A ley — almost always heard as ley line — is an imaginary straight line that some people believe joins old churches, standing stones, and other landmarks, following an ancient track with special power. The idea comes from early-twentieth-century Britain: a man named Watkins thought he could see alignments in the landscape. Archaeologists generally do not treat these lines as real ancient roads. The belief later mixed with New Age talk about earth energy. Though actually, ley is also an old spelling of lea, a grassy field, and that older “meadow” word is where this name came from — the magic grew on top of an ordinary landscape word. In this sense we mean the mystical line, not a field of grass. It is a niche word: walkers, folklore, and New Age writing use it; most people will not know it unless they have met ley lines.