Journal of the Companions of the Chalice Well

Issue No. 26 • Autumn 2009

“It was in truth a pretty thing – so pretty, indeed, that the beholders regretted its perishableness”

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Editorial As I write in late August, the gardens are, as ever in high summer, thronged with visitors. On several days recently I have been moved by people’s tranquillity as they sink into the healing atmosphere of the gardens and the waters. Just this week we have heard Japanese, Italian, French, German, Spanish spoken and flavours of Australian, American, Indian and British dialects as pilgrims walk up the pathway under the pergola to the gatehouse. Some of those who have been visiting for many years still remark on the ever-deepening atmosphere, that mysterious quality that pervades Chalice Well. ‘To this place and the house associated with it (LSM), people have been drawn from all corners of the world.’ And during this year we have celebrated our fiftieth anniversary with a full programme of events taking us from Founder’s Day in mid-January through concerts and workshops to Companion’s Day and the ‘Many Paths, One Source’ Conference weekend.

Those who are charged with working here, whether as paid staff members or volunteers (in their many roles from Trustees to gardeners, to gatehouse ‘welcomers’, to editor of this journal) have to listen acutely to work out the ‘right action’ (often in the moment) and how to serve ‘the plan’ to the best of their abilities. More often than not this focuses around the fine balance between ‘being’ and ‘doing’. ‘It would be wrong to feel that all is predestined, certain, free from contingency. It may be that if there is a master plan (for Chalice Well) it exists in perfect entirety. But the task of working out its external realisation is certainly not pre-determined. The labour in the field is all too subject to error, accident and disappointment.’

So, ‘the team’ here at the Well strives to do their best, often succeeding, occasionally falling down, trying to balance the powerful energies resident here. Often, spirit speaks loud and clear, as it did over the two days of the Conference in June (see this issue) when without pre-meditation or construction the spirit showed itself through the dance of synchronicity. Eight speakers wove a tapestry of informative spiritual delight. The inner mystery of this was remarkable to behold.

And so Chalice Well Trust prepares to move beyond 50 years and 2012. After listening to the speakers at the Conference we can be assured that we live in interesting and dynamic, changing times when such a sanctuary as Chalice Well will be more important than ever.*The quotes are by Walter Lang on page 52 of Writing on the Ground by W. Tudor Pole.

Paul Fletcher

The Chalice Well Trust is a registered charity, founded in 1959 by Wellesley Tudor Pole and a group of friends. It is dedicated to preserving the ancient spring and surrounding gardens as a living sanctuary for everyone to visit and experience the quiet healing peace of this sacred place.The Trust welcomes donations to maintain Chalice Well and gardens including Little St. Michaels retreat house, and to further its work. Voluntary contributions towards upkeep are therefore greatly appreciated. Any person who wishes to support the Trust’s purpose by making an annual subscription may be registered as a Companion of the Well.

For further information contact The Chalice Well, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DD UK

Tel: 01458 831154 Fax: 01458 835528. Email: info@chalicewell.org.uk Website: www.chalicewell.org.uk

Registered Charity No: 204206Published by The Chalice Well Trust, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DD, UK

Front Cover: Detail from Glennie Kindred’s Well Dressing June 2000 (Photo: Tony Arihanto)Quotation by Robert Murray Gilchrist from ‘Willowbrake’ 1898, the only known English novel concerning well dressing.Back Cover: Jen Wakefield in Chalice Well gardens (Photo by Natasha Wardle)

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News from the WellSince the last issue we have been incredibly active celebrating the fifty years of the Trust. This culminated in the events following Companion’s Day in June when we hosted a stained glass workshop with David Wasley when he brought what seemed like his entire studio into the Marquee to the delight of those participating, Jan Pemberton’s ‘Mandala Creation’ workshop on the lawn above the Lion’s Head, and the ‘Many Paths, One Source’ art exhibition in the meeting room featuring work by Ann Cook, Amy Funderburk, James C. Williams, Bernard Chandler, David Walsey, Cher Langdon, Yvonne Gay and Cheryl Rose.

During that week (June 6th – 14th) performances included ‘the world famous fool’ Jonathan Kay, Wim and Arienne Van der Zwan performed and taught the Dances of Universal Peace, Jane Booth and John Irving gave a clarinet concert in the meeting room and the group ‘Beckett’ played an evening concert in the marquee.

A few weeks earlier we had been delighted to welcome the ‘Peace Troubadour’ James Twyman to Chalice Well. The internationally renowned author and musician sang and played in the Cress Field on a rather damp May evening entertaining the audience with songs of peace and hope. While staying with us he was inspired to write a wonderful song about Chalice Well which he gifted to us and will perform as he travels to the ‘troubled spots of the world’ such as his subsequent visits to Iran and North Korea.

There is a full Conference report in this issue – two days of mind-stretching and inspiring talks by eight gifted speakers. One of those was Richard Leviton from America who also gave a well attended two day workshop on ‘The Celestial Landscape of Chalice Well’.

Glennie Kindred was our guest speaker at Companion’s Day this year and she explained how to create a Well Dressing, a process she facilitated for several days before Companion’s Day with help from several Trustees and Companions.Glennie Kindred (fifth from left) by the Vesica Pool with Companions

(Photo by Tony Arihanto)

James Twyman singing at Chalice Well (Photo by Gareth Lovelock)

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We marked summer solstice by celebrating ‘High Summer and Earth’s Fullness’ and in the evening Caitlin and Sika and the Strange Sisters played a Midsummer Night’s Concert. Two weekends later Nigel Shaw and Carolyn Hillyer brought ‘The Silver Deer Tour’ to the gardens with Tatiana Lar from Siberia singing the songs of the Nenet reindeer herding tribes of Western Siberia.

