Interesting Interview with Phil Callahan – Roughly translated from Dutch

 

Reflections on Ireland’s Stone Heritage IRELAND REVISITED

 

The dark intransigence of ancient rock formations – unparalleled vistas, rhododendrons up to the sky: just as many variations of the ‘enchanting’ interplay between heaven and earth that Irish travel guides always write about in superlatives. For the American biologist Philip Callahan, Ireland has always been an example of a perfect combination of yin and yang, of strong paramagnetic and diamagnetic forces. An essay on Irish hedges, round towers, the ‘aura’ of the old Irish cottages and the very best grass in the world.

The ROYAL HOTEL located on Main Street is a good place for an overnight stay. It is one of those pleasant little hotels on Ireland’s west coast that have not wasted on over-commercialization. From the window of the hotel dining room you have a beautiful view of the shortest river Boyle from which the village takes its name. And: on the skills of a small, restless, gray-white dipper that keeps going under to look for food at the bottom. Although this dipper, unlike zccvogcls and ducks, does not have webbed legs, it apparently feels very much at home in and under water. As I watch from the hotel window, I wonder how that feathered creature manages to run over the bottom of a wildly flowing river like the Boyle. As if Ireland has a magical bird with its water spell in addition to its magical structures.

 

WILLIAM YEATS Fifty years ago my knowledge of the round towers of Ireland was so small that I was convinced that the Devenish Tower was one of a kind. But during the many journeys that I have taken with my wife since then along Ireland’s back roads, I kept discovering new elegant structures. Scattered across the Irish countryside they are glens, castles, mysterious round towers and ancient megalithic stone structures. Some of those towers, such as at Drumcliff where William Butler Yeats is buried, today are little more than short stumps of stone. But some twenty-five of the sixty-four surviving towers have remained intact, for more than 1,400 years: silent guards of Ireland’s early Christian past. I once spent a winter’s day on Devenish Island – by the elegant round tower on the island and the remains of the 12th-century priory on a low hill behind the tower. The high entrance to the tower was boarded up – I couldn’t get in. So I sat down at the base of the tower to paint and photograph the tower and abbey with the Celtic cross standing next to it. As the sun began to set far to the west behind the green hills, I gathered my spray guns and headed back to shore to find the fishermen who had dropped me off on the island. It was about 4 PM and I realized I had spent hours at the bottom of the tower. Hours in which I occasionally fell into a remarkably relaxed, almost meditative state. While on the other hand my brain had always been alert to the technicalities of painting and photography.

4In terms of intensity, it was a bit like climbing. It was one of the experiences that strengthened my belief that the stones of old towers and castles can emit a subtle, magical power, similar to what I felt as a child with the volcanic rocks of Hueco Tanks. One of my childhood favorites: a curious pile of rocks in the desert thirty miles east of El Paso, Texas. But also an oasis of green plants in the middle of the desert. Partly understandable because the rocks help to retain the scarce rainwater. But that does not explain the vitality of the plants in this ancient sacred site of the Apache and Navajo Indians * nor the sense of oneness with nature that almost everyone who comes here seems to have. What do rocks have to offer to plants and trees? A variation on the question of why trees grow from centuries-old greenhouse ceramics. I have come to believe that it is the weak magnetic force that modern science calls “paramagnetism” that can make rocks so attractive to plants and humans. The great 19th-century writer William Yeats, who took up residence in middle age in a stone castle called Thoor Ballylee, near Gort, County Galway, carved the wall of his Norman tower house of the utmost paramagnetic rock.

 

Climbers (see box: Climbing experiences) know the effect of stone. Jews and Egyptians understood and harnessed the power – the Jews to this day in the form of their Wailing Wall. And there is little doubt in my mind that the Celts were aware of what I refer to here for the sake of convenience by the word gestccntc-energy – Christian Irish monks applied the knowledge of the power contained in certain types of granite and other. igneous or metamorphic rocks of volcanic origin used in the construction of their round towers. Ireland is dotted with place names that include the Irish word for rock, carrick. Think of Carrickfergus. Fergus’s Rock in County Antrim near Belfast, Carrickoris in County Offaly, there are pages to fill with all the cami-plels of Ireland.

 

 

SUMMER EVENING While I have dinner with my wife in front of the window of the pleasant River Side Hotel, while watching the Irish dipper dive into the fast-flowing river again and again, the memories of the time I spent fifty years ago on the banks of the winding Ernc also come to mind. Long before that water starlings on their rocks inundated by river water, which here too constantly defied the omnipotent force of the current. Olive Thorne Miller even talks about the ability to ‘fly’ underwater in his Bink of America. I suppose it is the shape and build of this tiny one-and-a-half-ounce birdie and possibly some hydrodynamic principle in the flow of the water “that allows this birdie to run against the flow. A form of” physical. magic ‘, comparable to the ability of McGalithic peoples to exploit certain weak natural forces for their own benefit

 

STANDING STONES Standing stones of granite, to which a healing power was attributed in Celtic times and which were further used in childbirth. It was believed that these granite stones had a healing power. In today’s language I would say that many rocks can be regarded as antennas for magnetic waves. What is an antenna? A matter designed in a certain way that is sensitive to certain electromagnetic frequencies. You could also say: it ‘resonates’ with certain frequencies, which I, the poet William Yeats restored with old book bindings and sea-green slate and ironwork from the forge of Gort this tower for my wife George And may these signs remain When everything again has fallen into ruin. Sea green slate is, as I measured later, one of the most magical rocks – one of the most paramagnetic rocks I have ever encountered. Since the Egyptian civilization, and probably much earlier, man has attributed mystical and supernatural powers to stones and crystals. The ancient Egyptians used two separate hieroglyphs for rocks: a rectangular block for limestone-like rock – diamagnetic or very weakly paramagnetic, I would now say; a second hieroglyph, with lines through it, for granite, porphyry, basalt, and beautiful water was dammed to generate electricity. I liked to walk up the weir built in the river. On a calm summer evening, the stones of the weir provided me with a wonderful place to watch life above and in the gushing river – from the springing salmon and the silver damselflies to the ‘tuned in’ certain frequencies, and so on and so forth The word ‘antenna’ is of course a modern, technical name. But it is also a magical designation – because we don’t really know how an antenna works. To know that an antenna captures energy and that one shape is more suitable for it than the other, that the 6

5one shape resonates better than another. But WC do not know exactly what that resonance means. Anything that has shape can serve as an antenna for a certain type of energy. The standing stones just mentioned, but also the large cup-shaped shape of Ireland and the tiny protrusions of plants (trichomes) and insects [sensilla). Trees are excellent antennas for the long wave ELF and VLF part of the spectrum. The human body is an excellent antenna / amplifier in the radio part of the spectrum. Everyone knows that grabbing the antenna of a transistor radio can significantly improve reception. Trees function even better in that regard. In rural India, trees are sometimes even used to receive radio and TV signals. My own detector designed for this purpose shows that the Irish round towers, megalithic structures and even the thatched roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the long-wave atmospheric frequencies between 1 and 70 Hz two to twenty, sometimes even thirty times. The frequencies to which the trees are sensitive vary. I have taken measurements like this in Florida, Australia and Ireland. In Florida the trees are sensitive to 20 Hz, in Australia to 14 Hz and in Ireland to 8 Hz. While all these trees also have resonance at 2000 Hz. Stones, as they occur in nature, are more or less good antennae – depending on their shape. Even the soil is an enormous, flat antenna – provided there is enough volcanic, paramagnetic material in it, that allows the soil to be “tuned” to, “sensitive” to “magnetic frequencies emanating from the sun and cosmos. That is the main reason why preventing erosion is so incredibly important. By wcgspotting or blowing away the top layer of their ground antenna, farmers lose an essential aspect of the soil fertility on their farm. One of the main tasks of any farm should be: making the soil ‘sensitive’ to the influences of the sun and cosmos. Organic matter (which is diamagnetic) is of course the other equally necessary force.

 

PARAMAGNETISM What are these two weak, but in my view extremely important physical forces – paramagnetism and diamagnetism? In the nineteenth century a number of natural philosophers, in front of the two friends, the Englishman Michael Faraday and the [erjodo Tyndall, encountered this yin and yang of nature – diamagnetism and paramagnetism. John Tyndall discovered that small pieces of wood hung on a wire have loved raptors since my first look at the American bald eagle at the Memphis Zoo, I have been attracted to castles and cliffs since childhood. In the end, it was my love for falconry that drove me to climb. I had always thought that the feeling of being ‘high’ associated with a climbing experience was the common wave of happiness that follows the success of a difficult endeavor. When I spent a day at Ireland’s Eye in the 1940s, I started to think differently. Ireland’s Eye is a special island close to Dublin. At the west end of the island is the round granite Martello tower. I swam the mile separating the harbor wall from the island’s north coast with one of my time buddies. The sides of the old fort were extremely rough and weathered. But with the help of Jim’s hands and shoulders, I was able to get to a ledge from which I climbed further up to a window twenty feet higher. “What do you see in there?” Jim shouted from below. “It’s too dark, I can’t see anything,” I shouted back. Just then the wind ripped the cap off my head and swept it into the darkness of the tower. “I’m not going back without a hat!” I shouted. “I’ll see if I can go in and get it.” The stones on the inside were just as uneven as on the outside, but inside there was hardly any grip for hands and feet. After a while my eyes got used to the darkness and I shuffled inch by inch down to the stone floor of the tower. I found my cap – but otherwise there was little to do: it was a large, empty space. When I looked up I was first overcome by fear – pure ‘dungeon fear’. As if you were standing at the bottom of a deep well. Looking up at that little line of light up there was paralyzing. Visions of Victor Hugo and the terrifying descriptions of his imprisonment raced through my mind.

 

CLIMBING EXPERIENCES The window, which from the outside appeared to be only six meters above the rocks, was now 60 meters above the ground in my opinion. My heart sank completely in my shoes. One minute I heard the muffled roar of the waves outside against the rocks, the next moment there was that ghostly silence again. A little later followed again by new waves hitting the wall of my rocky prison. The broken stones on the ground started to take shape and soon I imagined myself surrounded by skeletons. I could see the sun was starting to set and I panicked – imagine if I wouldn’t get out? Climbing a wall in the dark is very different from climbing a cliff in the S sunlight. And who “climbs to a falcon’s nest in the middle of the night?” I realized just now how moist and smooth the stones were on the inside of the tower. first became aware of the strength of certain types of stone. Not the soothing power of a sedative that numbs the body, but a power that makes you calm and peaceful – with an impact on body and mind that will stay with you for a long time. I still have a vivid memory of that short ascent of the slippery interior of the Martello tower. As soon as I left the floor of that dark cave and pressed my body against the granite of the thick walls, my panic subsided and I seemed to be recovering from my “dungeon anxiety.” From that day on, I have always believed that the ecstasy I felt when I pulled my toiling body onto a ledge during an ascent had less to do with the beauty of the wild falcon on its nest than with the soulful energy of it. rocks that I had worked against. (Pretty nur S’aiun ‘6moved away from a strong magnet (negative reaction). This happened with all of the thirty or so tree species he tested. Faraday called the weakly repulsive reaction he observed diamagnetism. Others discovered that certain minerals are attracted to a strong magnet. They called this magnetic sensitivity paramagnetism (positive reaction). In the physics dictionary, paramagnetism is technically defined as “a collection of magnetic dipoles of arbitrary orientation.” A dipole has a positive pole on one end, a negative pole on the other. When a paramagnetic object is placed in a magnetic field, the * “atomic magnets regroup so that they temporarily point the Irish cottage in the same direction, which gives the object as a whole temporary magnetic properties and can be attracted to the magnet. Diamagnetism is defined as “a negative sensitivity of a substance to a strong magnet.” Most organic substances are diamagnetic. Oxygen, on the other hand, is paramagnctic: it is one of the most paramagnetic gases known to nature. Plant life gives off oxygen and is therefore generally diamagnetic. Humans and animals breathe in oxygen. Reason why blood cells are extremely paramagnetic and the human body as a whole is slightly paramagnetic. A body from which life has departed becomes diamagnetic – analogous to Tyndall’s wooden strips.

7how strongly it is attracted by a magnet of 2000 Gauss. In this way I obtained a first indication that the Irish round towers are made of extremely paramagnetic material. Although paramagnetism and diamagnetism are well-known concepts in physics when it comes to theoretical atomic forces, nowhere in the scientific literature have I seen the question of what these two opposing forces could mean for life on Earth. In the more than fifty soil science books that I have consulted, the words ‘diamagnetism’ and ‘paramagnetism’ were not even mentioned once. As Mark Twain once said, “Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” For anyone willing to invest a few guilders in a small but powerful magnet (2000 Gauss), is easy to see how these weak antenna forces differ from ordinary magnetism. Unlike ferromagnetism, the degree of attraction of a paramagnetic substance depends on the shape of the object or particle to be attracted. With screws, paperclips, thumbtacks and the like, the shape makes no difference: a magnet attracts everything that is made of metal. However, if you take a hammer and use it to beat a red clay flower pot or a piece of basalt into small pieces, some of the grit will always remain. A part that does not necessarily consist of larger grains: it is not the size or weight of the grains that are decisive, but their shape. The shape is essential. If we work the remaining (non-magnetic reacting) pieces of stone again with the hammer, that in turn yields two stacks – one heap of granules that the magnet pulls towards itself and a heap of granules that the magnet has no control over. In this way we can go on indefinitely. If we look more closely at the grains in both stacks under a strong magnifying glass, we notice the enormous variation in the shape of the different pieces of clay or basalt. Second, that the shapes of the pieces of stone in both stacks are distinctly different. In general, the particles attracted by the magnet are conical or flat conical (see drawing: left A) in shape. Or have a shape that you could designate (left B) as a flat gravestone (Stonchcngc), or irregular pyramidal (left C) or regular pyramidal (D). In contrast, the grains that are not drawn towards the magnet show the following shapes: elongated triangular (right A), flat irregular (right B), Irish cottage roof (right C) or domed (right D).

