GB No. 3(22)/96
The Białowieża Forest is a forest and biospherical sanctuary, unique in the world scale. In 1979, as the only Polish object of nature, it was introduced onto the list of The World Heritage of Humanity. The unusualness of this is not restricted only to natural values. The spiritual aspect seems to be equally important. Mysterious phenomena and discoveries which took place in Białowieża in recent years seem to confirm the unusual character of this area.
One never tried to explain why Białowieża, situated out-of-the-way, became a well known
place. It was there that numerous heads of states and diplomats used to come for
centuries. Was it caused only by the plenitude of forest animals and the size of the
wilderness?
The first person who publicly spoke about the esoteric values of that area was Metodiusz Romanow, a forest officer, occultist and ecologist who worked in the twenties on the protection of the Białowieża forests. A book titled Spiritual Treasures of the Białowieża Forest, published in 1925 by a Katowice publishing house "Książnica Wiedzy Duchowej", is the best expression of his fascination with Białowieża. The author of this excellent work tries to make us look at the Forest as the reservoir of spiritual energy, not a mass of wood. It was not by accident that our ancestors worshipped their gods deep in the forests, at clearings and holy groves. Romanow assumes that the name Białowieża is connected with the pre-Slavic cult of Bialobog. Early Slavs called their god Drzewowid (meaning, of the forest) and worshipped him under the symbol of the Tree of Knowledge. In his work, Romanow describes a method of spiritual development through contact with nature. The Forest is, for him, the example of a harmonious social life in a natural state. Association with nature and understanding of its secrets may help a man to feel the manifestations of his own spiritual self. Metodiusz Romanow noticed that it is in Białowieża where an unusual concentration of natural energy occurs. In his book he writes: There are some places on the earth which can influence the spiritual development of a man in an inexplicable way. He explained the special care of Polish monarchs for Białowieża Forest by the existence of such a point there.
In the seventies, a theory of Russian scientists Goncharow, Makarov and Morozov gained
popularity, claiming that the earth has a crystal structure. According to this theory, the
surface of the Earth, like the surface of a crystal, has numerous points and active
energetic lines. A discipline of science called geomantics deals with this kind of
positive energy. Russian scientists discovered that important civilizations and cultural
centres developed exactly on the lines and knots of the crystalic net of the Earth.
Looking at the map which was made in accordance with their hypothesis, I discovered, to my
surprise, that Białowieża is situated exactly on one of the lines of this crystallic net.
It is interesting that Gniezno Hexentanzplatz, a legendary center in the Harz Mountains,
and Drueggelte, near Soest, a place famous for a secret gnostic chapel of the Catars, also
both lie on the same line. Preliminary examinations showed that this line is especially
active on the 30th of April. Esoteric tradition joins this date with the day of
Valpurghia, a witches' holiday. So it should not surprise anybody that this line crosses
the legendary place of the witches' dances in the Harz. The last night of April, like
St.John's night, is a time of huge energetic changes in nature, especially in all places
situated along the said line. That is why I chose the 30th day of April as the
day of my studies on the Białowieża Forest. It turned out that the intensity of radiation
on this day is really huge. It is interesting to observe the frequencies of radiation
around a tree, estimated by radiesthetic methods, which correspond with the rhythm of a
human breath and the number of heart beats for a minute. It is as if the oak was a
creature pulsating in a man's physiological rhythm. The radiesthetic examinations which
I held, showed that a whole hill in the Palace Park, where fifteen old oaks grow, is a
strongly radiating area, probably a remnant of an old, holy grove, a place of cult,
initiation, and burial of tribes which used to live there. It is undoubtedly the strongest
in the region, a place of concentration of positive energies of the Earth and Cosmos,
called a place of energy in geomatics.
Three years ago the inhabitants of Białowieża were moved by the fact that an icon appeared on the scar, which resulted from the cuting off of a piece of a trunk of an old oak growing in the Palace Park. According to a retired Orthodox church chanter, Mr. Piotr Dworakowski, the effigy on the oak resembled the archangel Gabriel, a herald of unusual occurrences. A few months after the appearance of the unusual icon, an important event took place in the area. The leaders of Russia, Ukraina, and Bielorussia met there in a hunters' palace situated on the Bialorussian side of the border about 9 - 10 kilometers away from the oak, and signed a treaty concerning the liquidation of the Soviet empire. Is it only a pure coincidence that the Białowieża Forest was chosen to be the site of such a historical event? Today the icon on the oak is no longer very evident. Conservators covered it with six layers of paint. But the mysterious influence of the tree still remains.
