The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘sun’

Our second sacred site to visit on this glorious Imbolc day – February 2nd actually – was the church of The Bride herself - St Bridget’s in Bridekirk. Well, what else could you call a church in a village called Bridekirk – “kirk” being the old word for “church”? It’s The Bride’s church!

We must have missed all the fuss the day before when it was the official celebration day, because we were coming out on the 2nd February instead of the 1st. In every way the second felt like the better day! The weather was better, the day warmer, drier, and the scenery at least viewable on this day! Bridget wouldn’t mind, we felt.

The Church of The Bride

As I wandered gently through the churchyard I saw a sight that caught my eye. It was a section of a yew tree, and it had been decorated with stones and other objects - like the Yule Log of old tradition, I thought to myself. How odd! But how nice too.

A yule log or a work of natural art?

As we continued through the churchyard Kal zoomed off. I switched on my dowsing senses but not using the dowsing rods, only using my dowsing sense. I asked to be taken to a place where I need to be. It turned out to be quite an unusual place!

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Penmaenmawr

Do you write about your exploits? I ask because Gwas and I often remark that our adventures out in the mystery are so astounding that words don’t do the experience and emotions justice. How does that work for you?

Invitation

In the mundane world of work and rain, Gwas and I had emailed each other with a proposal of meeting at our evening food and drink establishment with the notion that if the weather broke then we would venture to Gop Hill, a site of many good experiences.

It was about 3pm in the afternoon and I was looking out of my window at the clearing sky and felt a call to visit Penmaenmawr or the Druids Circle that evening. It was such a strong feeling that I had solidified into certainty even though the weather there (some 70 miles away and on the coast) might have been fouler.

I hadn’t informed Gwas of my change in tack and so when I relaxed in his new car and he said “Gop hill here we come” that I said let’s go to the Druids Circle. The immediate glint in his eyes and enthusiasm in his body was evident. As we drove towards our destination we saw a clear evening sky looming over our destination. I can’t recall the number of times I mentioned to Gwas that on this evening, we were invited.

Within an hour of meeting up we had arrived at the beginning of the 30 minute walk up to the circle. The weather was fair and the sun was heading towards the horizon. The climb was hardly noticeable as we marvelled at the mildness of the weather (this summer seems to be replete with rain and more rain). We walked past the meeting stone which I have always found to have a negative vibe. In this instance however it was welcoming. Gwas noted the feeling too and remarked that the Genius Loci of the Druids Circle had come down to accompany us along the remainder of the journey up.

Sun

As we approached the site some 100 metres away we looked over the bay towards the crimson sky and sighed with disappointment. The sun had passed below the hill between us and the sea and only a burning sky remained in its wake. If only we had got there a few minutes earlier we could have got a glimpse of it.

We made our way to the circle passing two other adventurers who remarked that the evening had been so clear that they had been able to capture views of the Lake District. Amazing! We passed friendly greetings and moved to the circle. I felt the urge to climb the slight rise to the west to watch the remaining crimson clouds. After a few seconds of standing there the most amazing thing happened.

Between the hill before me and the gap of the clouds the burning red sun appeared. I was truly awestruck. Gwas and I remained at that place for what seemed many minutes just drinking in this seeming miracle. What an amazing greeting by the sacred site. From somewhere inside I felt the urge to practice some Chi Kung so as the sky burned, I faced the west (with the circle behind me) and performed Chi Kung.

Note: during the exercise I felt the wings of the Genius Loci behind me, as if it was mirroring my movements.

I finished some minutes later and felt a shift in my energy. Looking out at where the sun had been a thought occurred to me. The Solar energy centre is aligned with fire and the sun. Had this exercise closed my Solar centre thus stopping my energy from leaking? I grabbed the dowsing rods and they confirmed my intuitive leap. My Solar had closed and I was no longer shining energy. What an unexpected gift. I walked about the circle saying “thank you, thank you…”

Centre Point

In my previous post I mentioned that I had missed the boat regarding a trip to Delphi and would have to wait for a return of the spiral. Well since I had had some excellent experiences with my energy double here at Penmaenmawr I asked whether anything could be salvaged, indeed, could I use my double to take me to Delphi? The answer seemed promising and so I dowsed a position and a direction (East ish).

Closing my eyes I asked my Energy Double to guide me to Delphi. I heard its now familiar song and followed it (as I had done on another occasion at this site) to Delphi. In ancient times the site of Delphi was famed for its Oracle and it was to this Being that my Double had brought me. I felt something odd though. I had not only travelled in space to Delphi but had also travelled back in time to. It felt to me as if the Oracle was no longer at Delphi now and to fulfill my request my Double had transgressed time too. Amazing.

