Personal reflections on this stage of the quest.
Slowing down to go faster. Timeless awakenings to super nature.
Have you ever had the feeling that there is something at work in your life, a power that guides you and, when you are in flow, creates synchronicities and maybe even miraculous happenings? I believe that we can make the choice to experience life in this way, that it is a parallel dimension into which we can shift ourselves. How we do this is still something of a mystery to me, though I feel I have experienced it. An attitude of gratitude is certainly an element. I am getting a sense of the fact that we humans are much more powerful than we know; we are dragons! We have super-powers, what you might call magic, though in truth magic is as natural as flowers blooming. It seems likely that at some point in history our powers have been reduced and we have become slaves to a mechanical system and way of perceiving. Whatever the truth of how and why this occurred, the good news is that as we evolve, we are reclaiming our authentic, empowered, sovereign selves, our dragon spirits, and discovering that those in the past who lived in greater connection to nature and super nature have left us clues along the path. Indeed, great bodies of knowledge are becoming available to us to assist us in the process.
My sense is that when we slow down, become centred in the moment, our brain wave patterns shift from beta to alpha and in this state we are more able to perceive the patterns of our lives and to make good decisions. Everything we experience is the result of a stream of decisions, each one leading to the next moment by moment. Our power lies in realising that we are doing this and becoming consciously engaged in the process rather than being driven by unconscious choices, many of which result from external programming. So, I am slowly learning to acknowledge and accept my shadow and to shift my state by focussing on gratitude and appreciation for the gifts of life and for what is working out well. There is a saying, ‘where attention goes, energy flows’. So perhaps our dragon selves are the ones who have gained greater mastery over our thoughts, and have learned to see the bigger picture thereby becoming more self-realised and empowered? As we open ourselves to the broader spectrum of our sense of self, experiencing more of who we really are, the emotional charge attached to the issues in our lives is naturally relieved. We can bring forgiveness, healing and transformation.
Magical manifestations along the way. Emerging patterns. God burps.
One morning I went out just after dawn and walked up a nearby hill. It was a ravishingly beautiful Spring morning with a wide blue sky rimmed with shy clouds. Everything was singing in the sunshine. As I stood breathing it all in, I let all concerns drop away, in order to see and feel more fully. I gave thanks to the Sun for its warmth, light and life, to the Earth for its miraculous fertility and shapeliness. I gave thanks to the air and the water and to all the forms that nature takes, its magnificent diversity, including me. I sang. I was immersed in the wonder of life. I reflected that everything in nature is in continual, dynamic interaction with everything else. We humans however have apparently come to experience ourselves as separate from the rest of existence, even considering ourselves somehow superior to other lifeforms and entitled to do with creation what we wish. The consequences of this are clear to see. How it came about and how we remedy it are less obvious. My impulse to delve deeper into Welsh Mythology and my search for Myrddin/Merlin is primarily a search for lost knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom which holds great value and will perhaps assist us in our current Earthly troubles.
Some of the ways this quest has unfolded have only become apparent to me as I look back and observe the patterns that are emerging over long time spans. Episodes that occurred some years apart begin to reveal a thread carrying me through to the next chapter. Faith, commitment, patience and persistence have been required and further qualities continue to be called forth as I progress. One of the big things for me right now is learning to trust and to know that whilst I may think I have a good plan all worked out, there is a bigger picture at play beyond my perception. So, when things don’t work out as I thought they would/should, I do my best to trust in a greater purpose and that things may end up turning out better than I could have imagined.
An example of trusting the flow happened when I attempted to go ahead with an arrangement to film the promo video for this project with film maker Ashley Leung. We planned to go to Foel Drygarn, a high point of great sacred power in the Preseli hills, however, the day before the filming Ashley came down with a cold and we had to postpone. At first I felt disappointed but then I asked myself ‘if I trust that all is happening perfectly what does this tell me?’ The answer was clear. I had not visited the Preselis for quite some time and the hills were calling me to reconnect, to communicate my intentions and ask permission before turning up to get on with the work.
If you find this idea strange, please bear with me, we are working in the realm of ancestral wisdom, of knowing that all things are alive and that some natural forms are ensouled. We are working with myths that tell us quite clearly that we must approach the sacred, the otherworld, the animus loci, the spirit of place with respect. We are intimately connected with the land and the animating life force or spirit within it and the reclaiming of this fundamental truth is at the core of the motivation behind my work. So, it is essential that I operate in accordance with this principal.
I called my dear friend Morgana and we duly headed to the hills with offerings, songs and flasks of tea. It was a cool and cloudy day (not ideal for filming) and we ascended the magnificent Foel Drygarn. We were greeted by refreshing winds, rugged lichen splashed rocks and a single raven croaking above us. As we crested the brow, clambering over the piles of rocks large and small, the landscape opened before us; a vision of timeless, wild beauty. We drank it in before scurrying to a sheltered spot on the side of the hill. As we sat warming ourselves with herbal tea, we saw a man standing at the base of the hill holding what was clearly a staff in one hand and looking straight up at us. We spent a little more time at the top of the hill noticing that there were 2, no 3, hang on 5 ravens, before returning to the sheltered spot to perform our ceremony. We were just getting started when the man, who had by now walked up the hill came towards us offering greetings. It turned out he was indeed carrying a staff, a rather magnificent one embedded with crystals and ringed with copper coils, and that and he was a very interesting man called Rick who hailed from Florida. We quickly discovered that he was a shaman and magician with a strong connection to Merlin whom he said had guided him to be in the Preseli hills for the Spring Equinox. It was apparent that meeting us and participating in our ceremony was part of the reason! After the ceremony, in which Rick shared some powerful speech we saw that there was in fact a whole flock of ravens circling around the rocky hilltop. This is highly unusual as they are commonly solitary birds rarely seen in groups of more than 2 or 3, though I later learned that at certain times they do gather in flocks. We watched for a while and made our way back down the hill, reaching the base just as the rains came. I have maintained contact with Rick who has continued to update me on his travels through Scotland visiting various significant sacred sites.
May the power of your dragon self be with you. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences. Next blog will be all about my trip to Carmarthen, exploring the place some consider to be the birthplace of Myrddin and where there is a special hill and tree and a stone bearing his name.
Thank you for reading this blog. Please comment and share your thoughts and experiences. I’d love to hear them.
The next blog will be about my trip to Carmarthen.
Heddwch.