tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19464986008500353792024-02-18T21:06:12.603-08:00Land of the FaeAurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-15393330560629059832016-09-24T08:03:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.529-08:00Return to Iona<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I asked for a sign while sitting in Saint Columba's shrine, which is a power centre where two dragon lines cross, but got nothing... </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Iona Abbey and Tor An Aba</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1200 year old cross standing where it always has outside Iona Abbey</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next morning I'd forgotten all about this, but when I went outside I saw a corkscrew spiral of cloud in a clear blue sky, it was in the direction of Sithean Mor "The Large Fairy Mound" where it is recorded that Saint Columba had been visited by celestial beings in white who "flew down and spoke to the saint". </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cloud looked like a vortex in the sky over the mound. There are many other mystical stories associated with the mound concerning fairies and pagan rituals too. </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sithean Beg, the large fairy mound, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">centre of supernatural happenings and pagan rituals on the island</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walked to the mound and climbed up it and found a small circle of coloured stones up there like a little shrine. I could feel the power of this spot so I planted a quartz crystal there and called down a column of light to anchor the energies. I then noticed an alignment between the big fairy mound, the little fairy mound, and a distant rocky hillfort known as Dun Bhuirg, the only hillfort on the island, in which direction the cloud vortex had now drifted. So I did the same ritual on the little fairy mound and then climbed the hillfort and performed the ritual there too to connect the three places and energise the line.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pool near the top of Dun Bhuirg</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> View from Dun Bhuirg</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst on top of the windy hillfort I could see Dun I in the distance, the highest hill on the island, and I had an image of a black Dragon rising from the top of this hill. I hiked overland through rough terrain and climbed Dun I. I climbed the cairn on the summit and found a black tourmaline crystal right in the centre. I was guided to remove it and replaced it with a clear quartz instead, then drew down the light while standing on top of the world with amazing views of the island in every direction!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">View across the sound to Mull from the summit of Dun I</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I paid a visit to the Well of Age which lies atop Dun I and it was there I discovered the card with the poem Desiderata on it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally I went looking for Saint Columba's Chair which Gary Biltcliffe says is a rocky outcrop on the north of the island, a ley line he'd discovered called the Bran line runs through it. Incidentally Bran is the name of a black dragon I've been working with, a dragon called Bran and a dragon line called Bran, must be more than a coincidence! I found the location and it felt very powerful with an intense beam of energy, I anchored the energies there too, and left feeling satisfied with my day's work!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>St Columba's Chair</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mysterious ancient cairns in St Columba's Bay</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rocks laid out in a Celtic cross in St Columba's Bay </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>Greenstone found in St Columba's Bay</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Labyrinth in St Columba's Bay</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The bay at the back of the ocean with Dun Bhuirg in the background</span></i></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-66238719238582680232016-08-24T06:49:00.001-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.564-08:00Maui <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I am exploring the magical places and cultures of Maui. The island is rich in sacred sites, powerful natural energies and an indigenous spiritual tradition that honours the elements.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Heleakala, sacred volcano of Maui</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Offerings left on the summit of Mount Heleakala</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hiking up the outflow from a volcano!</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Seven Sacred Pools</i><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hiking near the Seven Sacred Pools</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The sacred Lao Valley</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shrine at Lao Valley</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My guide Jeana led me on a visit to a heaui (temple) where we left a natural offering, an ancient spiritual ritual that has</span> practised for hundreds of years. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1gJimJzjZHuQMjNJ9Mge2KBaf-YuiL3YakUk3u-0S00g5JlfEwEGrLuNs4La3MLCJzvbOC28z0H0-U5MEQf3dBLOUmnrHPV38Z7UPeFQZvq1EMxmDNa1E4U4xd4Vyt6wbTMFhG8x-dk/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1gJimJzjZHuQMjNJ9Mge2KBaf-YuiL3YakUk3u-0S00g5JlfEwEGrLuNs4La3MLCJzvbOC28z0H0-U5MEQf3dBLOUmnrHPV38Z7UPeFQZvq1EMxmDNa1E4U4xd4Vyt6wbTMFhG8x-dk/s400/17.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Explaining the use of healing herbs</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <i>Preparing an offering to leave at the heiau </i></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Asking permission of the spirits to enter the heiau </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Paying respects at the heiau</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Birthing stone at the heiau with our offering perched on top</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In recent decades Maui has attracted large numbers of <span style="background-color: white;">teachers, healers and seekers, creating vibrant spiritual community.</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Temple of Life Spa and Healing Centre</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jaya Lakshmi and Ananda performing at Maui Sacred Earth</span></i><br />
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-23175740720262305012016-08-20T09:56:00.002-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.542-08:00Legends of Snowdonia – Fairies, King Arthur, Merlin and a giant!<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A couple of days ago I visited a place I've been wanting to go to for a long time, Mount Snowdon! Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) in North Wales is the highest mountain in England and Wales. It has been a magical kingdom since ancient times, the haunt of fairies and spirits. But since Victorian times there has been a railway line all the way to the summit, which has impacted somewhat upon its remote and mystical atmosphere. North Wales is home to the Tylweth Teg, the magical fairy people of Wales, as well as being home to the Pendragons, the dragon kings of Britain.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snowdon Railway</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took the train up there this week, a hot August day, and was amazed by the amount of everyday people who were making the arduous climb to the summit on foot, a hike of several hours. It was like a modern day pilgrimage to a sacred mountain, though today people simply go to climb this iconic landmark and to admire the spectacular views.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had never been up Snowdon before and I found the views from the top to be absolutely amazing, one of the greatest panoramic views I’ve ever experienced, the kind of view you can only get when you’re on the highest of mountains! </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">View from summit of Mount Snowdon</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The whole mountain range of Snowdonia is laid out before you, as well as the entire Llyn Peninsular, the whole Isle of Anglesey, with the sea circling all around. I was really not prepared for such a view, it took my breath away!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">View from summit towards the Llyn Peninsula</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, I was not here for the views, I was here to investigate the magical places that are hidden away on the mountain. The first that I spotted was from the train window, Llyn D’ur Arddu (The Black Lake of Arddu) where fairies have been seen many times dancing on the shores of the lake. But unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit it on foot on this trip as I was going to be hiking down the other side of the mountain.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Llyn D'ur Arddu where the fairies dance!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The summit of Mount Snowdon was once topped by a huge cairn where a giant named Rhita was said to be buried. This giant had a cloak made from the beards of the kings he had killed, but he was eventually killed himself, by none other than King Arthur! Unfortunately the cairn was destroyed in Victorian times to make way for a tower.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Summit of Mount Snowdon where the giant Rhita was buried</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I climbed to the Eastern edge of the summit and then got my first view of the two lakes that were the main objectives of my journey. Glaslyn (The blue/green lake) lies just below the summit.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">View of Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw from Snowdon summit</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A shepherd once helped a fairy woman here by lending her his shirt to wrap her baby in, ever afterwards he was rewarded by the fairies with silver coins until he became a rich man. Another story concerning this lake is that a terrible water monster known as an avanc was captured far away near Betws-y-Coed and then dragged here by a team of oxen before being released into this lake. The story covers many features of the local landscape during the journey and makes me think of the songlines of the Australian Aboriginies. Perhaps the ancient Britons once had their own songlines too?</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Glaslyn fairy lake</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The lake beyond Glaslyn is called Llyn Llydaw and it is said that King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was cast into this lake before his body was taken over the water to Cwn Dyli where he and his knights now lie hidden in a secret cave.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To the south of Snowdon is a valley called Cwm y Llan where a shepherd once rescued one of the Tylweth Teg who was trapped under a rock. He was rewarded with a magical walking cane which ensured that all his ewes gave birth to two healthy lambs each year.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fairy haunted valley of Cwm y Llan</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not far from Cwn y Llan is the hill know as Dinas Emrys (The Fort of Myrddin Emrys) where King Vortigern, after fleeing the Saxons, once tried to build a fortress. The boy Emrys was brought in to be sacrificed as the fortress kept falling down, but instead of being killed Emrys told the king that his problems were caused by two dragons fighting under the hill. They dug down and released the two dragons that were trapped in a cave, a red dragon and a white dragon. The red dragon then fought and chased off the white dragon, which was said to represent the red dragon of Wales triumphing over the white dragon of the Saxons. To this day the red dragon is still the symbol of Wales. Emrys grew up to become the famous wizard Merlin. </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dinas Emrys </span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat and meditated by the nearby lake known as Llyn Dinas (Lake of the fort) and could see Dinas Emrys reflected in the water. The lake is said to be home to a dragon, while Dinas Emrys is Dinas Affaraon, the sacred city of the pheryllt, the mystical alchemical druids.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Magical woods by Llyn Dinas</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another site where the fairies are said to dance is Llyn Cwellyn, to the southwest of Snowdon. A shepherd was once tending his flock on the slopes of Moel Eilio when he found and captured a fairy woman. She agreed to marry him on condition that he never struck her with iron. One day the inevitable happened and he accidentally tapped her with his horse’s stirrups and she was never seen again. In another version of the story he did get to see her again, but was condemned never to walk beside her, and so could only communicate with her from afar. She appeared on an island on Llyn-y-Dywarchen and he had to communicate with her from the bank of the lake. I found Llyn-y-Dywarchen to be a most magical place and could sense the fairy magic emanating from the tiny island.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another unfortunate man entered into a fairy dance near Llyn Cwellyn and was transported to fairyland for seven years, though he thought only a few moments had passed. When he returned his friends didn’t recognize him and his sweetheart had married someone else. Unable to adjust he died of a broken heart.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Llyn Cwellyn with Moel Eillio in the background (right)</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Moel Eilio </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So be careful when walking through the mystical mountains of Snowdonia, the fairies are not always friendly, there are dragons and monsters in the lakes, and giant might just want to steal your beard!</span></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-35393648184292834532016-08-20T09:13:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.556-08:00Aquae Sulis - Bath<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I finally made it to Bath today! To see the Roman temple and baths dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva who lives in the hot spring.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Head of the Celtic Goddess Sulis who personified the hot spring, </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>she was Romanised as Sulis Minerva</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The sacred spring where the goddess Sulis lives</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The main bath</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The cold pool</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Part of the extensive underground waterways</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Main outflow from the sacred spring,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">millions of litres of hot water pour out from here every day</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gorgon head</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of many Roman altars found at Bath,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> offerings were placed in the circular depression at the top and burnt</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mosaic floor of hippocampus (sea horse) and dolphin</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Moon Goddess, Luna</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Celtic triple goddess</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hand of Jupiter holding a thunderbolt</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bladud, the mythical ancient Celtic founder of Bath</span></i></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-18634838016216906612016-08-18T07:29:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.536-08:00Roslin Glen and the Rose Line<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The mysterious Rosslyn Chapel sits on the edge of the magical Roslin Glen in Scotland, drawing the green energy of the glen up into the chapel as demonstrated by over one hundred unique carvings of green men in the chapel. </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rosslyn Chapel exterior (no photography allowed inside!) </span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rosslyn Chapel also sits at the heart of the Rose Line, a Scottish meridian encompassing many sacred sites and places of power.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Six hundred year old chestnut tree in Roslin Glen</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The heart of the chestnut tree</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another ancient tree</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Part of the yew circle, where rituals are performed</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wallace's cave on the opposite side of the river </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The River Esk flowing through Roslin Glen</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The age and identity of this face are not known</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roslin Castle has a ghost dog which haunts and howls here, along with a White Lady. The drawbridge to the castle itself has also been the site of an apparition of a black knight on a black horse which gallops off the drawbridge - legend has it that the hoof prints of the horse can be seen on the vertical rocks upon which the drawbridge has been built.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Roslin Castle</span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wallace's cave, referring to William Wallace of 'Braveheart' fame who is reputed to have hidden here.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL4wA-Ok8Yb_K60g-wSFYiYd0UTGHhyphenhyphenIf0D8ZPLhBfqiYguA-Oz6sKW7GDtGqJv80l2df-KDf7WAY2cjO0vVKHO-BssoRBrziQF6Qywvjx5K9xPvMNIe88LsFt07uGE5x66ylsPiV_g4/s1600/27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNL4wA-Ok8Yb_K60g-wSFYiYd0UTGHhyphenhyphenIf0D8ZPLhBfqiYguA-Oz6sKW7GDtGqJv80l2df-KDf7WAY2cjO0vVKHO-BssoRBrziQF6Qywvjx5K9xPvMNIe88LsFt07uGE5x66ylsPiV_g4/s400/27.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cave interior</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mysterious rock carvings near Wallace's Cave</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Exploring the lost pathways of Roslin Glen today in some lovely Scottish weather! </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The mysterious hidden village of Temple, once the headquarters of the Knights Templar when it was known as Balantradoch</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mysterious masonic gravestones at Temple</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Magical stream behind the ruined church at Temple</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arthur's Seat, a volcanic plug in Edinburgh that sits directly on the Rose Line</span></i><br />
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-16054919145817912132016-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.533-08:00St Fillan in Perthshire<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Discovering sites associated with St Fillan around Perthshire, Scotland. Celtic saints were more like sorcerers than holy men. St Fillan used to read at night using a light that beamed out of his hand, he had healing stones and performed all kinds of miracles and magic!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St Fillan's Holy Pool </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At St Fillan's Holy Pool, men and women used to bathe in separate pools just before the first quarter of the moon. Cures, especially for madness, could be obtained by bathing in the pool, picking up 9 stones from the river bed, then walking to a nearby cairn and walking 9 times deiseal (sunwise) around the cairn, dropping one of the stones on it each time around. The patient was then taken to St Fillan's Chapel where he was then tied to a special stone and had St Fillan's Bell placed on his head. He was left there for the night and if the ropes had loosened by the morning he was said to be cured!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St Fillan's Chapel, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with strange shaped stone altar where people leave offerings of coins etc</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dundurn Hill used to be a powerful Pictish settlement, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on the top can be found St. Fillan's Seat</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St Fillan's Seat atop Dundurn Hill</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"The rock on the summit of the hill, formed, of itself, a chair for the saint, which still remains. Those who complain of rheumatism in the back, must ascend the hill, sit in this chair, then lie down on their back, and be pulled by the legs to the bottom of the hill. This operation is still performed, and reckoned very efficacious." The cure is supposedly most efficacious on Beltane (1st May).</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St Fillan's Chapel seen from Dundurn Hill</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St Fillan's Healing Stones </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in the Breadalbane Folklore Centre in Killin</span></i></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-71757064485185400782016-08-14T11:04:00.001-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.567-08:00Alt Clut - The Kingdom of Strathclyde<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While dozing on Windmill Hill near Avebury last month I heard a voice psychically which simply said "Gervinion's ring". I researched Gervinion online and found out that he was a 6th century king of Dumbarton (Alt Clut). This kingdom was a Northern remant of the Britons who spoke the same language as the Welsh. They were never conquered by the Romans, Saxons or Scots, but Dumbarton rock was once sacked by the Vikings. They eventually merged into the Kingdom of Scotland. </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alt Clut - Dumbarton Rock</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This location and period of history stirs up feelings in me that I can only interpret as ancestral or past life, it's as if I remember how it felt to actually be there, and so I went on this quest to discover more about the area and the stories.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I subsequently found out that this whole area is tied up with the earliest myths of King Arthur and Merlin. I believe that when Britons migrated from Strathclyde to Wales and Corwall that they carried the stories of King Arthur and Merlin with them and transfered the stories to places that were more familiar to them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arthuret is the site of the Battle of Arderydd that was fought in AD 573 between the pagan king Gwendollau and the Christian kings Riderch, Peredur and Gwrgi. Riderch was the king of Alt Clut (Dumbarton). Gwendollau was defeated and his court magician Myrddin (Merlin) went mad with grief and fled to the woods of Celidon where he lived on wild food and became a prophet.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLIHPU_ld-vfvLJ1xyIL9KRF8VJWMdcyrX-M6aAS4JtSRuOs_gB5I3_IAEhigF1jXrJ41IvZnKpwM7D76zP0ogXuMXGzMnMVZ456JBAAPK45gcNtbkkP7aZit49x90SDdjbXBz0FhC-M/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLIHPU_ld-vfvLJ1xyIL9KRF8VJWMdcyrX-M6aAS4JtSRuOs_gB5I3_IAEhigF1jXrJ41IvZnKpwM7D76zP0ogXuMXGzMnMVZ456JBAAPK45gcNtbkkP7aZit49x90SDdjbXBz0FhC-M/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arthuret Knowes</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to the author Hugh McArthur, Loch Lomond is the original Arthurian lake and Inchcailloch is the island of Avalon.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">View of Loch Lomond from the island of Inchcailloch</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3mfRNnBW8nOYoYbdRfRah-M4PMGp8Sr1jVmW8qJrBsLj1QnxZ8GCoHAhjJQtT680EzJDEdUAOA89aV2GyDqwBDAq8WO2j_AIwPMDn3_gUld4KlN6vOElNOdnkvqLAYZPSTTNJFP_d9M/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3mfRNnBW8nOYoYbdRfRah-M4PMGp8Sr1jVmW8qJrBsLj1QnxZ8GCoHAhjJQtT680EzJDEdUAOA89aV2GyDqwBDAq8WO2j_AIwPMDn3_gUld4KlN6vOElNOdnkvqLAYZPSTTNJFP_d9M/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ancient church dedicated to St. Kentigerna on Inchcailloch</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bluebell woods on Inchcailloch</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sun wheel made up of four serpents on a stone in Govan church</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLH1evgmipAOnt7YbzflQxkevFpg99HzGS1gVnZw623T6zahD5_3vUm3SCvifat6ieUOjNaCfYly0LQNPeZdPsKwI2ZUq13WvGNQHM65D3CsFDGxEM1DX_dJ6ipNj92nfg77PE43ZWtag/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLH1evgmipAOnt7YbzflQxkevFpg99HzGS1gVnZw623T6zahD5_3vUm3SCvifat6ieUOjNaCfYly0LQNPeZdPsKwI2ZUq13WvGNQHM65D3CsFDGxEM1DX_dJ6ipNj92nfg77PE43ZWtag/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px; outline: none; text-align: left; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sarcophagus of St. Constantine, King of Dumbarton</span></i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIbLotQK8l59zNb-ciMTcN6giLIsojyqhxBStLY7b17xuWOKaVNdUdI4eRhBzdKvdd-v4is69tNDGLubDTIO2nYRTyZ2hoUxKWI4nABBUG_NdNN1Eb2vuQA5IW2U_6eMGZi9sgkHGPoA/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIbLotQK8l59zNb-ciMTcN6giLIsojyqhxBStLY7b17xuWOKaVNdUdI4eRhBzdKvdd-v4is69tNDGLubDTIO2nYRTyZ2hoUxKWI4nABBUG_NdNN1Eb2vuQA5IW2U_6eMGZi9sgkHGPoA/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Viking hogback tombs actually represent Viking houses</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFst-yry5eLC53rSQSq62xu9Rdkquw12BTFRpfISKMHq686H-U_B616Ro8EVgTpeaM8cm4a0Vm3O-v6eQ6JrMGi6zgjczdjsGNo7EsalrYVhJInUfiIi08Or0PYy5KavyA8ZFxAhkT2c/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFst-yry5eLC53rSQSq62xu9Rdkquw12BTFRpfISKMHq686H-U_B616Ro8EVgTpeaM8cm4a0Vm3O-v6eQ6JrMGi6zgjczdjsGNo7EsalrYVhJInUfiIi08Or0PYy5KavyA8ZFxAhkT2c/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px; outline: none; text-align: left; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Glebe Stone, near Yarrow</span></i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmN8PPfMPdmz0SuI-oNusaHch872dGvk4RlYCZ68Fn7g7DycXmJaUoLiXxvw-JVOf1zmXH0Zc4r8xlF1enQhR0VEG1omphYVXTyjpAANzbXv8AI0KeOXdwKpAUSxHeaeIyg7vtHYvPVc/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmN8PPfMPdmz0SuI-oNusaHch872dGvk4RlYCZ68Fn7g7DycXmJaUoLiXxvw-JVOf1zmXH0Zc4r8xlF1enQhR0VEG1omphYVXTyjpAANzbXv8AI0KeOXdwKpAUSxHeaeIyg7vtHYvPVc/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4ZM-uix2dqX16zl1rMo8R1N9ZRgMRA7uajiPYaPJoaQd_ugETfdY6MZ-E26NB4gxQ05rx-ZtNvCeDjvcCSDgd9ojwjQ0sWB6g-jl8m22mrwTlTlm2RNCHKlPc2wOAtyAvKEDHv9np18/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4ZM-uix2dqX16zl1rMo8R1N9ZRgMRA7uajiPYaPJoaQd_ugETfdY6MZ-E26NB4gxQ05rx-ZtNvCeDjvcCSDgd9ojwjQ0sWB6g-jl8m22mrwTlTlm2RNCHKlPc2wOAtyAvKEDHv9np18/s400/14.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Loupin Stanes</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HMT4lw4KdpmuUbCSXB-tebuXfcTXKvOpoLWsEOgF-FF-OpX-iKqWcfLwvN-BW3DeRTCY18YsfnS4_C5uwS19AK8YBfmyjHdvTF3JnBmw3HofmobUBCtKhun1og9LpL0EJRLrNQgdQ5w/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HMT4lw4KdpmuUbCSXB-tebuXfcTXKvOpoLWsEOgF-FF-OpX-iKqWcfLwvN-BW3DeRTCY18YsfnS4_C5uwS19AK8YBfmyjHdvTF3JnBmw3HofmobUBCtKhun1og9LpL0EJRLrNQgdQ5w/s400/19.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St Michael's Church at Arthuret</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Could Liddel Strength <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">on the border with Scotland</span> be the ancient fortress of Gwendollau who died at the nearby battle of Arderydd? His court magician Myrddin (Merlin) survived the battle but went insane and lived as a wild man in the woods.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSEgHL8G-L_NqheXuSPBqECcvwuhHPIsHXQ4cK2G3diRtpJw23YybsaoZfNq4LRQBwIt-ZGnAJI4pJ71lZlsFPsviPYg0W0WZ66zRHS9bXfHZD7QMasqCjoFHQRrj7ZpqFMTvFtT9VoY/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSEgHL8G-L_NqheXuSPBqECcvwuhHPIsHXQ4cK2G3diRtpJw23YybsaoZfNq4LRQBwIt-ZGnAJI4pJ71lZlsFPsviPYg0W0WZ66zRHS9bXfHZD7QMasqCjoFHQRrj7ZpqFMTvFtT9VoY/s400/20.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; display: inline; line-height: 18px; outline: none; text-align: left; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i>The overgrown ramparts of Liddel Strength, Cumbria</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG26C_OpRfldoE7yvUQBAqrHwJv1UzR7HqpUqEeMf42Ri6Q7hpXbfrorZVbZ1Rr-NDVGU8Trr74SPKU-dsKgjS6OhDTnBmOvVUsWOZltSmt00b9ZB-UvtMA77GD_bu4f4dh4NAYeb5zo/s1600/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG26C_OpRfldoE7yvUQBAqrHwJv1UzR7HqpUqEeMf42Ri6Q7hpXbfrorZVbZ1Rr-NDVGU8Trr74SPKU-dsKgjS6OhDTnBmOvVUsWOZltSmt00b9ZB-UvtMA77GD_bu4f4dh4NAYeb5zo/s400/21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Arthur's Round Table, a</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> prehistoric henge in Cumbria</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDss9CnZYHMGC2aw4e-8wKlxIkAhKmsrgcr5LzSSfv415C6dJRCseOlqE-2OAYrOf-vDDBEZno54EHDOGwSSN7ETEsM5wQ23XLkSvkWlyH5z6CvW8kAnPVKlJHaQt-8M7r6vB8VDyjkhE/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDss9CnZYHMGC2aw4e-8wKlxIkAhKmsrgcr5LzSSfv415C6dJRCseOlqE-2OAYrOf-vDDBEZno54EHDOGwSSN7ETEsM5wQ23XLkSvkWlyH5z6CvW8kAnPVKlJHaQt-8M7r6vB8VDyjkhE/s400/24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i>Standing stone at the centre of Mayburgh Henge, that</i></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i>forms a complex with Arthur’s Round Table</i></span></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-44227888644452686542016-08-14T07:58:00.002-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.559-08:00Bridget's Shrine, Faughart<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I watched ancient pagan rituals being performed at St. Bridget's Shrine in Faughart near Dundalk, only nowadays, and for the past 1500 years, these rituals have been Christianised with the reciting of Hail Mary's etc. I wonder how long this has been a place of healing and how old these rituals really are?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGW5J4eGt7vvVIqnpkiSRPt88rRaLabuzGBxacIr5jXOc_LaGqwWoPFGXXDDB9MscBGlC_rhO1OoVJWto6KFOLYZGAuZB1sFCO-Es3Bf6fqtRabiJbLFTcsm3W_os28PZRiBOBSBXf8A/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGW5J4eGt7vvVIqnpkiSRPt88rRaLabuzGBxacIr5jXOc_LaGqwWoPFGXXDDB9MscBGlC_rhO1OoVJWto6KFOLYZGAuZB1sFCO-Es3Bf6fqtRabiJbLFTcsm3W_os28PZRiBOBSBXf8A/s400/1.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">St. Bridget's healing waters</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5R8QzO6Q6MrO5kujWG-O2QBluiE48E0eU7N8xbk3dwrzni6_xjERNkESeMRoYvRZwxt1FVf-hHqJfTUOw22adxaKnQGlu7QsvStUqu5FibZ2LMRnGKWQRcSWIgRXzF_vfuKKmvo2w6Q/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5R8QzO6Q6MrO5kujWG-O2QBluiE48E0eU7N8xbk3dwrzni6_xjERNkESeMRoYvRZwxt1FVf-hHqJfTUOw22adxaKnQGlu7QsvStUqu5FibZ2LMRnGKWQRcSWIgRXzF_vfuKKmvo2w6Q/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lying out on the eye stone</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This pilgrim performed a whole series of rituals while here, the whole time reciting Our Father's, Hail Mary's and Glorias.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkBO4KM3Fi-_3TmbK9sp9L3ASwVl2ep_SerxQElw4TGOR3GCnVXHElkN6UMdXFAlCi2_vPiWwSrYrs7BaSxB2ZCv_yXtLUsc854h_3OrQcGeDF7gUWVGWIhwcFIcFbrQciNt32bT25Gc/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkBO4KM3Fi-_3TmbK9sp9L3ASwVl2ep_SerxQElw4TGOR3GCnVXHElkN6UMdXFAlCi2_vPiWwSrYrs7BaSxB2ZCv_yXtLUsc854h_3OrQcGeDF7gUWVGWIhwcFIcFbrQciNt32bT25Gc/s400/3.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wishing well</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The knee stone, where you kneel for cures</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While at the waist stone, I saw a pregnant girl being told by her father to wrap her legs around the stone. "It's for pregnant women". </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"How do you know?" she asked. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Because people have been doing it for hundreds of years!" </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She also splashed the healing water on her belly, and the whole family, including the babies, had their faces and hair wetted by the healing waters.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The waist stone</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The head stone, another curing stone</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Reciting prayers with one foot planted on the hoof stone</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shrine to St. Bridget</span></i></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-58467618497533733722016-08-14T07:30:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.562-08:00Skellig Michael<div style="min-height: 16px;">