Two inhabitants of Białowieża, a forest-keeper Mr. Piotr Bajko and a medicine doctor Mr. Sergiusz Tarasiewicz, gathered many materials concerning a whole series of mysterious events which took place around the unusual oak. The mysterious radiation around the tree is very influential. Many people who stand under the tree experience various sensations: like pins and needles in their limbs, balance unsettlements and even dermatological changes. Persons with mediumistic abilities feel enormous energy and sometimes have visions. In esoteric literature such a phenomenon is described as genius loci, a soul of a given place, and one should not necessarily discuss it in spiritistic categories. Dr. Tarasiewicz is able to feel the energy emitted by the oak in the shape of a sphere. Whenever he stands under the tree and adjusts himself to receive it, an unidentified power makes his hands circulate in a round movement. One can see an apparent analogy to the Chinese meditative gymnastics Tai Chi Chuan where, in some exercises, life energy is shown through circular movements of hands, also as a circle. However, Dr. Tarasiewicz is not familiar with Tai Chi Chuan, and his movements are simply a spontaneous reaction to vibrations transmitted from this place. Its power may be coercive, frightening and also spiritually inspiring. It all depends on our attitude. It is very important that we know how to consciously open ourselves to useful energies present in the place of the power, and concentrate on their positive and stimulating influence. The best example of such an attitude comes from a native of Białowieża, Mr. Borys Russko, who is capable of "speaking" with the oaks in the area and understands their "speech" very well. Persons who are closed to the subtle influences of nature, who are not able to make contact with their own subconsciousness, surely will not feel much. Also, all meditations under the Białowieża oak have a very deep character. Sensitive individuals claim that they feel as if some unknown power was drawing them into "another existence". My examinations proved that the meditative importance of this place represents a symbolical entrance into another, unknown reality.
One may also experience unusual acoustic occurrences under the Białowieża oak. The already mentioned Piotr Dworakowski, together with a group of tourists he guided on the 30th of April 1995, witnessed an unusual acoustic phenomenon. Just before sunset, when it was very quiet around, people standing around the tree heard very strange noises from above. They could hear conversations, led probably in Russian, as well as horns blaring and a baby's cry. According to Mr. Dworakowski's report, noises could be heard for about 6 - 10 minutes and then deep silence lapsed.
There are several other mysterious places in the Białowieża Forest, though they are not so easily accessible. Dr. Tarasiewicz, a tireless explorer of the surrounding forests, discovered several mysterious corners. The most interesting one is situated in section 495, about 6 kilometers south-west from Białowieża. One can find the way to it thanks to a cut oak trunk surrounded by several concrete slabs inscribed with an Orthodox cross, the date 20 October 1947 and a mysterious sequence of letters KWLMWBNJ. After one of the slabs had been moved, it turned out that underneath there was a stone with as imprint of a bare foot. It shows the direction to a clearing, only several meters away. Its center is formed by a cross with a circle of stones inscribed in its form. Under the layer of moss we find smaller stones. It looks as if somebody deliberately paved this area. A symmetrical arrangement of stones and the repeating pattern of distances between them indicate that this structure was built by former inhabitants of the forest. The uniqueness of this place is intensified by the surrounding trees. Most of them are already split from the roots. One can find trees there which are unusual for this forest, like hawthorns, pears and apple trees. Radiesthetic examinations of the stone circle showed a scheme of unusually strong radiation. The stones probably play a role of a natural filter suppressing harmful components of radiation and letting through its positive components, useful for a man. It is no wonder that individuals coming here report an excellent mood and claim that any pains pestering them have ceased. One theory says that after the war, the members of a religious sect who discovered this ancient site of meeting used to gather there. Those people worked there in the forties on the felling and loading of trees. Unfortunately no details are known about it. A similar stone circle can also be found in section 496.
Dr. Simona Kossak , for many years infatuated with Białowieża, is also fascinated by sites of power, hidden deep in the Forest. She has decided to help the Forest administration to arrange and display a stone circle in section 496 within the frames of the UN project "Man and biosphere". Eighty million old Polish zlotys were already assigned for this purpose. This exceptional site is to be surrounded by a fence made of poles, and a foot-bridge and vantage point are to be constructed. The middle of the clearing is to be cleaned and the arrangement of the stones will be uncovered. Mrs. Kossak is also trying to gather funds to exhibit barrows of ancient inhabitants, hidden deep in the heart of the Forest. Czeslaw Milosz called those early dwellers "Indians of Europe".
Let us hope that the secret powers of the Forest can be another argument for its protection.
Leszek Matela
reprinted from Zielone Brygady Nov. '94
translated by Jacek Iwański