Avebury Moot

November's Moot - 'Creating the New Aeon and Averting Apocalypse!'

2011-10-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

The following communication was sent to us by KaosCrow:

"This talk and discussion follows on from last Septembers Moot, 'Occult War for the New Aeon' in which we examined the many and various schools of thought and theories of impending Apocalypse and whether or not shadowy occult cartels manipulate human evolution.
Taking the conclusion that whatever the causes, or indeed whatever the 'truth' behind the scenes, we cannot escape the fact that civilisation stands on the brink of a collapse of monumental scale. Our symbol for that talk was Atu XVI, The Tower.

Over a year has passed and the world slips further toward disaster but from the ashes the phoenix can rise... If we've the will to change and to direct that change for humanities benefit.
We now take Atu XX, the Aeon, as our symbol as we examine how we can change and adapt our ideas and thinking in order to gestate a fundamental change in the direction of human evolution. Be under no illusions some of your deepest held beliefs will be challenged by this talk and if no-one walks away without at least some of their beliefs in tatters I will be dissapointed!

Hail Eris!"

See you at the Red Lion at 4pm on Sunday the 6th of November - there will not be any Hot Dog Buns this time round.

Intuitive Geomancy

2011-07-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

Richard will be hosting this Sunday's (3/7/11) Avebury Moot (Red Lion at the usual time of 4pm). The Talk will be given by Richard's partner, Alda Gerchi, who will be coming along to give a talk and introduction to the subject of Intuitive Geomancy. Alda is Slovenian and has studied at the school of Marco Pogacnik in Slovenia. Marco has undertaken earth-healing and erected stone circles containing healing symbols (Cosmograms) in every corner of the globe, and Alda has been part of a number of significant stone circle projects with him.

Alda will be involved in a 2012 project to erect a stone-circle in London planned to coincide with the Olympics with the intention of ameliorating any disruptive energies associated with that event.

Many thanks Mooties

Beltane

2011-04-30T05:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings - The Moot is taking a spring break this month - it's first proper break for over 2 years :) People will still be gathering at the Red Lion, but we don't have the room booked. Feel free to turn up for a natter. It's Beltane of course so Avebury's gonna be busy with all sorts of goings on.
Enjoy.

April Moot 2011 - Maria Whaetley and Busty Taylor!

2011-03-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties - this Month I'm delighted to confirm that Maria Wheatley and Busty Taylor are coming along to present their talk... Redicovering the Avebury Henge and the Earth Force. For the full low down click HERE - all the details are on last month's post. Circumstances meant that they couldn't make it last time.

Remember - we start at 4pm these days..

Also... something odd is happening in Swindon... check this out!

Does modern science have it’s roots in the occult?

Swindon Libraries will be playing host to bestselling authors Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett as they talk about their new book The Forbidden Universe.

Were the first scientists hermetic philosophers? What do these occult origins of modern science tell us about the universe today? The Forbidden Universe reveals the secret brotherhood that defined the world, and perhaps discovered the mind of God.

All the pioneers of science, from Copernicus to Newton via Galileo, were inspired by Hermeticism. Men such as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Leibniz, Bacon, Kepler, Tycho Brahe – even Shakespeare – owed much of their achievements to basically occult beliefs – the hermetica.

In this fascinating study, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince go in search of the Hermetic origins of modern science and prove that not everything is as it seems and that over the past 400 years there has been a secret agenda behind our search for truth. From the age of Leonardo da Vinci, the influence of hermetic thinking upon the greatest minds in history has been hidden, a secret held by a forbidden brotherhood in search of the mind of God.

Join the authors at the Central Library on Thursday 14th April at 7:30pm.

Tickets are £2 (£1.50 concessions) and are available from the First Floor Help point at the Central library.

Call 01793 463238 or see www.swindon.gov.uk/libraries for more details.

March Moot - Rediscovering Avebury Henge and The Earth Force

2011-02-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

For the coming March moot I’m delighted to announce that Maria Wheatley will be joining us. Maria is author and co-author of a number of books including:

Avebury: Sun, Moon and Earth
Ancient Sites of Stonehenge
The Essential Dowsing Guide: 1
Stonehenge: An Investigation into Earth Energies

Maria also wrote Avebuy: Sun, Moon and Earth with another writer, Busty Taylor, who I’m also delighted to say will be joining us and presenting the first part of the talk. Busty will start things with an examination of Avebury’s solar alignments, followed by Maria who will talk to us about ley lines and earth energies.

Avebury is a regional power centre which holds many secrets. At specific times of the year the Sun and Moon interact with certain stones creating mysterious shadow lines and also linear lines of intense bright light, which were used in past rituals. Intriguingly, surrounding stone circles and mounds were aligned upon these light/yang and shadow/yin lines which can extend for miles and possibly inspired the ley line phenomena.

Powerful earth energies were also integrated into Avebury’s megalith architecture which are absorbed and transmitted by the standing stones – the electromagnetic frequencies of which were recently detected by sensitive electronic equipment. Further investigations revealed that when megalithic or earth energy is contained, by constructing certain stylised monuments, paraterrestrial activity causes mind-altering affects, time-lapses, and spirit manifestations. Maria describes which earthen and stone structures were designed to produce paraterrestrial affects and how to recognise and interact with the Earth Force within Avebury’s timeless landscape.

Fascinating stuff, I think you’ll agree, and I’m certainly looking forwards to enjoying March’s moot on Sunday 6th at the new time of 4pm at the Red Lion.

Great News.

2011-02-06T04:05:00.000-08:00

The Red Lion will be roaring back to business within the hour so our lovely moot is on! See you for 4pm.

Fire at the Lion - Please check in tomorrow.

2011-02-05T10:26:00.001-08:00

Greetings.

The Red Lion had a small fire last night and are just hoping to have the pub ready prior to the moot.

I'll update you all for midday tomorrow so just check your mails and the blog

Andrew Collins presents: Avebury – The Cygnus Mystery

2011-01-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday 6th @ 4.00pm

Greetings Mooties, this coming moot will be presented by the famous author Andrew Collins. For this moot Andrew asks, is Avebury aligned to the constellation of the Northern Cross, also known as Cygnus, the celestial swan. This was the discovery of Professor Alexander Thom in the 1960s, and rubbished by American archaeoastronomer Professor Gerald Hawkins, famous for announcing that Stonegenge was a Neolithic calendar clock.

Andrew Collins investigated and found that Thom was correct – Avebury is aligned to Cygnus. Yet if so why? What is the significance of this much overlooked constellation positioned so prominently on the Milky Way? The answer is that it has been seen as the point of

origin of life and universe, as well as the destination of the soul in death for cultures and civilizations around the world for many thousands of years. Its influence is reflected in the alignments of the Pyramids of Giza, the Indian mound sites of North America, the great temple of Cusco, and the Hindu temples of India. In his book THE CYGNUS MYSTERY, Andrew shows that Cygnus has been at the root of religions worldwide for over 30,000 years.

You can have a look at Andrew Collins site here by the way - check out the books page!

Please note that the start time for this presentation is 4pm, so please ensure you get there a little early as we'll be starting on time.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T05:11:00.001-08:00

Greetings mooties. This month's moot is going to be a gentle affair at the Lion for chit chats and plotting. Next month we have a fabulous speaker lined up... more to come very soon once the t's have been crossed.

See you tomorrow at 3pm.

The Snow Moot!

2010-12-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, isn't the scenery in and around Avebury so very stunning? This month's Pagan Moot is back in the pub and we'll be having a talk by Terry Dobney, Arch Druid and Keeper of the Stones and a general get together and chit-chat. The original plan to help fix up the West Kennet Long Barrow prior to the Moot has been postponed until another time, so it'll be in the Well Room for 3pm.

A big thanks to The Red Lion for having us back again. Having tried a few different venues now, the general consensus is that it'd be best held in the Red Lion. So come along for a chit-chat and join me in celebrating new life, my son Oberon.

Samhian - who's watching?