In July the spiritual leader of the Ceile De, Fionntulach Anam Cara led a retreat entitled ‘Uniting Heaven and Earth’ and at Lammas Nickomo and Rasullah Clarke of The Harmonic Temple helped us celebrate Earth’s Ripening and the Feast of Abundance.

Jan Pemberton workshop creates a beautiful flower mandala on the upper lawn (Photo by Saul Haines)

Siberian singer Tatiana Lar and her translator (Photo by Tony Arihanto)

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Andy Scott, Ben Filburn, Audrey Murr-Copland, Christina Togni, Ingelise Jensen,

Ethnea Scannell, Joan Gould, Heather Clover, Johannes Fehr, Heather Duer,

Patrick Roberts, Jean Wood, Graham Lever, Penny Lewis, Lynda Efnys Boden,

Shirley Powell, Margaret Orr-Rabuse, Sue Gibson, Sabine Früeling-Fehr,

Sylvia Bridges, Karin Lonegren, Willa Sleath, Corinne Maas, Brian Conquer,

Fiona Stobie, Derek Brightman, Paul Perriman, Cyndi Walls, Aileen Burroughs,

Nonie Michelli, Bahli Mans-Morris, Ann Matkins, Den Carter, Andrena Forrest,

Jen Sherratt, Jude Weller-Redfern, Sam Bull, Dee Flanagan, Rose Raphael,

Isabelle Spring, Annie Brazier, Annie Duckworth, Michele Weston, Gail Willis,

Pat Snelson, Kim Isaacs, Louise Ballantine, Clare Watts, Nick Oxlade,

Morgan Rhys Adams, Helena Troy, Nathan Pritchard, Tony Arihanto, Johnnie Day,

Maureen Hirons, Joy Kenward, Kita, Anna Smith, Joseph Troy and Alison Stenning.

We have had several enquiries from Companions asking when meditations take place during the week as they wish to “tune in” at those times. The Silent Minute is taken each day when a bell is rung in the garden at midday and 3pm. The Companion’s silent weekly meditation takes place in the upper room on Thursdays between 5:30 and 6:15pm. The next Day of Silence is in the Meeting Room on September 29th starting at 11am.

Finally, Natasha, on behalf of The Trust, would like to say, “There are those who, during this year have demonstrated their love for the Well by being a Volunteer, either in the Gatehouse, Office, Gardens and/or at our events. Without their dedication and service, the Anniversary celebrations would not have been the same or even possible. We acknowledge and thank each and every one of them for their support and hard work.”

Full Well Dressing Board Glennie and helpers work on the Well Dressing

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News From The GardenWell, I think it’s time I called it a day as a weather forecaster! I had been so convinced that it was going to be a hot summer that I told everyone I met that it was guaranteed! Early on in the season it really looked promising, but as soon as the jet stream was reported to have moved south, I just knew it wasn’t to be. July, in particular, was mostly grey and wet, going into early August. So let’s just hope we have one of those fabled Indian summers to wipe away memories of the previous deluge!

The garden seems to have coped quite well with the vagaries of the summer, except for increased slug damage (especially to the dahlias, which I had planted in lots of places, and which have been reduced to sad stumps). The weeds have loved it too, especially bindweed and enchanter’s nightshade, although the ground has been quite soft, and subsequently weeding has been fairly easy.

I’ve done more propagation this year than ever before, and I am still doing lots of planting for late season colour. I must give many thanks to my trusty band of volunteers for all the good work they’ve put in whilst I’ve been slaving away in a hot greenhouse! Without them the garden would look very different.

Talking of support I have to announce that our groundsman, Mike Spring, has taken on the additional mantle of assistant gardener, in place of Sue Couture, who had left in April. Mike knows the Well as well as anyone, having had an association with the place since the time of John Simmons, in the Seventies. He is a figure familiar to many companions, and who I’m sure will continue to add greatly to the tapestry of the garden in many ways for years to come.

The new toilet block is proving popular with visitors, and is now resplendent with lots of colour and greenery, having been planted up with lots of annuals, perennials and shrubs, including: tiarella, heuchera, sarcococca, ornamental grasses, honeysuckle, mallow, ferns, lobelia, primula, astrantia, aster, daphne, nasturtium, lots of morning glories, and also a climbing rose called ‘Open Arms’, which used to grow up the lower swing seat, which I had removed because it had been too vigorous. The narrow front bed of the toilet block has also looked colourful with another rose ‘Ena Harkness’, honeysuckle, dahlias, lobelia and snapdragons.

The little shady bed to the right of the doorway to Arthur’s Court has also been rejuvenated with new planting, including hydrangea, leycesteria, hellebore, poppies, ferns and several species of hardy geranium. So far everything seems to be thriving, despite the lack of light. The area had become dominated by dwarf comfrey and ground elder, and was in desperate need of an overhaul. However thorough one thinks one is with digging out pernicious weeds an eye always has to be kept on any regrowth, so the battle is not yet won, but we’re getting there!

The Well Head area in August (Photo by Gareth Lovelock)

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Visitors may well have noticed two narrow upright conifers situated a little way along the path to the Well. These were planted in order to mark a perceived shift of energy in that spot, which some people had commented on in the past. The variety of cypress chosen (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta’), should retain its narrow shape throughout its life, and not encroach onto the footpath, and the experience of entering a ‘doorway’ should become more apparent as time goes by.

Ark Redwood

Companion’s Experience of The Chalice Well

By Sally Jordan Austin, M.A.

My visit to the Chalice Well, at the time of the Summer Solstice, was a much needed respite from my work as a psychotherapist and healer, where I often find myself as the emotional and spiritual ‘well’ from which others drink.

