Rosslyn Chapel

The Lady Chapel

The Apprentice Pillar

Today our Sacred Celtic Pilgrimage started with a visit to the remarkable Rosslyn Chapel close to Edinburgh. Our expert guide Margaretanne explained many of the puzzles that surround the mass of stone carvings that adorn the interior of this enigmatic fifteenth century chapel. It was built by a member of the Sinclair family who still own the building today and has many connections to the Knights Templars, the mysterious society who were attacked by the Catholic church in the early fourteenth century. Some of those who survived found safe haven in Scotland because the king of Scotland had already been excommunicated by the Pope.

Because of the popularity of The DaVinci Code visitor numbers to the chapel have increased more than five hundred percent in recent years, so a new visitors centre is being built. Also the huge renovation project to preserve the chapel is still underway and the large protective canopy covering the whole building will remain there for another year at least allowing the building to dry out slowly while the roof is recovered.

There are so many mysteries surrounding the building - is the ark of the covenant hidden in the sealed crypts? does it prove North America was visited long before Columbus 'discovered' it? what secrets did the Templars discover in Solomons Temple in Jerusalem? what do some of the puzzling carvings mean? and did Jesus marry and have a child?

Temple
Following our visit to Rosslyn we explored the ruined 'kirk' (church) at Temple, once headquarters to the Knights Templars. The surrounding churchyard contains many old gravestones with Templar carvings such as the skull and crossbones. Our group decided to say a prayer to honour the Templars and the legacy they have left us, and to send healing back in time. The atmosphere of this place was very tranquil and peaceful, the sun was shining and the birds were singing - Scotland at its best.

Tomorrow we head towards the Highlands!

2 more circles in barley

Waylands Smithy, Oxfordshire

Knoll Down, near Avebury

The area around Waylands Smithy and the Uffington White Horse has become a regular venue for crop circles in recent years and although its in Oxfordshire its only just over the border from Wiltshire and about 20 miles north from Avebury. For field reports go to www.cropcircleconnector.com

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We have now started our Scottish tour and are in Edinburgh tonight. Tomorrow we'll report on our visit to Rosslyn Chapel and Temple.

First 3 formations in barley

Windmill Hill

Bishop Canning's

Barbury Castle

Having had a wonderful start to the crop circle season with a record-breaking eleven formations in flowering oilseed rape, the first circles have now been reported in green barley. This is truly a pleasure to go into as the soft heads of the crop sway in the breeze making you feel you're walking through the ocean as you go down the tramlines. All three circles are in Wiltshire within a few miles of the crop circle epicentre of Avebury and all three are in locations that regularly have crop circles.
Last year we had a formation at Barbury Castle that showed Pi clearly in its clever design, and now we have another one at the same location also showing Pi as 22/7. There are 22 circles in total and 7 in the inner ring of circles, there are also 7 rings within the design. We are told that on 22nd July (22/7) this year there will be a total solar eclipse. Many people are finding astronomical interpretations within the crop circles geometry.
We havent been into these formations but the reports we've heard are that the ground features are impressive with few signs of damage to the stems.
What will be next?

Eleventh Circle of the Season

This circle was reported after we had left Wiltshire yesterday and so, sadly, we havent visited it. The grey circle is the stems indicating that those plants unusually were probably laid radially towards the centre. The five laid circular areas appear to be impossible to access. What an interesting design!

Peak's Down Formetion

Some of the First People to Enter

We entered the Peak's Down formation early afternoon Sunday and it was apparent that we were amongst the first people to enter it. It was gorgeous with all the yellow flower heads and stems gently laying close to the ground with no visible signs of damage. Some stems were broken close to the ground but most were curved over and the soft bloom on the stems (like that on a grape) was unmarked. We felt we needed to tiptoe between stems to make our way around the different circles, some of which has swirled nests in the centre and some of which had flat spiralling centres. In actual fact all of them were somewhat 'off to one side' and not in the geometric centre at all.

Inside the Rapeseed Formations

Yesterday (Sunday May 10th) we went into this formation, the largest ever crop circle in oilseed rape. The stems stand at five feet tall and you get yellow pollen all over your clothes walking down the tramlines. the formation was 6 days old and had obviously had a lot of visitors but there was still strong dowsable energy present. It is massive and rather like walking through a maze, not being able to see much of the rest of the pattern except the part you are in.
Check out the next blog about the latest circle to appear that we went into.

A Torrent of Circles!

And still they keep coming, crop circles in oilseed rape crop. The season started with six formations in April and there have been a further three in the first week of May.