2010-11-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

New Blood Needed! As Winter draws in and the home fires start to burn again, you’re probably wondering, “what amazing projects can I be getting on with over the next few months?” Look no further because we’re asking for some new volunteers to come and take an active roll in running, hosting and having fun at the Moot. We’d all like to see the Moot driven by the community, for the community – so here’s your chance... put you driving gloves on now and let us know what you’d like to do, see, hear... even feel hmmm.

Volunteers and needed to help on a number of fronts:
Scheduling Speakers
Hosting individual Moots
Running the Cafe
And a whole host of other essential tasks that all contribute to bringing us the chucky stew that is the Avebury Moot. If you’re interested then contact us and we’ll talk though what can be done.

This month's Moot will be offering a one off showing of the amazing little film, Erasing David. See the trailer and get you thinking caps on! We’re starting the film dead on 3pm (I mean it this time!) as we’ve got to clear out of town a few minute early this week. Bring cake.

Erasing David -

A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT PRIVACY, SURVEILLANCE AND THE DATABASE STATE
David Bond lives in one of the most intrusive surveillance states in the world. He decides to find out how much private companies and the government know about him by putting himself under surveillance and attempting to disappear, a decision that changes his life forever. Leaving his pregnant wife and young child behind, he is tracked across the database state on a chilling journey that forces him to contemplate the meaning of privacy and the loss of it.

Click here for a trailer and the website!

Come along and have a look...

Also the Moot is packing it’s picnic bag and putting on it walking boots again – that right, we’re on the move again.... keep an eye wide open here for further details.

States of Mind - October Moot

2010-10-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties - this month's moot, States of Mind, looks at the power of our thoughts... and the ultimate power we have over Them. Utilising simple and sophisticated tools, both ancient and modern, we'll delve into the power of the mind. Magic! 3pm at the National Trust Learning Resource Centre.

Would everyone please also turn their thoughts to Samhain and the Labyrinthe, particularly whether they want to get involved. We need people to play with fire; poi, staffs, fire breathing etc, etc, people to help set up, people to make lanterns between now and then, drummers, chanters etc etc. Those taking part will also need to think about costume too. Drummers, black and skeletal, fire dancers red and sexy!
If anyone wants to get involved they can email Leon at crow.dark@virgin.net or phone him evenings on 01672539679.

Also, fancy looking at some real nasties in Swindon - then look no further the Swindon Ghost Fest... here!
Lots of really cool FREE talks and events on ghosts, ghosthunting and Wiltshire folklore.

The Rainbow Serpent Project... here in Avebury on the 30th September!

2010-09-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

What's this serpentine being slithering through the stones.... ?

The Rainbow Serpent Feature documentary is five years of work showing one man’s pilgrimage. Tor travels around the earth chakra points:
The Base chakra is Mnt Shasta CA,
Sacral; chakra Lake Titicaca Peru,
Heart chakra; Glastonbury UK,
Solar Plexus: Uluru Australia,
Throat chakra; Egypt,
Third Eye chakra; Currently Glastonbury UK,
Crown chakra; Mnt Kailash Tibet.

Working with ceremonies at each of the sites in order, interviewing Tribal Elders, Charley Thom, Bob Randell etc... Then all Tor’s synchronics, crazy and beautiful findings and all of the adventures are present in a rich tapestry of images and poetry, with mixed media footage of nature and beauty from the sacred world. Tor links the myths and legends from all over the universe displaying a deep culture that many have missed. This film is to inspire people to travel consciously around the world and into their hearts. The tag line is ‘The Pilgrim Age to 2012 and beyond’

There is a a screening of this Film at The Avebury Social Centre, High St, Avebury, Wiltshire........Thursday 30th September at 7.30pm

There will be tea and cakes and Tor will be here to present the film, and talk about the preparations for the next part of the Adventure. The lovely people there will be raising money for this, and all contributions are welcome.

See more at Tor's site here.

OMPHALOS EQUINOX FAIR

2010-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Calling all Mooties - some special is brewing up in Bath!

Sat & Sun 18th/19th September 2010
2pm- 7pm
St James Wine Vaults, St James Square, Bath. BA1 2TW

A Weekend of talks on the Magical arte:
Mogg Morgan
Adebisi Data Adekundle
Levannah Morgan
Geraldine Beskine
Karl Le Marcs
Jane Stratton Kent

+ Entertainment and Magical Craft Stalls

Just a few quid will see you good for the whole weekend - checkout futher details here

Occult war for the New Aeon: magical paradigms and strategies for dealing with the coming apocalypse.

2010-09-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

Out of New Order erupts Chaotic Rumblings - this month's fantastic Moot is titled, "Occult war for the New Aeon: magical paradigms and strategies for dealing with the coming apocalypse." Is civilisation as we know it coming to and end? What is the threat? Does a threat exist? And what can we do to counter this threat?

See you at the National Trust's Learning Centre at 3pm.

MAGICAL MINDSCAPES: How landscape was invested with meaning in the Ancient World

2010-07-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to announce that our next speaker will be Paul Devereux, whome I'm sure many of you already know of. For anyone wanting more info on what Paul get up to then check out his website here.

Paul will give us a highly illustrated tour of the Ancient World, looking at several varieties of visual and other sensory sacred geographies, from Native American ground drawings to Chinese and Japanese gardens and much else besides, and suggest what environmental wisdom we can draw from them today. The presentation will be a celebration of Paul's major new book, "Sacred Geography", being published this year by Gaia Books.

Paul Devereux is a founding editor of the academic publication, Time & Mind – The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture (Berg), a research affiliate with the Royal College of Art, a Senior Research Fellow of the International Consciousness Research Laboratories (ICRL), Princeton, and the Director of the Dragon Project Trust. He has written a great many articles for general publications and a string of peer-reviewed papers plus twenty-six books since 1979, many published internationally, dealing variously and primarily with the anthropologies of consciousness, archaeoacoustics and other aspects of ancient sites, landscapes and lifeways, as well as selected other topics. He lectures in Europe, the UK and North America.

This Moot is on Sunday the 1st of August - experience has taught me that some people get caught out by Moots on the 1st of the month, so make sure you write this one in to your diaries. Our last moot was a lovely and relaxed affair with a free form and open format. Paul's talk will see us return to rows of chairs etc to ensure everyone can get in and listen to this fabolous talk. Teas and Coffees will still be available.

See you at about 2.45pm at the National Trust's Learning Centre in Avebury (behind the Barn and next to the toilets).

Herbal Medicines

2010-07-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties, this month's Moot is all about herbal medicines. See a selection of plants that you see growing around you everyday and see how they can benefit your physical and spiritual health. The Moot will be presented by the lovely Carlie, host of the Calne/Chippenham Moot.

We're still at the Learning Centre in the National Trust area, and still there on Sunday for 3pm sharp. See you there :)

2010-06-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties, this month's moot will be at the National Trust Learning Centre again, situated behind the barn next to the toilets. My moot talker has cancelled so I'm working on another couple of possible moot talkers for this Sunday. Same time, 3pm.

Beltaine's Moot - A Peak into Change

2010-04-28T02:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Bealltainn - May you all be rampant and free :)

So much to squeeze into one little weekend! A weeding, a birthday, a moot, a chase, a stag and a maypole... to name but a few. For Avebury, Beltane is often one of the most lively and gentle festivals.

Moot Location

Thank you to the National Trust who have allowed us to use their facilities for this moot. So our new location is in the Learning Centre which is the building behind the Barn, situated with all the other main Trust facilities - the shop, cafe etc. If you're still not sure where that is then we're right next door to the toilets, so go to this area and follow the signs to the toilets - easy.

Please don't bring any vehicles into this area. As usual there'll be refreshments and laughter for all.

The Moot

We've reached an interesting time in our world's time line - the simultaneous onset of both peak oil and climate change. Now, the climate change part we should all know about... the media has at least insured we're all acquainted with the fundamentals. Whether you believe there's global warming, or believe it's just a scam using false science and media to bring about a world bank, world police, world government... the effects are still the same. Shortages. More tax. More expense.

