Cornwall in winter can be stunning or cruel. Being the tip of the main island of Albion it is amongst the first to get battered by the south-westerly winds and rains. Recently this has caused devastation once again in Cornish coastal towns and villages. Luckily, I was at the tail end of a beautiful day for my visit to Carn Brea – a sacred hill near to St.Just and Land’s End and which overlooks the very finality of England’s land mass.
Up on Carn Brea
Parking is easy, and the walk is gentle. There’s one road up the side of the hill and from the car park there are only a few paths, all of which seem to go to the top. You really can’t miss this one. Neither could ships – the monks that once inhabited the hill’s long-gone chapel used to keep a beacon fire lit to act as a ward to ships.
I was aware from comments by people on this blog that the hill had some sacred connections. The hill has been found to have late Neolithic and Bronze Age remains. It was a pagan hill before it became a Christian one. Beacon fires are still lit on the summer solstice by the Old Cornwall Society. Good on them!
I was also aware that the hill featured in The Sun and The Serpent book – that now famous story of Miller and Broadhurst’s trek across the south of England following the Mary and Michael ley line, tracking the male and female energy leys as they crossed at certain sacred sites. Carn Brea was one such site. I was already thinking that I ought to test that, given that it was such a lovely day and I was on my own on the hill.
Inviting oneself to the party
I had already prepared myself for the visit to this new site by putting up good protection before coming close to the top of the hill. As I had walked up I had worked that natural magick, shielding myself from potential harmful or detrimental influences, and guarding against unexpected cornish piskies.
I asked the dowsing rods whether there was a spirit of place associated with the site and they crossed indicating that there was. When I asked where that spirit resided I was taken to the chamber in the southern side of the hill. I guessed it was an earth spirit in nature, and decided not to interact with it at this stage. There was nothing I needed to know, and it was cold up there! Best be quick! I wanted to do some ‘proper’ dowsing, some old-fashioned ley hunting.
Dowsing Mary and Michael
I began dowsing the Mary and Michael lines. I started at the edge of the gorse where it became grassland.I wasn’t about to go tramping through the foot-high heather and gorse to track the lines further. The summit would suffice. I found a suitable stating point where I could find both lines. Good – they were both in evidence. Here’s a video showing the course of these two famous energy leys:
httpv://youtu.be/t1oct4GqDAo
Visiting Michael
As I left I asked to be taken on a “beneficial path”. This can mean many things depending on your situation, but I wasn’t being specific, therefore I wasn’t surprised when the path I was being taken on ended abruptly at a large rock.
This was a rock denoting the site of Chapel Carn Brea. Many hill and churches on hills are dedicated to Michael – the god of high places. I was having a particular affinity to Michael energies in the past few week and particularly during this Cornwall visit, so finding this was quite exciting. I decided to have some lunch, and then to tune into the rock to see what I could discover.
After a wholesome meal I wondered about whether I should tune into the space – was it worth it? Did I have any reason to? What would my questions be? Was it too cold to hang around? At that moment, as if in answer, two hawks began circling over head crying at me. OK – it was clearly worth it!
I touched the stone, thinking of Michael as I knew him – a powerful luminous energy form with incredibly benign energies. The church stone went warm to my touch despite the cold air. I had so many “gods” tumbling through my head, all of whom seemed very similar, that I question began to form.
I asked if I should choose between Michael, Bran and Merlin. The response was:
“Why choose one? When you need us you can choose us, and when we need you we will choose you.”
Simplicity. Profundity. I was speechless and left the hill with those words echoing in my mind louder than the growing bitter wind. Another amazing visit.
This was half the day gone – more sites could be easily reached from here, and I began to make my way back along the southern edges of the tip of Cornwall in good spirits, eager to see more great places.
