Working with the Elements

Saturday 7th March

Kettle on at 10am

10.30am start

Shap Village Hall

Westmorland Dowsers welcomes a return visit from 

Felicity Booth

www.handreadingbyfelicity.co.uk

Full day mix of talks and activities

( 2 hours morning and 2 hours afternoon )

Mahābhūta -The Great Elements

Or the five essential principles of material existence (prakruti).

The elements, earth, water, fire, air and space form the basis of my hand reading practice, but their origins go back to the 2500 year old Vedic texts from South Asia which form the basis of Tantric, Buddhist and Hindu spiritual philosophy. The elemental system may be ancient but it still makes sense today. I want to take you on a journey during this workshop to show you why I love using mahabhuta and in the process kindle in you a love and respect for the elements from which we are formed and into which we will one day return.    

During this 4 hour mixture of talk and activities, we will explore a few of the ancient references to the elements to help us understand how to think about them and to flag up how they compare to the similarly named elements used in the Western tradition of the humours, tarot and astrology. I have some short visualisation meditations to try that can help us to connect with the energy of each element. We can have some fun working together to apply element concepts to modern life (is dowsing a water or air activity?). We will have a look at our hands to find out the elements that we align with as we engage with life, and we will use an Ayurvedic medicine approach to consider our constitutional types.  

I'm looking forward to joining you for the day and to hearing your input! The elements are all of us and we each have a unique way of expressing our elemental make-up. We are all element experts already and I'm just going to help you realise it!

Making Pendulums

Saturday 7th February 2026

Kettle on at 10am

10.30am start

Shap Village Hall

Deborah Hewertson-Tisdall

Have you ever wondered whether you chose your Pendulum or if your Pendulum choses you?

How would you like to make it more personal by making your own pendulum using your dowsing skills?

Come along on Saturday 7th February at 10.30am to Shap Memorial Hall when Deborah Hewertson-Tisdall (Dancing Peacock) will be joining us to hold a Pendulum Workshop for the morning.  Crystals and other materials will be available.  Use your dowsing skills to find the best materials for your pendulum and then learn how to make it.  

As this is an expensive time of the year with WD annual subscriptions being due, the Committee has decided that the cost of making one Pendulum, and the materials used, will be met by Westmorland Dowsers (you can bring your own crystal, however this would require a means to be attached to a chain or loop).  You may want to make more than one in which case you will have to pay a few pounds for the extra materials.

Come and join us and see what your dowsing and creative skills can lead to.

The Kettle will be on from 10 am so we can be ready for a 10.30am start.

After lunch Louise will be telling us about the dowsing that WD members did at the Brantwood Estate near Coniston, in 2015.  This is in preparation for a return visit there later in the year.

In the afternoon we will hear a talk from Louise Moss about the Gardens at Brantwood, (the home of John Ruskin) which were created by ideas originated by Rudolf Steiner in 1924 based on the principals of Biodynamics, Lunar cycles and an organic approach.  Louise has firsthand experience having volunteered there in the past.   A return visit for Westmorland Dowsers is being planned later in the year.

Also there will be an update on the bulb experiment currently underway with some of our members (see latest WD email)

Westmorland Dowsers

Our next meeting is 10th January 2026

via Zoom 

our speaker is Debbie Loring

https://debbieloring.co.uk/

 “Developing your Intuition”  

N.B. To take part in the group exercise, 

please have a photo available on your phone 

of someone that you know or have known very well, 

(they could be alive or have passed away), 

i.e. Grandparents, great-grandparents, parents, etc.

10:30am start 

meeting open at 10:15

A Zoom link will be sent to members 

in the week before the meeting

Saturday November 29th 2025

Kettle on at 10am

10:30am 

Shap Village Hall

WD Book Club in the morning 

and a bumper ineractive Quiz in the afternoon

Meeting Invite from our Chair, Janet Cox

I would like to invite you to attend our next meeting on Saturday, November 29th.

This meeting is the culmination of the WD Book Club reading The Power of Eight by Lynne McTaggart, which inspired us to form a separate group dedicated to using Intention for change and wellbeing.

We have adopted a simple format for this which provides focus, space and scope for everyone to practice in

their own personal way while also forging meaningful connections.

We recognize that some of our members do not wish to join a book club, but have valuable expertise in

dowsing and sending healing intention that would be of great benefit to this new Intention Group.

We specifically want to open this group to members who use a variety of healing methods so we can all share

and learn from one another. We don't want your knowledge to be absent for the next stage of WD development!

The morning will be an informal demonstration of how the Book Club is run; sharing our experiences and

announcing our next title. We believe the conclusions those of us who read The Power of Eight have arrived at together will surprise you!

In the afternoon, we will embark on a dowsing journey with a bumper interactive quiz compiled by the committee. We hope this will be an opportunity for everyone to elaborate and ask questions about their own areas of interest.

We look forward to welcoming you and benefiting from your skills and input at Shap Memorial Hall.

Janet

Dowsing at Shapbeck stone circle

Saturday 4th October

10.30am

Meet at Shap Village Hall 

Leader - Anne Guest Mason

A repeat visit to an interesting stone circle that we visited last year.  

There is much more to explore, especially links with other sites in the Shap area.  

We also feel that the circle is in need of some T.L.C. - both physical and spiritual.

