The Hedge Druid

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Sunday 25th July – Cadair Idris, Gwynedd, Wales.

To walk up Cadair Idris was the culmination of the set of tasks that I had been guided to follow in order to fulfil this particular stage of the year, from Summer Solstice to Lammas. The vision I had received was that I needed to “wake the dragon“. Cryptic indeed, but after a series of further exploratory encounters I had worked out that this would be done on Cadair Idris, and that I could call upon the spirit of Mab – the faerie queen – should I need assistance to do this. Well, all of these things would be fulfilled but not in the way I expected them to occur, as I will now relate.

The walk was surely one of the most beautiful walks I have ever done, from start to finish. The Breath of the Dragon – a light swirling mist – occasionally veiled the mountain, rolling along its slopes and through its valleys as though the dragon was waking to the ringing of my footsteps on its stone-scaled back.

Idyllic start to the walk up Cadair Idris

For anyone who may have been as confused as I was about the name of this mountain – “Cadair” is the Welsh spelling, whilst “Cader” is the anglicised version. I will stick with “Cadair” as I am trying to learn Welsh, albeit very slowly.

The Welcome Sign with its suggested trails

Cadair Idris is a strange mountain: there is a well-defined path to the top of the mountain, yet relatively poorly defined paths to descend again. I wish I had taken more notice of this when I started out, but I assumed that such a well-visited mountain would have well-defined paths. That was to be my undoing later in the day! However, in the morning M and I ascended in a state of bliss marvelling at the abundance of beautiful trees, ferns and mosses that made each turn a photo opportunity.

An old hoary tree wrapped in a coat of moss

If it wasn’t a beautiful old tree turning our heads it was a waterfall….

A hundred beautiful photos await you at Cadair Idris

Read the rest of this entry »

I have been thinking a great deal about the riddle that defines this eighth-part of the year – the time from Summer Solstice to Lammas. The riddle given to me was “Wake the dragon and teach it to fly.” I have therefore been considering what “waking the dragon” might be to start with.

That time is nearly up, and as I promised myself I have managed to schedule a walk up Cadair Idris – Wales’ second highest mountain after Snowdon. I’m also walking up Snowdon soon, too, in aid of the Love Hope Strength cancer charity. I’ll spare you the JustGiving page, because I’m not asking for your money – I’m just spilling my thoughts into the electronic void that is this blog. I just mention it because it’s Snowdon – a favourite mountain of mine.

Inj this post I want to discuss two concepts that have emerged recently – the dragon breath and the dragon pose. Also, I want to look at the various aspects of the idea of “waking the dragon”. As soon as I started looking into “waking the dragon” here are some news, events, concepts and ideas that emerged:-

1. “Waking the dragon“: Proposed giant sculpture.

A new sculpture to mark the pride of Wales could be built by October 2011 at Chirk in North Wales.

Proposed new giant in Wales

Chirk is the town that is in between two other sites that I like to visit – the old oak trees around Pontfadog village, and Dinas Bran, the sublime mound that overlooks the town of Llangollen. Turns out that in between these two oft-visited druidical sites they plan on plonking a huge 200ft statue to rival the Angel of the North and the gigantic White Horse planned for the South of England. It wasn’t surprised that it was a dragon, so much as surprised that it was entitled “Waking the Dragon”. Seemed quite auspicious.

Link: The Daily Mail (yikes!)

2. Raising Kundalini : The Serpent Fire

Something mentioned in hushed tones by C.W.Leadbeater in his various books, especially The Chakras. In that book Leadbeater cautions against this dangerous action being undertaken without the supervision of a guru - the action of raising the serpent fire energy from its sleeping position coiled at the base of the spine like a serpent, and rising through each of the chakras in turn.

I must admit I don’t see the necessity of going through this process. Kal and I have discussed what it means to be “enlightened” and have decided that if it means walking around in a bliss state then it’s not for us.  If it means having a perception of the whole universe in a moment, then we’ll pass on that too. The small steps we have taken to balance and enhance our own chakra points as a means to creating a faster and more efficient interface with the various sentient forces at work in the world we inhabit, then that’s enough for us.