As I arrived in the beautiful gardens of the Chalice Well I could feel myself taking a deep breath as I drank from this sanctuary of beauty and found my soul easing into the peacefulness that I so needed. This time was for me, and I could feel the arms of the Spirit welcoming me home to the heart of my own spiritual center that I had been neglecting, being caught up in the whirlwind of other’s energy and needs.

As I walked the sacred gardens, feeling the strength of the tree that sits just above the heart fountain, I found myself remembering the sacredness of my own soul and the importance of drinking from the well of my own spirit and the Spirit of All-That-Is. As I communed with the elements and nature spirits I was reminded that every place of sacredness is marked by a boundary and just as the Chalice Well has a boundary to protect its sacredness and beauty, I must not forget that my sacredness also needs to hold a boundary. A boundary marked by the time that I allow for myself, the boundary of love to protect my sensitive heart and soul. The boundary of peace that can allow me to attune to the inner world where the love of Spirit flows through my heart and energy centers, just as the water flows through the heart of these sacred gardens and renews all that flourishes here with life and vitality.

The world and my life goes on outside of these gardens of the Chalice Well, but as I sat beside the altar to the Goddess, great Mother of All, and walked upon the soft grass, drank deeply from the flowing waters of the lion’s head and bathed my feet in the healing springs, I awakened to the deepest truth. All that I have found here in this peace-filled restful place also exists inside of me and my task is to maintain the sacredness of the inner garden of my being, to drink from the ever-flowing spring of Spirit and be fed by the light and beauty of divinity that was surely reflected to me during my visit to the Chalice Well. Although I do not live in Glastonbury I can return every day to the Chalice Well within and drink from the serenity that is always available to me from the inner sanctuary of Spirit.

(Sally lives in Los Angeles and workes as an Interfaith Minister, Channel and Therapist, she is native to the UK, and on her visits ‘home’ she hopes to frequent Glastonbury and enjoy the peace of the sacred sanctuary that is ‘The Chalice Well’)

Mornstar8@aol.comwww.BirthofaNewCreation.com

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On Becoming a TrusteeBecoming a trustee of Chalice Well can be a confusing experience, and somewhat daunting.

From an organisational perspective it has all the usual challenges of maintaining focus on the important issues, looking after and caring about its ‘customers’ and staff, and ensuring the place is run well and continues to serve its purpose. These are the sorts of issues I have been associated with throughout my working life and particularly in the past 10 years or so as I tried to help organisations make sense of their world.

Then there is the other side of being a volunteer trustee in such a beautiful and wondrous place and this is the part which can be both confusing and daunting. There is such energy in evidence at the Well; an energy that infuses everything and everyone who visits or who works at the Well. The energy is undoubtedly positive but there are times when one feels simply overwhelmed by the force of it. Then, of course, there is the legacy of Wellesley Tudor Pole; a man whose vision was truly transcendent (as I am learning) and the responsibility of continuing the work he began some 50 years ago.

Many things have struck me as unique about this peaceful yet powerful place: its vision “Many Paths, One Source” is something I had wished to hear articulated in the world for many years. To welcome, respectfully, all those who visit the Well in peace and with goodwill, irrespective of their background, is unusual in this troubled world of ours. Bringing spirituality into the workplace feels genuinely progressive and vital for the wellbeing of all those who give their time and energy to the daily working of the Well. How wonderful it would be if other secular organisations found the time and space to allow staff to share their spiritual lives as well as their working ones.

To keep things simple, I try to hold onto the three “Ps” of being a trustee: that our role is to Protect the Well, its environment and those who visit and work here; to Preserve the sanctity of this sacred spot and WTP’s legacy; and with good stewardship, to help the Well as a charitable organisation Prosper in these difficult economic and materialistic times.

Peter Derbyshire August 2009

(Photo by Catherine Wixey)

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Jen Wakefield: An AppreciationOne of Chalice Well’s longest serving volunteers, whom many of you will remember, Jen Wakefield, passed over on the 17th of May this year. Jen was a great soul and loved Chalice Well and Findhorn dearly, always delighting in her trips to Scotland to spend time with the community there. For many years she did catering for Chalice Well and you may have met her in the shop, in the gatehouse or on reception. Latterly she was a key member of the flower essence group. Remarkably she maintained her volunteering into the last week of her life, and it was on 19th April this year that she placed the following into the ‘Chalice’ pigeon-hole in the office:

‘Chalice Well means all things to me. It is my sanctuary, my healing room, the home of my heart and soul. It is balm to my spirit! Whenever I come to Chalice Well, I always go home feeling better, not always physically, but always mentally. Small niggles disappear, larger problems become at least rationalised, and seem not so big.

A customer has just said that all his senses rejoice when he walks into Chalice Well! That is just another way to put it.’

At her funeral her good friend Natalie Fee paid this tribute:‘I’ll not pretend these last two years for Jen have been easy. They were pretty tough. But

just because life is a struggle doesn’t mean it’s in vain - sometimes it’s quite the opposite - as it’s often through the hard times that we may learn to suffer with grace. And that’s something Jen practised, from her heart, every day.

She’s been a true inspiration to us, always giving what precious little energy she had in service to the Spirit, in recent years through her work as a devoted volunteer at Chalice Well. In fact, it was Jen who first taught me the concept of service as a vehicle to divine love. For the past twelve years she worked at Chalice Well, but it’s these last two, in which every day required a huge effort on Jen’s part to get up and out the house, that she went beyond the concept of service, and truly lived it.

