Chris

Beltane 2015 – Three Points of Ancestral Connection

May 20, 2015January 26, 2016 Chris No Comments

Ancestors, Churches and Temples, Saints, Wheel of the Year

This is the last of my Beltane 2015 posts. I had intended it to be the central point of the ripple effect – the smallest circle, the tiniest of posts. In fact, it is longer than I anticipated, only because it is actually the very centre of everything I’ve been working with since 2011. In this respect, it shows how sometimes our work has long cycles until they resolve themselves, but also that the smallest insignificant episode can often result in profound implications for your spiritual path. Let me explain!

The Returning Circle – Vale Crucis Abbey in Llangollen

For me Vale Crucis will always now be a local reflection of a similar Cistercian abbey in the Irish town of Boyle. Boyle, in the Irish county of Roscommon, is the centre of an area in which my ancestors used to roam (and some still do). When I visited the area a few years ago I had an amazing series of encounters culminating in an energetic battle with one particular ancestor who then became one of my spiritual protectors. I earned the right to inherit the family name that day, and all of the accumulated knowledge and wisdom that came with that inheritance.

Vale Crucis Abbey - Beltane - May 15 (2) — The leaning tower of Vale Crucis – alright, maybe it was me leaning

So, when I step into Vale Crucis it is like being in Ireland, back in my ancestral homeland, and having access to all that information and support. On this Beltane day, having visited many other sites, this was the southern culmination point. For me, I was just here to connect with my ancestors, as I had before. Yet, something much more profound was about to happen.

Beltane 2015 – The Heart of the Merlin Staff

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015 Chris 2 Comments

Ancient Sites, Arthurian, Caves and Shelters, Faery, Hills and Mounds, Signs and Synchronicity, Wheel of the Year

In the second (and slightly shorter) of the Beltane stories I am following a different ‘ripple’ from the initial ‘splash’ that was recounted previously. In this second part I am concentrating on the nature of a new quest that will run from Beltane to Summer Solstice.

I already knew that the previous quest – Become The Giant – had concluded in Anglesey at Lligwy Chamber (see post). Now I was keen to see what was next in store for my spiritual development. As we were close to Bodfari, on the old Pilgrim Trail from North to Mid-Wales, it seemed fitting to try to get access to a cave that we had previously only seen from a distance: St.Beuno’s Cave.

These days we are older, wiser and bolder. What would have put us off previously was no longer an obstacle, and as we descended into the valley, following a restricted path, we arrived at a house that must surely govern the access to the cave, we thought. I strode up to the door and made our presence known. It was “an inconvenient time” for obtaining the key to the cave itself, but we were allowed to walk up to the entrance. That, the dowsing rods indicated, would be enough for our purposes.

Beunos Well and Cave - Beltane - May 2015 (9) — Beuno’s Cave – did he carve it out himself?

Beuno’s Cave entrance

Having permission to enter we walked carefully up the valley on the “right” side of the fence, avoiding treading on the newly-sown wild flowers, as we had been warned. The cave was up a steep side of the valley commanding wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.

We found that we both dowsed the exact same spot as the most energetic place for us to be. Sitting in a small hollow with a shallow shelf upon which to sit, we prepared for a meditation session. Silently, with only the soundtrack of the burgeoning Summer surrounding us, we drifted into connection with Nature.

In this sensitive state I began to ask my key question: what was my new quest for Beltane to Summer Solstice?

Beunos Well and Cave - Beltane - May 2015 (7) — The View toward Bodfari from Beuno’s Cave entrance

The answer took a few silent minutes to weave itself into a song that spoke inside my head:

“Find the essence of Merlin’s staff“

Merlin’s Staff? Was this referring to the oak staff that I had obtained from Sherwood Forest recently and which I was seasoning in the sunshine in order to dry it out in preparation for carving? Indeed it was. So the new oak staff is Merlin’s staff? Interesting, but not surprising.

My final question was an attempt to get more information about how such information could be obtained. How could I find the essence of the staff? An image revealed itself to me, and again once I saw it then it was obvious – I was to use the new crystal orb that I had recently bought from a highly aware lady at a Mind, Body & Spirit Fair in Bury. I needed to scry with the orb to get the information. When I chose the orb the lady had told me that it was made of “Merlinite“. Sold!

