Tag: otherworld

The Yew of the Four Glyphs

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The Yew of the Four Glyphs
Ancestors, Churches and Temples, Glyphs and Wards, Higher-Self, Staff, Time and Space, Trees, World Tree

On a delightfully warm and sunny Summer’s evening the intrepid duo ventured forth into the heartlands of Northern Wales in search of inspiration. Our destination was the ancient and venerable Yew tree of Llangernyw.

The environs of Llangernyw were beginning to flourish with a beautiful display of wild flowers.

Llangernyw Yew - June 15 (1)
Llangernyw wild flower hedgerow

We entered the graveyard, drinking in the sounds, smells and sights of Summer as though to store them in memory for the ‘leaner times’. As we began to follow the dowsing rods I noticed that Kal was following my footsteps exactly! He was chuckling to himself as he realised that his path to the perfect spot was exactly the same as mine. How amusing! At that moment a chorus of birdsong arose from the surrounding trees – a welcoming chorus of delighted cheeps and warbles which almost drowned out any thoughts!

When Formalities Are Dropped

We both came to a halt at the same time and in the same spot. It was just inside a clump of young yew trees with fresh growth at their tips. The spot on which we were stood was lain with a carpet of damp grass cuttings, and this made me think of a time when I had stood on other grass clippings and had an encounter with the spirit of the Green Man [see this post].

There was no need for either of us to ‘cleanse’ today. For some reason we were already cleansed of outer worldly energies, and ready for work. The spot with the grass clippings was a place for us to simply tune our energies to place. It was simply about getting into the right energy state.

As we walked up the sloping path towards the grand old yew tree, following the dowsing rods to find the bets place, I felt like tree knew I was coming. Indeed, although I stopped at the perimeter of its canopy before entering, there wasn’t the usual ‘resistance’ or barrier in place. I realised that I didn’t need to ask permission to enter now. Perhaps we had become such good friends over the years? The balance of ‘power’ had shifted somehow, and was much more equal now, I felt.

Llangernyw Yew - June 15 (10)
One day I’ll get a good picture of this tree without ‘misting’!

I had two purposes for being here this evening:

  • to see if I could help my wife get through a forthcoming exam, and
  • to see if there was any work I could do to discover the Essence of the Merlin Staff

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The Yew, the Tree of Life and the Golden Bough

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Bookshelf, Staff, Trees

Since Imbolc I have been reading up on yew trees. The aim is to assimilate as much knowledge as possible about this incredible species so that when Spring Equinox comes around I will be able to begin the process of understanding my yew staff’s potential powers. At the moment it is merely a piece of yew with a stag’s antlers on top. Soon I am hoping that we will forge a relationship that will be as fruitful as the one I had with my ash staff.

To start the process off I read Allen Meredith and Janis Fry‘s book “The God Tree“, as recommended by Philip Carr-Gomm‘s blog post.

Yew are the God

This book revealed many amazing insights which I had never considered before such as:

  • yew trees may have been transported here from the staves carried by such well-known early Celtic Christian saints such as Cadoc, Patrick, Christopher and Bueno
  • the trees may be the source of the myth of the “golden bough”
  • the yew tree is the origin of the concept of the World Tree – or the Tree of Life

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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” »

What I learned from crop circles – Part 2

Posted on By Gwas No Comments on What I learned from crop circles – Part 2
Crop circle

In the previous companion post to this one (Part 1) I talked about the death of crop circles in 2013, and how the prediction of that phenomenon was one of the major markers on my wayfaring through the magickal world I now inhabit. In the follow up I will be talking about the ways in which crop circles added to my druid work.

This year has been a testing year in many ways. One of the elements of travelling The Doubtful Path, that was indicated for me in a tarot draw at the start of the year, is that it is necessary to re-visit and recapitulate elements of wonder that have been encountered, and to consider what these things mean to you as you proceed. So it is with crop circles.

I certainly don’t celebrate the death of the crop circle. Even though it was an incidental phenomenon (or so I thought at the time) that had no apparent bearing on my druid work, I now begin to see the things that the phenomenon brought home to me. Let me first list, then describe, what these things are.

