III. The Wider Context:

The 'Grid & Lattice' in the broad landscape.

It was important throughout the investigation to be continually viewing the findings from the local site in their broader context. Principally, this involved horizontal plane measurements of vector directions wherever they occurred in the landscape in order to keep in perspective their spatial distribution in the framework of the overall Grid & Lattice pattern. Initially the the four principle 'Single' pulse vector directions that extended out from the Barnbarroch Site into the immediate surroundings were followed whilst carrying a GPS tracking device. The results are shown in fig. 128 below - The tracks (originally black) have been given a colour overlay to match the on-site plans for greater clarity (Red for Grid Parallels & Blue for Lattice Diagonals). Note that well beyond the site certain vectors are curved, confirming that when viewed in the wider context the grid is flexible and clearly not made up of rigid straight lines.

Fig. 128. GPS tracks recorded in 2015 in the hinterland beyond the Barnbarroch main site.

As confidence in the GPS tracking method grew, sampling was carried out at a series of widely separated locations spread across Galloway and then beyond. The first of these was recorded in October 2016 at Kells Standing Stones (15 km East of the site) where the 'Grid & Lattice' had a N-S axis tilted approx. 4° W of grid North, while 28 km to the North East, at Sweetheart Abbey its N-S axis was tilted approx. 10° E (see fig. 2.129 middle & bottom below). 

Fig. 129. GPS tracks recorded in October 2016 at Kells Standing Stones & Sweetheart Abbey.

A second important aspect of the 'Grid & Lattice' was its dimensions. GPS tracking permitted reasonably accurate measurement of the space between parallel vectors if a sufficient number were surveyed. For example, in August 2017 a detailed scaled architectural plan of Sweetheart Abbey was used to plot and measure the positions of key 'Single' pulse vectors. This allowed comparison with the GPS survey made in 2016 and the results suggested a 'unit pattern' spacing of approx. 15 metres. Also, of interest from an archaeological standpoint, the results suggested that the abbey may have been laid out to reflect the existence of the underlying 'Grid & Lattice' (see fig. 2.130 below and inset).

Fig. 130. GPS tracks recorded at Sweetheart Abbey in August 2017.

Because of their ease of access and readily available scaled plans, abbey sites were used for surveys covering a wide geographical area thus, in September 2019 visits were made to Glen Luce Abbey in Wigtownshire, about 70 km West of Barnbarroch, and to Dryburgh Abbey in Roxburgh, over a 100 km to the North East (see below fig. 131 - top left & right respectively); and further surveys were also carried out at Dundrennan and Jedburgh Abbeys. All these new results confirmed the earlier, somewhat fragmentary survey made at Lincoln Cathedral (see below fig. 2.131 - bottom), which suggested that the spacing of the 'single pulse' vectors making up the 'Grid & Lattice' pattern had a UK-wide universal unit size of around 15-17 metres. The highly variable layout of the so-called 'East-West' Nave axis of abbeys and cathedrals suggests that the mason builders used the orientation of the local 'Grid & Lattice' as an initial guide for the layout of the general plan and spacing of the internal structures. 

Fig. 131. 'Grid & Lattice ' distribution pattern surveyed at Glen Luce & Dryburgh Abbeys in Sept. 2019, and the Grid pattern surveyed at Lincoln Cathedral in Aug 2017.

Bouguer Gravity Anomalies considered.

To investigate if relatively wide, geophysical differences in 'Standard Acceleration due to Gravity' had an impact on the spacing of the 'Grid & Lattice', two contrasting Bouguer Gravity Anomaly areas not too far from the local Barnbarroch site were chosen. The first location, at Long Fell, according to the BGS had a Bouguer Gravity Anomaly of -5 mGal; while the second, at Ross Bay had a Bouguer Gravity Anomaly of +25 mGal (see fig. 132 below). 

Fig. 132. BGS Bouguer Anomaly Map - Solway Firth, with insets detailing Long Fell (top) & Ross Bay (bottom).

