Geomantica 94
December 2025
The magazine of Earth harmony, via dowsing, geomancy, esoteric gardening & agriculture,
and eco-sensitive living, since 1998. Edited by Alanna Moore.
Geo 94 Contents
Editorial and letters/feedback
News
* The Northern Winter + Spring program of Geomantica workshops in Ireland, UK + Switzerland is HERE.
* The Southern Spring workshop programme in Malaysia + Australasia is HERE.
* Informative and inspiring stories in other media –
‘Deep Time’- impressive Australian Aboriginal wisdom project; David Gulpilil laid to rest; US river restoration success; Britain is a deeply dis-connected-to-nature nation; Kids who play with dirt are healthier; Fostering nature in cities; Vale Manchan Magan, Ireland’s mystic scholar; Donegal, Irish journey; Songlines of the Pleiades; Australian first – indigenous peoples’ treaty signed into state law; Southern lights spectacle.
* Features –
Design for Earth Harmony with ‘Sensitive Permaculture’
by Alanna Moore, November 2025.
What is permaculture and sensitive permaculture design? What can it achieve?
Alanna, who has three diplomas of permaculture from its originator, the late Bill Mollison, developed the art of geomantically inspired permaculture design for edible landscapes throughout the 1990’s, while involved with the pioneering Australian permaculture movement. She wrote the book ‘Sensitive Permaculture’ in 2013 and also contributed a chapter to the 2011 book ‘Permaculture Pioneers’. This article provides an overview of the subject.
My Life in Books
by Alanna Moore, November 2025.
An article commissioned by the Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland’s most widely read newspaper, for Dec. 20th 2025.
* Book Reviews
* Alanna Moore’s new book Legendary Leitrim reviewed.
* ‘Domination’ by Prof Alice Roberts, reviewed by The Guardian and Alanna Moore.
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G94 Editorial
Dear Folks,
Welcome to the 94th, December 2025 edition of Geomantica magazine.
Staying low tech to be all the more sustainable and planet friendly, I continue to avoid the giant energy and water footprints of more flash looking online media sites with their huge files of audio and video; however I do admit to having a Facebook page.
I hope you gain inspiration from the stories in this Geomantica and love to hear your feedback!
Thanks go to contributors.
Letters and articles are welcome, the next edition will be published next northern spring, in February 2026.
Enjoy the season you are in
and best wishes for a wonderful solstice and a peaceful new year!
Your editor,
Alanna Moore
Geo 94 Letters and feedback
On “hearing voices”, in the last edition of Geomantica, shared by Janobai Smith in Australia:
Hello Alanna
“Good to see that you continue to educate people about EMFs. Incidentally, did I ever tell you about the person in Castlemaine who was ‘hearing voices’ in her bedroom? One of our electricians had told us about her. He said she definitely wasn’t the sort of person inclined towards such behaviour. He told her to let him know when it was happening and he finally tracked it down to something (faulty I think) to do with the transmission from the local radio station. The frequencies were coupling onto the metal of the bed. Building biologists, of course, warn about not having metal bed frames or metal coils in mattresses.
“Lyn McLean had talked about this phenomenon in her book, The Force, in regard to the Vatican. Nearby residents were hearing ‘the Voice of God’ coming from their washing machines and fridges, as a result of the Vatican’s powerful transmitters”.
* Feedback from Alanna’s recent UK and Irish seminars
Three comments from participants after the ‘Divining our Energetic World’ weekend in the UK, April 2025
via https://electroculture.earth/testimonials
“It was the most wonderful & magical weekend. Neil and I had such a good time there with everyone. I’m still buzzing from the energy we experienced.” Lynn E
“Beautiful magical weekend at Alanna’s dowsing course. Thank you to all who created this magical space and shared experience in Geomancy. Great to share a camp, fire and food with new like minded tribe and some already known.” Lisa H
“After this course I was able to dowse for where to put my glass Power Tower bottles for my Electroculture project at home. A fab weekend that has given me confidence in my own abilities”. Lindsey S
“I attended Alanna’s spirit dowsing workshop [in Ireland] recently and it was fantastic! Super informative and coupled with practical exercises. It is best suited to the more experienced dowser who is wanting to refine their skills under expert supervision. I would highly recommend! Anne-Marie D, NI.
