Due to us visiting the Llangernyw Yew in daylight we noticed some things we don’t normally see because our usual visit time is dusk or at night. Most striking of the things we saw were the signs strewn around in various formats explaining the provenance of the yew tree. The official estimate is between 4-5,000 years old. If we consider how far back in human history that is, this tree was beginning to grow when mankind was in the flush of building its neolithic structures.

The oldest swinger in town

The yew tree’s life span in perspective

The Neolithic Period when the Llangernyw yew was born

This tree has seen the rise and fall of human civilisations that are completely unknown to us! The tree is older than any of us can possibly trace our ancestry.Having heard Michael Dunning talking about his profound ‘shamanic healing’ experiences in a yew tree that is a mere slip of a lad compared to this one, we had new-found respect for this very ancient tree and its potential power.

Our yew tree shamanism

The Ancient Llangernyw Yew Tree

In a very rare occurrence we arrived in daylight. Kal wandered off into the lower graveyard (as usual) and I immediately went to pay my respects to the tree. Being able to see it in daylight meant that I could really appreciate the subtle hues of red, silver and olive green that the tree’s ancient thick branches displayed. I settled down with the tree, finding a suitable place to sit that wasn’t wet but which felt ‘right’. I moved twice before I settled and then I felt I should sling one arm over a nearby branch. Doing this changed the whole ambiance of the situation. Now that I was in contact with the yew I could feel deep but very subtle vibrations echoing through me…like someone was building up to speak. I cleared my mind in preparation for what might occur after preparing two simple questions.

The magical yew tree's insides

Once I felt relaxed and “in touch” with the tree I reminded it of who I was. It was a mere formality because I felt it already knew who and what I was. Respectfully I asked my first question: “Have I completed my previous task of making magic manifest?” – “COMPLETELY”, came the immediate response. I felt this answer arrive via a loud booming deep voice that I could hear in my abdomen. I know – that doesn’t make sense, but that’s where it emerged and resonated within me, and my brain interpreted it as the word “completely”.

Next question. “What is the task for the next eighth part of the year?”. The response to this did not come in a voice form. Instead I began to see pictures forming in my mind. I saw the two portal stones on the other side of the church which were currently out of sight. Then the same deep voice gently affirmed, “YES, YOUR ANSWER IS AT THE PORTAL.” I thanked the tree and hauled myself up out of my reverie and back into the world to walk round the other side of the church to the stones.

Through the Portal

Portal stones

At first I thought that perhaps I should walk through the portal, in between the two stones. I prepared myself, got in the right frame of mind, and then stepped through. Nothing. I felt that I should go stand by one of the stones, and I chose the one on the left. As I got next to it I felt the urge to put my head onto it. I closed my eyes and waited. Within moments I was hurtling downwards, ever downwards, into a black hole!

Almost too suddenly I stopped descending and moved just as quickly along a tall wide tunnel of grey rock.There was some kind of ambient lighting going on but I had no time to familiarise myself with anything because I was whisked along the tunnel at the same rate I had descended. I was being transported past pale figures who seemed like people. They didn’t seem to know I was there, and I knew that was a good thing. Again, no time to analyse anything before the rock-faced tunnel came to an end and I was standing before a huge cavern with water inside it….

A vision of the Underworld

As I scanned around I could see a mound in the centre of the lake. As soon as I noticed it I was zooming in to it. On the mound was a marble plinth – simply carved and plain. On the plinth was the body of a man, and I took a good look at the man because I wanted to remember his face. He had dark hair, and a pale round face (well, he was dead). After looking at him I leaned over him and whispered something in his ear. As I stood away from him again I saw him rise with a smile. He wasn’t dead! He was in some kind of sleep state.

Together we floated back across the lake, and back through the high vaulted tunnel of pale people. The pale people seemed to recognise the man, but they didn’t approach us and seemed powerless to do anything but notice us. Then we ascended back up the long dark hole towards the spot of light at the top and back out into the world. At that point the blinding light of the approaching daylight woke me from my trance. I lifted my head from the portal stone and recovered my senses a little. The world seemed normal.

Merlin in the Underworld

I went back to the yew tree with the news. “This has happened and that has happened..” I burbled before realising that this wasn’t the best way to communicate. I calmed down and thanked the yew for its guidance. One last thing, I asked, who was that man, Arthur? “MERLIN” came the response. I got my dowsing rods out and confirmed that, because it didn’t look like any of the images that I had been given of Merlin by poems, stories, films or books. Yet, Merlin it was.

Whether symbolically or really my task for the next five weeks or so was to take a journey into the Underworld and wake Merlin from his sleep.

Gwas’s Druid Diary excerpt for the Llangernyw Yew : DD-LlangernywYewGwas

Kal’s Druid Diary excerpt for the Llangernyw Yew : DD-LlangernywYewKal

Gwas

After our visit to The Druid’s Circle at Penmaenmawr we sidled off into the sunset heading inland cross-country to Llangernyw. I had a few random items on my agenda to work on, whereas I knew that for Kal this was the main reason for his visit. He was at an important juncture in his life and was looking to his old friend the archetypal “Tree” for some guidance. Having made contact with this helpful entity via the ancient yew tree at Llangernyw before, he was confident that he could do so again.

