The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘phoenix’

The Wizards Wood

Can you believe it? Gwas is off adventuring in the land of the Sun on this fine Beltane festival. As he is the one that usually sets an agenda (I improvise). It was up to me to create a celebration on my lonesome. Finally the side-kick gets to play on his own (queue maniacal laughter).

When?

Beltane falls on the 1st of May however what I have often found is that there is a personal note to festival days. Thus I like to go with feeling as well. The 1st of May was a day of rain here in the UK. Maybe it was the weather or not, but I definitely didn’t feel the energies of Beltane in the air. Nope.

Work kept me awake to the early hours of Wednesday the 2nd and I was still typing when the light came in through my window. Ah yes! Definitely today. So I grabbed a list of places that I had written down before hand and dowsed as to where to go.

I started with Sacred Sites in Derbyshire…No no and no! Then Northern Wales. Nope!. I tried being more open with my criteria…Would I go north, south, east or west. This proved more fruitful and I ended up with a location of Alderley Edge. The sun hadn’t hit the horizon and I was off for that mystical wizards wood.

An hour later I was walking through the mystical wood and getting muddy. But the sun was out and the day was going to be special. You can just feel it sometimes.

Cleansing

Oak at Nine Stones Close

Incense has been our standard format when it comes to Beltane or indeed fire element requirements but this time I really wanted to light a fire. A proper one! There are a few caves in Alderley Edge and my intention was to use one of those. I dowsed the paths for a suitable place and unfortunately the rods took me to a place that I recognised. It was the place where I had connected to the Earth a couple of years ago. But not a cave.

So it was to be incense? I asked the rods No. What then a fire? No, not here anyway. So I went through my mental list of activities and reached the conclusion that this place was to clear out old energies and ground myself. Obvious really since it was the place that I had connected with the Earth. Doh!

I leaned against the side of the cliff face and let my thoughts focus on the depths of the earth. I reached down into the roots and let the energies clear within me. Mere moments later I felt detached. Curious that really because it wasn’t the feeling I was aiming for. Nevertheless my work at this spot was done. Time for the fire, I thought.

So I asked the question, was I ready to light a fire? No. Gosh! More work to do. I asked was there more work to do? No. What? Was I done with Alderley Edge? Yes. Did I have to go some other place? Yes. Oh Ok.

Again, I went through the list of sacred sites and arrived at Nine Stones Close. Oh no! Another hours drive. Oh well so be it. The good thing about the drive was that the sun was bright as I headed towards it.

Wings

Robin Hoods Stride

If you don’t know, it had been raining for about 3 days here in the UK. The amount of mud in the fields going to the Nine Stones Close site was phenomenal. As per the usual when I got there I began by greeting the Oak tree. Me and that Oak have a wonderful relationship. It has taught me so much about over coming fears.

I spent some time with the Genius Loci until I and it got comfortable. I then wondered about a fire. So I asked the rods, where should I light the fire? Again no fire! What’s with the Beltane festival these days? What then, another meditation? Yes it seems. But not at the stone circle but across the rock wall and under the Oak tree.

I leaned against the tree and felt the sun on my back, nice and warm. My mind was on fire. I had brought along some wood kindling and fire lighters but was being thwarted in their use. As I tried to clear my mind I heard a squawking from above and three crows flew out of the Oak tree and headed towards a land mark called Robin Hoods stride.

Crows are, as you know, my totem so I felt this to be significant. So I forgot my meditation and dowsed for a change of venue. Would it be Robin Hoods stride? Yes. So off I toodled off towards the heights of the Stride.

Fire

It didn’t help that the fields and climb was mud splattered but whats a guy to do? Up I went and this time I went all the way up to the top (usually I get a bit wobbly knees). I had a feeling that this would be the place for the fire. I dowsed and YES finally it was time.

I dowsed and found a good energetic place to light a fire. A few minutes later I had a small fire going and I was sat so that I was facing the fire and beyond that the Nine Stones sacred site (though I couldn’t see it from my sitting position).

In magical terms fire is often used as a gateway to travel to the underworld. That is where my thoughts where whilst I was watching the dancing flames.