Her life was a spiritual one, she was always looking for answers, always looking deeper, always asking pertinent questions; a true student of life. Even though she was so restricted in recent years she never once gave up, never once stopped believing that she’d get what she needed. And although to us it may look like she failed, that she didn’t find a cure or manifest a miracle, she did. Her living in the way she did was a miracle. Each day she got herself up to bravely face another day in a body that wouldn’t do what she wanted, a body that she couldn’t express herself fully in.

Her intuition was remarkable; her thirst for discovering the Spirit unquenchable. Her mind was inspired and sharp – creating healing and enlightenment, many of which will continue to be developed on this earth as flower essences, workshops and maybe even integrated into a community one day.

She was a fantastic advisor, confidante and friend – as so many of us here know so well.’On 29th June there was a memorial gathering at Chalice Well to honour and remember Jen

and a tree was planted in the garden behind Little St Michael’s.

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On the weekend of 13-14 June Chalice Well hosted its first large conference with eight speakers over the two days. This is a summary of the talks for those Companions who were unable to attend, to give readers a flavour of the inspiring themes and ideas expressed on that remarkable weekend. Natasha Wardle introduced all speakers.

Serena Roney-Dougal: ‘ Exploring Consciousness through Meditation’

Serena is one of the few people in Britain to have obtained a PhD for a para-psychological thesis, and is a former Trustee of Chalice Well.

Serena told us how she had taught parapsychology at a yoga university in India, and worked with Tibetan monks and several renowned teachers.. Through her research into clairvoyance, telepathy and the mind she realised that there was a real muddle in our understanding regarding consciousness and the mind.

In the west, she explained, matter is the ground of all being, and consciousness emerges later through complexity, while in the east it’s a circle – everywhere is the beginning, middle and end. From this Serena realised that consciousness is eternal, the ground of all being; constituting reality in its many forms. So for humanity, consciousness is our highest ideal and that which we are aspiring to. She gave us the image of ‘The Chariot’ for mind, awareness and consciousness – the five horses pulling the chariot are the senses, the reins are the mind (in Buddhism the mind is regarded as another sense organ). The mind is recognised as the organ by which thought arises, and Buddhism and Hinduism have developed complex theories about this.

Serena suggested that in the west we are in primary school with this, although through scientific developments (worldwide) we now have a concept of the ‘holographic universe’ i.e. the whole (God) is present in the all including you (the individual). This gives us a way of living and understanding the western mystery traditions and is the philosophy that underpins Serena’s work.

Serena then outlined definitions of ‘soul’ and told us that self awareness distinguished humans from animals and plants, suggesting humanity is part of a process of consciousness in its manifestation. She then outlined the model of the holographic universe, referring to the work of Schroedinger, Heisenberg and other physicists, and how one particle of matter is affected by another outside of time and space.

Towards the end of her talk Serena explained briefly about tantric levels of consciousness and how evolution is continually pulling us from our gross form towards transcendence. Meditation helps us/trains us to recognise and attain higher levels of consciousness. Serena continues to work and study Tibetan meditation techniques and is researching psi -phenomenon (phenomenon of parapsychology) with yogis, monks and nuns including clairvoyance and precognition. Currently she is visiting Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland to continue this research. She believes enlightenment is for all beings, and becoming one with others through the principle of love enables human right action to manifest in every circumstance.

The Conference Report

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Satish Kumar: ‘Return to the Source’

Satish is the editor of ‘Resurgence’ magazine, was a Jain monk for nine years, and is Director of Programmes at Schumacher College.

Satish recounted that he had come to Chalice Well on pilgrimage in 1986 and not visited the well since 1993. He said it was wonderful to be here again.

His subject was ‘Return to the Source’ and that there are three kinds of source we need to return to.

The first source, Satish explained, is the source within. As humans we are living in the ocean of ‘samsara’ and so sometimes we get lost. We are losing our identity in our busy lives but when we return to our heart/soul/spirit we are in an eternal space. He shared his great physical journey that led him into this eternal space – a journey of 8,000 miles on foot, leaving India without food, choosing to travel as a pilgrim for peace. His guru told him to ‘go with trust in your heart’ – trust in people, trust in the universe, trust in your own spirit. As he crossed the border into Pakistan the entire question of identity and ‘who am I?’ came up as an issue. He realised he was more than an Indian, more than a Hindu, more than a man. ‘I am spirit itself ’. He took the courageous step of realising ‘I am God’ and embracing the dance of life. This allows us, Satish continued, to return to source. He reminded us how Sir George Trevelyan had spoken about each person being a droplet of Divinity, a part of the cosmic consciousness, and spoke of the potential of this realisation. With no dualism and no separation we can touch the mind of God, the Great Mind, and this is what Buddha, Jesus, Shakespeare, Beethoven and Bach had done. Satish had once been asked, ’How do you find a guru/teacher?’ Satish answered, “disciples are seeking a guru out of fear, what the great Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa called ‘spiritual materialism’.’’ When disciples let go of their own need and realise they are here to relate and serve, then self realisation can develop fully.

The second source, Satish continued, is Mother Nature. We have become disconnected. We believe all nature’s resources are for us. We have become mad, crazy consumerists, and we need to reconnect to the soil, nature and the elements. Earth is the primary community. We should be humble and offer gratitude to the earthworm who does so much! We are throwing the gifts of the Earth away by creating landfills and greenhouse gasses. There is no shortage in nature, Satish told us, only the foolishness of humanity, for instance destroying the orchards of Avalon which can produce wonderful apples while the supermarkets import Granny Smiths from New Zealand so that we can’t buy Somerset apples in Somerset. Sacred trees give us delight, nourishment and food – return to the Mother Nature Source.