 

IRISH COTTAGES The first set of shapes is easily drawn to a strong magnet, so the second set is not. Although the material is the same in both cases. The attraction of paramagnetic rock to a magnet is partly determined by the shape of the stone grains. Left: Shapes that attract well. Right: shapes over which a magnet has little control. however, a small piece of stone with a cottage-like shape is no less paramagnetic than a conically shaped piece of stone. The force is most likely directed inward and not outward, as with the Stonehenge and pyramid-like shapes. Which means that in a traditional Irish paramagnetic stone cottage much of the energetic paramagnetic force is directed towards the human occupants of those cottages. The genius of our Irish ancestors was that they managed to create a cheap yet highly efficient shelter. At the same time, it was designed to take full advantage of the magical power that certain forms of rock naturally give off. These optimally insulated and wind-protected houses give the impression that the builders instinctively understood more about the laws of nature than we do, with all our sometimes nonsensically designed and energy-wasting houses. Unfortunately, a considerable number of the old houses have since disappeared or been renovated. The straw is pulled from the roofs and the uneven stone walls are leveled: ‘ Aw shure the thatch is no good atal ‘. The straw roof is no longer good. At the same time, the Irish know in their hearts that they are losing a piece of their soul. The strange look in the cottage occupant’s eyes when someone talks about such a home tells me that there is a cottage magic that is slowly disappearing from Ireland – as has happened in England before. Between some people and things or animals there is a form of empathy that has always looked a lot like magic to me. Why could there not be a similar kind of relationship between the typical whitewashed Irish cottage and the people who lived in it. A corrage, placed in the right place, envelops its residents with an aura of serenity and well-being. I have never met anyone – resident or non-resident – who is like this’ n typical Irish house has not been particularly elegant. Poets dream and write about it, and tourists marvel at their sight. Can a house have an aura? I would say: of course you can. And at Irish cottage, it’s one of the most peaceful and soothing auras I’ve ever encountered in a man-made home.

 

MONASTERY GARDENS Where the entire magnetic force of the cottages was directed inwards, it was directed outwards at the round towers. The old Irish monks responsible for the GARDEN EARTH AUG SEPT And at Irish cottage, it’s one of the most peaceful and soothing auras I’ve ever encountered in a man-made home. MONASTERY GARDENS Where the entire magnetic force of the cottages was directed inwards, it was directed outwards at the round towers. The old Irish monks responsible for the GARDEN EARTH AUG SEPT And at Irish cottage, it’s one of the most peaceful and soothing auras I’ve ever encountered in a man-made home. MONASTERY GARDENS Where the entire magnetic force of the cottages was directed inwards, it was directed outwards at the round towers. The old Irish monks responsible for the GARDEN EARTH

Within the walls (where the monastic round tower also stood) were known as the best gardeners in the country. Experiments with small model torches of paramagnetism material (placed in the

 

The roots of the hawthorn grow towards (paramagnetic) rock. Burran limestone: “One of the few rocks I have encountered in Ireland that is completely diamagnetic. Plants hardly grow on diamagnetic rock.” “center of a flower pot) clearly show how much the plants around the base of the tower are stimulated in their growth. Also a cross-section of one of the typical Irish hedges is a wonderful example of the intersection of paramagnetic rock force with the diamagnetic force of water. and organic matter – between the stones the roots always grow more vigorously and more numerous. * On a walk along the west coast of Ireland, I once passed a hedge where a fence had just been placed. I leaned forward and studied the anatomy of the normally pointed, but now exposed, pile of stones. The roots of the hawthorn appeared to grow towards the paramagnetic rock – almost horizontally between the stacked stones. It was just as I had once seen in a drawing in a book, where the hawthorn roots also grew from the ditch. Which, of course, greatly facilitates the cleaning and maintenance of the ditches. Throughout Ireland, the earthed stone ridges along roads and ditches are covered with hedge plants. Even where there are no bushes. most of the stone elevations are at least ivy covered – but not the Galway stone fences, from the Aran Islands and other parts of Con nema ra. Diamagnetic plant life does not grow on diamagnetic rock.

Connemara’s rock walls are mostly bare because they are built of diamagnetic limestone. Ireland exhibits a ring of extremely paramagnetism, volcanic rock around a bowl of diamagnetic limestone, covered with a thick layer of eroded volcanic paramagnetic soil. The limestone lying beneath the surface in central Ireland is most likely diamagnetic. However, through the ecows it has become completely covered with a thick layer of eroded rock – paramagnetic soil – from the red, hard sandstone ridges surrounding the bowl. Burran rock (County Clare) is one of the few rocks I have encountered on the surface in Ireland that is completely diamagnetic.

The Buran is bare limestone rock, cracked and eroded over time. Very little grows. A very special coastal area.

 

YIN AND YANG Good soil is of course not only paramagnetic; it must also have diamagnetic quality. In Ireland, nature shows both that strong yang pole and a strong yin side: the basis for healthy plant growth. The explanation also – in much of Ireland – for the very best grass in the world. And healthy livestock. What about the effect of these opposing forces on the population? The largest part of Northern Ireland lies directly on the highest volcanic basalt. It is interesting to note that the population is 19 «. Belfast is often described as more energetic than that of Dublin, where the people live on a limestone base.

 

The same difference can be pointed out between New York and Florida (where I live), built on a base of granite, with its limestone base. Mind you, I am not saying that Dubliners or my local people would be lazy or that they would work less hard – just that there is a subtle aura behind it in the population of a limestone-built city.

And that the exact opposite is evident in places like Belfast and New York City. However, I can imagine that in particular paramagnetic areas – Belfast, New York. Lebanon, certain mountain areas,

Belfast is often described as more energetic than that of Dublin, where the people live on a limestone base. The same difference can be pointed out between New York and Florida (where I live), built on a granite base, with its limestone base. Mind you, I am not saying that Dubliners or my local people would be lazy or that they would work less hard – just that there is a subtle aura behind it in the population of a limestone-built city. And that the exact opposite is evident in places like Belfast and New York City. However, I can imagine that in particular param agn e tic areas – Belfast, New York. Lebanon, certain mountain areas, 1 0 I

 

VPUCHTBARl EARTH AUG StPT 1996 The same difference can be pointed out between New York and Florida (where I live), built on a base of granite, with its limestone base. Mind you, I am not saying that Dubliners or my local people would be lazy or that they would work less hard – just that there is a subtle aura behind the population of a limestone-built city. And that the exact opposite is evident in places like Belfast and New York City. However, I can imagine that in particular param agn e tic areas – Belfast, New York. Lebanon, certain mountain areas, 1 0 I

 

VPUCHTBARl EARTH AUG StPT 1996 The same difference can be pointed out between New York and Florida (where I live), built on a base of granite, with its limestone base. Mind you, I am not saying that Dubliners or my local people would be lazy or that they would work less hard – just that there is a subtle aura behind it in the population of a limestone-built city. And that the exact opposite is evident in places like Belfast and New York City. However, I can imagine that in particular param agn e tic areas – Belfast, New York. Lebanon, certain mountain areas, 1 0 I VPUCHTBARl EARTH AUG StPT 1996 I’m not saying that Dubliners or my local people would be lazy or that they would work less hard – just that there is a subtle aura behind it in the population of a limestone-built city. And that the exact opposite is evident in places like Belfast and New York City. However, I can imagine that in particular param agn e tic areas – Belfast, New York. Lebanon, certain mountain areas, 1 0 I VPUCHTBARl EARTH AUG StPT 1996 I’m not saying that Dubliners or my local people would be lazy or that they would work less hard – just that there is a subtle aura behind it in the population of a limestone-built city. And that the exact opposite is evident in places like Belfast and New York City. However, I can imagine that in particular param agn e tic areas – Belfast, New York. Lebanon, certain mountain areas,

Scent terror Dublin: built on a diamagnetic base; Belfast is built on a paramagnetic subsurface like North Vietnam (not South Vietnam, which has limestone as subsurface), for example, when massive, forced unemployment burns up rather than in diamagnetic areas. But they remain assumptions. Research will have to provide a definite answer. If sociologists were more aware of the influence of these kinds of natural low energies on humans, it would open the way to a completely new field of study: socio-physics. Science is the art of tying and organizing data. The biggest mistake modern science makes is that it takes things apart in order to study them better. but rarely reassemble them to figure out how the system works as a whole. By naming and classifying the ingredients of life, we somehow destroy the very essence of what life really is. These are my descriptions and classifications of Ireland and its inhabitants. Thoughts arise during my wanderings through Ireland. I remain aware that in some of his short poems the Irish poet Francis Ledwidge offers more insight into the mystery of life, especially that of Irish life, than any bock can. Philip C \ // ta / tan Hel above article is a free adaptation of parts of Philip Callahan’s bock Nature’s Silent Mmií. 1992, Acres USA. ISBN Can also be ordered directly from the publisher, easiest with a credit card number.

 

Fax: (from the Netherlands).

 

By telephone: See also the article ‘WatervrienAelijke Rivers in VA 4/94. he Okura Hotel in Amsterdam is not Halleen striking because it stands head and shoulders above the neighborhood. It is also good in holding expensive meetings. Anyone who cycles the cycle path between Zuideramstelkanaal and Okura Hotel can regularly sniff the exhaust fumes of the corresponding chic cars in a northwest wind. And those who cycle in front of the Okura Hotel have a saved «chance of being hit by a turning car. One of the Okura events this year was a meeting of Senta Aromatic Marketing. There it was about scents as a marketing tool. I left the March issue of the glossy Elan (with the title Entrepreneurship in the 21st century appealing to me) because it smelled. And when I heard that the company Lovers wanted to provide its intended train line Amsterdam-IJmuiden with a sea scent, I became slightly unwell. However, this arrangement turned out to be hopelessly outdated in the Okura Hotel.

 

According to Mignon Tierie, editor-in-chief of the women’s magazine Nouveau, who spoke there, a whole new dimension must be added to magazines: pastry air to the culinary pages, linen scent on the interior pages, perfume to the perfume advertisements, and so on. I don’t know what the editor-in-chief of this venerable magazine thinks, but as a simple columnist, I hope it doesn’t get that far. This so that I keep the freedom to write a column every now and then, in which a cesspool is opened. At the same meeting a lot of attention was paid to smells of products. It has long been known that smells of products are important. Chlorine in Glorix and bleach owes its success to a large extent. People who use chlorine to disinfect a toilet, sink or sidewalk know by the smell that they have done something great.

 

The fact that children can become asthmatic from chlorine or that chlorine gives the environment a headache is not enough to counteract this. Such findings have been used for some time and widely in the form of artificial fragrance additions to products. Unpleasant smelling plastics are often stripped of their less suitable odor by attaching neutralizing odors to them. Today’s fragrance oracles, however, are not enough. Desire Struijk of Senta Aromatic Marketing told the Okura Hotel that the application of fragrance in products must be drastically increased. For example, according to her, a strong glue must have a pungent odor, because of the association that the consumer makes with the powerful effect, I can already see it completely. Rope should be sprayed with a pungent odor or you won’t believe it’s strong. Chakka. Not only should products become more fragrant, shops should also be more fragrant. I can still vaguely remember a Christmas when V&D thought it should promote sales by distributing Glühwein bouquet. That was a miss, because Glühweinbouquet smelled like nothing for most people and it gave this and that a headache. But technology is not standing still and there is now a considerable amount of themed scents on the market. With the coming Sinterklaas, we can in any case count on many shops throwing speculaas bouquet into the air circulation.

