January 2014 – Page 2 – The Hedge Druid

Cornwall Winter 4 – Carn Brea with Mary and Michael

January 18, 2014January 18, 2014 Gwas No Comments

Hedge Druidry

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!

Carn Brea - Winter Solstice 2013 (2) — Marker point on Carn Brea, St Just, Cornwall

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.

Cornwall Winter 3 – Sancreed Beacon and Well

January 16, 2014January 19, 2014 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Dowsing, Energy work, Healing

Day two in Cornwall. The winter weather had relented and the grey rain clouds had receded back to clear skies. My target for today were a series of sites around the Land’s End area – sites which Kal and I had passed by on our mission to get to the “good stuff” in summer. There were a cluster of sites around the village of Sancreed, and then my midday destination was lunch on Carn Brea hill.

I arrived in Sancreed, parked in the village, then set off walking towards the church in the hope of tracking down the well nearby. As I got close to the church I saw a visitor sign for Sancreed Beacon. Well, why not? It was still mid-morning, and the air was still, the views would be lovely. I set off up the hill road.

1. Sancreed Beacon

I passed a van full of baying hounds parked in the lay-by, then walked to the top of the beacon hill where I was greeted by the sight of four wild horses grazing on the available greenery. As the sound of the disturbed dogs faded I began to appreciate the looming views. I had predicted correctly – the view was incredible from the beacon hill, as you might expect.

View from Sancreed Beacon - Winter Solstice 2013 (2) — View from Sancreed Beacon to St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall

The four horses did not seem very apocalyptic, nor were they very interested in me dowsing my way via an energetic path to the “best place for me to be”. They munched on, intent upon their delegated task to keep the hilltop naturally trim.

Sancreed Beacon, Cornwall - Winter Solstice 2013 — Wild ponies on Sancreed Beacon

The dowsing rods shifted right as I reached close to the peak and I followed. I was taken to a small rectangular-shaped area which was just to one side. I dowsed to try to find out why I was here – was there something I could do for the site, or something it could do for me (Kal’s great opening question). It was a healing requirement – there was work for me to do. Well, that’s a good start to the day!

Cornwall Winter 2 – Circle, Wring and Bed

January 14, 2014January 19, 2014 Gwas 2 Comments

Ancient Sites, Dowsing, Elemental, Energy cleansing, Spirit of Place

I had seen the sights around St.Cleer and was now heading firther into the moorland in search of one of the best stone circles in the country – or should I say the best three! The Hurlers. I had never seen them without them being shrouded in mist. Today…. it was likely to be the same! Still, it would add to the atmosphere.

From there I planned to walk across the moor to The Cheesewring on Stowe’s Hill, and then to a few sites beyond that which were marked on the map.

Top tip: Don’t trust that there will be a site just because it’s listed on the OS Map! Especially in this area!

Anyway, several false leads aside, I did get to see a few interesting places, and had a great experience sleeping in Arthur’s Bed (sometimes the jokes write themselves).

1. The Hurlers

Wraiths of mist whirled around the curving lines of standing stones which formed the three consecutive circles of The Hurlers. Only two “full ” circles are still obvious. The first circle, which has most of its stones missing, is strangely the one which I am most drawn to, and where most of my work at this site gets done.

The Hurlers - Cornwall — The Hurlers – momentarily without mist

So it was today too. When I asked whether there was any work for me to do here I was taken to the large remaining tall stone in the first circle. The dowsing rods crossed just to one side of it, and I stepped back in order to enquire further about what the work would involve. It seems that some dark energy (i.e. energy which is not beneficial to people visiting the site, or natural to its configuration) had been deposited next to the stone. I could clear it, so I would.

The Hurlers - Cornwall (2) — Marking a dark energy spot at The Hurlers stone circle

I marked the spot with a pencil so that I could focus on it (well, there was a pencil lying next to the stone – it was like picking up litter). I looked around for inspiration as to how I could clear the energy. A gust of wind slapped me in the face to remind me that air energy is perfect for this kind of work. I set about calling upon my favourite air elemental to assist with removing the useless energy form. She whizzed past in a flash and I caught the tail end of her passing as another gust of wind. Gone! A quick dowse confirmed the reinstatement of equilibrium between the energetic forces in the circle. “Balance in all things“. I might have that tattooed on my forehead.

Cornwall Winter 1 – Pillar and Quoit

January 12, 2014January 9, 2014 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Dowsing, Spirit of Place

Before the Winter Solstice I spent a week down in Cornwall. My wife was working down there and I had a week’s holiday to take, so I decided that the trip would server two purposes – I’d be there to support her with the driving and taking her out for a proper meal together in the evening, but also I would have the day free to visit many of the great places that Kal and I had visited in the summer – perhaps some new ones too.

