It all began in Walsingham . . .
In 1061, the Virgin Mary appeared to the Lady of the Manor of Walsingham, and took her in a dream to the Holy House at Nazareth, asking her to build a replica of it on her land, and she would come and live in it. The dream was repeated three times. Richeldis did this, people came to be cured, and miracles happened. It was destroyed in the Reformation, but in the 1920's, a workman in the grounds of the ruined Priory dreamed that he should dig in a certain place. There he found the foundations of the Holy House, and a seal or medal representing the original statue. Through the vision of the Parish Priest, everything was recreated and miracles once again began to be performed. In 1983, on a solo cycle tour round England, I found myself headed for some place called 'OLW', not knowing what it was. In great emotional pain, I needed help but, being an Unbeliever, could not find it at the Shrine, my heart like a heavy stone. A chance meeting with a Guardian, who heard my story and offered to pray for me, resulted in a Miracle . . which began my spiritual awakening . . .
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Earlier, I had been to Swaffham . . .
On the way to Walsingham, I passed through Swaffham, and learned the story of another dream. A pedlar of pots dreamed that if he went to London he would learn something of advantage. He set out next day, and was standing on London Bridge, wondering where to go next, when a Merchant came out of his shop and asked what such a country fellow was doing in the City. When the Pedlar told his story, the Merchant laughed and said, "Why, if I were such a Fool as you, I should even now be in Swaffham, where I dreamed that if I dug under a tree in a pedlar's garden I should find a pot of Gold!" The pedlar went home, found the Gold, and made his fortune. He continued to sell his pots, putting the pot that had contained the Gold among them. It had a Latin inscription he did not understand, and one day a Scholar told him it meant "Under me there is another, even bigger". With this money, the Pedlar built the Great Church in Swaffham. He is commemorated in the Church, together with this carving of him and his dog.
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A weekend in the Lake District . . .
The miracle I experienced at Walsingham opened the floodgates - on a train journey to Edinburgh a strange coincidence led to a meeting with a mystical French Canadian who, on a weekend in the Lake District, took me back through many lifetimes to discover my true Self, and my Spiritual Identity. Back home, I experienced 48 hours of dreams and visions which took me still further into the Depths of myself. I heard God speaking. . . .
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Pendle draws its own . .
At an Earth Mysteries group I met the person who would lead me further on my mystical journey. He was the fount of all knowledge, but like the Trickster figure in Norse mythology, he presented me with a series of problems to solve. When he was convinced that I was on the right track, he shared his knowledge with me. I became an initiated High Priestess of Wicca, we worked together, and the results were astonishing . . .
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I make a talisman . . .
Under the guidance of my Mentor, I learned the magical arts, one of which is to make talismans to achieve goals and purposes. They can be inscribed on metal, but using two joined discs of paper gives four surfaces to write on. They can be made for a life purpose, or a short term project. This one I made for myself, for all I hoped to achieve. It lay at the bottom of a drawer in its red silk case, and when I found it many years later, I had been granted everything I had wished for . . .
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I find my Power Stones
Walking by the river, in a state of meditation, I began picking up stones. They were heavy with iron, and had been washed down from the slopes of Pendle, our Magic Mountain. Therefore, I reckoned, they could be used in fortune telling. I painted them with enamel paints, named them for the planets and experimented by casting them onto a zodiac drawn on a goatskin. They gave surprisingly accurate answers, and I have used them ever since, though now I use a specially painted table to read them.
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I meet my Hermetic counterpart
In 1986, after four years in spiritual training, I met Wolfram Thomé. With his Sun and my Moon in the same degree of the Zodiac, as well as many other beneficial planetary influences, we fulfilled the alchemical conditions for the perfect blend of Man and Woman. We began working together as High Priest and Priestess, and now that I had sexual union with my magical partner it took my powers to another level. Using this picture of the Hermetic Marriage I inserted our two faces. This is called Sympathetic Magic, to bring about a desired condition. Christians call it 'believe and receive'; others call it 'cosmic ordering'.