 

The spiciness contributes to a ‘moody winter decoration’ around December 5, according to the scent oracles in the Okura Hotel. Looking back in human evolution, it is likely that our sense of smell played an important role in avoiding danger. Substances that have a naturally stale smell are often risky for humans. Naturally good smelling substances have often proven to be good for us. With growing artificial scent management, scent is increasingly disconnected from what is good and bad for us. In addition, a trend similar to muzak can be seen. In more and more places, unsolicited artificial scents are forced upon everyone. It is therefore not so much time for more scent marketing as for a liberation front against the artificial scent terror. Lmas ReijnJers FERTILE AAPDF AUG SïPT 199 «1 1

10The Way of the Middle Which is better? A mule hitched to a plow or a tractor? A tractor, says Philip Callahan. After all, we no longer live in the Stone Age. Although in his view there is very little ground for feelings of superiority over that Stone Age. Finally, the mule of our distant ancestors is preferable to the modern fifty-ton agricultural colossus with which we crush the soil for the necessary short-term profit. Callahan: “WCs mistakenly think that anything bigger is better and that” everything should be connected to a 220 Volt socket. But nature doesn’t work that way. ” Historically, progress has not turned out to be a linear development: development in one area has time and again been accompanied by loss in the other: For example, 5 about the subtler forces in nature, f In one of his books, Callahan asks the> “question:” Which is better? j The low energy agriculture and medicine of our distant ancestors or our high energy agriculture and medicine? “Neither and both together, he concludes.” What toilet need is a marriage between both approaches: the best of both systems. “Philip Callahan is a typical man of the middle. He can lecture modern agriculture because it causes a total suffocation of the various forms of low energy, as he did in a 1984 interview with the American magazine ‘Acres USA’. “WC do not overlook the extent of the damage that the use of nitrogen fertilizers causes to soil fertility. It’s a drug In his 1992 Natures Silent Musk, he manages to find a convincing sounding (physical) explanation for one of the wonderful treatments with which Irish healer Biddy Early achieved success in the early 19th century. In one of his other books, A Walk in the Sun (an old, somewhat less successful travel book), he explains why a phenomenon like telepathy is not physically unimaginable at all. The great strength (and at the same time the weakness) of Callahan’s approach: that constant mixture of science and experience, of observations and insights.

 

PEST INSECTS Astonishing are his descriptions of the analogies between man-made antennas and the tiny antennae on the body of insects: his own field of research par excellence during his years as an entomologist for the United States Department of Agriculture. A time when he was mainly concerned with the question of where does a particular pest insect’s preference come from for a particular crop? In his most recent book Paramagnetism, he says, “My job was to find out why some corn species were resistant to a particular type of pest insect. I soon learned that the corn attracted many more of these insects in poor soil than the corn in good. ventilated, fertile soil. In other words, healthy plants grow in healthy soil. But why? It took me 40 years to answer that question. 1 Iccl simply put: but also underlie the immune system of plants and animals. At the base of all life. “But except in the field of neurophysiology (nerve pulses, heartbeat CD), I am not aware of any research into the biological significance of radio waves.” He then describes in detail how an Australian entrepreneur more or less accidentally succeeded in removing the weeds from 1 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEPT 1996

11PHILIP CALLAHAN Traditional or modern? Regular or alternative? Literary or scientific? The American entomologist Philip Callahan is difficult to capture in these types of qualifications. With him it is rarely “this” or “that”. Almost always: ‘this’ and ‘that’. His books, for example, are a wonderful mixture of travelogue, novella and scientific treatise. He worked for years as a researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture, but his respect for the agricultural knowledge of the Kreven has not diminished. On these pages an introduction to his work (links) and a telephone interview. keep his business under control – with a cultivator he encrypts. Callahan traveled to Australia and found that the teeth of this agricultural implement were spaced enough to generate radio waves of 720 Hz. A frequency that apparently stopped the germination of the weed seeds present, but that of the crop did not. An example that shows to some extent what the possibilities are of research into the biological significance of long-wave radiation for plants, animals and humans. Because, according to him, great progress could be made not only in agriculture, but also in medicine. Why do toilet do it with? Two reasons, he says: “We think that we can tackle problems faster by hitting organisms on the head than by looking for control options in the area of ​​weaker radiation frequencies.” Secondly, according to him, the infrared domain has always been the private domain of Defense. “Researchers working for Defense have the opportunity to look at my infrared investigation, while in the forty years that I’ve been doing research in that field, I had no access to their research.” This summer he was back in Ireland. Yet his current priorities lie elsewhere: Acres USA, is about to publish two of his articles on the subject of ‘time’. Time? For the good observer, the germ of this new interest may already be hidden in Nature’s Silent Music: “If certain forms are able to amplify encryption waves,” he writes in it, ” Limestone values ​​are much lower and usually range from -2 (diamagnetic) to 150 (paramagnetic), depending on the hardness of the rock. The Dutch schoolgirl probably used high paramagnetic limestone (150 CGS) and low granite (below 100 CGS). That can never be said without measurements. “It is important not to grind the rock dust too fine. There will still be a lot of research to be done in this respect, but my experience to date has been that not too fine grit works better than powder. Somehow the quality improves. the finer substances lost In the experiment of the Dutch schoolgirl I would say that the param agn e tic influence of the (paramagnetic) material was largely canceled out by the (diamagnetic) massive hour. hmmmm ‘. As if the wind is playing a pipe organ. Even a diamond-shaped tower through which the wind can play probably already has a favorable effect. The placement of the windows – on the top floor to all four directions of the compass – and especially of the windows and door below is also intriguing. I have the impression that they are built on the side where the wind usually comes from. Again: you should research it – with an anemometer. Although solid basalt centers also work very well in my experience – au the CGS only exceeds 200. “3. Your thesis is that paramagnetic rocks work with antennas / amplifiers for long-wave radiation frequencies from the atmosphere. Could it be that the significance of the Irish towers was stronger in the days when victorious DVD are? Could the electromagnetic pollution of our time be disruptive? “I suspect that radar and high voltage power lines are the antennas of old FERTILE AAROE AUG SEPT 199« 1 3

12stone structures have changed significantly. But I don’t have any hard facts. Just as we still know far too little about the direct influence of electromagnetic fields on living systems. Here, too, the influence is much greater in my opinion than toilet thinking. “Another point is the weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field over the centuries. Some geophysicists think that 3 to years ago there was a value of 4 Gauss. Others speak of 1.5 Gauss. We can assume that Earth’s magnetic field in Celtic times has been at least twice as strong as it is today, as it is now half a Gaussian. That means that no stone structure will work as well as it used to. ” 4. How far does the influence of the towers extend? One hundred meters, one kilometer, ten kilometers? ” My suspicion is that an eighteen meter tower has a range of about two to three hundred meters. In terms of area, therefore, a considerable number of hectares. A smaller version (of just under two meters) should be enough for an average vegetable garden. “5. Is the use of rock meal a good alternative?” For farmers with a decent piece of land, I think it is more practical to use rock meal on the ground. to go ahead. In the last issue of the American magazine ‘Acres USA’ there was an article about this. The surface area of ​​many farms is often too large to build towers, lime grains are fine. They turn the bottom into a kind of giant flat antenna! Here in America is a farmer who has bought several tons of high-quality rock material from an old mine and worked it with a cultivator. He informs me that Inj hardly has any more disease problems, that the color of the grain is greener, that the ripening starts earlier and that his yield has increased. “On a somewhat smaller scale, it may be more practical to work with towers. This is already possible with long plastic pipes of almost two meters. With air holes for oxygen circulation and coated with a layer of ground basalt or clay (usually paramagnetic). Again, grains are better than powder. And: that the paramagnetic quality of clay or basalt should be measured. ” 6. / 5 Is it possible that the positive influence of reconstructed paramagnetic turrets is partly due to the release of minerals to the soil? “I don’t think minerals alone could provide the effect. Minerals are of course very important for plant growth. But without the parametric force they form an empty shell. I don’t think they are properly absorbed without this force. Put the same minerals in a Meiparamagetic soil and –.._; … rj & è., .- – n> ri, * – ï ^ ^ = – CGS- meter, which measures the sensitivity of a paramagnetic substance. does not measure much for a magnetic field. When it comes to the minerals only, finely ground rock flour would work best: the minerals are the easiest to reach. My experience is exactly the opposite: the somewhat larger grains work considerably better than the finer flour. What that flour lacks is precisely that desired power. “7. In your books you mention both the importance of the paramagnetic quality of the Irish towers and their receiving qualities as antennas to long waves from the cosmos. What is the relationship between the two? My suspicion is that the paramagnetic force acts like the changing magnetic field in a television set: it amplifies and directs the radiation beam. A paramagnetic tower is putting energy into long waves. It amplifies and directs the long-wave radiation frequencies along its surface. “* COS is a mut of the degree of attraction ** force of a paramagnetic substance on a magnet. The meter Callahan made for this purpose shows values ​​from 0 to 2000 (10-6) CGS. He describes soils with a CGS of 100 as poor; 100> 300 ab well; as very good; au excellent. The theoretical underpinnings of the meaning of paramagnctismc can even be only partially discussed in an article series like this one. Interested readers are directed to Callaban * latest bock Paramagnetism. And also to the currently sold out books’ Anàent mpiaies’ and ‘Tuning in to Natwt (research on insects). IRISH DIARY Rogier Schulte is gathering around the peat-fired stove with a farmer’s couple and accompanying grandmother of a hundred years near Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The family listens in bewilderment. Did the Wageningen student come all the way from Holland to investigate the influence of the round tower a little further away? For the time being, the excellent grass growth around the Irish towers can be easily explained by the loads of clay that has been deposited there in the past. Diary of the first days of six months of research. Friday, August 2 The round tower of Kilmacduagh (co. Galway) stands out from the round towers I have seen during my holidays in Ireland due to the constant interest of tourists. Not surprising, as this tallest tower in Ireland (34.28 meters) can be admired from afar against the backdrop of the dark and rocky hills of Clare. While cathedrals and monasteries were built around the tower and fell back to ruins, this building has pointed like a finger to the sky for more than nine centuries. Kilmacduagh Tower is the first I visit for the Department of Ecological Agriculture (Agricultural University Wagcningcn) in collaboration with University College Galway for my research on the influence of the Irish wund towers on the surrounding vegetation. The idea for this research arose this spring as a result of the articles in the Fertile Earth issue, about the ideas of the American researcher Philip Callahan about these towers. In brief, Callahan stated that the towers, because of their shape and their paramagnetic building blocks, function as antennae for long-wave radiation from space, and that their radiation has a positive influence on plant growth in the environment. Irish farmers would be aware of this and prefer to let their livestock graze near the towers. In addition, according to the American, the towers are placed in such a way that they can be found on the jamb of 1 4

13Ireland is an accurate reflection of the constellations in the Northern sky (see Fertile Earth no.1, 1996), fascinating theories, which also raise the necessary questions: how does the positive effect of the towers on the surrounding vegetation (mostly grassland) come about? expression? Is the yield from those plots higher, is the sod better closed, or are higher-quality grasses growing? And if the yield or the quality of the plots is indeed higher, are there no more potential causes for this? Many of the round towers are located in very old cemeteries, or were the focus of human activities. As a result, there may be so much organic material around the tower that the leguminous plants flourish here, which in turn would stimulate the grass groci. Paramagnetic radiation or historical enrichment? Questions that guarantee at least six months of research. Kilmacduagh Tower is the first of Ireland’s most intact towers that, armed with identification tables and statistics books as well as a shuttle and common sense, I make a short visit to finally select five towers suitable for vegetation and soil surveys. The fields around this tower belong to farmer Finncgan, who also owns the Tower View Villa. I estimate the affectionate and one-eyed man to be seventy years old, although his surprising wit makes him at least thirty years younger. The best fields are indeed around the tower, says Finncgan. They have a high yield and a good closed turf, and he also knows why: In order to build a tower of more than thirty meters in a time without scaffolding, a huge mound of clay was raised around the structure, which was continually raised during construction. When the tower was completed, the clay was dug up again, and spread over the surrounding fields, where the grass is still reaping the benefits. At least an interesting idea. Unfortunately, farmer Finncgan uses fertilizer on his pasture, and reseeds his fields every five years, which can mask any subtle phosphate or paramagnetic crtecteti. I). This makes this tower less suitable for research. Nevertheless, I am invited to enjoy an Irish breakfast tomorrow. Saturday, August 5 In short, an Irish breakfast consists of a four-person breakfast with thick slices of ham, grorc sausages, small sausages and liverwurst, all topped with a slice of bread. Not bad. Finncgan says that the record tower sitting is held by one of the abbots of Kilmacduagh from earlier centuries: on the top floor of the round tower, the latter spent no less than 40 years in deep meditation. But, according to the farmer, that must have been no more than forty days, and “story telling made it forty years”. Finally, he urges me to examine his tower, because that is “without any doubt the finest tower of all Irelandr. With a full stomach, I say goodbye and travel to Kilrush at the mouth of the Shannon, Ireland’s largest river. , famous for its salmon and trout. In the river lies Scattery Island, a small and uninhabited island for twenty years. featuring one of Ireland’s oldest round towers. The Tourist Information leaflet also assures me that it is not the tower of Kilmacduagh, but of Scattery Island that is the tallest in the country. The island can only be reached at high tide, so the tourist ferry does not leave until six in the evening. No problem, because the port of Kilru & h is a good place to relax with a pint of Guinness. The grueling student life, so to speak. One of the few books I brought from the Netherlands is “The Round Towers of Ireland” by George Lennox Barrow. This roren-cncyclopcdic appears to make all other bocken on the subject superfluous. The location, history, dimensions, placement of the doors and windows and any particularities are described down to the smallest details of each round tower. Barrow says that the round towers were built according to Roman techniques: the towers consist of a masonry inner and outer wall, between which concrete was poured. This architectural style must have been a revolution for the Irish in that era, the 6 ‘or 7′ century: until then all buildings were made of wood or loosely stacked stones, which meant that no higher than twelve meters could be built. The round towers, most of which reach more than 25 meters, must have been almost supernatural skyscrapers for the first Irish Christians. According to Barrow, this also seems to be the primary function of the round towers: an impressive hemlock miracle in sign of the strength and power of the Christian church. KJoost manuscripts mention that the monastic possessions were also stored in the towers in driving of danger. When the inaccessible high door and windows were demolished, the valuables were safe from the attackers’ weapons and flaming arrows. After all, in those centuries I looting was a more popular sport than conquering. In addition, it is likely that a bell was rung daily from the tower: not a large bell, because they were still unknown in Europe at the time, as Callahan rightly states, but the hand bell of the saint who founded the monastery, the most precious possession of the monastery. clergy. Ccltic-Irish law stated that the influence of a monastery extended as far as the sound of its bell: a good reason for the monks to build the towers as high as possible. The Celtic word for round tower, cloig-theach, meaning “house of the bell” seems to confirm this story. Most of Ireland’s round towers are, like the associated monasteries and churches, have fallen into ruins over the centuries. The best-preserved towers were restored at the end of the last century, and some, including the towers of Dcvcnish Island, Kilmacduagh and Glcndalough, have been re-crowned with the original gabled roof. So much for Barrow. The ferry’s mate tells visitors we shouldn’t be on Scattery Island for more than an hour. FERTILE AAROC AUG StPt 199 «1 5

