On a path such as mine I have a few rules – “reciprocal investments” you might call them – tacit agreements. The idea is that if I “tune in” to the Flow of the Universe in search of inspiration, then I must be prepared to act upon its motivations. In other words, if I ask “What is there to do?” then I can’t argue if it comes back and says, “Go to this place!” I just have to go. No arguments. So, I time my ‘requests’ carefully, and make sure that I have every possible opportunity to take advantage of such moments because I could be asked to go anywhere.
Your next question is probably, “But why?”. Well, my motivation is always to progress on my spiritual path. Therefore, my question is always, “Is there somewhere I could go, or something I could do that would progress me on my spiritual journey?”. Then I wait for a response. Who from, you ask? Well, that’s where it gets interesting, but I’ve spoken about that on many occasions – sometimes in a veiled way, sometimes quite explicitly. If you need to know, then check back on previous posts. For now, let’s move on with today’s tale.
It’s difficult to say whether I had put my ‘feelers out’ or if an overwhelming idea came upon me. It doesn’t really matter. The culmination was that I knew I had to go somewhere. I turned my attention to discovering where this was. I had just got back from punishing fitness class and frankly all I wanted to do was collapse and eat unhealthy carbohydrates. Instead I began to prepare for an excursion – I was going somewhere and I’d better resign myself to it. I asked where I would be going and the shape of a familiar tall and steep hill came to mind. Oh great – s tall steep hill – just what I needed! Thanks.
I would be heading to Llangollen and climbing up Dinas Bran.
I wondered whether this was to do with my stars quest, or perhaps it was a chance to renew my elemental connections – something I had been planning to do? Apparently neither of those, as it turned out, but this was what was uppermost in my rational mind as I made my way through the deserted Welsh villages and towns on the way to Llangollen. Monday night, stars aplenty, and not a soul to notice them. Sigh. Hey – TV is a powerful drug. Drug of a nation, if I remember my Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy correctly.
A Twist in the Mist
I decided to try to find the road that wound up the back of the hill. In late summer Kal and I had walked around the base of the hill and found this steep and narrow road, and we saw that cars could park much closer to the top than on the town side. Given it was late I thought I would try to save my legs by finding this “easier” route. I hadn’t bargained on the fog.
I found the road, but above a hundred feet in altitude the road disappeared in thick patchy fog. The road was barely passable for one car. If anything had come the other way there was simply no way back. A challenge – a test of faith. How much was I prepared to endure to heed the call of Bran? I endured. On the way up the hill I had several moments where I couldn’t see where the path was. I had only been up the hill this way one and it had been in daylight, oh and they had been repairing the path so there was a diversion to the normal route. Hmmm.. would I make it back alive or tumble off the sides into a pit of mud and gorse bushes? Half way up I wished I had changed into my walking boots. Now I felt like Kal – climbing in terrible conditions with inappropriate footwear.
Something moved towards me out of the hazy gloom and a scuffling noise was approaching… it was a pair of sheep wondering who would be stupid enough to join them on their hill in the middle of the night. I put my hand up – me, sir, I’m stupid enough.
Making a home in fog
As I reached the top I found the path again. It had been there for some of the journey and then absent again. Now I stood at the entrance to the great fortress but something was different There were new paths, and curious piles of chipped slate everywhere. Looks liked the reconstruction of new paths included inside the fortress too. I found my bearings and, after introducing myself again and asking for permission to enter, I walked in.
Inside I felt completely at home. Bear in mind this is late at night, it’s dark, and I’m on my own. I felt at home in this netherworld of fog and shadows. Nevertheless, I put up double protection so that I could occupy my mind with more useful thoughts should I feel anything untoward up there. You never know what’s been going on since your last visit. It felt redundant, however. I was in the hands of Bran – here at his request. That felt good.
A solitary candle was lit and placed into a crevice in a remaining wall, out of the way of the teasing draughts. This is not something I usually do, but it made me feel less alone up there, and again added to the sense of homeliness. The candle was also a good meditation point to concentrate on until it went out, then my eyes got accustomed to the gloom anyway. Three incense sticks provided me with a working cleared circle. The staff drew the rest of the circle around the swirling scent, and I stood with my staff, poised and awaiting a connection.
Bran’s Head re-discovered
My eyes were drawn to one point in the sky even though I couldn’t see anything. It was Sirius. I simply knew. For a fleeting moment I thought of confirming it with my phone’s Starwalk application, but that wasn’t what I needed to do. I needed to keep connected, so I stood where I was and followed the connection. I was drawn along a tunnel of subtle energy that I was now noticing (co-creating) between Sirius and this power centre – the place where I usually found the spirit of Bran here on the summit of his hill.
Then I concentrated on what this meant – an uncomplicated request to whatever was allowing me to notice this connection. It was Bran, and he directed me to my Castlerigg quest which had been to free Merlin from a spherical cage of tree branches. What was the significance, I urged to know? Now it was time to free the Gwalchmai energies. Gwalchmai is linked with Sirius and I should concentrate on doing this for the next part of the year from Samhain to Yule. Gwalchmai is also linked with the West and Water (sea), I found afterwards.
That wasn’t the end, though. Even though I was being given a quest to cover the next part of the year from Samhain to Yule, and it was being given early too, there was more. At Yule I should switch my attention to freeing the energies of Gwalchaved (Gawain). He is linked with the Sun and the East.
Looks like I’ve got my quests early, and a double quest at that! See – if you answer the call, are prepared to work for your rewards, then they are given multi-fold Saying that, I’ve got one heck of an agenda lined up for the next few months until Yule. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Gwas