The third source is to honour our ancestors, our elders. Satish told us that without our great forerunners and traditions we would be bereft. The arrogance of the new science of computers and I-pods and I-phones does not do this. We must pay homage and remember what went before.

So, Satish encouraged us to tap into the three sources – the inner, Mother Nature, and the ancestors, and if we combine these three all our problems will be solved. He encouraged us to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ (Gandhi), and explained that individual consciousness can become collective consciousness. Individuals could come together weekly or monthly in groups to create a bigger movement to work for the good of the planet.

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Richard Leviton: ‘Colluding with Angels: Wellesley Tudor Pole’s work with the Ofanim’

Richard Leviton is from Santa Fe, New Mexico and is the author of many books including ‘The Healthy Living Space’ and his ‘once and future travelogue’ ‘Looking for Arthur’.

Richard told us his story of being a thirteen year old teenager living in Massachusetts and suffering concussion, where he met Wellesley Tudor Pole in the Upper Room (in the ‘other’ world). As a young adult he spent twenty years studying Zen Buddhism and on visiting Glastonbury in the 1980’s he was seduced by the myth and history. He realised that Joseph of Arimathea was in charge of the Grail mysteries and linked with the Ray Masters and many kinds of angels. Richard saw the Upper Room at Little St. Michaels as a meditation place where Joseph of Arimathea was holding a copy of the Holy Grail and there existed a grounding cord to the centre of Gaia. Further out in Avalon, Richard continued, Glastonbury was upheld by 1,000s and 1,000s of angelic supporters holding the town.

Richard made a link with WTP and a family of angels called the Ofanim (the Wheels), the wheels of God’s Chariot – the Merkabah – the mobile throne. Through this contact Richard realised that there was a complex multi-layered geomantic design on the Earth. He was shown holographic images of a light grid pattern like an engineering model. Richard told us about a landscape temple with different patterns for Chalice Well, Glastonbury and the planet. On this grid were places needing treatment, such as the work WTP did with the Michaelic centres through his life at the numinous points. Richard said that Archangel Michael is the energy-being in charge with upgrading the grid of the earth.

When Richard came to Somerset in 1984 to write an article for the ‘New Yorker’ magazine he soon realised he would be writing something altogether different (in fact the ‘Looking for Arthur’ book). He realised that WTP was an old style English initiate – humble, intelligent, un-inflated and iconoclastic, with selfless dedication and a complete absence of astral influences.

Then Richard talked about Rudolf Steiner and the dangers of crossing the spiritual threshold unprotected – ‘the spirits will tie your chakras in knots’. In Glastonbury WTP showed up as part of Richard’s Grail entourage with Pan, the Ofanim and his own dead brother. Richard called the Ofanim ‘Blaise’ (Merlin in ‘Mort d’ Arthur’ talks to Master Blaise). Leviton realised that WTP brought wisdom and design through his deep connection with the earth and that everything was designed for a benevolent purpose. Otherwise it was chaos. According to Richard, WTP worked alongside 14 Ray Masters in ‘the heavy duty mysteries of the high Scorpionic mind.’ Blaise helped WTP to design the Chalice Well site to fit the pre-existent template with holographic fractal connections. For example the physical gardens, the spiritual centre, the Light Temples – to be a seed. This then allows the Grail Knight (on the quest) or pilgrim to interact with the earth and temple system. Richard pointed out that we may only be aware of 5% of what we have participated in, but that we can still plug ourselves in, in a way relevant to present human consciousness.

He then spoke about unitive consciousness. The Grail is the transition stage that allows us to be drawn into the Christ light. There is a big change underway on the Earth and the energies of Aquarius are building up. Our job is to heal the wounded Fisher King, and the wound is not being able to remember (a spiritual amnesia).

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Richard closed by telling us WTP’s wisdom enabled him to design Chalice Well as an accurate, compressed training ground in the context of Glastonbury (and its role in the world). So the physical and the etheric features are matched in the Chalice Well site. He also stressed the importance of the Beckery site in the Glastonbury temenos.

Hamish Miller: ‘Guidance through Ancient Wisdom’

Hamish is a dowser, metal sculptor and author. He is a long time supporter of Chalice Well, designing the present vesica piscis well lid and writing the foreword to the new Chalice Well book. His books include ‘The Sun and the Serpent’ and ‘The Dance of the Dragon’.

Hamish told us he was an old friend of the Well and that we could dedicate this final Saturday session to an hour of silence (in honour of WTP and the Silent Minute)!

He had recently had some health issues that put everything into perspective and had led him to a new attitude towards life. For the last two decades he had done healing and creative work but now there was an acceleration - 2012 has started! Obama’s election in America was a profound change in the American psyche. His election was remarkable not just because he is a black man but his funding came from individuals. What he now has to cope with, Hamish said, is awesome but he is of the Nelson Mandela/Mikael Gorbachev calibre. Obama needs our active support and prayers to help him with his work.

We need to open our minds, Hamish said, to the ancient peoples who transcend time and space. We have to learn to create our own realities beyond normal perceptions. Presently we are making a ‘monumental codswallop of everything’ Hamish said. His message was that despite profligate waste, bad energy use and weaponry expenditure it is not too late if we act in concert pretty soon. He talked about the December 2009 vote on the Codex Alimantarius – a total infringement of our liberties, the World Health Organisation being hijacked by big drug companies, and he asked us to write to our MEP registering our protest otherwise all food will be controlled by ‘agri’ business.

Then Hamish told us the tale of the fish fingers – cod caught off Iceland is deep frozen, re-frozen in Norway, shipped to Holland and then China, then treated and re-frozen and arrives back 8-10 weeks after being caught – a journey of 12,000 miles. This is patently ridiculous. Hamish demanded we stop running the world economy on war, and that we grow more of our own food.

