Walking the Ley Line

Trixie Lox lays it on the line

I don't know about you but I used to find Geography classes a bit like waiting for my new black nail varnish to dry - in other words, uber-tedious.

But then, one day, our Geography teacher (also uber-tedious) called in sick, so one of those lovely substitute teachers decided to grace us with his presence. And it was through him that the Geography Papa got a brand new band because I was introduced to the world of ley lines.

For those who haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about when I say ‘ley lines’, stand by for a quick Trixie overview. And for those mystical geniuses amongst you who do know what I’m talking about, be patient my dears, because I have some rather interesting stuff to tell you...
What are ley lines?

OK, so what’s it all about? The land on which we stand, run, sunbathe and jive is apparently criss-crossed with mystical lines. And it’s been noticed that particular places of interest seem to sit along these invisible lines, for example churches and ancient monuments.

Even more spookily, strange and wonderful things are said to happen on these ley lines, from paranormal activity and UFO sightings to – gasp! – murders. This is connected to the belief many hold that these special lines hold a peculiar kind of mystical energy – sometimes good, sometimes bad.

The whole idea of ley lines was conceived by a good old Brit, businessman and amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins who, in the 1920s, wrote his book The Old Straight Track. In it, he laid out his findings that churches, burial mounds and various other spiritually significant places stood along one straight line.

He christened these ‘ley lines’ after the Saxon meaning of 'ley' – meaning a cleared glade. His theory wasn’t that mystical actually – he believed that ancient Britain, which was covered with forests back then, had been crisscrossed with travel routes, and landmarks had been built along these routes for navigational purposes.
 
It wasn’t till a few years later that a more mystical element was added to these ley lines. There are loads of theories flying about but the main belief is that directly beneath ley lines are underground streams or cosmic currents that are part of the earth’s energy.

This does seem to add up – it’s a scientific fact that there are straight fault lines in the earth’s tectonic plates. This is also backed up by the activity of ‘dowsing’ (also called divining or water witching) which involves using a Y- or L-shaped twig or rod to detect hidden water, gemstones and more. You can try this out yourself; check out www.bewitchingways.com for some tips.

Over the centuries, roads, paths, monuments and more have been aligned along these ley lines by groups who are either aware of their location, or by a sheer mystical force that draws people to these spots.

Ley line locations

One example of a ley line in the UK is the St Michael line. This line runs from St Michaels Mount in Cornwall (left) all the way up to Hopton in East Anglia, passing right through some of the country’s most mystical places such as Glastonbury and Avebury (you can see more examples at www.whale.to).

Washington D.C is thought to be constructed along ley lines by members of the Freemasons, a kind of society with members that apparently include some pretty powerful people. It’s said that they based the city’s structure along ley lines to enhance its power and boy, did it work!

And believe it or not, even our good ol’ city of concrete cows (and 90s pop duo Alisha’s Attack but ‘nuff said about them!) is based in this structure. The ‘new’ town of  Milton Keynes is said to have been built with the power of ‘ley’ in mind with major roads named after places such as Avebury and a grid system that exactly matches Washington D.C.

Who’d have thought the two were connected?! If you visit Milton Keynes, you’ll find lots of discreet references to ley lines, such as various pieces of art (the Gnomon sculpture by Peter Bowker was designed to act as a shadow caster which directly points to a ley line that is thought to run right through the centre of the town).

OK, so I’m getting a little bit Da Vinci Code on ya’ll but you get the drift. It all ties into the ancient theory that there is a pattern to everything. Heck, the whole art of Feng Shui could be said to have come from the whole ley line theory – which makes sense considering that ley lines are taken quiet seriously in the Far East where they’re known as ‘dragon lines’ or ‘dragon tracks’.

All fine and dandy but, other than making pwetty patterns, what of it?

Strange but true

Well, as I touched on earlier, some truly strange things are thought to happen along ley lines. For example, sightings of UFOs seem to increase around them, suggesting that alien crafts travel along ley lines like cars zoom along roads!

If there were such things as UFOs (my view: there is but then that won’t surprise you, hey?!), this would make sense when considering that ley lines are meant to represent the earth’s magnetic energy, right? The material that makes up these crafts are naturally drawn to these magnetic forces.

The Scammonden area of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire is an intriguing example. In the 1990s, there were loads of UFO sightings in the area with residents calling local authorities after seeing strange lights in the sky; lights that were never identified. An investigation carried out by a writer for UFO Encounters Magazine revealed that the sightings formed a perfect equilateral triangle of ley lines from Scammonden to Todmorden through to Ilkley.

Sedona in Arizona is also a hotbed for UFO sightings. People travel from all over the world to experience for themselves the area’s famous vortexes which are said to create an amazing feeling of energy for anyone standing on certain spots. This is said to tie in with the presence of strong ley lines in the area.
 
Hauntings and ghostly sightings are also believed to be reported loads more along ley lines, and some of the world’s most haunted places sit directly on ley lines. The Isle of Wight, for example, is chock-a-block full of ghost stories (and is often described as the most haunted island in the world) and its ley line patterns are said to almost exactly match those around Stone Henge. 

Some people believe there are also more incidences of murders and violent activity on ley lines. The village of Coggeshall in Essex, for example, has experienced a number of high profile murders and suicides, and keeps hitting the headlines for the high ratio of violent deaths there in relation to its size.

Not surprisingly, it’s supposed to sit on the crossing of two ley lines, which apparently creates a particularly negative vibe. Writer Ellis C. Taylor has carried out some interesting research into the connection between leylines and murders, noticing that by drawing straight lines from certain royal residences (which are said to have purposely been built on ley lines as well), or places connected to royals, you will also find the residences or murder scenes of some high profile murder victims.

Ley lines are said to have a profound effect on us … and animals (different animal species use the earth’s magnetic field to navigate which makes sense considering that animals seem to be particularly in-tune with ley lines).

In fact, some theories suggest that ley lines are the earthly equivalent of the energy lines that run through the human body (known as ‘chi’). This in turn could explain why more paranormal activities are reported in these areas because the energy from ley lines make us more in-tune with the world around us.

Many para-psychologists believe that the energy given off by ley lines can influence the human mind, bringing on hallucinations which could explain why people think they’re seeing ghosts or UFOs. The more negative ley lines can make you feel sick, exhausted and stressed. Or they can make some people become violent, explaining the connection with various murders. Equally, the more positive lines are said to make people feel particularly creative or energised (like those in Sedona).

Maybe you yourself have found that certain places make you feel strange, whether that be in a positive or negative way? If you feel this way in a certain area, maybe this is related to a ley line. If you want to track the ley lines in your area, the best way of doing this is by locating ancient churches in your vicinity and you’ll probably find that many of them sit on one straight line.

Or one of the major ley lines (pinpointed in the link above) might run through the area where you live. In fact, you might even find that, by joining up significant places in your life (your home, birthplace and so on), one straight line is formed.
 
Try it out!