Isle of Avalon and the Chalice Well –a visit in 1914

Recent research revealed this wonderful piece from a friend of Rudolf Steiner’s, D.N. Dunlop, who recorded a visit to the Tor and the Well ‘a few months before the outbreak of the first world war’. This was published at the time in Dunlop’s periodical ‘The Path’ under ‘Editorial Notes’. Alice Buckton and Annet Schepel would have been in residence at the Well for less than a year.

‘In these beautiful spring days it is good to find myself in the ‘Isle of Avalon’ associated with the legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. In such moments of relaxation one cannot readily sorrow for ought; the Sun becomes a source of understanding; the ecstasy of the Divine Intellect is over all; in such surroundings one finds no difficulty in realising that trance-like yoga in which the operations of nature proceed in silence. The visible world which appears so beautiful is realised as the manifestation of the One Divine Essence; metaphysical difficulties disappear; every separate beauty is a jewel transformed from the gold of the Sun.

How can I do otherwise than give myself over to reflection? What to me are acts of merit or demerit, the results of good and evil? I extirpate them altogether. I turn my eyes to the trees; I realise that my body is a tree, with its seasons, nourished by sap, fostered by desires. Is the mind not the trunk, the soul the root of the mind, the root of these the one great Cause of all? Are not acts fruitless without the moisture of desire? This garden in which I sit is the home of the quiet mind, and in this composure I witness the festival of life. In the cities and towns with their tumultuous life man with unquiet mind gathers worthless treasure with as much delight as I gather these fragrant blossoms of spring to make my offering to God in the holy shrine of my heart.

I believe I now understand what Nirvana is (I shall no doubt soon forget it again). I have lost nothing in reality in burying all separate possessions. Is this an ‘empty space’ in which I sit so silent? If so, it becomes the receptacle of all knowledge. How safe and secure is the soul in such a haven of rest? Having forgotten the separate forms, with their different names, I see the substance out of which they are all made. When the shadows cast by all these separate shapes are removed from my mind then tranquillity arises, the mirror of the soul is bright, the firmament is clear, the sun of truth shines. Is it out of the Essence of this felicitous spirit that these little hills, these trees and plants, these waters, and the fragrance of the flowers arise; does it, like the wide-spread daylight, comprehend all objects and contain all worlds? Yes, I see now that the seed of all these beautiful productions of nature is contained within me, that these countless worlds are the visible expression of myself. The sphere of the Universe is my sphere; I behold myself in all objects and remain in peace; the butterfly dances before me in the sunlight and under the shade of the tree I reach illumination. I see where the Supreme Being is. He is accompanied by all these worlds of beauty and variety; He is present in everything – in the habitable earth and the waters likewise; any word of mine will but misrepresent The True Nature.

The people outside are returning from church where, no doubt, the Easter festival has been celebrated. I wonder if they have really seen the festival of resurrection as I have seen it under this tree in the garden. Have they seen the Christ with His hands stretched over all creation; His feet reaching to the end of the world; His face and eyes on all sides; His head piercing the spheres? Have they seen the Lord moving in and out of all things; the One Universal Ocean; the One Sun and Moon; the same land in all the earth? However narrow the vision, He, the Lord, is in all the customs and manners of men and in all their ways of thought; He resides equally in the parts of the atom and of the Great Cosmos. A thousand images of Christ have gone by, and are going by still, but all these images vanish when Christ is seen everywhere. Is not the boundless heaven His Crown; the earth His footstool; the whole universe His temple?

A bell rings and I leave the garden, but not before sending gifts and messages to the far-scattered children of the Kingdom who have from time to time shared with me this mystic vision. Is it not from visions such as these that we go forth equipped to fulfil our various destinies? The greatest spot on the earth is the little hill of vision, far eclipsing the hanging gardens of Babylon; it is the ever-enduring hill, with ever-springing greenery, everliving waters, where the mother raises her brood of heroic children. Today, perhaps, in some such quiet spot, making no noise at all, the good angel of mankind may be preparing the Saviours of the world. Be of good cheer all ye who dwell in isolation for a while.

Front Cover: Photo credit: Gill Tidball

Back Cover: The Misty Vale from the Meadow

Front page quote: by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Photos in this issue by Caroline Glazebrook, Casey Jon and Ian Bursill unless otherwise credited.

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 01458 831154 • info@chalicewell.org.uk • www.chalicewell.org.uk

Registered Charity No: 1147343 Published by The Chalice Well Trust, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DD, UK

Every May I am invited to speak at the Chalice Well Essences training weekend about ‘The Energies of Chalice Well.’ It is always an interesting experience as this is usually the participants second weekend of their year and the doors of perception to the subtle worlds of the essence kingdoms are opening more and more. At the beginning of the talk there is a meditation/visualisation that starts way out in the universe and brings the group slowly towards the earth until they see the blue shining globe hanging in space and then gradually focus on the map of Britain with its copious power points; Callanish in the far north; the hermitage cell on pristine Iona; the wonderful stone circle at Castlerigg in the Lakes; the central wheel at Arbor Low in Derbyshire; the remarkable Avebury stones and complex; St. Michael’s Mount and the inrushing Michael and Mary energies; Tintagel, sea-foamed and shining until our inner vision perceives Glastonbury.

Here on the Isle of Avalon is a mysterious temenos of 4 main hills; all so different from each other: the mighty Tor, the soft domed Chalice Hill, the welcoming slopes of Wearyall Hill and St. Edmunds Hill (unfortunately now built upon). Over the centuries many thousands, if not millions, of souls have found their way to this isle and the layers of myth and powerful stories have built, layer upon layer. Eventually came the Avalonians preparing the temenos for its first flowering; Fiona Macleod with John Arthur Goodchild, Tudor Pole and the Triad, Alice Buckton and Annet Schepel, Dion Fortune and all who followed. Now, since the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the Great Opening in which Chalice Well has played its prophesied part has occurred.

One such visitor was the extraordinary D.N. Dunlop who visited two months before the outbreak of the First World War and what many have found upon visiting the Well. He was a spiritual researcher of great clarity and his reflections express what can happen if you sit quietly in your favoured spot in the gardens in this vale.

Against the backdrop of an increasingly troubled world the ‘Many Paths, One Source’ keynote makes an inclusive contribution to welcome the pilgrims and visitors on their soul journey through the entrance gates of Aquarius. The chalybeate water flowing constantly into the Well and through the Lion’s Mouth (Leo) is an ageless potent reminder of this journey. Tudor Pole even suggested that as we left the Piscean Age and ventured further into the Aquarian Age the vibrational note of the water may change.

There is some reflection of these ideas in this issue with Sophie Knock’s article about ‘Healing Light’. Alistair Jones reflects on ‘The One in the Many’ and Tom Bree’s delivery of his lifework in ‘The Cosmos in Stone’ in his newly published remarkable book. There is also the sharing by Peter Quince of some of his pilgrimage experiences where after taking us to America and Greece he brings it all home to the Chalice Wellhead. There are also the usual sparkling array of photographs and updates and news about the forthcoming months. Thanks, once again to our wonderful photographers.

As I write spring is bursting forth and the gardens have welcomed our new Head Gardener Dave Balian into the essential co-creation with the subtle realms and hopefully many of us will be able to meet him and each other over the coming months including on Companion’s Day in June.

Paul Fletcher