castle – The Hedge Druid

Lammas 2015 P7 – The Troll of Carnasserie Castle

October 17, 2015October 18, 2015 Chris No Comments

Castles and Forts, Elemental, Spirit Guides, Spirit of Place, Trolls and gnomes, Undines

After a hearty breakfast at the Loch Melfort Hotel – a hotel with stunning lake views and roaming highland cattle – we checked out and made our way back to Kilmartin. We had passed signs on the edge of Kilmartin for a castle called Carnasserie, and this would be our first stop today. Later we would head to the museum, but first we wanted to take a look at the castle.

Carnasserie Castle - Lammas 2015 (23) — Carnasserie Castle viewed from the northern ruins.

Kal and I split up to work separately, as usual. I asked for a place of preparation, and the dowsing rods took me over to the remains of what appeared to be an old outer wall or tower, which now afforded a stunning view of the valley below. This was located to the north side of the Renaissance castle.

As I began to allow myself to attune to the vibrations and energy frequencies of the surroundings a feeling emerged that this was the last of the summer’s energies that I was feeling. I sighed. Even though we had been spared any rain or storms for the duration of our visit, I felt that the strength of the summer energy was at last on the wane.

My attention was directed to my new water Spirit Guide. She said to me “Water is coming.”. I looked up, my attention moving to face the current wind direction where I saw from the cloud cover that there was every possibility that it was going to rain soon. In fact, later that day as we headed home it was incredibly wet! Pouring down for the whole journey! She was right.

Carnasserie Castle - Lammas 2015 (10) — Ruined northern quarter at Carnasserie Castle inhabited by the Spirit of Place

I’m the King of the Castle, and you’re the Dirty Rascal

When I asked the dowsing rods to take me to the location of the Spirit of Place for the castle I was taken right back to where I was standing! I had been in the right spot anyway. I decided to tune into a different frequency – that of the Spirit of Place- and so I held that notion in my head and then settled into a mindless state of meditation, waiting until I got to the right level and wondering if the spirit would want to communicate with me. It did.

The Relationship of Lightning

October 8, 2013October 15, 2013 Gwas 1 Comment

Ancient Sites, Arthurian, Celestial, Elemental, Quests, Spirit Guides

This is the second of my tales about my return to Dyserth Castle in the dark. In this story, having cleared and calmed the fire pit of its chaotic energy signature, I find out some information about how to call lightning and from a source that I wasn’t expecting. I am introduced to the idea that Earth can mix with Fire to produce an interesting effect.

The Lightning Difference

I asked the dowsing rods to lead me to somewhere that I could learn about my ‘Call Lightning’ quest. Was there any such place here? YES. Then lead on! The rods swung to point behind me, and then moved in almost a straight line deeper into the high semi-circular cliff of the castle’s perch.

With it being dark, I needed to look up. Besides, I was wondering where the rods were taking me so directly. I was walking towards the cliff, and as I stopped to assess my position I saw in front of me a huge face in the cliff. It was at least sixty feet high. I wondered if the face would actually be visible in daylight – it kind of needed the relief of the rock without shadow and without any other visual distractions in order for it to appear as clearly as it was to me that night. This was what I was here to see. I just knew it. This was an Earth Spirit. The spirit of this place.

RockFace — The kind of thing I saw that night

I checked my protection, paid my respects to the entity, and then stilled myself in order to see if I could get into the right state of mind to connect to it. Minutes later I was in the right place, mentally, and felt like I could communicate. I asked about the lightning quest, of course, “How can I call lightning?” I enquired hopefully. My rational mind was fighting the impulse to think that I was directing the question to the wrong form of elemental – surely an air spirit would know this, not an earth spirit?

Dyserth Castle – How to call an Air Spirit

September 18, 2013September 18, 2013 Gwas 3 Comments

Elemental, Hedge Druidry, Natural Magick

Following on from my previous encounter with a Nix – a Water Spirit associated with a river which became a waterfall in Dyserth town – we moved to the nearby site of Dyserth Castle.

It is a short drive away from the town towards the hill of Graig Fawr where it’s possible to park easily. I wasn’t expecting anything from this visit. I was really here to humour Kal who had been keen on re-visiting the site. Previous visits to Dyserth castle had been vaguely interesting, but never mind-blowing. Well, you just never know what might happen when you visit sacred places. Here’s my account.

