IGR Dowsing at Hilton Turf Maze

On Sunday September 14, a party of IGR members, friends, supporters and Caerdroia Project members visited the Hilton Turf Maze to do some dowsing on it. The maze is situated across the road from the village green, in a hollow. To the north of it, in best geomantic tradition, is a ditch protecting it from the harmful influences of the north. The maze itself has been found by Jeff Saward to have been altered at some time during its career, and it now sports fewer turnings than its commonly compared counterparts. However, it is still in fine condition, and although it needs a bit of scouring, it is one of the best still surviving. In the centre of the maze is a weird pillar set up in the 1680s which commemorates a certain William Sparrow who is supposed to have cut it in 1660. However, as the date 1660 was the date of the abolition of the Puritan Commonwealth and the restoration of the monarchy, it is more likely that Sparrow recut a maze damaged or proscribed by the fanatical Christian regime.

Near to the maze, and recently sawn off about 15 feet from the base, is a large oak tree which appeared to have something to do with the maze. In fact, if the date 1660 was the date of cutting, the tree could well date from that time. Dowsing carried out by several of us disclosed spirals unrelated to the gyres of the maze underlying them. One spiral was found to go directly through this tree, on an opposite side of the protective ditch, then on through two other large oaks over ¼ mile away, at which point the spiral either becomes a straight line or is of such large radius as to be indistinguishable from a straight line. {44}

These findings are preliminary and await further analysis, but it appears that the underlying spirals (both ways) cut the baulks of the maze at significant points. ‘Lethbridge’ style dowsing by Daryl Potter indicates the possibility that mazes may have had some analytical function. It is possible that a whole sequence of metals, minerals or states of consciousness as determined on a ‘Lethbridge-type’ spiral are passed through by the walker on the maze, and at certain times of the year, and/or in certain frames of mind, trance or hypnosis, certain revelations or powers may be released or experienced.

We hope to issue a more detailed analysis of the dowsing at Hilton, Hunts. in a later issue of ANCIENT MYSTERIES. By then, we will have also been to the maze at Saffron Walden, recently recut at the behest of the mayor, a man who shows an interest in civic pride so lacking in the present era of local politics in Britain. Let us hope that he can also get the now very neglected hedge maze at Walden also back in good nick.

If any reader has information, ideas, insights etc. or has actually dowsed any turf or pavement labyrinths, we would be most interested to hear from them, as the psycho-energetic side of these geomantic artifacts, which after all were made specifically for something, have as yet eluded a concerted research effort.