3. Dragon Mounds – Wearyall Hill and Cadair Idris

Wearyall Hill in Glastonbury was the focal point of my vision during the Summer Solstice, a vision of a dragon waking from sleep. After it had awoken I needed to direct the dragon to unfold its wings and fly again after a long slumber. This was the trigger for me to begin to try to understand how this image translated into my life for the next few weeks. Only the next day after the vision I was already somehow certain that Cadair Idris mountain was important and more local to my task.

Cadair Idris mountain translates as something like “The Chair of Idris”. No-one seems to know who Idris was – a Saxon poet, a giant (or both), or something else. Perhaps I get the idea of Cadair Idris from the works of Susan Cooper or from Ivor The Engine, but I associate Idris with a dragon.

Other associations with dragons related to Cadair Idris can be found in Celtic lore:

Dragons and winged serpents were also reported around Lleyn and Penmaenmawr in Gwynedd, the ravines of the Berwyn Mountains, Cadair Idris, the wilds of Cardigan (Dyfed), Radnor Forest (Powys), the Brecon Beacons, the marches of Carmarthen and Worm’s Head, Gower. (source: Celtic Encyclopeadie)

4. Associations with King Arthur

There may be some link between The Pendragon – Arthur – and Cadaer Idris. In an essay published online August Hunt explains:

Triad 52 of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein concerns itself with the “Three Exalted Prisoners of the Island of Britain”. After listing the three prisoners, the Triad continues as follows:

“And one [prisoner], who was more exalted than the three of them, was three nights in prison in Caer Oeth and Anoeth, and three nights imprisoned by Gwen Pendragon, and three night in an enchanted prison under the stone of Echymeint [Llech Echemeint]. This exalted prisoner was Arthur.”

…The word anoeth is used in the STANZAS OF THE GRAVES, where it is said of Arthur that his final resting place in this world is a “wonder” (“anoeth bid bet y Arthur”). As an adjective, anoeth means “difficult” or “wonderful”. The Caer Oeth and Anoeth placename is also mentioned in the Mabinogion tale CULHWCH AND OLWEN, where it is one of the castles Arthur boasts of gaining entrance to. Once again, in the STANZAS OF THE GRAVES, we are told that the burial ground of the host of Caer Oeth and Anoeth can be found in Gwanas, a mountain tract located near Cadair Idris in Ceredigion.

A fuller explanation of some of the more obscure references to archaic Welsh literature and its meaning in this context is given here: http://www.maryjones.us/jce/oethanoeth.html

5. The Dragon’s Back

Looking at an ariel view of the mountain of Cadair Idris I am reminded of the very shape that I saw in the vision of Wearyall Hill. See if you can see what I mean:

The sleeping beast

6. The Dragon Breath and Dragon Pose

One evening I ventured to my new favourite haunt – my nemeton – to further my quest. Once I was firmly ensconced the rain began to come down in buckets. I slowly let myself attune to the atmosphere…the thud of the water, the smell of the leaf-laden earth, and then CRACK – THUMP!! A huge branch from a tree only a few feet away dropped to the floor and landed with a loud bump which startled me, making my blood pump in alarm! I laughed…and then relaxed into the atmosphere again. Clearly, I needed to be both entranced and alert at the same time. A little reminder perhaps?

I began an impromptu ritual of being cleansed in the rain,  adopting a strange pose in response to the feel of the water. I began to think about my task at hand:  waking the dragon. My body began to react to the stream of cold water and my breath began to be forced out. Two thoughts came to mind – this was the physical answer to my question “How do I wake the dragon?”, and that the breathing was “the dragon’s breath“. With this realisation I knew what I needed to do on Cadair Idris. As well as remembering that I could call upon Mab to assist.

The incident with the falling branch reminded me of this quote from the film ‘Excalibur’ (another Arthur/Merlin/Dragon link):

Merlin: What are you afraid of?
Arthur: I don’t know!
Merlin: Shall I tell you what’s out there?
Arthur: Yes, please!
Merlin: The Dragon! A beast of such power that if you were to see it whole and all complete in a single glance it would burn you to cinders!
Arthur: Where is this Dragon?
Merlin: It is everywhere! It is everything! Its scales glisten in the bark of trees, its roar is heard in the wind and its forked tongue strikes like… like…
[a bolt of lightning strikes nearly at their feet]
Merlin: Oh, like lightning! Yes, that’s it!

