Hello, my name is Ben Lovegrove and in this video I'm going to provide a brief introduction
to the subject of ley lines and how to explore them.
About forty years ago I developed an interest in the subject of ley lines.
The interest was sparked by reading about them in various books on related subjects.
It wasn’t long before I had ordered a copy of 1920s classic that sparked the fire of
interest, The Old Straight Track by Alfred Watkins.
Many other titles soon followed.
Living on the outskirts of Winchester, the ancient capital of Wessex and England, I was
well placed for this new hobby.
There were ample tumuli, old churches, and earthworks to explore in the surrounding countryside.
Finding alignments wasn’t easy.
This was a long time before the Web, Google Earth, and smartphone apps.
The only method at the time was to buy rolled i.e. unfolded Ordnance Survey maps from the
offices of the local county newspaper, the Hampshire Chronicle, and try to spot possible
alignments of three or more sites of a similar age using a ruler and a variable protractor.
Do Ley Lines exist?
If you want an argument that debunks them then there are plenty of websites that do
just that.
If you want to read of how and why they might be real then there are books and websites
that do that too.
I’m not really interested in persuading you of their existence or proselytizing about
a New Age fad.
If the subject interests you then you’ll probably approach it with an open mind.
If not then you’ll find plenty of reasons to scoff and will find better things to do
with your time.
For example, one of the points made by those debunking them is the fact that alignments
are often made up of sites that are from vastly different eras in history – a medieval church
and a Bronze Age tumulus for example.
The Ley Hunter’s answer to this is that the church was built on an existing holy site.
So while the church itself may be medieval the site dates back much further.
So what is a Ley Line?
At face value ley lines are (or appear to be) alignments of sites that have been or
continue to be sacred and holy.
They can be made up of round barrows (tumuli), long barrows, single standing stones, stone
circles, holy wells, ancient churches (built on older sacred sites), man-made notches in
the landscape, ancient earthworks, and many more besides.
Ley lines may follow the routes of ancient track ways but they are not just pre-historic
paths.
They may follow the length of a Roman road which in turn was built on an older road.
The older road may have been a path created by migrating deer or other animals.
However, the alignments themselves are only half the story.
The other half of the equation are the two lines of energy* that weave around the alignment.
These two meandering lines are opposites that form a balance; male and female, Sun and Moon,
yin and yang if you like.
*Yes, I know, it’s that vague New Age term energy but ask an experienced dowser to show
you how it’s detected in the field and you’ll at least see a demonstration of something
there.
An experienced dowser might be sort that the geology, oil, water, and gas companies employ
for locating fresh resources (but don’t like to admit that they do).
Think of the caduceus.
If ever there was an apt symbol for a ley line then that is it.
Two serpents coiled around a winged straight rod and the symbol of Hermes Trismegistus
(Greco-Egyptian), Hermes (Greek), and Mercury (Roman).
There are plenty of lengthy descriptions that go into more detail.
See benlovegrove.com/ley-lines-uk-the-old-straight-track/ for some recommended titles.
Stand Tall and Walk The Line
Interest in Britain’s holy places has never really waned all that much and now it’s
going through a resurgence once again.
Organisations like the British Pilgrimage Trust and the Gatekeeper Trust are encouraging
people to get off the sofa and go outside to explore ancient pathways.
By walking the old paths you can expect to be both renewed yourself as well as participating
in the process of renewal and regeneration of this timeless network.
Find out for yourself
Whatever your views on the reality of ley lines the process of exploring the sites expands
the mind and lifts the spirit.
You will be visiting lonely and near forgotten barrows, old churches (and country pubs),
and hills, trees, and earthworks.
It was to be several years later that I learned to drive and had a car of my own so at first
I would cycle everywhere.
My bicycle was a heavy relic from the early days of cycling.
With a camera tripod strapped to it and a small pack on my back it was heavy and slow
going down narrow Hampshire lanes.
Later in the 1970s and early 80s I ventured further into Wessex, and to Cornwall and Wales
in search of forgotten megaliths and lonely circles of stone.
Forty years later I have re-visited some of those sites and intend to visit many more.
A few years ago I took a drone out on several occasions and made a few short films of some
well known sites.
You'll find links to those drone videos in my channel and in the playlist to which this
video is assigned.
Suggested Reading
There are plenty of books to pique your interest.
The research since the 1960s has been extensive and is ongoing.
Here are nine of my recommendations on my blog at benlovegrove.com/ley-lines-uk-the-old-straight-track/
Think of these as a starter pack.
You’ll probably end up with a small library once you get bitten by the bug!
Like so many things, it is far better to read a book on the subject that to rely on dubious
information gleaned through web browsing.
Question what you read and do your own research.
Visit sites and check the history, folklore, myth, and legend.
Who knows, your quest may reveal hitherto unknown snippets of information that will
add to the pool of knowledge.
Thanks for watching!
I hope you found this of interest and that you are inspired to find out more.
Please give this video a like and post a comment.
Please share it with anyone who might be interested.