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today I headed for Skellig Michael, a remote monastery off the West coast of County Kerry in Ireland. It is famous for its remarkably preserved state, having been founded as early as the 6th century and abandoned in the 12th century, it has changed very little since that date.<br /><br />The boats to the island were all booked up weeks ago but I was hoping for a cancellation so I could get on board one of them. When I got there, early so I thought, there were already eight other people there waiting for a cancellation too, and we were told that there weren't any cancellations that day, so my hopes were not high! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was the second time I had tried to get to Skellig Michael, the previous time was a few years ago and the trip was cancelled due to bad weather. Perhaps I was not ready to go at that time because this was before I had heard about Apollo/Athena ley line, that makes its first major crossing on Skellig Michael.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After driving all the way across Ireland for 6 hours, I really felt ready to go this time, and trusted that everything would work out as it should, even if I had to try again tomorrow… Suddenly I overheard an old lady tell her friend that she couldn't go and wanted to sell her ticket, so of course I jumped at the chance and offered her the money immediately! I couldn't believe my luck as I walked down the pier to the boat, the other eight people who were waiting didn't say a word (though I’m sure they were giving me daggers!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the boat headed off towards the island I still couldn't believe that I was actually on my way to Skellig Michael at last! All those other poor people were still standing by the pier as our boat chugged off along the calm sound between the mainland and Valentia island, and then out through a narrow channel onto the big rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Immediately Skellig Michael was visible in the distance, a tall black pyramid of rock jutting out of the limitless ocean. I imagined the poor monks in their small coracles making the treacherous journey out to this remote windswept island all those centuries ago, where all that waited for them was a life of isolation and austerity living on fish and seabird eggs.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The name </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Skellig</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> derives from Sceillic which means 'steep rock'</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To avoid seasickness I kept standing and focused upon the distant island, and within 45 minutes we were there landing at the tiny dock. The climb was a hard slog up, and the tiny monastery at the top was flooded with tourists, making it difficult to get any good photos.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Steep flight of steps leading to the monastery </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>View of Little Skellig</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Series of cells and the monk's cemetary</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The monastery may have been founded as early as the sixth century</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I located the Apollo/Athena node in a roofless monks cell, but unfortunately the entrance was sealed off with a block of wood. I had already been told off once for walking somewhere I shouldn't, and clearly this cell was out of bounds too. What to do? Well eventually there was nothing for it but to brazenly climb under the block of wood, plant my crystal in the cell, and perform a little ritual there which would activate the whole of the Apollo/Athena line starting at this point. Luckily the guides didn't notice and the tourists paid little attention. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Location of the Apollo-Athena node</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I sat there I felt a warm peaceful feeling take over me, I envisioned all the energies rising up from this place, the heat from the Earth rising up through this pyramid-like volcano, surrounded on all sides by sea and sky. All four elements were here in great abundance and this was surely one the key anchor points for the whole of the Apollo/Athena line, the wild energies of this place would be carried all the way along the line across Cornwall, France, Italy and Greece, into the Holy Land, bringing with it the peaceful energy of this place and the vitality of its raw nature!</span><br />
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-74846890361271294662016-08-10T12:38:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.570-08:00Icelandic Elves<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica;">
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today I'm in Iceland and I've been studying with Magnus at the Elf School! Magnus told me many stories about encounters with the elves, </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">told me about some more magical places to visit in Iceland</span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and showed me the rocks and mounds in Reykjavik where the elves still live. So </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I headed down the coast to Vik taking in some interesting elf locations along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Elf Hill</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This location has more elf stories associated with it than anywhere else in Iceland. On one occasion they actually tipped over a large cement truck for driving over the edge of their mound! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>The Gray Stone</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The construction of this highway had to be halted due to all the trouble being caused by the elves. After a week of negotiation with the elves they finally relented and allowed the constructors to move the stones fifty metres out of the way, so here they still are!</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Chicken Farm Stone</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An elf came in a dream to a local farmer and told him not to harm this stone. When the new owners of the chicken farm decided to extend the barn and destroy this stone the chickens stopped laying eggs, hundreds of them! It lasted for weeks and was in all the newspapers as the 'chicken farm strike'! Scientists and others sent to investigate were baffled. Eventually the new owners relented and decided not to destroy the stone, and the chickens soon started laying again.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eyjafjallajokull - Famous volcano since it's recent eruption!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Helgafell - Sacred Mountain </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Magnus told me about elves living in these cliffs </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The story at Vik is about some fishermen who used to fish out in the bay, but the conditions there were quite treacherous so it was not uncommon that somebody would drown. One day a new fisherman joined the crew after just such a drowning, but he was different, he had the sixth sense and could see the elves. Each day he would watch the elves pushing their boat out to go fishing, and he would wave to them and say good morning.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These elves lived in the cliffs behind Vik and it is often said in Iceland that the elves live in the cliffs in an Otherworld realm.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One day the fisherman noticed that the elves were not putting their boat out and he warned the other crew members that something must be terribly wrong if the elves are not fishing. They had a vote and decided not to go out that day, but unfortunately their boss would not hear of any talk of elves and so he forced them to go out fishing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The bay at Vik where the elves used to fish</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The crew were afraid and so didn't go out far and kept close to the shoreline. Very soon an incredible storm blew up out of nowhere! The storm raged for a couple of days but the crew managed to make it to shore and took shelter. When they finally made it home their friends looked at them like they were ghosts because they were convinced that they must all have died out there.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Their boss was very sorry and said that he would take note of the advice of the elves in future, which he did, and so no one from Vik ever drowned again.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although one day the elves did not go out even though the weather was fine with a clear blue sky. So the boss made them go out fishing that day and they fished all day and didn't catch a single fish! How the elves laughed at them when they got back, they knew there wouldn't be any fish out of there that day. Will the humans never learn!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This story took place at the beginning of the 20th century and was collected by Magnus from a first-hand account. He has been collecting these stories for many decades and has recorded thousands of interviews with eye witnesses during this time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I visited the cliffs at Vik I found a flat wall that appeared to me like a portal. I meditated there and had a vision of entering the cliff and passing down into the underworld through a cave. I had a vision of Fingals Cave on the Isle of Staffa near Iona, with the hexagonal basalt columns all around it. </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Portal to the Otherworld...</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not ten minutes after having this vision I noticed an information board which told of exactly such a cave in the next bay! I quickly drove around there and found the cave known as Hálsenefshellir which was indeed composed of hexagonal basalt columns.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cave has a legend associated with it telling of selkies that used to gather in there and leave their sealskins lying outside. One day a local man found them and stole one of the skins, when he came back the next day he found a naked woman looking terribly unhappy. He took her home and eventually they were married and had seven children, but inevitably one day she found her sealskin and returned to the sea. She quoted this rhyme:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Woe is me!</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have seven children in the sea </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And seven on land."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She never came back to her husband but was on occasion spotted in the ocean looking towards her children on the land.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Quite a find, and a really magical place!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hálsenefshellir - the Selkie Cave</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Basalt formations</span></i></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-29841773285386688762016-08-10T08:30:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.553-08:00Cottingley Beck & the Fairies <div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cottingley Beck in Yorkshire is where the famous photos of fairies were taken in 1917-18 by two girls, Frances and Elsie. Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle believed in the authenticity of the photos and had them tested by Kodak who confirmed that the negatives had not been tampered with. </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The bridge near the housing estate, where I entered the hidden world of Cottingley Beck</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wading down through the waters of Cottingley Beck</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An old ivy-covered bridge over Cottingley Beck</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> A magical hidden waterfall in Cottingley Beck</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As adults the two women maintained for decades that the photos were real, but under intense pressure and ridicule they finally admitted in 1983 that most of the photos had been faked, although Elsie maintained that the fifth and final photo was real.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fifth and final photo, perhaps the only 'real' photo?</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Both women maintained that they really had seen fairies though. No conclusive evidence of the faking has ever been found. If it was a hoax then it was a particularly ingenious one that fooled many experts, one wonders how two little girls could have achieved this?</span></div>
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Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-28087723741587441642016-05-22T08:00:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.551-08:00French Ley Lines, Melusine and the Spring of Barenton <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In France recently I made a couple of amazing discoveries. I’d been following another ley line, one that I believe has never been mapped out before. I heard about this ley line recently in a talk by Yuri Leitch, it connects Glastonbury Tor with Mont Saint Michel in France and has been called by some the Excalibur Ley Line.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> Mont Saint Michel </i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i>I’d been following it for two days through France and had come across several churches and menhirs, and lots of really beautiful French villages, towns and chateaus, but nothing really out of the ordinary to convince me that I was onto something.</span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Granville - Notre Dame du Cap Lihou</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cE5U7mmMB1Gjm4cs2o6QjZRlD4abghDQ44wHrNFIYWqi7ZPnSHIG49CfpL68cAoJgWikaAyKhpehtr7lg7A6AUMzYWuwey2XBU9GD1OHBbtZVFZqJ61K2Ncqo6KmECgtxYTxkYMx1AY/s1600/2+Corolles+-+Notre+Dame+de+la+Baie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cE5U7mmMB1Gjm4cs2o6QjZRlD4abghDQ44wHrNFIYWqi7ZPnSHIG49CfpL68cAoJgWikaAyKhpehtr7lg7A6AUMzYWuwey2XBU9GD1OHBbtZVFZqJ61K2Ncqo6KmECgtxYTxkYMx1AY/s320/2+Corolles+-+Notre+Dame+de+la+Baie.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMklsMSbSa4gBOS4fVxhf1Jdzl4f0LuR6qnEKzk4MRy10EdRLUu-etMFUdnCwfxOM_rvUpNBPrZX0tdUG_-x8uS0eB9LqPeoywrpR4SdmnjfCVVnSv_mjcgj_UG9Oqm0xGq4d3L0xUTeo/s1600/3+Corolles+-+Notre+Dame+de+la+Baie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMklsMSbSa4gBOS4fVxhf1Jdzl4f0LuR6qnEKzk4MRy10EdRLUu-etMFUdnCwfxOM_rvUpNBPrZX0tdUG_-x8uS0eB9LqPeoywrpR4SdmnjfCVVnSv_mjcgj_UG9Oqm0xGq4d3L0xUTeo/s320/3+Corolles+-+Notre+Dame+de+la+Baie.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Corolles - Notre Dame de la Baie </span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YjOCYlmIfXub11pHbh_BEKX0lkRfej3__nQn_Ey1IdRI2HyRbZ_MXb974L8hWQSRQlvnUAHCs_kdQfwjhQ6vX8TpsNwkN1fVaFQ45vKPdSqyWjDodPlubLkSfOFg9QSHo8uy-BkYzxw/s1600/10+Menhir+near+Champeaux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YjOCYlmIfXub11pHbh_BEKX0lkRfej3__nQn_Ey1IdRI2HyRbZ_MXb974L8hWQSRQlvnUAHCs_kdQfwjhQ6vX8TpsNwkN1fVaFQ45vKPdSqyWjDodPlubLkSfOFg9QSHo8uy-BkYzxw/s400/10+Menhir+near+Champeaux.jpg" width="400" /> </a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>Menhir near Champeaux </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-1XG3wPBdwUtb6go5EIXtBJ2_X4aq6Pegz3TfnogoNKLSbs0dC0_V93GEyaRgkjOCa2CRCzGZMoOc0EE7FzgkZcZxi7hRzRWusTRxt-CwXp69lMfdk-kogctZ8Zpf0Ij7HH-L-Hh4bc/s1600/11+La+Guerche+de+Bretagne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-1XG3wPBdwUtb6go5EIXtBJ2_X4aq6Pegz3TfnogoNKLSbs0dC0_V93GEyaRgkjOCa2CRCzGZMoOc0EE7FzgkZcZxi7hRzRWusTRxt-CwXp69lMfdk-kogctZ8Zpf0Ij7HH-L-Hh4bc/s400/11+La+Guerche+de+Bretagne.jpg" width="266" /> </a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhCDKKdPsP4kyVIL5UXqmNvtVlQSVQzZS5btuB4Cb9vmOuSm2xRo_ys8YWoZ7wVCx-YEDlJob3uINu3GgyjzAOIEmIAs01-LiODMR-6iRRuZyQF4R8dvO9nLRfX3cc0R93YewQaGu3XE/s1600/15+La+Guerche+de+Bretagne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhCDKKdPsP4kyVIL5UXqmNvtVlQSVQzZS5btuB4Cb9vmOuSm2xRo_ys8YWoZ7wVCx-YEDlJob3uINu3GgyjzAOIEmIAs01-LiODMR-6iRRuZyQF4R8dvO9nLRfX3cc0R93YewQaGu3XE/s400/15+La+Guerche+de+Bretagne.jpg" width="265" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMA0p5onRILO8czrHD4PiqpUFLvk6K3Y_-UBVXE5mITGlWKoU7yHZrdHdi2pdeuOWp6JziuA6T9jOUsZeYvWRKHWgz4CV-UepeVHj6IXrHeE2ePNmROfyxhcO1Xi57QCGjEWvpIGmuWQ/s1600/17+La+Guerche+de+Bretagne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMA0p5onRILO8czrHD4PiqpUFLvk6K3Y_-UBVXE5mITGlWKoU7yHZrdHdi2pdeuOWp6JziuA6T9jOUsZeYvWRKHWgz4CV-UepeVHj6IXrHeE2ePNmROfyxhcO1Xi57QCGjEWvpIGmuWQ/s320/17+La+Guerche+de+Bretagne.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>La Guerche de Bretagne </i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRT7pcRVVq9FVVVdXCVt3_y8Q6AMyQ-8FAzO7AC5TVrZIvfPwseK0a0ndb-mncM5MaGTfMdUp1Hcwv3ikdu4NymxBZ_Qiwxc5W_hp0_Zm3MD_BzUDy3MsuBGB8bd0CPIkR-o95KeRaxw/s1600/18+Pouance+Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRT7pcRVVq9FVVVdXCVt3_y8Q6AMyQ-8FAzO7AC5TVrZIvfPwseK0a0ndb-mncM5MaGTfMdUp1Hcwv3ikdu4NymxBZ_Qiwxc5W_hp0_Zm3MD_BzUDy3MsuBGB8bd0CPIkR-o95KeRaxw/s400/18+Pouance+Castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Pouance Castle </i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqjgK6MuGCK4CQoEGlDWGNdSg1pUH5OJxUbzxyxAyvUIuN04ia6Hmq9SPm_6rCwc8QDFxOTIowdo98IIVL9HHlvEEumxrRYjkxjilkb1gYfs4xe1KDgdC-Gq98Jgf61T3pkBYCNlq5hw/s1600/19+Mary+Magdalene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqjgK6MuGCK4CQoEGlDWGNdSg1pUH5OJxUbzxyxAyvUIuN04ia6Hmq9SPm_6rCwc8QDFxOTIowdo98IIVL9HHlvEEumxrRYjkxjilkb1gYfs4xe1KDgdC-Gq98Jgf61T3pkBYCNlq5hw/s400/19+Mary+Magdalene.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Mary Magdalene</i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgybJYyfVWsHRR2BBxn-J7HZVL1bwLl8e8Op_ZqcBXfYRnwFMQmsFfnDL_72Yg5MzwGf_TgNfJFh8DUPvndAhV9Bhg4Wrf1tHZys80sMuP1NH-40YjeA7jTxlR857l6S8ljeLKD07RTY/s1600/20+Le+Menhir+de+Pierre+Frite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgybJYyfVWsHRR2BBxn-J7HZVL1bwLl8e8Op_ZqcBXfYRnwFMQmsFfnDL_72Yg5MzwGf_TgNfJFh8DUPvndAhV9Bhg4Wrf1tHZys80sMuP1NH-40YjeA7jTxlR857l6S8ljeLKD07RTY/s400/20+Le+Menhir+de+Pierre+Frite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY-1UNT3oCa0AsSatO0Fb6IDofgjnfYPqDkLFIqUzbDEj-LF1rsxTHUHXdDmylkhV7bEjdgAosTWFYyOXslHoupec5denUa4DZYC_79dDTGkJDZVauO0LSB1CMHtAls5RS1zfwU_4I6U/s1600/21+Le+Menhir+de+Pierre+Frite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY-1UNT3oCa0AsSatO0Fb6IDofgjnfYPqDkLFIqUzbDEj-LF1rsxTHUHXdDmylkhV7bEjdgAosTWFYyOXslHoupec5denUa4DZYC_79dDTGkJDZVauO0LSB1CMHtAls5RS1zfwU_4I6U/s400/21+Le+Menhir+de+Pierre+Frite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> Le Menhir de Pierre Frite</i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCiYzEt-T-rJAZ2r6aiHXU4Iaa_AqrdhG7iYAnOwBPriq8e9xWBPxxh0BGAcPEWGXHhdqwYSMwQJB9QgtQttuKAlzc69FBSHheU6vaS3Ja107Q4Ok8AVqpzAYy2hd_Irl_OdGSUFfYfs/s1600/22+St+Florent+le+Vieil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCiYzEt-T-rJAZ2r6aiHXU4Iaa_AqrdhG7iYAnOwBPriq8e9xWBPxxh0BGAcPEWGXHhdqwYSMwQJB9QgtQttuKAlzc69FBSHheU6vaS3Ja107Q4Ok8AVqpzAYy2hd_Irl_OdGSUFfYfs/s400/22+St+Florent+le+Vieil.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> St Florent le Vieil</i></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqt6Vseww4TjlmsUilJW1XYty5IKTd22hAPxmjSUQYpw0RRWOd1bg7wClCazC1GIFZOU767eaPjnVcAdG7ZZMpCqMvcjujBfbJ_HWlRlcdzGGdIfngtZG4gI-3k-S9FeW9XxjX4drrQM/s1600/23+St+Florent+le+Vieil%252C+stained+glass+window+of+Charlemagne%252C+the+first+ruler+to+be+crowned+by+the+church%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqt6Vseww4TjlmsUilJW1XYty5IKTd22hAPxmjSUQYpw0RRWOd1bg7wClCazC1GIFZOU767eaPjnVcAdG7ZZMpCqMvcjujBfbJ_HWlRlcdzGGdIfngtZG4gI-3k-S9FeW9XxjX4drrQM/s400/23+St+Florent+le+Vieil%252C+stained+glass+window+of+Charlemagne%252C+the+first+ruler+to+be+crowned+by+the+church%2521.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> St Florent le Vieil, stained glass window of Charlemagne, the first ruler to be crowned by the church!</i></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Than suddenly I came across a classic hilltop Saint Michael church, complete with crowning golden statue reminiscent of Mont Saint Michel or St Michael’s Mount! And what’s more there was a sign in the church saying that on this location there was once a temple to the Roman god Mercury (the dedication to Mercury is still preserved in the name of the place - Saint Michel Mont Mercure), and before that there was a shrine to the Celtic god of light Lugh! So here is the confirmation that these St. Michael sanctuaries were once pagan temples to the god of light.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq61Tr4LKgLKTVd28MkvvKU0tK3HrrYV99db-rClfxwtTq7UCjOGK5iPuUjT_KgCqyN-UnHB-MCbvjxtRkknDwI1zbtW3ipl73KvcosWPh_jtUy_BFTdG3LU9UepxPJSD74w6G94Qi0to/s1600/24+Saint+Michel+Mont+Mercure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq61Tr4LKgLKTVd28MkvvKU0tK3HrrYV99db-rClfxwtTq7UCjOGK5iPuUjT_KgCqyN-UnHB-MCbvjxtRkknDwI1zbtW3ipl73KvcosWPh_jtUy_BFTdG3LU9UepxPJSD74w6G94Qi0to/s400/24+Saint+Michel+Mont+Mercure.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvYGHfAmfs8-EGHxRSFBLnCOJIpd7Sj8SSIa1kEva-_3dQka_EsDstR7teyDifgF9A8jTi8CQoVJjjzi3R5lu_CoOLWIx9Ea-2j6qbdBxOocezUFjzD4pjzLPFs6mpPWew8j9bxzfciI/s1600/30+Saint+Michel+Mont+Mercure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvYGHfAmfs8-EGHxRSFBLnCOJIpd7Sj8SSIa1kEva-_3dQka_EsDstR7teyDifgF9A8jTi8CQoVJjjzi3R5lu_CoOLWIx9Ea-2j6qbdBxOocezUFjzD4pjzLPFs6mpPWew8j9bxzfciI/s400/30+Saint+Michel+Mont+Mercure.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">S</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>aint Michel Mont Mercure</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbs33CzRzjiEO2BVDdxDNDwleexy3LgwOvh-DMkrFbgToooQ1MWQhRMiQPQb7-mVmrNz9toLDQGmTFX-BLUFoAiWIyuJXQ53o5rXA0tEFu8JmJDHvtsZPQ1Bp5aIiJ6DmTdcyNiori-o/s1600/31+View+from+Saint+Michel+Mont+Mercure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbs33CzRzjiEO2BVDdxDNDwleexy3LgwOvh-DMkrFbgToooQ1MWQhRMiQPQb7-mVmrNz9toLDQGmTFX-BLUFoAiWIyuJXQ53o5rXA0tEFu8JmJDHvtsZPQ1Bp5aIiJ6DmTdcyNiori-o/s400/31+View+from+Saint+Michel+Mont+Mercure.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>View from Saint Michel Mont Mercure</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i>That was a great discovery but then it got even better… Recently I’d been reading about the fairy/dragon princess Melusine and her descent through the house of Anjou. I did wonder vaguely where these legends took place, but I hadn’t got around to looking it up, but there on the map, right where I was heading was the “Tower of Melusine”! This is the tower is one that she supposedly built in a single night, before her husband spied on her and saw her serpents tail. After revealing her secret she then grew wings and flew from the tower never to return, leaving a curse on the family and it’s castles. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOw_wPIofkwyX-B1ZgMPW9Rp4WoxDdjiz_y7haPHgZzcJuVGXTrnKEh1vkf4-CDqWyAd5C-eJlp7auMQt9VmsknTgO6SuTifY5QrsVwWZQdBQomBh8Gm8byhkVpyn7eD_ibNHrfeZrMM/s1600/35+Tower+of+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOw_wPIofkwyX-B1ZgMPW9Rp4WoxDdjiz_y7haPHgZzcJuVGXTrnKEh1vkf4-CDqWyAd5C-eJlp7auMQt9VmsknTgO6SuTifY5QrsVwWZQdBQomBh8Gm8byhkVpyn7eD_ibNHrfeZrMM/s400/35+Tower+of+Melusine.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> The Tower of Melusine in Vouvant </i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4Sz5aXPQSx4SAE2598SWsvWjXXK6s9g640ZzXC-95C49GQGO4qvsFxmuZRpPQiA_VFGcN29bOt33d6C3-0sj5trir43RTtKpCgDJBpHiaILRbIcyWht5v4eDLxUJC6jgQsHuTWXho7g/s1600/32+Image+of+Melusine+on+her+tower.+She+incorporates+both+dragon%252C+mermaid+and+fairy..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4Sz5aXPQSx4SAE2598SWsvWjXXK6s9g640ZzXC-95C49GQGO4qvsFxmuZRpPQiA_VFGcN29bOt33d6C3-0sj5trir43RTtKpCgDJBpHiaILRbIcyWht5v4eDLxUJC6jgQsHuTWXho7g/s400/32+Image+of+Melusine+on+her+tower.+She+incorporates+both+dragon%252C+mermaid+and+fairy..jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2MfjcsJYCrZQIFTwVYjipPTKAlq7YEHNBDoi_fLNEx-3r5K-xMtNn3Rqs2Km2VRODKbhl4_ltt5eVHkCNAqfBfP-KDrEqENTkcdm3mf8r_tqpyThwnBopwWeOfxuQDpKHF3gaA_MIw8/s1600/33+Tower+of+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2MfjcsJYCrZQIFTwVYjipPTKAlq7YEHNBDoi_fLNEx-3r5K-xMtNn3Rqs2Km2VRODKbhl4_ltt5eVHkCNAqfBfP-KDrEqENTkcdm3mf8r_tqpyThwnBopwWeOfxuQDpKHF3gaA_MIw8/s400/33+Tower+of+Melusine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Image of Melusine on her tower; she incorporates both dragon, mermaid and fairy</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKMU-U9wdjqjAm6OmGJliCNrkBuTQz-QJ1yg76tS5XoTV2_m0u3p9Kj04Kod6Jb8Q5IskUanQ7SuggdsKVaWFk3jRNKTEiFBwhFqb_jFDjfy1IYhQsvSAQEJeu9d_PVwT2m-Okk2c-us/s1600/36+Vouvant+Modern+image+of+Melusine+on+a+cafe..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKMU-U9wdjqjAm6OmGJliCNrkBuTQz-QJ1yg76tS5XoTV2_m0u3p9Kj04Kod6Jb8Q5IskUanQ7SuggdsKVaWFk3jRNKTEiFBwhFqb_jFDjfy1IYhQsvSAQEJeu9d_PVwT2m-Okk2c-us/s400/36+Vouvant+Modern+image+of+Melusine+on+a+cafe..jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Modern image of Melusine on a cafe</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’d recently been reading a fascinating book called Realm of the Ring Lords which traces the matrilineal descent of the 'Grail Queens' and 'Ring Lords' from the ancient Sumerian Anunnaki ('those that came down from on high') through the Egyptian pharaohs, the House of David (including Jesus and Mary Magdalene), Scythians, Scots Gaels, Picts and Merovingians, down to Melusine and the house of Anjou.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I then went on to visit other castles that were said to have been built by Melusine, before returning home via Brittany where I visited the Spring of Barenton, hidden deep within the mystical forest of Broceliande in Brittany.