We are now in England and are going to Wiltshire tomorrow to check out some of the latest ones so we'll report on what we find. Till then here are photos of the latest ones since our last post on this blog.

We.re in England

Two More Circles in Wiltshire

Over the last two days there have been two more crop circles, both in flowering canola again.

On April 24th there was one just outside the stone circle at Avebury looking like a symbol for a bright star or our sun. It isnt symmetrical but then nor are the emissions from the sun.

The April 25th formation is at Morgan's Hill, close to Devizes. Morgan's Hill is a feminine energy sacred site and a popular venue for crop circles each year. We shall have to wait for an aerial photo of this one. The farmer has denied access to this formation. This is understandable in immature crops as the stems will rise up again if not trampled under foot and he will then not lose that area of crop. We believe that a donation box in the field for visitors a crop circles to make a contribution to the farmer is a win/win situation with 'croppies' gaining access to formations and the farmers being compensated for loss of yield.

Hectic Start to the Crop Circle Season

The crop circle season usually starts slowly with lengthy periods of time between the first few formations. This year there have now been two confirmed circles and four other unconfirmed reports. The second circle of the year is close to the ancient sacred site of West Kennet Longbarrow, a five thousand year-old underground chamber used for initiations and funerary rites. This circle is also in oilseed rape (canola) For photographs visit http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2009/westkennettlongbarrow/westkennettlongbarrow2009.html Also click on field reports. I have to say that I'm not very impressed by it, the geometry is very sloppy and the early formations arent usually as intricate as this - things always change of course. But it also just doesnt feel right to Cameron or myself. Jay Gouldner also doesnt like it. Of course its impossible to really say unless you go into it which is why I'm excited to be going to England in ten days. There are also four 'rumours' or reported sightings but which havent been photographed or entered as yet. If it carries on like this there'll be a record number of crop circles this year, lets hope we dont get too many hoaxes.

Aerial photos of first formation

Here are aerial photos taken by Lucy Pringle of the first crop circle reported in England this year. See the post from yesterday below for more information. For full details go to http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2009/ridgeway/ridgeway2009.html

you can see from the photo at the top (by Rob Speight) how difficult it is to see the pattern from the ground once the crop starts to grow up again.

First crop circle report in England

It appears that the first crop circle may have arrived in England! This photo is from a long way away but the circle is the dark shadow just in front of the trees. Its no surprise that its close to Avebury where the majority of formations occur. The report states that it is difficult to see from the road and may have occurred 4-5 days ago. In this early crop the stems quickly get drawn back up by phototropism and then the pattern is difficult to identify except from the air. There are no aerial pictures yet. The report does remark on some scrapping along some of the stems, a tell tale sign of a hoax formation having been laid down by using a board that scrapes the stems it comes into contact with. We'll have to wait for further information on this one.

To read the full report go to http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2009/ridgeway/ridgeway2009.html

ONCE ONE COMMITS...

This seems to us to be one of the truths of being human and its implications are profound indeed.

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth…that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way."
From " The Scottish Himalayan Expedition" by WH Murray.

Other popular ways of saying this are 'follow your passion', 'act as if magic exists and it does' and the 'law of attraction'. If these are true then it puts us squarely in control of the events that arise in our lives. If we live our lives without passion or commitment then we suffer events we say we dont want but create by default, whereas if we are wholehearted about our chosen course of action and really are committed to it at a soul level then we attract everything necessary to bring our dreams into reality.

Most of us walk with old voices that tell us this is too scary a step to take and that we should remain safe in our known way of being, after all it isnt that bad is it, we've gotten used to it like this, and it could be worse! A line from a Melissa Etheridge song says "Keeping me safe in these chains, precious pain." And Marianne Williamson wrote "We serve no-one by playing small." Its our choice, but if it feels scary to open up to the possibility of creating bliss in our lives, we're not alone. Our soul nature or higher power is just waiting to help guide us, all we have to do is quieten our chattering mind, say hello to ourself and ask for assistance. The rest will follow...

For an article on how we can utilise sacred space to help with this process please visit http://www.sacredbritain.com/ancientsites.html

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is arguably the most famous sacred site in the world. One and a half million people a year visit this pile of stones in the English countryside, why? Reasons are many and varied, but behind them seems to be a desire deep within the human experience to reconnect with source/spirit. People have needs beyond the physical and emotional and many people know intuitively where to go to satisfy those needs.
Stonehenge is normally out of bounds except for certain hours and yet each year the demand from people to gain access to this temple at sunrise on the summer solstice is so great that the great stones are opened up freely to all comers. Thousands of people enter the normally off-limits inner sanctum to watch the sun rise and bless the earth once again. This is an experience most people will never forget.
Stonehenge was part of a much larger Neolithic complex of structures spread out across the landscape of Wessex. It was built in several stages over a period from 2800-1500 BC. We still know so little about the people who constructed it, how they did it and the all-important question of why they erected it in the form they did.
Archeologists provide some evidence that can help us with 'when' it was built and where the stones came from. 'Why' is really the question most people want answered. The relatively new field of archeo-astronomy is shedding light on the alignments of many sacred sites including Stonehenge to celestial events and the traditional Celtic festival dates.

