waterfall – The Hedge Druid

Spring Equinox 2017 P2 – Magickal Maths and Dalegarth Deer

April 9, 2017 Chris No Comments

We are on our way down from Swinside stone circle, where I have just been working with the numbers Four and Five. Debra Delgyn and I are chatting about all of the four and five correspondences that have featured already in such a short time so far. Magickal Mathematics Four sheep are guiding us back along … Read More “Spring Equinox 2017 P2 – Magickal Maths and Dalegarth Deer” »

Autumn Equinox 2015 P2 – Moving onwards and upwards

November 3, 2015November 19, 2015 Chris 1 Comment

Crystals, Lakes and Rivers, Undines, Visions, Wheel of the Year

In the second and final part of my Autumn Equinox outing I was still at Pistyll Rhaeadr. I had been told that I could do everything in one place. Now that I had learned The Song of the Waters at the base of the waterfall, it was time to move onwards and upwards.

Taking into account what happened at Dinas Bran I climbed the steep slope very slowly. This was now a deliberate change of pace now that Kal has gone. Everything will be slower and more spanned out now. It’s about quality, not quantity now. One site is enough, done slowly and mindfully.

Llanrhaeadr Waterfall - autumn 2015 (2) — Beginning the slow climb up Pistyll Rhaeadr

At the top I went to stand on the edge. Kal was an Edge Wizard, and as I faced that inherent fear we have which prevents us from falling from great heights I felt the thrill of being alive. I wished he was here too. I lit three incense sticks in memory of Kal, and lay the Irish green wand alongside them. The green wand’s power was growing, I could sense it. Or was I fooling myself? The Fool was one of Kal’s alter egos – a role he played with gusto. He enjoyed people’s reactions, and only those who could see beyond that began to understand that his wisdom was draped in a motley garb. The water jumped off the edge with an enthusiastic inevitability, pulling, drawing….I gathered the wand and stepped back.

I went to sit under the canopied rock a safe distance back from the edge. Sheltered from the wind and occasional rain I was able to quickly get into a meditative state of mind and call upon my spirit guide to help my work. I looked out down the valley, and as my gaze became fixed and my mind became free I began to see the ages pass. Huts of people came and went; armies marches, fought and dispersed; travellers arrived and left; and the landscape whirled through the seasons and ages in such a rapid succession that I stopped trying to recognise the changes. It was an amazing vision.

There was more to come.

Autumn Equinox 2015 P1 – Heavy Water and Deep Thoughts

October 30, 2015October 13, 2015 Chris 2 Comments

Elements earth-water-fire-air, Lakes and Rivers, Spirit Guides, Undines, Wheel of the Year

So the Autumn Equinox arrived. It would be my first outing without Kal being around. I had to steel myself to make the preparations to go, but I did so knowing that I could spend a day out in Nature and take some time to go to a place that he loved.

I knew where I was intending to go. The place had been suggested to me by my water spirit guide. Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall had all the elements I needed to fulfill The Song of the Waters – a fall, a river and a pool – water in three conditions.

Autumn Equinox - Sept 15 (5) — Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall in full flow at Autumn Equinox 2015

Never Ride The Lonely Road…

For some reason I wanted you to hear the first few seconds of this “Lo-Fidelity Allstars” track which has a rather creepy snippet of cautionary advice. I’d recommend the album by the way – it’s one of my all-time favourites. It came to mind as I began to write this.

I didn’t know where I would be going today. On previous visits Kal and I had usually gone fairly quickly up to the top, but today I felt like I wanted to spend more time at the bottom half. Following the dowsing rods I was taken into the woodland alongside the waterfall and specifically to a junction point where two paths met.

This was my preparation place and I asked permission to create a posy of wild flowers – Herb Robert and Bracken primarily. I laid the posy at the meeting point of the paths. It felt symbolic and reminiscent simultaneously. I let out s sigh…this was going to be a long road back to The Way…

A Touch of Sacred

December 11, 2013December 3, 2013 kal No Comments

House Energies book, How To, Natural Magick, Ritual

A touch of sacred I am staying at a friend’s home in California, just a few miles away from San Francisco Bay. My friend, Tam is off traveling with her partner so I had the whole place to myself. Wonderful, right? So, it was 8am in the morning and I got up and switched on … Read More “A Touch of Sacred” »

Dyserth Waterfall – How to call a Water Spirit

September 16, 2013 Gwas No Comments

Crystals, Dowsing, Elemental, Hedge Druidry, How To, Natural Magick

Following our Lunasa outings, and then the trip to Mitchell’s Fold, we were laden with quests and questions. Frankly, I had enough spinning around in my head at this stage and didn’t need any more. So, when Kal suggested going out again before he went away I was sure I wanted to go , but equally sure I wasn’t going to be taking on any more spiritual work. No more information relating to the quest, please!

It was a lovely evening to visit a place that was far far back in the memory – Dyserth. Kal had dowsed that this was the best place for him to visit, and that he needed to visit the waterfall and castle. Good enough for me – I could do with a cooling down from the waterfall. Its ionizing properties may be the relaxing and soothing balm I needed.

Water way to go

For some reason I needed to bring a specific crystal. Only one. It was hidden on one of my taller shelves on its own. It was so hidden that I thought that the dowsing rods had made a mistake because I couldn’t see it at first. When I fumbled around my fingers felt its smooth small form and I picked a cloudy powder blue crystal off the shelf. Apparently I would need this, so I pocketed it before we set off.

The evening was delightful – sunny, warm, dry. We are having a brilliant summer this year. Even she short journey from the car into the area below the waterfall made us hot. The waterfall was rather refreshing in the late summer heat, and we basked in its light spray for a while before getting to work.

