Pattern of the Past - Guy Underwood

[Mike]

The below link has a decent overview of some of the principles of the book.

_http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ianto/Geodetic.htm

[...] Underwood theorised that the Earth is covered by a field which he called the "Earth Force". He used this term simply because its true nature was not yet known to science. He did not intend this idea to be any more mysterious than necessary, in fact he thought that it might be "an unrecognised effect of some already established force, such as magnetism or gravity"[2]. If the fields or forces perceived by the dowser were due to phenomena recognised by science then it follows that in time science should be able to verify his claims. This was Underwood's belief, however mainstream scientists have neglected dowsing, for the most part, as a topic for serious research.

The "Earth force" suggestion reveals the pragmatic attitude of Underwood. He seems to have been sceptical of the more outlandish claims made for dowsing by people who we would now call "New Age". For Underwood dowsing was a skill that anyone could learn, and was not the preserve of an elite claiming some mysterious special gift.

Geodetic lines, according to Underwood, are discontinuities in this Earth force. They were not "energy lines" or "ley-lines" according to Underwood's way of thinking. However Dennis Wheatley[3], who inherited some of Guy Underwood's research papers believes that they are lines of energy within the Earth. What seems certain is that these lines and patterns can be detected by dowsing.

The book goes in depth about a number of sites such as stonehenge and midievil cathedrals and that the design and layout of them where based on the "Earth force". Many diagrams are provided in the book to show what Underwood is describing. The "Earth force" consists of water lines that I think a person would normal associate with dowsing, another line called 'track lines', and a line Underwood calls a 'aquastat'. The link above gives a description of how Underwood detected these lines and visuals for the different types.

What struck me is one of the principle patterns that Underwood finds is the spiral that reminded me of the Irish or Scottish spiral stone carvings.

Overall an interesting book that seems pretty fantastic in terms of what Underwood might have found. The lay out of the lines for the 'The Cerne Abbas Giant' and diagram just seems too incredible, because the lines with out the superimposed diagram of the giant pretty much have the giant as easily distinguishable. Underwood doesn't stretch to far to try to theorize about what he found. He is more reporting what he found. Definitely has me interested in trying to learn to dowse.