The Hedge Druid

Archive for the ‘Spirits’ Category

Our holiday to Hungary was supposed to be a whole week off, and particularly for me a whole week of spiritual interests. In large part it was, but somehow the forces of the wild managed to break through into my full-on Tourist Mode in the middle of the week. It happened to be a full moon – Milk Moon – so I guess that was a contributory factor too. Budapest is a splendid laid-back city and after a couple of days touring around on a bus we knew where the interesting places were.

View over Budapest from Gellert Hill

On a typically sunny April day we were finding our way around the base of Gellert Hill. This hill was renowned for being the haunt of witches, which is always bound to interest someone like me. I like a bit of witchiness in life. We had just come out of the underground quaintness of the restored Gellert Hill Cave – a site still peddling its special aura on the basis of a later Christianisation.

Entrance to Gellert Hill Cave Church

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I first came across the idea of Devas when reading a book that mentioned the work of the Findhorn Community in Scotland. I was intrigued that a group of people would dedicate their whole lives and lifestyles to the idea of working with the spirits of plants and elementals which governed the form of the physical vegetation. I wanted to know more and so I bought William Bloom’s book on the subject, and read anything else I could discover too, including Marko Pogacnik’s book on Deva forms.

This year we have finally transformed our patch of bare clay soil, with its patches of eternal dampness, into a landscaped concept garden that is in its nascent state. Having spent all of the early Spring digging, moving, turning and tilling the soil, adding conditioner and compost to it, finally it was in a state to accept some plants. The process took days, even though the space was only twenty feet by six.

Devas may help this magnolia tree grow

The concept of the garden was typically druidic. M had given me free reign to design as I saw fit. As the pressure mounted to produce a design I turned to the inspiration of Nature and with a blank sheet of paper a form emerged in the symmetrical rounded rectangle: a quadrant of elemental ideals.

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We have been having a run of dry but cold weather. It almost felt like Spring was close at hand, and besides we couldn’t contain ourselves any longer. Some of us have already got quests to do, you know? I was on my quest to discover the Sword and Shield. At the Spring Equinox I had found The Shield. I created/discovered it at Valle Crucis Abbey in Llangollen. In combination with the four other sites I visited that day it was formed in my mind, and its purpose became clear – to assist the healing of energetically-damaged sacred sites.

Now I was on the hunt for The Sword part of that pairing. To that end I had received a vision in Alderley Edge that indicated this sword could be found at a sacred lake. The sacred lake in question was undoubtedly the same lake where there is a mythological association with The Lady of the Lake and the giving of a magical sword – that lake was Llyn Tegid, or Bala Lake. At first I thought it might be Llyn Brenig, but dowsing revealed a better ‘fit’. I didn’t yet know what the purpose of obtaining this energetic sword might be, but that could be determined afterwards. The focus was now on getting it.

To that end I had identified a useful starting point via the aid of map dowsing. Llanycil church next to Bala lake was an ancient sacred place, since converted or at least marked with a church. Llanycil Church is no longer in functioning use. It would appear that, for at least the second time in this place’s history, the religious order has been overshadowed. One may say that the wheel has turned back on itself in some ways, at least that was how we felt as we pulled up in front of it in the handy lay-by opposite on the Bala Lake main road.

Llanycil church entrance

As so often seems to happen on my outings around Wales I found that a place that I visited was dedicated to St.Beuno. This character seems to crop up at so many of the places that were once pagan sacred sites. I tell you – that man got about a bit considering there were no cars or good roads in his time! Somewhat amusingly, his name could be translated into English as “Bono“. Interesting parallel here – it is said of Beuno that:

“”on the seventh day of Easter he had a wondrous vision” (source: Wikipedia)

A calculation using this year’s Easter date would be around 6th April This visit was a couple of days after that. Close…..close enough to be interesting.

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In this final part of my Spring Equinox story I reveal the reasons why I had been linking the four elemental sites around Llangollen. I am also shown why this link was important, and how it relates to my work with the energy form of Galahad this year.

Ffynon Sara

Only a few miles from the edges of Clocaenog Forest is the beautiful secluded site of Sara’s Spring. The Sara in question may well be the Patron Saint of Laughter that Kal talked about after he visited the site. This day I wasn’t interested in discovering more about the energy form at the site, only to come with questions that needed urgent answers.

I began by offering an energetic gift. I placed incense all around the spring’s rectangular wall and then offered all of the story of my day and my quest for this part of the year. This was offered through my heart chakra, freely and with love. I hoped that this energy would be sufficient as an exchange for what I was about to ask.

I used the dowsing rods to confirm whether I could, should and may ask these questions here. Luckily the answers were all a positive and the feeling generally was that I should finally get some answers to my puzzling quest after such hard work this day.

