Tag: ash

Swapping Spirits at Mitchells Fold

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Swapping Spirits at Mitchells Fold
Ancient Sites, Faery, Hedge Druidry, Modern Druidry, Spirit Guides, Spirits

This year has seen a slight change in approach to sacred sites. For the last few years I have been steadfastly holding the opinion that I should visit places with a specific purpose or set of questions. This year that has been less of a rule and I have often gone to places without any set agenda, often having a fantastic experience. However, for this visit I had a strange feeling that I wanted to investigate. Something was nagging me about my current spirit guide, Ash. Something was rotten in the state of Denmark, as Shakespeare put it, and I wanted to know more. Therefore when Kal suggested Mitchell’s Fold stone circle I knew what questions to ask my guide:

  1. Am I still on track in terms of my spiritual path?
  2. Are we still on track, as a partnership?
  3. Do I need to concentrate on anything?
  4. Is he staying around, or is there someone else waiting to meet me?

The Unfolding at The Fold

Midday Winter sun at Mitchells Fold stone circle
Midday Winter sun over Corndon Hill, Shropshire

On arrival Kal strode off to the stone circle, whilst I was guided off through the dying brown bracken to join a path that led to the King Stone outlier. From this stone you get a good overview of the stone circle which lies some hundred yards away. I could see Kal wandering around with his dowsing rods, finding a perfect place to cleanse, attune and then work. This, we have learned, is the process to use:

  1. find a cleansing place to prepare your energies
  2. find a place where your energies can attune to the site
  3. find a place where you can work with the energies of the site

My cleansing place was the King Stone, After a few moments I was ready to be taken to the preparation place – the place where my energies would change vibration to match the site. The dowsing rods showed me the direction – it was a small animal track through the bracken which would have been almost invisible in the Summer months, but which was visible now to those who looked.

The rods swung left to point at the edge of the stone circle, rather than taking me into the structure yet. The attunement space was a spot outside circle which I had not been to before. I like new things! The portent was that something new was going to happen. When I felt ready I asked for a place where I could “work”, i.e. where I could ask my questions about my spirit guide. The rods took me to the tallest standing stone in the structure, and there I bumped into Kal as he too vied for the same spot!

Time for some answers!

Mitchells Fold - Dec 14 (Medium)

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All things are possible

Posted on By Gwas 7 Comments on All things are possible
Signs and Synchronicity, Spirit Guides

I don’t usually bring aspects of my mundane life into this blog. I like to keep these things separate, because I don’t want to spoil the rich and fertile magickal world we have created by the stories that we have created here in this space. However, at the moment, there are things going on in my life which could mean a great change to the way that I spend my time soon. I have also begun to notice that there is an increasing “overspill” between my normal life and the magickal world. They are beginning to inter-twine, like catching one’s foot in a bramble on what you thought was a clear path. Here is an example of that.

I am sitting at home in my study, probably typing out a story like this one. I hear a sound like several pots and pans that were stacked up being knocked over. The clatter is unmistakeable, yet incongruous because it is outside my window, at the front of the house. What would pans be doing outside, and being knocked over? We live in a very quiet neighbourhood where the only likely disturbance is from cats passing through. That’s what it must be, I think to myself – a cat has knocked something over outside. I can’t see what it is because it’s dark, but I go straight to the window anyway. No movement. No cat. No pans. No other noise.

Then my rational brain offers further suggestions. If there’s nothing outside then it must have been inside. The commotion was probably our cat seeing off one of the neighbourhood cats. [The cat flap is locked at night]. I must have forgotten to lock it [I hadn’t] and when I get down in the morning there will probably be something knocked over which accounts for the noise.

In the morning I gingerly open the front room door. Everything is at peace. Nothing has moved. There is no sign of a disturbance. Nothing is out of place. I double check. Nothing. I will look outside when I got out in a minute. After breakfast I leave the house, having almost forgotten the incident. Outside the morning light shines off the dull brickwork paving blocks, but there is something different. A small pink something.

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Ash in the Woods

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Angels, Hedge Druidry, Spirit Guides

In the third and final part of my jaunt to Alderley Edge I will talk about my experiences with my Spirit Guide, Ash. We’re still getting to know each other, it feels, yet one thing I do know about his reason for working with me is that he wants to know more about the say that subtle energy forces form, move and change in relation to this planet. No problem! So do I!

Before I came to the woods I felt like I might be asking him about the way ahead for this year – what we could be doing together to make progress for both of us. Kal and I were half way down the cliff face of The Edge by this time. Where would I need to go in order to meditate effectively with my spirit guide, I asked the dowsing rods? They swung to point me further down the hill, then along a very muddy path towards the Alderley town side of the woods. I was on my own this time – Kal had been diverted off in a different direction. This work was mine alone.

Alderley Edge - March 2014 (5)

Soon I was climbing upwards, away from the muddy path, and up the steep Edge sides towards a peak lit by the last rays of sunlight streaming through the tall bare beech branches. Almost like a beacon I was heading for the still-lit summit, a knoll where I knew what awaited me. Years of wandering through the woods meant that I knew most of the main features in any season’s garb. There was a small cave on top.