Whether you believe peak oil(an oil thirsty world encountering a slowing down of oil production) has happened or not, or even if you believe it's been orchestrated as well... the effects are just the same. Shortages. More tax. More expense. At least, that's what I thought until I researched the matter a little bit more closely.

Dooooom! Dooooooooom! Well, maybe not. This weekend's fact busting talk is about how we, the people, can take personal responsibility for ourselves to build in a resilience into our very own communities to these types of changes. Meet Transition Towns. Will the ancient site of Avebury become another exemplar, a flagship leading earth-friendly systems through to a safe land where our children and grandchildren can look back and thank the gods that we, you and me, made the change we wanted to see in the world. Come along to this weekend's moot and find out.

We live at a fascinating point in history. The convergence of challenges, most particularly global warming and peak oil, have brought us to a point where we are profoundly challenged to act. We are surrounded... by individuals telling us that this means the end, that we have gone too far, that it is inevitable that life as we know it will collapse catastrophically and very soon.

Yet, at the same time, something very powerful is stirring and is taking root the world over. People are choosing life and are manifesting that in their lives and their communities. People are starting to see peak oil as the Great Opportunity, the chance to build the world they always dreamt of. As one man said during a group discussion at the end of a screening of The End of Suburbia... “we’ve just seen that the end of the Oil Age will bring about the collapse of industrial society … bring it on!”. The scale of the challenge is huge, and the obstacles are plenty, but there is an emerging energy to succeed, a sense of quickening and an exhilaration in talking and listening to each other once again, to visioning what we want and then rolling up our sleeves and starting to co-create it. This is not a denial of the scale of the challenges we face, rather a practical and instinctual response to it. In towns and cities all over the world people are asking each other “what can we do about this?”.

From transitionculture.org

April's Moot - The Labyrinth, a trip through the Homeopathic Rainbow

2010-03-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

This month's Moot will see Sam, a Registered Homeopath and resident of Avebury, talking about what she knows and loves the most - Labyrinths, Homeopathic Medicine and Rainbows. Her presentation style is lively, interactive and fun - and I'm sure you will all have a jolly time.

A big thanks to Janice who, in my absence, will be hosting the Moot this month. There will also be a few new and cheery faces dishing out tea and take :)

You'll also be interested to learn that we have speakers booked into the Moots for the next 6 months... I'll publish the lineup for you when we've dotted the eyes :)

Hope you all enjoy the moot and I can't wait for it to be published as a Podcast, so that I can have a good old listen. Incidentally, last month’s moot and two roaming moots will soon be available to listen to as well… watch this space.

The Nebuchadnezzar has launched.

2010-02-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings mooties. Good news, the Avebury Moot's new Radio Station has been launched - the Nebuchadnezzar Radio Broadcast. It's taken some time, fun and effort to get this underway. From now on, the majority of the Moots will be broadcast across the matrix for everyone to listen in to. You can tune in to the most recent Moot right hereherehere.

The next Moot on the 7th of March, which is the day of my 53rd solar cycle *hem*, is to be presented by the Stag of Avebury, Steve. He'll giving us a talk on, "Avebury and the great moon cycles." Steve, next time we'll be able to get the broadcast out more quickly so that listeners will get news that's still in date;) Once again the Moot will be held at the Social Centre, which is in front of the nursery, opposite the church, on the High Street.

A very Social setting...

2010-02-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

This Month's Moot will be broadcast here soon!
WATCH THIS SPACE

Greetings all, another splendid Moot! I don’t know about you but I really enjoyed the moot being at the village hall. It was more intimate, focused and much more social. We also enjoyed the use of the kitchen for hot drinks and we opened the Tantric Café for the first time, providing various snacks for donations.

Anyhoos, this month’s talk was presented my none other than me. It’s the first moot I’ve ever given and I have to admit, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you for being a great bunch of listeners who gave me some great interaction. Also thanks to Steve the Stag, he locked horns with us and told us all about the astrological events that will take place over the following month – a new and regular contribution to the Moot.

The topic of the talk was about additives. I first described what I thought an additive is i.e. a product that’s sold to us by a corporation that uses marketing to appeal to our non-rational minds – often backed up by misleading and bad science… or words to that effect.

So first I discussed Fluoride and talked about how this toxic substance found its way, not only into our water supply, but also into orange juice, vegetables and toothpaste. I didn’t mention at the time but often toothpaste contains fluoride 1000 times more toxic than that found in our water. As a result all American toothpaste comes with the advisory that any child swallowing any amount of toothpaste should be admitted to hospital immediately. My main point however was to discuss how bad science, marketing (Edward Bernays!) and political influence pushed through a toxin for profit into our food supply.

I mentioned Edward Bernays just then because I think it’s important to find out a little about this genius. This film is about Bernays and gives us an insight into marketing and corporate control… the story starts by telling us about the,

...relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud's ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn't need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires. Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion, using every trick in the book, from celebrity endorsement and outrageous PR stunts, to eroticising the motorcar. His most notorious coup was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. But Bernays was convinced that this was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. It was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle had identified, people could be made happy and thus docile. It was the start of the all-consuming self which has come to dominate today's world.

Bernays was also the guy drafted in by the military and the Searle Corporation to market fluoride as a beneficial product.

The Century Of Self Part 1 (of 4) Happiness Machines - well worth the education.

I then went over Aspartame in the same vein before discussing pharmaceuticals, insulin in particular. We then discussed food and how many of the additives contribute to addictions – especially MSG.

For a bit of good insight into the addictive quality of additives have a quick watch of this short vid about MSG

For more info on Fluoride it's well worth having a look at this video, if only to demonstrate how big business essentially use marketing and politics to manipulate science and people...

And the same sort of thing for aspartame...

I brought up toilet paper and running shoes as well – both of which I view as additives i.e. things we believe we can’t do without, which we consume and consume and consume. Even moon cups we’re discussed which are a great way of breaking out of poisonous tampax styled sanitary products.

Martyn suggested that I maybe outline a day in the life of me! to demonstrate some of the ways in which I’ve been able to break away from some of the ‘additives’ that were in my life.

OK, well, in the morning I’ll get up and maybe go for a run. As part of my training I include a small element of barefoot running with the aim of ridding myself of running shoes by the end of the summer.
I’ll have a shower and will only use a couple of drops of diluted essential oil (I often have a oil/water mix in a small spray bottle). No shampoo, No soap. I’ll then shave. To date I get through maybe 10 bic style razors every 6 months or so but am currently looking for a old, serviceable cut throat razor. To shave I have a small bottle of almond oil, which I find better that olive oil because it’s lighter, with a few drops of tea tree and lavender essential oils. I use just maybe 5 drops or so and shave. Easy, and the oil keeps the blades sharp. As for the oils, I think I have a way of manufacturing my own nut oil and am hoping to work out how to make my own essential oils.
Breakfast. Fruit – maybe a banana, apple, orange and a few almonds.
Lunch. Crazy Salad. An anything salad, as long as it’s raw and vegan. I might have spinach leaves, celery, apple, banana, avocado, carrot, broccoli, pepper, onion etc – all with my own dressing. Dressing is normally something like olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, maybe honey, maybe pepper, maybe chili oil… you get the picture.
Dinners - same sort of madness.
Drinking water is a pain. I have to stay hydrated so I mix up my sources – some tap, some bottled. I’m going to get myself a big old British Briefed ceramic water filter which will both will reduce some of the fluoride from tap water and also allow me to collect most of my water from a local spring. These filters are washable and last a long while but come at a price. I don’t know of any other way of avoiding fluoride in tap water without spending lots of money on kit to treat water using reverse osmosis, the only way to truly remove fluoride I think.
The only problem with filtering this way is that you wipe out some of the useful minerals that a healthy body needs and so in response to that I will be adding some types of dried seaweed to my diet. This will replace the missing minerals but is a short-term solution really.
As for food. I have different ways of getting food that’s either free, cheap and good quality. As the spring comes in I will be stomping about the wilds more and more in search of edible weeds. Most of these are true super foods – your ramsons, dandelions, nettles etc etc. Full of micro nutrients, anti oxidants, photo chemicals etc. We’ve also been given use of a large 750m2 plot to develop a permaculture site – so by the end of this year most of my food will be either picked or grown and picked by me. No chemicals, transportation, big business, processing etc. Raw, live food in abundance for everyone involved on the project and hopefully a surplus that can be passed onto others.
One last thing that I do – sprouting. You can sprout so much stuff and it changes a legume, nut or seed from a useless pile of starch to a living organism rich in amino acids, chlorophyll and enzymes that your body yums up. You can pretty much live off of these.