Although I got a vague sense of femininity from the Being I could not discern anymore. I asked whether she could help me with regards to my quest for the Philosophers Stone? She responded that that was not what I was seeking. What? I was disappointed to say the least. I’m quite attached to the myth and legend of the Philosophers Stone (Come on even Harry Potter started with a hunt for the stone!) Alas the Oracle was unrelenting. She said that what I was actually looking for was the Centre Point. What? She told me that I should seek the centre point, the place of balance and once I had found that to come visit with her (geographically) and she would reveal how I could use the centre point to open the Dragons Soul book.

Note: Upon the walk up to the circle I had felt drawn to an oddly shaped rock. I had bent down and picked it up almost without thinking and placed it in my pocket.

The Oracle Being had concluded my audience and yet I wasn’t returning back to the hill upon which I was physically standing. I glanced about the cavern were my audience had took place for my Double. Nothing. I began to panic and instinctively put my hands in my pocket. Therein I felt the rock I had picked up and grabbed hold of it tightly. With a whoosh I was returned back to the Druids Circle.

Wow! That was rather a lucky break I thought. I had completely forgotten the instruction of following my Energy Double. Always have a return anchor point to hand.

Gwas had reached a break point in his work and we compared notes. I was disappointed about the loss (re-interpretation)of the Philosophers Stone quest. Dowsing confirmed that it was indeed the Centre Point that I should be seeking. Gwas speculated that perhaps it represented the Navel of the World or some other geographical central position. Dowsing negated this option quickly.

Since Penmaenmawr had been so fruitful with its gifting I wondered whether I could gain som more knowledge about this Centre Point. The answer was a surprising Yes and I found myself in the circle facing South. Closing my eyes I let my thoughts focus on the question to hand, What is the Centre Point?

I saw myself with an aura surrounding me. The vision zoomed in to the centre of the aura where I saw a burning point of light. Interesting, the centre point is inside of me.As soon as this revelation was revealed I returned to normal awareness.

North

It seems then that I was to seek some Centre Point within myself and Balance it. definitely plenty to muse on over the coming days. By this time an hour or so had passed and it had started to get cold. No wind mind you. Gwas and I took a few minutes to ear the rations we had brought with us and chat about our evenings experiences. I remarked that I had faced 3 of the four cardinal points and wondered why North had been missed out.

We finished up our food and cleared the rubbish away. It was time to go. Just as I wa about to walk away, I turned back to the site to thank it for such an inspiring visit when I felt to the urge to dowse a place to give thanks and gratitude. I found it and looked for a direction, of course, it was North.

We walked down the long path to the car remarking on the brilliance of the invitation to this sacred site and pondering on who had actually invited us.

Kal Malik

It’s June. We have to go out. We can’t help ourselves. So, even though the weather was looking ropey, we went out. Kal and I winged our merry way along the A55 westward towards Anglesey, the sacred druidic isle. My objective was simple – I had been instructed to learn the skill of ”seeing like a hawk”, which meant to see the silver tracks where subtle energy flows. Others in the world of dowsing have recognised this silvery glow too – I am not the first by any means.

What is “seeing like a hawk”?

Seeing like a hawk essentially means getting an aerial or high view on the landscape and then being able to adjust your vision until you can see the silver paths that cross the land. Sometimes these paths are animal tracks, and this is why birds of prey go looking for them – they find the tracks and where they converge they will have found the homes of their prey. This increases the likelihood of finding prey out in the open – either at source, or on their usual passage ways.

For me, I learned that seeing like a hawk meant to adjust my vision from a vantage point such that I could see the silvery tracks of subtle energy as they flow through the landscape. Lush dark green grass is a good starting point for beginning to see such traces as it provides good contrast to the vague silver appearance of subtle energy. I hope, with practice, to move on to seeing subtle energy in other conditions, but for now dark green grass is a good starting point to test out the theory. So, where to find a high point, preferably a power centre, that also is overlooking lush grass?

The Perfect Vantage Point

Bryn Celli Ddu – ancient monument with vantage point

It was a last minute decision on our part but we decided to head to Anglesey. The old favourite Bryn Celli Ddu would be the perfect combination of easily-accessible site, dry inside if it rained, surrounded by grassy fields, and the mound would act as a perfect vantage point. As we set off I realised that I had forgotten my staff. Turning around to go back home I saw a hawk on top of a telegraph pole watching me with its beady eyes as I passed. Seemed like an omen that was too perfect to ignore. Bryn Celli Ddu it was then.

We arrived in Anglesey and drove the now familiar route westward along the southern coast until we reached the tiny habitation of Llanddaniel. We parked near to the bridge over the stream and walked to the monument with a joyful air, happy to be out and about after what felt like too long away from such journeys. On arrival, despite seeing other cars parked, we found we had the place to ourselves. Always a bonus if you’re going to be doing some spiritual meditative work.