* Feedback from Australia, late 2024.
“Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and your time spent on our property in North east Victoria. I’ve just had 5 days there and have felt the landscape and beings opening up further. I’m very excited about where this will lead me and the assistance I’m feeling as we work together with the energies and beings in creating a true sanctuary”.
Bronwyn, Melbourne, Australia
Geo 94 News
* Deep Time
“The story of Australia and its peoples is vast and deep. The first peoples of this land have lived alongside giant animals that no longer exist, survived and adapted in an ice age and seen dramatic sea level rises that engulfed their homelands. It’s hard to know exactly what life was like back then. Only those ancient ancestors will ever know. But some of their stories from a time so long ago remain. They are written into the stars; they’re carried on in songs, in ceremonies, in dances, and in oral histories that have been passed down from one generation to the next.
“Thanks to the dozens of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have generously granted permission for their cultural knowledge to be shared with you. It’s only with their help that we can tell this epic story.
“Dreaming or spirit beings created and influenced systems of beliefs which guide people on what they need to know to survive and care for everything around them. They are embodied in the world all around us, within places and animals. Similarly, Torres Strait Islander people have spiritual beings that created the land, the laws, the animals. Some also guide Islanders on how to live in harmony with the land, seas and each other. Oral histories made sure that knowledge was passed from one generation to the next to maintain that strong relationship to Country.
Everything has a story. Every place. Every animal. Every life lesson.
The spiritual world interconnects with the physical world.
It is the past, the present, the future.
It is everywhere, everywhen.”
From – https://www.abc.net.au/news/deeptime/tell-me-a-story/
A beautiful example of a Deep Time piece:
“A country’s 50,000-year-old encyclopedia – pictorial. Here at Murujuga, the red rocks are alive with more than 1 million artworks, and there are more ancient stories under the sea. It’s a place where you can see directly into the depths of Australia’s epic history.”
From – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-25/deep-time-murujuga-rock-art-gallery/104798598
* Journey Home, David Gulpilil
the ‘extraordinary’ 4,000km, 10-month effort to return the actor home
“He was a man who danced between two worlds, carried stories across continents and, on his final journey, returned to the land that made him…. Before his death in November 2021, actor David Gulpilil made one final request: to be laid to rest in his ancestral home, deep in remote East Arnhem Land. Honouring that wish became a monumental undertaking and the subject of a documentary releasing across Australia next week called Journey Home, David Gulpilil.”
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/24/david-gulpilil-actor-casket-journey-home-documentary
* One year after a historic dam removal
teens inspire river restoration worldwide
“The Klamath River began rebounding almost immediately. Now, Indigenous youth are leading the next chapter of the recovery, inspiring tribes from Brazil to China… The final of four hydroelectric dams was removed last year from the Klamath River, in the largest project of its kind in US history. The following July, 28 teenage tribal representatives completed a 30-day journey that spanned roughly 310 miles (500km) from the headwaters in the Cascades to the Pacific. They were the very first to kayak the entirety of the mighty river in more than a century….
“The river seemed to come alive right after dam removal,” said Damon Goodman, the Mount Shasta-Klamath regional director for CalTrout during a meeting on the one-year anniversary. “There’s just fish jumping all over the place, bald eagles, all sorts of wildlife.”
* Britain is one of least ‘nature-connected’ nations in world
“Britain (and Ireland) are two of the least “nature connected” nations in the world, according to the first ever [semi] global study of how people relate to the natural world. Studies have found that people with higher levels of nature connectedness enjoy improved wellbeing.
“Nature connectedness is a psychological concept that measures the closeness of an individual’s relationship with other species. Studies have found that people with higher levels of nature connectedness enjoy improved wellbeing and are more likely to act in environmentally friendly ways. Low levels of nature connectedness have been identified as one of three major underlying causes of biodiversity loss alongside inequality and the prioritisation of individual, material gains.
