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  • Day 8

    Crystals, goddesses, and Christ's uncle

    October 12, 2012 in England ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    Wow, they really mean it when they refer to Glastonbury as a spiritual center. You name the belief, and it's got a shop here. I noticed a store front selling Sufi wares, right next to the place with a Native American medicine wheel and a Buddha statue. There are more crystals in the shops here than a healthy mine vein. I've seen fairies, smelled incense, and thumbed through a dish of amethyst angels the size of my finger nail. There is an ancient goddess temple down the street from the dated Methodist Church, just across from the Tibetan meditation center. If you had no spiritual direction when you came here, you would certainly walk away with something from the buffet. If you were confused, you could get your astrological chart, a palm reading, or maybe some past life counseling. I can't wait to see what else we venture upon tomorrow.

    The story of Glastonbury begins with pagans and goddess beliefs. It is said that the uncle of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, brought the child Jesus to the area; Joseph was a trader in ore and lead, and this area is rich in lead mining. This is not as important as the visit Joseph made after the crucifixion. In 37 AD, Uncle Joseph is said to have brought the chalice, from which Jesus drank at the last supper, to Glastonbury. Once here, he placed it in a well. The Chalice Well is in a peaceful garden now, with serene landscape and plenty of places to sit and reflect quietly. The water that runs from the well has been at a constant rate and temperature, since these types of records have been kept. Furthermore, the water runs "red" from the well, as Joseph was said to have brought a little blood of Christ with him. Or there is a lot of iron in the water.

    Of course Glastonbury is the setting of all things King Arthur, as the Tor was identified as the Isle of Avalon, after the Abbey monks found the remains of the king and his queen. Although I prefer Monty Python's Holy Grail, the story of the King is pretty good, too. Lest I digress from Joseph, legend has it that he built a small place of worship here, creating the first Christian site in Europe. This site was later used for the Glastonbury Abbey, which we will visit tomorrow, so more to come on that one.

    Kim's friend, Millie, joined us for much of the day. She lives about an hour away in Bristol. We all met this morning at the Chalice Well entrance. We walked the sacred grounds, drank the healing water, then sat at the well. It was the first step in our spiritual liberation. We then wound our way up the Tor, a commanding hill that seems to have erupted from the earth straight up 521 feet. Once a sacred area for the goddess worshippers, it was later overtaken by the Christians who built the St Michael Chapel at the top. As noted by travel writer Rick Steve's, though, "apparently those pagan gods fought back: St Michael's Church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275."

    Following the Tor, we returned to the Chalice Well to complete our tour of spirit. Once our souls were fed, we bid Millie farewell, and found a place to feed my empty stomach. I can feel the energy of Avalon all around me, and it makes me hungry.
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