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN06mIODnCx-dGjBtOnjAuMYAlSpfKFKpEo2Kh7nlrVToO8LUt9bx1bit9mZDoer6FNMDpFqFymkgSBGsFnMw2W5PnohKo-JI-yyFJ2_x5_Wfr-N8w2-JU7IcYpnTbkuGogV-WUgz2CNQ/s1600/37+Vouvant++Church+built+by+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN06mIODnCx-dGjBtOnjAuMYAlSpfKFKpEo2Kh7nlrVToO8LUt9bx1bit9mZDoer6FNMDpFqFymkgSBGsFnMw2W5PnohKo-JI-yyFJ2_x5_Wfr-N8w2-JU7IcYpnTbkuGogV-WUgz2CNQ/s320/37+Vouvant++Church+built+by+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" width="213" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFcT7lwLaVGa2PanR8jr7iSpI1icT2-JTxBU7nqnpY32LarR40PKEbei9GhwS8NYoKhn62fXGdtWt75bMzoFPaQmwPPVS-8HnpHE2VIFBviqd_EAYjv5FHzmRc3yRWvGKxHYa9RC7pzQ/s1600/41+Vouvant+Church+built+by+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFcT7lwLaVGa2PanR8jr7iSpI1icT2-JTxBU7nqnpY32LarR40PKEbei9GhwS8NYoKhn62fXGdtWt75bMzoFPaQmwPPVS-8HnpHE2VIFBviqd_EAYjv5FHzmRc3yRWvGKxHYa9RC7pzQ/s320/41+Vouvant+Church+built+by+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaJQiKToph2XF1jv-ECliU4dF-c8TSdxkYLrOJMMVv8ovN8Egpg_mtQGuk8M5Z63wAlWhQD_8J79UF3YFTpnf98u0GCUNNhf8qee4m8X1QkEclq6JBMg3JfqoK8H01kf11mKuPUUVUSI/s1600/39+Vouvant+Church+built+buy+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaJQiKToph2XF1jv-ECliU4dF-c8TSdxkYLrOJMMVv8ovN8Egpg_mtQGuk8M5Z63wAlWhQD_8J79UF3YFTpnf98u0GCUNNhf8qee4m8X1QkEclq6JBMg3JfqoK8H01kf11mKuPUUVUSI/s320/39+Vouvant+Church+built+buy+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" width="213" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvjoK5zw_Bjv910-wHWV6bbo_nC_JQ0b7fO_qRPXNGmdMnp-Rz3_CgX8QsrJ9TEq01g8lqvkQEitBv17GWjln0TJub26pz_EBfqe3FTHm6CP4BUcKCwbd2uz8Y24pViY2ZkQgd_vVZKw/s1600/44+Vouvant+Church+built+by+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvjoK5zw_Bjv910-wHWV6bbo_nC_JQ0b7fO_qRPXNGmdMnp-Rz3_CgX8QsrJ9TEq01g8lqvkQEitBv17GWjln0TJub26pz_EBfqe3FTHm6CP4BUcKCwbd2uz8Y24pViY2ZkQgd_vVZKw/s400/44+Vouvant+Church+built+by+the+Lusignan+family+in+the+home+town+of+Melusine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Vouvant Church, built by the Lusignan family in the home town of Melusine </span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNvCgxYFSS9lAGBqxDgiOMWpxYEtzmL0FVbvJw9F47DG_Ug_RZyEoP0RHKVtgV33Tx2mbLjwYa8O8MmLsujZ_hVHmnY0k7kFfflubaqkj-WETNPCMN0umNJ4EcUoqxUo6McEE86rOJDc/s1600/45+Mervent+Castle+One+of+the+five+castles+said+to+have+been+built+in+a+single+night+by+Melusine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNvCgxYFSS9lAGBqxDgiOMWpxYEtzmL0FVbvJw9F47DG_Ug_RZyEoP0RHKVtgV33Tx2mbLjwYa8O8MmLsujZ_hVHmnY0k7kFfflubaqkj-WETNPCMN0umNJ4EcUoqxUo6McEE86rOJDc/s400/45+Mervent+Castle+One+of+the+five+castles+said+to+have+been+built+in+a+single+night+by+Melusine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mervent Castle, one of the five castles said to have been built in a single night by Melusine</span></span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTk2xTm8d410Oq9Qhp21mr2PzKwFWR9YHeqovkceb1lpNWwmVP8A2Y3QT_oTXMoiIvwJXaeCss-Jv7JW9RVytkldvEhkw69N0hZdiWOJXj42fPKinCS-GtbUwYOlTxd0qHGglEzAo-ZA/s1600/50+Pouzauges+-+Notre+Dame+de+Vieux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTk2xTm8d410Oq9Qhp21mr2PzKwFWR9YHeqovkceb1lpNWwmVP8A2Y3QT_oTXMoiIvwJXaeCss-Jv7JW9RVytkldvEhkw69N0hZdiWOJXj42fPKinCS-GtbUwYOlTxd0qHGglEzAo-ZA/s400/50+Pouzauges+-+Notre+Dame+de+Vieux.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pouzauges Notre Dame de Vieux, one of the five castles said to have been built in a single night by Melusine</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Chatelliers Chateaumur</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmmr576_SnJZlyi7yqBRByhHcGvMtv-StrXTMNLLkIsHxWK2EKOi0qyXXVvOtHAQP0o1aRgvRIXF7PT96ZyHxq-cNNHfN8gSwPW2qV6qkl2B_otpQIUc_Jqu3jvzPc4Hy3P02etgxVec/s1600/53+Tiffauges+Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmmr576_SnJZlyi7yqBRByhHcGvMtv-StrXTMNLLkIsHxWK2EKOi0qyXXVvOtHAQP0o1aRgvRIXF7PT96ZyHxq-cNNHfN8gSwPW2qV6qkl2B_otpQIUc_Jqu3jvzPc4Hy3P02etgxVec/s400/53+Tiffauges+Castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tiffauges Castle</span></span></i> </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">According to Breton legend the spring of Barenton is where Merlin met the water nymph Vivian and fell in love with her. He stood on the slab (to the right), now known as the Perron de Belenton, and taught her the spells that would enchant him.</span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fontaine de Barenton</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The slab has a magical property, if one takes water from the spring and sprinkles it on the slab then it will bring storms and thunder. Villagers in the middle ages used to come here in times of drought to summon rain.<br /><br />The spring was originally dedicated to the Gallic god of healing, fire and light, Belenos, and its waters are said to cure madness.<br /><br />It appears in several medieval Arthurian romances, including Chretien de Troyes, Yvain, where the spring is guarded by a black knight.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ancient oak tree in Forest of Broceliande, Brittany</span></span></i></div>
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<i>Menhirs de Monteneuf</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-79108376925153763432015-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:002016-12-18T17:26:50.572-08:00Songlines of the Serpent <span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here I recount in full my journey across Eastern Australia and the Central Desert in search of the Songlines of the Serpent - sacred sites, dreamtime stories and earth energies relating to the Rainbow Serpent, the carpet snake people (pythons) and the poison snake people.</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Artwork showing the songlines converging at Uluru</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />This spiritual journey was initiated when my friend Iris told me about a vision she'd had of Mt Chincogan, and a songline connecting it to Mt Wolumbin and a string of pyramid shaped mountains strung out along the East coast of Australia. I was intrigued by this vision and so I decided that I would attempt to climb Mt Chincogan and try to gain a deeper insight. I had no intention at this stage of getting involved in any more Earth energies work, and in fact had come to Australia to get away from it all!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Mount Chincogan</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The mountain is on private land and I was told locally that I wouldn't be allowed to climb it, but I was lucky enough to find a local guy named Michael who not only let me walk through his property but also gave me directions to the top of the mountain. He also told me that Mt Chincogan is a sacred woman's site and is the sister mountain to the sacred man's site of Mt Wolumbin. So this was the first clue I had that Iris was on the right track and that this mountain is indeed connected to Mt Wolumbin. Wolumbin is also known as Mount Warning and is the central volcanic cone of a massive extinct caldera, it is considered by many to be the most potent sacred site in the area.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Chincogan summit</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span> </div>
T<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">he walk up Chincogan through the long grass and forest was enchanting, the air filled with butterflies and dragonflies, and the ground crawling with small lizards and colourful spiders. The trail was overgrown but not hard to follow, and exciting because I knew that few people went up there nowadays.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The rocky summit of the mountain was covered in strange 'grass trees' and at the very top I found a hollow tree trunk that people had placed crystals inside. Feeling around inside I also felt something soft and squidgy, I think it was a frog!</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Grass trees on Chincogan summit</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Crystals on Chincogan summit</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Somehow I felt that this place was on an energy line, and even though I'd left my geomancy tools on the other side of the world I felt like I needed to do a ritual here. I placed the crystals around the stump and visualised this mountain connected to Wolumbin, and also with another pyramid mountain I'd recently discovered in Washington state in America, but it was only when I decided to connect it with Glastonbury Tor too that I felt a sudden surge of energy! It was as if this was the vital link that was needed to connect it in to the grid.<br />When I came back down the hill again I met with Michael who was still pottering around his property. 'Archangel Michael' I thought, but this turned out to be more than a coincidence as he suddenly told me that a Michael and Mary ley line runs through this area! What on earth could he mean? Turns out that Michael was originally from Cornwall and had met Hamish Miller! What are the odds?? </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />He then told me about an incredible alignment, a true ley line. If you go to a dive site near Byron Bay called The Pinnacle and look between the two Julian Rocks you can see Mt Chincogan directly in the middle, and looming directly behind it, Mt Wolumbin!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>View of Mt Chincogan from Cape Byron, with Mt Wolumbin in the background</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I had come to Australia to have a break from my work with the ley lines, but it seems like the ley lines have followed me here, and there is more work for me to do! <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>Hiking through the remote jungle of the Richmond Ranges National Park I came across a big fat snake lying in the path. My heart leaped and I froze, wondering if it was poisonous. I was far from help and no one knew I was here if I had an accident. Should I turn back? No, the snake certainly didn't look aggressive, in fact it looked like it had just had a big meal and was quite docile. I picked up a big stick and edged past the snake, keeping the stick between me and it.</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Python, also known as the carpet snake</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had come to this remote forest to find a sacred mountain known as Mt Brown. It had several pieces of mythology attached to it, the first was that it was a djurebil (increase site) for the carpet snake. A djurebil is a place where the Aborigines used to come to perform ceremonies to increase the abundance of a certain animals or a certain aspects of nature. Each animal or spirit or phenomena had it's own unique djurebil site which would have to be visited to perform the ritual that related uniquely to it. So Mt Brown was the djurebil site for the carpet snake, where the local tribe would come to perform ritual to increase the abundance of this snake.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Another story I had heard about the carpet snake relates to Uluru (Ayre's Rock), the sacred centre of Australia and the central focus of all the ley lines here. Wanampi, the Rainbow Serpent, is said to live in a sacred pool at Uluru called Mutijulu (Maggie Springs). In the dreamtime the carpet snake, and other snake people, are said to have converged at Uluru from three directions and fought a great battle. This seems very symbolic to me of converging earth energies, which are often depicted as serpents or dragons.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The second piece of mythology was that this mountain was the origin site for all birds. I certainly saw a huge abundance of birds during my hike and their calls never ceased for the whole of my journey!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The third and most interesting piece of mythology for me was the story of the bush turkey. The bush turkey had been speared here during the dreamtime and had flown off wounded to Mt Wolumbin, and since then the bush turkey has never been able to fly properly. Such stories, I have found, often refer to an energetic link between the two places mentioned, so somehow Mt Brown was connected to the sacred mountain of Mt Wolumbin, which seemed to be at the centre of all my investigations here. Combine this with the story of the snakes, which always seems to represent earth energies, and I was interested enough to drive all the way out here to investigate.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />After passing by the snake, and then being harrassed by a horsefly, I noticed the sound of cicadas all around me slowly increasing in volume. At first I was enjoying the sound as it reminded me of the jungles in Borneo, but the sound got louder and louder until it was absolutely piercing, unnaturally loud and all encompassing. I started to feel like I was really not meant to be here! I announced my reasons for being here and left an offering, but even to me the reasons seemed flimsy. Why was I here? I retreated from the cicadas until the sound became bearable again, and then I tuned in to find out why I was really here, and if I should carry on through all the potential dangers of this snake-infested forest. Suddenly it occurred to me, I was here to perform my geomancy and connect this place to Mt Wolumbin! I announced this intention and within seconds the cicadas fell silent. It now felt safe for me to carry on again, as if the spirits had given their permission.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />A bit further down the path I came across another big snake! This time I was just a couple of feet away when I noticed it, you should have seen me leap backwards! The snake though, didn't bat an eyelid, probably because it didn't have any eyelids... It was the same type of snake as last time, only this one was facing the path and not full of dinner. He was another guardian I felt, but I was here for a good reason and so I just walked past him stick in hand, and he never moved..</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The second python I saw. This really is an increase site for the carpet snake!</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Eventually I came within sight of the summit of Mt Brown, I couldn't climb to the top as it would have meant bushwhacking through the thick snake-infested undergrowth and I wasn't going to risk that, in any case I didn't have a machete! Luckily I had just found a large white quartz pebble lying on the path, so I used this for my ritual and cast it into the forest towards the summit. From the direction I had cast it I heard the call of a catbird, the first I had heard that day. There are many dreamtime stories in the local area of Jiggi the catbird, but that's a story for another day...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>R<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">emote trail <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">near the summit of Mount Brown</span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Realising that it was inevitable that I was going to get sucked in to performing more geomancy while I was over here I bought some quartz crystals from the market in Byron Bay.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I then headed out on my next journey, which was to Black Hand Mountain, the increase site for the Rainbow Serpent, and one of the sites visited by Jiggi the Catbird on the way to his final resting place at Mt Lion. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> Mount Lion</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I passed by Mount Lion on the way there and was soon heading deep into the rainforest. The road got narrower and rougher as I saw Black Hand Mountain looming in the distance, completely surrounded by dense rainforest. I didn't think I was going to be able to get anywhere near it, but the overgrown track, which seemed like it hadn't been used in a long time, eventually led to me to near the base of the mountain. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">View through the forest up to Black Hand Mountain</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overgrown rainforest track leading to the base of Black Hand Mountain</span></span></span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There were some giant trees there and on the ground I noticed many volcanic rocks. It seemed to me that the Black Mountain must be yet another extinct volcano that had produced these rocks in times gone by.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I held a crystal in my hand and cast it up towards the mountain to awaken the Rainbow Serpent and dormant energies up there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Black Hand Mountain (Wathumbil)</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I travelled next to the Bunya Mountains in Queensland with my friends Iris and Andrew. Iris is heavily involved with the Aboriginal community and her family has a holiday home on the summit of the Bunya Mountains. Andrew is a native American and is initiated into the tobacco and ayahuasca traditions of his land.</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Bunya Mountains</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Bunya Mountains have always been a place of great significance for the local aboriginal tribes. Every three years or so the bunya trees produce a hugely abundant harvest of bunya nuts, and tribes from hundreds of kilometres around used to gather there to feast on them, exchanging news, settling disputes, and arranging marriages.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Today the mountains are still coated in forest including many thousands of bunya pines, despite extensive logging in the past. The rainforest is full of a huge biodiversity of weird and wonderful creatures, strange and colourful mushrooms, and rare and precious timbers. All kinds of surprises await you in the forest, including enchanted waterfalls, colourfully decorated bowers made by the bower birds, large mounds (nests) created by the bush turkeys, and huge strangler figs that have killed their hosts and now stand alone like hollow latticework towers.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Bunya pine in the Bunya Mountains</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Parts of the top of the mountain have been cleared though to make way for a few holiday homes and campgrounds. These grassy clearings at the top of the hills have become a haven for wildlife, huge numbers of Wallabies gather there to graze, along with all kinds of birds including bush turkeys and parrots who will eat out of your hand. The feeling is one of a tranquil paradise set apart from the rest of the world, the magical mountains standing like a natural island sanctuary in the sea of flat farmland all around.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />We were drawn there by the sacred significance of these mountains and I could feel the energetic link with Uluru, Wolimbin and other sacred mountains. I performed a ritual on the highest point, which now unfortunately contains a radio mast, and after placing a crystal there could sense lines of energy radiating out in every direction, almost like the branches of a bunya pine!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I later discovered that there is a story from the Bunya Mountains about how the carpet snake (python) was created there. So yet again another link with this python and my investigations into the earth energies!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The story goes that an old man in a cave in the Bunya Mountains kept sending the storms back to the coast, so a man from the coast was sent to find out the reason for all the bad weather. When he found the old man in the cave he speared him in the arm and the old man writhed around in the fire burning his back. He then slid off the mountain and turned into a carpet snake. The markings on the back of the carpet snake are said to come from these burns suffered in the Bunya Mountains.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />After returning to the Byron Bay area I visited Mt Wolumbin and joined in with a small ceremony performed in the rain with Iris, Andrew and Becci to honour the mountain.</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Performing a pipe ceremony in the rainforest at the foot of Mount Wolumbin</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I visited many more sites in the area, in the Border Ranges, Nightcap National Park, Binna Burra, Toorbul Point, the Glass House Mountains and Evans Head, before heading on down to Sydney.<br /><br />I now felt like it was time for me to visit the most well known sacred site of them all, Uluru (Ayers Rock), and in particular the Mutijulu waterhole at the base of Uluru which was said to be the home of the Rainbow Serpent.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mutijulu water hole at dawn, home to Wanampi, the Rainbow Serpent</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">O</span>n arriving there my first impression Mutijulu water hole was how much it reminded me of the Castalian spring in Delphi! Both water sources emerge from a steep many-stepped canyon descending from a high mountain, and both places have a legend of a python living high up in the canyon, not just any snake but specifically a python! At Delphi it's Python, the son of Mother Earth, while here it's Kuniya, the python woman, who eventually transforms into Wanampi, the Rainbow Serpent. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snake rock, representing the python Kuniya<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">;<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> t</span></span>he cave below is filled with rock art</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />A brief summary of the story goes like this… Kuniya's nephew, also of the python 'people', was fleeing from the war party of Liru, of the poison snake people, and was speared in the leg on the West side of Uluru.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Kuniya's nephew, turned to stone, with spear hole to the leg</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kuniya herself, carrying her eggs around her neck, came from the East, having an intuition that something was wrong. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">East side of Uluru, where Kuniya arrived and<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> deposi</span>ted her eggs</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The eggs deposited by Kuniya</span></span></span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She met with Liru at Mutijulu water hole and in her fury killed him with two blows of her digging stick. The three of them then merged and transformed into Wanampi, the Rainbow Serpent, who still lives in the gorge there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Marks left by Kuniya in human form when she wielded her digging stick and cast her spell</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The face of Liru, the poison snake man, after he received two blows to the head</i></span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Impression left by Liru, the poison snake</span></span></span></i> </span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A rainbow that appeared after I visited the rainbow serpent!</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ancestor spirits such as these, who shaped all the land in the dreamtime, are the ancestors of all things existing on earth today, including people, animals, plants and even landscape features. This is why, during the dreamtime stories, they are seen to transform into many different things. Kuniya starts as a python, becomes a woman, and is eventually witnessed in features of the landscape. The ancestor spirits shaped and formed all things in our world.<br />So is it a coincidence then that both Uluru and Delphi were centres of spiritual power for a whole continent, and that both have a legend of a python living high up in a watery gorge? Or is this yet another example of the powerful earth energies running through these places becoming mythologised and being represented as serpents?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The stories that the aborigines allow us to know are only the ones they tell their children to introduce them to the land. The deeper meanings behind these stories remain a mystery to us, known only to the initiated.<br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After performing a ceremony at Mutijulu Waterhole, I explored all the sites around Uluru that relate to the dreamtime story of Kuniya the carpet snake and Liru the poison snake. I found a lot of information in the visitor centre including some incredible artwork depicting the songlines. But I wanted to know more, and I wanted to hear firsthand from a local aboriginal what these stories were all about, so later I returned to Mutijulu waterhole with a guide and a local aboriginal woman called Auntie Sarah who he had managed to bring along. She explained all the stories again in her own language and added more intriguing details. Seeing her point to distant features in the landscape and explain the stories related to them really brought the songlines to life! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Auntie Sarah at Mutijulu water hole, explaining the stories in her own language</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />After telling me the story about how Wanampi, the Rainbow Serpent, was created - Auntie Sarah casually asked Wanampi to send some wind, and then she laughed as one of the trees higher up the gorge started swaying as the wind caught it. Later on the guy who was translating for me told me that Sarah is a Ngangkari, (a traditional healer/medicine woman). This came as a surprise to me, but I didn't think much of it at the time and went back to my room for a rest after being out in the sun all day. When I emerged later that evening I was in for another surprise, I saw that the whole of Uluru was covered in a violent sandstorm! I got in my car and drove towards it and passed all the trees that were swaying back and forth. So Wanampi did send a wind after all! I was wondering why Sarah would want this to happen, but soon enough the storms started, thunder and lightning and a huge deluge of water fell onto the parched desert. Now all the desert fruit that Sarah had shown me earlier in the day would be growing in abundance, the desert tomatoes and the desert cherry, that only grow after the rains. Wanampi is the spirit of water of course!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Of equal, or perhaps even greater, significance to the local aboriginal population than Uluru, is Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), another red sandstone rock formation that lies only 40 minutes drive from Uluru. I had heard tell that many secret ceremonies and rituals are still carried out there by initiated aboriginals, so most of the area is off limits to tourists. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) at dusk</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />As the storms raged and flashed in the skies around Uluru I decided that I must drive to Kata Tjuta, on this, my last night in the area. I hoped to get there before dusk, but by the time I arrived the sun had already sunk below the horizon. I got out of my car and started hiking down the Walpa Gorge trail as the grey twilight thickened. By the time I reached the end of the gorge it was almost dark, but I felt like this was where I needed to be. I knew that there were extremely powerful primal energies here, and so I approached the place with the utmost respect. I produced my crystal and offered it to the spirits of the land. I planted it in the ground and suggested to the spirits here, that if they wished to use this crystal, to connect with the outside world and the grid of sacred sites that covers the Earth, that it was here for them to use. I would not impose upon this place, but only offer my services. I asked that if they accepted this gift then they could reply with a flash of lightening. Shortly after this the V shaped gash at the end of the canyon lit up as lightening filled the sky! I took this as a sign that the gift had been accepted, and that my work there had been welcomed<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The V shaped gash at the end of the canyon</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's worth stating again the true nature of the dreamtime ancestors. When we think of ancestors we usually think of dead people, but this does not accurately characterise the dreamtime ancestors, they were the ancestors not just of people but of all forms that exist on earth.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The earth in its primal state was populated by these great forces which the aborigines call the ancestors. These forces worked to produce all things that exist on earth including rocks, landforms, plants, animals and people. Even from a scientific viewpoint this is undeniable, natural forces worked to produce all the things that exist on earth and make up our world, and in this way they are the 'ancestors' of all.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />In the dreamtime stories these spirits can take on many different forms, usually alternating between people and animals and ending up as landforms. These dreamtime stories serve many functions, firstly they introduce people to the land and get them to remember and recognise its features. The minds of pre-literate people work very differently to ours, they do not digest facts, figures and lists like literate people do, knowledge is placed into songs and stories and is transmitted from generation to generation in a poetic form. These stories of the dreamtime ancestors travelling across the land are known as songlines, and they show how the land was created. They are also a survival mechanism, allowing people to remember natural features and so travel across the land safely from one place to another. And finally they are moral stories, teaching the uninitiated how to behave and how to follow the universal lore.