mounds – The Hedge Druid

Northumberlandia and Newness

September 27, 2014September 27, 2014 Chris No Comments

Northumberlandia – Cramlington, Northumberland

Since the land sculpture was finally revealed in 2012 I have had Northumberlandia close to the top of my wish list of places to visit. I was excited at the prospect of a truly modern act of regeneration which had a clear dedication to the Goddess in the land – The Lady of the North. This sculpture seemed to hold the promise of a modern sacred space which would be rampant in beautiful subtle energies.

Could it be true? Could a modern artist – Charlie Jencks – have created such a sacred energetic space out of the ruins of industrialisation? This regeneration project seemed hopeful and I was dying to find out. Luckily, on a holiday to Scotland recently I got the chance to find out for myself.

“His many landforms are based on the idea that landforming is a radical hybrid activity combining gardens, landscape, urbanism, architecture, sculpture, and epigraphy. Thus the landforms often include enigmatic writing and complex symbolism. Landforms provoke the visitor to interpret landscape on the largest and smallest scale.

Jencks has become a leading figure in British landscape architecture. His landscape work is inspired by fractals, genetics, chaos theory, waves and solitons” (source: Wikipedia)

Northumberlandia - Sept 14 (31) (Medium) — The Lady of the North bares all

Understanding The Energy of Hills – Summer 14 P11

August 29, 2014 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Dowsing, God or Goddess, Quests, Spirit of Place, Wheel of the Year

Drombeg stone circle, West Cork, Country Cork, Ireland.

Finally, we have arrived at the last of my posts in the Summer Solstice set (for all the series see this link). It has taken much longer than expected, not only due to the number of posts that the visit generated, but also due to issues with the blog stability that we have now hopefully traced and resolved. Thank you for bearing with us during this particularly extended period of disruption. Sometimes the Universe communicates to us in peculiar ways, and certainly for me the gremlins have struck at my very heart by disrupting this blog. However, re-alignment is taking place, and I am confident that soon you will see a more unified approach to the blog. You’ll see what I mean very soon. For now, let’s finish this set of stories.

Entrance Of The Initiate

Drombeg stone circle - June 14 (5) (Medium) — Fuchsia bushes line the entrance to Drombeg stone circle

After a steep and narrow descent around Drombeg we arrived at a startlingly spacious car park, and then proceeded along the hedge-lined path to the stone circle itself. Along the way we passed a couple who had camped in the circle the previous evening. They looked like they had had an interesting evening! Along the path the fuchsia bushes reminded me of the wonderful floral displays on Iona that we had seen in September 2012.

There were several things to see at the site. Obviously, the circle, but we’ll come to that. Elsewhere there were some smaller oval and circular enclaves which were labelled as “Fulachta Fiadh” – more ‘cooking pits’ it seems. Hmmm… As I sat on the ridge overlooking the site and connecting to the area I had a vision of how the structures were used. I saw a young man being escorted by a hooden and robed figure. He was led into the covered dome structure. Inside he was put through a ‘sweating’ process and then left alone for the night. During the night he emerged and walked into the stone circle to meditate. That relationship seemed to replicate the way I felt about the Dromagorteen circle too.

Now it was time for my own initiation into the circle mysteries!

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).

Belas Knap – The Serpent Eating The World

October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 Gwas No Comments

Ancient Sites, Dowsing, Hedge Druidry, Wheel of the Year

The concluding part of my Autumn Equinox expedition sees me finding out something incredibly interesting and something that I’d never come across before. Actually, that was my directive to the dowsing rods: Is there anything at this site tha I haven’t come across before? YES – Exciting! Is it an energy form, new energy type, … Read More “Belas Knap – The Serpent Eating The World” »

Fire Dragon of Antequera

December 7, 2012December 11, 2012 Gwas 1 Comment

Ancient Sites, Energy work, Hedge Druidry, Spirits

The Andalucian landscape does not have many sacred sites compared to an island like Britain, but the ones it does have are rather special. After having visited El Torcal and seen the sleeping dragon in the landscape I wanted my fix of megalithic sites. Can’t go a whole week without one! I had identified three in the area – two together and one a further mile away. Seemed like a plan to go visit them as the clouds started gathering. No sunbathing today!

Alongside the town of Antequera there are two dolmens – “Cuevas De Menga Y Viera” (Megalithic Portal link]. The Menga dolmen is reputed to be the largest in Europe. Luckily for us the site has now been fully restored and turned into a proper visitor attraction. Did I say lucky? I meant… lucky for the site. Because the restoration has been very well done. The site is clearly looked after, well visited, and protected from harm. The restoration work itself seems to have been both sympathetic and without any lavishness or unnecessary additions. I would go as far as to say it’s one of the most pleasant ancient sites to visit anywhere, and this one is on the outskirts of a busy large town – surrounded by homes, businesses and busy roads. Yet, it is given the proper space, the right restorative treatment (despite a crumbling economy), and the dolmens are free to go and see. What more could you ask? English Heritage take note!

Antequara Dolmens and Castle - Spain November 2012 2012-11-15 010 (Medium) — The entrance to the huge Menga dolmen at Antequera

Inside the chamber one begins to appreciate the size of the construction. Here is a plan showing the construction, and then a picture I took inside the dolmen.

dolmen_menga_plano — Plan view of Menga dolmen in Antequera, Spain

Antequara Dolmens and Castle - Spain November 2012 2012-11-15 001 (Medium) — Inside La Menga dolmen with its central pillars

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