The Hedge Druid

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A real life druid thanks you

We here at the Hedge Druid Blog do not often take the time to thank our readership for their contribution. There are many reasons for this – we are busy living, working, writing, and exploring so much of the time that interaction with our readers is a luxury of time that we are rarely afforded.

However, I just noticed that today we passed the 100,000 visitors mark for this year. This is double last year’s levels, and speaking for both Kal and I we are truly astonished at how many of you are following our progress with dowsing, druidry and spirituality.

Firstly, we wanted to say a massive, a gigantic, a humongous THANK YOU to everyone who is reading us regularly. Yes, that’s you. Pat yourself on the back!

We hope you are being helped along your own spiritual path by learning from our mistakes, seeing how we do things right occasionally, and expanding your own possibilities. If there’s one thing this blog is truly about it is exploring the bounds of human potential with a view to encouraging everyone to push further towards flourishing.

We will continue to write as prolifically as we have been because we are compelled to do so by our own research. We never stop learning, and we may never stop writing, so we hope you will grow with us and stay with us for much longer as we explore this amazing life as individuals and as a diverse collective.

Onwards into 2012, fellow seekers!

Thanks from Kal Malik & Gwas Myrrdyn

This is a brief and largely unexciting account of a recent visit to Arbor Low. Unless you’re specifically interested in this site I’d skip it because it doesn’t reveal much of interest outside of those who would visit the site. I’m posting it for completeness’ sake, and for those who have an unhealthy interest in Arbor Low.

It was a damp and windy September day when I arrived at my friend Michael’s house. The usual crew of our psychic friends were there, plus a new addition whom Michael had been wanting to introduce me to for ages. I was introduced to Janet and immediately I liked her. She was robust, earthy, plain-speaking and no-nonsense. Being a Yorkshire lad I felt right at home with that. We chatted for a while and Janet offered to let me read a copy of “The Eye of Fire” by Graham Philips – the sequel to the astonishing book “The Green Stone“. I had read The Green Stone recently and had been fascinated by it. I was going to buy the book and its sequel second-hand but prices were starting at £20 each and rising quickly to ridiculous figures! Luckily, Janet had a copy and was willing to lend it to me. I devoured its contents the next weekend! Now I am busy working my way through Andrew Collins‘ account of the same events in his book ”The Seventh Sword“.

The Eye of Fire

We didn’t hold out much hope for a break in the rain as we wended our way past some of the places mentioned in the Green Stone book, particularly Biddulph Grange. The discussions about the books passed the time on the way to Arbor Low. I was liking Janet even more, her ready smile, her chuckle, and her immediate warmth.

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At the end of August 2011 I found myself with an evening free and an urge to visit a sacred site where I could learn more about the five healing rays that I have been studying. As a reference for those of you who haven’t been following this particular series from the beginning, here are the related posts:-

• My five healing rays - in which I identified the rays, and their basic principle

In this visit I was hoping to have some information revealed to me that would show me how these healing rays could actually be used, in other words – how does one invoke them, and how are they utilised once invoked? The beautiful circle of Moel Ty Uchaf was to be my teacher this evening.

A stunning rain and sun backdrop above Llandrillo

On my journey up the steep trackway to Moel-Ty-Uchaf stone circle I was welcomed by a rainbow, which was somehow fitting considering I was here to try to get some more answers about the nature of the healing energy rays that I can work with. Apparently I have until Samhain this year to get my theory and practise all sorted out, because then I will face a challenge, a task, a test of skill, perhaps an opportunity to progress. I knew what failure meant – another turn on the Wheel of the Year to go around in a circle rather than a corkscrew movement upwards. I was taking every opportunity I could to do my homework.

As I passed the trees that line the lower part of the route up the hill I asked them about their energies. Are they male if the tree is male, and so on? The answer was that trees have no gender, they are both male, female and neutral, and so they can create living energy lines that are of any of these “flavours” depending on what the tree wishes to harmonise with, draw from, or support. Its own intent creates the required 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..

