The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘cheesewring’

On the same day as my visit to the Hurlers and the revelations that I gained there (link). I visited the Cheesewring about a mile or so further into the moor.

It is a curious and dauting place. Take a look at the picture below…

It was a wonderfully sunny Winters day and the air was clear and crisp. The climb was easy and well worth it for the views that could be seen. However a curious thing occurred.

As is normal for me these days I like to share images of where I am with friends and family and this occasion was no exception. So I took a few pictures of this monumental (32 foot high) feature and sent them out to friends.

Unusually, almost straight away I got a text back from a good friend Trace.

“Ugh,” she said, “thats a bad place, get out of there.”

I was surprised as I didnt feel any “badness” from the place. Then another text from another friend saying she felt uncomfortable with the images and requested I stop sending them.

After that I had to get my rods out to check whether there was anything afoot. Nope I was fine and so was the place. And then unbelievably another text from a friend, “You watch yourself, that’s a bad place.”

This was unprecedented so I got the rods again, “Was this a good place for ladies?” No,

Ah…

Just thought I would note it here.

Kal Malik – Curious

I have recently been working with the cross shape. It is such a loaded symbol that I have felt the need to mentally cleanse it of prior meaning. I had been trying to work with the elements for some time now, and frankly had been primarily failing. Finally I worked out why this was – I had been using the orthodox positions for the elements. Not something that ought to cause a problem, but actually it had been foiling my efforts because instinctively it had felt wrong, and so I had been unable to work effectively.

I had received a head start in this respect when I visited The Cheesewring in Cornwall recently. There I had learned that my head was equated to the position of Air, and my feet were the position for Earth. I was less certain about the East – which I felt might be my right hand and equated with Fire, because it was warm despite the wind. My left hand was wet with the driving rain that day on Bodmin Moor and I equated that with Water.

As I am currently undergoing a period of “making magic manifest” this was becoming a problem. I needed to work out what the correct positions should be. It happened one evening as I sat on top of a local sacred hill, looking out over the surrounding countryside in several directions. I was in a meditative state and began to pose the question – what are the correct elements positions for me to fill my cross? Slowly I was lifted up above the land to have a bird’s eye view of the nation – just like using Google Earth.

The Aristotelian Elemental perspective

I looked North and saw the tall mountains of the highlands of Scotland. Over the top of these mountains and through their valleys roared an icy cold North wind. As it streamed towards me I felt its rushing power and knew that North was Air.

Behind me the land settled into a large mass without mountains – the Midlands, the southern counties, the South West – a vast expanse of earth. I realised that this large land mass represented the Earth element in the South.

Living on an island I wondered which side of the land would be representative of Water. Of course, given that I live near to the western coast my vision panned over to the west coast and I knew that the West was Water.

This left the East. Would the vision reveal the traditional sign for Fire in the East? Indeed it did – the Sun rose into my view and I knew that the East was Fire.

Interestingly, I found that this particular arrangement was the same as that posited by Aristotle. Who would have thought it? On a more personal level I realised that this actually matches the geography of where I spend most of my time – my home. For me the big mountains and strong winds are in the north. The sun rises in the east. The most extensive land mass is to the south, and the sea is close by to the west.

This seems to hold true irrespective of where I am – it seems like my elemental cross is effective wherever I am from now on. It has been set by where my own home power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre. is – the one that I created for myself. This, it would seem, defines where I am based, and where my elements position themselves around me most comfortably

Gwas.

Sunday 22nd August, 2010 – The Cheesewring, Minions, Cornwall.

Just a mile or so further down the track from The Hurlers are a set of curiously eroded stones perched precariously on the edge of a hilltop that has been extensively quarried on one side. The journey to the stones is hard on the feet – the only path, although not steep, is littered with loose granite lumps and so sturdy boots are recommended in all but the finest of weathers. Today was not the finest of weathers at all – it was the wettest. The South West was about to enter one of the wettest periods in its recorded history (not forgetting the awful year when they had the flood at Boscastle, of course).

If you don’t have a map then remember this simple strategy to find the Cheesewring stones – keep right on the track until you reach the quarry then look up!

It's as tall as a giant called Uther

The legend of how this incredible formation came to be is recounted on a plaque in the car park near to the Hurlers, but a fuller account is given in Wikipedia:

“A local legend about this rock formation is the result of a contest between a man and a giant. When Christianity had just been introduced to the British Islands, the giants who lived at the top of the mountains were not happy about it. The Saints had invaded their land and were declaring their wells as sacred.