Q. What was the purpose of linking the four sacred sites around Corwen?

In answer I was shown the white shield in the stone that I had energised in Valle Crucis Abbey. With that image came the following explanation:

The White Shield of Galahad is emblazoned by a red cross. The shield shape is formed by the four sites. The cross shape is formed by drawing links between them. I needed to have that symbol in my head as an elemental cross so that I could emblazon it on the shield that I had acquired from Valle Crucis. Without that emblem the shield would not be at full strength.

Sara’s sacred spring – a place of inspiration

“…at full strength”. That was an unusual phrase that I would try to deconstruct later. For now, I wanted to know more about the rituals at the four sites.

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In this third part of my Spring Equinox quest to link the four sites of a landscape sigil based on the elements we come to the Earth site – Caer Caradog. The snows that covered the hills on that day are still with us weeks later as we go into April, that’s how embedded this cold snap was. On the Spring Equinox I had to be quick at my work because this was no time to hang around enjoying the views!

Saying that, I was lucky to get to Caer Caradog at all. Although I had it pinned on a map as a specific location down to the smallest possible degree, that wasn’t the issue. I knew where it was – I just couldn’t get to it! As I came up through the slightly famous village of Cerrigydrudion (partly thanks to Julian Cope‘s song) I came across my first barrier – a diversion sign due to a roadworks on the tiny B5105 country road that led straight to the hillfort.

Two way to get to Caer Caradog – the hard and the harder way

I circumvented the roadworks by going all the way around the hill and up the other side of it to arrive on the top and drive past the top of the hill whilst looking for s stopping point. Ah! The next barrier is parking. There isn’t any. I took my chances with the roadworks and parked up at pretty much the only space in the tiny road where two cars could pass safely. That was almost at the bottom of the slop, so that meant a long climb back up to get to the hill. *Sigh* – another climb today. I hope the universe is watching this display of dedication!

If you’re thinking of visiting yourself I’d have a read of the accounts on the Modern Antiquarian site. They give you a flavour of the ‘welcome’ you can expect – public rights of way ignored, new fences of barbed wire criss-crossing your path, and lots of mud on the way up. I fought all the barriers, all the methods intended to dissuade the casual visitor and trepidacious tourist – I am neither of those things – I had a mission to accomplish.

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Spirals

I had been led up a spiral path at Delphi and over the last few months (perhaps a year) a spiral of life too. Here at what seems a pivotal point I had been dropped by my Energy Double a fair few hundred years into the past and down into the ground. I was in cave with four beings. Three cowled and hidden from me but with a palpable presence. The fourth was a shining being, the Oracle herself. I had just asked my questions…

• question

and was awaiting an answer. The Oracle drew herself straight and answered.

• “The key is here. The key is now. The key is in the next spiral. The key to the Dragons Soul is here”

What? I was puzzled. I had expected riddles, that was the norm for her answers but this wasn’t a riddle and yet the answer was confusing. I umm’d and err’d and pondered whether clarification could be asked for.

• “You have the key. The book is open”

She said with finality.

The book is open. The words filled my mind. I had been so focused on finding the key that I had no expectation of the book being opened. So soon. What no quest to open it? The Oracle had half turned as if to say that our meeting had concluded when I hastened to thank her. She looked over her shoulder right into my eye…

Have you ever had a Darshan? I’ve been lucky enough to have a few in my life. The most amazing was with Mother Meera in a fabulous monastery in Manchester UK. Anyway, Darshan, Sight of the Spirit as it’s sometimes defined was what it felt like when she looked sideways at me. It is said that one cannot hold such a vision for long as it would burn you away. Certainly felt like something burning when she looked at me.

Our consciousness is weird. Sometimes a vision can be conjured before us and we can only grasp it if we have something to relate it to. Do you know what I mean. When we see, we search for context. What is this? What does it look like? What does it remind me of? Our brain/mind is looking for relatedness. If it can’t find it, it will go for the next best thing.

Have you seen the film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark? Near the end of the film, they are on an Island and some Nazi bozos have pried the Ark open. This Angelic light shoots out of it and spreads across the island. Killing those that see it? Remember? Well that is the image that came to mind when the Oracles eyes pierced my veil. Only it was the book within me that had had its cover blasted off.

Dragons Soul Book

Light wasn’t shooting out of it. Instead images were. Like a contents page but instead of just visual, it was a full sense-sational phenomena. Images were combined with other sensory input. Including emotional. The first to shoot out was a grid of 3 by 3 points of light. It was saying to me that although it was 9 answers that are buried in the book. The answers for a grid of 3 by 3. So that answers come in groups of 3.