The Venus Transit

Using my intuition I began to walk up onto the mound via a ritual path. Not no dowsing rods required on this day – the day of the Venus Transit. I checked my StarWalk app – yep – there was Venus, right in front of the Sun. Was this having any effect today? I stood in a power centre and dowsed the results.

1. Was the Venus Transit changing the energy field of this site today? NO.
2. Were the energies of Venus or the Sun affecting the site today? YES. Which? BOTH.

So, although the passing of Venus across the Sun was having no special energetic effects, the presence of Venus and The Sun in the visible skyline was adding the energies of these bodies to the available energies of the site. Nice. The place certainly felt good. Both Kal and I were smiling and bouncing around like kids. It was incredibly pleasant to be there on this day.

The Hawk Lines Experiment

Now for the crux of the visit – to test whether I could activate or acquire the skills of seeing lines of subtle energy – the “hawk lines” as I was calling them as part of this quest.

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I was reading the beginning of a book called “A Grimoire For Modern Cunningfolk” by Peter Paddon. I hadn’t got through too many chapters before I stopped getting useful information out of it, but I had got to the point where he was suggesting some associations between cardinal positions and elemental imagery. Paddon suggests more flexibility in thinking about traditional aspects of The Path when it comes to adopting elements of ritual and association. I liked this way of presenting this part of the material, and it caused me to stop and think a while about my own associations relating to the elements and their cardinal positions.

One of the things I did early on in my Hedge Druid work was to discover that I felt more comfortable with elements being associated with cardinal directions that are different to other pagans. For me AIR is North, EARTH is South, FIRE is East, and WATER is West – in line with the Aristotelian method, I later found. Other traditional pagan systems have FIRE to the South and EARTH to the East.

The Aristotelian elemental positioning

Does this matter? Well, only in the sense that this means something to you. I came to my way of linking these elements to their cardinal positions because I had been thinking about the land in which I live. In my island the mountains are to the North where the cold winds blow. The sea is closest to my western shore. The majority of the land mass is to the south of me, and the Sun rises to the East of me – this being my fire element.

Paddon’s book prompts the reader to re-consider their associations because he uses totally different terminology than we are often used to. Instead of the elements he uses Sky, Land, Sun and Sea. Boom! My head shook! Of course! That was how I had originally pictured the elements when I came up with my associations. Why was I using Air, Water, Fire and Earth?

I thought back to the many rituals and energy workings that I had done when I had tried to meditate using the elemental associations. I realised that in every one of those thought processes I had been doing a double translation – from cardinal position (North), through my picture of the mountains, to arrive at the element of Air. Why not simply say “Sky” instead of “Air”. And “Land” instead of “Earth”, “Sea” instead of “Water”, “Sun” instead of Fire? These were the initial images. No translation required!

And thus my work has changed. Now my spiritual life is easier. All because someone pointed out the bleedin’ obvious!

Gwas.

The year has only just started and already I am way out of line with my posts and the dates upon which the action took place. I fear this year is going to be SO busy that we are going to have to start posting smaller and faster just to keep up. In this post I revisit the Llangernyw Yew tree that is the starting point for many of my previous years’ quests and adventures. This year was no exception. This episode occurred in late January, before Imbolc. Yes, we have all the Imbolc posts still to come! So much to tell you about already this year. On to this story.

It is a philosophical point as to whether the tree really communicates with the druid. Perhaps its still nature and deep-rootedness simply allow you to go deep within yourself and find a small reflection of your own wishes that are then brought out to serve as an inspiration for the elaboration that is to come? Certainly, that is often how it appears, yet there is always something that you never actually know yourself, something that you couldn’t have known, something that surprises you and this element is the unquestioning influence of the yew tree itself. It is for this reason that I visit the tree so often, and always at the start of the year. The yew tree starts the year, offering me its guidance on the theme of my work for the coming turn of The Wheel.

The massive Llangernyw Yew tree

Kal and I split up as usual, he going off to tour the graveyard briefly before settling into his own meditations around the tree, whilst I got straight to work beneath the mighty ancient yew. The weather was cold, but crisp and the sun was shining which made the day feel warmer than it should have been at that time of year. The yew tree would normally have been subdued by a biting frost and a layer of snow in January, but instead it felt ready to burst back into life as though Spring were upon us, even though Spring was still two full months away.

I settled into a meditation after dowsing for the best place to work from, and a direction to face – into the Sun, unusually. Little did I know that this would become a recurring theme for this year, as I will show in later posts. Within minutes I was deep inside the yew tree after setting up protection and doing my grounding and centring visualisations. They came easily, and the yew responded with a warm and deep hum like the clearing of an ancient throat at length. In humility I directed a question, a thought-idea at the yew and hoped for a response: “What is my direction for this year?” I asked. Deep quiet. Long silence. Then a stirring, and a word moving up from the depths of the roots into my consciousness: “Renown”. Just that one word!