Researchers from Britain and Austria, led by Miles Richardson, professor of nature connectedness at the University of Derby, found the strongest indicator for a close relationship with nature was high levels of “spirituality” in a society. More religious societies and cultures where there was a preference for faith over science showed high levels of nature connection.”
* Nature connection needs to be visceral and start young
“In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss – and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing” –
From – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/29/soil-sandpit-children-dirty-biodiversity-finnish-nurseries-research-microbes-bacteria-aoe
* “Nature also belongs in our cities”
“Kylie Soanes has designed rope bridges to help endangered possums cross the road, installed floating wetlands in urban waterways, and created artificial homes for Powerful Owls, who often can’t find the tree hollows they prefer to nest in. Her work is part of a growing movement to find solutions so that humans can coexist with plants and animals in urban environments.”
Extracted from – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-29/kylie-soanes-urban-nature-conservation-biodiversity/105315332
* Vale Manchan Magan, Ireland’s beloved mystic scholar
It’s a tragic loss of a very popular author and radio broadcaster, who touched the Irish soul with his writings. His ’33 Words for a Field’, amongst many others, has enchanted us with the Irish language and its hidden jewels.
* A trip to far-flung Donegal and a nod to Manchan Magan
Guardian writer Fergal McCarthy explores the cliffs, beaches and villages of the Gaeltacht area of Donegal and sees the landscape afresh through the Irish language. Dear departed writer and broadcaster Manchan Magan is oft quoted in this piece. For example. “In his 2020 bestselling book Thirty-Two Words for Field, Magan writes: “Irish has a rich store of words that offers a more soulful and nature-connected way of seeing the world. It lets you live more deeply in your environment.” Also – see https://www.manchan.com
From – https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/nov/04/donegal-ireland-beyond-the-blarney
* The Pleiades and Seven Sisters Songlines
“The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters star cluster, is one of the most iconic features in the night sky. While the cluster contains six to seven bright blue stars that can be seen by the naked eye, it’s actually surrounded by a huge, hidden stellar family. That’s according to new research out of the US, which used data from two large telescopes to find thousands of “siblings” of the Sisters. The study, which was published in The Astrophysical Journal, means the cluster is 20 times larger than previously thought. For astronomers, the Pleiades is one of the best-studied clusters of stars. But it’s also important in many cultures around the world — including Indigenous Australian and Māori cultures — and has been depicted in books and art since the Bronze Age….
“Wirangu woman Susie Betts, from Port Lincoln in South Australia, said First Nations people around the world shared a kinship with the Seven Sisters. Ms Betts travelled North and South America on a Churchill Fellowship to learn about how different cultures connected to the star cluster.
“These stars were their star kin, their star brothers and sisters, they were a part of their family,” she said. ”These stars were part of their whole being, a part of their whole culture. They weren’t separate at all and that’s what I found I connected to, that I found so comforting that wherever I went I was home.”…
“Stories around the Sisters in Australia can vary but Ms Betts said a common one was about an old or young man chasing seven girls or women across the landscape. As that happens, the landscape is created by these seven girls,” she said. “There’s many layers to it, because it’s all a part of our law. Our connection to country. Our sky law as well. It’s about those two dimensions, the sky and the earth, connecting those two.”
See also: ‘Seven Sisters stars creation story reconnecting people to their country after clifftop massacre taboo lifted’
* Australia’s first treaty with Aboriginal people
“Australia’s first treaty with Aboriginal people will today be signed and formalised as law. Victoria’s treaty will become Australia’s first modern treaty agreement with the country’s Indigenous owners, in a move labelled “historic” by the United Nations human rights chief. While treaties with Indigenous groups are commonplace in countries colonised by the British, such as New Zealand and Canada, Australia has long been the exception. The absence of treaties in Australia has been an enduring reminder of the denial of First Peoples’ rights, including to land, throughout Australia’s colonial history.”
Extracted from – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-13/australia-first-treaty-agreement-signed-law-victoria/106002730
* Southern lights spectacular
Southern parts of Australia were treated to a spectacular light show recently, following a severe geomagnetic storm. It has been peak sun spot season in the 11 year sun cycle.