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Summary 2013 – Lessons Learned Pt1

Posted on By Gwas No Comments on Summary 2013 – Lessons Learned Pt1
Hedge Druidry, Hedge philosophy

In the second of my year-end summary posts I am listing the most important things I have learned this year. I’ve arranged them in chronological order by month as this seems to show the development of the learning in the best way. There’s too much to read in one go, so I’ve split this into two posts. Part 1 is January to June/July. Part 2 will be the back half of the year.

One of my favourite phrases is “Every day is a school day.” It certainly feels like that walking this path of druidry and divination!

January

Spooky!

  • Learned that some pet energies can be grounded through respectful burial involving knowledge of their energetic links to humans (e.g. an owner)
  • Also found a spirit that is classically called an Incubus preying upon the vibrant energies of the three teenage girls in the house. Discovered that they can be ‘ensnared’ using a spiral-carved stone to confuse their pathway, and by changing the energy flows around the house to disrupt its patterns and portals.

Related posts: Exorcising an Incubus, Poltergeist Pet

Tarot Framework

  • Created a four-stage cross tarot layout coinciding with the Celtic festival dates, and drew from the Camelot Oracle to define the path, the champion and the challenges at those special dates. The result was a fantastic way to keep me on track with my progress!

Related posts: Arthurian Overview of 2013, Camelot Oracle

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Summary of the Year 2013 – Themes

Posted on By Gwas No Comments on Summary of the Year 2013 – Themes
Hedge Druidry, Wheel of the Year

Welcome to the first of three posts to summarise the adventures I’ve had this year. The first post will discuss the major themes of the year and my opinions on them. The second post will go into detail about the lessons I’ve learned and how I have developed as a result of those teachings. Finally, … Read More “Summary of the Year 2013 – Themes” »

The Arthurian Earth Energies

Posted on By Gwas No Comments on The Arthurian Earth Energies
Ancient Sites, Spirit Guides

In early June Kal and I visited The Druid’s Circle at Penmaenmawr near Conwy. We arrived there in time for sunset, and the western skies filled out with ever-deepening shades of red until the whole sky turned inky-blue as the sun retreated beneath the sea. Before the light around us completely faded I had some work to do. I was here to try to find out more about my spirit guide who was relatively new to me. My previous guide Theodora had been unfathomable, but honestly I had stopped trying to know more at the first hurdle, not wanting to upset her. Now I had Ash, and he seemed more amenable, so I felt it was incumbent upon me to make the effort to forge a strong relationship that could be mutually beneficial.

With that in mind I made my way towards the stone circle’s long teeth and stood poised at the edges while I worked out what I needed to do next. I needed somewhere to “be”, so I used the dowsing rods to find me a suitable location to make the connection. Surprisingly they led me not to my usual stone, but to one of the larger stones next to it. I hadn’t worked at this stone specifically before. I had worked at those on either side of it, but not this one. I stood in the lee of the stone, against the flat of its back. The stone was almost my height at its peak, and I’m tall.

The tall stone in Druid's Circle was my workplace
The big stone in the foreground was my workplace

It was time to get to know this guide of mine. I was eager to know whether the tarot reading I had done fitted with how he revealed himself through this spiritual connection, rather than through divination. What was he here for? What could we learn from each other? Time to find out.

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Bran, Corvus and taking possession

Posted on By Gwas No Comments on Bran, Corvus and taking possession
Ancient Sites

I love going out in the week. Everyone else is asleep in front of their televisions and our lands becomes the playground of this hedge druid. At least, that’s how it feels. On this rare dry evening I called Kal to come and share the wonders of Dinas Bran. It’s probably our closest amazing place. I felt like I had neglected Bran, not having visited him yet this year. Time to remedy that. Of course I took gloves, a scarf and a thick coat – I’m not stupid – it’s early March. Kal forewent such superfluous apparel.

We climbed up the back path (the eastern side) in the dark. I had a torch but didn’t need it – there was enough ambient light. Kal used his, though, and as we neared the top he suggested I had picked the harder way up deliberately. It’s all relative – a balance between distance and gradient. As the top levelled off our breathing was audible in the crisp cool night air. Now the wind began to make itself known to us. Dinas Bran is always windy on top whatever the time of year. Go prepared, unless you’re Kal, in which case – freeze!

Unusually, there was actually someone on the top, and they were playing with luminous balls on string, swinging them around in dazzling patterns. I’ve seen people doing such things at festivals. It’s very skilful. I decided to nestle into a quiet space out of the wind where the dowsing rods led me. It was my starting point – a power centre that I was familiar with. Why not? A boost of subtle energy would be good before braving the full force of the cold night wind.

Kal pointed out The Great Bear constellation that was directly before us – East in direction – and then he left to go find what he needed to do in the main castle grounds. Plough/bear/seven sisters – this constellation was many things to many people. I knew it as a representation of Arthur, but now Bran seemed to be indicating that he and Arthur were signified by the same constellation. Interesting….

“In the early Welsh poem “Preiddeu Annwfn”, Arthur visits the Celtic Underworld, Annwfn, and his adventures closely parallel those of the cauldron-seeking god, Bran the Blessed” (Source: Britannia.com)

Well, there you go. Funny how these things come together. I will now always consider these concepts as one – Arthur and Bran.

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