14and that everyone has to come back to Kilrush with them. The entire island is owned by the Office of Public Works, a kind of Irish monument club, which does not want party campers on the island. I explain to him that I would like to do research on the tower and the vegetation, but it turns out that I really need written permission from OPW. An hour is very short, too short to draw the tower and the fields. Drawing is a tool that forces you, much more than taking a photo, to carefully take in the landscape, the colors, the atmosphere and the shapes. local flora. The Tower of Scattery Island is Ireland’s only tower with a door at ground level, making it easy to enter. The walls turn out to be less than a meter thick, and the interior space therefore surprisingly narrow. The wooden floors have disappeared, revealing the top, and I must admit, it is an impressive and very powerful experience. Neither the tower nor the monastery ruins are any graves visible. These may be hidden by the rugged vegetation of rushes, adclaars and thistles. The lawns are visibly cut by an excess of rabbits. Silver clove, ragwort and locally a lot of white clover flourish here. The island seems quite suitable for research: no fertilizers have been used, and no cattle graze on it. From my camp site in Kilrush, I get a beautiful view of the island, and the chance to draw it, albeit from afar. Sunday, August 4 Scattery Island is a small island, but just big enough for an investigation. In the five towers that I will investigate, I will study at different distances from the tower, among other things, the vegetation, the chemical soil properties (such as the phosphate content) and the degree of paramagnerism in the soil. I conclude from various sources that the positive effect of a round tower on the fields reaches at least 500 meters from the tower. On Scattery Island it will be possible to measure any changes in the quality of the fields, but my detailed maps of Ireland show that the islands on which the towers of Devenish and Iniscealtra (Holy Island) stand will be too small for this. These rwcc candidates are therefore provisionally placed on the reserve list. That’s why I travel to Clonmacnoise in County Offaly, in ancient times one of the most important religious centers, and thus one of the most important tourist centers in modern times. Here, again between impressive ruins and grave crosses, stand no fewer than two round towers on the banks of the Shannon: a large specimen of 1930 meters, without hood, and its flawless brother of 16.76 meters. According to Barrow’s bock, these small roren were once part of the cen tí ***** fields around the complex are remarkably green. When I go to inquire at the farm next to the ruins, I step into the 19th century. The farmer’s couple sits around the peat-fired stove in the kitchen with grandmother, whom I estimate to be more than a hundred years old. Amazed, the three listen to my plans, until after half an hour I discover that the fields around the tower do not belong to them. “But there is also a ruin on our land, The employees offer me a large umbrella, coffee, cake and biscuits, and later in the day more coffee, tea and a booklet about the history of the monastery complex. Had hospitality been a sport, the Irish would certainly have achieved the gold medal. In the afternoon, Tom Morris, owner * of the land, tells us that here too the fields around the historic site are of good quality. “But that makes sense, because the first Christians always built their monasteries on fertile places, in order to grow enough food.” Not an implausible vision in itself. In earlier centuries Ireland was mostly peat and forest, and good, tillable soil was scarce. Unfortunately, farmer Morris also uses fertilizers, reseeds his land regularly, and sometimes uses herbicides against the weeds. That’s a shame, because in all other respects Clonmacnoise seems to lend itself to research. could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I am up early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower is waiting, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 because in all other respects Clonmacnoise seems to lend itself to research. could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I su early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower awaits, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 because in all other respects Clonmacnoise seems to lend itself to research. could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I su early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower awaits, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I su early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower awaits, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I am up early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower is waiting, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable

15A BD farmer about Ireland, magic and agriculture LOVE OF STONE The Betuwe biodynamic farmer Harry Jeuken is one of those people who has been attracted to Ireland from childhood. In the early eighties, it was again fed by the discoveries of Philip Callahan about the round towers and the forgotten agricultural knowledge of the Celts. A long talk about Ireland – about politics and soil fertility, about Northern Irish grass, BD farming and basalt. The conversation in the bicycle shop of the Betuwe train station of Zaltbommel afterwards seems to have been a foreshadowing of the later conversation at the Hccrcwaardensc kitchen table. There is no good bus connection to the Maas-en-Waal company of Harry and Maria Jeuken. But a bicycle seems to be rented quickly. It’s May. An hour of cycling over winding dikes with a view of blossomed fruit trees is still attractive even on a windy day. But the trip takes longer than expected. The punitive expedition along dead straight provincial roads (“There is a cycle path next to”) does not even seem to end. “First left, at the roundabout to the right and then straight ahead,” the boss of the Rijwielshop had said. And what about the dike roads? “Well, they are working on it, aren’t they, the dyke reinforcement. That will not work. It is in a big mud pool there.” I take a breath again in the little bomb lane of the rustic gentleman’s village Rossum, only to choose the ‘mud pool’ on the way back and soon find out that the mud pool is no more than eight meters of sand on eight kilometers of scenic beauty. Lesson one for the cyclist: never ask a motorist for directions, even if they deal in bicycles. And vice versa, of course, the same applies: what one road user is looking for, another tries to avoid. They are two different worlds. Two worlds. Ireland too, says Harry Jeuken, has undergone a major overhaul after 1974. Many of the old cottages are still standing (out of respect for the ancestors who once lived in them) but many hedgerows, stone walls and trees have been removed – to obtain larger fields or to make better use of the land in some other way. to make. “The magical thing Ireland had is disappearing,” said Jeuken. Ireland has become a member of the EC: “That has given agriculture a huge push. But also thinking in a material sense. The idea that you have to bring in matter to get growth. The magic, what a bird has in it, the more subtle side of the vegetation, that sort of thing seems to have little to do with productivity. “He talks about his experiences in Spain and Portugal.” want to buy a piece of land and ask an old farmer for advice, you will be told to look for land with a lot of stones in it. Experience has taught them that it is precisely those fields that yield healthy crops. Tell that to a Dutch farmer. He will be the first to see whether the stones have been removed. “Itch:” That has always occupied me: that contradiction. The modern custom to get the stones out as quickly as possible versus the primitive custom to see if it is not possible to be a farmer with that stone. ” SUSTAINABILITY When, after many hccn-cn-wecr cycling, I finally raid the Jcukcns farm, I find the farmer and the farmer’s wife in the kitchen. Harr) “bent over piles of bound vintages Aars USA”, the magazine in which Philip Callahan published his discoveries from 1983 on the value of paramagnetic stone. There are notes everywhere. To talk about Callahan’s discovery that the round Irish towers and even the roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the faint long-wave radiation from the cosmos-  There are notes everywhere. To talk about Callahan’s discovery that the round Irish towers and even the roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the faint long-wave radiation from the cosmos- There are notes everywhere. To talk about Callahan’s discovery that the round Irish towers and even the roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the faint long-wave radiation from the cosmos-

16Harry Jeuken knows about the paramagnetic properties of some rocks, for which Callahan developed a cheap measuring device in the late eighties and what is now also staring on the kitchen table at the Jcukcns. He says: “I have gained the greatest respect for the way those old farms are built. Every time I go there in Ireland, but also here in the Netherlands I bump into that craftsmanship: so skilled, so well thought out Also the way in which account is taken. was held with the forces of the wind and with rcgen impact. Without cement or brick. At the same time so attuned to all kinds of subtle, now forgotten forces. If you look at that from the 20th century, you can only be amazed. ” Why do you care so much? “For the alternative that lies in it. To live with such a colossal number of people on earth, whereby Western people in particular have adopted a lifestyle that you can wait for the accompanying energy crisis, so to speak. WC cannot continue like this. The round towers refer to an alternative in which a lot of fertility was created with very little fossil energy. An early form of sustainability. In an intriguing way, they were then able to feed a great many people. “For me that is the interesting thing about Callahan’s discoveries. That not only the Celts’ matcrialcnkcus, but also the shape of their structures was important for the degree to which they succeeded in bringing the desired amount of energy to the earth and to be used for the benefit of plants, animals and humans As if the Celts had already developed some kind of biodynamic agriculture in the sixth or seventh century AD, “If Ireland stands out for anything nowadays, it is for its baldness.” The whole country has been covered with forests. It has known such an enormous wealth of planrengroci. Ireland was the granary of Europe until the 12th and 13th centuries. Ireland was an agricultural exporting country. But it has also been robbed. First by the Normans, later by the English. Over the centuries, the island has apparently been an attraction to other peoples. Wood has been removed to help build London. English industrialists came to Northern Ireland because of the wealth of bottom ores: raw materials for British industry. “Much of the material from which the round towers are built also comes from Northern Ireland?” Northern Ireland is a very old volcanic corner. Volcanic rock is very paramagnetic. It is also very fertile as an agricultural land. After a volcanic eruption, the residents often return as quickly as possible to grow crops. It produces fantastically beautiful products. “Volcanic soil is also full of minerals,” Maybe they are two sides of the same coin. The rock is full of minerals and it is a material that resonates well with the energy from the cosmos. “BARBARS Little remains of the image that Ireland would have been populated by a backward couple of barbarians – most recently interpreted in an article in the English Guardian. “As if it had been a nation of fighters, robbers, and warriors – murderers and robbers. That is indeed what you do read. Far from the truth: I don’t believe any of it. Of course, the Celts had to recreate a livelihood in Ireland and Scotland, after they were expelled as a people from the Middllands-Zce region. “Via France and Brittany they were chased into the North Sea to eventually end up in Scotland and Ireland. In those corners of Europe they tried to build a new life. You have to have something of a fighter for that, you could say: fighting. to be able to settle in. Otherwise you will not get anything off the ground. But that does not make them fighters-pur-sang. “If you realize how the Celts brought the land there in Ireland to fertility, how it Irish ancient Christianity has very much to do with the Celtic vision of the divine, rather the image of a disciplined, devout people fits that. People with respect for creation – from nature to the starry sky. “I also find it remarkable that Ireland, unlike most other Western European countries, has never had the urge to found colonies. Just as it has not brought in any guest workers to do the dirty work. It has not been a country at all that you can associate in any way with predatory exploitation or colonialism The tendency of the French, the Germans a little less, the Belgians, Portuguese, Spaniards, Italians, English and the Dutch to enrich themselves through other peoples or to use people, that is the Irish people strange. ” HUMID AND VAPORY Another picture of Ireland: the humidity and the dampness. Still not an ideal environment for agriculture. Halfway through the last century, the country was hit by the famous Irish famine: failed potato crops, potatoes all rotting away. That has greatly enhanced that image. As if diseases on land in such a damp environment can only be controlled with the greatest effort. But you also had the same potato clrot in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and England. The potato harvest was also in danger of being lost in England. And even here in the Bommelerwaard, the entire potato crop was destroyed in 1847, I read in a book. Why did that disease lead to famine in Ireland and not elsewhere? The answer is that all those countries imported grain to absorb the blow. Huge quantities of grain were brought from South America. But the ships destined for Ireland. were forced into the English ports. Grain never arrived in Ireland. The grain ships could not get there. That is why the potato disease has become fatal to the Irish. ”You sympathize in the Northern Ireland issue with ‘sharing?” I sympathize with the fact that it has never been a matter of faith. It’s a social struggle. The fact that the Irish were in many cases Catholic and the English prorestants, does not mean that it is a religious struggle. There are so many interests involved. Prestige especially. If you read books with predictions about the developments in the next century, you will always encounter that pre-rigging problem that is in the way of England. “Ultimately, the English will have to give the north back. England will have no way around it: Ireland must again become a country in itself – with Northern Ireland on the side. It is a matter of prestige not to give it back now;

