Surprises of England and its Sacred Sites
Visiting Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Avebury
“Some fun news I’m going to England for T’s and my b’day in May.
I’m assuming you will be there for yours? Or Egypt?
I’ve always wanted to go to Glastonbury…”
It all started with an April 24th message from my friend Alex from Canada. When, in Glastonbury, I jokingly referred to her assumption of me being in England as well, she didn’t recall having used these words. While writing them she might have meant that she assumed I would be in The Netherlands for my birthday. Or maybe, there had been some Divine intervention in her choice of words?
Either way, reading her message, I had felt my body react. A shiver ran down my spine and I had goosebumps all over. Oh yes, I would love to be there too. Not just for the joy of spending (birthday) time with beautiful friends; also because I felt the call of England’s ancient sites.
Three weeks after the initial message I was on a plane to London for a journey, which invited me to flow with the events.
From T’s place in the South of England, Alex and I made our way up to Salisbury. Being so close, we had decided to visit Stonehenge as well. We treated ourselves to the inner circle tour and thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the gentle energy of the stone circle, wondering what its purpose might have been all those years ago.
Salisbury had a surprise for us: only hours after our arrival, we found out that our mutual friend A had recently moved back to the UK and lived only miles from our hotel. Nineteen years after she had brought Alex and I together, this is the first time the three of us are in the same country. We happily grab the opportunity to meet and catch up.
Even though I had felt the call to come to Glastonbury, I didn’t really know what to expect. Apart from having seen images of the Tor - which I felt drawn to - my knowledge of the town and its sites was limited to it having played a role in the life of Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene’s father. I trusted that I would see what I needed to see and do what I needed to do. Slightly bewondered, I walked through the town centre’s main streets, surprised by the many shops. It simply hadn’t occurred to me that such a lively commercial area had developed in the vicinity of the sacred sites.
Despite knowing that it’s not unusual that places which hold a lot of light, also attract darkness, I hadn’t anticipated encountering it in Glastonbury. It felt as if there were two parallel timelines available. One of them dominated by energies pretending to be love and light, the other one based on love and light. Both realities soon made itself visible and tangible to me.
I hadn’t planned on climbing the Tor on our first day in town, but my feet kept going. At the top, I realized that it was for me to see and feel the dark activities taking place under the Tor. I kept my distance, promising myself to be back. Maybe, I wasn’t very good at pretending to do just a leisurely walk around the Tor. Descending the hill, I was energetically attacked in the back. If I needed a reminder that I hadn’t done enough work to keep my energy field strong, that did the job.
A few days later, the three of us climbed the hill to the Tor. We had imagined spending magical sunset time on the hill, sitting underneath the Tor, doing a proper energy cleanse and enjoying the energies. Instead, we found a group of people energetically inhabiting the Tor and its immediate surroundings. Their energy wasn’t inviting. They were living in their own reality, enjoying a temporary escape from the world. Again, I didn’t spend time under the Tor. Apparently, that wasn’t meant to be this time around.
Glastonbury also gave me plenty of pleasant surprises. The gentle energy at chalice well. The loving and calm energy at the chapel of Margaret and Mary Magdalene. The gentle, yet powerful healing energy at the Abbey. Spending time with two beautiful friends. Meeting lovely people. Wandering along (and visiting) many lovely shops.
In line with the card we had drawn at the beginning of our stay, the Wounded Healer, Glastonbury offered each of us opportunities for healing and growth. After T went home and Alex decided to extend her time in Glastonbury, I followed up on the call of Avebury.
Avebury’s energy was welcoming. The stones stand like sacred guardians. No two are alike, each of them has a unique shape and vibration. Just seeing the stones from the car window had already put a happy smile on my face. Being close to them made my heart shine. I made good use of the beautiful sunlit evening, greeting the stones, one by one. What a joy to walk in the energy of these sacred guardians and to sit with them. I wonder what stories they could share with us.
By the time the sun set on my arrival day, I felt deeply grateful for having stayed true to my inner knowing that just a couple of hours in Avebury would not be enough for me. I felt like I had only just scratched the surface.
Seldom do I enjoy getting up early. The morning in Avebury was one of these days, when I almost jumped out of bed for the first slot at breakfast. I had promised myself to make the most of my relatively limited time in Avebury. There are different sections of the stone circle and in addition there is kind of an alley. The long evening hadn’t been enough to cover even half of it. There was so much more to explore. I didn’t feel like rushing to see it all. Instead, I surrendered to where my feet decided to take me, trusting that they were guided by my soul and spirit guides.
‘If there is anything in this field for me to take, please show it to me’, I sent out into the Universe entering one of the stone fields that morning. It didn’t take long before I bent over to pick up what looked like a regular piece of rock, a stone like many others. Imagine my surprise when I flipped it over and found an orange heart painted on it. Blessings to the beautiful soul, who decorated it and who left it there for me to find it.
My feet took me along the stones of the circle, through the stone alley, around Silbury Hill and to West Kennet Long Barrow. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The peaceful energy, the clear blue sky, the fresh air and the feeling of lots of space.
Easily, I could have spent another day wandering around Avebury and sitting with the stones. The village and its sacred guardians were nourishing my soul. As much as I appreciated Glastonbury and all it gave me, Avebury felt like coming home. One of those places offering me an instant connection to my inner world. A place, where everything feels and flows effortless for me. Where, last minute, that one room is available. Where upon arrival, the pub has just that one open slot for dinner. And, where someone shows up with a jerrycan full of water when my bottle is empty on a hot day.
Thank you, England, for having given me the opportunity to spend time with beautiful friends and for all the surprises your ancient sites had in store for me.
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