In the summer of 2022, within each of the two anomaly areas shown above, accessible locations were selected and surveyed using GPS tracking. The recorded tracks were then carefully matched against 'Google Earth' satellite images to ensure they were scaled correctly. The resultant measurements from the two sites revealed no significant difference in the spacing to that already noted at other sites i.e., 15-17 metres (see fig. 2.133 below). Although there were differences in orientation between the two sites, the general 'Grid & Lattice' layout appeared to be very similar to that already noted. It was concluded that the 30 mGal difference between these two sites, which amounted to a tiny fraction of Standard Gravity at sea level i.e., 980665 mGal [9.807 m/s2] was possibly too small to be of any significance in relation to the human 'sense of gravity' and therefore, it was felt that the results of the investigation could not be equated directly to any maps of 'acceleration due to gravity'. Instead, the wave-form revealed by this study appears to be a more direct, planetary-scale, manifestation of Gravity Wave Radiation.

Fig. 133. GPS tracks recorded at the two local sites with contrasting Bouguer Anomalies - Long Fell & Ross Bay. 

Scrutinising the Dowsing Community:

Tests comparing the Author's physical reactions with those of other individuals appearing to experience a similar response.

TEST 1.

On 24th July, 2014, twenty-four members of the Westmorland Dowsers were observed searching for a genuine leak in an underground water supply pipe at the National Trust's 'Acorn Bank', in Cumbria. The two leaders of the group used L-shaped rods as indicators of their reactions and marked out the lines connecting their reaction points using a series of flagged poles. This was done in various locations over a wide area of the two fields that lay between the mains water supply point (at the S.E. edge of the property) and the Stop Cock (at the corner of the garden area - see satellite image fig. 2.134 below). The majority of the others in the group 'searched' used L-rods, although at least two were seen using pendulums.

Fig. 134. Satellite view of the fields between the Acorn Bank stop cock and its water supply point.

The method used by the dowsers required an initial 'focusing of the mind' on the desired result, which involved asking the 'right question'. i.e., 'Whereabouts in the ground is the pipe leaking?' or perhaps 'From where is water running?' after which various meandering lines were marked out with poles in the fields where reactions took place. Many of the group wandered across the full area of the lower field following reaction lines - despite being shown where the stop cock was situated and told where the connection to the mains supply was located [1]. At the end of the day the group leaders concluded in their report that there were 'multiple leaks' scattered across a wide area of the site. The group made no measurements of their labours (although one pair was seen using GPS tracking [2]). In the weeks following there appeared to be no subsequent follow-up communication to confirm or refute their findings, leaving the author with the general impression of a lack of interest in applying any scientific method to their efforts.

However, the main purpose in observing this dowsing group was to compare their reaction zones with the reaction patterns already established by the author, who had no experience in the use of the L-rod. It was clear that L-rod was being held loosely in the hand (or gripped within a tube) while walking and was initially pointed horizontally in a forward direction. It appeared that particular changes in muscle tension that occurred in one arm made the wrist twist slightly and the resulting imbalance caused the tip of the heavy upper part of the L-rod to swing through 90° and thus, temporarily point across the body. An amplifying reaction similar to that experienced by the author. It was not possible to confirm the existence of a 'Grid & Lattice' layout from such a meagre and widespread scattering of reactions over a timescale of a few hours in one day; but what did emerge was that the dowsers all appeared to experience a much more limited number of reactions per metre. The locations where their 'L-rod' their reactions took place, when checked by the author, were either when the centre of a 'Triple' pulse group was crossed or more commonly when the dowser crossed a 'Single' pulse, as classified by the author. This suggested that the 'Single' is indeed the strongest part of the overall pattern. No one was seen reacting to the 'Double' Track-line element, and thus, reactions to the full 'eight-pulse' pattern were never witnessed. However, of great significance, all of the 'vector directions' traced by individuals or marked out by the group were immediately confirmed in the field as matching the reaction line direction detected by the author.

