By sheer coincidence (of course) it was approaching sunset when we arrived at the location on our map that marked the nearest road position to Maiden Castle. Looking out into the fields however gave us no vantage of the site in question which led to confusion and uncertainty. Were we in the right place? Was the Maiden visible from the road? We were lost as to what to do. Gwas suggested going to Castlerigg the beautiful stone circle. But this was going back on our journey and the sun was setting too. I leapt out of the car with the dowsing rods to determine two answers.
- Was we in the right place for Maiden Castle?
- Could we substitute it for Castlerigg?
Yes! We were in the right place and No, the only place of benefit to us would be Maiden Castle. As I mentioned this to Gwas a hawk caught his attention. It had flown in the direction that the castle had been indicated. As it dropped over the zenith a crow sounded its call. That was it of course, now we had to go. No question.
Walking the sacred path for want of a better word, is one that takes you along many a personal struggle. This late afternoon was no exception. We were on the cusp of quitting or looking for an alternative final site to visit. When the auspicious passage of a Hawk followed by the call of a crow (Totem animals for Gwas and I respectively) set us up for a walk across the plains. We had no reason to believe that the Maiden was “over the hills and far away” other than our faith in these two totems. Thus began our walk of faith.
As we walked, the evening sky became a lovely rosy pink but the Maiden was nowhere to be seen. Across, under and over barbed wire fences we travelled, up and down and then, finally, just as we were about to call it a lost day, there over the next rise was the unmistakable Maiden Castle. What a confirmation of faith! The mere sight of the site, made our hearts warm. We broke apart and began our individual work.
At the sacred site we had just visited I had been visited by Cailleach and she had left me with a cryptic message. “You will need to take the Knights Mantle with you to Delphi” What was this mantle and how could I acquire it, were the questions on my mind. It took just moments to find a beneficial place to meditate and quite appropriately I had to face the setting sun. What was the mantle that I had to acquire?
My chain of thought/intuition went thus…it was a mantle of purity…to become pure I had to fast…the fast was to be for 2 days…during which I could not eat or drink…it had to be next Wed and Thur (we were heading to Delphi on Friday).
So there you have it. Imbolc had set me up quite nicely for my trip to Delphi and what an adventure that was.
Kal Malik – preparation
