HOW WIDE IS A LEY?

by P.J. MARTIN

Questions and disputes arise over the possible and necessary accuracy of the measurement of strength, width and alignment of leys. For the purposes of this discussion leys will be considered as natural courses of certain forms of subtle energies, perhaps in some cases adapted or re-directed by humans.

We walk on the Earth and all too easily see it as a physical entity and nothing more. Yet the interpenetrating forms of solid matter, liquids, gases and electrical forces are constantly sensed by us. Indeed we ourselves form a nervous system for the planet, carrying impulses hither and thither and making changes, although rarely aware of the orqanization of which we are a part.

We can usefully consider the Earth as having subtle energy systems equivalent to those of the human body: Astronauts’ photographs show how the Earth radiates an etheric form similar to that of humans; The beautiful colours resulting from forces burning up in the human aura can be equated with the aurora borealis; We bounce our radio signals off the Van Allen Belts, the outer cortex of the aura; And just as the chakras of the human body, although associated with the ductless glands, are located not in the physical body, but in an interpenetrating subtle body, similarly such intangible forces as those of e.g. the Bermuda Triangle, and the crown chakra of Shambhala, exist in a subtle world, and so are perceptible to those attuned to such energies.

So leys can be understood as being an equivalent of blood vessels in the circulatory system of subtle Earth energies. In dealing with the subtle anatomy of the Earth, sensations will be experienced in the corresponding centres in the human. This can be understood when one considers how for example guitar strings will hum when the same notes are played on another instrument nearby. There is a corresponding harmonious vibration. In the human these subtle systems can be seen to be concerned with the transformation of different energies,and similarly with the Earth. Physical changes in a person can be related directly to subtle changes. Physical and nervous illnesses and imbalances can be alleviated by treating the subtle bodies. Similarly there are correspondences between the physical landscape and its subtle counterpart, changes in one bringing about changes in the other. The geomantic engineering described by Tom Graves, for example,where land is staked, paralleling acupuncturist practice, and unwholesome energies are traced to a quarry, provides a good example. In this way the activities of unknowing (and in rare cases, knowledgable) humans affect the subtle plexus. But besides these scattered changes brought about by human activity, are more fundamental changes. These are the natural rhythmic cycles, which are a part of the working of all living organisms, the planet herself being no exception. All our actions and perceptions are of a rhythmic nature: The slow turn of the seasons, the beat of the heart, the vibrations of light and sound; likewise the slower cycles of the planets orbiting the sun, their gravitational interaction. And just as the energy systems of the human body all have their particular vibratory rates, so do those of the planet. Certain constituents of the very soil become activated and conducive, then again dormant, in accord with particular patterns and, in the same way as other aspects of nature, can be understood in terms of fundamental laws. And the nerves and veins we collectively call ‘leys’ are the traces of a variety of energy forms subject to certain vibratory patterns and rhythmic cycles. The local G.P. will take your pulse, gaining certain basic knowledge of, primarily, the heart, from this. The acupuncturist will take your pulses (twelve) thereby learning of the condition of twelve organs/systems. At the present time we are perhaps more in the position of the G.P. As we gain an understanding of the manifold changes in the systems we are investigating, perhaps we will be able to determine the strength and form of these fluxing energies. To do this, we need to develop the appropriate ‘guitar strings’ within ourselves, and an accompanying understanding. But for the present let us not, in our striving for axioms, exclude those examples that do not fit our theories. ‘Leys’ will not be of one strength, one width, one speed, or of one duration. We must maintain a flexibility of approach if we are to realize the varied nature of the forces we seek to understand. We are engaged in bringing into the knowledge and experience of ourselves and the populace those less dense, less physical worlds that have until now largely remained the domain only of the perceptive minority involved with the inner {22} aspects of religious practice and occultism. Having accepted this, we can find much instruction and information in their writings if we approach them from an appropriate standpoint.