With all my physical training I found that I didn’t need to stop once going up the hill. At the top I was breathing deeply, but not out of breath for once, nor tired or leg-weary. My calf muscles were also intact for once. Amazing result! But nowhere near as amazing as the view that I was about to be presented with as the clouds that had dogged my ascent began to part letting through the rays of the setting sun over the Conwy Mountains. In the picture below, look for the unusual photographic artefact of the sun converging to a turquoise point! Or is it something from the ground opening a hole in the clouds?

The sun appears over Llandrillo - view from Moel Ty Uchaf

I ate my Co-Op convenience catered tea at the King Stone and began to introduce myself once more to the 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., asking for permission to work with her to ask questions about healing. Using my rods I determined that she would co-operate with that, but I felt that I would have to offer her something in return. Intuitively I was given the sense that there was some earth energy healing that I would have to put into practise here. This wasn’t going to just be a one-way theoretical lesson!

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Every so often I come around The Spiral of Life and find that I am re-joining a path that I have taken before, except that this time the path is at a higher level and offers more challenges and rewards than the previous time. That’s a rather grandiose way of saying that I have recently re-discovered an interest in casting a circle when doing natural magickThis is a system of belief that is often defined as being the appropriation and re-use of naturally occurring forces for the purposes of healing, transformation, communication, or a host of other subtle effects. The natural elements of the magick can also be seen by the under-pinning concept that the use of these forces should be co-operative rather than coercive. out in the big wide world. What use are invisible circles, you may ask? I certainly did. I’m not one to pick up on magickal practises and mimic them for the hell of it. They better have a demonstrable purpose and prove themselves in the field before I’ll consider incorporating them into my work.

Traditionally casting a circle has been seen as a method of creating a sacred protected space within which power can be contained. It serves the dual purpose of excluding energies from outside of the circle that the magician may not wish to allow to enter the space in which he or she is working. A magic circle is different in some ways from just putting up protection around oneself in that it has the additional benefit of being “geometrically efficient” – in other words, because it is a circle, any energy released within it is contained and not diminished. I would go further and say that the practitioner should be considering the use of a sphere, rather than a circle, and containing the energy in a three-dimensional (and perhaps more) space. This bubble provides a perfect containment for subtle or magickal energies, thus increasing the efficiency of the work within the ‘circle’ and reducing energy loss or dissipation. Magickal circles offer protection without energetic interruption, they create a “sacred space” within whose bounds you can ‘clear’ the space to be free of undue or unintended influence, and thereafter protect it from re-admittance to those other energies, effectively creating a sealed hermetic space within, sanitised for your work.

Natural magick practitioners in particular should consider the use of such devices as magick circles because there are more unpredictable forces in the wilds of Nature than in the sanitised structures of modern man, and creating a safe space within which to work is more of a necessity than a nicety. Introductions over let’s go on to talk about how casting a circle is actually done.

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This is the final part of my Summer Solstice 2011 quest in and around Glastonbury. In the first part of the day I had meditated at Glastonbury Abbey and seen a vision of Arthur and Guinivere, visited the Holy Thorn tree, and then mixed the red and the white waters from the Tor’s streams together. Now I was heading to Cadbury Castle – a site I had tried to find the time to visit on previous pilgrimages, but had never managed to get to.

5. Cadbury Castle

Finding the castle was easy. I set the navigation systems for South Cadbury village, and from there the signs were obvious – there were small brown tourist signs telling me where to go from that point. No esoteric signs required, and still no dowsing rods needed (which was fortunate because I hadn’t brought them deliberately). This was intuitive work, and I was being tested to see if I could hack it.

I parked the car and noticed a girl walking her dog was wearing wellingtons despite the outrageous heat of the day. I wondered if she knew something I didn’t. As I walked up the dark tunnel made by hawthorn trees that led me up the hill to the castle I realised that she did know something – the path was incredibly rutted and muddy! The ascent went slowly as I picked my way through the delightful remainders of a cow’s digestion, the inches deep mud, and the streams of…well, I didn’t dare contemplate what they might be, but I hoped they were water.

