Dowsing Conference

Sticks .......and Stones
The BSD Conference
26 to 28 September 2008
Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, Glos, GL 7 6JS

This conference, the high point of our year, celebrates 75 years of the BSD and builds on the highly successful 2007 event.

An exciting mix of lectures, practical workshops, outings and presentations is complemented by our new ‘Dowsing Fair', with an exhibition of all aspects of The Society, Dowsing and a Gallery of artwork. Our acclaimed BSD shop for tools & books will be on hand, new books will be launched and ‘Meet the Author' book signings will occur.

Whether you come for just one day or the whole weekend, there will be plenty of opportunities to try out new ideas, meet and make friends, and be stimulated by lectures from leading speakers.

Our theme, ‘Sticks and Stones', harmonises the twin aspects of our dowsing tools (rod and pendulum) with the landscape in which we use them, whether wild or managed. We travel in time, through rhythms in nature, to the many and various standing stones of Britain and Ireland. We look at Stonehenge as a place of healing and discuss dowsing, what it is and how it can stimulate changed perceptions…… and there's more! To celebrate 75 years of BSD, a Party takes place on Saturday evening.

The Royal Agricultural College, a much loved venue in the heart of the Cotswolds, is easily reached by train and car, with plenty of parking, comfortable en suite bedrooms and a reputation for good food.

The Speakers		Dr Serena Roney -Dougal Prof Timothy Darvill Dr Clive Beale Hamish Miller Michael Bott
Dr Serena Roney Dougal ....... 'Where Science and Magic Meet' Serena has a PhD in Parapsychology and over 30 years of study and experience in scientific, magical and spiritual explorations of the psyche. She has lectured and taught in America, Britain and Europe and written books; Where Science and Magic Meet and The Faery Faith . At present she is researching the relationship between meditation and psychic awareness with Tibetan monks in India. Serena will present recent research showing how exquisitely sensitive the pineal gland, our third eye, is to the earth's magnetic field (GMF). This could well be the link between the magnetic field aspect of water dowsing and the psychic aspect of energy dowsing at sacred sites and crop circles. Since a sudden shift in magnetic field strength affects the pineal gland, this could be a link to our feelings of numinous awe and strong visionary and psychic experiences at these places. Serena's web site http://www.psi-researchcentre.co.uk/
Professor Timothy Darvill .... ‘Stonehenge. It's Only Rock and Roll…' Timothy Darvill is Professor of Archaeology in the School of Conservation Sciences and Head of the Centre for Archaeology, Anthropology and Heritage at Bournemouth University, UK. The author of over a dozen books, including Prehistoric Britain and Stonehenge: the biography of a landscape, he has served as Chairman of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, was a Member of the Council of the National Trust, and is currently a Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Current research interests focus on archaeological resource management and the Neolithic of northwest Europe. Professor Darvill will explore and develop some of the ideas in his widely acclaimed book Stonehenge – The biography of a landscape . Why was rock brought from south-west Wales to Salisbury Plain? What did the stones mean to Neolithic people as they watched the sun rolling across the sky year in and year out? And why were the stones so important?
Dr Clive Beale ....... 'The Sun, The Moon and The Rhythm of Time' Clive has spent his working life in agricultural research & education. He has a degree in agriculture, and a PhD on the physiology of biomass energy crops (which he started to study 20 years ago, long before they became trendy!). He says that when he joined the BSD & London and Thameside Dowsers, in 2002, he thought that dowsing was simply about ‘water and drains'! However, like many novice dowsers, he soon found that the pursuit led to interests in previously unexplored subject avenues, including archaeology. Are we governed by the calendar and the clock? Have we lost touch with our natural sense of time and the rhythms of life? What is time? What causes our solar and lunar cycles? How did our forebears develop calendars from the motions of the sun, the moon and the stars? How do plants and animals detect and respond to these cycles? These and other questions will be addressed in this presentation which aims to provide a laymen's introduction to the fascinating subject of time. No prior knowledge necessary!
Hamish Miller........' Beyond the Threshold ' Hamish is a dowser, metal sculptor and author. He read engineering at Edinburgh and through his books, talks and workshops, his work on earth energies has earned him an international reputation. Book titles include The Sun and the Serpent, It's Not Too Late, The Dance of the Dragon, The Definitive Wee Book on Dowsing, and In Search of the Southern Serpent . Hamish will talk on ‘ Beyond the Threshold', about the way the mental discipline required in dowsing can stimulate changed perceptions in whatever field you specialise in. It opens the mind to accept possible exciting new realities. Hamish's web site http://www.hamishmiller.co.uk/
Michael Bott........'Standing With Stones, A Journey Through Megalithic Britain & Ireland' Michael was a professional actor for 20 years and was a member of The RSC & the Royal National Theatre. He gradually made a shift into production and film making. Eight years ago he began making feature-length documentaries which include ‘ Henry Lincoln's Guide to Rennes-le-Chateau', ‘Da VInci Code Decoded, Origins of the Da Vinci Code . He also produced ‘ The Man Behind the Da Vinci Code' for Channel 5. His fascination for the megalithic and standing stones stems from early childhood when he was first taken to the Rollright Stones. The creation of the film ‘Standing with Stones: A Journey through Megalithic Britain & Ireland ' is the fulfilment of a life-long ambition, and one he will guide us through in his presentation. Standing with Stones web site at http://www.standingwithstones.com/

