Journal of Geomancy vol. 1 no. 2, January 1977

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STANLEY ZODIAC REVELATION

By PAUL SCREETON

The domain of whatever way we choose to name the content of such journals as this – Geomancy, Earth Mysteries, Ancient Skills and Wisdom, Alternative/Speculative Archaeology – is, in the final analysis, the study of Man. 

This article is about one exceptional man and his remarkable discovery.  He would not wish me to reveal confidences and I have no intention of doing so.  He chose to publish in the Ley Hunter his discovery of a terrestrial zodiac in County Durham and my comments are here purely to amplify his revelation. 

Tom Cole claimed to me that he had discovered a Durham zodiac.  On publishing his article – written at my request – I chose to christen (or whatever word best applies) it Stanley Zodiac.  As I will show, in his own words, he delineated the figures in writing; he showed me a painted map of the zodiac; and when I, or myself and wife, went to visit him we would be taken around the zodiac on a sunwise, ritual conducted tour.  The relationship was almost akin to that of Carlos Castaneda and Don Juan, for my gypsy friend spent much time testing my reactions.  However, I feel there was a reciprocal understanding.  He spent one whole afternoon casting my horoscope. 

His philosophy was a healthy anarchism which I found easily assimilable as it reflected the type of society which I suspected the Megalithic Culture created.  He loved the land and loved animals.  And people. 

His entry into my life was a chance occurrence.  On my one day off one week he appeared at the door, having been encouraged in a letter from John Michell to contact me, in pelting rain.  Initially I fumbled for coins imagining this small, wiry, mid-30s, Peter Wyngarde-moustachioed individual to be a new recruit to the window cleaning squad. 

The Andy Capp Country Don Juan with deerhound called Avalon was bubbling with enthusiasm about his zodiac discovery and over down-to-earth spaghetti and chips we discussed the ramifications of this esoteric addition to our ancient heritage. 

His wife had been reading a book from the library, “The View Over Atlantis”, and drawn Tom’s attention to references to Katherine Maltwood’s Glastonbury Zodiac, which reflected his own discovery.  He had contacted author John Michell, who suggested he might profitably contact a local investigator such as myself. 

Our friendship was, in terms of time brief – though I do not entirely expect it to have ended totally – but extremely revelatory.  For instance we were once returning to my home with our wives and all saw a large orange ball of light oddly bobbing above the South Works of Hartlepool Steelworks, which looked mysterious, and I’ve never seen repeated (we live in sight – and smell!  – of the plant) and as for light, on arrival we had a fuse blown and the house was in darkness.  And another ball of light will play a part in this tale.  … On another occasion he journeyed with a sick friend as he reckoned I’d been even more poorly – and there I was laid ill in pyjamas on the settee. 

But, do not mistake me, for he was hardly the image of a saint.  His lifestyle and attitudes were at times harsh even to a radical consciousness.  What I wish to stress is that here was a zodiac discoverer whose – as paralleled in the cases of such visionaries as Alfred Watkins of Leys fame and Ms Maltwood – affinity with topography, celestial influences and the psychic interface led to personal revelation. 

We walked around The Middles, where oldtimers played spinning coins representing the sun and moon – though the men did not consciously {33} realize it – at the zodiac’s centre.  … But to reproduce his account:

“On New Year’s Eve, 1969, my wife, two friends, and myself were in my home.  I was busy working on a chart in an attempt to discover the cause of climate effects.  It was a beautiful clear night and terrestrial phenomena were quite active.  The conversation from my wife and friends was concerned with the festive mood.  Leaving the table I sat on an old sea chest near the window to listen (myself being a little prejudiced against ‘introduced’ festivities).  All this time I was aware of my attention being drawn out of the window.  Someone mentioned it was near midnight.  The radio was switched on for ‘Trafalgar Square’ celebrations.  We were expecting ‘first foots’, which is the custom in the North East.  But on the stroke of midnight, from the south-western horizon, appeared a large ball of fire, coming straight at me.  I called for the others while mentally landmarking its position.  It came to a place called the Middles and departed back over Taylors Hill.  Not having a map, I used a celestial chart as a substitute.  The result was incredible.  It had come to a point and returned at an angle of 30 degrees.  Now knowing this area like my hand, it appeared to land at Langley Castle (Old Lang Syne).  The following morning we went along its apparent path but discovered nothing.  After the holiday I bought Ordnance Survey maps.  My task was to find a link between the heavens and the land.  Laying the maps, corresponding with the celestial north of my charts, I quite soon discovered a coincidence.  This phenomenon moved along Aquarius to the centre, then along the winter solstice line.  Now, in that area lies a place called Cornsay (Cronus gave his name to corn; Saturn is the ruling planet of Capricorn).  From this I used The Middles as my celestial pole and plotted a map of the heavens on the O.S. map.  The result was this, on each star of the constellation there corresponded a mound, spring, pit, waste ground, etc.  on the land.  But by far, more obvious than the place-names, pub. names etc.  From this I decided that each zodiacal month I would examine species in its corresponding area.  Of course, quite soon it became apparent that the footpaths were charted to fit the celestial chart.  I began to map them out.  The result being the zodiac in tapestry, as well as other constellations in the land. 

To anyone interested in this, I recommend the following procedure.  Set your points or compass 4½″ radius for a 1″ to the mile map, use The Middles as your centre, Iveston as the Vernal Equinox and begin as for a celestial chart.  It would be helpful to note that the lamb’s tail begins at Lope Hill (to frisk), Taurus is White-le-Head and Tanfield, Virgo is Vigo, Libra is Chester-le-Street and Lumley, Scorpio (The Lambton Worm) etc. … ”

When Tom arrived I was just only becoming conversant with Ley Hunting, and zodiacs were almost a new experience.  He suggested that around Hart, where I took him that afternoon, was another zodiac, and I still believe this exists.  From this has developed a great curiosity about terrestrial zodiac theories.  Recently I published an account of the current state of zodiacal research in Britain (Undercurrents No. 17) and though being disappointed with the current level of activity in this possibly dynamic field of research *, feel confident that there may be a very worthy subject for study here.  Anyone interested is invited to contact Paul Screeton at Address, Hartlepool, Cleveland Postcode, England (Please enclose S.A.E.)