Working in peace

I’m old-fashioned like this – I like to work in peace. I need silence to concentrate and to become more aware of my surroundings through extending my senses outwards into the slient space. So, it was a rare pleasure to have the area around Dyserth Castle to ourselves. We call it a castle, but as Kal frequently says “It’s not another of those castles with only one stone, is it?”. Well, not quite, but close. The castle has earthwork ramparts covered by trees and hedges below, and may have more remains on the top of the steep cliff, but we’ve always been satisfied to hang around in the quarried region below the actual castle. One day we may climb up and see what’s up there!

Despite being in the nether regions of this unusual place there is something interesting about the space. We split up as usual and found respective places to work. Kal seemed drawn to a corner of the area nearest the trees which lined the entrance. Then later he moved to the mound which must have been created from the debris left by the quarrying work.

I on the other hand was taken to a seemingly innocuous space which was a compatible power centre for me, bubbling with spirals of subtle energy. I lit some incense and placed it around me. Kal call s across that he can feel a presence and asks me if I can feel it too. Indeed I can – there is something invisible moving around the area, tracking our movements, trying to sense our purpose. It has the qualities of an air spirit, and just at that moment Kal says that he thinks he can sense air spirits. They’re all around us – moving through the trees on the top of the tall quarry, and occasionally swooping down to pass around us – sensing what we’re up to.

Solstice 2013 – Tintagel and Merlin’s Cave

July 30, 2013July 30, 2013 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Arthurian, Dowsing, Glyphs and Wards, Wheel of the Year

This is my penultimate Summer Solstice post. I have one more – a real counterpoint to this story – which will teach me another strong lesson, but we’ll come to that in time. For now, we have arrived at Tintagel – home of all things Arthurian, especially the gift shops – and we have just scoured the town for some incense. We found some at Tintagel’s only new age shop, where the owners were very helpful and a delight to talk to. In a good mood we set off for Tintagel Castle where I hoped my tide times were correct and I would be able to enter Merlin’s Cave for the first time.

I only had one thing on my mind and that was to visit the cave that a lady named Zoe had talked about. Kal had met her at Glastonbury Abbey and had introduced me to her. She simply said to me that I should pass on my thanks to Merlin when I met him. There was a distinguishable twinkle in her eye as she said it, though, which stuck in my mind. That seemed so long ago now but the memory was still strong, and I had taken the directive as a personal quest. I would indeed deliver her thanks now I was here.

Tintagel's steep cliffs — Tintagel’s steep cliffs

Maybe I can’t read or something but when we got to the shoreline and looked out to the base of Tintagel Castle the tide was in. I would have to wait until it turned before I could reach the caves. Kal showed me a secret ledge upon which we dozed and watched the waves, lulled by the rhythm. I picked up two stones – a flat one and a small quartz-veined pebble which I pulled out from a patch of grass. How I had known it was there I can’t say!

To sit on that wild perch listening to the lap of the waves, and to watch bird life wheeling around in a constant careering carousel like some kind of baby’s mobile spinning us to sleep….

Clun Castle 2011 – The Shade of the Warlock

October 21, 2011September 12, 2026 Gwas 4 Comments

Ancient Sites, Dowsing, Energy work, Ghosts and shades, Hedge Druidry, Magick, Paranormal

On our Shropshire outing I had planned to visit several hill forts. Having completely failed to be able to park anywhere near one of them, and having had our potential parking space stolen by someone else (seriously – we were in the middle of nowhere – where did that person come from?) we moved on. … Read More “Clun Castle 2011 – The Shade of the Warlock” »

Bamburgh Castle ghost

June 10, 2011September 11, 2026 Gwas 4 Comments

Ghosts and shades, Paranormal

One of the many delightful castles that line the North-Eastern coastline of England is Bamburgh Castle. Bamburgh is one of the best-preserved castles we have, and it is certainly worth a visit. Seemingly it is also one of the most haunted, certainly if you listen to the Most Haunted TV team who visited the castle … Read More “Bamburgh Castle ghost” »

Christchurch Twyneham 2011 – The Strange Attractor

March 27, 2011September 11, 2026 Gwas No Comments

Dowsing, Telluric, Wheel of Albion

On my travels southward I had been following a line that I had felt was true, consistent, and indivisible. The energy ley was varying only in terms of its width and strength, but in terms of its direction and integrity it was whole and cardinally oriented. On the morning of the last day of my … Read More “Christchurch Twyneham 2011 – The Strange Attractor” »

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