An aside: 2007 was the first time I have ever encountered an entity personally. I had observed what you might call entity behaviour before that time. But I had never been the subject of an entities attention. That is until 2006.

Many years before then I had gone through a process of creating an internal sacred space. This space that was totally within my mind was a controlled environment in that nothing from the outside could get in. It was perfectly protected. Visually speaking it looked like a clearing in a forest. Often there would be other beings in the clearing but it was understood that these were aspects of my personality or subconscious if you will. The overriding feature of this space, was as I said, security and protection.

Then one April 2007 it was invaded. At that time I assumed that it was a fire elemental. It not only prophesied great change in my life but also presumed itself to be the instigator of that change. It literally said that it would push me onto the path of fire.

That is a long tale in the telling, enough to say that it’s prophesy came true and I was indeed pushed along a path of fire. Since that time and this I have grown immensely and have come to the conclusion that that entity wasn’t a fire elemental, I now believe it was a phoenix.

I stared into the flames on top of Robin Hood stride and my thoughts wandered to the time of the phoenix. Recalling that thought brought visions of the phoenix back into my thoughts. Scary they were too since that time and that image is associated deeply with great pain. I shook the thoughts from my mind and stared into the living flames. There was no wind to disturb us and the only sound was of the occasional bird and the crackling of the fire.

As I practiced a new technique of breathing I had learned from my Native American friends I felt that something was drawing near. My thoughts flew to my Energy Double. But no it didn’t have that feel. I knew that it couldn’t be the phoenix that I had encountered years ago. It (she) had said that we would never cross paths again. So what was this feeling of coming together?

No amount of pondering drew the answer. All that it was and is (for the moment) is a feeling of me and something heading towards each other. The flavour of that meeting was to be fire.

I dowsed for the meaning of this feeling but got no connections. All I have is a sense of “soon”. I left the tor in puzzlement. What is the future holding now?

Kal Malik

This is part of my knights pilgrimage. for all the other posts related to this please click this (Knights Pilgrimage)  link and follow in order. Or just dive in and have fun!

Cars

In the previous post I had just left a couple on their way to their car and I was walking down a path which I hoped would lead to mine as the night was closing in. Fortunately it did and I was amazingly relieved. Hang on though, I thought as looking for my keys. Where am I supposed to go next? And had I done what was needed at the Forest of Dean? I asked the latter question first.

• Was I done with the forest? Yes. Considering all I had done was show a lost couple out of the forest. Was this what I was supposed to have done? Yes. That’s it? No. Was there a lesson in it for me? Yes.

I am not one for lessons, I have to say. And as I considered this, I heard some people walking towards me and stopped my dowsing to let them pass. I was shocked when they came into the light of passing cars. It was Beverly and Darren. The couple I had just left in the forest. They were as surprised to see me as I was them.

Lost

“Are you still lost?” I asked. They responded no, and pointed to the only other car parked near mine. “That’s our car.” I was stunned. What! I pointed to the other car and said to them. That’s mine. I was expecting surprise and shock. What I got was suspicion. “Well, thank you for your help.” They sidled passed me got into their car and drove off in haste. Gosh! People!

A little tip for you. When we’re out in the midst of sacred sites looking for direction and guidance. One of the ways we try to find the relevant event or incident is simply by breaking up the events into parts and asking, “was that relevent?” for each part. Simple, stupid, but often effective.

So, I began asking about each part of the day to find the missing link so to speak.

• Was it the crows that led me to the forest? No
• Was it my adventurous spirit to go? No
• Was it bumping into the couple? Kind-of (Ok, this is where one rod swings in but the other doesn’t. Come on you know this already, right?)
• Was it helping them find their way out? Kind-of.
• Was it that their car and mine where in the same place? No. I was expecting a yes here.
• Was it that they were lost? Yes.

Lost? Why was their being lost the message or guidance for me. Added to this was helping them find their way out. Definitely something to muse over on my pilgrimage.