“Merlinite is a potent catalyst for shamanic journeying and past-life recall.” says Crystalpedia.

I’m sure that buying such a stone is just a coincidence at this time. I’m sure the fact that it was made of something called Merlinite was also another curious yet meaningless coincidence. A cascade of coincidences.

Beltane 2015 – Reparations and the Four Stone Circle

May 16, 2015December 30, 2016 Chris No Comments

Ancient Sites, Circles and Stones, Crystals, Energy work, Hills and Mounds, Land healing, Spirit of Place, Wheel of the Year

We begin this year’s Beltane celebrations with a set of tales that are like ripples in life’s pond. They form concentric circles within each other, being made of the same substance, and affecting each other. So, I start my set of stories with the largest of the ripples – a ripple going back through time to loop around to the very beginning of our questing.

This first story is the longest, and the rest get progressively shorter. Strap yourselves in!

Beltane Bashing Background

Long ago, when we were young and the world seemed idealistic, we had a notion that we could create a stone circle. Surely, all that would be required is for us to gather some stones together, maybe put them on a hill, enchant them, and then we would be Circle Makers? That, dear readers, is what we did many years ago.

The action was full of difficulty – which should have been our clue, but we were less aware in those days. We hauled some rocks around up a steep hill in Wales on a hot day which then turned cold on us. The rocks cracked as we attempted to “tap” them into place in our makeshift circle. The energetic imprint we created has ever more been a source of slight guilt for us, as we came to learn more about what we were doing. We always said that one day we would return and right our wrong. This was that day.

The way this story works out is astonishing. My intention was to start the afternoon at St.Winifrede’s Well in Holywell. It was the head of an old pilgrim route from the North coast down into the heart of eastern Wales. My idea was to start with a cleansing, and then move on to somewhere that we could energise, and finally end up at Moel Y Gaer above Bodfari where we could harmonize our work, right our wrong, and find out what was next on our quest. Three simple steps, if somewhat vaguely defined.

Three simple steps that were immediately shifted away from MY plans, and instead worked themselves out in a completely different and most magickal way.

The Axis of Time

May 14, 2015May 14, 2015 Chris No Comments

Ancient Sites, Axis Mundi, Dolmens and Chambers, God or Goddess

This is a post related to the quest “Become The Giant” that I was given at Spring Equinox.

As the weather was fantastic for April, and Kal was eager to go out, I was easily persuaded to venture forth into Wales. Having no destination I suggested Gop Hill. Within half an hour (through heavy commuter traffic) we were zooming down the A55 towards the special hill.

Then, out of the blue, I thought we’d gone past the junction. We’d been chatting and it suddenly occurred to me that I had already gone wrong. Kal suggested a new destination: what about Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey? We had time, petrol and inclination. Let’s go!

As we approached the Jubilee Bridge over the Menai Straits I got a different feeling – I should visit Lligwy Chamber – the one part of the “Follow The Bear” (a Great Bear Landscape Zodiac quest) that I hadn’t managed to visit this year. Now was the time, I felt. And for some reason, I knew that the two quests would come together in that location – one to be fulfilled, the other to be expanded.

lligwy_chamber_dec09 — The Chamber of Secrets – Lligwy on Anglesey

Feeling The Movement of the Universe

I was shown a cleansing place – one of the lumps of stone outside of the iron-clad fencing around the huge cap-stoned chamber itself. I used the dowsing rods to find the correct alignment for myself – which direction to face whilst cleansing. The detritus of the modern world sloughed off me like a snake’s skin shedding.

Next I was shown to stand on another of the lumpy stones. This time I felt inclined to discover the whereabouts of the Great Bear constellation (Ursa Major). It was directly above me! Perfect, I felt. I closed my eyes and felt something that I have never felt before. I felt that inside my head was a three-dimensional representation of the panorama of stars and galaxies. I could see and feel the gently rotation of the Earth in relation to the backdrop of other energy sources – the stars, moons, planets, asteroids – the whole constellational tapestry, sliding… shifting… swirling.

I nearly fell off the stone several times! With my eyes open the movement became the usual imperceptible shift, but once my eyes closed while standing on this stone then I felt the Universe’s subtle movement in three glorious dimensions.

