By Ron Russell, Circle Research Tours

Certain places on our planet have an unusual energy that defies any easy explanation from science. These places were known to ancient people and were marked with stones and utilized in some way that made sense back then. In our most recent Christian era some of the old places of power were usurped and churches and cathedrals were built using the stones of previous circle temples right on the power spots. Many ancient sites were forgotten, shunned and ignored and left to the overgrowth of nature. When healing occurred in the new churches built on the old places of power it could then be called a Christian miracle, and there were (and still are) many miracles.

Of course the church was pretty savvy back then and used psychic sensitives, dowsers and geomancers to site the buildings and make sure the altar (alter) and entrance (en-trance) and baptismal font were in the right places to utilize the energy from Mother Earth. Masons with mystery school training were employed to ensure the building would have the right geometry and resonance to enhance the divine experience so the laity could have a Christian miracle and their faith strengthened.

But what we found in our years of research was that the particular place on Earth was the key to the unusual energy from which healings, contact and miracles could take place, not religious robes and dogma. In other words you do not need a priest between you and the Holy Spirit, only a clear mind and heart to obtain the benefit from these sacred places. And the benefits are many, beside healing miracles one might experience epiphany and contact with Divine or other beings, receive important personal messages, communications, guidance and inspiration. It doesn¹t take a rocket scientist to figure out why these special places would have been co-opted by the prevailing power at the time. We are fortunate in our growing materialistic world that these powers are ignoring these special places and they are available for us to explore and experience.

South West England around Wiltshire, Hampshire, and Somerset counties is known for having an abundance of these places. Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous with near a million visitors a year who, unfortunately have to stay behind a fence and are not allowed to explore the stones and internal spaces. A special arrangement with the British Government has solved this problem and special tours may have special access at sunrise and sunset.

Stonehenge has dozens of energy (ley) lines running through it and even a novice dowser can feel the force move his rods as he slowly walks among the stones. Stonehenge was built during the period of 3000-2500 BC by an ancient people we know only as Neolithic. They called Britain their home before the Celtic invasion, (around 1300 BC), and were responsible for over 1,000 stone circles (temples), 500 Barrows (underground temples), and 30,000 mounds, or Tumulii. There is evidence they practiced agriculture and ancient field boundaries can still be seen in some places.

The great stone circle complex at Avebury is far older than Stonehenge, having been built around 4,000 BC, considerably before the pyramids of Egypt, which makes it one of the most important ancient monument in the world. It is a World Heritage Site and accessible to all. It even has a Pub inside the henge! The henge (circular ditch), and stone circle comprise 28 acres, and the whole complex, which includes extensive stone avenues, giant mounds, many barrows and other features exist in an area of many square miles.

It is known that Avebury was the center of a Neolithic community and one of the most populous places in the world 6,000 years ago. Now it lies in bucolic countryside and farm land, far removed from the centers of civilization, like London which is 90 miles away. This is a wonderful healing place and quite haunting in its old majesty. Allow several days to visit Avebury henge and stone circle, the largest and oldest Neolithic stone circle in the world.

Silbury Hill, a great conical pyramid is nearby. This was built at the time of the step pyramids in Egypt, about 3000 BC, well before the pyramids of Giza. Avebury predates this by 1,000 years! What we visit here are the remains of old temples from pre-history, before Sumer. While there is obvious erosion it is minimal and the temples still have power that can be accessed.

Exploring stone circles, barrows, sacred mounds, holy springs, sacred wells and power places with old cathedrals or parish churches, all of great antiquity, allows us to assess how best to make contact with the spirits of the place or the divine otherworld. Whatever we want to call it, it remains primal and present and it is always our personal choice to contact, never is it forced.

For some people it comes with quiet reflection, prayer, meditation and contemplation, for others it just happens. It¹s all a wonderful learning experience. You could say that our visits to these places is religious in the root sense of the word, re-legios, which means reconnecting or relinking with source, but this is done without dogma, games or coercions of any established church organization. It's given to us by Mother Nature, the source of life and abundance on our Earth.

Crop circles appear almost daily in the summer months in Britain. By utilizing various scientific instruments which show differing frequencies of energy and cameras and recording devices which can sometimes fix phenomena that we see or don¹t see, we are able to quantify some of the unusual energy which helps us understand that it is real and not just imagination. When you visit any sacred place on the Earth, bring your camera and plenty of film.

The crop circles have a great interest for many of us because the energy space is dramatically altered. The formation¹s location and geometry, the style of deformation of the grass, the intentions behind it from the makers and spirits, all contribute to the special energy, similar to an old sacred site. It¹s far from an ordinary space and appears to function more like a spiritual machine or alchemical device and in some cases, it becomes a sacred place in which contact and healing can occur. Many of the ancient sites and crop circles appear on powerful ley lines, or energy (dragon) currents as some of the locals would say. Enjoy exploring and dowsing, and sensing these too, as they point the way to something extraordinary on our planet that has mostly been ignored.

Further west in Somerset county, Glastonbury is the jewel you will want to visit. The important places are the Tor, Chalice Well, Wearyall Hill, the Abbey, Burrow Mump, and the places connected with Joseph of Aramathia, the Uncle of Christ, Mary (mother of Jesus), and the home to thirteen saints. It's rare to know about this amazing history because Rome doesn't like competition but the British church was the first, Rome was second. And local legends claim the young Jesus walked here with his Uncle Joseph. Certainly historic documents confirm that Joseph of Aramathea was granted the land by the local king after the passion and founded the first Christian church in the world.

Visit the very place in the Abbey grounds where the first wattle (sticks and mud) church was built and replaced centuries later by a stone one, now in ruins. The energy is still here! You will see the grave site of King Arthur and Guinevere! You can feel the mystery of something big, removed from you by mere years. Visit the holy thorn tree which descends from the Jerusalem thorn tree planted by Joseph. Take plenty of time at the sacred springs known as Chalice Well, which has been venerated for thousands of years and still has healing properties. Climb the Tor, a magical mountain which is said to be an entrance to the Otherworld. Marvel at one of the oldest labyrinths in the world built in pre-history around the Tor itself.

Britain is a world treasure, easy to visit (they speak English!). Cultured and civilized before most other parts of the world, and it just may hold the key to your personal growth. Prepare for magic here because it exists, is accessible and part of our heritage and right. Or just enjoy it, whatever you do, don't fail to see the real cradle of Western Civilization and have fun!