2015 – Page 2 – The Hedge Druid

Anglesey Megalithic Tour 2015 P1

November 6, 2015October 24, 2015 Chris No Comments

Ancient Sites, Circles and Stones, Dolmens and Chambers, Hills and Mounds, Megalithic Tours

In the middle of September I arranged a visit to Anglesey for my weekly meditation group. I had grand ideas, but over time I had slowly whittled the concept down from a weekend extravaganza for all and sundry, to a single day outing for a small group of people who attend my weekly outdoor meditation session (see Meetup).

Originally I had planned on visiting four sites, but it ended up being six due to the enthusiasm levels and the local knowledge of the attendees. This post will describe the first three, and then the next one will talk about the other three.

My meditation group consists of around ten regular attendees and a few irregulars. It was something of a shock to discover that nearly everyone wanted to go on my first megalithic tour! On the day I had a group of ten people, many of whom were regular meditators, all of whom were interested in finding out more about subtle energy and sacred sites. We met locally and then travelled in various volunteer’s cars heading towards our first meeting point: Bryn Celli Ddu.

Many sites, so little time

At the Bryn Celli Ddu car park we all gathered and I talked about what we might experience during the day.

Anglesey Megalithic Tour - Sept 15 (5) — Some of the popular megalithic sites on Anglesey

All the way to Anglesey we had passed through numerous heavy rain clouds. Now we were here it was dry. Yet, it felt like it could rain at any time. We trouped off to the chamber together wondering what we would find.

Everyone got something different from Bryn Celli Ddu. All I asked of them was to find their own proper entrance point to the structure, pay respects before entering, then find their own special power place. Everyone seems to get it, and soon they were immersed in the feeling of the place, even if they weren’t sure what else they might experience there.

The inside of the structure was a space that everyone loved. The petrified tree pillar was a point of fascination, as expected. When we re-convened it was clear that people were beginning to appreciate the power of such sacred spaces when they are properly approached. Everyone felt empowered, embraced by the place, and came away with a positive loving feeling.

This method of approach and interaction would be a process that we would try to recreate at each of the places we visited that day.

Autumn Equinox 2015 P2 – Moving onwards and upwards

November 3, 2015November 19, 2015 Chris 1 Comment

Crystals, Lakes and Rivers, Undines, Visions, Wheel of the Year

In the second and final part of my Autumn Equinox outing I was still at Pistyll Rhaeadr. I had been told that I could do everything in one place. Now that I had learned The Song of the Waters at the base of the waterfall, it was time to move onwards and upwards.

Taking into account what happened at Dinas Bran I climbed the steep slope very slowly. This was now a deliberate change of pace now that Kal has gone. Everything will be slower and more spanned out now. It’s about quality, not quantity now. One site is enough, done slowly and mindfully.

Llanrhaeadr Waterfall - autumn 2015 (2) — Beginning the slow climb up Pistyll Rhaeadr

At the top I went to stand on the edge. Kal was an Edge Wizard, and as I faced that inherent fear we have which prevents us from falling from great heights I felt the thrill of being alive. I wished he was here too. I lit three incense sticks in memory of Kal, and lay the Irish green wand alongside them. The green wand’s power was growing, I could sense it. Or was I fooling myself? The Fool was one of Kal’s alter egos – a role he played with gusto. He enjoyed people’s reactions, and only those who could see beyond that began to understand that his wisdom was draped in a motley garb. The water jumped off the edge with an enthusiastic inevitability, pulling, drawing….I gathered the wand and stepped back.

I went to sit under the canopied rock a safe distance back from the edge. Sheltered from the wind and occasional rain I was able to quickly get into a meditative state of mind and call upon my spirit guide to help my work. I looked out down the valley, and as my gaze became fixed and my mind became free I began to see the ages pass. Huts of people came and went; armies marches, fought and dispersed; travellers arrived and left; and the landscape whirled through the seasons and ages in such a rapid succession that I stopped trying to recognise the changes. It was an amazing vision.

There was more to come.

Autumn Equinox 2015 P1 – Heavy Water and Deep Thoughts

October 30, 2015October 13, 2015 Chris 2 Comments

Elements earth-water-fire-air, Lakes and Rivers, Spirit Guides, Undines, Wheel of the Year

So the Autumn Equinox arrived. It would be my first outing without Kal being around. I had to steel myself to make the preparations to go, but I did so knowing that I could spend a day out in Nature and take some time to go to a place that he loved.

I knew where I was intending to go. The place had been suggested to me by my water spirit guide. Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall had all the elements I needed to fulfill The Song of the Waters – a fall, a river and a pool – water in three conditions.

Autumn Equinox - Sept 15 (5) — Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall in full flow at Autumn Equinox 2015

Never Ride The Lonely Road…

For some reason I wanted you to hear the first few seconds of this “Lo-Fidelity Allstars” track which has a rather creepy snippet of cautionary advice. I’d recommend the album by the way – it’s one of my all-time favourites. It came to mind as I began to write this.

I didn’t know where I would be going today. On previous visits Kal and I had usually gone fairly quickly up to the top, but today I felt like I wanted to spend more time at the bottom half. Following the dowsing rods I was taken into the woodland alongside the waterfall and specifically to a junction point where two paths met.