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Songs after all are nothing more than vibrations in the air, and it was the great vibrating bodies of these primal ancestors that created the songlines and formed the landscape.<br />I flew back to Brisbane and visited many more sacred sites in the area of Southern Queensland, including Mount Barney National Park and Mt Ngungun to look for Wongo's Cave. Then on to Fraser Island, which incidentally lies directly East of Uluru, and then on down the Sunshine Coast before arriving back in Byron Bay.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />After visiting a shamanic plant medicine conference called Somara I felt like there was one last thing I had to do before leaving Australia. I was feeling drawn back to the Border Ranges National Park to follow the Bar Mountain Trail which led near to the summit of Black Hand Mountain, the increase site for the Rainbow Serpent. There were also incredible lookouts in the Border Ranges where the full immensity of the Wolumbin caldera could be appreciated, this I felt was something I wanted to experience!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Border Ranges National Park</span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I headed out from Byron Bay and soon came across an Aboriginal fella hitch hiking. Thinking it could be more than a coincidence I decided to stop and give him a ride. His name was Dion and he was heading to Nimbim; he had a broad accent and often spoke in an incoherent way, so it was very difficult for me to make out what he was saying, but there were moments of lucidity when like a mystical revelation the things that he was talking about suddenly became clear. Without any prompting I heard him start talking about the three sacred mountains that some Bundjalung elders had taught him about. He mentioned Wolumbin, Uluru and Mt Lindesay (Jalgumbun). This was a great confirmation that I had been on the right track all along linking these sacred mountains, but it was when he mentioned Mt Lindesay that I really perked up!</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Passing through a storm on the way to Mt Lindesay</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had come across this mountain a few weeks ago while travelling near the Mount Barney National Park, and from the moment I first spotted it I had known it was a place of great significance. Its an ancient volcanic plug that looms above the surrounding terrain. I spotted it from a long way off as I was heading towards a fairy doof in the woods (a kind of rave with a fairy costume theme). </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fairy doof near Mt Lindesay</span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I drove towards the party Mt Lindesay loomed closer and closer. It was dark by the time I arrived there but I could see the outline of Mt Lindesay silhouetted against the stars, we were right beneath it! It marks the border between NSW and Queensland and is in a very remote location; the mountain had captured my interest and I had intended to return later and explore more.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Dion also told me that he often sleeps out at night and has encounters with spirits. He comes from Woodenbong, which is very close to Mt Lindesay, and he says that at the top of the mountain is a “dinosaur” that sometimes comes out at night. (Did he mean “dragon” but just didn't have the vocabulary for it?) He also mentioned the Rainbow Serpent at one point, and told me that it can be found at two different locations in the area.<br />So Dion had confirmed for me the rumours I had heard about the sacred connection between Wolumbin and Uluru, and had now added a third mountain into the mix, Jalgumbun (Mt Lindesay). I dropped Dion off and then started driving deep into the forest of the Border Ranges… <br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once there I reconnected with the ancient antarctic beech trees at Bar Mountain where I had left a rock earlier (and had incidentally found a crystal after being guided to this tree by a bird!) and then headed off down the trail. </span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Antarctic beech trees at Bar Mountain</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I eventually arrived at the lookout at the far end of the trail and could see the ridge to my left continuing to Black Hand Mountain, the site of the Rainbow Serpent. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>View of Mt Wolumbin from Blackbutts lookout</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without even thinking about it I suddenly found myself calling upon the Rainbow Serpent, asking it to arise and join its energies to the worldwide grid. Far in the distance I also spotted a volcanic plug, it was Mt Lindesay! I visualised a column of energy rising from Mt Lindesay too, with beams of light that connected it to the network of sacred sites that covers the Earth.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpt3Den6ihg9lzzi5BLgbRgqJzc3RC9eseTkcW9rRI_H76XRLouWeeYg2J4IOlRgJ4-l3r8Qm80u_ejsZVp2r3_8uOCWPW3-7Lri6g_iLBop-FVdAoyUHvDz3KPLflH7c9PcME8pzoBvw/s1600/37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpt3Den6ihg9lzzi5BLgbRgqJzc3RC9eseTkcW9rRI_H76XRLouWeeYg2J4IOlRgJ4-l3r8Qm80u_ejsZVp2r3_8uOCWPW3-7Lri6g_iLBop-FVdAoyUHvDz3KPLflH7c9PcME8pzoBvw/s400/37.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Mt Lindsey spotted in the distance from the Bar Mountain lookout</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Walking away from there I started to feel very sick. What had possessed me to do that? Without even checking in or asking for permission! Perhaps it’s not part of my job to get too involved with the local culture, but I feel like I should at least take precautions and act with humility when I carry out my work… Or should I? Am I in fact just carrying out my work on behalf of something far greater than myself? Perhaps feeling sick occasionally is just an inevitable by product of working with these powerful energies? I made it back to my car and decided that it was time for me to leave the forest that day.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I was in some turmoil later that night. My trip was near its end. Was it time to go home? No, I was sure there was still more for me to do, so the next morning I decided to return to the Border Ranges, and then visit Mt Lindesay itself! I reentered the forest with some trepidation, but as soon as I arrived at Blackbutts lookout and saw the amazing view of Mt Wolumbim and the massive caldera my spirits rose. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V</span>iew of Mt Wolumbin from Blackbutts lookout</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I drove on to the next lookout at The Pinnacles and this was even more impressive, my spirits soared as I stood on the edge of the high cliffs overlooking the vast caldera! Mt Wolumbin is a place of such immense power!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">V</span><i>iew of Mt Wolumbin and the caldera from The Pinnacl<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a lot more driving I finally<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i> </i></span>arrived at Mt Lindesay. A lagoon in the township of Woodenbong is associated with a djurebil for guruman (kangaroo). Although several versions exist for this legend, they all agree that a balugan (hero) lived at The Glen, where the Mount Lindsay Highway crosses the state border. His aunt insisted on holding the kangaroo net during a hunt, but a big kangaroo hopped away dragging the net and the aunt with him. Wherever the kangaroo rested, a swamp or lagoon formed, until he finally landed near the sawmill in Woodenbong, at the lagoon known as "Bainmabal". The kangaroo and the aunt became spirits living in the lagoon, and the aunt is now a derangan (ogress) (Steele, </span></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1984).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />The djurebil for nguram (sleep) is near Mount Lindesay, and has to do with sorcery, as the various meanings of the word nguram suggest. The legend associated with this djurebil tells of a balugan who feasted on grubs from the pine tree, and then fell into a deep sleep from which he never awoke. At the site are stones representing the balugan and the grubs, and five other stones standing upright in a row. To cast a spell, the sorcerer would strike the ground beside the standing stones with a sheet of ti-tree bark to partially awaken the balugan. He would then tell the balugan how much sleep to inflict on his enemies. Ti-tree bark was used for making blankets for sleeping, the word for Ti-tree was jalgumbun, derived from jali (tree) and ngumban (blanket); thus the Ti-tree was a "blanket-tree". Jalgumbun was also the name of Mount Lindesay (Steele, 1984).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />There is a legend which explains how Ti-trees came to grow on the ranges of this district. A balugan from “Meearrim Mountain" attended a tournament on the coast, and afterwards a gaungan followed his tracks homewards. The gaungan carried bark blankets and every time she stopped for the night she left some bark, causing ti-trees to grow. Her final campsite was on the top of the Tooloom Range where she left the biggest ti-tree ever seen (Steele, 1984).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Another legend explains the steps on the side of Mount Lindesay and also hints as to why this mountain was called Jalgumbun. The mountain was once a tree on which a man climbed with a vine to get honey, cutting foot-holes with his stone axe. During the night the tree grew into a mountain and the foot-holes can still be seen on its side (Steele, 1984).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />A legend surrounds the rock now known as Glennie's Chair near Mount Lindesay. A young boy and his grandmother were travelling to the seaside from the flat lands of the west; as they passed Mount Lindesay the boy kept stopping at Grass-trees to collect gum which he chewed. The Border Ranges were infested with nimbun (ogres) and derangan (ogresses) who objected to strangers taking liberties with the rocks and plants on the mountains. A nimbun on Mount Lindesay, who lived deep inside the mountain, speared the boy and turned him into a rock (Glennie's Chair) (Steele, 1984).</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mount Lindesay - Jalgumbun</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The day was getting late so I didn’t have time to climb right up to it. I stood by one of the many strange rock formations near it’s base and planted a crystal there. I could feel that the crystal would resonate with the summit of the mountain, so there was no need for me to go </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">all the way up there. I had a vision of a huge quartz crystal rising from its summit, shining a rainbow light out across the land as it rotated like a lighthouse. “Dragon <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">o</span>f the mountain awake, shine your rainbow light out across the land!”</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ioDYKrbemlxHuHgagt_VZt92z4Zvyc02Oup2oM2o9zpkTGf-ghRysHm3MtfP2AE089Nqaryc4B6FJBzdMcVGeWD0OZ46ITXVg1N9quS5nYTl352Ubm6Mgh-Pe6FIWnPADNbaIP-mfYk/s1600/42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ioDYKrbemlxHuHgagt_VZt92z4Zvyc02Oup2oM2o9zpkTGf-ghRysHm3MtfP2AE089Nqaryc4B6FJBzdMcVGeWD0OZ46ITXVg1N9quS5nYTl352Ubm6Mgh-Pe6FIWnPADNbaIP-mfYk/s400/42.jpg" width="400" /><i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></i></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lindesay at dusk with dragon shaped cloud</span></span></span></i><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My job was now done here, I had aligned the three sacred mountains of Uluru, Wolumbin and Mt Lindesay, and connected them to the worldwide network. Their energies could now be integrated into those of the whole planet in preparation for the coming age of unity when the wisdom from all the corners of the earth could be shared and unified. I could go home at last...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-35800446941093405822013-06-24T11:31:00.000-07:002016-12-18T17:25:46.482-08:00Magical Places of Britain - A new book by Rob Wildwood!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Once, long ago in our pagan past, the natural landscape was seen as a place of magic and mystery, a place where wild spirits of nature dwelt and faery magic haunted the twilight.</i><br />
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<i>At certain locations these spirits were especially powerful. Magical springs and waterfalls, fairy hills and mystical caves were seen as entrances to their Otherworld realm. In these mysterious places it was possible to make direct contact with the haunted realm of spirits. Fairies, pixies and hobgoblins were very real beings who had to be treated with respect and reverence in these special places.</i><br />
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<i>But now, due to the ravages of time and the relentless onslaught of civilization, only a handful of these places still survive. Having escaped centuries of change these sacred places have become all but forgotten, little pockets of wild magic in a modern landscape.</i><br />
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<i>In this book we will take you on a journey to uncover these hidden places and bring the ancient magic back to life using stunning full colour photographs and extracts of legend and local folklore.</i><br />
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<i>We shall explore enchanted forests, haunted waterfalls and pools, mystic mountains, sacred springs, fairy hills, magic caves and many other places of mystery and enchantment in the British landscape.</i><br />
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<i>Then embark upon your own quest using the simple directions given at the end of each section and follow in the footsteps of Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's Magical Places!"</i><br />
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Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited. Each image captures the magic and mystery of the site and is enhanced by snippets of folklore that tempt further investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be looked up online, so you will not miss out on any of these hidden magical locations!
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You can view my new book and purchase it online from <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a> or from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magical-Places-Britain-Rob-Wildwood/dp/0957543301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372097894&sr=8-1&keywords=magical+places+of+britain" target="_blank">www.amazon.co.uk</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
For more pictures and information about magical places please 'like' the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/themagicalplaces" target="_blank">Magical Places Facebook Page</a>
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</span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-84183058437793388602013-04-04T01:51:00.003-07:002017-02-08T15:05:21.245-08:00How to read this blogLike all good stories it's best to start at the beginning. I advise you to go to June 2010 and pick up the story where it began, at Merlin's Cave in Tintagel. This blog is still incomplete but I hope to start adding to it again soon after I have published my book "Magical Places of Britain" which has taken up all my time recently. You can view my book and purchase it online at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-27678402914057239162012-12-27T10:04:00.002-08:002016-12-18T17:26:50.548-08:00Sobek and the Nile Crocodiles<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I went to Egypt with a mission to help heal the crocodiles of the Nile. Alphedia had given me a crystal which I was to place on the altar of Sobek, the crocodile god and personification of the river Nile. The crystal was to be energised there first and then placed into the river.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Luckily for me the Egyptian spiritual tour I was taking with Barbara Meiklejohn-Free took in the temple of Kom Ombo which has a shrine dedicated to Sobek, so when I finally arrived at the temple it was with a sense of anticipation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgE1bzLhju4zhQ31Q9-gSR7d9bZPyUsZBc2p-8UAEFVCOSH4m-McYRf8ZRzYtp8LDFKARJtR1UsfmjZEtzbePdXtlQU3wcdPieIQdKo2YOohMAAJsWTd9TSMz0gwagBXw1r6RBa6lIZU/s1600/IMG_1028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgE1bzLhju4zhQ31Q9-gSR7d9bZPyUsZBc2p-8UAEFVCOSH4m-McYRf8ZRzYtp8LDFKARJtR1UsfmjZEtzbePdXtlQU3wcdPieIQdKo2YOohMAAJsWTd9TSMz0gwagBXw1r6RBa6lIZU/s400/IMG_1028.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Immediately I could see images of the crocodile god and his impassive reptilian countenance everywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before entering the temple we were first taken to the crocodile pit and Nilometer. A Nilometer is a shaft that was used in the past for measuring the depth of the Nile during the annual floods. Supposedly the shaft here once also contained the temple's sacred crocodiles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I approached the shaft I felt a chill, I had dreamt about this place! A deep hole with a low wall and people standing all around it, just as my tour group were doing now! Only in my dream the pit was hidden in a cavern and was bottomless, a black hole of despair! As I approached the shaft and peered in my hairs stood on end as I could see deeper and deeper into the well, and then felt a sense of mild relief as I finally spied the bottom far below. Still, I felt a sense of dread when I stood too near to this place!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At last it was time to enter the temple and visit its twin altars. One altar was dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god while the other one was dedicated the falcon-headed god Horus. We were told to enter right-hand doorway which led to Sobek's altar, then to proceed around the altar of Horus before exiting Horus's temple through the left-hand doorway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I was tuning in to the energies and preparing myself for my task I found myself lagging slightly behind the rest of the group. When I reached the altar I took out the crystal and placed it on the large black slab of rock which was the altar stone. I called upon the god Sobek to return to this Earthly plane and told him that his energy was needed here again. I placed my hand on the stone and closed my eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>After a short while I had a vision of a huge lizard-like creature standing to my right. He was almost as tall as the temple columns and carried in his right hand a long narrow staff which appeared to be made of some kind of dark metal. He pointed the staff at my crystal and filled it with his energy, a white light coming from the centre of his being, down the staff and into my crystal. The crystal started to glow with a blinding white light, and then down this beam of light I could see thousands of tiny creatures like tadpoles entering the crystal. I knew that they were tiny crocodile spirits, the sperm of Sobek the crocodile god.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I opened my eyes and found myself alone, the rest of my group having already moved on. I retrieved my crystal and then heard a "Pssst!" A local guy dressed in traditional galabeya was calling me over. I followed him and without saying a word he led me to a locked door and opened it with his key! He led me inside a darkened chamber that was completely covered in ancient carvings, and then he indicated the centre of the far wall which was carved with a relief of the god Sobek! I did not stop the question this mystical occurrence and with a sense of awe just knew that I just had to trust this guy and follow his instructions. He placed the palms of his hands against the carving of the god and then knelt down as if praying, indicating that I should do the same. I copied him and he then left the chamber, leaving me there alone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>As I stood there with my palms against his image I felt the power of the crocodile god enter me, filling me with his strength. I saw an image of the Aswan Dam and knew that it was near there that I must place the energised crystal.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My guide then led me to another locked chamber and indicated an Egyptian god holding a stethoscope which he indicated that I should place my heart against. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I did so and felt my heart receiving the energy and power of the crocodile god, a healing to give me the strength that I needed to complete my tasks here on Earth.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I then thanked my mystical and silent guide and proceeded to the altar of Horus to catch up with the rest of my group.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The next day we all got up super-early for the long drive to Abu Simbel, high above the Aswan Dam by Lake Nasser. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The 550 km long Lake Nasser, now one of the world's largest man-made lakes, was created when the Aswan Dam was completed in 1970. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2GcROO0RnRnJhtAhTVncL4FrqTbJk_sKXNiSTFMKO7AlK_Be3xX4uMt_mZxbv9MnIvIC4N290hML1DKHdmbjxEOO_qjhCskA3GcRLznIv3OqA8arTo3sivuhTFix8IktNKWV3vfUZIQ/s1600/Lake_Nasser_location.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2GcROO0RnRnJhtAhTVncL4FrqTbJk_sKXNiSTFMKO7AlK_Be3xX4uMt_mZxbv9MnIvIC4N290hML1DKHdmbjxEOO_qjhCskA3GcRLznIv3OqA8arTo3sivuhTFix8IktNKWV3vfUZIQ/s320/Lake_Nasser_location.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The giant ancient-Egyptian statues and temples of Abu Simbel had to be moved 65 meters higher and 200 meters back from the river, in one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3NNZ8DYg7XFh-53RWVRlvaXXAmYks5LIyrdho26aJWLcrj5nLxsXSMZLB4NvRnymBgq6JjY7OHtVWUJcl2noK9S6Zh6tCHausMszfQ9gwh7J5Z8_0mDHcLZQfAtx6vrRzG39KtEK7wI/s1600/800px-Abu_Simbel_relocation_by_Zureks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3NNZ8DYg7XFh-53RWVRlvaXXAmYks5LIyrdho26aJWLcrj5nLxsXSMZLB4NvRnymBgq6JjY7OHtVWUJcl2noK9S6Zh6tCHausMszfQ9gwh7J5Z8_0mDHcLZQfAtx6vrRzG39KtEK7wI/s400/800px-Abu_Simbel_relocation_by_Zureks.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Although the construction of the dam has been great for the Egyptian people so far, eliminating devastating floods and droughts, and generating huge amounts of hydro-electric power, it has been terrible for Egypt's crocodiles. The Nile crocodile still inhabits large portions of Africa and in ancient times it's range extended all the way down the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea. The ancient Egyptians revered the crocodile as the personification of the Nile itself and worshipped these ancient creatures in the form of the crocodile-headed god Sobek, to whom they built numerous temples. Sacred crocodiles were kept in these temples and when they died they were mummified and placed in sarcofagi with grave goods as befitted their high status. But now, due to the Aswan Dam and pressure from the growing human population, the crocodile is no longer seen North of the dam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When I arrived at Abu Simbel I sought guidance if I should place my crystal there but was told emphatically no! The crystal must be placed near the dam!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After our brief visit to Abu Simbel we then started the long bus journey back to Aswan in the late morning and I was wondering how I was going to get near the dam to place my crystal. It was then that another one of those strange synchronicities occurred. Our guide suddenly announced that he was arranging a special optional excursion this afternoon to a Nubian village just below the Aswan Dam, not only that but these Nubians kept live crocodiles in their houses for good luck which they caught in lake Nasser! Naturally I signed up for the tour immediately!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After returning to Aswan those of us that signed up for the tour boarded the tour boat and headed up the Nile towards the Aswan Dam, passing by traditional wooden feluccas plying the waters</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">and camel trains following desert trails beside the Nile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xk4vh_QTDjzQKZDdH-usvroJx9x_v4V2qYjb2oEzb8sJkjfVxRBTncVEyu1SZj4ezmCbkUdyIYhCJfIHMbE_Y4g3oG5arRdzjNdEnEWZHhdbAkBbFOTgCyKKstXloH09KXSqOI79-b4/s1600/IMG_1115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xk4vh_QTDjzQKZDdH-usvroJx9x_v4V2qYjb2oEzb8sJkjfVxRBTncVEyu1SZj4ezmCbkUdyIYhCJfIHMbE_Y4g3oG5arRdzjNdEnEWZHhdbAkBbFOTgCyKKstXloH09KXSqOI79-b4/s400/IMG_1115.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">An hour or so later, as we approached the Nubian village I saw a large dark shape move in the water. It looked like the back of a seal or a small whale, but nothing like that should be living in the Nile! I took it as a sign from the river god and tuned in. "This is the place!" I heard. I unwrapped the crystal from its silk and carefully placed it into the water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The crystal glowed with the energy of Sobek and as it reached the bottom of the Nile I saw a huge image of the crocodile god rise up out of the water.</i> <i>He was angry and swept through the water towards the dam, ripping at it and smashing it. The dam must be destroyed! It was blocking his power, the power of the Nile, the power of the river god!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Although the dam has had some short term benefits in the long term it is spelling disaster for those living downstream. The floods no longer carry the nutrient rich silt which formed the basis of ancient Egyptian agriculture and wealth, modern Egyptians must instead rely upon artificial fertilisers produced by petro-chemical companies. The rich Nile Delta is also now becoming stagnant, a breeding ground for mosquitoes and disease. Lake Nasser is slowly filling up with this silt which once formed the Nile Delta, and when it does so the dam will become useless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Nubian people living near Aswan were resettled there after most of their homeland was flooded following the construction of the Aswan Dam. The village that we were heading to was one of these resettlement villages, now surviving from tourism as much as anything else, with a small crocodile museum housing mummified crocodiles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We were led to a traditional Nubian house where we were served flat-bread with strong Nubian cheeses and black honey (molasses). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">An enclosure in the courtyard housed three sad-looking crocodiles, held in captivity since they were babies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While a further cage held baby crocodiles which tourists could pick up to be photographed with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The crocodiles here were crying for help, wanting only to be released from captivity and free to swim in the Nile again, but what could I do? I'm not capable of removing the Aswan Dam or even of releasing these crocodiles, but I can only hope that one day crocodile energy will return to the river Nile somehow, nature will once again find its balance, and the crocodile god Sobek will be appeased.</span><br />
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Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by snippets of local folklore that tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magical-Places-Britain-Rob-Wildwood/dp/0957543301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372097894&sr=8-1&keywords=magical+places+of+britain" target="_blank">www.amazon.co.uk</a><br />
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</span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-8238999188911739262012-06-03T06:27:00.004-07:002016-12-18T17:26:50.575-08:00Shannon Pot and the hunt for the Salmon of Knowledge<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I was becoming intrigued by the Celtic tales of magical fish living in holy wells. My experience at the Pigeon Hole near Cong, on the border between County Galway and County Mayo in Ireland had only served to increase my fascination. There I had meditated and when I opened my eyes had actually seen the magic trout swimming in the water before me (see <a href="http://landofthefae.blogspot.ie/2012/03/pidgeon-hole-and-magic-trout.html" target="_blank">The Pigeon Hole and the Magic Trout</a> )</div>
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My investigations led me deeper and deeper in Celtic mythology until inevitably I came across the most famous of all Celtic fish legends, the tale of the Salmon of Knowledge, said to live in a pool overhung by nine hazel trees who's nuts carried the source of all wisdom and poetry.</div>
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The stories start in mythological times when the fairy folk ruled Ireland, the Tuatha De Danann:</div>
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<i>"And they had a well below the sea where the nine hazels of wisdom were
growing; that is, the hazels of inspiration and of the knowledge of
poetry. And their leaves and their blossoms would break out in the same
hour, and would fall on the well in a shower that raised a purple wave.
