The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘stone of destiny’

As the nights draw in here for the Northern Hemisphere countries our lives begin to change in subtle ways. We lose the lightning power of The Sun in the mornings and evenings. As this power is depleted the changes may even be mirrored in our body chemistry, and consequently in our thought processes. For many people “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD) is a fact of life – they get more depressed in the Winter months. Luckily, I don’t suffer from this, however that doesn’t mean that I am not prone to dark influences. Here is my very personal story about how my psychic shield got breached, and I became a victim of my own dark shadow. If ever there was a horror story to accompany a Winter evening, this is one that will chill your bones!

I can’t tell you how difficult this is to write. I am a strong independent person with what I often believe is a will of iron. Once my mind is set I generally achieve what I set out to do. In addition, I am very healthy. Physically I am in peak condition, my immune system is very strong, and I pride myself in keeping myself in good condition mentally, physically and spiritually. That is, after all, my whole reason for being – to keep my soul’s cage in the best of working conditions. So, it is with some level of embarrassment that I found myself getting ill in a number of ways recently, most particularly not being in total control of myself. I was being influenced by a shadow self.

Jung and The Shadow

In Jungian terms I was encountering what the great psychologist termed The Shadow. This concept is so prevalent in film, television, fairytale and mythology that it hardly needs an explanation. We know it as the often sublimated and suppressed urges arising from our usually latent desires and instincts. Almost every horror film is a depiction of the struggle with The Shadow. When it is let loose it has the capability to put the ‘light’ self in a tricky situation, because it does not obey the rules and the established norms of society. In my quest to be a “good person” I may have pushed these instincts too far under the surface, and now they had chosen to re-emerge at a time when I was physically and energetically weak.

I have an inkling now about what triggered it to become dominant, but only because I have managed to dowse it after the fact. The Shadow creeps up on you from behind. What I did know at the time was that I was acting out of character with how I perceived myself, and out of step with my spiritual goals. I first noticed The Shadow emerge in the dream world, where my dreams began to include unusually violent or sexual situations. I put it down to any one of a hundred reasons, and carried on. It would go away.

Next it began to make itself mentally present during the day. My thoughts began to turn to matters that I didn’t usually allow. Forbidden subjects. Deviant topics. If you’ve had these thoughts yourself you know what I’m talking about. I began to wonder what was going on now. How could I be having these thoughts? I hadn’t had thoughts like this since my early teens, the years when my mind was struggling to define itself in its emergence into the world of adulthood, when laws and ethics were being created and challenged with equal rapidity, when I was defining the boundaries of my self.

The final straw came after a few days of The Shadow manifesting itself within me physically. I was now doing things, making things happen in the physical world that my poor helpless moral self was appalled at! Finally, it rebelled with sufficient force as to cause me to stand up and summon the forces of my will power to re-assert control, if only for long enough to decide to do something about it. This had to stop, or my world was going to come crashing down around me and I would be left in the middle of it, alone, wondering what the hell had happened! Hell indeed. Time for action!

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I have just got back from a trip to Scotland’s first city Edinburgh. Of course, that will massively incense the Glaswegians, but in my own personal terms I have come to really like Edinburgh, if only because it has given me some opportunities to do some interesting dowsing. In a subsequent post I will be talking about the so-called “Rose Line” (or ‘Rosy Line’) – a long ley line that can be drawn from Edinburgh down to Cardiff.In this post, I will be revealing some of the secrets The Stone of Destiny – now proudly displayed alongside Scotland’s “Honours” – the equivalent to the English “Crown Jewels” in Edinburgh Castle.