So that’s some of the things that I do and plan to do get out of the constant buying of products most of which appear to have harmful chemicals added to them, be it food, clothes or furniture. As we agreed at the Moot, the change happens in your own mind first. It did for me. And I’m not sure if these are the answers, but they are my answers that I have faith will lead me to a place of excellent health, a crystal clear mind, a greater spiritual connection and freedom from… all that other stuff.

I'll also add a quick intro to permaculture and a rather jazzy raw food documentary - it's very American but very much worth a watch to gain a deeper understanding about how nutrition is the magic red pill.

Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way.
Geoof Lawton
(I've got copies of this full film if anybody would like one)

Oh, and for you runners... or anyone interested in natural walking...

Ha ha - can't stop adding stuff - Mick "The Barefoot Sensei" Dodge: Exuberant Animal

Location Location Location.

2010-02-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

Guess what? We have a new Location!!! But first I want thank Caroline.

Last month we were honoured to have Caroline give as a talk about her experiences of the movement to revive the spiritual feminine in our fair land. She is a Priestess of Avalon and the Temple Artist at the Goddess Temple in Glastonbury. This amazing place is the first of it's kind in the UK for many years and is a registered place of worship. All the major festivals are celebrated here and they also run courses and have regular healing sessions. More information can be found at their website here.

The temple is open to the public, run by volunteers and donations and is a beautiful place for contemplation after a day on the Tor.
Caroline explained that reviving the sacred feminine and devising rituals has been largely a process of research coupled with intuition and trust. Rediscovering womanly power is a sacred duty for some and it can manifest at many levels of life from the household to the wild moors. For any women out there wishing to find out more and to connect with their own goddess power, Caroline will be hosting a women's meet in Avebury on Wednesday, 17th February at 7.30pm in the Social Centre. Minimum donation is £5 and expected finish time is around 10pm. If you want to know more about Caroline and the feminine wheel of the year then go to www.spinningthewheel.com.

This Month's and next Month's Moot will be held at the Social Centre (in front of the school and opposite the Church on the High St.). I'm also talking with three other parties who are keen to host the Moot in and close to Avebury. Over the years the Moot has been well placed in the Red Lion. But things change and it's time for the Moot to spread it's wings and venture into new locations.

This month we have a special guest speaker giving us rant on Additives... but not necessarily the ones you find in food, drinking water or diet sodas. Hmmm, interesting! See you at the Social Centre at 3pm Sunday.

Also, keep tuned for a new announcement soon... the Moot has gone techno and will soon have it's own Radio Station broadcasting to the world... and beeeeeyyyoooonnnndddd.

Lunar Eclipse

2009-12-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years all. This Sunday we're still running the moot as usual - there may be one or two guest speakers but due to the time of year we'll be having one more relaxed one before we head full on into the new year.

Same time - 3pm Red Lion on Sunday.

x

Radio Broadcast - Labyrinthine Musings by The Inappropriate Shaman

2009-12-11T04:54:00.000-08:00

Coooor blimey - it's all happening! Sunday night there's gonna be a radio interview - check this out.

Ever wondered what it's like to live in the middle of an enchanted stone circle and be a practising Shaman? Well you can find out on Sunday night - December 13th (her birthday) - when Shaman Sam guests on Johny Brown & Inga Tillere's Radio Joy.

Where she reports on her journeys into the Wyrd featuring Crow Pie, Druid's Knee, Liquid Lucy, Samhain soul flight and many other digressions. Frank Frenzy & Louise Luminous provide the hallucinatory soundscape to accompany these musings.

Watch LIVE at Radio Joy!

Review in yesterday's Guardian: "RADIO JOY lives up to its name. A place to find some thrilling art radio, the kind of thing that respects no boundaries and relishes the experimental"

See full review here at the Gaurdian

The show will be archived so LISTEN AGAIN at your leisure here: www.radiojoy.co.uk

And on a completely different note, a quick film about permaculture and how it's principles could change the world! I've landed lucky and am involved in a project in Calne which is looking at developing a site into a lovely permacultre experiment and so have started to discover little gems like this vid... enjoy!

Thanks Clay for sending me this.

Yule Feast!

2009-12-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Greetings Mooties, as per the Samhain edition of the Avebury Circular...

"The Yule Feast, now into it's seventh or so year, is a celebration of the Avebury Pagan community. The Yule Feast has been a welcome highlight in the colder months of the year for many of Avebury's regulars from every walk of life."

Sunday 20th December 6pm till 10.30pm
Location is Lockeridge, same as last year.
Sitting down for dinner is 7pm
Bring and Share (Food, Drink, Music and Stories)
Cost is a mere £4 at the door.

Peace.

December Moot - a chat by the fire.

2009-12-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you Mooties - another splendid moot had by all. For a bit of a change we put questions into a 'hat' and then discussed each item as it was pulled out. We looked at how some of us placed more importance on the stones in Avebury, whilst others favoured the trees and wildlife. We questioned whether Paganism was just another form of religious control, talked about the pros and cons of guided meditation, about climate 'change' and even probed into the Angelic Reiki scene. And if that was not enough we also looked at: God and how 'he' might be included into one's spiritual path, how one might work with the Faeries, about vegetarianism and even about the possibility of recording future talks into podcasts... and much more.

Thank you everyone for turning up and for contributing to this month's moot - a blinder!

Some Videos and Links sprung to mind on some of the topics talked about.

The Author of the Vegetarian Myth (a challenging read for veggies like myself) - check Lierre Keith's site and read the first 20 pages of her thought provoking book here.
Here's a quick vid of her speaking as well.

The Anti Terrorist gives his spiritual take on life - sparked by the talk of life being a game that should be Played Well.
This is the fist part of a two parter - sometimes these lock up when you try and view them - simply reload browser and skip the first minute.

We mentioned Podcasts and also Neil Kramer so I'll point you towards his blog here.
He talks a lot about awakening of consciousness, imagination and transcending conspiracy... you can check out the talk below which was aired on Red Ice Creations a while back. Now Red Ice are cheeky and try and charge you for 2nd parters but you can find the rest of the talk on youtube

Finally, a nod towards Botany in a Day by Thomas J Elpel - a fantastic resource for you budding foragers.
Frank Cook (in the below vid) talks a lot about Elpels work...

Watch this space for a breakdown of Avebury during the Yule period... there's a lot happening.

Mellow Moot

2009-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

This month's moot will be a more mellow affair with an opportunity for discussion on everything. It's been over a year since I started supporting the moot and during that time we've tried out a fair few things - different locations, types of speakers... all sorts. So now I'm keen to hear what else you'd like and to hear any ideas about anything moot related.

So we have a more relaxed affair for tomorrow and there's no speaker booked this time round - a more mellow pre yule warmer :) We might even venture into the famous realms of 'questions in a hat"... maybe :)

2009-11-03T01:43:00.000-08:00

Once again another splendid moot delivered to us by Jon from Tracks Education. Thanks Jon for sharing some of your knowledge about Palaeolithic Skills and Survival. Jon showed us some of the things he'd made, like flint tools, bows and arrows, water containers, drills and spears to name a few. All of this stuff was made by him from things he's found in the wild, utilising animal parts, tree resins and different types of wood. You can get in touch with Jon on his facebook thingy here.

Carlie from the Calne moot even chatted to him about doing an outside thing so that we could see some of this stuff in action! Talking of the Calne moot, they also have a new website which you can check out here.

Peace.