Late evening yew

For me, I had been guided recently to carve a symbol into my staff. I knew not why, yet. I’m sure that will become clear soon enough. For now, I wanted to confirm which symbol that should be before I started carving. On previous occasions when I had dowsed for this information it had been indicated that it should be the Dinas Bran sigil. This evening, as the sun was setting, I approached the ancient yew tree with respect and asked if I might dowse for some answers. I got a positive response and so began to do some dowsing.

I dowsed at the edge of the tree’s canopy, on a flat section of ground indicated as a good place by the dowsing rods. I asked which symbol I should carve and began to follow a spiral pattern around from one side to another, in a familiar pattern. Was this like the ‘Bran the Blessed’ sigil? It was like that but the head was upside down! In fact it resembled the Arbor Low sigil too.I asked the rods if this was correct several times and they repeatedly said yes. When I sought an answer to this I got the impression that it was a symbol that was personal to me yet a reflection of both places, even literally a reflection in the sense of being upside down in parts.

Inside the mighty yew

You may remember from my recent posts that I had been trying to draw together the four elemental forces of Nature in order to assist me with my coming work this year? There was one that I had not managed to re-engage with and that was the fire element. On this lovely sunny evening as the great fireball dropped slowly over the hills of Penmaenmawr I decided to try to resolve that oversight. I walked to the side of the church where I knew my 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. to be, but oddly I walked straight past it without a second glance, and went to stand before the two pillars of stone that seemed like an entrance or exit portal for something. I began to dowse…

Were these stones and entrance or an exit? An exit. Were they for some form of energy (thinking back to Druid’s Circle) to be directed through? Yes. Was that energy spirit energy? Yes. Was it earth energy? No. Was it the energy of the yew tree? Sort of – the rods came together slightly, but not firmly. Was it the spirit of the place that passed through this portal? Yes. Was this a good place for me to regain my fire energy? A strong yes.

With that affirmation I went to go and sit on the flat tombstone behind the two stones, and immediately got a sharp pain in both kidneys. I took this as an indication that this was not a good place to sit! I stood between the portal stones, looking due west, and drew down the fire of the setting sun, as the saying goes in such circles. The rods confirmed what I felt – that this had been done successfully. Now I felt more ‘complete’ – like I had access to all the powers of Nature (except spirit, or aether, the fifth element).

An energetic exit portal

Whilst I was stood between the two energetic stones I felt like I could use that energy to get another burning question answered. I had one that was uppermost in my mind., The final task of the time between Spring and Beltane was to learn how to connect to the earth’s own energy grid. So far I had not one clue how this could be done, other than perhaps to be stood somewhere that neutral energy may naturally emerge, or something like that. I decide to seek some guidance, any clue at all.

I asked the yew tree to help me to imagine what I should do to link to the neutral earth grid – and I was shown several places very quickly that I couldn’t make out because they were too quick. Then I was shown an image of me nestling into the bosom of the earth – literally two small humps of grass between which I was curled in a foetal position, soothed and sleepy. I was to find a place where I felt that comfortable and then bathed in warmth and comfort I could connect to the earth’s own energy system and draw upon the neutral energy – the pure energy of the earth. I was amazed at the wonderfully intuitive way the information was given to me, and extremely grateful to have been shown this vision. Now, all I had to do was to find such a place….

The warning place

I thought I was finished for the evening – hey, hadn’t I got everything I came for and more? I certainly had. Kal popped around looking pleased with himself and his exploits, which I intended to ask him about as soon as we were on the road again. “Have you finished?” he asked me. “Let’s ask the rods!” I quipped, expecting a ‘yes’ response. I got a ‘no’. Apparently, there was more! I asked the rods to take me to the place where I could find out about this other information, and soon I was walking along the side of the graveyard, past gravestones, until the rods swung back on themselves to point to a grave close to the edge of the path the surrounds the lower site.

There was an inscription on the gravestone. I read, “Oft in danger, oft in woe“. i thought this was very unusual inscription, as I had never seen anything like it before! It was the inscription that was important. It took me several minutes of narrowing down the field before I hit upon the relevance of these words: it was to do with me not putting up energetic protection when I visited sacred sites. I had become too complacent and trusting, relying on my intuition to warn me of potential problems. So far I had been lucky and had visited sites when no-one else was around which has prevented problems so far (apart from one episode that really stuck in both our minds of an encounter at Llandrillo). Now, as I moved into the warmer lighter months I was being warned that other people may cause me problems unless I protect myself appropriately when I go out in the near future. Memories came flooding back and I felt I knew what was being suggested.

I asked if that was all? No, there was more. Again I let the rods take me on a little wander, this time only ten or fifteen feet away from where I was. The rods swung dramatically again to point at what seemed like an ordinary grave of a couple. Again it took me several minutes to divine the answer through a series of questions and response. The couple had been “energetically aware” people, but had died due to some misfortune brought about by an encounter with some form of deviant spirit energy. This was a stronger re-enforcement if I needed it, and I will heed the warning and will be more careful from now on, especially in the presence of other people, whether they mean harm intentionally or not!

All in all, a strange end to the evening for me. For Kal, however, the evening had been highly positive. He had received advice from the yew tree that he should ride out his current issues without trying to resolve them for himself. They would all, apparently, be taken care of – despite how impossible that seemed at that time. A week later everything righted itself against impossible odds and in quite incredible circumstances. Never would we doubt the power of this tree, or its influence over this churchyard!

Gwas.