For two years Hamish has been developing the empowering network, the Parallel Community, connecting with hundreds of groups. It has an interactive website, 140 Connectors, 700 supporters. Part of the task is to prepare people for the coming changes. We need new thinking. We have the capacity and the courage. Hamish talked about the difficulty of establishing community in our big cities and about the Totnes Steiner School and his admiration for the balance achieved by the Chalice Well Trust. He ended by saying he was hugely optimistic and that as we have created these problems for ourselves then we can solve them by working together, linking spiritually to our power in unison with others based in love and compassion.

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Sylvia Francke: ‘Sacred Places, Sacred Water and the Sounding Cosmos’

Sylvia is a Trustee of RILKO (Research Into Lost Knowledge Organisation) and author of ‘The Tree of Life and the Holy Grail’, and is an authority on Rudolf Steiner.

Sylvia opened by saying she was pleased to be speaking at one of the most sacred places on the earth and one with so much water! She said that in its natural healthy state water can be dowsed for nine clearly identified resonance formations. The transformation of these resonance formations leads to the build up of corresponding information fields, which stand in relation to specific chemical elements, vital functions and magnetic patterns. For instance, after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl patterns had reduced while at the unspoilt Chapel of the Virgin Mary in the Black Forest the nine patterns are present.

Sylvia attended a 3-day seminar by Austrian biologist Dr. Grafer and Dr. Felsenreich who studied life-bearing properties of water. Their research ran parallel to Rudolf Steiner’s scientific discoveries. This indicated that our planet was shaped by the evolution of water that is the media for the transport of vibrational energy. Grafer and Felsenreich often referred to a lost ‘Paradise’ situation on the earth. She quoted Steiner, “We must picture the earth as a light filled globe, shone round by light bearing clouds… within were all the human beings of today, woven through by all the spiritual beings who rayed forth light in manifest beauty and grandeur.”

Sylvia then spoke of the beauty in the Western Isles and quoted Fiona Macleod and explained the basalt geological formations in that area including the isle of Staffa. Basalt is about 18 million years old and contains more minerals than the upper crust of the earth with many crystalline structures in it. Fingal’s Cave on Staffa is all basalt and to this day is likened to the ‘ear of the world’. From this Sylvia outlined a possible process in which Holy or Sacred Water could influence the physical world. Theodore Schwenke: ‘the world of moving water absorbs influences from the constellations of the stars in the heavens and passes them on to the earth and its creatures.”

She then explained that the Music of the Spheres is received in the Astral, then the Etheric and communicated to the Physical through the fluid medium, through water. Sylvia explained Steiner’s concept of the four ethers and referred to the opening of St. John’s Gospel with the Word being the essence of what is incorporated in the Music of the Spheres. Steiner described how the Sun Being was worshipped for thousands of years in the Zoroastrian religion. After the fall and the temptation of Lucifer it was given to man again to imbue himself with what had once been lost. Steiner described the Chemical and Life Ethers as ‘The Tree of Life’ and ‘The Holy Grail’.

Sylvia explained Steiner’s ideas about the previous incarnations of the Earth: Ancient Sun, Ancient Man, Present Earth in terms of the ethers and explained how he related the Triple-Goddess to these previous planetary conditions. Eventually Christian churches were built over the ancient powerful sites, and where there are geological faults ‘fallen’ etheric energy can be funnelled up to the surface and sometimes experienced as powerful ‘earth energy’. It is possible for human beings to transform this earth energy to its original high etheric state.

She spoke briefly about Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh and said that the Holy Grail is present there but not in a materialistic way. Finally, Sylvia talked about the Tor, Chalice Well, the waters of the Isle of Avalon and the reappearance of the Christ in the present time. She referred to the John Wilkes flow form in the Chalice Well garden and finally left us with the message - water is like a ‘cosmic camera’ that captures experience and carries messages.

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Rupert Sheldrake: ‘The Rebirth of Nature’

Rupert is a biologist and author of more than 80 papers in scientific journals and has written over ten books including ‘A New Science of Life’.

Rupert began by telling us that at the present time civilisation is split into the official mechanistic view (9-5 weekdays) and the back to nature (weekends) movement. Ironically these are largely made up of the same people. The mechanistic view leads to destruction. Science is part of the problem but can be part of the solution. In our schools, Rupert reported, the old science is taught and Richard Dawkins, an atheist materialist, is very

vocal in our society. The basic rift in our evolutionary story is represented by the Faust story – selling his soul to the devil for unlimited power. This reaches a point where there is no let up – relentless – this is where we are now. Part of the problem is that technology doesn’t even recognise concepts of ‘soul’ or ‘devil’ so doesn’t realise the Faustian bargain is in operation.

But science is now moving, Rupert argued, beyond the mechanistic view with the Gaia hypothesis – earth being seen as a living organism. This theory is becoming established in our culture. Of course Mother Earth is not a new concept with indigenous peoples but is a new idea to science. Rupert, like other speakers within the conference, stressed the importance of developments in quantum physics and the concept of freedom in the heart of matter – each atom has a freedom. There is also probability – some things are more likely to happen than others. After touching on theories of ‘God’ Rupert moved on to talk about morphic resonance (see his book A New Science of Life) and each species having a collective memory. This theory, Rupert explained, leads to predictions and research into human similarities; for instance in twins. Twins raised apart, separated at birth, have extraordinary similarities.

What is clear is that physicists still understand so little about reality. Again, we were told, 96% of all space/matter is unknowable and unseen. We only experience 4%. This is more mysterious than black holes and scientists are loath to debate it.