One of the larger giants, Uther, was given the task of ridding their land of the Saints. He confronted the frail St Tue, who proposed a rock throwing contest. If Uther won, the Saints would leave Cornwall. If St. Tue won, then the giants would convert to Christianity.

Uther took his turn first and easily threw a small rock to the top of nearby Stowe’s Hill. St Tue prayed for assistance, and picking up a huge slab found it was very light. One after the other, they threw their rocks, stacking them up in perfect piles. When the score was 12 stones each, Uther threw a thirteenth stone, but it rolled down the hill. St Tue picked up this fallen stone, and as he lifted it, an angel appeared to carry it to the top of the pile of rocks. Seeing this, Uther conceded and most of the giants decided to follow Christianity after that.”

This is a classic folklore tale following the usual formula: a seeimingly impossible David & Goliath contest which the saint wins with divine intervention. Note the number twelve and then a thirteenth being the saviour. Obvious astrological themes going on here. Usually I would then go on to tell you which astrological, zodiacal or cosmological entity is associated with a site like this, but in this case that is all unnecessary. The Cheesewring is a pure earth energy site. It is a formation from natural rock, occurring naturally on Bodmin Moor. Unlike stone circles there has not been any man-made alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. of the stones.

There has, however, been some manipulation of the existing stones. Occasionally they have been propped up, and that was necessary because the features of this rock formation have been somewhat exaggerated by the local inhabitants. When I dowsed I found that they had chipped away at the bottom portions to exaggerate its top-heavy look, and then smoothed the rocks off again, as they had done with many of the ‘dressed’ stones for places like Stonehenge.

For wringing cheese

The Gnome in the Cheesewring

Luckily for us there were no other people around. Perhaps the winds that tore across the hilltop as though racing each other were putting some people off, or perhaps it was the fact that visibility was down to several feet that made the climb up to the rocks both difficult to find and arduous to endure. Whatever the reason the gloom made me want to do some work to stay warm.

I dowsed as to what kind of site this was (er…look at it! It’c clearly stone and therefore an earth site! Idiot!). It was an earth site. (Told you so). I wondered if there was a genius lociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place. for this strange place, and the rods confirmed that there was. I don’t usually dowse for a name for such things, but occasionally I do. Luckily for me (Kal chuckled) it was a three-letter name. “What would you have done if it was a thirteen-letter name?“, he taunted. I shrugged – it wasn’t. The earth energy spirit’s name was Hor, causing Kal to chuckle to himself again as he huddled from the biting roaring wind. I asked if it would be appropriate for me to connect to this entity, and the rods told me it was fine, so I asked them to take me to the best place to do this. The best place, apparently, was right in the centre of the rocks in a small space barely big enough to hold me, and exposed to the wind. Nice. I put up some standard protection (see – remembering now) and in I climbed wondering if I would be able to get out again.

Somehow the roaring winds seemed to silence. I could feel them still tugging and battering at my back, but their deafening roar had diminished to a whisper. I took the opportunity to visualise the form I had been working with lately at all these Bodmin sites and I conjured up the rosy cross shape. Now the shape had a circle drawn around it to form a more Celtic design. After some jiggery pokery (well, you’d only get bored if I told you) I had what I would call a “full house” – the Hor gnomic earth spirit had facilitated my work with its elemental kind, to go along with the air, water and fire elemental forces that I had re-collected at the start of the year. This seems like a yearly “pact” of co-operation that must be renewed annually. In return for this help I offered my usual thanks of love and gratitude. I cannot stress strongly enough how useful these energetic gifts are. You can leave all the flowers and corn-dollies and notes that you want – nothing, but nothing, replaces the honest and heartfelt offering of love and gratitude to an energetic being.

Up close and cheesy

As I climbed out of the cramped space I noticed the wind howling again. Fine rain scraped at my face, depositing itself on my growing whiskers like hoar frost (Ha! Hor frost, even!). I visited the other rocks formations nearby on Kal’s recommendation, including a man shape that someone had laid out on the ground in lumpy granite rocks – to which  I added a third-eye stone for a laugh. Kal did not look amused, however, but looked like a man who had been patient whilst I worked, but now who needed the warm reward of a quiet heated car.

We trudged back to the car park in good spirits, ready to see what happened next in this already very interesting day. Nothing could prepare me for the happenstance nature of the wonderful event that we would encounter next, however.

Gwas.