  1. Mystery
  2. Beauty in Nature
  3. Meaning in pattern
  4. Co-creation with Otherworld forces
  5. Primal energy

In the next section I will talk about these concepts in more detail as they relate to my experiences with the crop circle phenomenon.

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Solstice 2013 – Boscawen Un – A Switch of Staves

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Ancient Sites, Staff

We started our Cornwall adventure on a sunny Summer Solstice morning by visiting the last stone circle of these Albion islands – Boscawen Un. Having just come from Glastonbury where I had been given the task of engineering a meeting with a faery I was eager to find out whether the next few sites would reveal any more information about this new quest. Bodmin Moor had then supplemented this concept – I found out that I could use water as a means of moving between this reality and The Otherworld. That was very promising too.

As we walked down the long secluded path towards Boscawen Un stone circle the air was humid and pungent with the aroma of foliage and flora bursting into full bloom and throbbing with chlorophyllic life.

Boscawen Un - Solstice 2013 (31)

At this time of year the path to the circle was lined with a stunning procession of colourful wild flowers – foxglove, cow parsley, sorrel and many others that I couldn’t name. In fact, I began buying books to help identify flowers and I am making it my mission this year to learn the names of as many as I can. This time of year is perfect for starting such an education, and Cornwall was my inspiration.

Boscawen Un - Solstice 2013 (24)

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Solstice 2013 – Diving Between Worlds at The Hurlers

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Ancient Sites, Crossing The Hedge, Wheel of the Year

On our last visit to Bodmin Moor years ago we had encountered all sort of strangeness in the mists surrounding The Hurlers stone circles near the village of Minions. We were therefore quite expectant of more interesting times, but hopefully with a clearer view of the landscape this time, and a slightly higher temperature might be more inviting too. So, we were a touch crest-fallen when we arrived and visibility was down to a hundred feet or so. Would we see The Hurlers in clear daylight at all? We got kitted out for a damp situation.

What's that shape?
What’s that shape?

Eerie. Bleak. Confusing. Damp. Bodmin Moor the day before the Summer Solstice. It could have been the depths of Winter except that there were occasional signs of greenery which might not have been there in the Winter months. Dark shapes loomed at us as we made our way down the main track then veered off towards the faint impression of a standing stone. The second we left the track we were nervous. This is the kind of place where people disappear for days, yet we knew that the village and the car park at the end of it were only a few hundred feet away. Yet they were invisible.

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Being brave in Thor’s Cave

Posted on By Gwas 2 Comments on Being brave in Thor’s Cave
Ancient Sites, Elemental, Energy work, Hedge Druidry

Whenever I mention a sacred site to visit I can see the cogs going round in Kal’s mind… “Will there be climbing involved?” Well, in this instance yes. As we  made our way through the Manifold Valley path towards the conjunction of three hills I could hear a familiar tone evolving in his phrases. So this cave…. is it…high up? Yes, it’s high up. And the way is steep. And the path precipitous. But the views are amazing and the climb is worth it for the reward of experiencing the cave’s vast space and acoustic properties.

On this particular visit I had chosen to try to find the easier way up. The walk was longer, but I knew that coming down from the top of the hill from the village of Grindon was not only a muddy experience but a buttock-clenching one too, at times. I hoped to spare Kal the worst for this former vertigo sufferer. Was it appreciated? It didn’t sound like it! Did I offer him soothing platitudes to ease his worries?

Hell no! 😉

Approaching Thors Cave in Staffordshire.
Approaching Thors Cave in Staffordshire.

The cave is monstrously impressive! The height, the altitude, the view, the difficulty to get in…. it’s such an effort which is rewarded by the timbre of the acoustics even standing at the entrance. Having been here before I remembered that somewhere deep inside there was what our ancestors used to refer to as a “goblin” inside – an earth spirit. I hoped to meet him again, but that wasn’t the reason I was here.

My main reason for visiting the cave was to test whether I could create my “Perfect Shield” – an energetic construction for protection. The Shield was purely theoretical at this point, and which I needed to have practised before I came to use it “in anger”, as it were, when I needed it. I think the shield is linked with the Shield of Faith that I obtained as a gift from Faery too. Why I would need such protection wasn’t clear yet, but something somewhere knew and had guided me to learn how to create it. I had the image of how it could be done, now I needed the space and time to make it work.

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