As I neared the top of the slope I was presented with various possible paths. I decided to follow my intuition again. Which was the correct entrance for a servant of Merlin, I wondered? I felt a path to the right was the correct one, so I took it despite it being surrounded by high nettles. Soon there was no path any more, only nettles. I stopped because I couldn’t go any further and I looked down at my feet as something caught my eye – there was a black feather to go with the white swan feather that I had brought with me for some reason. A complimentary pair! I picked it up and picked my way up the hill, somehow finding the path I came in on and then I was able to climb into the castle, mounting its embankments to survey the scene.

It's a black and white situation

The scene was difficult to imagine as a castle. There was a flat wide-open space, slanting uphill towards a concrete pillar at the summit, and the field was enclosed by six-feet high embankments that enclosed a herd of grazing cows. The wind was also rushing sternly across the top of the hill ensuring that I didn’t hang about wistfully imagining a fantasy Arthurian Camelot scene. Instead I headed for the lee side of the slope at the peak of the site where the wind was stiller and the sun beat down like a proper English summer day. I rested there with my staff, breathing in the summer air, listening to the insects at work, and delighting in the occasional call of a songbird.

When my lazy urge had passed I set about creating an elemental crystal layout and tried to unify the two feathers in terms of their energy, like Arthur and Guinivere. I positioned the feathers in what I felt was a unifying manner, and then surrounded them with the four quadrants of the elements – the cardinal points. Frustratingly nothing felt as though it was happening. I tried several configurations of crystals. Maybe I just had them int he wrong position, or the wrong order, or….nothing was happening. At that moment when all hope had vanished and I had cleared the paraphernalia away I was interrupted by a jovial set of old Americans who proceeded to give me a short history of the castle unbidden. No harm in that! We passed the time and then I departed for more hospitable places – the wind was spoiling the beautiful summer day heat.

What had happened to the magical moments of this pilgrimage? Had I taken a wrong turn? I returned to Glastonbury feeling like a simple tourist.

6. Chalice Well Gardens

What better place to while away the time before the sunset than at the most beautiful small garden in Somerset? Chalice Well Gardens are a haven from the bustle of the town and the Tor on a Solstice afternoon.

I was just in time for the gardens at what must be their quietest time of the day – late afternoon. I admired the flowers and plants, then headed for a high spot to meditate. It was difficult, so I went to the spot between the yew trees and called the Goddess, like a famous druid had told me to do. This worked well and soon i was feeling energised, but still no information was forthcoming. One last try – I went to my favourite spot and looked at the dappled sunlight through the trees. It worked.

Ironically, the message that I got was that I had to work on patience. I had to learn to be more patient with people, and to wait for situations to come about as they would, not to force things. This was exactly what a friend had said to me recently. I promised to the unseen forces that I would try. One of the other things to come out of the meditation was the news that the feathers could only be used for the last part of the day’s work on the Tor itself at sundown. That was why they hadn’t done anything at Cadbury Castle. Now I understood. Should have been more patient, eh?

7. The Tor

For the last part of the day Kal re-joined me in Glastonbury town. Yet again he had trekked across the vast wastelands of the south-western fringes of civilization to partake in some jocularity and light-hearted piss-taking. Oh, and he may have been there for the solstice sunset too, perhaps. He had, of course, his own quest to follow so as I told him of my day’s work he picked up on the waters of the red and white streamA flow of positive energised and healing subtle energy. The white streams usually emanate from a source of good energy such as a holy well, a sacred site, a power centre or a place of worship of good intent. We have found that white stream energy consists primarily of male and female energy combined in a balanced and harmonious blend, such that the two streams “play” with each other, warping and wefting in a dance that invigorates and enlivens everything that comes into contact with it. If a human stands in such a stream then they will feel positive, happy and energised, warm even. that I had mixed. He will tell you his own tale of how he found out some critical information whilst meditating in the Glabbey grounds, and how then he found he needed the waters that I had mixed to complete his own health quest. That’s a story worth telling in its own right. For now, let me continue with my story.

We walked up the Tor by the easy route, but started it just above the two springs. The climb was much easier now that we were both a lot fitter. At the top of the Tor I waited for the “right time”. With no dowsing rods this was difficult, but eventually, about 9:40pm, I was ready to work. I went to the west slope and put the two feathers in formation. I had picked up a grey pigeon feather from my walk through the town earlier and the three of them seemed to make sense now – white, grey and black, This seemed to signal the end of the Hawk of May quest – officially.