This was my preparation place and I asked permission to create a posy of wild flowers – Herb Robert and Bracken primarily. I laid the posy at the meeting point of the paths. It felt symbolic and reminiscent simultaneously. I let out s sigh…this was going to be a long road back to The Way…

Spirit of Place in the Meditation Circle

October 27, 2015October 27, 2015 Chris No Comments

Energy work, Land healing, Meditation, Spirit of Place

I started a weekly meditation circle last year. I was impressed by how many people turned up regularly, but this year the intake was even bigger. I made a few changes this year. I moved the venue slightly to provide a more intimate working space, and to accommodate more people. Part of that work involved me clearing out a place that was overgrown and full of old rotting and rusting junk. It took me a couple of days to clear, but when the space was finished it felt amazing.

Before I had done any work I had entered into a dialog with the Spirit of Place. Was the space suitable? Would it be alright to use it in this way? Was the spirit happy with me preparing the space or should it be left as it was? All these questions were asked and more. So, I already felt comfortable with working with the spirit of this new space.

For the last 16 weeks the group has been gathering momentum and getting familiar with each other. Now they are at a point where they have shared experiences, and lasting friendships have been formed. There is a lot of love circulating amongst the group, and that is a lovely experience. Tuesday evenings have become very special.

A few weeks ago we did “Connecting with the Spirit of Place” as the topic. It was particularly remarkable, and so I want to tell you about it here.

Reconfigurations and Repurcussions

October 25, 2015October 25, 2015 Chris No Comments

Castles and Forts, Crystals, Energy cleansing, Hills and Mounds, Ritual, Shades and Death Energies

It was the first energetic thing that I could bring myself to do after Kal’s death. I knew what needed to be done, but I needed a week away to even begin to get enough space between the event and what I needed to find the strength to do. Energetically, shamanically, we had discussed the concept of clearing death energy many times. This was not the circumstance in which I ever intended to use such practices.

Yet the fact remained. Kal’s energy needed to be released from the spot where he had died. Only I knew that. Only I knew how to do that. Only I cared that it was done. He would only have wanted me to be the one to do it. So I had to stiffen up the sinews and go back there. Back to the slopes of Dinas Bran in Llangollen.

On the way it looked so familiar. I remembered all of our conversation that day – his hopes for the future; his travel plans; how other people seemed not to share our levels of commitment to this kind of spiritual work; our shared admiration for Carlos Castaneda’s accounts; and how I was dressed in white and he was in black. Some things were profound, others insignificant. At the time we may not have known which were which.

A Hard Rain

As I began the climb memories came flooding back as though a sluice gate had been opened. As I walked I re-traced the path as exactly as I could, in a meditative state of mind all the way. I walked past the fateful spot and felt my heart ache. That feeling again. A feeling like someone was gripping my heart in some kind of Dim Mak move from a martial arts film.

Heartache through combat — Van Damme makes his mark

I reached the top and the strain on my heart got stronger with each step. I was re-living Kal’s experience, I felt. To the point where I thought I might suffer the same effects! As I reached the top the rain began, and I knew this was the beginning of the cleansing process.

Check, Please

October 23, 2015October 23, 2015 kal 4 Comments

Belief Systems, How To, Quickie

NOTE from Chris: This is Kal’s last ever post. Even its title is incredibly ironic. There is this common misconception. In fact it is so common that I have fallen foul of it myself. But no more! A sacred life is one that has a reasonable amount of input from the universe or beings thereof. … Read More “Check, Please” »

Lammas 2015 P8 The Pink Knight and the Black Chamber

October 21, 2015October 6, 2015 Chris No Comments

Churches and Temples, Dolmens and Chambers

Kilmartin Museum was excellent. Lots to see and very interesting for us as well, which is not often the case. I particularly like their outdoor exhibit demonstrating the alignment of the nearby megaliths with the sun’s position. A quirky little pedestal which I’m sure many will have overlooked.

Kilmartin Church and Museum - Lammas 2015 (46) — Alignment explanations at Kilmartin Museum

We decided we had enough time to visit the church too, although I’m not sure what to make of my findings! Alongside the church building was a smaller stone building housing an array of carved stones ranging from 1100 to 1717 in date. The third earliest stone (cracked) dowsed as being energetically worthwhile me investigating. So I did.

Kilmartin Church and Museum - Lammas 2015 (50) — Inscribed stones at Kilmartin Church

I held my hand on the stone and soon I was in meditative mind. As my thoughts withdrew a picture began to form. I saw a knight in armour with a broadsword cleaving his enemies. His status was obvious. He was a nobleman, possibly a tribal leader of this area. Then came a series of much gentler images of walks, flowers and then… being with other men!

I asked what we had in common – cautiously. I introduced myself as a druid. This was our link, apparently. He was interested in the Unknown, in the Western Mysteries. He showed me how he had to send others in his retinue to talk to the Druids in his day due to his status. He couldn’t be seen in such company.

With that.. the energy link faded. Either I was “out of fuel” or there wasn’t enough around in this place. We decided that was enough for today and that we needed to head home now. I can’t tell you how much Kal laughed when I told him this tale. I think he stopped giggling at some point past Penrith.

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