17Joining the EC- “At the time I was working in Killkcnny on a livestock farm – a mixed farm. It felt so clearly at the time as a very important moment for Ireland – a turning point, that entry. An opening for Ireland to get a bit on a European level of living. Suddenly, production could start. The borders opened up. “Until then, meat, grain, wood and peat had always gone to the English for next to nothing. Now the Irish were suddenly paid EC prices: agreed prices. The whole agriculture got a push. An important moment, precisely because most of the people still found their right to exist in agriculture. “On the other hand, that push, like” The uniqueness of Ireland was that small-scale. Everywhere those stone walls around plots. Relics from that time when Ireland was the granary of Europe. With companies niches the six or eight hectares. A property with crops such as oats, barley, and wheat, about three cows, some goats, some sheep and potatoes, beets, and all kinds of vegetables. Durable units. But with a very high productivity “fertile land. All that eroded material that the grorc rivers have brought in from the Alps and the Ardennes. Before the arrival of fertilizers, you saw a lot of wealth here in the Betuwe, for example. the farms. Also those in the Wadden area in Groningen. And in Zeeland thanks to the silt from the seas. “In the Ardennes there are a number of rocks that are particularly paramagnetic. The floodplains of the Maas, looked there? there is therefore a reasonable amount of paramagnetic material in between. But you should find it out— “The people always respected it; all the cemeteries were with the searchers.” those towers. Somehow it was assumed that something special was going on. Would it make sense to have towers in these days. In the sense of: there is a special Netherlands and Belgium to be built? energy in that place. What the people of “The first thing that is important is the realization I basalt block the Giant’s Cause-Way everywhere else, boiled down to productivity, fertilizer and animal-industrial systems. Agriculture became more modern. Grain culture, for example, went largely in the chemical direction. On the other hand, money was also made available to preserve the country’s cultural heritage. Farmers received money to keep the walls around their fields and to leave buildings or ruins intact. What you have seen more in recent years is a growing awareness to keep the remains of ancient times afloat. Modernization can no longer go on indefinitely. used to know and what the animals probably still feel. Something was preserved. You still come across that idea today. You see at funerals that people still want to be buried near the towers. Just as monasteries used to be built near those towers – and churches and schools. “ARDENNES According to Philip Callahan, paramagnetism is the key factor when it comes to eating healthy crops. What about the paramagnetic quality of the soil in the Netherlands?” Holland naturally assumes that there are more forces than just the physical. Only then can you continue. For the rest it is a matter of trying. With a number of farmers you should build a number of towers and then see if that has a positive effect on the crops in the area. “How do you grind such a tower}” You start with a platform, a foundation. You will then build on that with, for example, basalt blocks. You should see if there is a chemical in between. Perhaps you should chisel all the stones in such a way that they are nicely fixed. And FRUITFUL NATURE * AUG SEPT

18there is then a roof of slate. I think it is doable. The rocks are there. There are also plenty of places in Holland where natural stone is traded. Extremely valuable rocks. Very often you also see tombstones made of very paramagnetic rock. They use basalt blocks in the area to strengthen the river banks. But you also have specially cut basalt slabs. Maybe some garden designers know more about that. “The basalt flour that you use here on the land, where do you buy it?” It comes from Germany, from the Seven Mountains, which used to be a volcanic area … there it seems very very good basalt stones to come from. Lavamccl is even better in my experience. It also scores highest in the meringings. Where it comes from I don’t know but it is just a commercially available product. My own experience is that the condition and the wool of the sheep have clearly improved. Very striking. That is also the type of result that you hear more: the animals look better. Less parasites too. Fewer diseases in the crop. “NORTHERN IRELAND What about the influence of paramagnetic rock (meal) on the quality? You have already argued about the preference of cows for grass around stones. , special quality of the Naord-Irish meat? “There are a number of things involved. In Northern Ireland the livestock is not yet kept as intensively, cattle are not as fattened as, for example, in Holland. Furthermore, the North Icrsc soil was created by volcanic activity, it is a mountainous region – actually a very para ram a gne tic area. There are also many minerals in the soil, which gives meat more flavor. Although of course you can partially overcome this with salt blocks and minerals, as the farmers are used to doing here. “A third point is that in Ireland it is not bulls but oxen that are fattened. Castrated bulls. An ox grows slower than a bull. And an animal that grows more slowly is often more palatable. The tenderness is then maintained by keeping the cattle outside and not fattening them. corn and other concentrates. In addition, they know in Ireland that you have to let a slaughtered animal die more than a week. The meat has to mature, (n Holland don’t do that anymore for a number of reasons. hang for two days, which of course does not benefit the taste. “Despite the fact that Irish agriculture has been modernized?” Yes, but also in England, cattle are allowed to die for at least ten days. In America it has been discovered that you should really let them hang for three weeks; the longer, the better, the more the meat has a chance to mature, the more small conversions can take place that benefit the taste. The Greeks already fried their meat in oxen ve t. And if you go back to the early Christian times, you will also find the ox in the stable next to the donkey and the sheep. The ox is actually a very old phenomenon. “Green b’ield meat is also ox meat-” The story was in the newspaper when Albert Heijn had to explain why the meat was from now on from Ireland. “:!: But as a biological dairy farmer, how do you actually view the castration of bulls? “Difficult point … it is an intervention after all. But if you don’t do it, in Holland it means that you can’t just put bulls next to the neighbour’s cows in the pasture. The consequence is that you have to lock up bulls. Dutch bd bulls. are then also fattened indoors On the other hand, you can say that it is very important that animals can be outside. That is easy to achieve with oxen. Although castration of the animal remains a very difficult decision. The question is always whether you can do that intervention or whether you make concessions with regard to housing. ” PREPARATIONS Back to the towers. Callahan also makes several references to biodynamic agriculture. In both cases you are talking about workings that cannot be felt by people. Very low doses of encryption waves or magnetism, but which apparently benefit the plant and enable it to grow better and be less susceptible to disease. Energies that are there for the plant to use. “Did you also understand biodynamic agriculture better through your study of Callahan?” Steiner says: you don’t have to give a good compost fertilizer every year. But you have to make the plant receptive to the absorption of cosmic energy … there is quite a bit of overlap between Steiner’s clues with his preparations and the things Callahan discovered about Celtic agriculture with its towers. “And:” If you are involved with agriculture in this kind of way, there is so much depth to it, it offers so many starting points, it is so extensive that I consider it a privilege to be a farmer. You are dealing with essential things that form the basis of our existence. As if it is a very large field that is open with which I can play a little bit. “Barr Hommersen 2 0

19Noreen Rikmans is in the fifth year of the Haarlem gymnasium. For the biology course she would count the eggs of different species of fruit flies … until her mother came up with the Irish round tower story. Noreen wanted to see the influence of small, recreated turrets on the growth of radish plants. She calls the results of her experiments astonishing. In the spring of 1996 everyone should do their own research – Noreen and the other students of the fifth grade gymnasium of the Stedelijk Gymnasium in Haarlem: “My teacher had given some examples and I was going to research the fertility of different types of fruit flies. But then my mother let me read the story, I was sold, I found the subject so interesting that I decided to do a test. I wanted to be able to see for myself whether the round towers and the different types of stone really produce the intended effect. And partly also to be the only one to hand in a completely different piece of work than the others. “A piece of work with a subject of which no one, not even her biology teacher, could predict the towers in the garden.” – jrmfêti-: 4 could predict the outcome. But her teacher initially called off the project. “He thought it was too risky” He did not call the type of subject interesting Norccn was perplexed. But she refused to do anything else and managed to get it done in the end. In the preface to her paper C’A. The preparatory work she writes: “I understand you found this topic very risky, but what could be more fun than doing something risky?” Do paramagnetic rock towers really affect plant growth? That was the question Norccn asked himself. If you think about it with your logical mind, she says, there are plenty of arguments to be found against the proposition. Perhaps the weather conditions in the tests of the American Philip Callahan were not optimal for all plants.And perhaps a difference in the composition of the soil was the reason for the achieved result. pots as even as possible. The turrets of sandpaper (right) and the granite stones (left). BASALT COLLARS But where did she get the turrets from? “Of the types of stone mentioned by Philip Callahan, I was able to find basalt columns at a natural stone handcl. They were kind enough to sharpen points here. I also worked with homemade turrets made of wood and sandpaper. “In fact there were two kinds of sandpaper: sandpaper with a paper surface and sandpaper with a linen surface. She started that afternoon preparing the eighteen plastic flowerpot for sowing-

20The final setup. At the back a basalt column and the limestone. In front the towers of sandpaper. ten: each pot was given the same sowing soil, bought at a garden center in Heemstede. Like Callahan, Norccn would use radish seed. “Because this is also used in Callahan’s trial and because they germinate quickly and yield fast mature plants.” Then she rolled four pieces of sandpaper (just for the correct shape) around a wooden rod about two inches in diameter. The ends were cut and the edges glued together. On top of that she put a ‘hat’ made of a piece of round sandpaper. And the tower (height 25 cm) was finished. The wooden turrets were coated with glue and then rolled through a tray with basalt or grinding pocder. This is because of the supposed paramagnetic effect of the grinding cl. She also used a turret of white limestone and three chunks of granite stone: no towers but stones with a “somewhat pointed shape”. After that every tower and every stone After three and a half weeks no differences could be seen. Here the towers of sandpaper. placed in the middle of a pot. Small towers in smaller pots; bigger towers in wider pots. And in two or three circles around it – depending on the size of the pot – Noreen sowed radish seeds. Then the pots went into negative: fifteen gates with rook or stone and five control pots without tower or stone. She says about the set-up: “I placed the pots in the middle of the minus, more or less by type together. I made sure to place the pots and especially the control pots far enough apart so that they would not influence each other and still all get the same amount of sunlight. I stretched a net over all the gates so that cats and birds could not reach it. “In total the preparation took her half a day.” Furthermore, I could do nothing more than wait until the plants would start to grow. “ROME” I have a hard time say what I expect from this experiment, “Noreen writes prior to the trial.” I think the granite stones will have little effect because they don’t have a true tower shape. “Also she suspects that the wooden towers smeared with glue and rolled with basalt powder will have little will lash out. “Because nothing is known about the fact that wood attracts energy. And because the effect of the powder is probably not strong enough. “A few weeks after the germination of the plants, there was in any case not a single difference.” The plants all went together. I was already afraid that my test would have failed. “Too bad, she says, because I wanted to prove with this test that there is indeed more on earth than what we see. But then Norecn left for Rome with the other fifth-class riders.” plants had not fully grown yet, partly due to the cold weather of those days, so my mother and I decided to just leave the plants. They were now three and a half weeks old. “She was back a week larcr. At that time she already found the result astonishing. The differences were especially clear with the basalt towers:” Remarkably, the plants in the three wooden-tower gates (rolled by basalt cell or scouring powder) were even smaller than the control plants. SANDPAPER Conclusion: Certain stones considered paramagnetic do have a positive influence on the crop. “There were sufficient control pots in which the plants did not differ from each other. Moreover, the growth differences could in most cases be demonstrated in duplicate.” As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 Certain stones considered paramagnetic do have a positive influence on the crop. “There were sufficient control pots in which the plants did not differ from each other. Moreover, the growth differences could in most cases be demonstrated in duplicate.” As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 Certain stones considered paramagnetic do have a positive influence on the crop. “There were sufficient control pots in which the plants did not differ from each other. Moreover, the growth differences could in most cases be demonstrated in duplicate.” As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2

