|
The Modern Antiquarian Forum » London » WYRD WALKS |
Log In to post a reply
|
|
|
|
| Topic View: Flat | Threaded | |
|
Wyrd Brother 13 posts |
Jul 20, 2004, 04:02
|
||
|
Just discovered this excellent site, and hope to contribute to it soon. In the meantime thought you might like to know about my new venture Wyrd Walks. These are walking tours of London, geared at both the enlightened tourist and the shamanic specialists alike. A core element of these walks will be in the City of London and West End visiting some of Trinovantium's most sacred pagan sites (and a few profane ones). They will also explore London's various alignments (including the mysterious London Pentagram, which has Freemasons Hall dead centre) and offers a few theories as to their origins. Some will even include a spot of experimental dowsing. Other planned walks include a 'Blake Walk - Pagan Westminster to Lambeth', 'Templar London', 'The Invisible Walk - Masonic and Rosicrucian London', 'Rebels and Outlaws Walk', 'London's Occultists', 'Countercultural London' and of course a 'Ghost Walk'. This Saturday 24/7/2004 (outside St Paul's Tube at 3pmish pagan time) will begin the Pagan London Walk (East) an enlighting drift through London's pagan history, visiting the Mithras Temple, London Stone, St Helen's, Smithfield and few other special spots, and performing a little geomantic experiment. This is an inaugural walk (first time I've done this route) and as such will be free or donation (I've also got a few vouchers left, for free walks in future, to give out at this one) . Established walks are standard tourist price £5 a head. The walk will be 2-3 hours. Steve Ash
|
|||
FourWinds 10943 posts |
Jul 20, 2004, 07:13
|
||
|
Welcome to TMA and good luck with your venture. I love city walks/tours when they're well researched and well presented. It's great to get an alternative look 'on the ground' at a place's history that you could only otherwise get from a book without the live experience side of things. How many folks ever get to know of and visit the London Stone* or The Temple of Mithras? I'm not sure pentagrams etc would do it for me, but I'm sure there's loads of people that will love it. *not that the London Stone is all that spectacular to look at, but it's there which is pretty bloody amazing! Has it been re-housed yet?
|
|||
TomBo 1629 posts |
Jul 20, 2004, 07:36
|
||
|
Wyrd Brother, are the five points of this pentagram marked with churches, one of which is Spittalfields? The question that interests me is this: whodunnit? Was it the masons that planned it, or the fact that these churches are built on prehistoric sites. From what I hear, some of them very much are. But I must admit that pentagrams speak to me more of masons than prehistory. Ever read Peter Ackroyd's <i>Hawksmoor</i>? It concerns the building of these churches (it's a novel, not a factual work), and is a cracking read.
|
|||
|
Wyrd Brother 13 posts |
Jul 20, 2004, 22:23
|
||
|
The London Stone is a little sad looking today. But worth a mention just for the Jack Cade story. The Pentagram is interesting to me solely because its been built up over the centuries, in a way that indicates shared knowledge. Though much of it is an astronomical alignment. Its refreshing to think we dont have to go to Stonehenge to witness a Midsummer alignment we can just walk down the Strand! A reenchatment. Though all my calculations are from astronomical calculations and I've yet to visit the sites on the actual days of the supposed correlation. One odd thing is that the Midsummer City alignment seems to be geared to a Midsummer sunset and the Midwinter one to a Midwinter sunrise. Though I think thats in line (excuse the pun) with current theories about Stonehenge? The walks are certainly well researched, though seperating the signal from the new age noise is hard. But then it is as much about 'myth and legend' as it is about 'fact and history', assuming the dividing line is that well defined :) As for presentation, I'm more into informality and feedback than amatuer dramatics lol.