Westmorland Dowsers

2025 Meetings & Speakers

Saturday 6th September 2025

Communicating with Animals

Speaker - Rachel Stephens

Rachel has been a holistic practitioner for around 10 years. She started her work doing Usui Reiki and is now a Reiki Master and also an Angelic Reiki practitioner.  Rachel also works with animals, including animal reiki, and has been an animal communicator for 9 years.  She has followed her intuition regarding what modalities to learn and offer to her clients.         Rachel works with people and animals locally in West Cumbria and all over the world.

Bring along photos of any pets or other animals with which you wish to work 

Meet at Shap Village Hall from 10am for refreshments

Start at 10.30am

Dowsing White Hag stone circle and nearby sites

Saturday 5th July

10.30am

Meet at Shap Village Hall 

Leader Anne Guest Mason

♾️ There is a Power of Eight meeting ♾️

for those who prefer to stay at Shap

Saturday 7 June 2025

10.30am

Meet at Shap Village Hall car park

for car sharing

Dowsing at Shap Wells and St. Helen's Well Newbiggin on Lune

with

Claire Heron and Anne Guest Mason 

We will car share to Shap Wells to dowse the sulphurous healing waters.  After lunch at the Orton Scar Cafe in Orton we will travel to Newbiggin on Lune (between Tebay and Kirkby Steven) to dowse St. Helen's Well which is claimed to be the source of the river Lune.

Saturday 10th May 2025

Not the first Saturday of the month!

10.30am

Meet at Shap Village Hall car park

for car sharing

Dowsing at Shap Thorn and Anne's Well

with

Anne Guest Mason 

Shap Thorn is a burial mound surrounded by a ring of stones and ditch.  It is a prominent landmark on top of a hill to the south of Shap.  It is a 20 - 30 minute walk along a grassy path from B6261 road to M6 Junction 39.

Anne's well is an ancient holy well that requires 10 to 15 minute walk from M6 Junction 39. Please wear waterproof footwear.  WD have rarely visited holy wells in recent years so this is the start of a new venture for us

Saturday 5th April 2025

10.30am

Shap Village Hall

Dowsing Earth Energy Lines

with 

Chris Tonge

By comparison with dowsing for water and minerals, earth energy dowsing is a relatively modern development.  

Chris will start by talking about its growth in the 20th century and the contributions of several key dowsers.  

We will then look how we distinguish between different lines by using their dowsable characteristics.

Finally we will try to answer questions such as: 'What are energy lines?'  and 'What is their purpose.

In the afternoon will do some dowsing in and around the Village Hall to explore nearby energy lines. 

Saturday 1st March 2025

10:30am 

Shap Village Hall

Aligning with the Cycles of Nature & the Moon

 for Personal Growth & Empowerment: 

A Talk with Jen Grange

Join Jen Grange, founder of Lakeland Wellbeing CIC (Community Interest Company) for an enlightening talk about working with the natural cycles of the Earth, the moon, and the Celtic Wheel of the Year. Drawing from her own personal practice, Jen will share how connecting with these ancient rhythms can enhance your wellbeing, deepen your spiritual connection, and bring balance to your life.

In this session, you’ll discover how to honour the changing seasons, the phases of the moon, and the wisdom of the Celtic traditions to cultivate a life of harmony, clarity, and resilience. Jen will offer practical tips for integrating these cycles into your everyday routine, helping you live with greater intention and alignment.

The session will include a special shamanic journey focused on the waxing crescent moon, a time of new beginnings, intention-setting, and growth. Jen will guide you through a meditative experience, helping you tap into the powerful energy of this lunar phase to clarify your goals and activate fresh opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.

Whether you're familiar with these practices or new to them, this talk will inspire you to integrate the wisdom of the moon and the natural world into your life.

Jen Grange is a wild woman, creatrix & fire walking instructor. Fostering a deep connection with the land and the elements, she works with the old ways, the elements, seasons and cycles of nature & the moon to bring about healing and transformation. Jen’s passion is reconnecting people with the cycles and rhythm of nature for their health, wellbeing & personal empowerment. She hosts wild & warrior woman retreats, full moon women’s circles, fire walks and is founder of Lakeland Wellbeing CIC and the Moon Sisters Facebook Community. She was recently featured on ITV This Morning and in The Guardian & Hello magazine. 

www.lakelandwellbeing.co.uk

www.facebook.com/groups/moonsistersmagic/

Warmest wishes,

Jen Grange

Lunesdale Archaeology Society talk

Saturday 1st February 2025

Kettle on at 10am for 10.30am start

Shap Memorial Hall

Jan Hicks

Excavations of the site at High Carlingill

Over 4 years, Lunesdale Archaeology Soc investigated a site south of the Roman Fort at Low Borrowbridge. We demonstrated that it was first occupied in the Iron Age and that occupation continued at  least throughout the Roman period. Finds of Roman pottery showed that the native Britons traded with the Romans, possibly providing the fort with grain and meat.

Jan Hicks

Lunesdale Archaeology Society investigates archaeology in the Upper Lune and Lowther valleys,

Details of our activities can be found on our website

https://lunesdale.wordpress.com

Video and photography permissions

In presentations at Westmorland Dowsers, video and photography permissions are required from both WD committee and the invited speaker.  This approach aims to respect the privacy of attendees who may not wish to be recorded.

The focus on filming the presentation allows for documentation, sharing, or promotional purposes. This is designed to maintain a respectful and comfortable environment for all participants. 

westmorlanddowsers23@gmail.com