Dyserth Waterfall - August 2013 (6) — Approach to Dyserth Waterfall in summer

I washed the pale powder blue crystal in the wild waters of the reachable part of the waterfall. Should I offer it now? Apparently not, the dowsing rods said. It was pocketed for a later time. I went onwards to look at the waterfall’s full height and think about jumping into the seemingly deep pool. Kal asked how deep the pool was – apparently it had the same effect on both of us that hot evening!

Dyserth Waterfall - August 2013 (4) — The glory of Dyserth Waterfall in flow

Lammas 2012 – The Quest to Free Merlin

September 1, 2012 Gwas 1 Comment

Ancient Sites, Wheel of the Year

In part two of my Lammas adventures for this year Kal and I were fooling around at the top of the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall in East Wales. I had just settled in after my healing experience at the re-union point of three streams, and now I was gazing down the valley from the top of the waterfall, listening to the sound of the plummeting water, when Kal skipped in front of me to knock me out of my reverie. He had a look in his eye that meant that something foolish was in his head, I was right.

Pistyll Rhaeadr

I saw Kal moving towards the very edge of the waterfall’s head were the rushing water began its first descent over the edge before soon dropping down into the deep gorge below. I was nervous and curious – what was he doing? When I asked him he told me that he was testing himself – he had been challenged to make the leap as a “leap of faith”. Well, I wouldn’t stop him, but I would certainly make sure I was around in case it all went wrong. I was now on high alert, but also a small smile had begun to form on my face – this could be quite amusing, I thought. I would watch this, and if necessary record the outcome. Someone else who was visiting the waterfall who had a big camera had similar ideas, and began to focus his lens on proceeding as Kal swayed back and forth on his launch spot, contemplating the leap of four feet across the churning waters. One slip…..!

My mind moved to the Fool card in the Tarot deck. Notice in the original Rider Waite card the Fool’s proximity to water and that he’s working at heights, and also that he’s drawn out the Sun to witness his folly!

Kal swayed for the fifteenth time. “Jump! I shouted encouragingly. “Jump if you’re going to!”. Could this be considered aiding and abetting a criminal act of stupidity? Kal took the urge and made a half-hearted leap to the other side. His right foot landed but his weight was uneven. He lurched towards the safer side of the falls, but then tried to regain his balance so as not to fall into the deep waters. Too late! He had lost his balance and his right foot dropped into the deep pool of the river. Shortly to be followed by his left foot. Then his arm. Then…well, he was practically swimming! I heard the quiet continuous click of a camera’s shutter as each calamitous step was recorded for posterity.

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Lammas 2012 – Healing History

August 27, 2012August 30, 2012 Gwas 5 Comments

Ancient Sites, Experiment, Glyphs and Wards, Quests, Wheel of the Year

The day began with the promise of something beautiful to emerge from the nascent silver-grey clouds, whose meagre partings would later reveal the full glory of the late summer sun. Intrepid as always, and eager like beagles penned until their exuberance breaks free, Kal and I rushed for the mutually agreed starting point for most of our special journeys into the magical adventures we live through in Wales. We would start at the Llangernyw Yew and see what visions it might divulge to us today – August 1st – the festival of Lammas in the pagan calendars. At the beginning of the adventure the day felt pregnant with possibilities, and it would happen that I would have a wonderful and inspiring revelation, learn a new magickal technique for self-healing the traumas of the past, and find my way onto the next part of my spiritual path. Let the tale begin!

It was mere seconds before Nature herself was showing me the signs and symbols that have accompanied so many of my special days around the Wheel of the Year. As soon as I began to drive off from home I heard first then saw a buzzard flying low over the car and circling around a nearby field. Of course – all such days should start with the aerial vision from the hawk! The hawk would also re-appear at the end of the day as we returned to the car to drive home again. Almost like a closing narrator to the proceedings, having the final word.

As well as all these coincidental and contrived moments, I was aware that we would be spending the day in the company of the invisible Grain Moon – the August full moon that was burgeoning with its astral emanations on this day and those that surrounded it. It felt like everything was gathering in order to give us the best chance of having a truly meaningful and magickal experience – which is exactly what happened when we followed our intuition and our guides.

The Safety of the Yew Tree

Llangernyw - Lammas 2012 (2) — Llangernyw Yew in full splendour

Although yews have many poisonous parts (berries and bark to name but two) there is something that I consider to be very safe about being around this old tree. The Llangernyw Yew is so old that it baffles your sense of history to even consider when it sprouted. Let’s just say that when this tree was beginning its life our ancestors were discovering the wonders of mixing Copper with Zinc to produce a new metal for the first time.

As Kal wandered around the graveyard like a lost ghost (he always has a purpose, really) I sat beneath the tree’s canopy and felt for the right place to sit. I found my place and found that I could connect to the tree very quickly. Moon? Festival Day? Noon? My energy? More experienced? Previous encounters? I don’t know what the magic combination was, but within seconds I was asking for and receiving answers from the bowels of the great yew….

“Have I completed the last quest yet?” – “It is a continuous quest until the end of the year.”. Straight question, straight answer.
“Am I ready for a quest for this part of the year?” – “You have enough energy, yes.”
“Can you tell me the nature of this quest, please?” – “I can’t. You need to go to the Portal Stones.” (situated at the rear of the church). “OK – thanks!”

As I came out of my tree trance I met with wandering Kal. He told me what he had learned so far, and asked what I had got. Nothing yet, really. I’m off to see the Portal Stones. Kal pointed out that his attempts to make the sun appear through the slate-grey Welsh cloud cover was happening as we spoke. I looked up in amazement to see a fiery spotlight appear in the thick grey cloudscape. Impossible, I roared! Kal smiled. “Impossible is nothing!” he seemed to suggest.

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