Rupert then asked where consciousness and mind fit into this. Within ‘behaviourism’ consciousness doesn’t exist. In the last twenty years scientists have begun to look into this problem. The biggest frontier is the nature of the mind. Anyone who meditates and follows a spiritual path understands this. We don’t know how the mind works but the dualism of mind/brain just won’t do. A third way suggests the mind is more extreme than the brain and extends out through ‘fields’ that extend beyond matter. Science recognises gravitational and magnetic field but there is also a mind field – in our brains and beyond.

He explained the nature of vision – the inward movement of light, the outward projection of images. Our minds, however, reach out through the fields of perception. The morphic fields. So, we should be able to affect it by looking at it. In the last 20 years there have been experiments on ‘viewing’ and ‘being looked at’. Our bodies respond to this even when we are blindfolded or watched on CCTV cameras. This is the basis of telepathy and also accounts for pets knowing when their owners are coming home. (50% in case of dogs, 30% in the case of cats).

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Rupert has done a lot of research in these areas with his colleague Pam Smart. Working against these ideas are the sceptics, the scientific vigilantes. (See conversations with Richard Dawkins on Rupert’s website.) Rupert suggested a social movement was needed with ‘Happy To Be Holist’ buttons! Science needs liberating from its dogmas.

Finally Rupert told us the old style certainties are receding and many scientists are now aware we’re moving beyond materialism, with the environmental crisis and global financial instability. He stressed the importance of pilgrimage and seasonal festivals, which bring people together. In this paradigm shift Rupert believed Chalice Well was at the leading edge.

Malcolm Stern: ‘The Courage to Change’

Malcolm is co-founder and trustee of ‘Alternatives’ – the multi-disciplinary lecture series at St. James’s Church in Piccadilly, London, and is a psychotherapist specialising in group dynamics and conflict resolution.

Malcolm opened by acknowledging Chalice Well for holding ‘a beautiful light space’ which feeds Glastonbury and the rest of the planet. This was a personal talk based on Malcolm’s life experience starting with a soul-destroying career in accountancy, which led him to explore his identity. Who are we? He spoke of an awakening and the realisation about his own massive neuroses. He had then worked as a carer for £20 a week and lived in bliss. But after being stalked, having a car crash and developing thrombosis, the Queen’s homeopathic doctor changed his life. He took responsibility and began living life through the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘psychological,’ meeting people along the way like Pir Vilyat Khan and Sir George Trevelyan.

Malcolm outlined five stages of development on the journey: Sniff the flowers/Make a contribution/Become disillusioned/Withdraw/Return to the world knowing nothing can hurt you. He told us that he is on this journey and that money is no longer the god. As Satish had said earlier: ‘We are all God’. For this journey there are as many maps as there are people. Now is an extraordinary time of awakening, Malcolm continued, when we can stand up and take responsibility. With a sense of service we can bring the gifts we have to help this major shift in Earth’s history. This is one of the Great Ages we are arriving at, after the Agricultural Age and the Industrial Age we are at the Age of the Great Turning.

How do we get support? We have a duty to seek out those of ‘like mind.’ ‘Lets do that!’ Malcolm talked about the 1960’s and the sense of freedom and irrevocable change, the emergence of the feminine, the challenge for man to be wise, tender, clear and clean. Marry this with the feminine – the relationship of Goddess and God. He mentioned the explosion of nature wisdom, the Tibetans losing their country and coming west with their beautiful culture, and the individual journey of becoming an ‘elder’.

Then he talked about the path of practice. Affirmation/The culture of kindness – friend not foe, hugging (Dalai Lama: ‘my religion is kindness’)/ Owning your own ‘rubbish’ – look at what’s going on in you and acknowledge ‘in my defencelessness I lay down my arms’ (Course In Miracles)/ Nourishment on the path – meditation, profound literature, music/ Nature.

Malcolm closed by leading everyone in a ‘Hallelujah’ chorus of unity.

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Jude Currivan: ‘A Co-creator’s guide to the Whole-world’

Dr Jude Currivan PhD is a cosmologist, healer, author, futurist and educator. She often appears on US and UK television and radio.

Jude opened by speaking of the ‘one source’, and explaining her three pathways to that source. Firstly, the way of the shaman – which she explained as the ancient path and the way of the heart. Secondly, the way of the sage – who created monuments, saw some places as more sacred than others, experienced the world in a different way and controlled the environment. Thirdly, the way of the seer – with heart, mind and purpose.

We are in a momentous time now, said Jude, and we can’t solve our problems with the thinking that created them. We are on the edge of a global breakthrough in a transition period and it is accelerating. On the surface it is turmoil but underneath there is real change happening. We are the co-creators of our reality and we can come together as co-creators. We are getting cosmic support in this, so we must ask for help from the many, many dimensions. REMEMBER who we really are and bring it through the human journey.

She gave us the Parallel Community initiative as an example of what is happening now. Jude then told us about the astrological alignment of February 14th 2009 – the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. 14th February 1962 had shown the possibility of this era. Now there was to be manifestation of our purpose. This year on February 14th at 5am one million people tuned in to our purpose, dedicating the Age of Aquarius within ourselves. The advice, Jude said, is to ‘Show up!’ ‘If you think you are too small try sharing a sleeping bag with a mosquito!’ Listen for our inner voice – we can pass the baton and do the best we can.

There is a new vision of integral reality, Jude continued, and we can become more conscious co-creators, step by step to oneness. Realise that everything in life is purposeful. For 13.7 billion years the universe has been undertaking a cycle of activity with consciousness expanding itself. In our universe, ultra violet light kick started it. Ever more complex forms developed and self-realised beings evolved.

