inspiration – The Hedge Druid

2016 Summary of the Year

January 25, 2017 Chris No Comments

In this post I want to bring together some of the themes of the year, and associate key posts with those themes. Together they forms a description of my spiritual year for 2016. THEME 1 – Taliesin: bardic work, light, awen and courage. IMBOLC: Brigid at Derbyshire sites such as Gawton’s Well. I experienced the … Read More “2016 Summary of the Year” »

Muse of Taliesin 3 – In The Bosom of Ceridwen

May 7, 2014April 20, 2014 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Crystals, God or Goddess, Natural Magick, Quests

In the third (final?) part of the Muse of Taliesin quest stories, Kal and I found ourselves taking the difficult path up the hillside towards Deganwy Castle. high above the mouth of the River Conwy. As usual we were making it hard work, or rather let me say that all of the work in this particular quest was characterised by having to really work to find and arrive at the correct location. Perhaps that was a part of the work?

No matter how much effort was involved in getting there, at the top Kal and I split into our respective places – him staying at the old outer fortifications, and me heading to the very centre of the old castle grounds. We seemed to be arriving at exactly the right time. I’ll explain that in a moment when you see the celestial objects some together in a perfect synchrony.

Deganwy Castle - April 2014 (11) — Sunset over the River Conwy from Deganwy Castle

As I walked into the barely-lit dark cauldron of the castle I was faced with the two silhouetted breasts of Ceridwen. These were two hills which a well-known feature of the castle’s upper formation – like the Paps of Anu in Kerry, Ireland. To me they were symbols of the Mother Goddess. My thoughts moved back to Taliesin whose mother was Ceridwen – the crone goddess associated with inspiration. Surely, I thought, I was now in the bosom of the goddess at this site associated with her son? For Kal, he has experience of the crone goddess in the form of Cailleach. For me, currently, it is Ceridwen. She is the owner of The Cauldron of Poetic Inspiration (awen).

Muse of Taliesin 2 – Inspiration Re-Kindled

May 3, 2014April 17, 2014 Gwas 1 Comment

Ancient Sites, God or Goddess, Natural Magick, Quests

In Michael Dames‘ book “Taliesin’s Travels” the famous bard moves from the dolmen of Maen-Y-Bardd to Llyn Geirionydd (“Lake Language”). Completely unbeknownst to me, I followed in exactly the same path! I had used the book merely as a quick reference to discover some of the sites, and they had been lucked out at random. Then I had used the dowsing rods to determine which sites I should visit, and in which order. Behold, the order mimicked the text when I went back to read the text properly. Quite a surprise, and another beautiful coincidence.

On the way up through the forest from Llanrwst to the lake we missed a very small turn off to the right and continued up the hill. The road became more of a single-lane rally track through Gwydyr Forest, and I rather enjoyed putting my car through its paces. Kal probably wished the car had an on-board bucket, or at least ‘bucket’ seating! After a few miles of fun/terror we arrived at a small car park at the end of Llyn Geirionydd – the supposed birthplace of the legendary bard Taliesin. We would take the ‘proper’ road back down later.

I quickly realised that the monument that was my intended destination was on the other side of the lake, so Kal dutifully opened the gates along the road – out, open, in, out, open, in again – until we were able to park at the far end in a lay-by at the bottom of a pine-laden hill. The monument was a minute’s walk along the edge of the lake to the small mound upon which it stood. Now the fun could begin.

Muse of Taliesin 1 – Birth of the Quest

May 1, 2014April 16, 2014 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Energy work, God or Goddess, Quests

We couldn’t help ourselves. We were having a stretch of great weather in England and it was only the middle of April. We had to go out. I was running out of time to begin my latest quest – The Muse of Taliesin. Therefore, a couple of quick texts, a designated date and time, and the “game was afoot” as they say. I waited for Kal and watched a hawk circling the house. A good omen.

We were heading into the depths of North Wales on the first part of my quest. I had a list of sacred sites associated with Taliesin the bard. Tonight we would visit the first of them. I drove with Kal in keen conversation mode to Rowen village near Conwy. I sort of remembered the way to my intended destination – the dolmen of Maen Y Bardd. I know it was up on the hillside at the back of Penmaenmawr, but I also know that I didn’t want to take the narrow steep road up. We drove through Rowen village and ended up on the narrowest, steepest road in North Wales. A road we said we’d never do again after last time. Something was making me work hard for this sacred site visit! I hoped it wouldn’t become a theme on this quest.

We parked and walked down the water-ridden track to a standing stone with male energy emissions. The flat blade of the stone marked the path to the dolmen. One could almost follow its shadow. It looked like a giant had thrust a blade up through the earth.

The wind picked and so did my excitement. Soon, back on the track, I was able to point out Arthur’s Spear in the field opposite the little dolmen. An old tale tells of a giant throwing the stone to account for its positioning. My experience with such stones told me that it was probably pointing at a particular star, but this was not an evening to be hanging around trying to determine such things. The wind grew more bitter as the sun lengthened the shadows, but the atmosphere was still vibrant and expectant. On to the dolmen!

Cornwall Winter 8 – The Bardic Chair and The Blood Ring

January 26, 2014January 24, 2014 Gwas 4 Comments

Hedge Druidry, Quests

On one of the wet days in the middle of my week in Cornwall I decided to do some sightseeing in Truro. As you may be aware by now – if you’re ready my recent Cornwall series – I had been given indications that I might find the third of my ancestral artefacts – the … Read More “Cornwall Winter 8 – The Bardic Chair and The Blood Ring” »

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