Simon, a.k.a. ‘The Spaniard’, was our second speaker and he boggled minds with his financial wizardry and explanations of how money truly works. For many of us, we just go about our business without really thinking about the actual meaning of our transactions or, indeed, the law surrounding them. With examples from his own trials and tribulations through the legal maze, Simon, an ex-city banker, expanded our minds by getting us to look with true understanding at the many legal and everyday words which have long been manipulated to appear innocuous. This was a very enlightening talk on this much misunderstood subject, which threw light on some major misconceptions.

We certainly had our eyes opened to many things today. DJ and broadcaster Mark Devlin expertly got us to see that numerous modern musical artists (and even classics, like The Beatles) may have other agendas behind their sounds and images, perhaps controlled by darker forces. He demonstrated a shockingly large amount of strange, potentially occult, hand symbols and gestures that keep coming up time and again on record sleeves and in videos, which we pick up on in a subliminal way. Mark is also very concerned that much inappropriate music is being fed to our young children, and we would do well to be aware of protecting them from these nefarious influences. This was a new area for the Symposium to explore, but it will very probably not be the last time.

Leo was followed by a wonderfully soothing meditation by Jason Porthouse, and then we were relaxed further after dinner by a musical interlude with Susan Ravenand her partner Satch, with beautiful songs echoing Celtic themes, utilising acoustic guitars and Susan’s clear voice. 

Next on was Eltjo Haselhoff. Because the alternative community is often dismissed or ridiculed for not having hard evidence, it is always great to have a scientist on board, and Eltjo, a qualified astrophysicist, has published several peer-reviewed papers on his work with crop circles, including a new one just this year. He spoke about his personal journey and the corrupt opposition he has met in a scientific elite determined – unsuccessfully – to undermine his findings, which demonstrate that some crop formations really do deserve better explanations. At the same time, he illustrated complex concepts on the whole nature of reality in a very accessible and entertaining way.

The afternoon began with Danish engineer and truth campaigner Frank Rasmussen shining some crucial light on the confusing but potentially devastating subject of aeroplane ‘chemtrails’. Are they just normal contrails, or something more? With his qualified background in engineering, Frank brought some very convincing evidence to show that something nefarious is indeed going on, whether it is a deliberate conspiracy programme or simply a cover-up of a serious pollution issue; either way, we need to be aware of it. He also spoke about unnatural cloud formations and the infamous HAARP project. Frank is trying to awaken the Danish people too and organizes an excellent annual conference, now held in Copenhagen: http://www.openmindconference.com

The afternoon ended on a very energized note, as we encountered anti-fracking with a difference. Poet and protest activist Simon Welsh gave a powerful but very entertaining talk, calling on his personal experience on the ‘frontline’ at the Balcombe anti-fracking campaign in West Sussex, at which he got arrested – for singing. His personal journey was immensely inspiring and hearing it gave hope to the many attendees concerned about the very serious issues surrounding the impending arrival of shale gas fracking in the UK. Simon also shared a poem which encompassed many of the areas covered by the Symposium, from the Moon landings to the New World Order, and even got the audience singing his alternative anti-fracking versions of Jerusalem and the National Anthem to close a very memorable presentation.

Our Saturday night guest speaker was peace campaigner and global activist Ken O’Keefe, whose measured, centered, yet passionate and determined approach went down an absolute storm. Speaking on his personal journey from the traumas of being in the US marines to becoming a truthseeker and a worker for peace in the Middle East, Ken’s authenticity and integrity oozed from him. This is a man who truly walks his talk and is therefore an incredible inspiration to all of us. He thoroughly deserved his standing ovation, and, without any accompanying visual material, gave one of the most striking and affecting presentations ever seen at the Symposium, as he helped wake everyone up to the realities of what is happening in our world, events that demand action from all of us.

And so to our third and final day. If you have ever thought ancient history is a bit dull, then clearly you have never seen Maria Wheatley. Maria gave a fantastically energized start to the Sunday morning, with her enthusiastic delivery, as she made people look again at British monuments and landscapes that perhaps too many people have taken for granted. Her excitement for her subject is infectious, while her blending of conventional archaeology with belief in earth energies and subtle realms bridges many important areas too often ignored. To think that the stones at Stonehenge were once probably polished to a high sheen makes perfect sense when you think about it, and Maria helped remind us that what we see today may not be quite what the ancients knew.

Going back to the original core theme of the Symposium when it first began 24 years ago, Lucy Pringle gave an insightful talk on her latest crop circle research, with an emphasis on physiological and psychological effects on visitors to formations; even while inside one that had already been cut down this season, Lucy recorded distinct changes in the brainwave patterns of her volunteer subjects. Following circular tradition, she completed her presentation by showing us a very evocative slide show of crop circles from past to present, using her own exquisite images set to relaxing music. Wherever they come from – and the debates still continue after all these years – they remain incredibly beautiful, as Lucy so well demonstrated.

It was good to finish the main body of the Symposium in a very upbeat way with our last speaker of the afternoon, Timothy Freke. Previously known for uncovering hidden mysteries behind the story of Jesus and other related areas, today Timothy gave a very energetic and inspiring talk on his own unique approach to life, using his ‘paralogical’ approach to the spiritual awakening which he feels we are all experiencing right now – the ability to see both sides in a debate and simultaneously consider all points of view before acting. Timothy’s animated personality, without slides or visual aids, filled the stage and provided a good send-off to anyone unable to stay for the final closing parts of the Symposium.

After dinner, our special Sunday night speaker, Patricia Cori, affectingly highlighted the plight of our dolphins and whales, which are in urgent need of our help, surrounded as they are by many threats from modern shipping, fishing and sonar. To a packed auditorium, Patricia, in her inimitable charismatic style, shared her view that the cetaceans of our world have links to other dimensions beyond our own, and that it is our duty to help them to help us. This is a vital issue that desperately needs supporting and Patricia must be thanked for helping to raise awareness around the world. People left the Symposium feeling buoyed up with hope and positivity, for all the global problems we are faced with today.