Pilgrim notes

As an exercise, I thought that I would compile a notebook for the specific messages that I got on this diary so here it is so far:

1. Following and trusting my totem (crow)
2. Finding a couple who are lost
3. Helping them (reluctantly) find their car.

The Longest Drive

Was my pilgrimage complete? No. Come on, I had to ask. Okay where to next? Which direction? Thank god for my iPhone compass. I dowsed in a circle and ended up pointing south, according to my compass.

I thought of some places to the south, bare in my mind that my geography is appalling.

• Glastonbury? It was an obvious choice and the No wasn’t surprising.
• Avebury (was that south of here?) no matter, the answer was no.
• Stonehenge? No
• Tintagel? Okay, I know it’s South-West from the forest now, but at that time I didn’t. Anyway the answer was No.
  

  dean to merry maidens

Alright, it was time to try a different tack. Was it further than Glastonbury? Yes. Further than Stonehenge? Yes. Was it a (known to me) Sacred Site? Yes. Had I been there? Yes. Was it further than Tintagel? I was really hoping for a no to this one, but got a yes. O Crap! I cast my mind back to my stay in Devon and the sites I had visited.

• Hurlers? No
• Pipers Stones? No
• Any of the number of churches? No
• The Fogou, the name escaped me. No.
• Merry Maidens? Yes.

What! Seriously? The merry maidens? Why? Did I have to go there now? Yes. What? Why? I plugged the destination into my sat nav. 240 miles! Just under 5 hours! It was 7pm now! Am I insane? Don’t answer that.

The Dancing Coven

I drove and drove. Luckily or not, I’m used to these loooong haul drives having done them for a year or so. Even so. I had better get something useful out of this. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, written by J.K. Rowling and read by the amazing reader, Stephen Fry was my companion on this long journey. Amazingly I was only up to the point when they (Harry, Hermione and Ron) go down the trapdoor when I turned onto the lane that is adjacent to the Merry Maidens. I parked up the car and looked across into the field. There was a small fire burning in it. I got out of the car and for some reason, quietly closed my door so the sound wouldn’t carry. After waiting a few moments I walked up to the edge of the surrounding bushes and peered into the field. There were several people in the field. I wondered if they had spotted my car. It wasn’t visible over the bushes but the light must have been. Hang on though I thought, I had as much right to be here as anyone else. So why was I hesitating?

Read the rest of this entry »

It was late Thursday evening and I had questions on my mind. The foremost being where to find the answers to the questions posed in this post.

Since I was currently located in the South-West of the UK, my personal preference was for something local-ish. Glastonbury? Avebury, Cornwall site? So I began my dowsing quest by asking whether a suitable site was South, East or North of here (West is the ocean).

I got a good indication for North. I then asked whether the site was one I had visited before? Yes. This was followed by me dowsing all the sites that where North of my position (which is most of the visited sites!) Finally and almost literally, finally. I got to Llangernyw Yew tree and the rods flew inwards. I sighed! I hadn’t planned to go North this coming weekend. But in anticipation of finding some answers, I managed to get out of work slightly early to make the five hour trip to the 4,500 thousand year old Ancient Yew tree.

I arrived at the church around 10.30 and was glad to just sit by the river that runs along the side and take a stretch and a rest. The view of the clear night sky with half moon glowing was, as always a wonder to behold. After some minutes of rest I climbed back up the stairway to go and be with the Yew tree. It is an amazing experience to be in the company of such a peaceful and knowledgable tree.

Dowsing suggested that lighting some incense would be auspicious and so I lit five sticks and placed them as directed by the rods. Standing amongst them, I asked the questions that had had my mind wandering:

Rosicrucians and Templar:

• Do I need to research these? No, not yet but I would after I had done some more work
• Rosicrucians or/and Templars? Neither, at the moment see above
• Do I need to visit some of their sites in Cornwall? Yes, and the first of these should be Temple

Green Knight myth:

• Was it just a pointer to Luds church? Yes, but there is more
• Do I need to create and go on a pilgrimage following his path? Yes
• When and through what sites? You will be given a sign

Holy Grail:

• Is there a relationship between this and the phoenix? Yes – transformation 
• And my book? Yes it represents your personal quest
• How can I believe this answer? How can you believe you’re talking to a tree?

