305
DOI: 10.1201/9780429440939-31
27
Rediscovering Ancient
Pathways for Regenerative
Agriculture
Charles Massy
Australian National University
…water from plants, fire, clouds, rain, sun, moon, stars, stories and sites, songs, paintings, dancing…
looking after country involves all of these things together – you can’t have one without the other.
Maintaining language and culture is a tool for relating to country and looking after everything that is
on it.
Veronica Dobson, Arrernte Elder of Northern Australia, defining indigenous knowledge.
NAILSMA ( 2006: 3)
SUBTLE ENERGY AS THE NEXT BIG ‘ FREEBIE’ IN AGRICULTURE
It is an early winter’s day, 2013, in the inland city of Dubbo in Central West NSW. I am 1 of 20
or so farmers walking around a city park with two bent wire rods in my hands. They sit like giant
revolvers, held out in front of us and pointing forward. We are learning to divine ( or dowse), first
for underground water streams and later for cosmic energy flows in the landscape. To my surprise,
I find I can do this after only a brief lesson. I know because my two wires suddenly and violently
cross onto my chest as I pass across either the stream or energy flow. The accurate locations of both
water and energy streams are confirmed by others in the group, and particularly by our teacher, Dr.
Patrick MacManaway. What I find even more remarkable is that I can dowse for a water stream, and
not the energy stream, simply by focussing my thought- patterns – or my mental ‘ intent’. Though I
had read about such mental power, for me this is the first confirmation. It had a deep impact.
What made me undertake the 7-hour drive to Dubbo for 3 days of workshops on ‘ subtle energies’
is the increasing number of regenerative farmers I have met who have begun working with these
energies. They are leading, practical, professional and profitable farmers and have come to this
practice from different directions. Despite my initial scepticism, my increasing encounters with this
issue meant that, in all integrity, I could no longer ignore it.
Patrick MacManaway is a Scot who gained a medical degree at the prestigious faculty of the
University of Edinburgh. In 1994, he moved full time into working in the field of ‘ geomancy’ and
as a subtle energy expert, whereby he concentrates on enhancing the positive influences of subtle
CONTENTS
Subtle Energy as the Next Big ‘ Freebie’ in Agriculture ................................................................ 305
Harnessing Subtle Energy through Geomancy ..............................................................................307
The Art of Dowsing........................................................................................................................308
Field Towers and Broadcasters ...................................................................................................... 310
Indigenous Totems and Nature Spirits ........................................................................................... 311
References ...................................................................................................................................... 313
DOI: 10.1201/9780429440939-31
27
Rediscovering Ancient
Pathways for Regenerative
Agriculture
Charles Massy
Australian National University
…water from plants, fire, clouds, rain, sun, moon, stars, stories and sites, songs, paintings, dancing…
looking after country involves all of these things together – you can’t have one without the other.
Maintaining language and culture is a tool for relating to country and looking after everything that is
on it.
Veronica Dobson, Arrernte Elder of Northern Australia, defining indigenous knowledge.
NAILSMA ( 2006: 3)
SUBTLE ENERGY AS THE NEXT BIG ‘ FREEBIE’ IN AGRICULTURE
It is an early winter’s day, 2013, in the inland city of Dubbo in Central West NSW. I am 1 of 20
or so farmers walking around a city park with two bent wire rods in my hands. They sit like giant
revolvers, held out in front of us and pointing forward. We are learning to divine ( or dowse), first
for underground water streams and later for cosmic energy flows in the landscape. To my surprise,
I find I can do this after only a brief lesson. I know because my two wires suddenly and violently
cross onto my chest as I pass across either the stream or energy flow. The accurate locations of both
water and energy streams are confirmed by others in the group, and particularly by our teacher, Dr.
Patrick MacManaway. What I find even more remarkable is that I can dowse for a water stream, and
not the energy stream, simply by focussing my thought- patterns – or my mental ‘ intent’. Though I
had read about such mental power, for me this is the first confirmation. It had a deep impact.
What made me undertake the 7-hour drive to Dubbo for 3 days of workshops on ‘ subtle energies’
is the increasing number of regenerative farmers I have met who have begun working with these
energies. They are leading, practical, professional and profitable farmers and have come to this
practice from different directions. Despite my initial scepticism, my increasing encounters with this
issue meant that, in all integrity, I could no longer ignore it.
Patrick MacManaway is a Scot who gained a medical degree at the prestigious faculty of the
University of Edinburgh. In 1994, he moved full time into working in the field of ‘ geomancy’ and
as a subtle energy expert, whereby he concentrates on enhancing the positive influences of subtle
CONTENTS
Subtle Energy as the Next Big ‘ Freebie’ in Agriculture ................................................................ 305
Harnessing Subtle Energy through Geomancy ..............................................................................307
The Art of Dowsing........................................................................................................................308
Field Towers and Broadcasters ...................................................................................................... 310
Indigenous Totems and Nature Spirits ........................................................................................... 311
References ...................................................................................................................................... 313