To read the rest of this article visit http://www.earthspiritconferences.com/art-0806-stonehenge.html

The Western Isles of Scotland

People all over the world have heard of the Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull or Iona even though they are small islands off the coast of northwest Scotland (Iona is just 1 mile by 3.5 miles). This small isle with a serene atmosphere was the first Christian base in Scotland and still has an abbey, check out the sublime Nunnery Gardens - a wonderful place for meditation or reflection (great for photo ops too!). Iona may well have been a pagan ceremonial sacred site before Christianity because it sits on a leyline connecting it energetically with Callanish stone circles on the most northerly Hebridean island of Lewis.

'Scotland's Stonehenge' as Callanish is sometimes called has watched over this magical landscape for more than four thousand years. The site is truly awe-inspiring and it appears probable that it was designed and built around celestial alignments especially the moon. For this reason our Sacred Celtic Pilgrimage to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in June will be visiting Callanish on the day of the midsummer full moon. We will celebrate the season and the gifts left to us by our distant relatives as we stand amid the towering megaliths under a ceiling of stars and watch ‘la lune’, full and ripe, gain her ascendance into the heavens… www.sacredbritain.com/scotland.html

Dun Carloway Broch is a communal stone house that was inhabited two thousand years ago probably by an extended family and their animals. The Arnol 'blackhouse' is typical of earthen floor thatched roof dwellings brought to Scotland by the Vikings and used for hundreds of years right up until the 1960s. This low windowless house is just as it was left and the peat fire burning in the middle of the floor still produces smoke that killed any mites and bugs from the animals housed at the other end of the house.

Travelling between the islands on the local ferry boats gives the chance for 'birders' or 'twitchers' to look out for some of the many breeds of native birds found in the Outer Hebrides. Its also a great chance get some stunning photographs.

To be continued...

Summary of Crop Circles 2008

In anticipation of the start of the new crop circle season here is a brief review of what happened last year. The numbers looked like this for reported formations-
Total worldwide 133
England 77
Italy 14
Germany 14
Switzerland 6
Canada 5
France 5
Poland 3
Czech Republic 3
Netherlands 2
Brazil 2
USA 2

The situation has changed over the years, appearing for the first time in new countries and reducing in numbers in the familiar countries. For example the Netherlands always used to have the second largest number after England and France didn't have them.
Of the 77 that appeared in England 60 were located in the county of Wiltshire, with the vast majority within a few miles of the landscape temple at Avebury. (This compares with 51 in England of which 39 were in Wiltshire in 2008.)
My research over the last fifteen years has led me to believe that crop circles need underground water in the form of an aquifer and powerful earth energy currents in order to occur. (Detailed article at http://www.sacredbritain.com/research-underground.html )
This makes Wiltshire the ideal location. I believe that the potentized land here was also the reason our neolithic ancestors chose this area to build such astounding structures as Silbury Hill, Avebury stone circle and Stonehenge. For more information on this read http://www.sacredbritain.com/ancientsites.html
Crop circles, sacred sites and earth energy are intimately linked.

Spring Equinox 2009

Welcome to our new blog. The idea of this blog is to enable you to join us in our explorations of the crop circles and sacred sites in England and Scotland this summer. We are in England from May 1st - Sept 1st '09. If you dont know us we are Glenn and Cameron Broughton and we operate Sacred Britain Tours. You can see the tours and dates we are offering this summer at http://www.sacredbritain.com/

Not everyone can make a trip to Britain but lots of people have asked if they could come in our luggage so here's our way of saying "Sure, jump in!"
We'll be posting reports several times a week, as we have new exciting discoveries to share. Blogging is very new to us so it'll be a journey of discovery - just like our tours. We have a plan of where and when we'll be but the crop circles are unpredictable so we have to go with the flow. Apparently we can even text reports and photos to this blog from within a crop circle or standing inside Stonehenge at sunrise using our cell phone!

So please add us to your favourites and come and join us in the fields. It promises to be an exciting summer.
With love
Glenn and Cameron