See it in glorious technicolour here – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-13/aurora-australis-in-photos-november-2025/106003620
Feature Articles
*Design for Earth Harmony with ‘Sensitive Permaculture’
– a landscape design system that combines Dowsing, Geomancy, Building Biology and Permaculture Design principles for abundant and healthy, harmonious living.
Alanna Moore developed the art of geomantically inspired permaculture design for edible landscapes throughout the 1990’s, while involved with the Australian permaculture movement and a member of the editorial team of the Permaculture International Journal. She has three diplomas of permaculture from its originator, the late Bill Mollison and published a book on the subject – ‘Sensitive Permaculture’ – in 2013, also contributing a chapter to the book ‘Permaculture Pioneers’ (edited by Kerry Dawborn and Caroline Smith, Melliodora Publishing, 2011, Australia).
This is what a prominent permaculture design teacher in Australia has said of the impact of that book:
“The day my copy arrived of Alanna’s book ‘Sensitive Permaculture’ I lounged under a tree to have a read. Well, even just the first page made me think and then question all I had done to date and many more Permies like me I have met worldwide doing the same…. In my Permaculture Design Course teaching I now include the other half of design thinking under the 4th Ethic, ‘Care of Spirit’ [and] I use this book now as part of day one to provide a balance between straight science over thinking and nature. I suggest you read this book with an open mind and heart and see what might happen for you. Thanks Alanna for changing the last ten years for me.” Peter Russell (‘Pete the Permie’), 2020, Melbourne.
The following article by Alanna Moore is an overview of the subject, written for the Italian dowsing society in Rome, where she will be teaching on 19th April 2026. ( Società Italiana di Radionica e Radiestesia www.radionica.it )
What is Permaculture Design?
It’s nearly 40 years since I was introduced to the principles of Permaculture Design for sustainable, productive landscapes big and small. The word Permaculture was invented in the 1970’s to describe a ‘permanent agriculture’ or ‘permanent culture’, one that is sustainable. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren’s work formulating their award winning design system had taken Australia by storm by the 1980s. Many people were fired with inspiration to go and live in the countryside, grow food and live the noble life of the peasant. Some have called Permaculture Design “Australia’s best export”. This is because it has often made a striking difference in peoples’ lives in ‘poorer’ countries, such as India, with projects restoring degraded lands and making them productive again.
The Permaculture Design system was inspired by nature and human wisdom both old and new, from observations of traditional polyculture gardening around the world, to modern scientific insights into sustainable eco-systems. Aiming at a natural, circular economy, it cycles nutrients through animals and plants, for low-outside-input food production. Small and intensive growing is favoured, biodiversity is maximised and nature is encouraged. Mollison developed a 72 hour basic course in Permaculture Design, but it was only a brief introduction to a great many component subjects. (Thirty years ago I gained three Diplomas in Permaculture Design from Bill Mollison, to recognise my further application and implementation, teaching and media work.)
Before planning anything, the first necessity is to read a landscape carefully and map it out. As well as studying topography, vegetation, geology and soil types; over the course of 12 months, through all the seasons, one also notes the presence and patterns of sunlight, wind, water, frost and drainage. Such factors are energies that can be harnessed, managed or avoided. Another example is gravity – a useful energy that can be harnessed at steep or hilly sites for gravity fed water systems, avoiding the need for pumps and keeping things nice and simple.
Dowsing and Permaculture Design
Bill Mollison was allergic to all things spiritual or ‘new age’, but he had nothing against dowsing. In fact in his ‘Permaculture Design Manual’ he wrote about water diviners in Western Australia, where farmlands poisoned by salinity were restored by their detection and manipulation of underground streams. After dowsing for the locations of these streams, earth berms were installed to re-direct surface water flows, to rebalance hydrology and soil that had been destroyed by inappropriate agricultural practises. The land then came back to life! I also wrote about this great work in my 2007 book The Wisdom of Water and my documentary film (‘Grassroots Solutions to Soil Salinity’) also features this ‘WISALTS’ system, that was ignored by the Australian Government, who had spent $1 billion trying to tackle the soil salinity problem, largely unsuccessfully.