[1] It appeared that faith in their divination skills and their ability to detect underground water in the pipe (if they asked the right question) was stronger than any logical thought processes: i.e., that a trench for a water pipe running from A to B across fields, would most likely be dug by the shortest route possible – in a straight line.

[2] The GPS technique was of great interest to the author who had not used such a method up to then.

TEST 2.

An invitation to visit the Barnbarroch Site on 2nd November 2014 was given to a small group from the West of Scotland Dowsers. The leader of the group, Pat Toms, had already been introduced to the author several months earlier and his dowsing reactions on that occasion had been noted to have a close correspondence with those of the author. The group's arrival marked the first visit of a party of dowsers to the site and provided the author with an opportunity to conduct an initial 'trial run' for possible future experiments involving other individuals, trained or untrained in the experience of dowsing. The approach and experimental design (already outlined in the 'Methods' section) was as follows. 

Mr. Toms was requested to use an L-rod to initially demonstrate to the rest of the group – all assembled in the central Kitchen/Dining room area (marked with an orange circle in fig. 2.135 below) - how to move forward while maintaining awareness to any response without going through the usual preliminary ritual of 'thinking' about the desired result (i.e., where or how far down is the water? Etc.). On his first sweep forward, he readily located the Dn3 'Single-pulse' part of the Diagonal Lattice zone (marked within the house by NW-SE blue lines in Fig.2.30[a]) and on his return located the 'Single-pulse' of Pe5 despite crossing it at 45° (marked by red lines running almost N-S within the house) i.e., in both cases he indicated vector directions that corresponded closely to those already established by the author. 

The aim of the experiment was to get each individual of the group to unknowingly and independently cross a particularly 'strong' reaction zone at right-angles as Mr. Toms had done, but on each of two routes elsewhere in the house and to see if the individual would find the zone's location. Each of the 4 members of the group was asked to walk, one at a time, along these two separate routes within the building – the first direction roughly 'East/West' and the second 'North/South'. Their dowsing was to be completed out of sight of the remainder of the group, who stayed seated in the central dining area (marked with an orange circle). Each individual was given a blank plan of the site and asked to mark on it any zones where a reaction took place along each of the two routes. They were then to return to the centre, not revealing their marks to the others until all had completed the task. Their marked positions were then discussed and compared with observations that had been made by the author in the week preceding the group's visit. The results are summarised in the notes accompanying figure 2.135 below.

Fig. 135.  The author's Grid & Lattice Zones (Oct-Nov'2014) overlaid with Dowsing Experiment results.

Unfortunately, the plots made by each individual did not pinpoint the two zones as anticipated: their accumulated results gave no particular cluster that marked Pe3 or Pn2 zones, and so in broad terms the experiment was a failure but a useful lesson.

• The four subjects produced a varying number of reactions - ranging from 1.7 to 3.4 reactions per metre (see fig. 136 below). The result of the instruction to be aware of 'any response' had not been fully anticipated i.e., the implications of the Acorn Bank observation: "that 'Single-pulse' and 'Triple-pulse' reactions might be indistinguishable" had not been appreciated.
• Two members of the group were relatively inexperienced in dowsing: and thus, by being thrust into an unusual 'one-off' situation, they may well have been far from relaxed.
• In such a restricted space the choice of route was limited - resulting in an overlapping of 'Grid' zones with 'Lattice' zones, which possibly blurred the overall picture.
• No request was made to the participants to grade the strength of their reactions e.g., a simple notation code of 'Strong' vs 'Weak' reaction might have helped clarify their plan marks, and the follow-up discussion afterwards failed note these quite subjective features.
• An instruction to all members of the group to provide a clear indication of direction might have avoided the simple none-directional marks made by some individuals and would have helped to assist identifying any detected pattern.
• Observation by an independent recorder accompanying each individual might have avoided some of the problems listed.

These were all points that would need to be born in mind for any future experiment involving groups of individuals using such reaction amplification instruments - whether dowsers or not, whether trained or untrained.