From Mystery To Mastery The Workshops & Presentations	Sat and/or Sun 2-5pm
Earth Acupuncture for Geopathic Stress	Richard Creightmore
Dowsing For Intent	Paul Craddock
Stress Release Techniques	Maggie Leadbeater
Dowsing & Repairing Auras with Crystals	Vicky Sweetlove
Introduction to Spirit Release	Irenka Herbert
Dowsing for Water 1	Aaron Bray
Dowsing for Water 2	Aaron Bray
Introduction To Medical Feng Shui	Richard Creightmore
Dowsing For Healthy Foods and Strong Auras	Paul Craddock
Experiential Sacred Space	Maria Hayden & Grahame Gardner
Beyond the Threshold	Hamish Miller
Meditation Practices	Serena Roney-Dougal
Standing With Stones, A Journey through Megalithic Britain & Ireland.	Michael Bott
Further Adventures in Zambia	Village Water
Dowsing Fair open

The Outings (optional)		Abbey House Gardens
A visit to Abbey Home Farm, Wiggold, Nr Cirencester (Coach provided). Saturday 2-5pm (for archaeological dowsers)	This exciting site, cutting edge in its working archaeology, will be visited and dowsed, accompanied by Prof Darvill and Liz Poraj Wilczynska. With thanks to Will & Hilary Chestermaster, partners in the award winning Organic Farm site. click here for the Abbey Home Farm website click here for more details on the archaeological work at Wiggold
A visit to the stunning Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury. (Coach provided). Sunday 2pm to 5pm	Dowsing in a beautiful garden next to the Abbey, for earth energies, water, archaeology (the undercroft) and spirit of place. With thanks to Barbara & Ian Pollard. click here for more details on Abbey House Gardens

The Programme
Friday 26 September
2pm	Dowsing Fair opens Special Interest Groups for Archaeology, Health, Water & Earth Energies meet throughout the afternoon.
4-5pm	Conference Registration
Dinner 7pm	After dinner. Richard Creightmore leads an illustrated informal discussion on Crop Circles , aided by Jim Lyons.
Saturday 27 September
9am to 9.30am	Registration for Day Delegates
9.30am	Conference Welcome by Dr Patrick MacManaway, BSD President
9.45am to 10.45am	Lecture Dr Serena Roney-Dougal ‘Where Science and Magic Meet'
10.45am to 11.45am	Dowsing Fair
11.45am to 1pm	Lecture Professor Timothy Darvill ‘Stonehenge. It's Only Rock and Roll…'
1pm to 2pm	Lunch
2pm to 5pm	‘From Mystery to Mastery' A range of workshops, lectures, events and an outing to choose from, all hosted by our Registered Tutors and Speakers.
7pm	Dinner followed by a party in celebration of BSD's 75 years.
Sunday 28 September
9am to 9.30am	Registration for Day Delegates & AGM Visitors
9.30am to 10.45am	AGM, BSD Awards, and Presentation about BSD
10.45 to 11.45am	Dowsing Fair
11.45am to 1pm	Lecture Dr Clive Beale ‘ The Sun, The Moon and The Rhythm of Time'
1pm to 2pm	Lunch
2pm to 5pm	‘From Mystery to Mastery' A range of workshops, lectures, events and an outing to choose from, all hosted by our Registered Tutors and Speakers.
5pm	Closing Session Dr Patrick MacManaway

The Venue
The Royal Agricultural College, a much loved venue in the heart of the Cotswolds, is easily reached by train and car, with plenty of parking, comfortable en suite bedrooms and a reputation for good food. Single and twin rooms are available.
click here or visit the college web site at www.rac.ac.uk for more information
click here for a map and directions to Cirencester and the College
click here for trains to Kemble (nearest station, 3miles from Cirencester)	National Rail Enquiries: 08457 484950

Costs and How to Book Please phone us on 01684 576969 or email us at info@britishdowsers.org for more information or to book
Fully residential weekend (from Friday inc. lunch at 1pm, to Sunday close, 5pm)	£249
Fully residential weekend (from 2pm on Friday to Sunday close, 5pm)	£239
Fully residential shorter weekend (from Saturday 9am to Sunday close, 5pm)	£199
Saturday only, non residential (from Saturday 9am to Saturday 5pm, inc lunch)	£109
Optional extra dinner, Saturday evening (for non residential day delegates)	£ 20
Sunday Only, non residential (from Sunday 9am to Sunday 5pm, inc lunch)	£89
Non-members surcharge	£25
I'd like to join the society now, and save this £25 ! We'll send you the form or you can join online -our special membership offer is only £25 for your first year)	click here

Fees include lecture and workshop programme and options for full board or day delegates. They are payable in full on booking. VAT is included in the prices quoted.
Cancellations received before 15 August will receive a full refund, cancellation after 15 August will incur a charge of 50% of the total paid. Closing date for booking is 8 September 2008, but please book early to avoid disappointment, as numbers are strictly limited.