13Ireland is an accurate reflection of the constellations in the Northern sky (see Fertile Earth no.1, 1996), fascinating theories, which also raise the necessary questions: how does the positive effect of the towers on the surrounding vegetation (mostly grassland) come about? expression? Is the yield from those plots higher, is the sod better closed, or are higher-quality grasses growing? And if the yield or the quality of the plots is indeed higher, are there no more potential causes for this? Many of the round towers are located in very old cemeteries, or were the focus of human activities. As a result, there may be so much organic material around the tower that the leguminous plants flourish here, which in turn would stimulate the grass groci. Paramagnetic radiation or historical enrichment? Questions that guarantee at least six months of research. Kilmacduagh Tower is the first of Ireland’s most intact towers that, armed with identification tables and statistics books as well as a shuttle and common sense, I make a short visit to finally select five towers suitable for vegetation and soil surveys. The fields around this tower belong to farmer Finncgan, who also owns the Tower View Villa. I estimate the affectionate and one-eyed man to be seventy years old, although his surprising wit makes him at least thirty years younger. The best fields are indeed around the tower, says Finncgan. They have a high yield and a good closed turf, and he also knows why: In order to build a tower of more than thirty meters in a time without scaffolding, a huge mound of clay was raised around the structure, which was continually raised during construction. When the tower was completed, the clay was dug up again, and spread over the surrounding fields, where the grass is still reaping the benefits. At least an interesting idea. Unfortunately, farmer Finncgan uses fertilizer on his pasture, and reseeds his fields every five years, which can mask any subtle phosphate or paramagnetic crtecteti. I). This makes this tower less suitable for research. Nevertheless, I am invited to enjoy an Irish breakfast tomorrow. Saturday, August 5 In short, an Irish breakfast consists of a four-person breakfast with thick slices of ham, grorc sausages, small sausages and liverwurst, all topped with a slice of bread. Not bad. Finncgan says that the record tower sitting is held by one of the abbots of Kilmacduagh from earlier centuries: on the top floor of the round tower, the latter spent no less than 40 years in deep meditation. But, according to the farmer, that must have been no more than forty days, and “story telling made it forty years”. Finally, he urges me to examine his tower, because that is “without any doubt the finest tower of all Irelandr. With a full stomach, I say goodbye and travel to Kilrush at the mouth of the Shannon, Ireland’s largest river. , famous for its salmon and trout. In the river lies Scattery Island, a small and uninhabited island for twenty years. featuring one of Ireland’s oldest round towers. The Tourist Information leaflet also assures me that it is not the tower of Kilmacduagh, but of Scattery Island that is the tallest in the country. The island can only be reached at high tide, so the tourist ferry does not leave until six in the evening. No problem, because the port of Kilru & h is a good place to relax with a pint of Guinness. The grueling student life, so to speak. One of the few books I brought from the Netherlands is “The Round Towers of Ireland” by George Lennox Barrow. This roren-cncyclopcdic appears to make all other bocken on the subject superfluous. The location, history, dimensions, placement of the doors and windows and any particularities are described down to the smallest details of each round tower. Barrow says that the round towers were built according to Roman techniques: the towers consist of a masonry inner and outer wall, between which concrete was poured. This architectural style must have been a revolution for the Irish in that era, the 6 ‘or 7′ century: until then all buildings were made of wood or loosely stacked stones, which meant that no higher than twelve meters could be built. The round towers, most of which reach more than 25 meters, must have been almost supernatural skyscrapers for the first Irish Christians. According to Barrow, this also seems to be the primary function of the round towers: an impressive hemlock miracle in sign of the strength and power of the Christian church. KJoost manuscripts mention that the monastic possessions were also stored in the towers in driving of danger. When the inaccessible high door and windows were demolished, the valuables were safe from the attackers’ weapons and flaming arrows. After all, in those centuries I looting was a more popular sport than conquering. In addition, it is likely that a bell was rung daily from the tower: not a large bell, because they were still unknown in Europe at the time, as Callahan rightly states, but the hand bell of the saint who founded the monastery, the most precious possession of the monastery. clergy. Ccltic-Irish law stated that the influence of a monastery extended as far as the sound of its bell: a good reason for the monks to build the towers as high as possible. The Celtic word for round tower, cloig-theach, meaning “house of the bell” seems to confirm this story. Most of Ireland’s round towers are, like the associated monasteries and churches, have fallen into ruins over the centuries. The best-preserved towers were restored at the end of the last century, and some, including the towers of Dcvcnish Island, Kilmacduagh and Glcndalough, have been re-crowned with the original gabled roof. So much for Barrow. The ferry’s mate tells visitors we shouldn’t be on Scattery Island for more than an hour.

14and that everyone has to come back to Kilrush with them. The entire island is owned by the Office of Public Works, a kind of Irish monument club, which does not want party campers on the island. I explain to him that I would like to do research on the tower and the vegetation, but it turns out that I really need written permission from OPW. An hour is very short, too short to draw the tower and the fields. Drawing is a tool that forces you, much more than taking a photo, to carefully take in the landscape, the colors, the atmosphere and the shapes. local flora. The Tower of Scattery Island is Ireland’s only tower with a door at ground level, making it easy to enter. The walls turn out to be less than a meter thick, and the interior space therefore surprisingly narrow. The wooden floors have disappeared, revealing the top, and I must admit, it is an impressive and very powerful experience. Neither the tower nor the monastery ruins are any graves visible. These may be hidden by the rugged vegetation of rushes, adclaars and thistles. The lawns are visibly cut by an excess of rabbits. Silver clove, ragwort and locally a lot of white clover flourish here. The island seems quite suitable for research: no fertilizers have been used, and no cattle graze on it. From my camp site in Kilrush, I get a beautiful view of the island, and the chance to draw it, albeit from afar. Sunday, August 4 Scattery Island is a small island, but just big enough for an investigation. In the five towers that I will investigate, I will study at different distances from the tower, among other things, the vegetation, the chemical soil properties (such as the phosphate content) and the degree of paramagnerism in the soil. I conclude from various sources that the positive effect of a round tower on the fields reaches at least 500 meters from the tower. On Scattery Island it will be possible to measure any changes in the quality of the fields, but my detailed maps of Ireland show that the islands on which the towers of Devenish and Iniscealtra (Holy Island) stand will be too small for this. These rwcc candidates are therefore provisionally placed on the reserve list. That’s why I travel to Clonmacnoise in County Offaly, in ancient times one of the most important religious centers, and thus one of the most important tourist centers in modern times. Here, again between impressive ruins and grave crosses, stand no fewer than two round towers on the banks of the Shannon: a large specimen of 1930 meters, without hood, and its flawless brother of 16.76 meters. According to Barrow’s bock, these small roren were once part of the cen tí ***** fields around the complex are remarkably green. When I go to inquire at the farm next to the ruins, I step into the 19th century. The farmer’s couple sits around the peat-fired stove in the kitchen with grandmother, whom I estimate to be more than a hundred years old. Amazed, the three listen to my plans, until after half an hour I discover that the fields around the tower do not belong to them. “But there is also a ruin on our land, The employees offer me a large umbrella, coffee, cake and biscuits, and later in the day more coffee, tea and a booklet about the history of the monastery complex. Had hospitality been a sport, the Irish would certainly have achieved the gold medal. In the afternoon, Tom Morris, owner * of the land, tells us that here too the fields around the historic site are of good quality. “But that makes sense, because the first Christians always built their monasteries on fertile places, in order to grow enough food.” Not an implausible vision in itself. In earlier centuries Ireland was mostly peat and forest, and good, tillable soil was scarce. Unfortunately, farmer Morris also uses fertilizers, reseeds his land regularly, and sometimes uses herbicides against the weeds. That’s a shame, because in all other respects Clonmacnoise seems to lend itself to research. could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I am up early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower is waiting, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 because in all other respects Clonmacnoise seems to lend itself to research. could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I su early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower awaits, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 because in all other respects Clonmacnoise seems to lend itself to research. could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I su early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower awaits, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I su early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower awaits, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy Rogier Schuhe 1 6 vnucmtable AARDC AUG SEPT 19 »6 could do my procf planes too well. I will have to protect my fields against the rabbits. Time flies and the boat is already full when I arrive as the last passenger. Drawing: R. Schulte y * “. Tf **. 5 church, and therefore unfortunately does not qualify for the title” orthodox, free-standing, round tower “Apparently this does not detract from the effect of the towers and the cairns on the environment, for the Tuesday, August 6 I am up early and travel to Turlough, where my fourth tower is waiting, with new fields, new people, and new stories Stories that I will spare the reader, but of which I am sure will still enjoy

 

 

 

BD farmer about Ireland, magic and agriculture LOVE OF STONE The Betuwe biodynamic farmer Harry Jeuken is one of those people who has been attracted to Ireland from childhood. In the early eighties, it was again fed by the discoveries of Philip Callahan about the round towers and the forgotten agricultural knowledge of the Celts. A long talk about Ireland – about politics and soil fertility, about Northern Irish grass, BD farming and basalt. The conversation in the bicycle shop of the Betuwe train station of Zaltbommel afterwards seems to have been a foreshadowing of the later conversation at the Hccrcwaardensc kitchen table. There is no good bus connection to the Maas-en-Waal company of Harry and Maria Jeuken. But a bicycle seems to be rented quickly. It’s May. An hour of cycling over winding dikes with a view of blossomed fruit trees is still attractive even on a windy day. But the trip takes longer than expected. The punitive expedition along dead straight provincial roads (“There is a cycle path next to”) does not even seem to end. “First left, at the roundabout to the right and then straight ahead,” the boss of the Rijwielshop had said. And what about the dike roads? “Well, they are working on it, aren’t they, the dyke reinforcement. That will not work. It is in a big mud pool there.” I take a breath again in the little bomb lane of the rustic gentleman’s village Rossum, only to choose the ‘mud pool’ on the way back and soon find out that the mud pool is no more than eight meters of sand on eight kilometers of scenic beauty. Lesson one for the cyclist: never ask a motorist for directions, even if they deal in bicycles. And vice versa, of course, the same applies: what one road user is looking for, another tries to avoid. They are two different worlds. Two worlds. Ireland too, says Harry Jeuken, has undergone a major overhaul after 1974. Many of the old cottages are still standing (out of respect for the ancestors who once lived in them) but many hedgerows, stone walls and trees have been removed – to obtain larger fields or to make better use of the land in some other way. to make. “The magical thing Ireland had is disappearing,” said Jeuken. Ireland has become a member of the EC: “That has given agriculture a huge push. But also thinking in a material sense. The idea that you have to bring in matter to get growth. The magic, what a bird has in it, the more subtle side of the vegetation, that sort of thing seems to have little to do with productivity. “He talks about his experiences in Spain and Portugal.” want to buy a piece of land and ask an old farmer for advice, you will be told to look for land with a lot of stones in it. Experience has taught them that it is precisely those fields that yield healthy crops. Tell that to a Dutch farmer. He will be the first to see whether the stones have been removed. “Itch:” That has always occupied me: that contradiction. The modern custom to get the stones out as quickly as possible versus the primitive custom to see if it is not possible to be a farmer with that stone. ” SUSTAINABILITY When, after many hccn-cn-wecr cycling, I finally raid the Jcukcns farm, I find the farmer and the farmer’s wife in the kitchen. Harr) “bent over piles of bound vintages Aars USA”, the magazine in which Philip Callahan published his discoveries from 1983 on the value of paramagnetic stone. There are notes everywhere. To talk about Callahan’s discovery that the round Irish towers and even the roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the faint long-wave radiation from the cosmos. 1 7 There are notes everywhere. To talk about Callahan’s discovery that the round Irish towers and even the roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the faint long-wave radiation from the cosmos. V1UC HTBARI AAftOC AUG SEPT 1996 1 7 There are notes everywhere. To talk about Callahan’s discovery that the round Irish towers and even the roofs of the old Irish cottages amplify the faint long-wave radiation from the cosmos

16Harry Jeuken knows about the paramagnetic properties of some rocks, for which Callahan developed a cheap measuring device in the late eighties and what is now also staring on the kitchen table at the Jcukcns. He says: “I have gained the greatest respect for the way those old farms are built. Every time I go there in Ireland, but also here in the Netherlands I bump into that craftsmanship: so skilled, so well thought out Also the way in which account is taken. was held with the forces of the wind and with rcgen impact. Without cement or brick. At the same time so attuned to all kinds of subtle, now forgotten forces. If you look at that from the 20th century, you can only be amazed. ” Why do you care so much? “For the alternative that lies in it. To live with such a colossal number of people on earth, whereby Western people in particular have adopted a lifestyle that you can wait for the accompanying energy crisis, so to speak. WC cannot continue like this. The round towers refer to an alternative in which a lot of fertility was created with very little fossil energy. An early form of sustainability. In an intriguing way, they were then able to feed a great many people. “For me that is the interesting thing about Callahan’s discoveries. That not only the Celts’ matcrialcnkcus, but also the shape of their structures was important for the degree to which they succeeded in bringing the desired amount of energy to the earth and to be used for the benefit of plants, animals and humans As if the Celts had already developed some kind of biodynamic agriculture in the sixth or seventh century AD, “If Ireland stands out for anything nowadays, it is for its baldness.” The whole country has been covered with forests. It has known such an enormous wealth of planrengroci. Ireland was the granary of Europe until the 12th and 13th centuries. Ireland was an agricultural exporting country. But it has also been robbed. First by the Normans, later by the English. Over the centuries, the island has apparently been an attraction to other peoples. Wood has been removed to help build London. English industrialists came to Northern Ireland because of the wealth of bottom ores: raw materials for British industry. “Much of the material from which the round towers are built also comes from Northern Ireland?” Northern Ireland is a very old volcanic corner. Volcanic rock is very paramagnetic. It is also very fertile as an agricultural land. After a volcanic eruption, the residents often return as quickly as possible to grow crops. It produces fantastically beautiful products. “Volcanic soil is also full of minerals,” Maybe they are two sides of the same coin. The rock is full of minerals and it is a material that resonates well with the energy from the cosmos. “BARBARS Little remains of the image that Ireland would have been populated by a backward couple of barbarians – most recently interpreted in an article in the English Guardian. “As if it had been a nation of fighters, robbers, and warriors – murderers and robbers. That is indeed what you do read. Far from the truth: I don’t believe any of it. Of course, the Celts had to recreate a livelihood in Ireland and Scotland, after they were expelled as a people from the Middllands-Zce region. “Via France and Brittany they were chased into the North Sea to eventually end up in Scotland and Ireland. In those corners of Europe they tried to build a new life. You have to have something of a fighter for that, you could say: fighting. to be able to settle in. Otherwise you will not get anything off the ground. But that does not make them fighters-pur-sang. “If you realize how the Celts brought the land there in Ireland to fertility, how it Irish ancient Christianity has very much to do with the Celtic vision of the divine, rather the image of a disciplined, devout people fits that. People with respect for creation – from nature to the starry sky. “I also find it remarkable that Ireland, unlike most other Western European countries, has never had the urge to found colonies. Just as it has not brought in any guest workers to do the dirty work. It has not been a country at all that you can associate in any way with predatory exploitation or colonialism

 

