Returning to Avalon

For some time now I have been feeling pangs deep within my heart to retreat, slow down and stop. To make a personal pilgrimage.

While my spiritual practice is non-negotiable, with the launch of my book and all that goes with it I have been running on empty. Not doing enough to ensure my inner well is full, bubbling, overfilling. With every passing day I could feel a heaviness building in the tender most parts of my heart as I drew on my masculine reserves of “soldiering on” for another day, week, month….

Looking at my diary, time off seemed impossible for months on end. I prayed on it and the answer was loud and clear: clear your diary and go fill up your well in Avalon (Glastonbury).

It didn’t make logical sense. But knowing that intuition never does, I finally surrendered and 15 minutes later space was created in my diary, a bus ticket bought and the “blue angel room” booked at my favourite B & B overlooking the Chalice Well Gardens.

I spent the whole first day lying in the gardens with the sole intention of filling up my well. A whole day of praying, drinking the healing waters, eating great organic food, writing and reading amongst the flowers. I felt held and my spirit was happier than it had been in a long time! I make a pact to incorporate this nothingness into my daily life, ESPECIALLY when I’m busy, and to incorporate writing time even when I am in launch mode, because nature and writing are what light me up.

REWIND: Two days before I left for Glastonbury I met a new friend (Madeline Giles). I then discover that she is going to be in Glastonbury at the same time for a sacred sites tour.

While I was sitting in the Chalice Well Gardens I couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps I was meant to be on that sacred tour too. My mind pipes in and says that it doesn’t make sense as I am here to rejuvenate and besides, I’ve seen all the sacred sites of Glastonbury already. My intuition keeps strongly niggling so I say under my breath:

“Alright Universe, if I am meant to go, I need you to organize it and organize it quick.” (I didn’t want to spend time googling etc as I was meant to be chilling out and organizing travel stresses me out!)

I went back to my room at the B & B, put on my favourite mantras and started writing. 30 mins later I hear a knock on the door. I open it to find Danielle, a friendly American woman in her thirties saying:

“I’m so sorry to bother you, I’m staying in the room next door to you and I heard your mantras playing and at the risk of sounding really random, I just have to ask, are you by any chance going on the sacred sites tour that starts tomorrow?”

I burst out laughing and relayed my conversation with The Universe just 30 mins earlier. Convinced that I was meant to join them she punched out a text while standing in my doorway and 30 seconds later I am on the phone with one of the organisers. My breath is taken away again as I discover that the tour is going to Nectan’s Glen and Merlin’s Cave in Cornwall (both of which I had written on my must-visit list earlier that day and had been trying to work out how I could convince my fiancé to come with me).

The next three days are some of the most magical of my life. Three whole days spent praying, chanting and connecting with the wisdom of the planet’s most sacred sites. Chanting as the sun rises over the Tor, laying on the St Michael and Mary laylines and sending our light to the corners of the Earth, having visions in Merlin’s Castle, connecting with the beings of light in crop circles of Wiltshire, meditating in the middle of sacred stones in Avebury, surrendering my creations to the Goddess at St Nectan’s Glen.

In Merlin’s Cave. Check out the orb!

I return to London eight days later rejuvenated and changed in ways I haven’t found the words to express yet. Creatively, Personally. Spiritually. Absolutely in awe at the magic that can happen when we stop pushing and say a great big YES to the whisper deep within and go along for the ride.