Wand:

• Do I have to make this? Yes you should have done so already
• By when? Learn now!
• What to use? Start the journey and you will know

As always the Yew didn’t disappoint with its answers. I quite liked the chide in that “you are talking to a tree” quite amusing.

I also got a curious piece of knowledge…”Someone is coming to challenge you?” Me? No. Gwas!…interesting…and also this… “Destiny is not how the world sees you, but is how you see the world”

Over the last couple of months I have gained a lot of starting points and things to investigate. Honestly though I have been lazy and there are other considerations playing on my mind and competing for my time. So I am going to go out this weekend and look for some answers. Here are the questions that I am going out to have answered. Recall our motto…

Have a purpose!

Questions then:

Rosicrucians and Templar:

• Do I need to research these?
• Rosicrucians or/and Templars?
• Do I need to visit some of their sites in Cornwall?
• Which ones?

Green Knight:

• Was it just a pointer to Luds church?
• Do I need to create and go on a pilgrimage following his path?
• When and through what sites?

Holy Grail:

• Is there a relationship between this and the phoenix?
• and my book?
• How can I believe this answer?

Wand:

• This ‘ol chestnut seems to have reared its head again, recall St Helen and how she showed me being knighted by a wand?
• Do I have to make this?
• By when?
• What to use?

Now I just have to determine where to go to gain these answers…phew a Knight Errants life is not an easy lot!

Kal Malik – questioning the world

Indiana Jones

Gwas had decided that he was going to follow the Southern Ley line that passes (starts) at Arbor Low. Being a sun aligned person, how could I resist a trip to that fantastic sacred site? So I had travelled up the 250 miles just for a hour or so at this magnificent site.

Arbor low is known as the Stonehenge of the North and having been to the more famous southern one a few times now, I have to confess, Arbor Low has energies that dwarf its more famed cousin. Why? My personal speculation is two fold, the first is that all the people visiting Stonehenge for tourism purposes rather than ritual or magic have caused its energy to diminish. Second (and more importantly) I believe that the people who visit, having to follow a directed path around it, are actually walking around the site the energetically speaking, the wrong way.

I was ready to meet Gwas at about 7:30 a.m and I got into my car at 7 and was utterly astounded to see that the very same wheel that had been punctured only three weeks ago had a nail stuck into it!

Since the weekend I have done some speculation regarding this rather unusual coincidence and rather than putting it off as literally a coincidenceI feel that it was caused by my having received a Reiki healing session (the night before) from a person that I felt shouldn’t have been doing them at the time (he seemed not energetically well). Of course this could just be me being paranoid and I wouldn’t have brought it up if it hadn’t been that right after the healing session, when we came out into the car park his car window had been smashed. Just a coincidence?

Thus Gwas came the extra few miles and picked me up from home. Our journey to Arbow Low was spent updating each other on our previous weeks exploits and so it was that we arrived at Arbow Low without even noting the passage of an hour and half. What we had  however noticed was the down pour of rain. Which seemed to be getting steadily worse.

At some pint in the in the past Arbow Low must have been blessed by a passing Rain God. Of all of the times we have been to the place (twenty perhaps?) it has only once been dry and sunny (and on that occasion we hadn’t intended to go, we were passing past it and saw that it was sunny and managed to sneak in when the weather was hospitable!)

Gwas had a lot of work to do at the site on this occasion and so whilst he busied himself with that I had some confirmations to make. The questions I had gone with were concerning my Knights Quest:

On a trip to the Merry Maidens I had garnered that I had to have a crest for my Knights Quest. My hints for what would make up this symbol were a phoenix, Gemini and infinity. What I wanted to know was whether these would form three separate sigils or a combined symbol that represented all three. The answer was that it should be a combined. I asked whether there would be a restriction on colours, I went through the colours with the following result:

• Red, Green, Turquoise, Gold and Purple

Holy Grail

Right, that felt pretty safe and reasonable now for the bonus prize. I had occasionally thought about the symbolism of the Holy Grail, especially with the Rosicrucian and Templar connection I had got. Now, my curiosity had been peeked by the Dragon at the Merry Maidens being aligned with the Phoenix constellation. Mostly because the central theme of my coming book is the Phoenix. Could this be a coincidence? Of course. However, it was as I finished my Crest questions that Gwas called me over to help him out with some of his questions. Working our way down his list he had a question for Arbor Low.