There are many stories concerning the origin of the stone including that it was Jacob’s Pillow, or that it came from an Egyptian source such as a pyramid. It certainly seems like an unusual form of sandstone, and not one that seems very familiar to me. Scottish geology tends to be more igneous and metamorphic than sandstone rock. It was used by St.Patrick to crown kings, and it may have come from Ireland at some point. We simply don’t know. What we do know is that it has had almost 800 years of being used to crown Scottish royalty, and as such an artefact it seemed to me like a prime candidate for some dowsing. Here was the reaction when the stone was returned to Scotland in 1996:

“The Stone returns home…
On St Andrews Day, 30 November 1996, the Stone of Destiny returned north of the border and amid much pomp and ceremony, was installed in Edinburgh Castle, taking its place alongside those other symbols of national identity, the Honours of Scotland. About 10,000 people lined the Royal Mile to watch the procession of dignitaries and troops escort the stone from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the castle. In a service at St Giles cathedral, the Church of Scotland Moderator, the Right Reverend John MacIndoe, formally accepted the Stone’s return, saying it would ‘strengthen the proud distinctiveness of the people of Scotland’.” (source: Visit Scotland)

No pictures allowed today of the Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle

So, what’s all the fuss about? Here are some facts and figures concerning the Stone of Destiny that you are unlikely to read in any tourist guidebook:-

• The stone registers as a 6/10 strength energy through the very thick glass that currently protects it. Inside the glass case it registers an 8/10 strength.
• The energy of the stone is now gradually depleting and diminishing in strength. I felt this was due to the fact that no Scottish royalty was being crowned over the stone, and therefore it was not being invested with the intentions and attentions that it used to get. This was just my opinion, however.
• The stone on display registers as being the original stone, even though it looks oddly smooth for a native sandstone, and parts of it look like alabaster rather than sandstone. Only the occasional fine sparkle gives away its true heritage.

The National War Memorial, with its hanging statue of  the Archangel Michael is the source of the power and energy that radiates from Edinburgh Castle. When I dowsed to find the source of the energy I was taken into the memorial building and to The Shrine where The Casket is the focal point for all visitors and their memories.

There is little else of energetic value in the whole of Edinburgh castle except one sword on display in the military museum, and some form of artefact kept in the headquarters next to the museum, which the public are not allowed into.

In a future post I want to talk about Arthur’s Seat – a stunning backdrop to Edinburgh which is a meeting point for a pair of very special ley lines.

Gwas

The Hill of Tara – Thursday 27th May

It was late in the evening when we decided to grab a ‘travelling tea’ and head on up to the hilly complex of sites known as The Hill of Tara [info], the legendary site that was famous throughout Ireland as the seat of ancient Irish kings. We found it despite the SatNav trying its best to deceive us, as it had many times earlier in the day.
On approaching the visitor centre (how nice to see a disused church being put to good use) we spotted a huddled group of people (“loons” Kal called them) some dressed in traditional garb of cloak and sporting staffs, standing huddled on a grey gravelled spot next to a May Tree and at the top of the hill. We ignored them for fear of a conversation we might not enjoy, and instead contented ourselves initially with a recce of the graveyard that surrounded the now-closed visitor centre.

Official plan of Tara

In the graveyard Kal spotted a power centre aligned to himself (“I bet it’s in the middle of those trees”, he stated and then proved it) and I found one close by that was a definite circle in the grass. This done we headed for the “good stuff” in the main complex.
Kal was first to reach all the parts of the site adjacent to the graveyard. I was him atop the Mound of the Hostages, then he was bounding over to the twin standing stones (including the so-called Stone of Destiny) and then on to an earthwork next to it. Here he paused a while before coming back.

Entrance to the Mound of the Hostages

Whilst he did all that I was up on the MOTH watching the spectacular sunset as the sun’s rays played with the low-lying lands before me. I marvelled at just how many hilltops could be seen in all directions from this place. I felt the surge of energy coming up from the mound and noticed that I was standing in the smaller sized bare earth patch on the top of the mound. It was smaller than the other patch that was offset from the centre. About the same ratio as the sun to the moon, I mused

Inside the mound

Guiding Lights and Earth Elements

I asked the dowsing rods to take me to a place where I could interact with a guiding spirit who might help me through a pilgrimage type quest. I was set upon visiting sites over the weekend that would promote my consciousness levels through the attunement of my chakras. I was asking for a guiding spirit to lead me safely through that in this land where I had no concept of what I might find. The rods obliged by taking me to the nearby celtic cross. Not something that I had expected, so that was interesting, and not something I had expected to be interested in. I stood there for a few moments and felt a presence surround me as I stared wistfully into the oncoming sunset’s purple and pink light. This was a presence I had felt before – and I knew its name. This was my helpful teacher/guide of previous adventures, and with that re-assurance I moved on to other tasks, knowing we would meet again soon.

