Glastonbury Blue Bowl

Recently in my practice I have been feeling like there was something missing. Something sacred that during ritual I just needed to have on my altar, dip my fingers into etc. Well after several times of feeling this way, I meditated and found that I needed to work with a sacred bowl. Not a cauldron, which is very important to me as well, but a bowl. Something to told sacred waters. I started to look around. I wanted it to be blue and hand made. About the time I found the bowl (Below) I found out (via internet research) about something called the Glastonbury Blue Bowl. There wasn't much information on this so while I was talking to my mentor Mara Freeman, I asked her to tell me about it. I had never heard about the blue bowl before, but it is no surprise that my soul was craving it. After being at the Chalice well, and standing right next to the building that housed the bowl, (but not being able to enter) I must have picked up on the energy. Perhaps it is more simple than that, the more I align myself with the energies of Avalon, the more the little things come into my life.

In 1908 a French man named Wellesley Tudor Pole became convinced that he needed to move to Glastonbury. Along the way he became convinced that he would find a sacred object there, and would need three maidens to help him. In 1906 an object was uncovered at Bride's mound. It was in fact a blue bowl. Unfortunately it was not the artifact that they had expected. After carbonating and other research they found that the bowl was placed there in 1898 by an English Doctor named Goodchild. He had spent much time in Italy treating tuberculosis years before. He purchased the bowl there and brought it back to the UK with him. After a profound dream where he was told that Jesus had actually carried the bowl, he became convinced that he was in possession of the Holy Grail. He brought the bowl into an antiquities dealer who could neither confirm or deny where it had come from, but suggested that it was very ancient. Since the shop owner who Goodchild had originally bought it from told him that it came from inside of a wall on an old site. He became even more convinced that it was the Holy Grail, and placed the bowl in Bride's mound where he thought it belonged. Though we now know it was not the Holy Grail and that most of the information was incorrect. It now carries the energy of Bride's mound, and Chalice Well (where it now resides inside locked away).

I personally think that the grail if it does exists is NOT a blue bowl, but I do think we can work with the grail and other healing and water energies through working with a sacred vessel. I personally love my chalice but it holds wine, a very important part of ritual. I needed and wanted something more. The energy of the "concept" of a sacred bowl has now been spreading through my own practice, and with out telling my students it is creeping into theirs. I now have one that has come to me with similar information, urging her to start to work with water, by holding it in a bowl. Amazing isn't it? How egregore can be passed from teacher to student and vice versa with out intention. That is why those of us that are called to the Priestess path (or Priest) have to consider everything we do before we do it. (More of that later in another blog) I am happy that this bowl has come to me, and that my students want to work with water more. Maybe it is the sacredness of the water, or the vessel itself. I am not sure, but time will unravel this little mystery.

Glastonbury

Glastonbury was both a place of Chaos and Magick. It’s interesting how the two energies be floating around colliding at every opportunity but yet keep their true essence.  I will start with the Magick of the Red Well, the Chalice Well.  We woke up early; I wanted to be at the gate at 10. We arrived at 10:30, close enough for me. It was just me and my Husband. Nana had taken all the children to a castle that day. I am glad that Alek went he would have had MUCH more fun in the castle, than being drug around Glastonbury all day.  We paid our 4 BP each to get into the garden.

I wanted to run to the Vesica Pisces well cover but instead I headed over to the larger Vesica Pisces pool.

and basked in how beautiful it was. From there I went to the gift shop which was small but still had some wonderful things. Duston surprised me with a book called Undine, which is a fantastic book on the creatures of the water. There was a book called Gwyn that I should have got but didn’t, it’s now on my reading list.  All the profits from the store went to the Chalice well trust

so of course I chose to support it. 

I got this wonderful candle, the undine book and an amazing wand. I consecrated the wand in both the waters of the Red and White Well. I know that this will be an amazing healing tool. It is made of a Fresh water pearl (very appropriate for this Fresh Water Fae) Amethyst, Quartz and a Quartz cluster, and the best part an apple branch from the apple trees  at the base of the Tor. It was crafted in Glastonbury by a local. 

As we walked through the garden we saw the Yew trees, which were decorated with gifts of beads, ribbons, string, and crystals. The garden was well preserved, and there were several people tending to the flowers. I could imagine myself working there, how wonderful would that be!  We came to the healing pool. Called something like King Arthur court. I went in of course but the water was SO cold I only went in up to mid calf. It is interesting because being in the water like that activated my Reiki Energy I could begin to feel the same pulses that I do when I’m working Reiki. 

Of course I saved the best for last and went over to the Chalice well cover. I was surprised to see plants growing on the inside walls, but it was so beautiful and the waters so calm. After the well we went back and filed up a bottle with the water from the Red well  the water was so strong with iron it did not taste great. (below are the spoils of Glastonbury, the left bottle is the water from the Red well and on the right is the water from the white.)

Since the white well was closed till 1:30 we decided to climb the Tor. It was very windy and hard to climb but worth every moment.  Once we were to the top we sat on the side of the tor and closed our eyes. The warm sun came out at that moment, and the wind stopped. I could feel the presence of the Sun God, Apollo, Belenos, etc.

After the Tor we headed into townwe were so hungry, sad to say that the town did not have the same energy as the Garden or Tor. Though the shops were adorable and I bought a loose resin based incense called Glastonbury, and a few small trinkets.

We decided to head back to the Tor, we stopped at the White Well which was right across from the Red well. It was finally opened. It was not run by the Chalice Trust. It was a dark well house that was lit by candles. The floor was covered in water and I took my shoes off and waded in the water.  It was strange and dark, but I could feel a STRONG underworld presence as if Morgan La Fae and Gwyn Ap Nudd were right there in the well. The house was laden in shrines, candles and magick.  I sat and tried to meditate I did get a small message before being interrupted by a nude man splashing in the pool. I was glad that I filled up with the white water before he decided to go for a swim. The air became uncomfortable and it was time to leave. We climbed the Tor one more time.  As I looked out over the landscape I had this feeling that though this was the place of Avalon, it had now moved on, far beyond the boundaries of the veil. There are portals but they are not doorways more like long hallways. I can still feel the strong presence of Avalon, and though it has disconnected from Glastonbury, Avalon is everywhere, and can be reached through meditation.