As a professional dowser / geomancer since the early 1980’s, the idea of assessing the natural energies of a site came natural to me. It seemed a perfect extension of the energy survey – to divine the subtle influential Earth energies, or geobiology, of a site when considering the ideal placement of gardens and other features. It worked out well for me, but folk at the Permaculture International Journal where I was a volunteer editor, were nervous of anything that didn’t seem scientific, so it was hard to get esoteric articles published. Feng shui was given a small mention. Geobiology itself is a scientific term and it has been scientifically demonstrated for almost 100 years now, in terms of energy anomalies in geopathic stress zones (such as strongly positive ionisation), yet it is still considered a ‘fringe idea’ in Australia, or it was then, 30 years ago. (I wrote about geooathic stress in my book ‘Divining Earth Spirit’, 2004.)
After developing the concept of what I decided to call ‘Sensitive Permaculture’ and receiving good feedback from people, I wrote it up into a 2009 book of that name and this was translated into Italian in 2022 (Permacultura Sensitiva – coltivare la via della Terra Sacra). I have since developed the concept further, but have yet to update the book, which aims to inspire people to approach landscape design in a more magical way, to discover the deep nature of places and connect heartfully with it. It’s an antidote to the great loss of nature connection that is so prevalent today.
The Essence of Sensitive Permaculture
With the Sensitive Permaculture approach a radical change of mindset from the status quo is needed. A change of heart, away from the rapacious assault on Mother Earth that is most modern agriculture. Rather than simply imposing one’s will on a place, land and nature can be offered partnership and protection. Rather than a profit motive, healthy and happy people, plus harmony for all, can be the product of this more sacred and sustainable way of living and working with the land. (You can read about the beauty of the Peasant Economy in my 2021 book ‘Peasant in Paradise.’)
The underlying essence of Sensitive Permaculture calls for –
* Respect for all nature.
* Connecting deeply with place and living in harmony with it
* Listening to the land and the consciousness residing in it.
* Custodianship of the land, for future generations to enjoy and be sustained by.
On a practical level this can be achieved by:
* Assessing the geobiology and nature beings of home places.
* Finding enchanted places in your locality and visiting them regularly.
* Creating sacred space for yourself and also for nature beings, e.g. a temenos, a sacred wilderness corner dedicated to the garden fairies (a ‘Zone 5’ area in Permaculture Design).
* Cultivating good energy in the garden. This can include using bronze tools, Electro-Culture methods, Power Towers, energetic stone arrangements and the like
(For more on these subjects, see my books Rocce Energetiche Oggi – progettare l’armonia della terra attraverso le composizioni di pietra and Agricoltura Energetica – beneficiare delle energie sottili della natura per la fattoria ed il giardino). [In English – Touchstones for Today and Stone Age Farming.]
* Living in a healthy home, as much as possible, following the principles of good Building Biology, and minimising pollution there, including from micro-plastics and electro-smog.
* Cultivating your own good energy – with a good heart, good thoughts and feelings.
* My Life in Books
by Alanna Moore, for the Belfast Telegraph, December 2025.
1. My childhood book I can’t forget
In the early 1960’s my lack of childhood playmates lead to a big appetite for books. I also loved nature and often went off bushwalking through swathes of wondrous wildflowers. Checking out my (radical) parent’s book shelves, I’ll never forget one I found – Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson. It told of wholesale land degradation that had escalated in recent decades, since the rise of agricultural chemicals. It must have spurred a strong green ethic as I’ve been attracted to environmental care ever since, have worked for Greenpeace etc.
2. My favourite classic read
A childhood classic jumps to mind – The Adventures of Snugglepot and Snugglepie. Growing up in Sydney, I could imagine the little Eucalyptus fairies with their gum nut hats, the familiar plants and animals gorgeously depicted by Sydney artist author May Gibbs. The idea of little creatures living conscious lives in nature intrigued me then and still does, and I look forwards to reading it to my Swiss grandson, as a nod to his Aussie roots.
3. Books I’d recommend to others
When I’m teaching people ways to connect to land and nature sensitively, I’m often asked to recommend books. Much ancient wisdom is out of print these days, so I’ve had to produce my own books to help people understand ways to better steward the land and cultivate harmony. Naturally, I would recommend my own books!
