The Secret Commonwealth

In Feng Shui 'dragon paths' are understood to be concentrations of life-force, ch'i, in the earth. In Celtic traditions they can be known as Faerie Paths. Here, east of Penzance, you can sense that there is something special, this picture taken on a bleak day in November where the vibrancy and life are all-too evident. Whilst working on my latest book, set in the Bronze Age, I found myself having to investigate further stories of encounters with 'the little people', and this feels like the perfect place to do so. (And psst! Don't tell anyone, but people do actually see fairies around here even today.) As I previously lived west of Penzance, towards Land's End, I expected something similar here but this part of Cornwall is quite different. This is reflected in the fact we are now deeper into the Cornish UFO Triangle, and there is an empiness, space for otherworldly visitors, which can be felt.

I have found similar landscapes elsewhere in the world when investigating UFO encounters e.g. Eupen in Belgium. Others such as renowned researcher Jacque Vallee have remarked on the parallels between UFO experiences and faerie lore, Vallee alluding to a book called The Secret Commonwealth: Of Elves, Fauns and Fairies written by Robert Kirk in 17th century Scotland. It's an extraordinary study, quite unlike anything contemporary, and easy to get hold of. You'll have to be comfortable with old spellings of English though, much like reading Shakespeare; and, like Shakespeare, the richness of the language provides added depth to the text.

Meanwhile, I am going to continue wandering the Faerie Paths, even by night, owls often my only companions. In fact, they were making such a racket one night they actually woke me up. Perhaps they were inviting me for another moonlit walk.