|
|||
|
Wyrd Brother 13 posts |
Jul 20, 2004, 22:53
|
||
|
No, this is far more interesting, basically take the 3 'watkins leys', Strand, St Pauls, London Stone, all of which are astronomically alligned to Ludgate Hill, Tower Hill or Barbican Hill, and draw them on a map. Then see if you can find two other alignments, one astronomically aligned to Barbican Hill on Mayday, the other roughly N-S and you will find a rough pentagram, well almost the east most arm meets at Notting Hill somewhere (haven't got a big enough OS map to be sure). My theory (for walk, and on Wyrd Walks website to soon) is that the heart of the alignments are astronomical one close to the hills (seen as where the sunrises and sets and so 'underworld gateways') and tribal centres, the rest of the alignment is ritual procession (I'm even more speculative about the 'energy aspects', ' flying stoned shaman' hense the dowsing :) ). The pentagram aspect is either accidental to this or partially contrived, as its completed by a prehistoric track that runs N-S and obviously isn't astronomical. The historical connection is that the Templars built on the allignment and aqcuired sites on it (like St Clement Danes). Perhaps they had inherited prehistoric info, via Druids, Celtic Church, 'Pagano-Christians' etc, or maybe they just noticed the sunset. The interesting thing is that the Pentagram becomes a closed London Pentagram under 'Masonic influence' , Wren's church shifting modifies the alignment so that it closes at Tyburn, and subsequent building uptil the 19th century reinforces it. But oddly the post 1717 Masons Hall isnt aligned to pentagram, only the pre 1717 'Jacobite', Wren Masonic one at Connaught rooms. I've read Hawksmoor, and the spooky thing is although its a novel, my research would indicate that the siteing of some of the churches on the Pentagram in Wrens time was down to this character, who does seem more intune with the 'pagan' side than Wren, who was into shapes on blueprints more it seems to me.
|
|||
|
TomBo 1629 posts |
Jul 21, 2004, 05:46
|
||
|
"a prehistoric track that runs N-S and obviously isn't astronomical" north-south alignments are filled with astronomical potential - they point at the pole star, the axis of the heavens "I've read Hawksmoor, and the spooky thing is although its a novel, my research would indicate that the siteing of some of the churches on the Pentagram in Wrens time was down to this character, who does seem more intune with the 'pagan' side than Wren, who was into shapes on blueprints more it seems to me." Oh yes, it's very much based in fact, those churches were built by "this character" (whose name I can't remember right now - Wren's assistant, though, basically, for those who've not read Hawksmoor), who certainly seems to be more of a medieval mindset that Wren, with his enlightenment mentality. I love Hawksmoor, with it's "shadowe and terror"! Some of what you say has gone over my head, I'm afraid, I'm a northerner and have only ever visited London twice. I'd like to go on your walk, it sounds fascinating, but lamentably I'll not be there. Does Primrose Hill have anything to do with all this? See how bad my London geography is, I've no idea if it falls on the potential alignments you mention or not! I ask because of Blake's visions there, though. Given (a) the fact that London's origins are prehistoric and (b) what we know of the ancients' love of sacred landscape/geomancy/whateveryoucallit, the notion that London has certain geomantic qualities seems to me to be a very real possibility. It's known that other ancient cities were designed with an eye to geomancy, after all. I don't know much about templars and masons, mind you, but from what I little I do know it also seems reasonable to suggest that if they were aware of these lines then they'd continue to build churches on them. I'm thinking of Ilkley Moor, here, I suppose, and the evidence for masonic activity (whatever that activity may have been!) at the ancient sites there.
|
|||
|
FourWinds 10943 posts |
Jul 21, 2004, 06:35
|
||
|
>> It's known that other ancient cities were designed with an eye to geomancy, after all. Please name six for which this is <i>known</i> :-)
|
|||
|
FourWinds 10943 posts |
Jul 21, 2004, 06:48
|
||
|
I don't mind admitting that I'm pleasantly surprised by your open-mindednes :-) Some of the people I know who do similar walks/tours believe all this 100% and that can only leave people a little sceptical - unless of course they want or need to believe themselves. Provoking thought is always better than preaching. With preaching you get two opposing results, believers and non-believers, which serves no purpose at all. When I first read your initial post I thought, "Ey-up, we have a right one 'ere" :-) but it seems that this is not the case. We need someone with a bit of London knowledge on here. Since RiotGibbon trundled off to concentrate on his other (more worthy) causes it's something that's been severely lacking.
|
|||
|
TomBo 1629 posts |
Jul 21, 2004, 08:03
|
||
|
I can't right now, LOL! :) This is by no means my area of expertise. I understand Rome was, though. Gimme time and I'm sure I can dig out some more examples. China's where I'll look first.
|
|||
|
TomBo 1629 posts |
Jul 21, 2004, 08:07
|
||
It's kind of beside the point in any case. I'm not suggesting that the city of London was designed geomantically in the manner that I've heard Rome was, when I think about it. More that the sacred landscape/whateveryoucallit that was there before London has influenced London's development.
|
| Pages: 7 – [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Next ] | Add a reply to this topic |
|
|
|
| The Modern Antiquarian Forum Index | |
