Samhain 2013 – Charging the Stag Staff

In this second part of my Samhain visit to Tinkinswood I tell about how I negotiate the charging of my new yew staff at a sacred site near to Cardiff. The site is a ‘burial chamber’, and was chosen due to the amazing response we got from it on our last visit. Having travelled over three hours to get here, we were rather pleased that the site was in a powerfully energetic state as this time of the year. “Lucky”, I guess, right?

At the entrance to the site is a new audio feature powered by cranking a handle. We listened to the various sections which speculated as to the purpose and use of the site in relation to the archaeological evidence. This kind of thing always makes us smile. Looking at the archaeological evidence of a sacred site is like looking at the waste products of a household and deducing their philosophical predilections from the packaging they discard. A mere sliver of the total amount of available information, as any psychically-oriented person will tell you,. The key phrase which sets us off is the phrase “…for religious purposes…“. We love that.

Here’s a snippet of what’s on offer:

Charging the Stag Staff

Interesting – that’s the first time I have written “The Stag Staff” as a description of my new staff, and yet that’s what I should always have called it. I will call it that from now on.

I ran through my usual “dowsing etiquette” questions – the ‘could I’, ‘should I’, ‘may I’ type of preliminaries, and getting a favourable response I began to search for the best location to station my staff while it was worked upon.

The staff is to be propped up against the remains of a tree stump which is the source of a powerful subtle energy centre. I notice the correspondence between the horns on my staff and the branches of the trees that form the back-cloth to the site. Correspondence is good, right? Part of a magickal process, if you hold to that way of thinking.

I ask to be taken to a place where I can commence the process of charging my staff. The rods take me away from the main part of the site and into one of the furthest corners of the grass, close to the overhead cables from the nearby electricity pylon. Eh? Look – I never understand this process! Actually, I begin the feel the familiar ‘discharging’ effect begin, so I know that this is probably the first of a series of stages.

The second power centre is on top of the great capstone itself. I had never been up there before and today was rather slippery. Still, when the rods point, so do I follow unless it’s over the edge of a cliff. I almost was! The rods take me to the very edge of the capstone where I am precariously balanced on half a foot. “Aha – balance!” I think – that’s why I have been taken to this point. Behold, with the realisation came a sense of energetic influx with a balanced neutral energy. Lovely. Anywhere else, I wondered?

Task Masters

The rods take me down the side of the site to what I had previously discovered to be the entrance to a room which housed The Elemental Masters – a group of four elders who were specialists in their respective magics, each related to one of the elements.

I stand at the entrance to their now uncovered chamber waiting for permission to enter if I am ready. I am allowed entry, and I recognise the path that the dowsing rods take me on around the outside of the room and then into its centre. It is exactly the same path as the first time I visited the site. Interesting. A hallmark of the consistency of these processes, and that I am on the right track to repeat the previous magickal experience.

As I make contact with the Elemental Masters I am forced to explain what happened to my previous ash staff which they had invested already..They actually rebuke me quite sternly for losing the previous staff, and ask that I promise to take better care of the new Stag Staff. I accept their opprobrium, and I agree to be a better steward of their powers should they be kind enough to grant me this wish a second time.

With my head hung in shame I wait to see whether they will allow me to continue….

I receive permission to continue, so directing my intention towards the nearby upright Stag Staff I turn to face each cardinal point, determining the correct element and ask the appropriate Elemental Master to put the associated energy into the staff. Things are different this time. Last time I had no idea that energy had been invested in the staff until I dowsed it. This time I could see the energy transfer taking place – each element having an associated colour.

• Water was aquamarine;
• Earth was reddish brown;
• Fire was red and in a caduceus form;
• Air was a white mist that enveloped the staff

The experience was very powerful and I felt privileged to have been allowed to atone for my mistake by being gifted these powers a second time. Over the Winter period I will re-investigate the powers to ensure that I understand them. I gave thanks to the Elemental Masters and went to re-possess the staff. As I picked the staff out of its place-holder by the tree stump a lone hawk flew over and circled the site just above me head. I said nothing, but gave Kal a knowing glance. He smiled. We knew this visit had been profitable and pre-destined.