Palaeolithic Survival & Obod

2009-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties, Next Moot - Palaeolithic survival! But first of all I think we'll all agree that last month's moot was a real eye opener. Harry delivered an excellent moot detailing the amount of waste that we as consumers create, along with the impact of large supermarket chains contributing to the mix. His beliefs and values are such that he no longer wants to participate in a capitalist system where waste is more profitable that recycling, where people go hungry on the streets whilst M&S throw blue dye on there waste and where people are losing their lives every minute though starvation and malnutrition whilst we do… well, whatever it is we do. Part of what he does is Freeganism, Urban Foraging, Bin Diving - whatever you want to call it. At the end of this post there are some statistics, some freegan links and a couple of wicked movies.

And so to next month, starting sharp at 3pm as usual, I would like to welcome Jon to the moot from Tracks Env Edu. He will coming along to tell us a little about his expertise on the subject of Palaeolithic Survival. He recently did the fab and funky Calne Moot so I know he'll have with him a whole range of fascinating items, all crafted from nature in a natural fashion, that he believes our ancestors would have used to carve out a comfortable existence with. You can visit his facebook thingy here.

After Jon I'm honoured to Welcome High Priestess Morgan to the Moot who will be at hand to answer any questions we may have about Druidism and what it means to her. Please use this opportunity to find answers to any questions you may have about the Druids and what they get up to.

The Samhain Labyrinth still needs people to contribute in the running of this most excellent of events - contact Kaos Crow on Facebook - he's left a message on the Avebury Moot Facebook group if you need a link to him.

Which brings us on to the events of Saturday - it's going to be a blinder. We have the Labyrinth, which starts in the lunar circle at 7.30pm (till 8.30), The Walk of the Dead (starting at 9ish I guess) and the Avebury Open Mic (about 8 to late) to name but a few of the fabulous treats available to us over the Samhain Weekend. I'm also informed there will be camping over the weekend on the Saturday and Sunday night.

And if you think camping over the weekend is madness then you're aint seen nothing yet! From Monday the 26th a mad crazy bunch will be participating in the Aboriginal Briton project. Bonkers!

So, have a look at this amazing little film - you've gotta love her voice :)

And also freeganism explored - a couple of people start with an empty flat and feed and furnish themselves on waste... amazing!

And I haven't seen this yet but the first couple of minutes seems to be on the right tone...
(EDIT - the other two vids are much better than this one - these people have a different ethos).

These quotes are from www.freegan.org.uk

- UK households discard 4.1 million tonnes of avoidable food waste, worth £10.2 billion, every year.

- Much of the food that we throw away is unopened. 1,600 million apples, 1,030 million tomatoes, 2,570 million bread slices, 484 million unopened yoghurt tubs are discarded anually by households in the UK.

- Not only are healthy foods thrown away, but 259 million full packs of chocolates and sweets, 30 million untouched Gateaux are discarded anually by UK households.

- Well might we say 'Let them eat cake', while bread accounts for 505,000 tonnes of avoidable household food waste in the UK, cakes and puddings also puts in a reasonable showing, at 86,000 tonnes per year.

- From 2005-2008 world food prices rose by 75%. Wheat prices have doubled, while maize, soya and oilseeds are at record highs.

- India is the world's second biggest wheat producer but bought 5.5m tonnes in 2006, and 1.8m tonnes in 2007, driving up world prices. It has banned the export of all forms of rice other than luxury basmati.

- In 2007-2008, farmers in Kenya's Rift Valley planted a third less of the land than in 2006-2007, because fertiliser has more than doubled in price.

- Price rises of basic staples in 2007-2008: Corn 31%, Rice 74%, Soya 87%, Wheat 130%.

- 1,000-2,000 litres of water are required to produce 1kg of wheat, but 10,000-13,000 litres of water are required to produce 1kg of beef.

- The global demand for biological resources now exceeds the planet's capacity to renew them by 20%.

- The UK disposes of more than 27m tonnes of waste to landfill each year - 7m more than any other European country.

- An area the size of Warwick - 109 sq miles - is now landfill and landfill space could run out in 2016.

- Household rubbish is only a 1/10th of all the waste created in the UK. Most waste is produced by businesses shops, offices, street-markets, construction or demolition firms, farmers, industry, manufacturers or other businesses.

- Councils are required to ensure local household waste is recycled, however there are no similar requirements for business waste.

Freegan Dumpster Anarchy

2009-10-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties. It looks like this month we have another treat in the name of a fella called Harry. He's going to be up from the South coast to share his knowledge and ideas on a range of subjects - but for me he encapsulates many of the qualities found in a movement called Freeganism.

One blog I came across quoted Freeganism as being:

…a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive has eclipsed ethical considerations and where massively complex systems of productions ensure that all the products we buy will have detrimental impacts most of which we may never even consider. Thus, instead of avoiding the purchase of products from one bad company only to support another, we avoid buying anything to the greatest degree we are able.

So Freegans don't cooperate in the system. In other words, even things like recycling still require you to participate in the system that ultimately pollutes. Freegans on the other hand are more likely to pre-cycle. Some of these chaps are activists in Guerrilla Gardening, Free Cycle, Free Stores, Wild Foraging, Squatting and Urban Forraging to name but a few. With an emphasis on the latter, Harry will share his experiences and ideas with us.

There will also be a section at the end of the moot for those people willing to be involved in the preparation and organisation of the Samhain Fire Labyrinth to get together,

See you all Sunday :)
2:45pm

Dream Tank (think tank) for the future of the human race

2009-09-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I think all those that attended this month's Moot will agree that we had a most enjoyable and thought provoking time with Bill and his ideas for building a better everything.

For more information and to begin to contribute to the Dream Tank please take a look at his Facebook group right here.

Thank you to everyone who attended and for all those that contributed to the discussion

Finally, a wee poem from one of my favourite modern poets...

The Opening of Eyes
That day I saw beneath dark clouds
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.
It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing
speaking out loud in the clear air.

It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.

-- David Whyte
©1984 Many Rivers Press
David's website is here.

September' Moot - A Calling to the Project

2009-09-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday the 6th September at 3pm - this coming weekend! - is the next moot. And we're delighted to tell you that we're being joined by Bill who will share his ideas with us.

I'm pretty sure he'll delve into his ideas of cosmology, compassion, anarchy, warehouses in the brain, about levels of consciousness, and about what this means for us in our everyday 3d reality. At the very least he'll be sharing with us his ideas for a project, with an aim of playing the game, "lets make life better for mankind." With a focus on dreaming and imagination, over the usual tool of logic, Bill will present his core ideas and then open up the Moot for discussion and sharing of... whatever pops up.

I've included a picture of this quite spectacular cauliflower - I found Bill eating one of these amazing fellas last week at the Spirit Camp. Talking of which, the Spirit Camp was another great success full of great moments. Thanks Pan & Janis for doing the thing yet again.

Spirit Camp

2009-08-28T02:05:00.000-07:00

For various reasons the address etc cannot be posted on the net - therefore for directions and further information please contact Pan & Janis on 07964713109 - they will be manning the lines all day:)

The site is open today and there is plenty of capacity for all of us.

Circular Spirit Camp

2009-08-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

August Bank Holiday Weekend

Every year the people that make up the heart and spirit of Avebury all get together to celebrate everything. Each year we try new things and set about to have a fun and relaxing time in the sun... it's always sunny at the Spirit Camp... guaranteed!

This year's Spirit Camp adopts the much preferred atmosphere and entertainment of the the first year's Spirit Camp by bringing back the warmth of a family event centred around sharing of old knowledge, crafts and skills. So bring your music, your art, your interests and your hearts, and come and share in what will be the delight of another long weekend fun and frivolity.

The location for this wonderful event will be close Avebury - only a few miles away from Devizes in fact.

This time round we have some added luxuries:
Paddling Pool
Free outdoor swimming pool (subject to weather etc)
Children's play area
BBQ area
Toilet Block
...and the real clincher, Showers!

The whole weekend costs a mere £20 with under 16's free as long as they're with a paying adult.
Car Parking is a £1 a day

To get your tickets (and quick, because they'll go very quickly indeed) simply send in your cheques, written out to the Avebury Circular, to
The Avebury Circular
PO BOX 3360
Devizes
SN10 9BA
Remember to include a note with your names. addresses and telephone numbers.