• Was Arbor Low currently aligned with any astronomical/logical body? And if so what?

Active Enlightenment

To both of our surprises it turned out that Arbor Low was currently aligned with (drum roll) the Phoenix Constellation! Coincidence surely!

This was too much for me, so I snuck off to my power centre and asked a question that my intuition was kicking me to answer. Was my book being represented as the Holy Grail? Honestly it was a tough question to ask. But what can you do? You have to follow the path even if it leads you up strange roads.

• The answer was, rather too significantly for my liking, Yes.

I was smacked in the gob (an English euphemism for being totally shocked) once again. Seriously was this what the rods were telling me? Yes. Absolutely? Yes. Then to top it all. On a day that had no chance of the sun coming out (see Gwas’s promise) the sun broke through the immense cloud cover and briefly presented us with a sign.

Kal Malik – wondering and wandering

I am writing this post because I lost a bet. When I last went out with Kal to Derbyshire a few weeks ago the clouds were thick and black. All the way there we had persistent rain threatening to make our day out a rather damp one. We didn’t have much time and I only had tow things on the agenda – to take more accurate bearings at Arbor Low in preparation for my book research, and then to visit a cave near to Buxton to practise my chakra awakening using sound. As we approached Buxton it seemed like my second choice was looking like the best one – being in a cave seemed like the most sensible choice.

It was at that point that Kal made his bet – he bet me that he would be able to make the sun appear as he usually did, and that we would therefore NOT get wet at Arbor Low. Not get wet at Arbor Low? Today? With these dark clouds all around? And with Arbor Low’s reputation for wind, cold and rain? I took the bet. I said that if he managed to make good on his promise of sun I would write a post as penance, explaining how I should believe him, not doubt his faith, etc etc. Yeah, yeah. I took the bet.

As we got out of the car I was chuckling to myself – it was still raining and I advised Kal to take one of my spare waterproof coats. “No need” he explained, “I’ll be fine – the sun will come out soon and I won’t need it.” Unbelievable! The sky was dark slate grey with not a hint of the sun making an appearance for the whole day in any direction. We walked up to the large embanked circle and I began to take readings in the rain and freezing cold wind. It was not a nice experience and I may have hurried the measurements a little in order to get the exercise over with, and this may necessitate me going back again when the weather’s a little warmer. Hey – I’m human!

Johann Bode's depiction of the Phoenix constellation

I took some other measurements too – like finding out that the stone circle was built aligned to the star that Andis Kaulins had said it was – Altair in the Aquila constellation. I also got agreement from the dowsing rods that each stone was in itself a star map. This was very interesting, but it wasn’t making the experience any warmer of less wet. I dowsed for the current star alignment to see if it had changed. Using StarWalk on my iPhone I identified that the current star that Arbor Low is aligned to is … Ankaa, in the Phoenix constellation. Ankaa means Boat in Arabic. That was it – my hands were freezing – I had to stop now.

Kal was doing his own research with the stone circle, but when I called him over to mention this interesting information he reminded me that his book cover (see Active Enlightenment) is also a phoenix. Then, just as we were discussing that coincidence another one happened. Through the thick grey clouds the sun somehow managed to cut a hole and shine down upon us. It was like something out of a dream.. I couldn’t believe it was happening. Kal just smirked and said, “The sun, at a sun site, with a sun person…like a phoenix!”

The impossible sun

Just look at that picture! How…? Kal had won his bet. I knew that I would have to write this post, and that I would have to tell the whole Hedge Druid-reading public that yet again Kal’s faith in the miraculous powers of the sun are undeniable, and I should never doubt them. That is my penance done now.