And then the five salmon that were waiting there would eat the nuts, and
their colour would come out in the red spots of their skin, and any
person that would eat one of those salmon would know all wisdom and all
poetry. And there were seven streams of wisdom that sprang from that
well and turned back to it again; and the people of many arts have all
drank from that well."</i></div>
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Later in the mythological cycle we get the story of the hero Finn mac Cumhal:</div>
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<i>"And then he said farewell to Crimall, and went on to learn poetry from
Finegas, a poet that was living at the Boinn, for the poets thought it
was always on the brink of water poetry was revealed to them. And he did
not give him his own name, but he took the name of Deimne. Seven years,
now, Finegas had stopped at the Boinn, watching the salmon, for it was
in the prophecy that he would eat the salmon of knowledge that would
come there, and that he would have all knowledge after. And when at the
last the salmon of knowledge came, he brought it to where Finn was, and
bade him to roast it, but he bade him not to eat any of it. And when
Finn brought him the salmon after a while he said: "Did you eat any of
it at all, boy?" "I did not," said Finn; "but I burned my thumb putting
down a blister that rose on the skin, and after that, I put my thumb in
my mouth." "What is your name, boy?" said Finegas. "Deimne," said he.
"It is not, but it is Finn your name is, and it is to you and not to
myself the salmon was given in the prophecy." With that he gave Finn the
whole of the salmon, and from that time Finn had the knowledge that
came from the nuts of the nine hazels of wisdom that grow beside the
well that is below the sea."</i></div>
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And then we get this story which explains how the River Boyne was formed:</div>
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<i>"Boand wife of Nechtán son of Labraid, went to the secret well which was in the green of Síd Nechtáin. Now this was a magical well known only to the Sidhe and protected by Nechtán, Flesc, Lám and Luam the four cup-bearers and only they could withstand the powers of the well and return whole of limb. For it was the source of all knowledge and inspiration.<br /><br />Nine hazels grew over the well. The purple hazels dropped their nuts into the fountain, and five salmon which were in the fountain severed them and sent their husks floating down the five streams. These are the five streams of the senses through which knowledge is obtained. And no one will have knowledge who drinks not a draught from out of the fountain itself and out of the streams. The folk of many arts are those that drink them both. These are the aois dána the poets who use inspiration. This was the famous well in which the Salmon of Knowledge was spawned and swallowed the hazel nut of wisdom, and whom the bard Finegas finally caught but whose flesh was eaten by Fionn Mac Cumhaill.<br /><br />Now Boand ignored all warnings and decided to see if she could test the power of the well because of her pride, declaring that it had no secret source which could shatter her form, and tempting fate she walked three times withershins (anti-clockwise) around the well.<br /><br />At once a loud surging sound was heard which came from the navel of the earth and three waves rose out of the well, and one carried off her thigh, and one carried off her hand and the last carried off her eye. Then thus disfigured, and fleeing her shame, she turned seaward, with the water roaring behind her until she reached the mouth of the Boyne ( Béal na Boinne) whereupon she was overcome by the force of the waves and was drowned, and thus was the end of Boand mother of Aengus the Young Son."</i></div>
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Nowadays the source of the River Boyne is said to be Trinity Well in the grounds of Newberry House, near Carbury in Country Kildare. Intrigued by the tales the next time I was in Ireland, in March 2012, I set off with my friend Leaf to go looking for this mysterious well.</div>
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Newberry House was not easy to find, and it was only by tracing the river back to its source on a map that eventually we were led to the right place. When we found the gates to the estate they were locked, we didn't fancy entering uninvited and wandering over the endless parkland randomly looking for a holy well so we opted instead to start where the stream crossed the road and simply to follow it upstream until we found its source.</div>
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We tramped through woodland past a ruined mill house before eventually coming to a large pond.</div>
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Had we found it already? Was this the source of the Boyne where the hazel trees grew? We traced the edge of the pond but found that there was an inlet, clearly we had further to go. As we set out across the open parkland following the stream we were harassed by a large herd of very frisky cattle, who charged back and forth in huge stampedes before lining up threateningly to face us.</div>
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We quickly made our way upstream, following the river for a few hundred yards until eventually it left the estate again. If there was a well on the estate then clearly we had missed it, so we instead decided to head into the village of Carbury to ask some of the locals if they knew where the well was.</div>
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Down the local pub they were all very helpful, telling us not to worry about entering and walking over the estate and directing us to the location of the well. It seems like we had walked right past it! No doubt distracted by the stampeding cattle!</div>
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We returned for a second attempt and this time our perseverance paid off! The well sat just beside the stream on the far side, near to a bridge. How did we miss it!</div>
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I climbed inside the small well house and sat there a while to meditate.</div>
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The interior was decked with flowers and small, white angelic statues. The air was light and fragrant like a garden and the water was cool and crystal clear, but there didn't seem to be any visible inflow or outflow of water.<br />
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I sat inside the well house and soaked up the pleasant atmosphere before energising a quartz crystal and dropping it into the well. I could see its translucent form slowly drifting to the bottom before settling there comfortably.<br />
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The local people would come here on Trinity Sunday to take water from the well as they did every year in June, taking on the new energy imparted to the water by my crystal.<br />
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However, as the source of the Boyne and the home of the Salmon of Wisdom it seemed an unlikely spot. Where were the nine hazelnut trees overhanging it? And where were the underground caves where the salmon was said to lurk? Perhaps the pool we had spotted earlier was a more likely spot after all? The only correlation we could find was nine hawthorns growing next to the well. </div>
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The locals celebrated this well as the source of the Boyne but I was unconvinced. Further investigation would be required...</div>
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Boand, who's actions, legend says, caused the River Boyne to spring forth, was the wife of Nechtain, one of the Tuatha De Danann, the fairy people. Near to trinity well is a large mound known as Sidhe Nechtain, or Nechtain's Fairy Mound, so we decided to go there next and investigate.</div>
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We returned to the village and continued on down a lane up towards an old ruined castle. We asked one of the locals about Nechtain's mound and he directed us towards a low hill which sat near the castle.</div>
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It did indeed look like a magical place, and despite the early season it was covered in trees displaying a white blossom. Walking up the far side of the mound we found a magical looking fairy portal.</div>
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Stepping through it we entered their realm and continued on up to the top of the knoll. On the way I picked thirteen primroses and left them at the top as an offering before standing there in meditation.</div>
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<i>I saw Faery noble dressed in silver silks approaching me. It was Nechtain, a lord of the Tuatha De Danann. He was pale and silvery with light coloured hair and in his hands he carried a circlet that appeared to be made of pure platinum. He placed the circlet on my head and a feeling came over me that somehow this man was my father! Nechtain, father of Aurvandil? He told me to do what I had come here for, so I raised my crystal tipped wand above my head and drew in the white energy from the sky, down through my wand and my body, and down into the knoll, filling it with light and energy. I then connected this energy to other similar places, helping to complete the grid of energy that covered the entire land.</i></div>
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On the way back we met a boy who took us to his father's house. He showed us some old maps of the area but could give us no further information about Nechtain and the Salmon of Knowledge. Was this Nechtain connected with the Celtic water god Nechtan, and through him with saint Nechtan of St. Nechtan's Glen in Cornwall? I felt like I had got some important leads but that this quest was far from over. Unfortunately I now had to return home to England, but I would be back to find out more, I was sure of that.</div>
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Back home in England I did some research. It seemed that Nechtain is also called Nodens or Nudd, both known as Celtic gods of the sea. Nudd was of course the father of the faery king Gwyn ap Nudd, who I had met at Castell Dinas Bran in Wales ( see <a href="http://landofthefae.blogspot.ie/2011/12/castell-dinas-bran-gwyn-ap-nudd.html" target="_blank">Castell Dinas Bran - Gwyn ap Nudd</a> ). There was also a connection with Manannan mac Lir, as Lir is another name for the Celtic sea god.</div>
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Deeper investigations into the folklore concerning the Salmon of Knowledge revealed that the story is not only related to the River Boyne but also to the River Shannon! Immediately I searched for the source of the River Shannon and what I found amazed me!<br />
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The traditional source of the Shannon river has always been regarded as Shannon Pot, an almost perfectly circular hole, 16 metres across, which is filled with water which flows out from deep underground caverns. The hole is overhung by many trees and has an outflow forming a small stream, the source of the Shannon river. Surely this was the perfect place to find the Salmon of Knowledge! The underwater caverns were said to be dangerous and unexplored, the water murky and mysterious...</div>
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A similar tale is linked the formation of the Shannon river to the formation of the Boyne river and the goddess Boand. </div>
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<i>"According to legend, the Shannon is named after Sionnan, who was the granddaughter of Manannán mac Lir, the god of the sea. She came to this spot to eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which was planted by the Druids. As she began to eat it, the waters of the pool sprang up and overwhelmed her. She was drawn down into the pool and its water began to flow over the land, forming the River Shannon."</i></div>
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I would have to wait a couple of months before I could return to Ireland, but when I did I was determined to go and pay a visit to Shannon pot.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A couple of months later I returned to Ireland, for the third time this year! I went with Leaf and a couple of other friends to visit Shannon Pot and soon found its mysterious waters, overhung with lush summer greenery. Closer investigation revealed that the trees around the pool were willow and hawthorn, not hazel, but who knows what the passage of time has done to this place or to the tales that are linked to it? Some tales say the trees were rowan trees, and not hazel, and that it is the red berries of the rowan which give the salmon its spots, but why not the red berries of hawthorn instead?</span><br />
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As we sat by the pool we saw the occasional splash of a fish on the dark surface of the water, so there was certainly something in there! I climbed down into the small stream that flows out of the pot and put on my snorkel, determined to have a swim to see what was in there.</div>
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The water was icy cold and biting my skin! But I eased myself in and took a swim over its mysterious and murky depths. Looking down all I could see were rays of sunlight piercing the dark depths of the water stained dark with tannin. It was absolutely freezing, so after passing over a couple of times without seeing anything more I decided to get out and dry off in the sun.</div>
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Having passed over the emerging flow of water I now felt like I had experienced its energy and so now would better be able to tune in to it. I sat on a bench nearby and using a shamanic drumbeat on my iPod to cut out all interfering sound I drifted off into a meditation.</div>
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<i>I saw myself sinking down and down into the watery depths of the pot, a female guide by my side, some kind of water spirit. At the very bottom of the pot was a small cave where a large salmon swam suspended in the current, the Salmon of Knowledge! Beside the salmon lay a silver coloured ring which was set with a light blue translucent gemstone. I peered at the gemstone and it grew larger and larger, until it was bigger than I was. I entered the stone and inside was another water spirit, some kind of mermaid. I didn't understand what it meant but I realised then that if I was to get any answers to the mystery of the Salmon of Knowledge then I must ask the salmon himself. I spoke to him and asked him:</i><br />
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<i>"What is the Salmon of Knowledge?"</i><br />
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<i>He replied to me like a was an innocent and foolish child, asking something that was clear and obvious to all and which I must surely already know the answer to. He explained to me that the Salmon of Knowledge sat at the entrance to the Otherworld, the spirit world of forms from which all of creation grows. All knowledge comes from the spirit world, and must therefore pass through him to reach us.</i></div>
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Suddenly the answer was clear and obvious! In the spirit world was the source of all knowledge, the place from which all wisdom and inspiration comes. The salmon simply represented this. The connection between our material world and the Celtic underworld of spirit, which in folklore is always seen as being in a submerged subterranean realm. This is the reason why in Celtic culture springs and holy wells are so revered, they are the places where the underworld emerges into our world, and so form a connection between the two. A manifestation of the divine.</div>
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My quest for Salmon of Knowledge had reached its end. I had met the salmon and he had imparted to me his wisdom. All knowledge comes from the Otherworld, if it is wisdom you seek, then you will find it there.</div>
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A few days earlier I had been to visit the burial place of Amergin the Bard, the first of the Milesian Celts to set foot on Ireland. His burial place consisted of a low mound in a farmer's field, with a curious alignment of four standing stones at one end of it.<br />
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The words of the famous "Song of Amergin" came back to me and suddenly I understood their true meaning:<br />
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<i>"I am a wind across the sea</i><br />
<i> I am a flood across the plain</i><br />
<i> I am the roar of the tides</i><br />
<i> I am a stag of seven tines</i><br />
<i> I am a dewdrop let fall by the sun</i><br />
<i> I am the fierceness of boars</i><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am a hawk, my nest on a cliff</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am a height of magical poetry</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the most beautiful among flowers</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the salmon of wisdom</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> Who but I is both the tree and the lightning that strikes it</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> Who but I is the dark secret of the dolmen not yet hewn</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the queen of every hive</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the fire on every hill</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the shield over every head</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the spear of battle</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the ninth wave of eternal return</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> I am the grave of every vain hope</i></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><i> Who but I knows the path of the sun or the periods of the moon"</i></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">The song is a riddle about the very force of
creation, that mysterious force from the Otherworld that permeates every
single aspect of our world and brings it into manifestation, the great mystery
itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span></div>
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</span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-18914648588221986982012-02-26T15:06:00.003-08:002016-12-18T17:26:50.539-08:00The Pigeon Hole and the Magic Trout<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
There are many tales from Celtic legend about sacred trout or salmon, and they are often associated with holy wells and springs. I wasn't sure if any of these places from legend still existed but I was determined to track down one of these wells, even if the sacred fish were no longer to be seen there.</div>
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A little research led to me to a cave in Ireland called Poll na gColum, which in English mean "The Pigeon Hole". It is accessed by a flight of rocky steps that lead directly down through a fissure in the earth into a large cavern through which flows a small underground stream.</div>
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The legend of the "fairy trout" associated with this cave tells of a pair of young lovers who were engaged to be married, when one night the man was ambushed and killed, and his body thrown into the nearby lake. Soon afterwards an unusual trout was seen in the waters of the Pigeon Hole. The young maiden was stricken with grief for her lost love but soon she too mysteriously disappeared. Not long after that a another mysterious trout was also seen in the cave, but this time it was pure white. People said that the fairies had united the lovers in the water and ever since that day these magic trout had been held in reverence by the locals as sacred fish.</div>
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Many years later a outsider went fishing in the cave and caught the white trout. He placed it on his gridiron and immediately the trout transformed into a beautiful young woman who begged to be allowed back into the water. The stranger obliged her, but ever since that day when the white trout was seen it had the strange markings of a gridiron on its sides.</div>
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I had no idea how I was going to find this well, the only information I had to go on was that it lay "between Loch Mask and Loch Corrib" to the west of the village of Cong, so on my recent visit to Ireland I took a detour from Galway to Cong to see what I could find.</div>
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Cong was a beautiful little stone-built village with a broad shallow river running right though it. I went into the local store to ask about the Pigeon Hole. The girl at the counter had no idea what I was talking about. I was starting to worry that I might just be chasing legends! She called over an older lady who immediately started giving me vague sounding directions in a broad Irish accent. "Just out o' de village to yer right, up to de crossroads wi' de boats and it's just along dere on yer right!"</div>
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It seemed too easy so I got her to clarify it a bit. Slightly more confident I then set off up the road, half expecting to end up in the middle of nowhere without a clue where to go next! I drove across the river to the right of the shop, and then continued quite a long way until I came to a crossroads where I was surprised to see a boatyard! I followed the small lane to the right until I came to a layby with a footpath leading away into woods which glistened in the damp drizzly air.</div>
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Following the footpath through the trees everything seemed glow magically green, from the bright green moss to the wet green ferns. I could hear the birds singing in the trees, but all else was silence until I approached small clearing ahead. Through the rocks scattered around there I could hear a vague rushing sound and I knew that somewhere near here must lie the entrance to the fabled cave!</div>
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It turned out that the cave was not difficult to find. In the rocks directly ahead of me a large fissure appeared in the ground, and down the centre of the fissure a flight of rough stone steps lead down into the bowels of the earth.</div>
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The rushing sound bellowed forth from this crack in the earth, betraying the presence of the river far below. The steps were steep and slippery, but luckily a handrail had been provided for visitors. I knew that in times gone by washer women used to descend these steps to do their laundry, though why they would choose such a dark subterranean location for their ablutions is hard to say.</div>
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At the bottom of the stairs the fissure opened out into a large cavern through which ran a fast flowing stream of water.</div>
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I climbed down and then gazed into the water, shining my torch around, but could see no life in there at all. To my left the stream emerged from under a wall of rock, while to my right the stream flowed down along the far wall of the cavern until it disappeared into the darkness at the far end of the cave.</div>
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At some point in the past there had been a cave-in and now the whole right side of the cave was half filled by a jumble of boulders, but undeterred I was determined to explore those far recesses. I gingerly crept and crawled over the slippery rocks with only my small hand torch to guide my way through the blackness. Several times I could see the stream flowing under the rocks beneath me but eventually I stumbled my way to the far end of the cavern where the stream narrowed and flowed out of the cave to continue on its subterranean journey before it emerged again into the river at Cong.</div>
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I could go no further that way but instead climbed upwards through the jumble of boulders to explore some of the far corners of the cave. When I had got almost as far as it was possible to go from the entrance I noticed my torch alighting upon some small black balls suspended from the ceiling. It didn't take me long to work out what they were, bats!</div>
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I crept as close to them as I could, half expecting at any moment that they would burst to life and start flapping all around my head, sending me into a spin, but luckily that never happened, the bats didn't seem to take any notice of my presence despite shining my torch on them from only inches away.</div>
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Satisfied with my discovery I headed back over the rocks to the base of the steps. I put my bag down and sat on a rock, gazing into the flowing stream. I noticed that the water ahead of me seemed to well up, like there was an underwater spring there. Perhaps that's what made this place a holy well?</div>
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I gazed into the water some more and then closed my eyes...</div>
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<i>I had a vision of the white trout swimming against the current. Then from behind me to my left a man stepped into the chamber. He was an Irish king from ancient times, wearing a short robe of plaid with a small golden crown holding down his neck length hair. He carried before him, reverently it seemed, a richly decorated equal-armed golden cross like some ancient reliquary. He passed by me and stepped down into the water, the water covering first his bare legs, and then his robes until he was completely submerged. He continued down down underwater, still holding the cross before him until he stood on the very bottom of the river. There he lay down with the cross over his chest and slowly his corpse dissolved away into the current until only the golden cross remained and fish swam from his bones. All the while the white trout looked on.</i></div>
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<i>The next thing I could see were shades emerging from the two ends of the cavern, at the outflow and inflow of the stream. These dusty ancient ghosts looked like chieftains and heroes from times long gone. They gathered around the golden cross and formed a circle of around two dozen souls, all gazing inwards towards the ground before them.</i></div>
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At this point the vision ended and slowly I opened my eyes and gazed upon the dark brown pattern of the stream flowing before me. But something wasn't right. The stream shouldn't be flowing like that. There was something moving in there! As my eyes grew accustomed to the waking world again I slowly realised that I was gazing at a fish, a trout! Was I still dreaming? No, there was not one trout, there were two! One was light and speckly, while the other smaller one was pure black.</div>
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I was sure that these were magic trout, I had been blessed by their appearance!</div>
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I was not tempted to try and photograph them, I knew that their presence was meant just for me, and that such elusive and magical fish could not be photographed in any case. As I gazed at them, wondering what they had come to communicate to me, I suddenly knew what I had to do. I reached into my bag a withdrew my wand and a crystal. I summoned the white light and magical healing energy and then planted my wand into the stream before me. I held the crystal in my hand and filled it with energy and intention and then cast it into the water.</div>
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<i>I saw the crystal tumble down and down into the depths of the stream and then alight upon the very centre of the golden cross. It fixed itself there firmly and filled the cross with its energy. The cross slowly started to rotate and sent out a burst of pure white light in all directions. The white light filled the ghosts and ancient heroes, releasing them and transforming them into beings of light, no longer burdened with the weight of their past. As the cross span it started to rise, higher and higher, it transformed into a Brigid's cross, like a slowly spinning Catherine wheel. Higher and higher it climbed until its image was superimposed upon the face of the sun. The cross and the sun became one. The cross was the sun.</i></div>
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Well what did that all mean? I didn't even try to analyse it, I just accepted it, and accepted that its meaning would be revealed to me in due time. I had come to this cave like a tourist, with no expectations at all, I didn't even expect to see any fish! But somehow I was meant to be there, and while I was there everything flowed just as it should, without any preconceptions or imposition of my own will upon the situation. I realised that I had been trying too hard recently, and that this had caused me to become burned out until I really had started losing my way and not knowing where to turn next. But somehow I knew that I had to come to Ireland, and I knew that I had to look for magic fish there!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span></div>