Finally, poor ol' Rover's got to stay at home for this one... no dogs allowed.

Lama Khemsar Rinpoche visits Avebury.

2009-08-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings all. I hoope you all enjoyed the last Moot. The original speaker dropped out at the last minute and then I got myself a wee bit stuck and couldn't make it. Luckily John picked up my reins for me and Chuck, the Bard of Avebury did his stuff with music, tales and myth. Thank you John and Chuck.

Prior to the next Moot you may all be interested in a visit we're having from Lama Khemsar Rinpoche who will be delivering talks and the like in the local area. Also, next Tuesday he will be giving a free talk from the Social Centre. I've embedded the flyer into this posting - if you click on the top right corner of the flyer or the bottom left, then you'll see the full flyer.

Peace

Rinpoche 09

LAMMAS MOOT!

2009-08-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties! Last month we were lucky enough to have a very lively bodhran workshop and drumming circle. The lovely people from the Avebury Open Mic worked with us to give us a unique setting in the sun and a jolly good time was had by all.

This month there will be one or two guest speakers and neither of them have revealed the subjects they're going to talk about. Mystery! Intrigue! We're also going to get a special visit from the Bard of Avebury who will be unravelling some of the mysteries, myths and legends of Avebury and the surrounds. Usual time - 2.45 for a 3.00 start :)

Last month I was also lucky to attend the Calne/Chippingham moot that was delivered my the lovely Carlie. She shared some of her knowledge of plant medicines and food - she even brought in over 20 edible plants she found whilst wondering up to tgive the talk! So if you fancy another fascinating diversion then get yourselves over to the Wheatsheaf this coming Thursday for before 8pm.

Framed Drums and Puppets!

2009-07-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hello mooties, here we are after another glorious month of hot sun and cool nights. This month's moot is little different than before.

For all those wanting to start the evening with something a little bit different then why not check out the Social Centre at 2.30pm. The splendid folk from the Avebury Open Mic have some very special guests called the Hand to Mouth Theatre. There is a charge of a pound for kiddies and maybe three squid for adults (I think that's what they said) - and if it's sunny and hot then it may even be held on the green out the back of the hall. I think this show will be something special - especially for the little ones... puppets!

Those who can't make this can then up for the first part of the Moot for 3pm where we'll be hearing any announcements and taking the opportunity to grab a drink.

And here's the neat bit. At 3.30pm we'll all go down to the hall and almost morph into the Open Mic. Our special guest Alistair will be on hand to take us though a workshop for Bodhran drum - so any of you with a framed drum please bring them along. In fact bring any type of drum along. After this we'll then have a bit of a drum circle at the stones, weather permitting.

And remember - the Avebury Open Mic kicks off on Saturday night from 8.30pm - I've heard the line up…. It's going to be great

Hail & Welcome!

2009-06-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Mooties, Solstice is upon us!! There's a few confirmed bits n bobs taking place over the weekend and we thought it best to share:)

On Saturday at 2pm we have the Free and Open Gorsedd. At some point, usually at about sunset, we should also have the company of the King's Drummers which is not to be missed!

Then on Sunday we have the sunrise at 4.43am and sunset at 9.21pm. Also at 1 pm there is the Gorsedd of the Bards of Caer Abiri (they muster outside the outside the Stones restaurant from 12pm).

There's always lots lots more going on over the weekend including drumming, dancing and plenty of other circles and ceremonies.

I hope you all have an illuminating and fun Solstice

Solstice and a Peaceful Rebellion!

2009-06-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings all. During the next couple of days we at the Moot should have a pretty good idea of what's happening over the Solstice weekend, so if you are keen to find out what's going down then keep an eye on this site.

On Saturday the Moot travelled to London to check out a peaceful rebellion! You see, it seems that a bunch of people that like to question stuff have come up with this idea that we, the people of Britain, have a constitution (that's why it's called a Constitutional Monarchy) and that our Bill of Rights (and the Magna Carta) are being dissolved and hijacked by treasonous MPs, Police, Lords etc. You might say to yourself, "wow, heavy man!" And too right - can these people really be onto something? If they are then we'd better start telling the Irish… they're going to voting on something pretty important soon.

Anyway, one of the talkers is a very likeable and funny man called john: harris - he recently gave a similar presentation in stoke I think.

john's website is
www.tpuc.org

and you can get more info from the British Constitutional Group and from BBC5 TV :)

Moot - Truth Serum

2009-06-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

This month's Moot was brought to us by Aph who shared with us some of the information she'd gathered whilst researching vaccinations. She was very clear that she 'was no expert' and encouraged everyone to look at the data themselves. Essentially she's very interested in other people having the freedom to choose - and with vaccinations, that means getting interested in them!

During the first part of the talk Aph talked about the conspiracy, health and magical aspects of the subject. For the conspiracy part, she pointed out the in the US most vaccinations are already compulsory and that moves are ever being made to have the same policy in the UK. In regards to health, Aph told us about the heaps n heaps of research data that is now freely available, much of which demonstrates that the sides effects of taking vaccines are very harmful - see the sudden rise in allergies, asthma, diabetes and autism. She went on to suggest that, from a purely magical or spiritual perspective, to inject toxins into our systems only forms to hinder us.

Aph then opened up the topic for debate, which the Mooty audience took up with relish. Many of the people in the room had either been misinformed by healthcare professionals in the past or had had their own first hand experience of either suffering as a consequence of using pharmaceuticals or who had greatly improved their own health by eliminating pharmaceuticals.

Ultimately, the information is out there, waiting for you:) Become informed and look for yourselves - here are some of the sites that Aph used to get to where she is now.

www.arnica.org.uk
www.novaccine.com
www.marytocco.com
www.vaccineeducation.org
www.nhs.uk
www.tpuc.org
www.davidicke.com

Vaccination Vacation

2009-06-01T03:25:00.001-07:00

This month's moot is a fascinating investigation into the world of vaccines. Our talker will be giving her views on the glut of vaccination data available, their effectiveness and how we can all make the best decisions for ourselves based on our own research.

For my own part I've often referred to the PAVE site which offers a useful resource to the vaccination debate. I've offset that with information from NHS direct and research information provided by the Pharmaceutical companies. If you want to have at least an insight into the debate it's probably worth having a butchers at the PAVE site.

As usual we'll be at the Red Lion for 2.45pm to start promptly at 3pm :) If the weather is cracking again then we may well venture into the circle - if you turn up and there's nobody about then head to the Beach Trees via the Moon Cove... we'll be along the way someplace or other.

A Belting Beautiful Beltane Moot

2009-05-06T10:59:00.001-07:00

Beltane's Moot was sunny, lively and full of cheer. As expected the turnout was splendid with locals, campers and visitors turning up from many different areas of the UK.

A special thanks to Alasdair(dude with the sunnies) for leading the drummers though some great moments. Also Neil and the The Dude for their solid support. And thanks to everyone that took part. The great thing was at some point or other most people either drummed or picked up a rattle and contributed to the mix. The vibe was very relaxed and chatty with everyone spread out on the grass and basking in the sun with cool drinks.

The kids even had fun creating their very own Green Man - well done! And thank you little Eris who turned 1 over Beltane - more than anyone, she helped me keep my rhythm with a smile.

The Benefit of Circling Avebury

2009-04-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

Great news! The Avebury Circular is having a Benefit Event. When? Well, Friday is the day and 3pm to 6pm is the time. And they are doing it to raise money for community ventures such as the magazine and the Spirit Camp.

The afternoon will consist of light refreshments and jolly fun, so make sure you pop your head in for a peek.

And on the topic of the circular, the Beltane addition is now available to purchase right now, on line, right here! Just push the Magic Button...

Beltane Moot

2009-04-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Greetings Mooties, summer is here and Beltane is literally around the corner. As numbers are normally quite high at Beltane we're going to put ourselves in the Circle (weather permitting) and have ourselves some fun drumming. Several very experienced drummers will be along and everyone will have the opportunity to slap away at some skin, rattle some rattly things and maybe even chant some.

