Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

An interesting conversation George - I do drop by for a read from time to time. With regard to Peter Knight, I agree the level of his appeal is very much dependent on your mind set. I used to bump into him from time to time a few years back showing groups around Avebury (on one occasion he was chanting inside WKLB). I also met him in the Henge Shop one winter solstice when he was promoting his book 'The Wessex Astrum' (co-written with Toni Perrott). I bought a copy - am sure you know it is about ley lines connecting ancient and sacred site throughout Wessex. I saw his book on the Cerne Abbas Giant last time I was in Avebury, almost bought it as it did look interesting but resisted as instinctively knew it would be more of the speculative fare. I'm not in the 'prove it or forget it' camp. Some phenomena (if that is what ley lines are) just cannot be proved, perhaps because they don't exist - who knows. Peter Knight strikes me as someone who makes some sort of a living writing books about his theories and there seem to be plenty of takers. Just as Tracey from Margate does with her own brand of art.

Some phenomena (if that is what ley lines are)

I'd say they aren't phenomena as a phenomenon is something that is manifest, not just claimed.

Looked at like that - that dowsing is only a phenomenon in waiting - complaints that people are wrong to want proof look silly. If dowsers want people to think dowsing is a real phenomenon it's up to them to come up with proof not shy away from it while still expecting to be taken seriously.

Another connection between the ley line and dowsing phenomenona is that both underwent a change in the late 60's .
Ley lines as originally described by Watkins were routes between A and B when A and B were almost anything old ,from, Neolithic monuments to Iron Age monuments to mediaval moats , churches of any period ,wells and even natural features . Incredibly contentious but nevertheless related to actual sites on the ground .
After the statistical likelihood , accuracy and obvious question of why choose straight lines for routes when the easiest way from A-B was a geometrical truth rarely found in the real world , Michell and others changed the leys to "lines of force " not tracks , but unrecordable entirely subjective straight lines of energy .
Dowsers took to this like ducks to water .If you have a problem proving finding you can find real stuff , then why not find stuff that is invisible and unrecordable .Thus they arrived at an excellent circular symbiotic relationship ,"we'll find your lines of force for you " , the landscape mystics wrote about them thus encouraging other dowsers to "find " the original and other lines .Who is to say that because your rods move , as they usually do in 90% of cases , that you haven't found a "ley" ?

Ley lines as originally described by Watkins were routes between A and B when A and B were almost anything old ,from, Neolithic monuments to Iron Age monuments to medieval moats , churches of any period ,wells and even natural features . Incredibly contentious but nevertheless related to actual sites on the ground .

Inevitably contentious because any real ones are inevitably mixed in with zillions of coincidental ones and can't be teased out of them, but I have a feeling they may sometimes exist as they express such likely human behaviour. I'm thinking of the Black Country (not sure if it happens elsewhere) where if you ask the way they always explain it by reference to a long list of pubs on the way! And it works really well. Left at the Lion, right soon after the Bay Horse etc - the resultant route isn't a straight line but it always tends towards one. (Hereford is near so maybe Watkins was inspired by pub leys... )

The Watkins family business was ale .

An interesting conversation George - I do drop by for a read from time to time. With regard to Peter Knight, I agree the level of his appeal is very much dependent on your mind set. I used to bump into him from time to time a few years back showing groups around Avebury (on one occasion he was chanting inside WKLB). I also met him in the Henge Shop one winter solstice when he was promoting his book 'The Wessex Astrum' (co-written with Toni Perrott). I bought a copy - am sure you know it is about ley lines connecting ancient and sacred site throughout Wessex. I saw his book on the Cerne Abbas Giant last time I was in Avebury, almost bought it as it did look interesting but resisted as instinctively knew it would be more of the speculative fare. I'm not in the 'prove it or forget it' camp. Some phenomena (if that is what ley lines are) just cannot be proved, perhaps because they don't exist - who knows. Peter Knight strikes me as someone who makes some sort of a living writing books about his theories and there seem to be plenty of takers. Just as Tracey from Margate does with her own brand of art.