One the Tor I was getting nothing for my meditation. Perhaps it was too busy or too noisy? Maybe the wind was too strong? There were a hundred excuses but the result was the same – I couldn’t see or intuit anything on this ancient place of power about where my quest would go next. Nothing was forthcoming. Then I remembered one of the elements of the tarot that I had drawn at the start of the quest – “Don’t be afraid to ask“, and also remembered that in the grail myth Gawain failed the quest initially by not asking the important question that would release the grail to him. Suddenly I knew what to do. I had recently been in contact with The Hawk of May – Gwalchmai. This archetype or spirit is associated with Gawain and the Grail Quest too, but I knew that in the myth it was Percival who fails to ask the question. Was I Percival in this quest? Was I failing to ask the right question – to ask for help? Could Gwalchmai help me now?

I sat before the Tor’s church tower and called upon Gwalchmai three times. Suddenly I saw and simultaneously was a hawk circling the Tor. I could see it from where I sat and yet I was the hawk too, looking down on my distant figure below as I meditated. I asked the Hawk to show me what my next quest would be. I saw a hawk in my mind circling the Tor, then it flew straight through the building and out to Wearyall Hill. The hawk landed on the cage surrounding the Holy Thorn. The indication was clear to me – I would be doing more healing work, possibly more protection work too.

I knew that for the next six months I would be learning how to heal. This was an area I had been staying away from, but now the signs were clear and unrelenting. It was time for healing work – serious healing work. I had to learn to be a healer whether I liked it or not, and it would take…key word of the day….patience.

Gwas.

April edition available now

The April edition of the Hedge Druid podcast is now available from the Podcast page (RSS feeds to follow soon).

In this edition we have:-

• * five new tunes for you,
• * an extensive review of “The Secret Land” book by Paul Broadhurst,
• * a list of new books,
• * information about the Bearded Theory Festival next week,
• * subtle responses in the Dowsing Corner,
• * and much much more.

Gwas.

Earlier in the month I was asked to go on a training course with work. The course was down near London, so this meant that I would have to travel for several hours to get there, yet I didn’t have to arrive until 1:30pm. By my quick reckoning if I started my journey early enough I would be able to go visit a megalithic site on the way to the course – bonus! Which one, though? Given my route there was only one that I wanted to consider – the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire.

As I neared the site a thought struck me – I didn’t have a purpose to go with! I racked my brains – then I remembered my liaison with a water spirit in Cumbria and how I had made a connection with this element quite strongly. I felt like I had not made the same connection with the other three elements yet. Perhaps this site was the place to do that? It was a sunny day (fire), the stones were buried in the earth, and there was a slight breeze (air)….I would have to see whether it would work when I arrived.

View of the Rollright Circle

I was practically alone in the circle except for the occasional visiting party of one, two or three people, but as is usually the case they only stayed for the merest time. I barely had long enough to register most of the people who visited, so brief was their stay! I would love to survey people about why they visit these places and then do nothing when they get there!

Ritual for three elements

When I started druidry I wasn’t “into” ritual. I didn’t see that it was necessary, but I was being too narrow-minded. What isn’t necessary is a prescriptive ritual. You know the type of thing – in “The Heathen’s Book if Rituals”, page 24, it says that if you want to summon a fire elemental you will need a red candle, to face south, hold a crystal of Tiger’s Eye in your left hand, then say the words, “O Element of Fire, come to me in my hour of need….” blah blah. Whose ritual is that? Is it YOURS? Certainly not. It’s somebody else’s. So I follow a path whereby the ritual is completely impromptu. If I have certain things with me at the time then I might use them, such as candles, incense or crystals. Even my staff can be involved. But none of these things are necessary, and so I could just as easily face in a particular direction and simply imagine a connection with some elemental force and that will work just as well. In our world it can take a strong mind to ignore the “teachings” of other spellworkers and vote for your own method because we are so often seeking to know the “right ” thing to do. The right thing to do is do what feels right!

Now to discuss the ritual part of the visit.

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