4. The book that made most impact on me
‘The Permaculture Designer’s Manual’ by the late Bill Mollison has been a bible for the movement that he developed, an antidote to the monoculture world of food production and living, with its holistic land planning and polyculture food growing. Bill signed my copy with “Great big cabbages to you” – and it did come to pass!
5. My favourite author
Manchan Magan’s books are enchanting! Revealing the deep mystic nature of Irish identity, land lore and language, they are true treasures. So sad that he died young, just recently. May he rest in magic.
6. My comfort read
Books about fairies and angels I do enjoy to chill with. I’m in awe of W. B. Yeats and Lady Gregory in valuing and collecting the supernatural tales that were the prime entertainment of their day. I live near ‘Yeats Country’ in Co. Sligo, where magnificent scenery is a suitable setting for dramatic tales. The folklore of landscape mythos often has archaic roots that I love to fathom.
7. My book for inspiration
‘Secrets of the Soil – new solutions for restoring our planet’ by Christopher Bird and Peter Tompkins was such an inspiration, introducing me to esoteric agriculture systems, such as Biodynamics, that foster healthy farmers, consumers and nature. I went on to promote what’s now called Energetic Agriculture, or Electro-Culture – a natural growing movement that’s lately taken off in Europe and USA. Many of the people that the 1989 book showcased continue to inspire me, as they carry on rooting for Mother Earth. On the cover of the first edition a quote from the Boston Herald calls it – “A worthy sequel to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring”
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Book Reviews
* Reviews of Alanna Moore’s new book ‘Legendary Leitrim’
“I recently bought this wonderful book Legendary Leitrim in my local store and as an avid reader and avid Leitrim person, I snapped it up. As I read into this treasure I fell into a wonderful mystic world of mermaids, red and white cows, Holy wells, Black pigs dyke, cromlechs and traces of giants, Druids Altars and bog oak trackways, and of course the wonderful Doon of Drumsna. Having lived in this magical village for most of my life, I of course knew about the Doon and many of those afore mentioned places but nothing like the store of information in this book by author Alanna Moore. It is a treasure. Colleen Guckian, Drumsna, Co. Leitrim.
“What a beautiful peek into the magical Northwest of Ireland. Alanna’s words and photographs bring this part of Ireland to life – transporting us to the beautiful villages and landscapes of the region, their history and mystery. It is a book that feeds your soul and inspires you to visit the region for yourself.” Dawn Kirkham, Canada
“A phenomenal achievement.” Patricia Mc Caffrey, Kiltyclogher Heritage Centre, Co. Leitrim
Find this book HERE.
* ‘Domination’ by Prof Alice Roberts
As reviewed by The Guardian:
“Domination tells the story of how a tiny local cult became one of the greatest cultural and political forces in history. Alice Roberts puts the case that the Roman empire lived on in a different form in the church. It is not an original idea – after all the foundation prayer of Christianity says “thy Kingdom come” – but Roberts tells the story from the point of view of individual parishes and even buildings… Anyone who thinks the church was about anything “other than money and power”, she says, is suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Illuminators of manuscripts, builders of cathedrals, makers of the objects in which she herself finds such wonder were all either duplicitous or duped. In a splendidly anachronistic closing flourish she shelves the empire metaphor and instead compares the church to a corporation with directors and CEOs, franchises and a product to sell… It’s a revelation, like watching those stop-motion films of how a plant grows and blooms.”
Editors thoughts
This reference to time lapse photography is a clue to the slow nature of this book. One wants to fast track to those big juicy revelations that Roberts aspires too, but alas, the build up is padded out and light on content. But on the bright side, she does shine an important light on this normally taboo subject – the murky world of religious imperialism, that involved feudalism, corrupt oligarchies, the revolving door from church to military to elite social power networking, etc etc. Certainly there are a myriad of clues to show that Christianity established out of the ashes of the Roman Empire as a religion for the middle to upper classes to help maintain the master-slave based status quo. Domination of the nations, indeed.
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