The separate sheets marked by the four dowsers hinted of a possible reaction to the very strong 'Single' pulse line Dn2 in the NW corner of the workshop; and three individuals noted the strength and direction of De6 in the study (see fig.136 below). Individual 'D' went beyond the E-W route and picked up a strong reaction to the 'single pulse' element of De4/5 in the SW corner of the workshop. But without better experimental design these reactions ought to be dismissed as just random marks on the page that have been noted through selective bias on the part of the author.

However, despite these many reservations and failings, some encouragement to continue the project's investigation was derived from the group's visit to the site. Later in the day, there was apparent group agreement on the various vector strengths and directions across the broader area of the site; but again, this needed to be tempered by the author's reservation that perhaps 'group pressure' could be eliciting a desired response. In summary, although this second test using a dowsing group failed in its main purpose, the outcome of observing these individuals' reactions in 2014 suggested that the investigation was still heading in the right direction and worthy of further persistence. The hypothesis that 'the involuntary reaction phenomenon was a product of a stimulus which was "external" to the individual' remained credible. But reliable solid proof would require time and resources well beyond those available to the author and would need something akin to those within a University Cognitive Psychology Department or perhaps somewhere like The Institute of Sensorimotor Neuroscience (ISMN) UCL.

Test 3.

On 7th May, 2023, over 8-years later, a second visit to the site by the West of Scotland Dowsers was arranged. Apart from group leader, Pat Toms and a mutual friend, the group consisted of different individuals – and none were particularly familiar with developments in the investigator's 'Grid & Lattice' wave mapping in the intervening years. The occasion was used to see if individual dowsers working outdoors, independently or together, could come to group decisions about reaction locations, strengths, and directions strictly unprompted by the author. 

The group were restricted to the slightly undulating, less sloping central area on the south side of the site, where they started by walking along the Patio parallel to the NW/SE axis of the house where they were all in agreement about the location of their first strong reaction and its approximate vector direction. This was duly marked by the author with small white plastic strips across the ground wherever their L-rods indicated a reaction. They were able to follow their reaction line's direction by crossing it on the lawn at several points. (*This initial 'single-pulse' vector was known to the author and designated as De6 but no mention of this - or the identity of any other vectors they found - was made until later in the afternoon, after the group had finished their independent survey). 

In a similar manner they walked along the N/S axis of the Patio and reacted to a second vector (Pn2 'single-pulse') which they were able to track from East to West across the lawn, and again this was, step by step, duly marked by the author. Then, while walking across the lawn parallel to the line of the first markers, group members reacted to a third vector running NW/SE (Dn2 'single-pulse') and indicated that its course ran from near the corner of the Pottery workshop to beyond the Birch tree on the southern border. It was duly marked in the same manner as before. 

Finally, the group followed an East to West path towards the slightly less inviting backdoor of the workshop, courtyard area, (after encouragement from the author it has to be said [1]) where they crossed and reacted to the 'single-pulse' zone of the fourth vector of the 'Grid & Lattice' in the upper part of Courtyard (Pe3 'single-pulse') and indicated its approximate N/S direction. At this juncture the group were shown the author's various plans and diagrams of the wave structure on the site - which their group efforts had revealed and confirmed - and explanations were given to various questions they raised.

[1] Being paved, and enclosed on three sides, made the Upper Courtyard seem separate from the lawn, and that together with the jumbled contents of the foundry being clearly visible beyond, made it less attractive for individuals to enter.

It was felt that the afternoon's results provided an initial pointer for further research in this field. The method could be followed by other investigators - provided that, within an 8-hour slot, at least two groups (comprising of not less than 3 individuals) worked independently of each other on the same site; and their reaction locations were documented by a neutral observer with no vested interest in the result. Given sufficient space to walk around in (say 20 m2) a group trained in the use of an instrument capable of amplifying their homeostasis reflex reactions should be able to confirm the existence of the 'Grid & Lattice' structure at any site chosen by the investigator. Having arrived at that point, from that day onwards, movement over time of any vector in both the horizontal and vertical planes could be recorded and would thus, lead automatically to the second stage: where the form of the wave and its oscillation pattern would emerge as an inevitable consequence.