I reminded myself that, although I was in my nemeton, it was not my space – I was just a privileged visitor to Nature’s space.

How to adopt the Dragon Pose

Legs shoulder width apart and relaxed. Knees slightly bent, as if for skiing. Hands out in front, with palms upwards at stomach height, and cupped as though waiting to collect something in them. Very similar to the position adopted now by Rugby players when they take a kick, but not as exaggerated as that, more relaxed.

I recreated the Dragon Pose today. As soon as I was in the correct position my face flushed and I got a tingle along my spine! I began to feel light-headed, the way I do before some kind of revelation happens. I felt the sweet familiar tingle all over that accompanies me getting totally in tune with Nature. It was very startling how a simple posture could recreate all this! I knew then that this posture was important to me.

What a poser!

I now need to understand more about the dragon’s breath – is it qigong? (e.g. this site) Or something else? I remember a line from the film ‘Excalibur’ in which Merlin mentions the Dragon’s Breath as being a writhing mist or vapour called forth by the Charm of Making. Perhaps I should revisit that charm and consider learning it. Might it be useful to call that upon Cadair Idris whilst adopting my Dragon Pose? Some things will only be revealed during the next week. I’ll report back after my walk up the mountain.

Gwas.

Sunday 20th June, 2010

Travelling back from Glastonbury we decided to investigate the area around the village of Priddy near the Cheddar Gorge. On the map Priddy has a smattering of mounds clustered around the village. This sounded inviting, and we entered along a long straight road. As we travelled along it we turned to each other and gave a knowing look – this was clearly a “corpse road” – a long straight road along which, it is reckoned, the spirits of the dead move, and which was reserved for processions of the dead. Of course it could have easily marked a ley line. We didn’t dowse as we drove. Maybe next time? Who do you think we are – Miller & Broadhurst?

Priddy Barrow

Using SatNav (and boy did we need it) we located the field within which the Priddy Long Barrow and accompanying barrows were supposed to be. Nothing. The field was empty. We wandered to the top of the slope that should have been the remains of the Long Barrow. It was completely clear. Obviously, nothing to see here! We re-dowsed – was there an energetic structure nearby – a barrow with any remaining energy in it? There was. We wandered into the dip in the field and found a spot. Only with the dowsing rods could we confirm the location of the site. Yet another instance where the rods have found things that are completely hidden to the naked eye. The remains of a barrow’s stone structure were tiny piles of stones hidden completely by thistles, nettles and grass clumps. Not much to work with, but it was registering some energy.

Within moments of arriving both Kal and I had each found a power centre to use. Having my recent experiences in Glastonbury to work on, I dowsed around to see whether there was any genius loci at this site that could help with that work – to solve the riddle of  ”waking the dragon”.

Spot the barrow at Priddy

It’s a funny thing about the gnostic knowledge process, “gnowing” as I have referred to it on earlier posts. What you have to do is to be in the right kind of place (i.e. a place with earth or radiant energy) and then you can let your mind de-tune from the surroundings and instead tune into the land and whoever or whatever is around. Tale, for example, the genius loci. There is some definite sentience to the entities that guard a special place. If you tune into this correctly then you can effectively form a conduit connection between your own mind and that of this sentient energy, and knowledge can be transferred.

GNOWING: The tricky thing, as a modern person living in the modern world, is that such a process has been not only ridiculed to the point of being outlawed, but there is a whole host of modern psychological garbage getting in the way that makes you think (for a brief second) that you are making this up. Then, some piece of information is ‘downloaded’ into your mind – a picture, a feeling or a thought – and you know that this was not from you. Because it takes you by surprise, and it could be information that you have no prior experience of whatsoever.

Merlin and Mab

There was indeed a presence within the site. I got the feeling that it was a presence that didn’t live there specifically, but that had been attracted to our activities at the site and was coming to meet us there. Just a feeling. I sat on the power centre and tried to connect to the genius loci – kind of announcing myself and seeing what images or thoughts came to mind. Only one – a welcome from Mab. Who the heck….Queen Mab? Images of Miranda Richardson in the juvenile TV series ‘Merlin’ flickered through my rational mind but I knew this was me searching through my internal reference library, but only finding a facile equivalent in an attempt to appear helpful. I tried to switch this ‘facility’ off and carried on the communication.

