Rosicrucian elements to the Knights Quest

Since beginning my Knights Quest I have been asked to obtain 9 Blue Keys to present to Cailleach this coming Autumn (see the Knights Quests posts).  This last weekend (12 Feb 2011) Gwas and I decided to visit some sacred sites that I had chosen in and around Llangollen in Wales. My choice had sights had been pretty much random (I felt) and only constricted by the fact that we were going to the area of Llangollen.

The night before I had driven across the country from West Devon (about 4.5 hours) in an onslaught of rain and wind. My faith in us getting a good visit out was diminishing with every mile. But that is what faith is about isn’t it? Believing when all the evidence is pushing the other way.

Llangollen Abbey

Having said that, Saturday morning was bright and fresh, and again amazed both Gwas and I in its presenting us with a full sunny, dry and warm day. Our first port of call was going to be Valle Crucis Abbey. After our fantastic success and experiences at Bolton Abbey (and my year’s intent to explore abbeys more) I had picked this sacred and ancient monument. We were not disappointed this time as Gwas will relate to his experiences.

After wandering around and getting a sense of the Genius Loci I dowsed for the best place for me to stand (the grass was too wet for sitting) and commune with the spirit of this magnificent place. Eventually the rods took me to first in three broken pillars. Still standing some 5 foot in height, I clambered up and called across to Gwas to note that as soon as I had stood upon the pedestal the sun had come out from some clouds…coincidence!…

As I slowly twirled around on the pedestal trying to determine the ‘best’ direction to be facing I saw the half moon over the high windows of the abbey. Gwas informed me that this moon was called the Wolfs Moon. Curious as a couple of weeks ago I had purchased a t-shirt with a white wolf on it and was wearing it for the first time on this outing, another coincidence?

Apparently facing the moon and also being in the light of the sun was the best place for me at this particular abbey and without further messing I stilled my thoughts and let my intuition flow. A few minutes of silence and observation of the three other people in the huge main hall of the abbey, my attention was caught by Gwas as he had completed his work and was giving thanks to the place.

It was at that time that I got a message the site didn’t want anything from us. What it wanted was an alignment. It wanted us to play its tune. What a wonderful insight this was and I mused on it for quite a while before jumping off and relating the experience to Gwas.

A sacred site isn’t looking for gifts of gratitude, it is looking for an alignment. In essence this: A site, if you will is vibrating at a certain frequency of energy, what it wants (if I could use that word) is for visitors to align (vibrate) at the same frequency of the site. In more poetic terms…

The Genius Loci sings a song in harmony with its environment, the gift we can give it during our visit is to sing its song for a while.

Isn’t that brilliant? Consider the appreciation you give a performer by singing with them? As revelations go this was a wonderful one and one that perhaps we knew unconsciously but to have it voiced and come into consciousness was a enlightening moment. You will be hearing more of my Singing with Genius Loci in the future!

Saint Mael and Saint Sulien’s Church

The second site I had randomly chosen was the church of two Saints, Mael and Sulien in Corwen. Gwas and I parked up the car and as we walked up the lane towards the hotel that the church was behind we saw a 15 foot high statue of a knight greeting us and pointing at the church (quite probably the hotel too). A knight? The implication and portent of this sign was not lost on either of us.

I love it when synchronicities abound, surely it is a sign that we’re on the right path, or rather a path with a heart. It certainly feels like such.

After a short stop for some food we made our way to the Church. Apparently it had two stones of note. I wandered around the churchyard in attempt to spot them and as I returned to my starting point Gwas pointed them out to me. One was stuck in the wall of the entrance to the church and the other (a ring stone) was at the base of a cross.

I dowsed as to whether these were the original positions of the stones and the answer was no. Asking to be taken to their original position I was taken to the back of the church to a spot just by a grave. As I approached I saw Gwas there and learned that he too had been looking for the original place. Independently we had both found the same place!

I asked if there was anything significant about this spot and was pointed at the nearest gravestone. It was so worn that nothing remained of the inscription except on the upper part of the stone there was the symbol of a Rose.

I pointed this out to Gwas who is more learned in such matters and he noted that it looked like a Rosicrucian symbol, a Rose. He also informed me that the Rosicrucian order was intimately involved with the Knights Templar. Really! I was impressed. I had to look it up later…

“Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology “built on esoteric truths of the ancient past”, which, “concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm. “Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rosy Cross.” Rosicrucian

As I read this I find a curious synergy with another a book that I am putting together entitled Radical Enlightenment which might be described as “built on esoteric truths” and “… insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm…” however rather than concealing these, revealing them!

An amazing find I think in hindsight and I will be exploring this relationship further. But back to the duo saints church. So I was faced with this grave and its marking. With Gwas’s input, I asked:

• Whether this spot had anything to do with knights? Yes.
• Was there a knight buried here? Yes.
• Was he an important figure? No…Oh
• Was he knighted by Arthur (it was a hopeful question) alas No.
• Was he knighted by a prominent King/Queen? No.

It seems that the relevance of bringing me to this place was purely to get me the connection of Rosicrucian and Knights Templar. Before I move on to our next site I would just like to point out the following…

Sulien… interpreted as being derived from the Welsh sul, meaning “sun” + geni, meaning “born,” Sulien being the name of a Celtic solar deity.

Can I just remind you that I am so much a Sun aligned person, of course…a coincidence.

Stay tuned for my next post on this outing…’Tyfos and Being Directed’

Kal Malik – gathering clues on a knight’s quest