Immense megalithic structures called dolmens have captured the imagination of man for ages.

They inspire a sense of awe and wonder and are puzzling. Why were they built, and how were they used? How on earth did humans move such big stones?

Dolmens are found all over the world and come in many shapes and sizes.

Strangely enough for people in the West, Korea has the highest concentration of dolmens in the world! In Brittany, France, where Dominique and I live, there are many of these megaliths to explore. Some are dolmens can be small with just one room, and others are just a long passageway, and some have a long corridor and a room-like space at the end. The French use the words 'Alleé Couverte' to describe the stone covered passageways. In English, they are called passage tombs.

There are a lot of misconceptions about these ancient structures because of the label, tomb.

Most people assume that they are graves. I don't support this belief at all. During my exploration of many megalithic sites, including dolmens and passage tombs in France, Spain, England, Ireland, I have concluded, they were not initially used as graves. Their energetic qualities are different from a place where the dead are buried.

To gain a little understanding, let's look at an example of a dolmen in Brittany, France, called La Roche aux Fées. It is the largest and most famous Neolithic alleé couverte in Brittany, dating back to around 3000 to 2500 BC. Made up of approximately 40 huge stones, the heaviest one weighs about 45 tons.

The name La Roche aux Fées translates to The Fairies Rock.

Legend has it that fairies built the structure because no one understood how mere humans could place such immense stones. Many folktales are connected to megalithic sites in Europe involve giants, gnomes, witches, and fairies. For example, the Germans believed that covered passageways were beds for the giants and called them 'hunnenbett.' In Russia's Caucasus region, stories are told about how the gnomes by trickery made the giants build dolmen houses for them.

Dolmens, alleé couvertes, and passage tombs were built with care and attention to their orientation and placement on the land.

Not many people recognize the skill and precision the builders used in their constructions in regards to the solar rhythms and earth energies. One important aspect of this is orientation. Ancient man was obsessed with the sun and its travels through the year. They would orient the dolmen to one of the four most critical solar times of the year: winter or summer solstices or equinoxes. Our example of La Roche aux Feés is oriented to catch the light of the winter solstice sunrise.

Another aspect of Neolithic man's skill is their ability to find and use powerful earth energies, and dolmens are no exception.

Usually, these energies are subterranean water veins or faults, or a combination of both. As you can see in the drawing of La Roche aux Feés, the orthostats were placed on the central water vein's edges. Locating and using a water vein in this manner is typical for all dolmens, covered passageways, and passage tombs. As you can see, other water veins cross the main one and create vortexes of healing energy. The megalithic builders understood and used the best of these energies in their structures.

To discover what earth energies are present at a sacred site, Dominique and I use our bodies as dowsing instruments, mostly just like the shamans of ancient times did. Our bodies are incredibly sensitive to subtle energies and, once trained, can quickly pinpoint the exact earth energies present, such as water veins, faults and earth vortexes. For example, water veins can be felt in the water area of the body, such as the kidneys and bladder.

La Roche aux Fées, it turns out, is a potent fertility site.

The big water vein that runs the stones' length is fertility water and lends this energy to the entire structure. To understand this better, you can imagine water flowing inside the earth like rivers. Each of these rivers has different qualities. Some water veins are healing; some can make you sick; others are connected to fertility, etc.

For example, there are hundreds of holy wells in Ireland and Brittany. They date back to pre-Christian times, and many are famous for the ability to heal diseases. There are sacred wells for eyesight, headaches, backaches, wounds, sprains, and fertility issues, to name a few. The point is that water can be a very powerful healing modality, and there are many different types of water.

Earth energy vortexes, found everywhere, are associated with the water veins and faults.

If you are gifted with 'sight' and can see them, you will see swirling vortexes of colors related to our chakra system. In sacred places, these vortexes are more potent and can be healing. They help open, balance, and align the chakra system. For example, at La Roche aux Feés, the violet vortex opens and aligns the entire chakra system. The orange one relates to the second chakra and fertility. It feels warm, soft, and juicy and has a distinctive sexy vibe.

When megalithic sites are explored from the standpoint of their energetic qualities, you realize that they are not tombs, but places of life and healing for the whole community. They were sacred places of ritual. Next time you come across a dolmen or other megalithic site, experiment and see if you can feel their healing qualities.

To feel the powerful healing energy in a dolmen,

stand in the back where you can imagine or, better yet, feel the crossing of two water veins. Spend a few minutes standing on this point, allowing the energy to rise through your central channel. Be in a neutral mind state and receptive to sense where you feel the energies in your body. By doing this exercise, you can receive clues about the healing qualities of the place.

By Karen Crowley-Susani
Master Builder, sacred geometry expert, author, and sacred sites tour leader.

This blog is a small taste of what our online class called Stones, Energies, and Sacred Places shares with you. Save 20% on the class with this coupon: take20

We also teach how to body dowse and decode the energies and sacred geometry at sacred sites in our Secrets of Sacred Geometry Certification Courses.
Love exploring megalithic sites? Join us for the Magical Brittany Tour.
Just click the links below.