I would be able to test how the energies felt at this time of the year, and it would also be a more leisurely visit, as I would have as much time as I needed to spend at any place. As it turned out, in winter, it’s not ideal to be hanging around in some of these exposed places getting wet and cold! And so, as each day arrived, I would pick a part of the county and head to that area, looking for new and familiar sites to visit. I got through many more sites than I imagined! Many of them I couldn’t find, or didn’t exist any more, and I haven’t documented that wasted time, but in the next seven or so posts I will take you through my experiences at the many places I did get to see. The experiences vary from simple tourist visits, photographic opportunities and walk to encounters with spirits and progress on my quests.

Come with me into Cornwall in Winter! First stop – the village of St Cleer on Bodmin Moor.

1. Doniert’s Stone

I was heading towards Bodmin Moor from the south. Normally I would approach from the east or the north, so I was driving on roads I didn’t know. By chance, one of these roads passed by a site called “Doniert’s Stone” – a tall pillar which once had a cross on it. Now it is broken into two remaining parts. Interestingly, the inscription can still be read, and talks about the person buried at the site – Donyarth, the last recorded King of Cornwall (then part of the tribal state of Dumnonia).

I found the location of the spirit of place for the site. It was very close to the broken cross, so I sat down on one of the stones to see what I could find out by communing. I firstly asked to connect to “Donyarth”. Here was the information that I got back from ym conversation:-

He wanted it known that his name was pronounced “Den-EYE-art” with the emphasis on the EYE part. Quite insistent on that!
He loved the land he was buried in, and this location particularly
He thought it was “Eden“. I was fascinated that he would describe it in that way. Clearly Celtic Christianity had landed here by the 5th Century.

I asked if there was anything I could do, but there wasn’t. He was staying, and didn’t need or want anything from anyone. I began to realise that although I was in contact with him, we were not compatible. The longer I tuned in to him the less I liked him. These days that’s a rarity for me, and such sentiments are usually reserved for those who are arrogant, self-centred or haughty. Doniert had all three of these qualities. I said my goodbyes, and left.

There was so much more to see today, I didn’t want to hang around. I still had Trethecy Quoit, The Hurlers and The Cheesewring to see.

Winter Solstice 2013 – The secret of constellation alignment

January 10, 2014January 8, 2014 Gwas 6 Comments

Ancient Sites, Celestial, Magick

In the final part of my Winter Solstice story for 2013 I talk about one of my favourite places – Dinas Bran. It’s one of the most beautiful, impressive, magickal and mythical places in my area. Having spent time getting to know its spirit of place – the mighty Bran the Blessed – it has provided consistently astonishing results through acts of communing.

On this day, having visited Holywell, this was the destination that Kal was driven (literally) to visit next. Our adventures at Vale Crucis and Eliseg’s Pillar would come afterwards. While the sun still slanted shadows across the land we climbed the impressive hill to reach the remains of the fort on top.

The day was beautiful and clear. Surprisingly, there weren’t many people on the hill today! It was a perfect day for photographs, but we were here for other purposes. Kal was on a mission, and I had a burning question:

Why were some sacred sites and standing stones aligned to stars?

I was hoping that Bran might be able to answer that for me.

Winter Solstice 2013 – Saints and Druids in Llangollen

January 8, 2014January 8, 2014 Gwas 2 Comments

Ancestors, Other Entities, Wheel of the Year

Winter Solstice was spent in and around the Llangollen area. It’s not only easy for us to get to, but there are some favourite sites which we know always deliver when it comes to both scenery and ‘sorcery’. Kal has already covered our visit to St.Winifrede’s Well in Holywell, which was a shared experience. The next couple of posts will concentrate on our next two places – Vale Crucis Abbey, and then the hillfort of Dinas Bran and I will describe the visits in terms of what happened to me.

Before we arrived at Vale Crucis, though, we came through some back roads from Holywell which meant that we came over Horseshoe Pass. At that time of the morning and at this time of the year the views were stunning:

Vale Crucis – free and open in Winter

We began our visit by taking some photographs. You have to get the fiddly stuff done first in this weather or your fingers freeze up! Having got that bit done we circled the site in opposite directions, each of us choosing our spot through a combination of dowsing and intuition.

Conversation with Collen

St Collen is famous for having refused firstly the invitation of, then the hospitality of Gwyn Ap Nudd – the Faery King. After causing him to disappear through the application of holy water, little more is heard of Collen. The story, from the ‘Life of St. Collen‘ and quoted in Lady Charlotte Guest’s translation of The Mabinogion, is reproduced here. [Thanks to Ian Pegler for correcting that].

Winter Solstice 2013 Valle Crucis and the Power of Promise

January 6, 2014December 31, 2013 kal No Comments

Energy work

After the über download at Dinas Bran and an enjoyable lunch in Llangollen we were ready for our final stop of the Solstice. Vali Crucis. From memory, we have visited this place several times in the early spring. Flowers just budding comes to mind. So it was a bit off timing to be coming here … Read More “Winter Solstice 2013 Valle Crucis and the Power of Promise” »

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