For those coming for the weekend then Friday morning just after 5.00 am is the starter, when everyone gathers for the sunrise at 530. At this time there will be the usual jolly atmosphere and 'hail n' welcomes', along with the fab Maypole dancing. Plenty of other activities will also be taking place, including the Free & Open Gorsedd Saturday at 1pm.

So remember, 2.45pm on the Sunday at the Red Lion for the Moot that will start at 3.00pm. If we've already disappeared then head over to the Moon Cove... or just follow your ears :)

Evolution of Avebury - Moot April

2009-04-05T13:52:00.001-07:00

On this occasion I was not at the Moot some very good people took notes so that we could all enjoy an account of what was experienced.

Terry Dobney

Evolution of Avebury

Terry talks to room;

How Avebury was when it was fully functional

50,000 yrs or 2 ice ages ago

Indigenous tribes would have had shamans, people who had herbal, medicinal, and ancestral knowledge, and due to the nature of the necessary training this would have likely been an inherited position, Father/Son, Mother/Daughter.

This area of Wiltshire is chalk down lands and it was cleared around the last ice age, due to the nature of chalk land it is very easy to clear, the roots don’t penetrate the ground as deeply, it also recovers quickly, and even after extensive over-use is restored after being left fallow for a few years.

This area was used for animal husbandry so clearing the countryside was for protection during a time when we were not the top predators, wolves and bears would have preyed on us and our herds.

The tribes who came here were shamanic based societies, who then moved to ancestral worship, as hunter/gatherers if they wanted to know the herd movements they would consult the tribal elders, who in turn would ask the tribal ancestors who have far longer memories.

These tribes also decided to honour their dead differently, they preferred to raise their dead up on stilts, the sanctuary may have been used for this, the Ridgeway goes straight through the sanctuary and may have been a processional way for honouring the dead, with only tribal elders/ shamans/priests ending up at the sanctuary.

At this time in history while we we’re somewhat masters of husbandry, we had very little in the way of agricultural technology, while what was considered Mesopotamia had agriculture but little husbandry.

Once we did get into agriculture, wheat, barely etc there was a massive increase in the population. This was largely due to the better living and eating conditions provided by farming.

Tribal Shamans were now in the position of having to predict the weather patterns and cycles for the farmers, they needed an accurate way to keep track of the passing of the seasons.

In this area their answer was to build windmill hill, as a clock of the seasons. Sort of like an experiment at an ancient form of technology college.

Windmill hill had a large stone circle around it and when it was decided to have another go at the clock concept at Stonehenge, they moved the stones using rafts on the river Kennett from windmill hill to Stonehenge, as well as other pre-existing sites. This was all in the pursuit of more accurate calculations of weather patterns, tides and other things that effect farming.

The cove stone would have been put in first as it is the biggest, and when building you always put the biggest bit in first as it makes the most mess, the 98 stones around the outside are to predict the movements of the moon, the stones contain 70% quartz which has a phenomenal resonance for which these stones were chosen and its memory properties were used to store the cycles of the moon over 18.61years, or to be totally accurate 6 times that which is 111.6years. This is why Silbury took so long to build, it was built to coincide with the cycles.

Avebury is like the grandfather clock, unreliable. With Stonehenge however it is more like a pocket watch, they used every trick of empowerment they could find, including using already empowered stones, they could fracture time down to a minute, but that still leaves plenty of space for mistakes from inaccuracy.

Q: Were Avebury and Stonehenge important before the ice age? (Frank)

A:There is evidence of a 48,000 year old Neanderthal site on Woden hill, and mammoths were hunted nearby, by running them off cliffs.(Terry)

7-8000 years ago people inhabited Britain, during the slow creep of the ice they migrated further and further south, till they eventually went across the water to Spain, after the ice age as the ice began to retreat again, their descendants migrated back to Britain.

A lot of people think we’re descended from Neanderthals, we’re not! Homosapiens were around then and we’re possibly a mix breed of both. (Ian)

Q: Why was accuracy so important? (Andy)

A:Cycles need to be understood for weather prediction, so that crops can be planted/harvested in the right conditions, you also work the land by the tides of the moon, for growing and cropping. (Terry)

Avebury was considered special cause of it conjunction with the Ridgeway.

Windmill hill would have been the market place and avebury would have been where the big ceremonies for all the communities would have been celebrated. (Ian)

It’s the romans fault for burning all the books leading to a lack of understanding and knowledge (Andy)

It doesn’t matter what it was for. What matters is what we use it for. We see it as a spiritual temple so who cares what archaeologists think. (unknown)

Finally a few announcements were made during the break;

Beltain dawn (the 1st) @ Tash an Gordon's 4:15am ready for kiss chase and maypoles.

Circular fundraising afternoon at the little hall Avebury on the 1st may 3 till 6.

Calne litter pick group on the 14th April, (Moira says you have the details)

If people are likely to want breakfast at the pub after the well dressing could you please let Tash or Gordon know so the pub can get in plenty of supplies (don’t want to run out)

Piers and Nick introduced themselves as the knew representatives of ASSF (avebury sacred sites forum) and offered people an opportunity to come and talk to them if you have any queries/suggestions asked people to get involved in writing and lobbying the NT and our own MP’s, they’re going to make a standard letter and relevant addresses available through a link on the circulars website, we need as much support as can be mustered!

Moot - The Evolution of Avebury

2009-04-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

This month our guest speaker is Arch Druid and Keeper of the Stones - Terry Dobney - who will be presenting his thoughts on the Evolution of Avebury. Remember - get there for 2.45 to start for 3.00pm.

Equinox Food for Thought

2009-03-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Equinox all. Looks like we're set for a few more days of lovely sunshine and clement, spring weather - perfect for sitting in the Circle and enjoying a cup of tea :) The weather is good news for the campers as well as camping is available again in the car park for Friday and Saturday.

We'd also like to say 'Hi' and 'welcome' to all our international visitors to this site including people from Sweden, United States, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Canada, France and New Zealand.

It looks like there's going to be plenty on as well - most of which have already been published in the Avebury Circular.

Saturday night is the Avebury Open Mic so check out their Facebook group for full details.

Also on Sunday over at the Rising Sun in Marlborough Paul Cummins will be putting on an exhibition of his art work from 12 noon. For all those attending take note that they serve lunch there from 12.15pm through to 3pm.

With age of petroleum-man coming to an end is the Human species ready to evolve? Here are a couple of films that I thought might help us answer such questions. The first is by Frank Cook - he reminds me of a gentle Ent. He's got a website called Plants as Healers and an internationally renowned expert of plants as foods. In this clip he talks to us a little about the common Nettle. There are a few other videos of interest by Frank including one about Docks and another about Pines - check em' out at Eat Weeds.

This second film is by Rebecca Hosking and follows her and her family as they set up self sustaining homestead in Devon. Of particular interest is an interview with Martin Crawford (after about minute 35) who 12 years ago planted a forest that is now more productive and far far less labour intensive acre for acre than modern day farming. You can find more from Martin Crawford at the Eat Weeds site.

Also, be sure to check out Terry Dobney's new Facebook group - Avebury - Caer Abiri - Druidic Events Page. He's already listed all the observations etc through to the end of May - join the group to stay informed.

Finally, the Beltane issue of the Avebury Circular will soon be available for purchase from your usual Vendors and from this site.

