site. This symbolism is found in sites like Glastonbury Tor.
Practically all sacred sites which incorporate water are artificially made and include wells, basins fed from springs, moated mounds and ponds with or without islands. Sacred wells as well as basin fed springs become sacred for various reasons, but the chief one in a land where water is plentiful is that the spring heals.
Watkins also noticed how many water features he found on ley lines had no apparent practical use.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
There are often ponds or lakelets or streams created by an obvious dam and with no signs of their being made for a mill pond
He puzzled over the amount of effort put in to building very large structures within moats, which appeared to have no apparent use.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
Evolved from the trenches out of which the mounds were thrown up, they were – in their earlier form – circular rings of water. At first, no doubt a mere trench filled with water, then in most of our local examples the trench becomes of considerable width and is fed by a leat connected to a stream, just as a mill is supplied. In such as at Eardsland, the flat topped mound within the moat is of considerable height, from 15 to 30 feet.
Later in the book, he notices that the flat topped mound may have been used [and there is evidence for it] for beacons. It is significant that Watkins noted that if there was a causeway leading to the island or mound in the centre only one was found – leading him to the conclusion that this was a causeway to get you to the island.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
In no case where a causeway has been found over the present trench of a moat has a corresponding one been found on the opposite side. One communication to the centre seems to have been sufficient
One of the interesting aspects about Watkins book is that occasionally he takes a more spiritual view of the possible solution
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
[In the Pilgrim’s Progress] … Bunyan not only describes a stone causeway through a slough or pond, but also shows clearly that it was on a straight sighted track which aligned to a beacon light. It is also curious …… that Bunyan describes the ‘steps’ as being made ‘by direction of the lawgiver’
Given that Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the spiritual path no better hint could have been given that occasionally he too had his underlying suspicions that the UK is just one sacred landscape.
The reference to the steps is particularly interesting, as mountains, mounds and pyramids are all symbolic of ‘heaven’. If they are stepped, this too is symbolic and representative of the ‘levels of heaven’ – the celestial and terrestrial hierarchies. Here, however, the steps go down into a pond – meaning the descent to levels below water – terrestrial as opposed to celestial. The reference to the ‘lawgiver’ are self explanatory.
Watkins was able to find numerous examples of moated mounds just in his area alone. Thus what Watkins was finding was a symbolic site again.
The other type of site Watkins found on the ley lines was an island within an artificial pond.
Alfred Watkins – The Old Straight Track
An intermediate type of water sighting point became very evident in three years ley hunting, namely, the pool or small lake with an island. One at Lyonshall in a field a third of a mile distant from the castle is typical. It is a fairly large artificial pool, the water held up by a slight embankment. In its centre is a small island with several trees, one being a scots pine, the only one. .. There are many such pieces of water with islands, and many of them have leys through the islands. Some of them are queer overgrown marshy swamps, but with very decided islands in their midst, and others orderly lakelets in the grounds of a mansion, each with a neat island
All symbolic - an entirely sacred and symbolic landscape.
The number of sites Watkins found just in his area alone is quite staggering and does conjure up the image of an ancient people with extremely strong spiritual beliefs, sufficient in number and skills to ensure they built a vast number of sacred edifices with tools and equipment far inferior to those we have today.
Observations
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- 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
- Celestial music by the River Tweed – choirs, concerts and bands
- Chichen Itza - Mayan - Pyramids and pools
- Coba - Mayan - White ways and pyramids
- Copan - Mayan - Overview and plan
- Delos - 03 The sacred geographical features
- Eleanor C Merry - The Flaming Door - Carnac, the Messenger and the Labyrinth
- Eridu
- Evelyn Lip - Chinese Geomancy
- Father Bernabe Cobo - Inca Religion and Customs - Temple of Coricancha, Cuzco
- Father Bernabe Cobo - Inca Religion and Customs - Titicaca Temple of Sun and Moon 1
- Father Bernabe Cobo - Inca Religion and Customs - Titicaca Temple of the Sun and Moon 2
- 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
- Incas - Macchu Picchu - Sacred wells, springs and fountains
- Incas - Sacsayhuaman - henges and fountains
- 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
- Indus valley - Mohenjo-Daro - 05 The Great Bath
- John Michell - The View over Atlantic – The sacred geography of China
- 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
- Kish - The Kish archaeological site
- Lagash
- Lagash - Sacred geography
- Lake Maggiore - Borromee
- Larsa - And the Great Hymn to Shamash
- 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
- Malta - 01 Introduction
- Malta - 02 The Temples
- Malta - 02 The Temples detail
- Malta - 03 The 'cart tracks'
- Malta - 06 Tarxien Temples
- Malta - 08 Mnajdra Temple
- Malta - 10 Ħaġar Qim
- Marad
- Mesopotamian - Means of achieving spiritual experience 09 Creating a sacred geography
- Mr Bryant on the 'worship in caverns'
- 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 - Helgo
- Norse - Jelling
- Norse - Jelling - The North and South Mound
- Norse - Tanum
- Organisation of Pictish society – Roles - Knight - The Whitham Shield
- Palenque - Mayan - Overview
- Palenque - Mayan - Pyramids and ball courts
- Paris
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 01 The Mountain
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 02 Surroundings and cosmic egg
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 05 Stairs and ladders
- Persepolis - And its sacred geography 09 Estakhr
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - Abu Simbel
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - Rivers and streams
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - Temples with pronaos
- Sacred geography - Ancient Egyptian - The sphinx
- Sacred geography - Korean mystic shamanism – Ancient trees
- Sacred geography - Korean mystic shamanism – Bridges
- Sacred geography - Korean mystic shamanism – Sacred grove
- Sacred geography – Picts
- 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 – 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 – Mark stones
- Sacred geography – Picts – Souterrains or Step wells 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Souterrains or Step wells 02
- Sacred geography – Picts – Springs and wells 01
- Sacred geography – Picts – Springs and wells 02 - Ben Newe
- 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
- Susa
- Susa - The meeting place for mystic systems
- 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]
- Taq Bostan 01
- Tendai - Seiganto-ji
- Tepe Ecbatana
- Tepe Hasanlu - aerial views
- Tepe Kangavar
- Tepe Khatkuda Kalandar
- Tepe Pasargadae
- Tepe Sialk
- Tepe Tureng
- The Ancestors - Avebury World Heritage site - Avebury henge
- 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 Means of achieving spiritual experience - Shaivism – 03 Visiting telluric hot spots
- The Sacred geography of the Amazon basin
- Tikal - Mayan - Overview
- Totem group – Picts – Planets - Rivers and streams [Fortrenn]
- Tree, Isabella - Sliced Iguana – 04 The ceremony
- Uluru
- Ur
- Uruk
- Uruk - The Anu ziggurat
- Uruk – The Anu district of Kulaba
- Uruk – The Eanna district of Uruk
- Vatican
- Vatican - Castel Sant Angelo
- Vatican - St Peters Basilica
- Vatican - St Peters square
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - Cave of Trophonius
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - Sacred springs
- W.Y. Evans-Wentz - The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries - The Pyramids as the site of the Mysteries
- Watkins, Alfred – The revelation that helped the discovery of the UK’s sacred geography
- Watson, Lyall - Fountains and snakes
- Watson, Lyall - Sacred wells and pools
- Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu
- Zoroastrian - Means of achieving spiritual experience - 12 Creating a sacred geography