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</span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-17263017798060987672011-11-18T12:44:00.000-08:002017-02-08T15:05:21.152-08:00North Wales - Holy Wells and a Holy Mountain<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After my experience with Gwyn ap Nudd on Dinas Bran I travelled over North Wales visiting several of the holy wells there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Tecla's Well (where epilepsy could be cured by carrying a chicken under your arm!) was in a small village and seemed to be well looked after.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Dyfnog's Well was in a magical wooded gully behind a church and has a large bathing pool where I was guided to go in and take an icy dip! I amplified the healing properties of the water here using my wand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Trillo's well was in a tiny chapel on the seashore, in the smallest church in Wales! Legend states that St. Trillo was drawn to the well by a column of light issuing forth from the ground. I ended up sitting through a Eucharist service here in order to sample the well's water's! I didn't feel like St. Trillo made me feel welcome there though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Tudno's Well, on the Great Orm's Head, was overgrown and forgotten, but somehow clogged up with plastic rubbish which I spent some time removing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Next on my list was St. Seriol's Well at Penmom Priory on the island of Anglesey. I was quite excited to be going to Anglesey, and my first view over the Menai Strait was directly towards the remote corner of the island where Penmon Priory lay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After crossing the Menai bridge I arrived at Penmon Priory quite late in the day. After a quick look at the ancient and impressive dovecote I went directly over to the holy well, which lay just behind the priory. The short winter day was already drawing to a close, but a family was there already, the children gazing at the coins deposited in the crystal-clear waters of the well, so I took the opportunity to explore the area around the well and look back towards the priory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I returned the family had gone, so I finally had the place to myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat on the stone seat inside the wellhouse and meditated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I didn't get any messages in there but was drawn instead to the circular foundations outside, the remains of the ancient hermit's cell of St. Seriol.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cell seemed to be filled with a yellow, glowing light, which flickered inside golden tendrils. I cautiously stepped into the energy of the cell and stood directly in its centre, where I planted my wand purposefully into the ground. Golden energy then seemed to fan out from my wand in all directions, like the spokes of a great wheel, connecting it to the walls of the cell. A beam of white light then shot out from the tip of my wand, directly upwards, seemingly all the way up to the stars. My wand now seemed to be connected to a distant star hidden deep in the heavens, and it felt like some kind of communication was going on, like my wand was receiving a download of some sort. The communication finished, but I didn't quite know what any of it meant, it felt like whatever information my wand was now carrying was there for me to use somehow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I decided to get out my dowsing rods to try to find out what was going on here. I summoned the white light down from the sky into my rods, like I always do, and put up my protections, but instead of the energy entering into the crown of my head as it usually does, it landed in front of me and instantly transformed into the glowing white image of Merlin!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Merlin spoke to me. He told me I had performed my tasks well. I had not abused my power, and was ready to ascend to the next level. I would become Merlin! What did he mean by this? He told me to go to the highest point on Ynys Mon and meet him there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walked back to my car in the gloomy twilight and said hello to the local cat, who seemed to be waiting for me and was meowing loudly. I sat in the car and got out my map. The weather was cold and damp, and I could feel a cold coming on. I did not relish the prospect of having to climb a mountain! Luckily for me though Anglesey (Ynys Mon) does not have any mountains as such, just some moderately high hills!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A quick search on the internet soon directed me to Holyhead Mountain, the highest point on Anglesey. Although not strictly on Anglesey, as Holy Island is separated from Ynys Mon by a narrow strait, I instinctively knew that it was the right place. The Holy Island! Where else? It's name goes back to ancient druids when Anglesey was the holiest place in Wales, and Holy Island was the holiest place on Anglesey! Truly a place of power!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So I started the engine and drove over to Holyhead in the dark, and awaited the dawn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was a chilly, windy, damp day in late November. My throat was getting sore, my nose runny and my limbs achy, so I drove as near as I could to Holyhead Mountain, up a farm track near its south face. The mountain looked daunting, with sheer rock faces, but my map indicated a path of some sort to the top, so off I trotted, feeling better with each step I took into the clean fresh air.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walked over to a craggy point on the east of the hilltop and stood facing into the strong wind. I held my wand in front of me and meditated while the wind buffeted me. Soon I could hear myself chanting, a deep guttural tone sung directly into the wind, which seemed to carry it right through me and deep into the mountain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The old ones would awaken!" I thought as I heard the sound reverberating through hidden underground caverns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then Merlin appeared before me, a giant, huge and powerful, composed entirely of white light. I rose up in size to meet him, Aurvandil, tall and powerful also, another glowing giant of light. We stood there facing each other on the mountaintop, as equals. Merlin praised me again, and told me that I had now achieved my initiation. He told me I could now ascend to the next level. He touched a blue teardrop crystal that sat on my forehead and it glowed. Was this my third eye opening? Had I now come full circle? From my initiation in Merlin's Cave to my ascension on Holyhead Mountain?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The blue gem on my forehead glowed brightly, as did the white crystal on my wand. They both glowed brilliantly with a blinding light. I raised my wand into the air and called down a huge and powerful column of white light from the sky which filled the whole mountain with its energy. So powerful was the energy that soon the whole island seemed to be filled with it. I connected this place of power into the grid of energy, but somehow this felt different, not just a node of energy but an entire hub, huge and powerful. The holy island of the druids, the power centre of Anglesey, the power centre of Wales, the Holy Isle of Merlin! As the energy coursed through me I could feel my body trembling as the huge column of light passed through me, into the mountain and then out into the web that covered the whole earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the energy slowly faded I could feel myself returning to my own body again, back to the windswept mountaintop and the wild nature of the island of Britain. My body had been shaking but now I felt calm. Merlin told me that my task for the present time was now done. I should relax now and await further instructions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I started to set off walking back down the mountain but soon came to a pool that I hadn't noticed on my way up. I felt compelled to place a crystal in the pool and some of the water from St. Trillo's well. This mountain would now become a magical place I thought, full of dancing lights and strange energies and phenomena. Local people would notice the difference, the old magic would return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I reached the bottom I looked back up at the summit. In my mind's eye I could still see the giant forms of Merlin and Aurvandil standing up there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Once giants walked the earth," I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And maybe soon they will again...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">====================================================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-24488886420043951982011-11-16T14:26:00.000-08:002017-02-08T15:05:21.167-08:00Castell Dinas Bran - Gwyn ap Nudd<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Castell Dinas Bran near Llangollen in Wales is where St. Collen was invited to the court of the fairy king Gwyn ap Nudd. Legend says that he climbed the hill and entered a magnificent kingdom of richly attired courtiers where he was offered all the food, drink and entertainment his heart could desire by the fairy king who was seated upon a golden throne; but St. Collen refused to believe the illusion and threw holy water over them all to make them disappear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I arrived in Llangollen on a dank, cold, misty afternoon in November. It was already getting late so it didn't seem like the right time to head up to the summit. I contented myself instead with wandering around the fairy-haunted woods below. Local folklore tells of an ancient walnut tree near Llandyn hall where the fairies used to hold their weddings at night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found a likely looking spot that fit the description, but the tree was no longer there. It was chopped down in the 19th century, but not before the fairies had their revenge, as a man was killed by a falling branch during the process!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I reached the base of Dinas Bran but the summit was barely visible through the mist, just a hint of ruined walls visible now and then. A sheep coughing sounded eerily human, the atmosphere was sombre. I could sense the presence of the fairy king up there but now was not the time to pay him a visit, I would return the next day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was greeted in the morning by bright sunshine, what a relief! I set off early to Dinas Bran and parked in a lane behind the hill to save on climbing time. The valley below me was still filled with the early morning mist, so I wandered down through the fairy woods to soak up the atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recalled another tale told of Dinas Bran where a shepherd had an encounter with the fairy folk in a wooded glade called Nant Yr Ellyllon. He met a small man playing the most magical music on a fiddle while the fairies danced all around. Unable to resist he joined in the dance and was unable to stop until his master arrived in the morning and broke the spell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat in the woods above Llandyn Hall and meditated, hoping to make some connection with the Fae there, but all I could sense was Gwyn ap Nudd up on the hilltop, waiting for me! Clearly that was where I was meant to be!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I couldn't put it off any longer so up I climbed. The walk was a lot less difficult than I thought it was going to be, so I soon found myself near the top. I came first to the shallow remains of a ditch, that probably once surrounded the ancient hillfort that crowned this hill. I felt like I should say some words before I stepped inside, so I circled the ditch chanting:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Gwyn ap Nudd,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lord of Annwn,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I ask your permission to enter!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could feel the energy building, something big is about to happen! I stepped forward: "I am Aurvandil, the luminous wanderer. I come here bringing the light. The light of the evening star. The light from above."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I approached an archway in the ruined walls of the ancient castle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gwyn ap Nudd is standing there in his shining black armour and greets me: "You are most welcome here Aurvandil!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walk through the archway and feel myself stepping into another world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A large banquet hall is filled with much revelry and music. I sit at the high table besides Gwyn ap Nudd and he offers me food and wine. I feel like I am a powerful and respected lord like him, my white silks contrasting with his magnificent black armour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I stand up and my crystal-tipped wand glows brilliantly in my hand as I hold it aloft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I come here to bring the light and the energy you need!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"No longer must you live underground. It is time to return to the world above!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The hall erupts into a loud cheer as they hold their drinks aloft and celebrate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I open my eyes and find that I am not alone in Castell Dinas Bran. A German photographer is there, taking photos for an article about Arthurian sites in Wales. The castle is linked to the grail legends through its association with King Bran. I'm hoping that he's going to leave soon so that I can perform my ritual in peace, but he lingers, taking photos of the fort from every possible angle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can feel the Fae growing restless: "What is he waiting for?" they say.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eventually I can wait no longer and with the photographer still hanging around the periphery I step into the centre of the fort and start to tune in to the energies. I can feel the energy building like a lightning storm about to explode. I start to feel light-headed and cast a circle around me. I raise my wand above my head and as I do so the lightning strikes! The energy courses through me directly into the hill, a massive amount of energy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I plant my wand into the ground to anchor the energies there. All the while the energy is still flowing down from the sky into the ground, filling the whole hill with a matrix of white light. I can feel the Fae being transformed into beings of light, and see them flowing out of the hillside in great streaming, serpentlike torrents, up into the sky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gwyn ap Nudd stood before me, no longer dark he was now composed entirely of white light covered in streams of iridescent colours like some being from another dimension. He thanked me for what I had done. I could now see the web of light connecting this hilltop with countless similar places of power all over the world. The Unity Consciousness Grid! Was this it? I had just been reading about it, and how it was preparing the world for the shift in consciousness and the ascension the next level of being. Was I here in Britain doing my own small bit to contribute, like so many other </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">l</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ightworkers all over the world? I had just been reading about how the ancient Maya had been exiled underground, awaiting the fifth world when they could return to earth as beings of light. Were the Fae our version of the ancient Maya? Weren't they also forced underground long ago, and were they not now returning?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Suddenly everything that I had been doing was starting to make sense. Anchoring energies. The grid. The return of the Fae. Raising the consciousness of the people by energising the water. The ascension. Those that will rise to the next level and those who will be left behind. A new world created. Nature in harmony, vibrant and alive. The Lord of the Wild claiming back is domain. The Fae who will once more walk over the face of the earth, and the enlightened ones who will create a new world!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Looking around the castle I notice a little enclosure that looks like a shrine, it is facing due west. I leave an offering there and give thanks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walk down the hillside and watch two jays chasing each other through the trees. The magical wooded glade ahead is surely Nant yr Ellyllon as mentioned in the folk tales. The glade of the shining ones, where if you're not carefull you'll spend all night dancing with the fairies!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">====================================================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com3Llangollen, Denbighshire, UK52.969215 -3.171659999999974452.944448 -3.2491684999999744 52.993981999999995 -3.0941514999999744tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-25739946118525729002011-11-02T14:00:00.000-07:002017-02-08T15:05:21.171-08:00Craig y Ddinas Fairy Fort<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The vale of Neath in South Wales has long been held to be a place of special enchantment and has many tales attached to it regarding the fairy folk, but the central place of enchantment in the whole valley is the fairy fort of Craig y Ddinas, said to be the last stronghold of the fairies in Wales.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I arrived there on an early November afternoon under an overcast sky. The minor road through the village of Pontneddfechan led over a bridge to a small car park right at the base of the craggy hill. A couple of climbers wearing hard hats were scaling one of the rock faces, while another rock face had been completely covered over in a wire mesh, presumably to avert rockfalls. This was disappointing, I was hoping to have the place to myself, and fairies really don't like iron!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I avoided the climbers and managed to find a small trail to the right that seemed to lead right up the side of the hill. As I crept up the path got steeper and the rocks got slippier, until eventually I was climbing on all fours, hauling myself up the side of the crag through narrow gaps in the rocks or around precipitous ledges. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With relief I made it to the top and admired the spectacular view. It was then that I noticed that this rocky promontory sat in a fork between two rivers that joined together just beyond the car park. I had always found these no-man's lands in the fork between two rivers to be especially magical places, and in that respect this was the most magical place of it's type I had ever been to! I could clearly hear the roaring of the rivers on either side of the fort, even though they were out of view down deep wooded gorges.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Closing my eyes I stood there on the summit of this high windy place and tuned in to the energies. I was immediately transported to the face of the cliff, just in front of where I was standing. Floating there in mid-air I saw a fairy door open in the cliff face before me, so after a slight hesitation I stepped inside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The interior of the hill contained a rabbit-warren of dark corridors populated by elves in dark shiny armour, who all seemed to be preoccupied, either going about their business or just standing there as if on guard. I didn't find anyone to talk to and soon found myself transported back outside to the summit where my physical body was still standing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My guide Atheron was there, himself one of the 'dark elves' he told me to link this fort to the others, as I had done oftentimes before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The dark elves are hidden here, not departed," he told me. "Connect them to the web!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I raised my wand over my head and did as I was instructed, bringing down the pure white energy from the sky, conducting it through my own body, and down into the ground through my feet where it entered the chambers below me. The energy then spread out in many directions on beams of white light, connecting this fort with all the other high places I had visited, both in this land and in others, linking it in to the web which now seemed to cover the entire earth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then I remembered the tale associated with this fort of the sleeping knights of King Arthur who are said to dwell within it. All at once I knew! The knights had now been awakened! The knights were the fae! Sleeping, waiting for the day when they would return once more to the surface as beings of light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wandered over to the very edge of the cliff and sat with my legs wrapped around a young oak tree which was perched precariously over the void. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTVzBIE6sy3It91swjWiejDh0h3tXEUhMpPCqn94i3SgiELDYxzJ9IKU8kcybsv9Sf6b-RnwRQKLczPaIAE9IT42KHw8qz2Ov4oYMoOg3VpH09lFYWHvFM0_pmPbe4vP5rHLidtdAPk8/s1600/IMG_3174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTVzBIE6sy3It91swjWiejDh0h3tXEUhMpPCqn94i3SgiELDYxzJ9IKU8kcybsv9Sf6b-RnwRQKLczPaIAE9IT42KHw8qz2Ov4oYMoOg3VpH09lFYWHvFM0_pmPbe4vP5rHLidtdAPk8/s400/IMG_3174.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was sitting right on top of where I now knew the fairy gateway to be. I could see the car park far below my feet and the forest rolling off into the distance ahead of me. Below and to my left I could see a long slope of bare rock reaching all the way from the clifftop to the base of the hill. Closing my eyes I could the days of long ago when beings of light happily danced and played and span cartwheels down the long slope, to the amazement of any local people who happened to be out wandering on these auspicious nights.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With a slight sense of vertigo I hauled myself back up and went to explore the hilltop further. I soon came across a strange shaped rock that looked invitingly like a throne. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I couldn't resist settling down into it and as soon as I did so I found myself uttering the following words:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"O fairies of the sacred hill</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I come not here to wish you ill</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I come here but to send you forth</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To east, south, west and north</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To carry forth across this land</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The members of the secret band."</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I then stood up from the 'chair', surprised with myself again! I wandered over to the cliff edge, this time to a deep crevice in the rock that overlooked the wooded gorge containing one of the raging rivers. A dangerous looking path seemed to lead down through the crevice to the cliff face where it turned a corner and disappeared from view. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It made me think of the tales of fairy treaure that had been found up here and I wondered if any of them were true and where this mysterious path led. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I closed my eyes and summoned Atheron again, but he had other things on his mind:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"It's time to step into your power!" Atheron told me. "Time to become one of the beings of light!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a message I had got many times recently, but I still did not fully understand what it meant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Most will be left behind in this fourth world, but some will ascend to fifth world to join the shining ones. Others will be inspired to follow, but your real job here is to help prepare the world for this ascension."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He was refering to the Hopi prophesy that I had learned about recently in Arizona. They believe that this present world, which they call the fourth world, will soon be coming to an end, and only those who remain of one heart and follow the teachings of their god Maasaw will survive to populate the coming fifth world. But Atheron seemed to be giving me a slightly different message, that somehow some people would 'ascend' from this world, leaving the old world behind. To my mind it meant that those who ascended would enter a different reality, a different consciousness, while to those who were left behind it would appear like nothing had happened. This would all become much clearer soon, but at this point my understanding was still rather vague.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I stepped back from that hollow place near the cliff edge and decided to go searching for Ffynon Ddu, the black sping. I continued down the path that passed down the spine of the hill until eventually I came to a tiny little rivulet of water that passed over the path. "This must be it!" I though. Now all I had to do was follow it to its source.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I scrambled through bracken and briars for a couple of hundred yards until I noticed that the gurgling rivulet to my right was no longer there. I backtracked a little and there hidden under a mass of brambles and ferns was the spring, bubbling up from between some rocks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After dowsing to ascertain if this spring carried the correct vibration, I placed a crystal deep into it's source, energised it, and then drank the water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could see the web of light in the sky that connected this fairy fort to all the others, immediately to my mind came the Hopi prophesy that one day a web would cover the entire land. This has been interpreted as meaning the internet, but was this the real web that was prophesied? I then saw all the springs, and the web of energy that they created over the land too. The male energy of the sky web, and the female energy of the earth web.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sank deeper into a trance and was told that I should soon ascend into the light and leave this mortal body behind. It's worries and concerns were not mine. My work here would soon be done, the old me would die and a new me would be reborn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Suddenly I felt a powerful presence to my right, it was the god Pan. I felt humbled and called him my master.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I am not your master," he retorted. "Your love of the wildwoods comes from your past lives that you're still holding on to. You must truly let this go before you can ascend into the light."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I knew that he was right, but right now I did not feel ready to let go of my attachments to this earth and all its wild wonder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was then given a revelation concerning the shamanic worldview of lower, middle and upper worlds: The lower world is the previous third world, where mankind and nature were one. The upper world is the coming fifth world, a magical, spiritual realm where the current laws of nature do not apply. I had nothing to fear from the fifth world, nature is still there, but in the fifth world it would assume its perfect form and I could commumicate directly with nature's devas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Step into your power! Become Aurvandil!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coming back down to earth I returned to my human body and continued walking through the woods, down the slope on the far side, and down to the river encased in autumnal forest, thinking of how attached I was this this world and all its natural wonders, despite the cold gloominess of the day and all the imperfections of this world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">====================================================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-64910039165263726592011-10-31T15:34:00.000-07:002017-02-08T15:05:21.221-08:00St. Anne's Well, Trellech - Fairy frogs?<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm starting my investigation of the faery lore of Wales at St. Anne's well, Trellech, in the south-east corner of the country near Monmouth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As well as being associated with the Celtic deity Annis, goddess of waters, wells and wisdom, St. Anne's well is also said to be the haunt of fairies, who come out each midsummer's eve to dance around the well and drink from harebell cups.