The tendency of the French, the Germans a little less, the Belgians, Portuguese, Spaniards, Italians, English and the Dutch to enrich themselves through other peoples or to use people, that is the Irish people strange. ”

 

HUMID AND VAPORY Another picture of Ireland: the humidity and the dampness. Still not an ideal environment for agriculture. Halfway through the last century, the country was hit by the famous Irish famine: failed potato crops, potatoes all rotting away. That has greatly enhanced that image. As if diseases on land in such a damp environment can only be controlled with the greatest effort. But you also had the same potato clrot in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and England. The potato harvest was also in danger of being lost in England. And even here in the Bommelerwaard, the entire potato crop was destroyed in 1847, I read in a book. Why did that disease lead to famine in Ireland and not elsewhere? The answer is that all those countries imported grain to absorb the blow. Huge quantities of grain were brought from South America. But the ships destined for Ireland. were forced into the English ports. Grain never arrived in Ireland. The grain ships could not get there. That is why the potato disease has become fatal to the Irish. ”You sympathize in the Northern Ireland issue with ‘sharing?” I sympathize with the fact that it has never been a matter of faith. It’s a social struggle. The fact that the Irish were in many cases Catholic and the English prorestants, does not mean that it is a religious struggle. There are so many interests involved. Prestige especially. If you read books with predictions about the developments in the next century, you will always encounter that pre-rigging problem that is in the way of England. “Ultimately, the English will have to give the north back. England will have no way around it: Ireland must again become a country in itself – with Northern Ireland on the side. It is a matter of prestige not to give it back now;

17Joining the EC- “At the time I was working in Killkcnny on a livestock farm – a mixed farm. It felt so clearly at the time as a very important moment for Ireland – a turning point, that entry. An opening for Ireland to get a bit on a European level of living. Suddenly, production could start. The borders opened up. “Until then, meat, grain, wood and peat had always gone to the English for next to nothing. Now the Irish were suddenly paid EC prices: agreed prices. The whole agriculture got a push. An important moment, precisely because most of the people still found their right to exist in agriculture. “On the other hand, that push, like” The uniqueness of Ireland was that small-scale. Everywhere those stone walls around plots. Relics from that time when Ireland was the granary of Europe. With companies niches the six or eight hectares. A property with crops such as oats, barley, and wheat, about three cows, some goats, some sheep and potatoes, beets, and all kinds of vegetables. Durable units. But with a very high productivity “fertile land. All that eroded material that the grorc rivers have brought in from the Alps and the Ardennes. Before the arrival of fertilizers, you saw a lot of wealth here in the Betuwe, for example. the farms. Also those in the Wadden area in Groningen. And in Zeeland thanks to the silt from the seas. “In the Ardennes there are a number of rocks that are particularly paramagnetic. The floodplains of the Maas, looked there? there is therefore a reasonable amount of paramagnetic material in between. But you should find it out— “The people always respected it; all the cemeteries were with the searchers.” those towers. Somehow it was assumed that something special was going on. Would it make sense to have towers in these days. In the sense of: there is a special Netherlands and Belgium to be built? energy in that place. What the people of “The first thing that is important is the realization I basalt block the Giant’s Cause-Way everywhere else, boiled down to productivity, fertilizer and animal-industrial systems. Agriculture became more modern. Grain culture, for example, went largely in the chemical direction. On the other hand, money was also made available to preserve the country’s cultural heritage. Farmers received money to keep the walls around their fields and to leave buildings or ruins intact. What you have seen more in recent years is a growing awareness to keep the remains of ancient times afloat. Modernization can no longer go on indefinitely. used to know and what the animals probably still feel. Something was preserved. You still come across that idea today. You see at funerals that people still want to be buried near the towers. Just as monasteries used to be built near those towers – and churches and schools. “ARDENNES According to Philip Callahan, paramagnetism is the key factor when it comes to eating healthy crops. What about the paramagnetic quality of the soil in the Netherlands?” Holland naturally assumes that there are more forces than just the physical. Only then can you continue. For the rest it is a matter of trying. With a number of farmers you should build a number of towers and then see if that has a positive effect on the crops in the area. “How do you grind such a tower}” You start with a platform, a foundation. You will then build on that with, for example, basalt blocks. You should see if there is a chemical in between. Perhaps you should chisel all the stones in such a way that they are nicely fixed. And FERTILE NATURE * AUG SEPT 1996 1 9

18there is then a roof of slate. I think it is doable. The rocks are there. There are also plenty of places in Holland where natural stone is traded. Extremely valuable rocks. Very often you also see tombstones made of very paramagnetic rock. They use basalt blocks in the area to strengthen the river banks. But you also have specially cut basalt slabs. Maybe some garden designers know more about that. “The basalt flour that you use here on the land, where do you buy it?” It comes from Germany, from the Seven Mountains, which used to be a volcanic area … there it seems very very good basalt stones to come from. Lavamccl is even better in my experience. It also scores highest in the meringings. Where it comes from I don’t know but it is just a commercially available product. My own experience is that the condition and the wool of the sheep have clearly improved. Very striking. That is also the type of result that you hear more: the animals look better. Less parasites too. Fewer diseases in the crop. “NORTHERN IRELAND What about the influence of paramagnetic rock (meal) on the quality? You have already argued about the preference of cows for grass around stones. , special quality of the Naord-Irish meat? “There are a number of things involved. In Northern Ireland the livestock is not yet kept as intensively, cattle are not as fattened as, for example, in Holland. Furthermore, the North Icrsc soil was created by volcanic activity, it is a mountainous region – actually a very para ram a gne tic area. There are also many minerals in the soil, which gives meat more flavor. Although of course you can partially overcome this with salt blocks and minerals, as the farmers are used to doing here. “A third point is that in Ireland it is not bulls but oxen that are fattened. Castrated bulls. An ox grows slower than a bull. And an animal that grows more slowly is often more palatable. The tenderness is then maintained by keeping the cattle outside and not fattening them. corn and other concentrates. In addition, they know in Ireland that you have to let a slaughtered animal die more than a week. The meat has to mature, (n Holland don’t do that anymore for a number of reasons. hang for two days, which of course does not benefit the taste. “Despite the fact that Irish agriculture has been modernized?” Yes, but also in England, cattle are allowed to die for at least ten days. In America it has been discovered that you should really let them hang for three weeks; the longer, the better, the more the meat has a chance to mature, the more small conversions can take place that benefit the taste. The Greeks already fried their meat in oxen ve t. And if you go back to the early Christian times, you will also find the ox in the stable next to the donkey and the sheep. The ox is actually a very old phenomenon. “Green b’ield meat is also ox meat-” The story was in the newspaper when Albert Heijn had to explain why the meat was from now on from Ireland. “:!: But as a biological dairy farmer, how do you actually view the castration of bulls? “Difficult point … it is an intervention after all. But if you don’t do it, in Holland it means that you can’t just put bulls next to the neighbour’s cows in the pasture. The consequence is that you have to lock up bulls. Dutch bd bulls. are then also fattened indoors On the other hand, you can say that it is very important that animals can be outside. That is easy to achieve with oxen. Although castration of the animal remains a very difficult decision. The question is always whether you can do that intervention or whether you make concessions with regard to housing. ” PREPARATIONS Back to the towers. Callahan also makes several references to biodynamic agriculture. In both cases you are talking about workings that cannot be felt by people. Very low doses of encryption waves or magnetism, but which apparently benefit the plant and enable it to grow better and be less susceptible to disease. Energies that are there for the plant to use. “Did you also understand biodynamic agriculture better through your study of Callahan?” Steiner says: you don’t have to give a good compost fertilizer every year. But you have to make the plant receptive to the absorption of cosmic energy … there is quite a bit of overlap between Steiner’s clues with his preparations and the things Callahan discovered about Celtic agriculture with its towers. “And:” If you are involved with agriculture in this kind of way, there is so much depth to it, it offers so many starting points, it is so extensive that I consider it a privilege to be a farmer. You are dealing with essential things that form the basis of our existence. As if it is a very large field that is open with which I can play a little bit. “Barr Hommersen 2 0 VRUCHTBARI EARTH AUG SEPT 1996

19Noreen Rikmans is in the fifth year of the Haarlem gymnasium. For the biology course she would count the eggs of different species of fruit flies … until her mother came up with the Irish round tower story. Noreen wanted to see the influence of small, recreated turrets on the growth of radish plants. She calls the results of her experiments astonishing. In the spring of 1996 everyone should do their own research – Noreen and the other students of the fifth grade gymnasium of the Stedelijk Gymnasium in Haarlem: “My teacher had given some examples and I was going to research the fertility of different types of fruit flies. But then my mother let me read the story, I was sold, I found the subject so interesting that I decided to do a test. I wanted to be able to see for myself whether the round towers and the different types of stone really produce the intended effect. And partly also to be the only one to hand in a completely different piece of work than the others. “A piece of work with a subject of which no one, not even her biology teacher, could predict the towers in the garden.” – jrmfêti-: 4 could predict the outcome. But her teacher initially called off the project. “He thought it was too risky” He did not call the type of subject interesting Norccn was perplexed. But she refused to do anything else and managed to get it done in the end. In the preface to her paper C’A. The preparatory work she writes: “I understand you found this topic very risky, but what could be more fun than doing something risky?” Do paramagnetic rock towers really affect plant growth? That was the question Norccn asked himself. If you think about it with your logical mind, she says, there are plenty of arguments to be found against the proposition. Perhaps the weather conditions in the tests of the American Philip Callahan were not optimal for all plants.And perhaps a difference in the composition of the soil was the reason for the achieved result. pots as even as possible. The turrets of sandpaper (right) and the granite stones (left). BASALT COLLARS But where did she get the turrets from? “Of the types of stone mentioned by Philip Callahan, I was able to find basalt columns at a natural stone handcl. They were kind enough to sharpen points here. I also worked with homemade turrets made of wood and sandpaper. “In fact there were two kinds of sandpaper: sandpaper with a paper surface and sandpaper with a linen surface. She started that afternoon preparing the eighteen plastic flowerpot for sowing- VKUCH1BARE EARTH AUG SEPT 1996 2 1

20The final setup. At the back a basalt column and the limestone. In front the towers of sandpaper. ten: each pot was given the same sowing soil, bought at a garden center in Heemstede. Like Callahan, Norccn would use radish seed. “Because this is also used in Callahan’s trial and because they germinate quickly and yield fast mature plants.” Then she rolled four pieces of sandpaper (just for the correct shape) around a wooden rod about two inches in diameter. The ends were cut and the edges glued together. On top of that she put a ‘hat’ made of a piece of round sandpaper. And the tower (height 25 cm) was finished. The wooden turrets were coated with glue and then rolled through a tray with basalt or grinding pocder. This is because of the supposed paramagnetic effect of the grinding cl. She also used a turret of white limestone and three chunks of granite stone: no towers but stones with a “somewhat pointed shape”. After that every tower and every stone After three and a half weeks no differences could be seen. Here the towers of sandpaper. placed in the middle of a pot. Small towers in smaller pots; bigger towers in wider pots. And in two or three circles around it – depending on the size of the pot – Noreen sowed radish seeds. Then the pots went into negative: fifteen gates with rook or stone and five control pots without tower or stone. She says about the set-up: “I placed the pots in the middle of the minus, more or less by type together. I made sure to place the pots and especially the control pots far enough apart so that they would not influence each other and still all get the same amount of sunlight. I stretched a net over all the gates so that cats and birds could not reach it. “In total the preparation took her half a day.” Furthermore, I could do nothing more than wait until the plants would start to grow. “ROME” I have a hard time say what I expect from this experiment, “Noreen writes prior to the trial.” I think the granite stones will have little effect because they don’t have a true tower shape. “Also she suspects that the wooden towers smeared with glue and rolled with basalt powder will have little will lash out. “Because nothing is known about the fact that wood attracts energy. And because the effect of the powder is probably not strong enough. “A few weeks after the germination of the plants, there was in any case not a single difference.” The plants all went together. I was already afraid that my test would have failed. “Too bad, she says, because I wanted to prove with this test that there is indeed more on earth than what we see. But then Norecn left for Rome with the other fifth-class riders.” plants had not fully grown yet, partly due to the cold weather of those days, so my mother and I decided to just leave the plants. They were now three and a half weeks old. “She was back a week larcr. At that time she already found the result astonishing. The differences were especially clear with the basalt towers:” Remarkably, the plants in the three wooden-tower gates (rolled by basalt cell or scouring powder) were even smaller than the control plants. SANDPAPER Conclusion: Certain stones considered paramagnetic do have a positive influence on the crop. “There were sufficient control pots in which the plants did not differ from each other. Moreover, the growth differences could in most cases be demonstrated in duplicate.” As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 Certain stones considered paramagnetic do have a positive influence on the crop. “There were sufficient control pots in which the plants did not differ from each other. Moreover, the growth differences could in most cases be demonstrated in duplicate.” As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 Certain stones considered paramagnetic do have a positive influence on the crop. “There were sufficient control pots in which the plants did not differ from each other. Moreover, the growth differences could in most cases be demonstrated in duplicate.” As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996 As for the basalt towers, the tests strengthened her belief that the towers draw energy from the environment and pass it on to the surrounding soil. At the basalt towers, she thinks, probably supported by the fact that the basalt was not completely solid: “It was 2 2 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEP1 1996