Immortality and Mad Jacks Tomb

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 Chris No Comments

Dolmens and Chambers, Energy grid, Ley Lines, Shades and Death Energies, Tombs and Monuments

I often feel that people put too much emphasis on ley lines. These invisible subtle energy pathways seem to hold an endless fascination with some people. For me, the more interesting energies are their constituent energies – the male and female earth and celestial energies that ley lines transport from point to point in the landscape.

Nevertheless, on a sunny Spring evening, just as the sun was beginning to set, I found myself at one of Sussex’s most odd structures called Mad Jack Fuller’s Tomb – an over-sized pyramid tomb in the very small village of Brightling. I was therefore quite surprised to discover that the most interesting thing about this structure was its ley line connection, and how that connected with the idea of immortality.

Mad Jack Fullers Tomb - April 2015 (6) — Mad Jack’s Tomb: Over-inflated ego construction actually serves a special purpose

The tomb is in the grounds of a beautiful church building – again slightly larger than one would expect for a tiny village. Squire Fuller seems to have invested quite a bit of money in this area!

Feeding a ley line

I began my dowsing work. I had very soon identified four strong spots where earth energy was rising to the surface of the earth in a strong vortex. There were two male energy spots and two female ones. They seemed to be balanced and positioned on either side of the tomb.

When I traced the flow of these energies they were being drawn from the central vortex where they emerged and then were being attracted into the side of the pyramid. The pyramid shape was key to this. It’s flat sides meant that it was perfectly aligned with a ley line. It was sitting right in the middle of the line. The point on the top was acting as a focal point for the celestial energies coming in from the top. The pyramid was therefore a balance of earthly and celestial forms of energy which were being directed into the stone structure. But why?

Mad Jack's energy map — The subtle energies around Mad Jack’s Tomb

The Tainted Talisman

May 6, 2015April 30, 2015 Chris No Comments

Arthurian, Churches and Temples, Crystals, Energy cleansing, Visions

Holidays are a wonderful thing. Here I was, roaming along the southern coastline of Albion, the sun was shining and I had no agenda – no physical, mental or spiritual work to achieve this week. Yet something was nagging at me. When re-stocking our motorhome I had re-discovered a treasured item – a necklace that I associated strongly with the Merlin energy. When I picked up the necklace it felt… “neglected”,, but more than that. “Tainted” may be a better word. Not strongly, but enough to cause me to wish to set that right.

It was in the back of my mind one evening as I let thoughts bubble to the surface, and I tried to get a glimpse of what I should do about it. In my vision I saw an old gnarled tree – maybe an oak? I saw the word “Rye” and didn’t know if that was a place or a crop. I knew I could easily resolve the problem by introducing some peaceful and sympathetic energies into the talisman, I felt.

I looked on the map. Rye was a town easily reachable in an hour from where we were staying in Bexhill-On-Sea. So, a visit would be in order.

We walked all around the mediaeval town of Rye, had lunch, then were about to leave when I felt a pull up a steep hill. I convinced M that we needed to continue looking around the town. There was something I needed to do, and the top of the hill would be the location, I felt. As we emerged into an old square lined with timber-framed buildings and a huge church I knew already this was the place.

The Long Man – Striding Like a Giant

May 3, 2015April 27, 2015 Chris No Comments

Ancient Sites, Energy grid, Giants, Other Entities

Some people like to take their holidays in a place they know and love. Me too – but let me qualify that statement. For me holidays are about an opportunity to visit somewhere I haven’t been before in a place that I know I love – Britain. You can imagine, though, that having spent over 40 years in these islands finding new places is getting more difficult. M and I therefore agreed that Hampshire and The South Downs should be our target as we had little knowledge of that region.

Before we left I did very little research. I had an idea that I might get to some of the places mentioned in Andrew Collins‘ book “The Black Alchemist“. Something, however, was keeping me away from such places. I think I know why, but that’s another story.

I wasn’t expecting much ‘activity’ as I was supposed to be having time away to rest. However, one day I looked at the map and saw that we were travelling near to a place I’ve always wanted to visit: The Long Man of Wilmington. We had to go!

Long Man of Wilmington (1) — The Giant Surveryor

On arrival we realised that it was pretty busy. If you visit in a motorhome you’ll find that you can’t park at the car park at the top of the village. There’s another place further up the road, so we pulled up there. We were now on Windover Hill – a place teeming with ancient remnants. None more impressive than the giant on the hill, though.

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