Tara's undecorated Celtic cross

I knew what I wanted to do now. At this place, a place of earthly treasures, of earth and stone, this was a place where I should try to fulfill the final part of my own Celtic cross – the fourth element in my crossed circle: the earth element. So far I had been successful in Cumbria at retrieving the assistance of three other elemental forces: water, fire and air. Here was an opportunity to re-acquaint myself with the earth element.

I did some work to recall this particular elemental. At the conclusion of the work I felt a tingle through my feet- and then I felt the power of the earth rising up through my legs. I felt like I should now unite all these forces again, so I called each of the other elements to mind. The appropriate element flared up inside me, and then around me. When I mentioned the name of the wind it blew. When I called the fire, the sun burst through the clouds to glint in my eye. When I called on water I smelled the dampness rising from the grass. When I called for earth my feet felt riveted to the earth and I felt an upsurge of earth energies beneath me.

Sun setting over Tara

This place is special. I felt absolutely empowered by it. So much so that I went off dowsing to find the most empowering place for me. It was at a low-lying earth work near to the church and next to the MOTH. I stood on that spot and felt replenished, filled, revitalised. And happy.

The Chakra Map

I wonder if the features of Tara’s hill could be considered to be a map of the chakras? I only postulate this after returning back to England and seeing an old plan of the site. I present this possibility as an aside, and as something that someone might like to investigate if I don’t get back there soon. Here’s the concept:

The only correlation is that there are seven “raths” identifable on the site, which are areas of embanked earth in a circular form.

The Crow and The Crone

I bounded back to find Kal who was, as expected, in the churchyard. He looked….disturbed. I told him how amazing it all was, and he trumped it. He told me he had been sitting next to the remains of a stone wall when a crow landed a few feet in front of him cawing at him. Kal has an affinity with crows – they are his totem bird – but this was different. When he asked it what it wanted it responded by telling him its name – it cawed at him “Cay-leach, cay-leech”. Clearly the bird had been speaking to him because he said that it offered to be his teacher, and to teach him about the ways of the dead, of dead spirits and their energies This is something he has been denying himself for several months now, even though he had been given the name “Spirit Walker“ by the yew at Llangernyw. He saw in a split-second vision as the bird flew up to join a noisy cluster of other crows that it was an old woman that had become a crow.

In the graveyard at Tara

He told me this and I asked if he had accepted the offer. He said he hadn’t decided yet, but had dismissed the crow for now while he checked it out. As I drove us back to the hotel we discussed what the potential spelling of the word “Cay-leech” might be. I suggested it might contain “Cai” as the first part, then perhaps “leach” as the second, because it sounded vaguely Gaelic in form. Kal Googled the name “caileach” on my phone. It came back with this: “Did you mean “Cailleach?” – he clicked the link – “Cailleach is the name given to the crone form of the Triple Goddess of pagan lore. She is primarily associated with death.”

Kal had seemingly come into contact with an archetype of the triple goddess of pagan lore herself, and the crone had offered to teach him all about death and death energies at a church yard at Tara – the Hill of the Kings. That was how it seemed to us at that moment. He was in a quandary as to whether to accept or not. I told him we would go back in a few days and he could decide then whether to accept the offer.

Little did we know that other events would make that decision easier for him over the next few days, and we would encounter more of Ireland’s legendary spirits in the process. The whole trip had just taken the most bizarre turn!

Gwas