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I was at a talk recently given by Marianne Williamson, in her talk she often described various aspects of the Feminine. She related this to Earth quite effectively and I wondered whether there was any connection between this and female aligned people.

Currently I have learned the female aligned people are aligned with the moon. But it is one of them obvious questions that has never been asked directly. E.g. “Am I aligned to the moon?” Or rather is Gwas, since I am Sun aligned.

What we have kind of assumed is that since Male aligned people are also Sun aligned. So Female energy aligned people would be Moon aligned.

I did some dowsing at Avebury this weekend and came across some interesting results.

Here are the results:

• Can people be Sun aligned? Yes
• Can people be Moon aligned? Yes
• Are people who are moon aligned also female aligned? Yes
• Are people who are Male aligned also Sun aligned? Yes
• Is it the same to say that Male alignment is the same as Sun alignment? Yes

That was a good and confirmatory start, right. Now take a look at this:

• Can people be Earth aligned? Yes. Interesting.
• So there are three alignment types of people? No.
• Is there more than 3 then? No. Curious!
• Are people that are male aligned also Earth aligned? No
• Are people that are female aligned also Earth aligned? Yes.

Ah…Can it be said that being Earth aligned and Moon aligned is the same thing? I got the old half Yes answer, as if there was more. I pondered this for a while wondering what it could mean. Plus it wasn’t too fair that female aligned people got two astronomical connections! Then a thought from a far flung theory came to mind…

Are female aligned people aligned with the moon because it was once a part of the Earth? Yes.

Ah, a picture was forming. Are people aligned with the Sun or the Earth, but also the moon because it was once a part of the Earth? Yes. So, if the Moon wasn’t was a part of the Earth would female aligned people still be aligned with it? No.

A fabulous set of dowsing I thought.

Kal Malik pushing the boundaries

Note from Gwas:

I found it was with the Moon. Who says otherwise? Will check again tonight. Just because the Earth has been given a female “character” doesn’t mean ‘she’ attracts all female-aligned energies and people – that’s my opinion.

This is the first of a three-part tale which was introduced in The Three Stars of Fertility. My Spring Equinox task has been to place myself at sacred sites that are currently reflecting the energies of three stars whose emanations will transform my energetic structure, change my aura, in such a way as to enable me to have the ability to promote the growth of plants. This is the first site visit, and as you might expect it was filled with wonderful coincidences and magickal happenings that convinced me that I was on the right path. This first episode takes place one early morning at Lud’s Church just on the edge of the Shropshire and Derbyshire border.

For some reason I had to get there early. I awoke unexpectedly early for me and had everything already packed and ready, so I began the drive into the Derbyshire hills above Macclesfield which were at least an hour away from home. I arrived and parked in the car park just outside of Gradbach village, on the way to the Scout Camp that is along the small road that follows the River Dane.

As I walked alone, enjoying the fresh sunlight and the sound of birds still making themselves heard in a variety of songs, I breathed in the air and drank in the beautiful countryside. Soon I had to ford the narrow Black Brook that crosses the path up to the rock formation that is Lud’s Church. At the foot of the long path up the hillside is a great beech tree to whom I have learned to pay my respects. I visited the tree and told him of my purpose, and asked if I might continue with his blessing. I felt that he was both intrigued as to what I might do, and delighted that I had bothered to ask permission. Maybe trees only reflect back what we wish to feel – who knows – but those were my feelings and they made the climb up the hill easier and I walked taller.

The guardian tree of Luds Church

The Cleansing

As has become my preference recently I next needed to find a space within which I could cleanse myself of my worldly energies – the kind of detritus that builds up around you as you shield yourself from wi-fi, radio, electrical waves of all frequencies and colours that stick to your energetic body like stains to a shirt. It is my experience that the ‘cleaner’ you enter a sacred site the more intense is your experience and the easier the communion or communication.

For this cleansing I went to sit atop the rocky outcrop that forms two small ravines at the top of the Dane Valley, and which gives an uninterrupted view over the whole valley towards Turn Edge. With the sun low and in my eyes it was easy to begin to enter a trance. I set up some magick-working crystals around me, lit some incense to scent the air and give thanks to the fire element, and then began to open my five principal chakras using my special vowel-based vocal technique.

Soon I felt the sun empowering me, filling me with its divine light as it streamed in through my energy body, and then I mentally cleansed myself and put up a light protective shield around me, which is now my regular practise whenever I enter any sacred site. The shield prevents unwanted or unhelpful energies from entering, but allows anything which is deemed to be of use to me. I am not the one who decides that, by the way. I leave such decisions to Nature herself. With the cleansing done I made my way slightly further up to Lud’s Church itself to see what awaited me.

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