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We set up our Circle of Light
"I conjure Thee, O Circle, to be a Meeting Place of Love and Joy and Truth; a Shield against all Wickedness and Evil; a Boundary between the World of Men and the Realms of the Mighty Ones; a Rampart and Protection to contain the Power which we shall raise within Thee. Wherefore I bless and consecrate Thee in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." These words, spoken when a Witch sets up her Circle, still send a shiver down my spine every time I utter them, even after all these years. Wolf created a 28ft diameter circle in the centre of our three organic allotments, where we ran a coven for many years. It had a northeast gate framed by a hawthorn arch, and four stone altars in the Four Directions.
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Wolf brings the Upside-down Tree
In 1998, when 'Seahenge' was uncovered by the sea on the Norfolk coast, I wanted a tree with its roots in the air for the centre of our Circle. Some large trees had been felled near the allotments, so we bought a huge axe, Wolf cut one to size and dragged it home, manhandling it across the turf and dropping it in the prepared hole. We packed soil round it, then gave it a benediction, drenching it with a watering can. As we did so, a whisper arose in the trees overlooking the plot, a little breeze rustled their branches, and they sent a shower of leaves over us, as though thanking us for returning to the Old Ways, and honouring them. Native Americans know them as the Standing People. . . .
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Possessed by the Goddess
When I prepare for a ceremony, I read everything I can find on the subject, and then go into the Circle with Nothing. That is as it should be. We call the Goddess into us, and it is She who speaks. Sometimes I have been surprised at the words coming out of my mouth. At other times, I am not even there, returning when it is over, not knowing what was said or done.
"Blessèd be the Feet that brought Thee in these Ways, Blessèd be the Knees on which Thou kneelst to pray. Blessèd be Thy Womb, without which none of us would be, Blessèd be Thy Breasts, so beautiful to see. Blessèd be Thy Lips which never shall reveal - the Secrets of our Order, so (kiss) shall they be sealed." |
My Aztec Guide . . .
On Dec 12 1991 I was visited in a dream by a Being who told me he was an Aztec. He later revealed he was the God Tetzcatlipoca - one of whose forms is the Black Panther. Some years earlier I had received my Power Animal - a black cheetah. In 1995 the Aztec took Wolf and I on a Vision Quest, at the end of which we were joined in spirit by the God.
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My African Guide . . .
On a visit to Penzance in 2004, I had a meditation with Angie Kruger, in which I merged with my African Guide. Next day he revealed to me that his name was Umbaba. This is an ancient deity from the days of Gilgamesh. He was Guardian of the Cedar Forest. There are no pictures of him, but I liked this one which I found on wikipedia. It conveys his colourful spirit.
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The Hitching Stone . . .
This stone, the size of a semi-detached house, stands high on the moors above Cowling. It is a great place from which to see the Midsummer Sunrise, going up in the evening with the Straw Man on your back, returning in the morning without him. There is a hermit's cave carved into its side, and a freshwater pool on the top. My mentor took me there as part of my Initiation Rites, and as I lay in the grass, the sun warm on my face, I felt and heard the sounds of a mediaeval fair all around me. I later learned that this stone marks the boundary of four parishes, and that midsummer fairs were held there in ancient times.
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The African Hut . . .
Under direct Spirit guidance, and entirely alone, I built this African Hut. After setting the posts, I fetched willow branches from nearby woods and wove them in. The roof is a web of jute rope, interwoven with branches. The centre post is spiral wound with white rope, one end in a chamber under the earth, containing sacred objects, and the other end projecting into the sky, connecting Heaven and Earth. People who sat in it entered a trance state, and talked of what was troubling them - sometimes childhood memories, sometimes more current problems. Build one yourself and experience the Magic of the Enclosing Circle.
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Drumming is good for soul and body . . .
With the arrival of Umbaba in my life, I realized why I had always been fascinated by drummers - but now I discovered I could drum for myself! Djembes are held between the knees, and the vibrations enter the whole body, revitalising it. Handheld drums are subtler in their effect, their gentle tones aiding meditation. Two people can give a 'drum bath' to a friend, gently beating drums either side of their head.
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Crystal skulls are here to help . . .
I met my first crystal skull in October 2002, and my life changed completely. At times I have had over sixty of them in my house, but some have left, to live with people who need their help. A personal skull is one who has chosen to give you his/her name and has elected to help you. I have several of these.
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