21Lift result after ± seven weeks. To the left the flower pots with the basalt towers, top right the limestone tower, bottom right the control pot. a brittle kind of stone, there were pits of a few millimeters everywhere, as if the whole stone was full of air bubbles “And the limestone turret?” Has also done its best, because the differences are clearly visible. This turret is also not completely solid. “She finds the difference between the sandpaper towers striking – a positive effect with the towers with Hnncn substrate and no effect with the towers with paper substrate. A possible explanation for this could, according to her, be that wood and paper inhibit or even obstruct the energy path altogether.The plants around the wooden towers were remarkably the smallest of all. The granicts seemed to be doing nothing. She suspects that the shape got in the way of the operation. “They weren’t turrets, but just stones with a somewhat pointed shape. Besides, they were massive.” But the origin of the stones may also have played a role. Norccn: “One stone can come from a particularly energy-rich area and therefore transmit the energy better. Difficult subject. The research into the influence of the round towers on plant growth will not yet yield concrete evidence, she expects a first. question she mainly asked herself: Were the pots in her research not too close to each other? Did the towers perhaps influence each other? It is possible, she says. But she can’t really imagine it anyway: ” Because I tried to separate the pots from each other as far as possible on the relatively small surface that I had at my disposal. The towers weren’t really big either, so I assume that the range wasn’t that far either. “The second question she asks herself: Were the radish seeds in all the pots just sown close? Her comment:” Also here I have tried to make everything run as smoothly as possible. “Question three: Wasn’t it better to experiment with other plants as well? Noreen:” Yes, this was indeed better, but I didn’t pray the space for that, besides my experiment with plant growth in general. “Follow-up research? Norcen has plenty of ideas. Research into the meaning of the region of origin of the different types of stone, for example. Or research into the significance of the shape and size of the towers; research into the meaning of the hollowness of the turrets used. New research into the negative effect she found with wood and paper. And research into the range of the different towers. The experiments themselves were not that bad for her, by the way. “Try it.” she tells all potentially interested people, ‘after all, it is no more than an afternoon of work.’ Only writing the report disappointed her. “I’ve been typing for at least an afternoon or an evening every day for over a week – correcting mistakes, writing things over again and adding things.” Norccn eventually got a seven for her report. Maybe she supposes the basalt she used came from a particularly energy-rich area (see also here: the interview with Callahan). PROOFABILITY Noreen is the first to admit that her research may not have been perfect. It will of course remain an && * With these wooden towers it is easy to see that the plants in the control pot are larger. FRUITFUL NATURE AUG SEPT 1996 2 3

22A number of very different reactions to the round tower story as we published it in VA 1/96. A Wageningen grassland scientist, a naturopath, a physicist and an importer of medicinal soil about paramagnetism and plant growth. PARAMAGNETISMS NO FORCE “Nonsense,” he says without ado. Dr. AJ van Duyneveldt is a researcher at the Kamerlingh Ormes Laboratory in Leiden, where the professor CJ. Gorter worked until the 1970s: the physicist to whom Philip Callahan dedicates a substantial thanks in the preface to his latest book Paramagnetism. But Gorter has long since ceased to be alive. Van Duyneveldt is one of the last of Gorter’s PhD students at Leiden University. The question was what Van Duyneveldt thinks of the round tower story. “I’m not impressed,” he will say a little more cautiously later in the conversation. “I can hardly imagine such an effect.” His criticism seems to focus mainly on Callahan’s use of words. Or is it more fundamental? “There is no such thing as a paramagnetic force,” says the physicist emphatically. After all, there are only four fundamental forces in this world: the gravitational force, the weak and the strong nuclear force and the electromagnetic force. So, according to Van Duyneveldt, we should talk about a magnetic force? That is indeed closer to the truth, he says. Were it not for the fact that there is no force at all – but a sensitivity to a magnetic field. “A paramagnetic piece of rock is not magnetic as a material. Magnetism is only present at the atomic level. “Why the stone is not magnetic? Because, according to Van Duyneveldt, the atomic magnets are crisscrossed together,” That is why the stone does not feel magnetic. the atomic magnets point in the same direction. ” And that only happens again when you place the stone in a magnetic field. The same goes for a screwdriver, of course. But the screwdriver remains (I) magnetic when the magnet is removed, while the paramagnetic material has no magnetic memory: the atomic magnets are in all directions again a little later. And the rock has lost its magnetism. Therefore, according to Van Duyneveldt, paramagnetism is not a ‘force’. But in physics terminology: ” And if there were an effect, I would first like to know which element in the plant reacts to that magnetism. Because there must be something in the plant cell that is itself magnetic. Otherwise, a plant cannot sense magnetism. If the influence of strong magnetic influences have indeed been demonstrated, as you say, I would start my research there. Of course, the mechanism of action is much easier to ascertain with strong fields than with weak fields. “Postscript: Callahan does not agree with the criticism.” power. It cannot be maintained that something (a paramagnetic stone) is ‘sensitive to’ when there is ‘mets’ in that place. What a paramagnetic material is all about »the antenna effect: It ‘ s putting energy in long u-aiw * (see further: Ph. Callahan; ‘Paramagnetism’ and ‘Ancient Mysteries, Modem Visa /). CAUTION CURIOUS He is cautious, anything but convinced. But Dr. JH Neuteboom, research assistant in Grassland Science at the Wageningen Department of Agronomy, doesn’t want to lock the door either. A beneficial effect of paramagnetic rock on plant growth? “I don’t know. Philip Callahan’s experiments look nice at first glance, but I would like to see the original publications. Does he really have conclusive evidence? Whether further research is worthwhile? In my opinion, it has some common ground. organic farming, perhaps the Wageningen Department of Ecological Agriculture would like it. Given the still great public interest in these kinds of topics, it would be nice if someone would take a critical look at it again. If in Grassland Science a student would definitely like to do research into paramagnetic effects. then I would not stop him, although I am not the only one who decides about it. I personally don’t get around to it. There are other important things too. In addition, I have no idea how paramagnetism could work and you should at least have some idea anyway. Another thing I could imagine is that it acts, for example, on the ion transport along cell membranes. But how? Callahan comes from the world of entomology and ornithology. Birds may be able to react sensitively to magnetic fields. But with plants you have to deal with completely different mechanisms. Rogier Schulte is now in Ireland (see: 1er * Diary- ed.). He is investigating whether the Irish towers influence the yield of the vegetation around them. Also a criterion that Callahan uses. Although I do not expect much from that Callahan says himself that it concerns weak 2 4 FERTILE EARTH AUG SEPT 1996

23effects and that is why that story about the $ 8,000 higher cotton and soy yields due to paramâgnetism seems to me a bit strong. I think that an aspect such as yield is dominated by completely different factors. If there were any measurable effect, I would rather look for it in the adaptability of plants to unfavorable growing conditions. We call that persistence. Photosynthesis, water and mineral nutrition are especially important for production. Paramâgnetism an aspect of that diet? I could only imagine that if paramâgnetism were to increase mineral absorption or mineral utilization. It would make me curious. ”VOLCANIC EARTH He knows that it works in many psoriasis patients, but he prefers not to venture into the how or what. The Amsterdam importer of the Mirak earth from the Spanish, volcanic island of Puerteventura. Frank Zwiers, prefers to refer to the dermatologists at Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen, who recently accompanied him to the extraction area on the island. The Spanish soil is one of the clay products marketed for skin problems. A very famous one is of course the Luvos clay. which, for example, the Amsterdam naturopath Danielle Crijns highly praises for complaints such as burns, eczema, shingles. psoriasis, diaper rash, breast inflammation and hemorrhoids. The effect of this South Limburg clay product, she explains. is usually associated with its high mineral content. As it is also assumed from the Spanish Mirak earth that the healing effect of the minerals, especially the sulfur, goes out. Frank Zwiers – a psoriasis patient himself for twenty years – became enthusiastic when he saw the first results in himself. “The islanders themselves have known the effect for a long time, but are just as surprised that it works.” As Zwiers was again amazed at the amazing vegetation in some places on the island. “Millions of rock-hard stones in which you can see dozens of fat-like plants growing. It rains twice a year in Fuerteventura, but the island is known for its top quality tomatoes and onions.” A few of those stones are now on his windowsill. “The plants keep growing.” Paramâgnetism and / or minerals? Zwiers and Crijns are currently sticking to minerals. The first clinic for psoriasis patients will soon be opened on the Spanish island. TO THE EDITOR ORGANIZATION INFORMATION I would like to share with you some images that came to my mind as a result of the article about the round towers in Ireland (VA 1/96). Apart from the arrangement of the towers in relation to the constellations in the sky, the article emphasizes: 1. The influence of round towers, composed of paramagnetic material, on the growth of surrounding plants, in relation to the poles and direction of earth rotation. 2. The positive influence of paramagnetic rock in the soil in a general sense on plant growth. 5. The negative influence of sharp protrusions, corners or edges on nearby vegetation. A closer look at these three points reveals the term ORGANIZATION as a central principle. I want to explain to you how I get there. In every living being I see two aspects, one of which is the aspect of being. The aspect of being contains, among other things, all information about the figure, both the construction and the processes and is therefore a knowing and a guiding principle. We find a simple equivalent of this in the computer in the form of software on the hard disk. This knowing or consciousness of the plant is a given of order and an ability to discern. Where chaos reigns, we find no identity, consciousness or distinction. Order is necessary for maintenance, growth and reproduction. Every living cell is provided with the necessary part of the organizing principle of the plant, so that the whole can be as a unit and function or exist. The health of a plant is visible in its shape and processes. Knowing itself is inaccessible to us as it is not happening. Our measuring devices are also process-related. All our efforts to promote growth or yield are therefore process-oriented and usually result-oriented. However, in order for the plant to be healthy, the conservation effort and associated immune system should not be overburdened. This does not mean the process-related side of this, but the identity or ordering aspect. When we burden the plant with fields containing chaos, we can even cause disease and destruction, as this makes our own order inaccessible or partially or completely disturbed. now make an attempt to explain this further. It is known in naturopathy that the ordering information of a medicine in a glass ampoule emerges through the glass, provided that the glass is transparent to infrared radiation.This principle is applied in electro-acupuncture to determine the response of patients to medicines. without having to be ingested. In this case, the infrared or heat radiation of the medicine carries the ordering information out through the glass and hits the skin of the living creature that has, for example, taken this ampoule in the hand. The living cells of the patient are connected to the central order consciousness and pass on the information coming from outside to it, after which the own order responds to it. These reactions can now be measured, among other things, as changes in skin resistance. A magnetic field can also function as a carrier in this sense. When a field comes from a highly ordered environment, it carries the orderly information about this condition and can thus offer very favorable conditions for living beings therein. What does this have to do with paramagnetic stones? Paramagnetic stones have magnetic or organizing properties which have a favorable effect on the organizing environment of the plants. In the case of a tower, we used paramagnetic stones to achieve a high-quality shape, namely the round Irish tower. We combine two aspects of ordering in the tower, namely of form and of substance. Moreover, this tower is very likely in an orderly place on the earth and all this leads to a field of effect, as described by Mr. Callahan. As soon as an imitation tower has sharp edges or protruding points, these are disturbances in the order of the shape, which are therefore also perceived as disturbing by the plants, given their reaction. It seems interesting to me to investigate whether we as humans also experience these ordering influences at the same time as plants or otherwise. This can be tested using, for example, electro-acupuncture or the well-known touch-for-health method. With this approach I hope to have given an entrance to a mostly neglected but very essential side of life. HJvan der Heide (Former medical officer of the NOS / medical medicine) BH FERTILE EARTH AUG SEPT 199 «2 5 these are disturbances in the ordering of the form, which are therefore also perceived by the plants as disturbing in view of their reaction. It seems interesting to me to investigate whether we as humans also experience these ordering influences at the same time as plants or otherwise. This can be tested using, for example, electro-acupuncture or the well-known touch-for-health method. With this approach I hope to have given an entrance to a mostly neglected but very essential side of life. HJvan der Heide (Former medical officer of the NOS / medical medicine) BH FERTILE EARTH AUG SEPT 199 «2 5 these are disturbances in the ordering of the form, which are therefore also perceived by the plants as disturbing in view of their reaction. It seems interesting to me to investigate whether we as humans also experience these ordering influences the same as the plants or otherwise. This can be tested using, for example, electro-acupuncture or the well-known touch-for-health method. With this approach I hope to have given an entrance to a mostly neglected but very essential side of life. HJvan der Heide (Former medical officer of the NOS / medical medicine) BH FERTILE EARTH AUG SEPT 199 «2 5 This can be tested using, for example, electro-acupuncture or the well-known touch-for-health method. With this approach I hope to have given an entrance to a mostly neglected but very essential side of life. HJvan der Heide (Former medical officer of the NOS / medical medicine) BH FERTILE EARTH AUG SEPT 199 «2 5 This can be tested using, for example, electro-acupuncture or the well-known touch-for-health method. With this approach I hope to have provided an entrance to a mostly neglected but very essential side of life. HJvan der Heide (Former medical officer of the NOS / medical medicine)

 

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