
Glastonbury – when most people hear the word Glastonbury, the first thing they think of is the music festival (which, incidentally, isn’t actually held in Glastonbury but close by). But there are others of us that when we hear the word Glastonbury – we think of myth, magic, healing springs and deep transformations.
Glastonbury, also known as Avalon – Isle of Apples, is known as the heart chakra of the world, it’s been a place of pilgrimage for spiritual seekers for thousands of years.
The town itself consists of many new age, spiritual and fascinating shops, along with vegetarian restaurants, it is not, as my Dad said when he visited ‘your average town’.
I first came to visit Glastonbury when I booked to attend my Master Reiki training with William Rand in 1999 – I knew nothing about Glastonbury and was delighted to find shops that stocked openly hundreds of books on paganism, Wicca, crystals, herbal healing and magic! At the time, when the internet was in its infancy, these things were hard to come by anywhere, not like today, it was a very different time!
The most amazing shop; StarChild, which has grown in size since my first visit, is nestled in the beautiful courtyard, just beneath the Glastonbury Goddess Temple – it’s like an old-time apothecary – a healer’s dream!
However, it’s not all about the retail delights, these, believe it or not, are just the icing on the cake. Glastonbury has a mystical history going back into the mists of time. Sacred sites and power spots surround this small town in Somerset, England, and their spiritual energies weave together to create a nurturing ambience of peacefulness and joy that permeates the entire area.
The town is built over important ley lines that cross beneath it. These ley lines channel the life energies of the earth—energies recognized by dowsers and clairvoyants to be especially conducive to meditation, healing and other spiritual practices. Two springs flow from nearby hills; both are purported to have healing properties, and people come to bathe, drink and collect the water here.
The mysterious Tor, a hill with a cave at the bottom, a labyrinth around its sides, and an ancient stone tower at the top, a place of great importance and a place of Ancient Goddess worship, is Glastonbury’s most pronounced topographical feature – walking the Tor at sunrise and sunset have been some of the most spiritual experiences I have had.
There is the Abbey – said to be the burial site of Guinevere and Arthur, Chalice Wells, the most beautiful, peaceful, healing gardens that are home to sacred healing waters, a place for quiet contemplation and reflection – we often sit around the well head to listen in to our inner wisdom at this magical, mystical location. And, tradition has it that Jesus visited and Joseph of Arimathaea built a church in Glastonbury too!
Avalon is home to the Goddess, as mentioned above there is a Goddess Temple, a registered place of worship, but the land itself vibrates and hums with Her presence, when you come to Glastonbury magic and transformation always happen, after my first visit I have continued to come at least once a year – the land calls me!
This October I will be running my third retreat at Glastonbury’s yoga ashram – Sheikinashram. Shekinashram is nestled at the foot of the Tor, it a very special place indeed. Participants not only get to spend time in a functioning ashram and attend kirtan, morning pujas, meditations, fire ceremonies and yoga classes, but also, I have the privilege of taking students on guided walks around the sacred sites that I now know so well. We walk up the Tor for sunrise and/or sunset, we bathe in the springs, meditate in the Temple, leave offerings at the Well head and springs and of course there is always time for a little retail therapy too!
Glastonbury cannot be explained in words alone – one really must visit and walk the land, drink from the springs and listen to the whispers on the winds.
If you would like to join me this October 13th-15th to this magical land please book soon, using the link below, booking closes August 12th.




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