I introduced myself, very politely considering this might be an entity who was ‘higher up the pecking order’ than I was used to. My politeness and quiet introductions paid off. She seemed quite friendly and I was being encouraged to communicate. In fact, it seemed like there was something that she wanted. As I was a “servant of Merlin” she wanted me to call upon his male energies so that she could utilise them. Should I do this? Did I know how to do this? I was feeling a bit dubious about this – could this so-called Mab be trusted? I stood up and picked up the dowsing rods to ask. “Is this genius loci really called Mab?” – YES. “Does this Mab mean me any harm?” – NO. “Do I need to protect myself from this spirit?” – NO. Well, I felt I had to ask. Lessons learned, and all that.

In my mind I heard a far-off voice. I don’t know how to describe the concept – it’s like a visual overlay that you know is not there but which you can see, except this is a voice – an aural overlay. It’s a vocal overlay that you know is not IN your mind, but you mind is the space within which the echo of this voice is heard. Sometimes you will hear the voice as a variant of your own internal voice, and believe me, that’s even more confusing and prone to doubt! That’s about as close as I can get withthat description.

Anyway, Mab asked me to transfer some male ‘Merlin’ powers to her. She felt that, because I was Merlin’s servant, that I was a suitable person to ask this of. Why she needed this energy, I don’t know. What she would do with it? Same. Dunno. Why she couldn’t obtain these energies herself? Likewise. However, I did this, and in return she offered to help me with achieving my next stage’s aim. I stated my case. “I believe I have to got to Cadair Idris to wake the dragon. When I am there, will you help me to do this?“. She responded that when I was ready, at the top of that mountain, I could call her for assistance then. Well, that seemed like a fair exchange and I thanked her for her offer.  I was left wondering whether this had been a two-way exchange, or not? Only time would tell exactly how and when my half of the bargain would be fulfilled.

Queen Maeve

Here is some information about the tradition of Mab:

“Although Queen Mab has no direct references in Arthurian Legend, she is still a Queen of the Fae and worth investigation.

In the Celtic tradition, Queen Mab was also known as Queen Maeve. “Maeve” means mead and it was said that Mab gave this blood red wine to all of her consorts. Mead wine represented menstrual blood which was considered “the wine of women’s wisdom”. In Warwickshire, the word “Mabled” came to mean “led astray by the faeries or elves”. In Cymric (the Welsh language) Mab was defined as meaning “small child”. Additionally, Mab meant “Drunk Woman” and “Queen Wolf”.

Mythologically, Mab was the Queen of Connact; the warrior queen of the Ulster Cycle. She was the combined mother/warrior aspect of the Triple Goddess. The Pagan festival of Mabon was celebrated in her honor each year at the Autumnal Equinox. During the festival, those wishing to be King were not endorsed unless Mab invited them to drink of her mead wine. This ensured that the male king would be well versed in feminism and women’s mysteries.” (source: Rowan Sterling)

 I think, reading between the confused lines of history and mythology, that this “Mab” entity was the same energy that I was meeting the day before in the Chalice Well gardens. I had the same reaction to it, and an inherent level of trust (even though I did quickly check with the dowsing). Once the dowsing gave me the nod that all was well I complied with her wishes immediately and completely. Strange. Was I hoping to get something out of this? I think I was. I think I was already on the quest for the waking of the dragon, and was involving myself in some extra-anthropoidal intelligence to try to gather some clues and set myself off in the right direction. I’m sure psychologists would have a lot to say about this – “archetypes”, “wish fulfilment”, “the anima” – it’s all there if you label it conventionally!

From one strange encounter to another strange event. Let me tell you next time about the finding of the Caerleon ley line and what it did to my compass!

Gwas.

When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;

Three from the circle, three from the track;

Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;

Five will return, and one go alone.

Susan Cooper, an english author, wrote a series of books in the 1970s that were for pre-teenage children (well, perhaps 8-14). The books were based upon old celtic tales, but they were brought into the modern world. The collection is published by Puffin Press, the younger version of the famous Penguin Press. I remember reading most of the series, the ones I could afford to buy and which I could find int he bookshops of backwater Cumbria, when I was a pre-teen, and I remember the books having an enormous inpact upon me. In fact I would say that they were the most impressionable books I read as a young boy, and they are probably the books that began to awaken in me inklings of druidry and magick as a concept.