• 3 are for the mind, body and energy
• 3 are for the past present and transcendent

Further revelations were to be had…

• 3 will be found in places
• 3 in the past and
• 3 in dreams

That ended the spinning 3d cube of dots. Then appeared more images…

• One will be found in life
• One in death
• One in love

I had enough time to think, “this is a bit Harry Potter’ish” when further ‘chapters’ sprung into view…

• One in fire, faith and mystery
• One in joy, faith and sadness

As if this wasn’t enough more images shot out at me…

• Quest for the broken wand, the silent word and the eighth power

And last but not least I’m sure…

• Beware the Gods of Power, the Three Spells and The Lie.

Neo in the Matrix

With that last blast the information transfer had completed and the book slammed shut. I had had my introduction. I was reeling from the shock of experiential overload. Staggering backwards into the depths of the cave for a moment I managed to get a grip and looked up only to see that the Oracle had vanished. The three watchers were still in attendance as I wondered how I was to return to my home time and place. I tried to sing the song of my Energy Double but nothing was forthcoming. The watchers remained silent and I knew they would not aid me. Indeed I felt their un-approachability viscerally.

Of course you may have guessed it. I had forgotten to create an anchor point when I had departed the here and now. Obviously I knew my body wasn’t there in the past. But it’s not where your body is but where your mind and soul (for want of a better word) is. I was getting scared. Which is the worst thing you can do in such a situation. Fear contracts the minds ability to seek solutions. Deep breaths I thought and laughed at the thought,

• “Is that air that you think you’re breathing?” Morpheus asked Neo in the Matrix. Not to mention the more applicable quote, “If you die here, your body dies there”.

Rather worrying I thought. Then another thought entered my mind. As I had been walking through the ruins (above) I had come across an Olive on the ground. It had caught my attention at the time as the rods had made a beeline for it. Half unconsciously I had picked it up and pocketed it. Would that serve as an adequate anchor? I focused my mind on the small marble sized squishy lump that was in my pocket hundreds of years in the future and who knows how many metres above ground. It was real. it was in my pocket. I could feel it. I could reach into my pocket and touch it. I was back!

The sun was warm on my body as I lay there on the ledge by the side of the path. Other tourists walked past as if I was invisible to them. Perhaps I was. My mind was reeling from the return and from the knowledge I had gained. I had to write it down fast so that I didn’t lose it. Minutes later I was done. Both with the notes and with Delphi.

Kal Malik – with the answers

I know it’s right in the middle of the Delphi posts, but this post is becoming ever more relevant to this year’s work, so I thought I should put it out there for reference. Having acquired a new spirit guide, who I shall nickname “Ash” for the purposes of brevity, I felt that we ought to get better acquainted. One of the best ways I know to do this is to draw a series of tarot cards to answer questions related to various criteria.

I had two stipulations for this draw: one was that I would call upon Ash himself to guide the process, and two, I would not use dowsing rods to guide the process. Instead I would let things unfurl as they may. A new year, a new method. I felt I should use the Druidcraft Tarot for this layout, but the design should come to me intuitively.

Druidcraft tarot reading for new spirit guide

Here’s what I asked and the responses:-

QUESTIONS

1 card to identify his sign

2 cards to identify his and my purpose in our work

3 cards to identify the nature of the work we will do together.

4 cards to describe his characteristics/powers.

THE CARDS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION

1. Call sign

• The Lord – a mature man with a beard sat in a cross-legged pose. The number 4. Jupiter.

Jupiter is in Gemini at the moment. Both being Air signs this means strong creativity and new projects. This is in line with the rest fo the reading. Seems like Ash is going to spur on my creative side and encourage me to bring projects to fruition. See this link.

2. His purpose / my purpose

• Queen of Wands - he wants to learn about the power in the land – ley lines and earth energies
• King of Cups – he will teach me about bardic attainment, creative expression for the good of the tribe, publishing and telling stories

3. Nature of work

• Princess of Cups - follow your dreams (dream work). New project exploring the inner world.
• 8 of Swords – to become unbound from restriction, to go beyond current boundaries, liberation
• Fferyllt – fluency between worlds, harmony, alchemy and magic

4. His powers and character

• 3 of Pentacles – he has the ability to increase someone’s craft or skill, or appreciation of art
• High Priest - he offers counsel, tradition, education, initiation
• 6 of Pentacles - he has generosity, patronage and gifts, harvesting good works
• 10 of Pentacles – he gives blessings, prosperity and the possibility of creating a legacy

CONCLUSION

I felt this was an incredible draw, yet again. The interpretations made complete sense to me immediately, and I felt I had very quickly created a link between Ash and myself. We have revealed something of each other, and had just described the ties that bind us in our future work together.

I look forward to the work that is to come, however long we remain bound together.