I’ve heard it said by a number of Denmarkians that what makes this place so special is that a series of magnetic meridians cross over the site of the township, drawing a powerful source of energy into the lives of its inhabitants. Some people claim that it is this energy that attracts such a large number of alternative health and well-being practitioners to the area. (I’ve also heard it said that per head of population, Denmark has more alternative health therapists than any other town in Australia – but I’m yet to verify that claim).
Which begs the question: What is a magnetic meridian and why are they so special?
Locations of Magnetic South Pole, or dip pole, over time. Comparison of direct observations with model predictions. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A magnetic meridian is an imaginary line that connects the magnetic north and south poles. Magnetic meridians are thus similar to lines of longitude (also referred to as meridians) which are imaginary lines on the Earth’s surface from the North Pole to the South Pole – the difference being that a magnetic meridian connects magnetic north and south. We often talk about the poles without realising that there are in fact more than two poles – True North and True South; and Magnetic North and Magnetic South (and it doesn’t end there – the magnetic poles keep moving – ugh? – see image). In everyday parlance about polar bears and melting ice, we generally refer to the “true” pole. But when navigating with a compass and map, knowledge of magnetic meridians is essential because a compass needle will be parallel to the magnetic meridian. The angle between the magnetic and the true meridian is the magnetic declination which put simply is a deviation from true north (or south). And that can be the difference between getting to your destination, and becoming a polar bear’s dinner. But that’s a whole other story…
Back to Denmark’s well-being energy source. Strictly speaking, the idea that magnetic meridians cross over Denmark is a fallacy – meridians run from north to south and only cross at the poles, and while the nearby town of Wal-pole may be described as “the bellybutton of the world”, at last glance Antarctica was still some miles off. However, if we substitute “magnetic meridians” for “ley lines”, then claims that Denmark is a site of magnetic energy might start to make sense.
I say “might”, because the existence of ley lines is surrounded by controversy. The idea of ancient pathways for ceremonial use was first explored by Alfred Watkins in his books Early British Trackways and The Old Straight Track, and was later linked to the supernatural in John Michell’s popular book The View Over Atlantis. While Michell’s ideas – which link ley lines with Chinese fengshui – are often described as “pseudoscience”, meridians (or pathways through which the life-energy known as qi flows) are central to Chinese Traditional Medicine. And add to that the idea of magnetic therapy, a form of alternative medicine that involves the use of magnetic fields, and suddenly it all starts to make sense…
Well, maybe.
And even if the whole idea doesn’t really stack up to rigorous scientific investigation, does it matter? I like the idea of unseen lines weaving a web through our lives, linking us together and providing us with a powerful life force that sustains our community. Can you think of a better explanation for the stunning inspirational beauty of our coastline?