Gwas.

Having met Louisa at the Boleigh Fogou and then walked the country lanes on a lovely sunny mid Feb day to the St Buryan stone. We were now making our way to the Merry Maidens. As we walked and talked my thoughts were ticking off the some synchronous connections. The first of which was that Louisa was a writer too. But that could be a coincidence, then I learned that she too was from Devon and not far from where I had hailed from. Whereas I had driven down, she had set off much earlier and had caught a couple of buses and a walk to get here.

Signs

As we talked I mentioned that I too was from Devon and asked her how she was getting back. She listed a lengthy trip involving walking, buses and eventually a lift from a friend. As she was talking my intuitive side of me was giving me a kick, you should offer a lift. So I did. The suggestion was lost in conversation and I didn’t want to mention it again at the time even though I felt I should.

Then as we approached the gate to the stones the conversation turned to a return journey and I offered the lift and as I did so my hands were pushing on the gate of the field. It wouldn’t open, it was padlocked closed (but easily climbable) and a thought entered my mind. Louis was closed to the signs. It was a surprising and judgemental thought for me (well was it from me?) So I left it at that. But I am certain that a sign had been missed.

Knight Errant and the Dragon

Fortunately Louisa had arranged to meet a teacher of hers at the site so I was free to do my own work. I got the basics out of the way pretty fast and found that the site had a Genius Loci and a Dragon (see glossary) I found the best place for me to do some work and it coincided with the Dragons Point. I had already asked whether the site was going to be a place of learning new Knight’s Quest things and the answer was a definite yes.

As I stood upon the Dragons head I thought to find the appropriate direction to face. As I stood and faced that direction I recalled that I had the fabulous Star Walker app on my iPhone and so used it to determine what I was facing. The app revealed the astrological sign of Gemini facing me.

In the past we have noted that Dragons can be aligned to astrological symbols, for instance Taurus and Arbor Low (we are there next week so I might do some more on this then).

Given this I dowsed to see whether the Dragonwas aligned to Gemini. The answer as yes. My curiosity was peeked with this because my star sign is Gemini too. I wondered if there was anything in this coincidence. The rods said yes.

There I was then on a knights quest, standing on the head of a dragon, looking out at the sign of my birth.

As my thoughts cleared I saw the sign of Gemini floating out in the sky without the aid of the iPhone app. I pondered its meaning. The sign was my sign…it was me…it represented me…it symbolised me…it was a symbol…a symbol of my quest….a quest symbol…a knights symbol…a knights crest…

A moment of recognition brought me out of my reverie. A Knights Crest?! Was that what I had been shown? To create a knights crest? I grabbed my rods and questioned my assumptions. Was that the meaning? Yes. A Knights Crest? My crest? Yes. Seriously! What is going on?

It was more than a crest though as my intuition was fuelled by my rods. The Gemini-an thing meant something too. An identity. I had to create my identity and from that a crest. Wow!

I sat down (on the wet grass) quite stunned by this revelation. A knights crest…the boys at home would definitely have me down for the loony bin know. But there was no escaping it now. This was definitely the third key.

I needed to take a moment and so I texted Gwas as to whether he would like to have me get some information regarding the Maidens. He did and I garnered the following.

More questions about the Maidens

As with other sites the Maidens had several Male and Female lines and centres.

• At the current time the Male was a level 3 growing to 9 in the summer solstice
• The Female was a 5 and was a 7 at mid winter
• The site had a Sigil which best guess looked like an Infinity symbol
• The Site was currently aligned with the Phoenix Constellation

The phoenix had another synchronous connection because it is the bird that is the central theme of my book Active Enlightenment. I asked whether this was a coincidence. Yes it was. Okay – no comment then.

Whilst all of this was going on Louisa and her teacher were sat right over the sites power centre doing some meditative visualisations. I waited, rather patiently for me, until they had a break and made my farewells to Louisa and the to the Merry Maidens who had provided me with an interesting step on my quest.

Finally…The sign…

So I was driving past Penzance and I got the sign of the day. See pic, nuff said!

Kal Malik … crest pending…