Do you guys remember the old tv series Miami Vice? If you do you will most certainly recall the night-time scenes where Don Johnson would drive along the highways of Miami with some cool bit of instrumental music playing in the background (hit the play button whilst you read this) …
My point in mentioning is that I’m one of those night stalkers too. I love taking to the road at the night-time and feeling that air when its just you and the road (mostly). Anyway I was out the other night and happened to notice that I was heading towards Wales (I hadn’t purposed to go that way). Thinking that it has been a long time since I had visited yon ancient yew for many moons so why not drop in on him (him? have I just gender-ified the Ancient Yew?).
About forty minutes later and several tracks from Jan Hammer, I was there. Okay I know I’m trying to give up the graveyard thing but the tree is in one so what am I supposed to do? I walked in from the gate at the bottom and spent a few minutes with the Genius Loci making sure we were on good terms. We were. I then went to the tree and gave my respects to a teacher who has been par excellence in his patience, timing and help. Let me say, never have I come to his door without leaving with profound boons. Talk about a giver.

For once I had left the dowsing rods in the car, taking my lessons from a dear reader (you know who you are Liz :). I decided to trust my feelings. Walking around the tree I finally came to a place in front of the split and sat down on the grass staring up at this ancient master. Their was a gorgeous half-moon in the sky and the stars were, well, amazing.
Can I ask, is your life simple, complicated or somewhere in the middle? Of course the word complicated means different things to different people. But to you it has one meaning, so what is it? Gwas and I were talking recently on how I seem to get the complicated quests. A psychic friend of Gwas’s had intimated that I set myself up for them. I disagreed, I just walk the path that is laid out before me. Tonight, however I was in a contemplative mood. “Do I make life more complicated?” I asked myself.
Thinking through the quests that I have on the go…and there are a few hidden away in the drafts of this blog, I pondered, quite literally, my existence. You know many of us find it hard, if not impossible to put everything they believe on the line. I find that I am not one of those. I don’t know, maybe once every year or so I put it all on the line and ask myself…
- Where are you?
- Where are you going?
- Why are you going there?
Of course in a life-kind of way. Not that this was one of those moments. Phew! Getting deep right? No, I was just pondering as to whether there was any truth in the matter of set myself up. It was then that ancient yew popped into my mind.
“Yes, you set yourself up for them” I could hear Gwas’s laughter from across the miles (rather maniacle laughter too)
What? Oh no, and I thought it was the universe just playing with me. No, you set yourself up a long time ago.
Now that sounded familiar, where had I heard that recently? Of course it had been at Alderley Edge (see this post for that).
My mind formed the question, “Do I make my life more complicated?” It has to be this way because of the prayer? For you no other way would be suitable. Hmmm I wasn’t convinced. For a while I sat there and wondered what this prayer I had made was, when yew popped into my thoughts again. It wasn’t your prayer. Whose prayer was it then? Alas there was no answer. It looked like I was on my own in figuring this riddle out.
I sat there for a while longer having added another clue to my puzzle…
- A promise that I had made when I was a kid
- A prayer that someone else had said
Very mysterious and in case you are wondering. No there is no post in the drafts saying what this riddle is as I haven’t discovered the answer yet.
Kal

Yes, sorry Kal, I have about half an email in my ‘draft’ folder, hopefully I’ll be able to post it tonight, if not tomorrow for sure 🙂
Cheers – Liz x
Oh wow Kal – you mentioned me – thank you 🙂 Interesting that you followed through on my idea about not using rods, maybe in some way it symbolized that simplicity you might be craving in your life? 🙂 To just go blind and follow your nose on site, its the only way I know having lost my dowsing rods years ago! I love graveyards and cemeteries, they really never feel ‘creepy’ to me even at night, cold more often that not, not that I go to graveyards at night as a rule!lol I live quite close to a cemetery, my friend and I, often remark on what a pleasant atmosphere it has, the graves are mostly Victorian, so there’s just a peaceful sense of old bones and maturing trees. It really is a rather beautiful oasis in an otherwise troubled neighbourhood. On a side note, I’d love it if one day you visited here and dowsed for the ley line I traced on google map, which runs through the cemetery 🙂
A thought popped into my head regarding your ‘promise’, it may have no resonance with you, but as it was one of those instinctive quick flashes – here goes… Am I right in thinking that you were born Muslim? Is it not customary to whisper names of Allah into a newborn’s ear? Do you think this might be the prayer said to you by someone else when you were little? Maybe it says, that you follow a path to God/ess, I think quests are a big part of that journey, think of all the Sufi fables about the journey to God and the self, which involve convoluting and challenging routes to truth. Just my two pence, if it makes any sense to you?
I’m in the process of composing an email to you, I enjoyed your blog, but I’ll discuss that in a mail 🙂 In the meantime, much love to you on your travels 🙂
Liz
Good day Liz,
I agree with you,I have no fear of graveyards night or day and like yourself often feel that they are places of peace and tranquility. Quite probably due to the propensity of Yew trees to be situated in them.
I like your ideas re the promise. Yes, I was born into a muslim family and they instilled a great knowledge and wisdom of that faith into me when I was a kid. Also yes I did have the call to prayer whispered into my ear (or so I am told as it is done pretty much a few days after birth).
Your intuition has hit close to home. As you shall see in the final (post 4) of this set. Until that time I will let you muse over what it exactly is 🙂
On the matter of the email, I haven’t received any, so I am presuming it is still in composition stage.
Blessings on your day,
kal