Jude looked at this progressive evolution in terms of the vesica piscis and the masculine/feminine expressing the creative principle. The holographic principle is the key to our perceptions and that the 4% we can see (but still don’t understand) is important.

We are moving towards a theory of everything – to understanding the universe in terms of information and consciousness. Jude spoke of the Divine Feminine and the Vesica in the heart, which will enable us to take the journey back home, back to source. And we are all in this together – that is the meaning of holographic reality.

This can lead us, Jude said, to peace and reconciliation, a ‘re-soul-ution’. Turmoil is happening but the emergence is ‘breakdown and breakthrough’. 2012 is an opportunity to breakthrough to a higher level. Jude told us we have incredible support from angels, ascended masters, devas and e.t.’s. There are new charkas (beyond our seven) coming on stream and there is a Universal Heart 8th chakra midway between heart and throat, she said.

So, she concluded, go for the impossible dream, listen, show-up and recognise the shift is remembering, and going back to source and finding God in ourselves. Call on each other. Ask for cosmic support. Love.

Jude ended the conference with a meditation and a blessing and a Companion from the audience read an extract from WTP’s ‘Writing On The Ground.’

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Chalice Well Spring Water (compiled from the writings of Wellesley Tudor Pole)

“The beneficial qualities of this water have been recognised both historically and by tradition from very early times. In the Middle Ages this was probably the most famous healing spring in England and may well become so again.

Chemical analysis reveals little of real interest. As it emerges from underground, the water apart from H2O contains an appreciable quantity of fine silica in semi solution and certain mineral trace elements, including iron and copper. The water is slightly radioactive. No obvious reason seems to exist as to why Chalice Spring water should contain a healing potential within itself.

Homeopathic ProcessesTests show that when subjected to homeopathic processes in sunlight and then taken homeopathically, healing qualities are augmented. Psychometric investigation tends to indicate that this water contains a quality that cannot be chemically analysed, but which appears to possess real therapeutic potential. This quality may have been imbibed by the water in one of several possible ways.

1. By having passed over or near an object radiating a powerful healing aura or vibration, at some point in the water’s underground journey from its original source to arrival at the surface.

2. By passing through a bed of earth strata or mineral substance, which in itself is imbued with natural healing attributes.

3. Through the agency of a supernatural influence within itself nurtured by the Being who is believed by many to be the unseen Guardian of the Spring.

4. Or by a combination of these three plus an unrecognised factor which we will call “X”, one which certainly includes the value of the patient’s own simple faith and humility.

Aeration DesirableExperiments in the aeration of this water, both by light and air, whilst the water is kept mobile, appear to enhance its therapeutic potency to a marked degree. This statement only represents my personal conviction and will be subject to confirmation or otherwise through prolonged experiment and research.

It is only recently that I understood the reason why the Ancients carried out no healing ceremonies at the Well head or at the Spring’s first emergence from the underground darkness. On the contrary, the water was allowed to flow overland until it reached the bath or basin in the Courtyard, at which spot so many records of successful cures have come down to us.

Incidentally I find that flowers and plants can assimilate the water healthfully without prior “light” aeration. Also that flowers in this water will remain fresh for over three weeks, and even then the water in the vases remains as sweet as was originally the case.

Constructive SuggestionsAs to the actual use of the water, bathing in it, in certain cases, has proved beneficial. But drinking in quantity and unthinkingly may prove of small value. A few drops taken homeopathically every few hours during treatment should prove ample. If the water is taken away for home use seven drops thrice daily in a small glass of milk or fruit juice would give better results than if taken in a less homeopathic way.

Finally, may I add this. Some readers will consider that my approach to this important subject is too objective and that it is a mistake to try to discuss any but purely metaphysical reasons for the qualities, which our Spring undoubtedly possesses. I have no quarrel with those who feel like this and who believe that the main sole cause of the healing quality derives from the influence of significant events that took place at and around the Chalice Spring in ages past.

Be that as it may, I for one am convinced that nothing but good would result from the holding of a simple Service of prayer and praise and expectation at the Well-head at regular intervals, as has been the practice in former times.”

In the Heart of the Well

“Living Sanctuary

Retreat” Residential: Friday 6th November - Sunday 8th November 2009

Experience the profound peace of the Living Sanctuary that is Chalice Well and gain understanding of the vision that has manifested here.

CHALICE WELL TRUST

Quote from Louise, a participant in 2008“Almost a year on from the retreat and the feeling still remains which was engendered by a truly gentle introduction to Wellesley Tudor Pole and the Spirit of the Well. A small group of us, spent time in the warm encompassing atmosphere of the sitting room of Little St. Michaels. We listened with wrapt attention to Paul telling tales of WTP and Alice Buckton. Then Joanna took us on a voyage of self-discovery in the gardens. We were introduced to the beauties of ‘movement to prayer’ both out in the open and indoors by Philomena. A bond developed between all of us who took part in the weekend and we were loath to go our separate ways at the end of it. The retreat resulted in my volunteering at the Well where such peace is to be found.”

The retreat is lead by Joanna Laxton and Philomena Houlihan-Wood with CWT archivist Paul Fletcher in attendance.

Leave aside the ordinary flow of time and take the opportunity to pause and reflect within the atmosphere of Chalice Well. The retreat will be spent in meditation and quiet contemplation indoors and in the landscape. You will be able to experience the deep sanctity of the Upper Room and the harmonious natural energies of Chalice Well with its constantly flowing healing waters and gardens. There will be an enjoyable mix of reflection, discourse, silence, and a chance to hear some of the story of Chalice Well from the Trust’s archivist and researcher.

For further information contact: info@chalicewell.org.uk or telephone 01458 835528