I don’t know what prompted me to ask for this, but a few years ago when my wife asked me what I might want for a birthday present I instantly replied, “The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper.” The response was instantaneous and unequivocal, I even took myself by surprise. She kindly got me the whole series of Cooper’s in one volume (used copy available from Amazon for one pence!!), and I then placed it on my bookshelf behind a long list of druidry and dowsing material. Whenever she asked me about it I would respond, “Well, I’m not really into fiction at the moment…soon, maybe.”

I wondered what I would make of the books now that I was much older. Would they seem irrevocably juvenile? Would I destroy this fond memory? Could I even bear to read them now? And they were fiction…I prevaricated for some time before starting ont he first book in the series, Over Sea, Under Stone. This was one of the series that I hadn’t read before. As I began to read it I was struck by how dated the conversational style was – it seemed to be like an Enid Blyton book! I was expecting them to go for a picnic with some ginger ale at any moment with the Drew family children and their Uncle Merry (who was anything but).

I kept on reading, however, and soon I was beginning to see beyond the dated styling. The evocation of Cornwall was now something that I could relate to, having visited it several times. I could picture the setting of the book, and when it began to feature a stone circle as a focal point of the story and a grail too…now I was beginning to get very interested!

I finished the book and moved on to the next in the sequence – the main story – The Dark Is Rising. This was the book that had started it all off for me. Reading it this time around with its magical emblems and its incredible atmosphere of impending malevolence punctuated by moments of sheer magic and relief I was once again enthralled completely by the novel. So much so that I began to slow down whilst reading it, trying to relate the symbolism, the ritual and the magic to my own experience and knowledge. It is the story of a boy coming of age and taking on the powers to which he was always heir to – magickal powers that reflect the elemental forces of nature. Will, the hero, is brought into The Light, and meets the apochrephal powers of Merlin (Merriman Lyon) and The Lady.

By now I was hooked again. he third book, Greenwitch was one that I remember starting, but not finished. Set again in Cornwall it is a rich story about the coming of age of the female energies, interwoven with the ancient ritual of the green man/corn dolly/greenwitch/wicker man. There is the usual thrilling interplay between the forces of The Light and The Dark, personified as the  good and bad aspects of ordinary and extraordinary people, and glimpses of the power of a boy who has come into his druidic powers, and now begins to make use of them to shape destiny.

I remembered the fourth book very well. The Grey King is set in Wales. As a boy I had not frame of reference for this landscape, but now as a man I knew the scenery and places well. The book is set around the countryside close to the mountain of Cadair Idris – The Chair of Idris (although no-one is quite sure who Idris was – a King, a poet or a giant – possibly all three). The Grey King himself is a malevolent force that dominates the atmosphere of the surrounding landscape and it is the job of Will and his new friends who know nothing of his powers or purpose. This book is utterly and relentlessly thrilling for any age of reader. Deep themes are threaded through a pacy narrative that sings with the lilt of the welsh voices who populate the story. The image of Bran Davies, the Raven Boy, is particularly fascinating, and now I could relate it to the story of Bran The Blessed, and the resonances sang with their own power to me.

By the time I got to the final book, Silver On The Tree, I had a pang of regret that this would be the last book. This was another of the books that I had not read as a boy, and now I had the chance to take it in fully and with knowing. Of all the stories this one is the most magickal with half the story taking place in a lost world n another dimension overlaying the real world, and with movement back and forth in time being integral to the story. Historical references are now brought in: Arthur, the Romans, and many other ancient stories and histories intertwine, and yet Cooper manages to make the story consistent, believable, and beautifully described.

If you have children aged 8-14, and you are looking for something to occupy their minds for the summer holidays, then I could make no higher recommendation than for you to obtain this wonderful volume of stories. It may change their lives in a positive way forever, and the magic of Susan Cooper may never leave them!

Gwas.

BTW: There was a film made of The Dark Is Rising. It is truly dreadful A complete lemon. Don’t even be tempted. It’s a travesty!