Chippenham/Calne Moot & The Age of Stupid

2009-03-05T02:42:00.000-08:00

...is a Film by Franny Armstrong who is a very very good friend of the band Luminous Frenzy. The Frenzies have dropped me a line to ask for all us at the Avebury Moot to offer support to Franny. You see, Franny has been very concerned about the issue of climate change and during the last 6 years has been on a fantastic journey to make a film about the issue. Her hope is that the film it will touch the hearts and souls of all those that watch the movie. Her dream, through hard work and determination, has become reality and in a few weeks Franny's organising the world's biggest Film Premiere (the 'People's Premiere') with simultaneous screenings around the country on Sunday March 15th. For those that live close to Avebury it's being screened at the SWINDON EMPIRE Cinema, Greenbridge Retail & Leisure Park, Drakes Way, Swindon, SN3 3SQ Box Office: 0871 471 4714. What's important is that sufficient numbers show up for the Premiere so that the film gets out for a proper general release. So by seeing the film on Premier day you will be supporting Franny and her work to raise awareness of Climate Change. Go to the bottom of this article to see a news report and a trailer for the film :)

Calne Moot - on the first Thursday of every month Calne hosts the Chippenham/Calne Moot - and a very warm and friendly moot is is too. Last night the guest speaker was John who gave a talk about dowsing with rods and geopathic stress. According to John the Earth is criss crossed with ley lines which are forms of energy or radiation that flow across the landscape. Sometimes these energies can become contaminated be waterways, pipes, power lines etc and are transformed into unhealthy ley lines. Long term exposure to these unhealthy ley lines can result in a condition called geopathic stress which weakens the immune system and causes the body to spend too much time on protection and repair rather than growth and rest. In fact one of the tell tale symptoms is the feeling that you're not getting enough sleep, even when you are getting plenty of sleep time wise. John gave us a demonstration on how to locate and divert unhealthy ley lines so that conditions like geopathic stress can be eliminated.

For more information about Luminous Frenzy go to their website where you can even listen to a few of their tunes. A few of the band members recently came to the Avebury Open Mic and played a few numbers for us there. For more information about the Avebury Open Mic join join their group on Facebook.

Finally, we're in the process of booking speakers for the Moots and we would like to get the next 6 moots booked in so that we can properly advertise who's doing what and when. Please email in to wyrdmagus@gmail.com if you are interested or call Marcus on o9741 839 73o. You can even put suggestions of the Facebook group or add a comment to this article if you have some good ideas about who we could invite.

Enjoy the weekend :)

Playing for Change

2009-03-03T00:39:00.000-08:00

Playing for change is a collaboration of artists from around the world. The music they have created is a lovely example of how a community of motivated people can join together to create great things.

The song that first caught me was "One Love."

For more info have a look around their website - they have one or two other songs which can be listened to as well.

Enjoy.

The Gathering - Moot 1st March

2009-03-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

A new season rolled up to the Moot on Sunday with a beautiful sun-shiny Spring day. And to celebrate this we all decided to sit out in the sun and fully enjoy the new season to its fullest. With maps spread across the tables a major topic of conversation was centred around the wealth of undiscovered sites in the area, including sites of breathtaking beauty. The usual suspects were noted of course, such as Swallowhead Spring and Oliver's Castle. But everyone seemed to have one or two little gems that nobody else had ever heard of. These included a spectacular cluster of springs outside of Calne, hill forts close to Wroughton and a number of forests out Castle Coombe way which have a plenitude of ancient sites hidden away in them.

So, as the warm, summer months begin to emerge from the dark, frosty mornings of the winter, thoughts and plans are set in motion to perhaps have a few of our wonderful moots located at some of these sites. Can you imagine sitting up on Oliver's Castle with its sweeping vista across the the vast expanse of the Wiltshire countryside. All this whilst listening to new and fascinating speakers, maybe even hearing ancient stories being told or music being played - music with drumming and dance. Watch this space before each Moot... you'll always know what's in the offing if you check in.

There was also a good deal of discussion about litter. A challenge to any of you is to go out for a walk with a bag and fill it up on your bimble. Well, that's not really the main challenge. The big challenge is, having already done one round of litter picking, to go out for another walk a day or so later and notice what you see, and notice how you feel about that.

The town of Calne is lucky becuase one of the Avebury Moot followers, Moira, lives there. She has called for a meeting to take place in Calne at the Lansdowne Strand Hotel on Tuesday 14th April at 6pm. This event is being held to raise awareness of the growing litter situation in our countryside and to recruit soldiers for the Litter Army. The council have already furnished her with enough equipment and supplies to fully kit out 10 brave souls. Topics for consideration include the extremely heavy littering of the river Marden - can this really be just down to people tossing litter into the river... or is there another cause? Check out the meeting to find out.

Once again the Red Lion were the perfect hosts and ensured that the tradition of the Avebury Moots being held at this focus point continues into the future. There was a fine mix of clientèle, including bikers on their impressive looking Harley Davidsons, families with all their children out for the day about the stones, and even a bunch of scouts that marched off of the ridge down Green Street and who holed themselves up to get fluids and valuable carbs.

Keep watching this space now because speakers are in the process of being booked. If you have a subject that you might like to talk about then drop us an email with a telephone number so that we can have a natter. Also check the site before each moot for confirmation of what has been booked. It's worth noting that the Avebury Moots works in close collaboration with the Avebury Circular and so noteworthy information about the moots, the Circular, the Spirit Camp etc will all be published here.

Enjoy the sun:)

Snow snow snow

2009-02-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

Avebury's been covered, along with much of the rest of the UK, with a nearly a foot of snow. The result is that our beautiful landscape has been transformed into a magical kingdom.

Here we have Silbury Hill, white as it no doubt should be, standing majestic and proud.

Again, Silbury Hill, this time hiding on the horizon.

And this time, a panoramic of the landscape. Notice the small group of people hiking up the hill.

Ancient Anomolies - Moot - 1st February 2009

2009-02-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

This month we were joined by Andy who kindly imparted some of his extensive understanding of ancient anomalies.

The first part of his talk centred on the giant stone works found all over the world, in particular Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and Egypt. In Machu Picchu for example, there are examples of 10 ton blocks that have been carved to perfection and lifted 2.5 km and then interlocked with scary precision that still puzzle modern day engineers. In Andy's fascinating report, he also told us, amongst other things, about the sheer weight of the blocks used to make the pyramids.

Andy then went on to point out that the great stone works of Avebury and all of the connecting sites, clearly demonstrate that past civilisations had a clear understanding of our solar system and how the planets moved etc. He then pointed out the Christian O'Brian had discovered a line of stone markers in Essex called line A - oddly the markers are curved to the same extent of the meridian of the Earth... so we knew that the Earth was a sphere in 2500... now that certainly does not correspond with our ideas of megalithic culture and roaming Celts.

After talking in some depth about the Olmecs, Andy finished this amazing journey of discovery with querying how it could be that Egyptian mummies could have been found to contain within their inners, compounds that could only have originated from the Americas.

After the main talk Andy was kind enough to come back and spend some time running through some questions and answers. Clearly, if one considers the sheer volume of evidence available to us then we can only conclude that there were once great civilisations on this planet potentially greater than ours today. Furthermore, why are these not noted in our history books?

For further reading why not start here!

Pranayama - Moot - 4th January 2009

2009-02-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

After a brief stop for the Yule festivities the Avebury Moot was delighted to welcome back Vickie. Vickie, an experienced and diversely learned Yoga Teacher, came to give us a talk on the Yogic breathing work of Pranayama.

Vickie explained the importance of breathing and how the concentrated techniques can enhance health.

Yoga breathing, or Pranayama, is the science of breath control. It consists of series of exercises especially intended to meet the body's needs and keep it in vibrant health. Pranayama comes from the following words:

Prana - "life force" or "life energy"
Yama - "discipline" or "control"
Ayama - "expansion", "non-restraint", or "extension"
Thus, Pranayama means "breathing techniques" or "breath control". Ideally, this practice of opening up the inner life force is not merely to take healthy deep breaths. It is intended for yoga practitioners to help and prepare them in their Meditation process.

In our respiration process, we breathe in or inhale oxygen into our body, going through our body systems in a form of energy to charge our different body parts. Then we exhale carbon dioxide and take away all toxic wastes from our body. Through the practice of Pranayama, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is attained. Absorbing prana through breath control links our body, mind, and spirit.

Because of the daily work, family, or financial pressures, we tend to ignore our breathing. Thus, it tends to be fast and shallow. The use of only a fraction of your lungs results to lack of oxygen and may lead to different complications. Heart diseases, sleep disorders, and fatigue are some of the effects of oxygen starvation. Therefore, the negative energy of being restless and troublesome leads to lesser prana inside the body. By practicing deep and systematic breathing through Pranayama, we reenergize our body.