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I arrived on a dull, wet, overcast Samhain, cursing the foul weather. Having just arrived back from the hot deserts of Arizona I gave thanks for the rain anyway, remembering the life and vitality it brings to our land, but wondering if we really need so much of it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The well lies just by the road and is easily accessed. I could immediately see the clootie rags tied to the trees and the stone outline of the well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I stepped inside and saw many more offerings lying in alcoves and around the well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I approached the alcove containing the well and peered down into the murky water, it looked stagnant and not a trickle could be heard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I left an offering in a scallop shell and tied a silk clootie rag to the tree. It was not an inspiring day, but the drizzle was easing off so I got my dowsing rods out to try to get some inspiration. The only message I got was that this water carried a vibration I needed and I should drink it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Putting off the idea of dipping my cup into the murky water I sat down under the trees to meditate instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I did so I noticed a small frog in the grass.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I bet you like the rain!" I said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It made me realise that while I was cursing the rain, others were thriving in it and needed it for their very survival. That made me feel a bit more humble.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Are you the guardian of this place?" I asked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I picked up Mr. Frog and held him in my hands. He didn't like it and leaped off, but as he did so it felt like he was leaping down my throat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could hear my voice speaking with the voice of the frog, I literally had a frog in my throat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Drink the water!" he said in his froggy voice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Not that again," I thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the frog sat there in front of me I closed my eyes and meditated. I followed him into the otherworld and he showed me the fairies dancing in a circle around the well. They looked like children wearing white shifts with flowers in their hair. I wanted to see more, I wanted to know why I was here, but he had nothing more to show me, so I bade him farewell and returned to the well, drinking cup in hand...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I peered down into the water. It was dark, deep and still, but I could just make out the bottom, which meant that the water couldn't be that murky, could it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Oh well, here goes!" I thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I scooped up some water and pondweed. It looked surprisingly clear, so I took a sip, and then another and another. It went down nicely, as did the small pieces of pondweed! After the third sip I opened my eyes and was astonished to see a big frog looking back up at me from the depths of the pool! I didn't even question it, it was magic! The guardian of the pool like the salmon that guards magic pools in Irish legends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He was swimming around helplessly against the side of the well, but how could he possibly get out? The well was over a foot deep from the rim to the waterline and there was absolutely no way to jump out! A magic frog indeed!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I would give him a hand so I placed my hand under him, fully expecting him to struggle and squirm, but he just lay there contentedly as I picked him up and placed him gently in front of the well opening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_eE05OVS0C6HFhTlaiLVE5E0mw7RrTfDz8P9-_YcZVDv15fn75C8IY8iaqU6R9nUO-RAZKAVtD2rPUoapCksOlwa4dTGKTgGSvwbtfAaKDvNjX44hbfRozWgFHZW12_iJbpeSwj5K04/s1600/IMG_3129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_eE05OVS0C6HFhTlaiLVE5E0mw7RrTfDz8P9-_YcZVDv15fn75C8IY8iaqU6R9nUO-RAZKAVtD2rPUoapCksOlwa4dTGKTgGSvwbtfAaKDvNjX44hbfRozWgFHZW12_iJbpeSwj5K04/s400/IMG_3129.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat and looked at him, and he sat and looked at me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKrODm5qm93orRv1WpVsxJ-9S1edSiq23Fvcf3QjpAj_kY3QKrDpyyfD2kFU43XHRTuPJwvdTPLDNUF4A1tmH2k8PF3djDy_JdMsAcOHfJdYD9oKEfnlKb8okG2ik9b7Djp5bAj9f2YI/s1600/IMG_3127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKrODm5qm93orRv1WpVsxJ-9S1edSiq23Fvcf3QjpAj_kY3QKrDpyyfD2kFU43XHRTuPJwvdTPLDNUF4A1tmH2k8PF3djDy_JdMsAcOHfJdYD9oKEfnlKb8okG2ik9b7Djp5bAj9f2YI/s400/IMG_3127.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Do you mind if I take your photo?" I said. He didn't object so I went to fetch my camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What did he want me to do now? Was he a messenger from the fairies? Did he have a task for me? Did he want me to follow him?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took some crystals and other items from my bag to try to get a clue, but he showed his disapproval by crawling back inside the well-house and sitting in a crevice in there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"You take a lot of photos," he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I like to show people what I've been doing," I replied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Release that need," he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He was right, I worry too much about keeping records and informing people, I was getting distracted. I had been away from my homeland too long and was focusing on the wrong things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Switch off your mind," he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I knelt down in front of the well and meditated deeply. I pushed my head through the entrance and seemed to pass through a veil into another world. Sounds echoed around and oscillated within the chamber in a strange way. Soon I was in a world of huge gnarled old oaks, black and damp from the rain. The frog was ahead of me leaping through the wet twisted roots as I jumped onto his back. We were in the underworld, the old world of nature and spirits where I came from before I entered this world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Use your intuition," he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I opened my eyes and then noticed the half-burned joss stick sticking in the earth right in front of him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Light it!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I got a lighter out and lit it, fully expecting him to reel from the flames, but he just sat there impassively, staring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">First I placed the joss stick outside the well, but a tiny frog appeared from nowhere, jumping out of the well and past the joss stick! Now I'd seen three sizes of frogs; medium frog, big frog and now tiny frog!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I placed the burning joss stick back in the well and knelt down to meditate some more. I was immediately carried away on the heady scent, to the spicy land of India with visions of deserts, towering dunes, mystical cities,intricately carved temples and exotic robes. I could feel myself back there and I was loving it! Did I have to return again? The idea had been in the back of my mind for some time now. Is this what it took to bring it to the front of my mind?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I opened my eyes again. Big frog was still sitting there impassively in his crevice, throat oscillating with a regular rhythm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Thanks Mr. Frog," I said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat down on the stone bench inside the well and took out my glittering purple stone which I use for releasements. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ewKmZCXE0rr2tz1mSGF6JskBO5t7EOeV8NgucnsBZ_OOUr95OUDmMSB4_vW4qa1aJCSS-8uzClhzZbPQrDfAP8gBVdjiK5i9tUgnXiMScdy3uQZILJgnReXNFg0ZapmqFUGA18QrYu0/s1600/IMG_3123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ewKmZCXE0rr2tz1mSGF6JskBO5t7EOeV8NgucnsBZ_OOUr95OUDmMSB4_vW4qa1aJCSS-8uzClhzZbPQrDfAP8gBVdjiK5i9tUgnXiMScdy3uQZILJgnReXNFg0ZapmqFUGA18QrYu0/s400/IMG_3123.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I called upon archangel Zadkiel and felt the whole chamber fill with a violet light from the heavens. I released the need to record my discoveries, my need to share my findings with others, the need to convince others, and anything else that was holding me back from getting into the flow of my own true path, all the fears and pressures of this physical world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could see my path unfolding before me and the freedom was exhilarating! The freedom to pursue my destiny! 'The Virtuous Well' was showing me the virtuous path!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And now that I'd released the 'need' to record all this information I could actually enjoy doing it again! ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">***********************</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As dusk fell I went to visit the nearby standing stones. The waters of the spring are said to run under the stones and be linked with druidic rites. I could just make out the stones in the twilight and could hear the loud screeching and hooting of a pair of owls nearby.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HlLK0R3P_DsFK7YIU5IV8cK9BVE3sHkbO7l7EF7lJ99cddthWGQ86RXM6ert0G0wlsj3T5NoLVtCZIyIgz_8MOmcWrXZGlnPH8hfYmN0e6PHZGLGTDfXhL1qlvSXyJJBxdIbCn_Ox4M/s1600/IMG_3137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HlLK0R3P_DsFK7YIU5IV8cK9BVE3sHkbO7l7EF7lJ99cddthWGQ86RXM6ert0G0wlsj3T5NoLVtCZIyIgz_8MOmcWrXZGlnPH8hfYmN0e6PHZGLGTDfXhL1qlvSXyJJBxdIbCn_Ox4M/s400/IMG_3137.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I saw a fluttering near the top of the right hand stone. One of the owls? I walked around them in the darkness and placed my hands around the central one. They seemed to be pointing up towards the stars. Ancient reminders of a long lost technology and civilization. A monument to the vanity of mankind. Maybe this was why I was never too keen on standing stones, mankind's earlier attempts to manipulate the forces of nature. Springs were entirely natural, the creation of the goddess, standing stones were not, they were planted there by mankind, linking earth and sky, as above so below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was Samhain, a magical night when the veil between the worlds was thinner, but now it was cold, dark and wet. The frogs had nothing more to show me this evening, it was time to seek shelter and warmth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">====================================================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com1Trellech, Monmouth, Gwent, UK51.7461911 -2.724322700000016151.6998056 -2.789633700000016 51.7925766 -2.6590117000000162tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-39203246121527331372011-08-29T14:39:00.000-07:002017-02-08T15:05:21.185-08:00St. Blane's Church & The Fairy Well<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The ruins of St. Blane's Church lie on the site of an ancient monastery, one of the first of it's kind in the British Isles. The walls of the monastery and the foundations of some of the ancient monks' cells still exist in this secluded wooded location near the southern tip of the Isle of Bute.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was drawn to the place because of it's healing fairy well and a strange circular enclosure called the Devil's Cauldron which archaeologists can find no real explanation for. Folklore tells that within the Devil's Cauldron grew a pine tree that had the magical power to give visions if a sprig of its leaves was left under one's pillow overnight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I arrived at St. Blane's Church in the light of early evening, bright and breezy. The place was deserted so I had it all to myself!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The layout of the place was impressive, with the vallum that enclosed the original 6th century monastery still clearly visible and marking out the boundary of this ancient sacred space.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could see the ruins of the 12th century church ahead.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I ignored the ruined church for now and headed straight for the fairy well, but I was disappointed to see that a very heavy iron grille had been placed over it, set permanently into concrete. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-EDG3WoqZY2KSO_-rjGtf_QVykZ1DoC0mUypbKbU43jk5ewsbDwHCJxAi2nwMgEhba8kjWJNz7wdUjKKl2B9GMlSxRQ8Wx5mppVb2ap7cGAtIXM1t5CzcjKgC1GaoBW3ou6JDkZWuSs/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-EDG3WoqZY2KSO_-rjGtf_QVykZ1DoC0mUypbKbU43jk5ewsbDwHCJxAi2nwMgEhba8kjWJNz7wdUjKKl2B9GMlSxRQ8Wx5mppVb2ap7cGAtIXM1t5CzcjKgC1GaoBW3ou6JDkZWuSs/s320/IMG_1903.JPG" width="266" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To me it was a desecration to treat such a sacred place in this way, it interferred with the spirit of the place, but at least the well was still there, even if it did have to be viewed through iron bars, and it still gave off a certain sparkly energy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I next went over to the Devil's Cauldron. It no longer had a pine tree growing in it, or any trees growing nearby. Perhaps those eager for visions had destroyed the pine tree long ago? Now it was just filled with cropped grass and a few rocks, but it had a certain energy that made me wary about entering, it felt somehow powerful, glowing and golden. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cJQcu32AgD_2T7_9FdOvnf7aXkT_EKoG4DCIz3KwuZk9mLwGvauedUKLVwFMcLwupZIMCWfYRfDsfed6zAZ1rV_RJBeH3jmG_3KsweV-KDpnDpYh5D6xL1iNv8Knw53PT4K2vRpJ8u8/s1600/IMG_1906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cJQcu32AgD_2T7_9FdOvnf7aXkT_EKoG4DCIz3KwuZk9mLwGvauedUKLVwFMcLwupZIMCWfYRfDsfed6zAZ1rV_RJBeH3jmG_3KsweV-KDpnDpYh5D6xL1iNv8Knw53PT4K2vRpJ8u8/s320/IMG_1906.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I did some protections and then stepped through the entrance.</span><br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inside it was filled with golden light, and I could see an even brighter light coming from a large being that stood inside there. It was a strange 'alien' creature, with a long head and long arms that stood stooped over me. I reached out to touch its long fingers, but it was like trying to touch a mirage, I was not able to communicate with it.</span></em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I stepped back outside the Cauldron and noticed many primrose leaves growing nearby. I picked 13 of them and rubbed them into my wand so that the juice stained the runes on there. Primroses are known from folklore to be a way to open doors to the otherworld, so my intent was to infuse my wand with this ability. Perhaps it would come in useful someday?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I next decided to get out my dowsing rods and I dowsed an energy line going into and of the Cauldron, but when I stepped inside the Cauldron to follow the line it formed a spiral going in to the centre. This was definately some kind of power node, a place of power and a place of visions. So I decided to lay down inside the cauldron and see where it would take me.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was accompanied by a power animal that had been lurking around in the background for a while now, but who I'd never quite got aquainted with. It was a blue-eyed silver wolf. He took me to a crystal cave where a wise old bearded man awaited, some kind of god-like spirit guide. He showed me that the cauldron was a place of power, glowing with yellow energy, and he showed me the sparkly white energy coming from the well. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the reason why the monks chose this place and built a wall around it all. They wanted to harness the energy of this place and use it for their own ends, to employ its power and to have spiritual experiences and visions. These monks were more like druids than churchmen! But over the generations these powers were forgotten as the monks became more orthodox.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was told that I should venerate the well, and focus my intention there to make it become a sacred and magical place once more.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I got up from the cauldron, feeling rather spaced out, and headed back over to the well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took a quartz crystal out of my bag and held it in my hand.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"With this crystal I hereby place my intention</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That this place shall once again be venerated.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It shall become a holy place,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A magic place,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That folk will flock to</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To worship</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And receive healing, joy and happiness"</span></em></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I placed the crystal into the well and then took out a corn dolly which I had bought in Glastonbury. I attached to to the metal grill so that people would know this was a special place.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Let the magic flow forth</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Flow forth from this holy well</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let it light up the sky</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let it draw folk here from far and wide</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's magic shall flow out</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Flow out over the land</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cascading</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Drawing people here</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bringing the joy of nature</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And Mother Earth to all</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They will dance and sing and tie ribbons</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Soon they will come</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They will feel the magic</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It will enter them</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A place of ceremony and celebration</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A new paganism</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A new spirituality</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Filled with joy and love</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I will make this happen!</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Old institutions will crumble</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All shall be enlightened, renewed and refreshed</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So mote it be!"</span></em></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I felt like my work was done here at last, so I wandered around this peaceful and enchanted place in the late evening light enjoying the nature and the atmosphere of the place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">====================================================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-60090166693677286542011-08-28T04:18:00.000-07:002017-02-08T15:05:21.215-08:00Iona - St. Columba and the Well of Age<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was drawn to the sacred island of Iona for several reasons, for its holy wells and fairy sites, and for its associations with mysticism and prophetic visions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I started by climbing Dun I, Iona's highest hill, to look for the fabled Well of Age, also known as the Well of Healing or the Fountain of Youth. It is said that if you splash the water on your face at sunset it will "roll back the years", but it is also known as a vision site by mystics. The Celtic goddess Bride (St. Bridget) is said to have climbed Dun I, and after rescuing a lamb from a falcon at the Well of Age she drank the water and had a vision. She stepped through a magical gateway created by two rowan trees and was transported back to birth of Jesus by two angels to act as midwife!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The climb to the top was easy enough, but at first I couldn't find the pool, only a small puddle under a rock. I got my dowsing rods out to find out if I was in the right place, and after asking a few questions I turned around and there it was! A large pool perched upon the edge of a cliff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The wind was blowing up there making quite a din, but as I climbed down to the edge of the pool all was calm and quiet. I sat by the pool in that sheltered spot and splashed the water onto my eyes, then sat down and meditated as the cold water slowly evaporated from my face.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could sense small playful elfin creatures dancing and playing around the pool and then at portal opened at the back of the pool with stairs going down under the rock. I walked down and soon found myself in a beautiful passageway, with an ivory, arched colonnade to my left through which I could see the most breathtaking trees covered all over in bright pink blossoms. I knew that I was back in Elfland. To my right was an elven lady wearing a long white dress with long flowing yellow hair.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"It is always spring in Elfland", she said, "If you wish it to be!"</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I knew that again I was being tempted to stay, and the place was so beautiful and calming that the temptation was great indeed, but I also knew that I had a job to do here on Earth, and no matter how difficult my life here on Earth might become, I had to complete whatever I had come here for before I could return.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without a word, but with a knowing look of calm serenity she led me further down the stairs to a high colonnaded courtyard containing the most majestic and awe-inspiring tree I had ever seen. Its perfectly formed branches shone golden to hold aloft a perfect crown of leaves giving off a golden light in which were nestled a sparkling array of glowing gems of all shapes and colours that twinkled in the twilight.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"This is the tree of knowledge", she said, "but it is sick. You must heal our tree."</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I knew that she meant there was something I must do on Earth in order to help heal the tree, but what that was I could not comprehend.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the vision faded I head a voice say: "Come back at midnight and drink the water".</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Afterwards everything felt otherworldly, almost like I was seeing our world superimposed upon another world that lies beneath, but more real and vibrant than our world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*********</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I descended from Dun I, down the other side that led towards the centre of the island. My next destination was the Hermit's Cell, a place of "spiritual wish-fulfilment and mystical experiences" where Robert Ogilvie-Crombie had met with the god Pan and many people had had visions and mystical experiences.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After struggling across the rough and tractless terrain for about an hour I finally spotted some low stone walls by a large rocky outcrop, and from the descriptions I had read I knew I had found the place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I climbed to the top of the rocky outcrop to survey area from above. To my right was a square enclosure incorporating huge boulders that looked like they could have been monoliths in their own right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To my left I could clearly make out the Hermit's cell "Tigh nan Cuildich" The House of the Culdees, looking like a strange ulcer on the surface of the land. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I climbed down from my hilltop eminence, circled slowly around the cell, and then stood by the entrance and closed my eyes.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could feel the energy emanating from the cell. A column of yellow light reaching up to the sky filled with flickering golden tendrils reaching up to the heavens. I stepped inside and basked for a while in that energy. It soon made me feel very spaced out! The energy seemed to be beaming down from an extra-terrestrial source as if it came from a flying saucer suspended in the sky. I felt myself being lifted up in the energy, growing taller and taller, until I was a huge being, like an ancient god, the Lord of All Wild Things. I looked down upon Iona from above and could see the Hermit's Cell at the centre, the omphalos of the island, it's centre of power. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I returned to my body and lay down in the cell, the energy formed a dome over me and I lay there feeling very otherworldly, in a deeply meditative state, until I was no longer aware of my body. I felt like I was in a dream.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eventually I arose and walked back to the large square enclosure by the cliff. I found a deep crevice in the rock face and squeezed in there with my back to the rock, facing the landscape of Iona. There I meditated even deeper and released some of my deep-seated needs which I realised were focused too much on this material world. I had no need to prove myself or justify myself, for a while at least I could just be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I walked back to the village by a long and boggy route, slightly lost my way, and then was attacked by an angry dog in a farmyard! Luckily he was on a long lead so I managed to get out of his reach just in time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Back at my B&B I looked up the "Tree of knowledge" on the internet and found out that it was the tree from the Hebrew bible from which Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit. But the real meaning of this allegorical tale seems to be that the tree represents the knowledge that first separated mankind from the animals. We chose to become different from the other creatures in this world by eating of this 'forbidden' knowledge. It also seems to be linked to the advent of farming somehow, as Adam and Eve's descendants were farmers, no longer in complete harmony with nature but struggling against it. Another reference to the "ancient teachers of mankind" maybe?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I returned to Dun I later that evening in total darkness. There was no moon or stars, and the wind was whipping in from the sea, rattling wires and fences. Everything looked dark and spooky, some scarecrows by a vegetable patch had a demonic appearance and even a collection of garden gnomes clustered around someones doorstep had a sinister aspect. After passing through the village I set off up the tractless hillside in complete darkness, with only my weak head-torch to guide the way through the surrounding blackness. I could just make out the grey outline of Dun I in the darkness and so I headed in that direction, trying to avoid slipping into a bog or some treacherous hole in the ground. As my route started to get steeper and steeper I thought I must be crazy to be doing this! I persevered nonetheless, but did not like it one bit!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Eventually I reached the top and the cairn of stones, and was immediately almost blasted off my feet by the howling gale blowing in from the far side of the hill! The roar of the wind, the darkness and my small cone of light was all I was aware of. I struggled over the top and made my way down to the Well of Age, which was taking the full blast from the onshore wind. Climbing down into rocks by the pool didn't offer much protection, and the black surface of the well was being pummelled by the air as it crashed into the rock face, creating a constant rippling effect on the surface of the pond like it was being blasted by a giant hair-dryer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat there and tried to relax. Turning off my torch I could see lights twinkling on the rock face and blurry patches otherworldliness passing over it that never quite coalesced into recognisable forms, but I could sense the presence of spirits nonetheless. I closed my eyes and tried to relax in the howling darkness, but it was no use. As I opened my eyes I noticed that it had got even darker. It started to rain. Clearly this was not the place to be right now! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I made my way back down the hill, stumbling in the darkness. I imagined what it must have been like living here long ago, in the darkness, when the land was populated by malevolent spirits intent upon trickery and luring people to their deaths; urisks, mermaids, selkies, the sidhe and the walking dead. How superstitious and terrified people must have been on nights like this. What a comfort it must have been when the Christian missionaries arrived offering people the protection of God and the saints, and the sanctuary of the church. Is it any wonder that people converted so easily?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was glad to make it back to the relative safety of the village. As I wandered past the abbey I noticed a flickering red light coming from the tiny window in the door to St. Oran's chapel. It looked warm and comforting so I decided to investigate. I pushed the door and it was open, so I stepped inside. The chapel was lit by the warm glow of a single red candle sat on the altar, it's light reflected from a polished steel Celtic cross set above it and illuminated the tombstones of old Highland chieftains that were set into the walls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It seemed like a place of peace, contentment and spirituality, carrying none of the heavy energy I usually associate with churches. I sat on one of the benches and soaked up the air of calm serenity as I watched the flickering glow of the candle dancing over the walls.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I closed my eyes and saw a cowled figure step out from the corner of the room, his hand held up in a blessing. Was this St. Columba? He told me that I had come to Iona seeking spirituality, like so many others before me. He said I should stop chasing spirits [fairies] and serving them, and that what I really sought was my own spirituality. "Spirituality not wizardry" was his message to me. He anointed my forehead with oil. </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Feeling calmed by the experience I left the chapel and headed back to my lodgings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next day as I sat eating breakfast I could see dolphins swimming in the sound, leaping out of the water and playing as a yacht sailed by them. What a way to start the day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After my experience of the night before I decided to visit the abbey. There was something about the Celtic church which interested me, it was not like the stuffy old churches I had been brought up with in England but seemed to be more closely linked to our spiritual and pagan past. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I sat in St. Columba's tiny shrine and started to meditate there when the caretaker suddenly stepped inside the door. He had come to clean the bird droppings off the walls which were deposited there by the nesting swallows. The very moment he told me this a swallow flew in, fluttered past our heads, and dropped into its nest above us! The swallows, already late for their southerly migration, only added to the magic of the place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wandered around the rest of the abbey and took note of all the ancient grave slabs of Scottish chieftains which had been moved in here from the graveyard to preserve them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Sunday service was going on in the main hall, and the ethereal singing would have created a perfect enchantment were it not for all the gaudily dressed, camera-touting tourists wandering around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I decided I had had enough of this tourist circuit for now and so I headed out to the next place on the island I wished to visit; Sithean Mor. 'The Large Fairy Mound' was where legend said St. Columba had been spied upon by one of his young acolytes while communing with a host of glowing angels. I was intrigued by this story and wondered what St. Columba had been up to on this mound.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The wind was howling again as I made my way across country down a little lane. I found the fairy mound in a field by the lane, it was part of a farm called Sithean, which itself means 'Fairy Mound'!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had intended to sit on top of the mound and see what I could pick up there, but I was being buffeted so badly by the wind that I decided to sit facing the mound in the shelter of Sithean Beg 'The Little Fairy Mound' instead.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took myself back in time and saw St. Columba wandering over to the mound, his hand clasping a knobbly staff. He looked more like a druid than a priest, and it occurred to me that perhaps that was, in a way, what he was. A druid who also followed Christ. As he reached the top of the mound, a host of shining white beings descended from 'heaven' and then consorted with the saint. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So were these the Shining Ones? The secret teachers of mankind who reveal themselves only to a select few? The record states that St.Columba was certainly annoyed about being spied upon, and punished the priest who did so. So who are these Shining Ones? Are they angels, fairies, or extra-terrestrials? Perhaps these beings, wherever they came from, are the basis for all of these myths and legends? And what of the druids? Did they really die out, or did they become the priests of the Celtic church preserving ancient knowledge?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These questions I would not find the answers to today, so soon I decided to leave the island, knowing that the answers to these riddles must lie elsewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">====================================================</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84wW3fMl_-plBdY5LRURwclTkbTTbbRlzPELs4NFo12iQa9WUGXZ_4Zruq6WpiI5QBg1Bs_mwpffvGwcaExqDahm7-6dVR-gOZGJuul5o5qlRCXWAdVO0qz9iV6Aitsfa-GVPou_N0DA/s400/Page001.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946498600850035379.post-57167821844215278072011-08-23T14:34:00.000-07:002017-02-08T15:05:21.213-08:00Loch Maree - The Queen of Fairies Island<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the remote North West corner of Scotland there is a large loch, which nowadays is called Loch Maree, and on that loch there is an island, and within that island there is another small hidden loch, and on that loch there is another island! An island within an island within an island! A legendary place where on certain nights of the year the queen of the fairies is said to hold court.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After doing some research I discovered that the island containing the loch is called Eilean Subhain and is the largest island on Loch Maree, but even more intriguing seemed to me the island called Isle Maree, an ancient burial ground going back to the time of the druids and containing a wishing tree and a holy well, so off I headed up North to investigate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The hotel on the edge of the loch was closed, a string of bad luck had seen a previous manager commit suicide (he was buried on Isle Maree) and the current manager having to close for the whole year due to numerous burst pipes caused by last year's severe winter. Despite this the manager still seemed like a jolly chap and offered to take me over to the islands in his boat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We passed Eilean Subhain on our left, barren looking and dotted with pines, and then Isle Maree came into view ahead, a lush oasis of thick oaks said to have been planted there by the druids. In any case the island is unique, the Scots pines that cover the other islands are absent here, replaced by oak, holly and other hardwoods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He dropped me off on Isle Maree, and left me stranded there for few hours on this tiny remote island in the middle of a huge loch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The island cannot be more than 100 metres across and seemed to be composed entirely of small rounded stones. Man made perhaps? Or the remains of a glacial moraine? Several theories have been put forward but none have satisfactorily explained this strange little island.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I headed off on a small track that led up from the beach and soon came to the remains of the famous money tree, studded with old coins left there by countless pilgrims from times gone by, including Queen Victoria herself!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58w8ovEBCNquNZeE3LkfrGr2orHEDTj-z7YA7c6McafYOaxMsXTRleTGDq5TN48DOOf7l6EtgSH8T171yIChaFjTaO-m_hr2zkG0BFuLFuJfpdSQs5rjblVYVC4W3t_q7Ty4myaFRW8g/s1600/IMG_1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj58w8ovEBCNquNZeE3LkfrGr2orHEDTj-z7YA7c6McafYOaxMsXTRleTGDq5TN48DOOf7l6EtgSH8T171yIChaFjTaO-m_hr2zkG0BFuLFuJfpdSQs5rjblVYVC4W3t_q7Ty4myaFRW8g/s400/IMG_1512.JPG" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAILeA5IRaCnhmAseXSGSGa1Lq1KnkSdw3QIRJzMiFiyMsL-khqPurZvY8j3e2Ao_uJ4oNrDewPgEhQNo0Zr9d3NqDqb9qZLIOV9wNGeeKaLJLjzPhfBaz7-25C2RZ_L-GmzNuTjlGkU/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAILeA5IRaCnhmAseXSGSGa1Lq1KnkSdw3QIRJzMiFiyMsL-khqPurZvY8j3e2Ao_uJ4oNrDewPgEhQNo0Zr9d3NqDqb9qZLIOV9wNGeeKaLJLjzPhfBaz7-25C2RZ_L-GmzNuTjlGkU/s400/IMG_1513.JPG" width="266" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Near the money tree was said to lie the holy well, famous for curing lunacy, but the well had long ago been filled in and there was now no trace of it at all. Higher up on the island, to my left, I could make out some gravestones and so went over to investigate and soon came to a low stone wall which formed a complete a circle, around 20 metres across. This was the famous 'druid' circle which had lain here since ancient times, but was more likely built by the Picts for ritual purposes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDsmllKh1-FRKQFQS8sHOvdHKU9PWx7B-q9ZW0fY5a8OZa0glk0wuGo_zfm6AQyRNX5g3qW_fPFgu8Oc2aSMStE4-wmulDflwa2KWM6nF822x5U3QXMw_M31ppQPi7uevn5hiwamix1k/s1600/IMG_1525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDsmllKh1-FRKQFQS8sHOvdHKU9PWx7B-q9ZW0fY5a8OZa0glk0wuGo_zfm6AQyRNX5g3qW_fPFgu8Oc2aSMStE4-wmulDflwa2KWM6nF822x5U3QXMw_M31ppQPi7uevn5hiwamix1k/s400/IMG_1525.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I walked around the edge of the circle, not wanting to enter yet. Isle Maree had seemed like a magical place when viewed from the outside, but now that I was in the heart of island it seemed like a rather forbidding place. I avoided entering the circle for a while, but finding nothing more of interest on the island I decided to enter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came first to the two Viking graves, slabs of stone set into the ground and carved with ancient Celtic crosses in a very simple style. The story of their death is a tragic one. The first grave belongs to Olaf, who killed himself when he thought that his truelove had died. The second grave belongs to his lover, who killed herself when she realised what she had done, pretending to be dead to test her hero's love.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4XEkbhH_TDsLNcBWkSe0Wd8DdDqRQkDBK6iUP1eclIc2nUpuC797Mf8bSDkaNDVMI1jcoZZ5ad0XrnGEuqcVXCIPLy4vKGDOL_bT4QjIaAQpUrPaVKWcgQ68rXFOjHAMKudomcvi1J4/s1600/IMG_1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4XEkbhH_TDsLNcBWkSe0Wd8DdDqRQkDBK6iUP1eclIc2nUpuC797Mf8bSDkaNDVMI1jcoZZ5ad0XrnGEuqcVXCIPLy4vKGDOL_bT4QjIaAQpUrPaVKWcgQ68rXFOjHAMKudomcvi1J4/s400/IMG_1519.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I thought that I had come to this island to find the holy well, but being able to find absolutely no trace of it left me wondering why I was here. For some reason I felt compelled to lie down on top of Olaf's grave slab and meditate there.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAURya1-DbAqvnS6B6LpsFbUPqbKscKzdvbodBrERvNP-lC-eJa8G6jBruOx0RFQntZYFUnQbqnDkVV_n6su_dTzJvpDpCz4coW04M1bBgLGpZMx-BU8K9LxHChxr2HwPdm5yX-pPnWI/s1600/IMG_1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAURya1-DbAqvnS6B6LpsFbUPqbKscKzdvbodBrERvNP-lC-eJa8G6jBruOx0RFQntZYFUnQbqnDkVV_n6su_dTzJvpDpCz4coW04M1bBgLGpZMx-BU8K9LxHChxr2HwPdm5yX-pPnWI/s400/IMG_1521.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I felt Olaf's spirit enter me. Was he looking for his lost love? No, he seemed to be more concerned about a pot of gold he had buried and not been able to retrieve before he died! Well so much for legends...</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Even in the spirit world this island seemed grey and forbidding, a place of sacrifice. I felt my spirit rise up into the sky, ascending higher and higher. I looked down upon the loch and saw Isle Maree, a grey and ghostly speck with it's stone circle in the centre looking like a sun-wheel. I then looked across and saw the large island of Eilean Subhain, also looking ghostly in the twilight, but within it a could see a small glowing island of glittering golden light! Yes, that's where I had to go, that's what had drawn me here! I had become too distracted by myths and legends of Isle Maree!</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Suddenly I felt a spear pierce me! I was back in my body and saw bull-headed man standing over me thrusting a spear into my belly! I cast him away and placed protections around myself, and then rose up from the slab a bit shocked and shaken.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Is this why this island was famous until the 17th century for its bull sacrifices? Were they sacrificing to this demon? I later discovered that highlanders were known for wearing bull skins over their heads when performing rituals, had I perhaps met the spirit of one of these ancient shamans who still protected the island?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I took a final wander around the shores of the island while I waited for the boatman to return, and gazed across at the remote wooded hillsides on the Northern shore of Loch Maree.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfKJoG-jgy-sYBhHZkWTXvf5vfXFiIVfxSs0DkSv-lOv-ICJcf8rm5LtrUIoZRWHj18EKP7Dn6Qu5UJihOfnIJVtnpecmcJQ21CWGqk6GSl_-n0vTiI8iaSM7gA0Tge4Pqf9RWMEIBts/s1600/IMG_1531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfKJoG-jgy-sYBhHZkWTXvf5vfXFiIVfxSs0DkSv-lOv-ICJcf8rm5LtrUIoZRWHj18EKP7Dn6Qu5UJihOfnIJVtnpecmcJQ21CWGqk6GSl_-n0vTiI8iaSM7gA0Tge4Pqf9RWMEIBts/s400/IMG_1531.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfFJFo_jRtUq7rMGWQ9UJA_KNMcupzA18yUDi4UvXaVCWIBBHvMRPHXyg_LUcdyWcxXJo4f7tmH2CuXTf-yUmH2uCwGybyj3YHXc5KX3zvvTShXCipUnWd_gBbaYbeE1a3sGlGHDxhpE/s1600/IMG_1533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfFJFo_jRtUq7rMGWQ9UJA_KNMcupzA18yUDi4UvXaVCWIBBHvMRPHXyg_LUcdyWcxXJo4f7tmH2CuXTf-yUmH2uCwGybyj3YHXc5KX3zvvTShXCipUnWd_gBbaYbeE1a3sGlGHDxhpE/s400/IMG_1533.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxHXndqOMgELxRXYa9LxU5DW5dGEGc3KZ1R_rsoh7yQxytJEgJ-E518cJIpYDvGhKsJE-kynKNSS4tvJbc4EY0lu5QQMKxoa3wG5L0YCHZ9blbodso9z-YMbn2IoCsJJiWXS0PD1aAIA/s1600/IMG_1536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxHXndqOMgELxRXYa9LxU5DW5dGEGc3KZ1R_rsoh7yQxytJEgJ-E518cJIpYDvGhKsJE-kynKNSS4tvJbc4EY0lu5QQMKxoa3wG5L0YCHZ9blbodso9z-YMbn2IoCsJJiWXS0PD1aAIA/s400/IMG_1536.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If there was another channel running east-west then the circle would indeed form the sunwheel that I had seen in my vision.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The boatman took me over the short hop to Eilean Subhain and dropped me off in a sheltered bay on the Northern shore of the island, my plan being to trek across the island, investigate the loch, and then meet the boatman later in the evening on the southern shore of the island.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I heard the boatman's engine chug away into the distance and was then left in the perfect isolation of this rugged landscape.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNbDHBl-EEs481VUbl3ImgdF2hMxEERLvT-13qr_Uhz7w_-Yp_FSNPxZN2-_Wp-r8dLBeFJZdIKErpB4bLXJpBsCijZ0FXwR94sdWEeeDDz3PP2eIT_QGp2Xun3v_8HxRqcEpLZgfxd8/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNbDHBl-EEs481VUbl3ImgdF2hMxEERLvT-13qr_Uhz7w_-Yp_FSNPxZN2-_Wp-r8dLBeFJZdIKErpB4bLXJpBsCijZ0FXwR94sdWEeeDDz3PP2eIT_QGp2Xun3v_8HxRqcEpLZgfxd8/s640/IMG_1539.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The ground was rough and boggy as I made my way in a southerly direction towards where I believed the small loch to lie.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipL925xGaXALOuWO2BzsJi83AfCuQYrGwd4y8B7jsPTAxcLjKSNSYiSYD-3cGEoA91H-sPSOjwPy2k1Uvk5Z-42tA2NEvQRhRui_lRX3aSioIJO2-CS-wF-LlKb-vExy5qJL6gjE3npxk/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipL925xGaXALOuWO2BzsJi83AfCuQYrGwd4y8B7jsPTAxcLjKSNSYiSYD-3cGEoA91H-sPSOjwPy2k1Uvk5Z-42tA2NEvQRhRui_lRX3aSioIJO2-CS-wF-LlKb-vExy5qJL6gjE3npxk/s640/IMG_1540.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came to a rise in the land and suddenly there it was, a lake where no lake ought to be, not Loch Maree, but a hidden nameless loch secreted away on this small island.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkum3NYKeuyil8lgW3ObFEZtQ8CqR4JZ8r9teDgzkEKWi3sZ6rUf2P9pIucyBrY5Y9t1Djh78aF8puhkcsXcIXyHz9PO6ekRtws2YDL_To2XU27dx3XlEvbMo974_qJZ_m0ixNbbYx4OY/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkum3NYKeuyil8lgW3ObFEZtQ8CqR4JZ8r9teDgzkEKWi3sZ6rUf2P9pIucyBrY5Y9t1Djh78aF8puhkcsXcIXyHz9PO6ekRtws2YDL_To2XU27dx3XlEvbMo974_qJZ_m0ixNbbYx4OY/s640/IMG_1562.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But before I could stop to admire the view I noticed movement in the water. An otter! And he had just caught a fish!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1BXZL92e6afvIXCkp4n49uvWXsZ-z5I__CkqEdXGZPGfyO22PUZ4MTslQuVjM-lF-Wdcqj5yV2J3D9EYBxuyiZNr-9_0DksWgXVwXNetKHHUFh5cZTZFKpXY1hA1JkoQtEMyukJeJWw/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1BXZL92e6afvIXCkp4n49uvWXsZ-z5I__CkqEdXGZPGfyO22PUZ4MTslQuVjM-lF-Wdcqj5yV2J3D9EYBxuyiZNr-9_0DksWgXVwXNetKHHUFh5cZTZFKpXY1hA1JkoQtEMyukJeJWw/s400/IMG_1542.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He carried the fish onto a tiny island within the loch and disappeared into the heather, but I could hear him crunching away on his fish, crunch, crunch, crunch! I crept up as close as I could to the island, some instinct led to me to exactly the right spot where I crouched down with my camera at the ready, waiting for him to emerge. He did not disappoint me...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ-N11cSbvVzFtZyjZXWvxZnHJrl1Wb2CdH0BI3nqKO-Jun4TuG1sOdCkHh3EGWwPlGVW2ikaWflS4PKfpS6lRelcXUpKupAtm6M2OvPPsEXlBqrJL1lJmorzzPb9Z8JcU70UM_917Tk/s1600/IMG_1548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ-N11cSbvVzFtZyjZXWvxZnHJrl1Wb2CdH0BI3nqKO-Jun4TuG1sOdCkHh3EGWwPlGVW2ikaWflS4PKfpS6lRelcXUpKupAtm6M2OvPPsEXlBqrJL1lJmorzzPb9Z8JcU70UM_917Tk/s400/IMG_1548.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CDJUc8oo3CkQDnMyCoOYW9OSr506KtQbx3ezw34GSH9uymtH-ElU8TjyhXO2wq6o68gXxbpWp0tveUwfbYVsRL3d2ewrZRmIzS2SpUhPwedBEsPSji-qBBlpnRI8ArLmuCaZ5WgiRPc/s1600/IMG_1549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CDJUc8oo3CkQDnMyCoOYW9OSr506KtQbx3ezw34GSH9uymtH-ElU8TjyhXO2wq6o68gXxbpWp0tveUwfbYVsRL3d2ewrZRmIzS2SpUhPwedBEsPSji-qBBlpnRI8ArLmuCaZ5WgiRPc/s400/IMG_1549.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's not often you can get one over on an otter! I could have sat and watched him all day, but I was here for a reason. The otter swam off to the other side of the lake, hunting for more fish, while I stood up and stared plodding around the edge. The island where the otter had eaten his fish looked like a likely place, but the boatman had told me that the fairy queen's island could be waded to, and the water to this island was too deep. There was another island near the opposite shore of the lake, so off I plodded, hoping to make it around to the far side.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAQhOhqOan2vrqZVWDEcyRNbeT6ENciRVp3TWeAEZQ6iqG6WIdLoPHiOLU3rLsMV6SvSK6at2d6rj0OiVH1u2hY6vjNyRCsp0pzhPnUh7Gh-PkBAqsAyKD1_Fxxqv_oAGI8AoEnJ1Ne0/s1600/IMG_1566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAQhOhqOan2vrqZVWDEcyRNbeT6ENciRVp3TWeAEZQ6iqG6WIdLoPHiOLU3rLsMV6SvSK6at2d6rj0OiVH1u2hY6vjNyRCsp0pzhPnUh7Gh-PkBAqsAyKD1_Fxxqv_oAGI8AoEnJ1Ne0/s640/IMG_1566.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The heather and grasses were full of a multitude of insects, especially many brightly coloured dragonflies that seemed so tame I could actually walk right up to them and stroke their wings!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dKco95BwfgpXzK9yIOlviLMo3u4iiiIQJA6_VDlBaYqoxbSGuitcK5E6YLrYLcotzFJeMKdFr_o_TvQS5-O-FYAoIOVNyxTdeXQvVNCeYA4DnIcjcbeWcB6uFWfhZbOeEHA6otkQQQI/s1600/IMG_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dKco95BwfgpXzK9yIOlviLMo3u4iiiIQJA6_VDlBaYqoxbSGuitcK5E6YLrYLcotzFJeMKdFr_o_TvQS5-O-FYAoIOVNyxTdeXQvVNCeYA4DnIcjcbeWcB6uFWfhZbOeEHA6otkQQQI/s400/IMG_1578.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvxOnXWOGaHjislGOztVzo_jvokI5Cd7kRSTahfLSeQ5CtnHsslK3uqoXGcq78A3KqTmUcxHl4d6J-PtaJHyxoi16TtwXqg_mJCS-mp1-XHenVxGuAJ03rl8bLMJi0wXxw9I8r1JBc50/s1600/IMG_1580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvxOnXWOGaHjislGOztVzo_jvokI5Cd7kRSTahfLSeQ5CtnHsslK3uqoXGcq78A3KqTmUcxHl4d6J-PtaJHyxoi16TtwXqg_mJCS-mp1-XHenVxGuAJ03rl8bLMJi0wXxw9I8r1JBc50/s400/IMG_1580.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After trekking over the rough ground I finally made it to a stand of tall pines that I had seen from the opposite shore, and then the final stretch over some very boggy terrain that threatened to suck my shoes off until I made it to the small sound that separated the tiny island from the shore.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJDSVnG-koYneZYu4X_OvpNsJIoejL2QaUiyHYwoVqCyfPpVnPFRZGro4w212pUfDn86Th2JABHVmKHwsbJELAugEuxfU1RXx0IDveqZlCU6mWflTR1h5MBC_jZFx3ROOR5M-NjqZOH8/s1600/IMG_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJDSVnG-koYneZYu4X_OvpNsJIoejL2QaUiyHYwoVqCyfPpVnPFRZGro4w212pUfDn86Th2JABHVmKHwsbJELAugEuxfU1RXx0IDveqZlCU6mWflTR1h5MBC_jZFx3ROOR5M-NjqZOH8/s400/IMG_1586.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was time to take off my boots and start wading! So finally, without too much difficulty I made it across onto the rough heather that covered this tiny knoll. So was this it? Was this the fairy queen's island?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sN55gtlLuCiZPW-pSx-fI2xP4_8Mv8bVivm92JpvIA6MB9Yrcm5z3jrl8-AHJ51o5znMuoAf8kUI6VzxOCqwczjzXKubPQIS0k7ofWB-jI-n2BXeqydjTDLaDZjS7q_fOTZ-KF1uSCU/s1600/IMG_1585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sN55gtlLuCiZPW-pSx-fI2xP4_8Mv8bVivm92JpvIA6MB9Yrcm5z3jrl8-AHJ51o5znMuoAf8kUI6VzxOCqwczjzXKubPQIS0k7ofWB-jI-n2BXeqydjTDLaDZjS7q_fOTZ-KF1uSCU/s640/IMG_1585.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I sat and meditated upon the top of the top of the island and instantly felt the flutter of huge dragonfly wings by my side. The faerie queen had landed! She stood there with flowing golden hair and flowing orange dress, and summoned forth a swarm of insects from the wilderness all around! Glittering dragonflies, butterflies, bees and beetles of all shapes, sizes and colours. The insects coalesced around her and formed into a whirlwind. They then spread out all over the land carrying with them a magical energy.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As I watched the vision words came forth spontaneously from my lips:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"You will sit on your throne again</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Your magic throne</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lady of the beasts</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lady of the wild</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Come take back your throne</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The animals await</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They're at your command</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They're here to do your bidding</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lady of nature</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The animals are at your command</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Queen of nature</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Retake your throne my lady</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My lady of nature</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The animals approach</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The animals are coming here</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Great stirrings in the Earth</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A time of change and reckoning</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Swarms and swarms swarming</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Carried on a whirlwind</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A portal opens from above</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A gate to the otherworld</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They're coming through</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They've been waiting for this day</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The shining ones return to Earth!"</span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had watched as a golden portal opened in the sky above me, and golden winged beings has stepped down through it onto the surface of the lake, forming a glowing line of bright celestial winged beings spread out right across the lake, wings spread, gazing skywards...</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What did it all mean? Who were the shining ones? I pondered this as I waded back from the island, put on my boots, and carried on across country towards another lake, further to the south.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I walked through some odd, almost prehistoric looking terrain until I came to the second lake, which if anything looked even more magical than the first!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKLrH9WTzz4EFL5LVvm69UZM96n04JT3KndSyW-K2zhKTEsnmiW6bz3LYkoRo3gDxFJ7zJnShhNE6h_qqcWH7Gy0thDzOZswHPS80l65_74N3YfdFI6hpBtzEDCDI_d9rwihbFWYqIZo/s1600/IMG_1591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKLrH9WTzz4EFL5LVvm69UZM96n04JT3KndSyW-K2zhKTEsnmiW6bz3LYkoRo3gDxFJ7zJnShhNE6h_qqcWH7Gy0thDzOZswHPS80l65_74N3YfdFI6hpBtzEDCDI_d9rwihbFWYqIZo/s400/IMG_1591.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmQAz6gucWfpJ8NFMtSzyHvjPutIUjbeSZHNMpajdT5EXoUO8wr1IqUJ2OHnDnKstsLpXIYYLQId5rNmQyg4_fNCqC4rW_fpOWhHTLeFR1rfoIxg9h4X6jEACXEwK5QjxcI1sE-lTI4Y/s1600/IMG_1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmQAz6gucWfpJ8NFMtSzyHvjPutIUjbeSZHNMpajdT5EXoUO8wr1IqUJ2OHnDnKstsLpXIYYLQId5rNmQyg4_fNCqC4rW_fpOWhHTLeFR1rfoIxg9h4X6jEACXEwK5QjxcI1sE-lTI4Y/s400/IMG_1594.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEAEuheiHHt2hlbWhygDfknR0hykZgi-VEFzJ5a8zlvt-mOqHZZrfG-_ZJiCCnu4L-PnBcrILTK1T0M3OAiKGyP_OF7ztXyVcbKWHi-wN3pihSjxdMnOUD5JArRRsUVTjpUb1Tpo4g90/s1600/IMG_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEAEuheiHHt2hlbWhygDfknR0hykZgi-VEFzJ5a8zlvt-mOqHZZrfG-_ZJiCCnu4L-PnBcrILTK1T0M3OAiKGyP_OF7ztXyVcbKWHi-wN3pihSjxdMnOUD5JArRRsUVTjpUb1Tpo4g90/s400/IMG_1597.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had some time to kill before the boatman arrived so I lay there on a spit of grass and tried to meditate some more. I thought about what had drawn me here. Was I activating these nature spirits, preparing them for a time soon to come when they could repopulate the land? It certainly seemed that way. But who were the shining ones? They seemed like they came from another planet or another dimension.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When I got back I did some research on the shining ones, but there were no simple answers. It could refer to the sons of Horus, Hindu devas or Roman and Celtic solar deities. I dug around for a while and finally came up with an article that seemed to resonate somehow, it describes the "Mighty Shining Ones" as the Elohim of the Hebrew bible, the ancient gods and teachers of mankind. The article is absolutely fascinating and well worth a read: </span><a href="http://www.gnosticliberationfront.com/The%20Cosmic%20Battle.htm"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.gnosticliberationfront.com/The%20Cosmic%20Battle.htm</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The section on the Elohim begins: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Hebrew word Elohim is translated as ‘God’ in the Old Testament scriptures to give the misleading impression that it is a single form, when in actuality, it is a word in the plural form. Elohim being the plural of Elyon. The word Elohim is used 2,250 times in the Hebrew Bible, even to describe idols. The Elohim are a class of beings, more accurately described as the Mighty Shining Ones, equivalent to the Neteru (Ancient Ones) of Egypt and the Sumerian Anunnaqi (“those who Anu sent down to Earth”) in the Enuma Elish.</em> </span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br />
Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by snippets of local folklore that tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at <a href="http://www.themagicalplaces.com/" target="_blank">www.themagicalplaces.com</a><br />
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</span>Aurvandilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10131787959430751743noreply@blogger.com13