The Chalice Journal Autumn 2023 by chalicewelltrust

VOLUME 3 No. 4 • JOURNAL OF THE COMPANIONS OF THE CHALICE WELL

Humanity, while it is also multiple, is primarily one. Autumn 2023

Editorial When bringing this issue of the Chalice together I was thinking about legacy and vision. Looking forward and looking back; and of course being present in the now, the eternal now. With so many wonderful gatherings and celebrations having taken place we wanted to spotlight the sheer joy of celebration in a photographic special. Adding to this was the extraordinary beauty of the gardens this summer which people experienced in more than just the visual feast but also in the healing atmosphere of this vale and in the emanations at the Wellhead. This is symbolised by a photo sent to us by one of Renata Ashe’s Austrian group. They were staying on retreat in Little St. Michaels and ventured out into the gardens at 7a.m. and captured the image you can see in this Chalice. In fact our Essence coordinator Casey captured a similar image around the beech tree a few weeks later. I am always guarded when it comes to phenomena which can easily lead to glamour, but here we have two images that in 2023 echo something of Eleanor Dunlop’s vision on her visit in 1914. In the last issue we had ‘found’ D.N. Dunlop’s experience of a visit to Chalice Well at Easter that year, just as Alice and Annette were finding their feet and a war like no other was about to break upon the world. Since that last issue we have discovered that his wife, Eleanor, was accompanying him and as she sat on the lower slopes of Chalice Hill she entered a reverie that was recorded in The Path journal in May 1914. During these months too, a lot of old and rather special books turned up on the shelves of Courtyard Books in town: there were copious Fiona Macleod titles, John Cowper Powys aplenty, William Sharp’s biography of Robert Browning, old Theosophical collections and more. Companion Alan Royce was quick off the mark and purchased the first ever journal of the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society from 1886. Within its pages was an article by George Wright, often quoted from over the years; part one of what he wrote is included here as it gives us a wonderful perspective of Chalice Well, the Blood Spring, at the time when the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from Bourges were living here. As the world continues to unravel and change at remarkable speed I am reminded of something Sir George Trevelyan said to me one day in the North Wales mountains at Capel Curig; this is a spiritual crisis we are going through that will only deepen over the coming years. If we turn to George’s ‘A Vision of the Aquarian Age’ (published in 1977) we find him writing this (as though written yesterday!): ‘We can, if we wish, direct our attention solely to the symptoms of disintegration in our time – and very unpleasant, not to say alarming, some of them are. Alternatively, we can choose to watch the first bursting of the new spring; and the pace at which it is doing so is phenomenal. Over the broadest conceivable spectrum, spiritual knowledge is bursting through. The power of the living spirit, seeping through human consciousness like fresh water, bubbling up like fresh springs, blowing like a fine clean wind, is sweeping away the barriers between worlds. As Francis Thompson proclaims: Oh world invisible we view thee, Oh world intangible we touch thee, Oh world unknowable we know thee, Inapprehensible, we clutch thee.’

This verse expresses something of the vitality of what is occurring beneath the surface of outer events. Here at Chalice Well the legacy is vital and strong. The Silent Minute bell rung at 12.00 and 3.00 each day in the garden marks a minute’s observance, the 9 o’clock minute each evening is worldwide, the Lamplighter Movement, the Prayer of the Chalice prayer card from Frances Nuttall, the Glastonbury Moment prayer card (over 50,000 circulating now worldwide), Alice Buckton’s work, particularly her drama and poetry as exemplified by her poem The Heart Worships in this issue, the coming in of the Blended Ray described in A Dream by Wellesley Tudor Pole and printed in this issue. George Wright in his writing takes us back two thousand years. Now we are over a fifth way into the 21st century. This summer has seen so many pilgrims wending their way along Chilkwell Street, climbing the Tor, taking the water and finding mediation in the sacred landscape. I hope this issue can be enjoyed as a visual feast as we settle down for the winter months ahead while the observances of the eternal rhythm of the year will take us through to the first shoots of rebirth and spring. Paul Fletcher

Front Cover:

Photo: Looking into Arthur’s Courtyard (Steps) Photo credit: Casey Jon

Back Cover: Caption on Cover:

Photo: Bluebells from Amin Maalouf

Other 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

From the Chair Dear Companions, As I write this in mid August we are experiencing another busy and successful summer despite the inclement weather and the somewhat inclement world around us! Chalice Well continues to thrive and to attract more and more people, some seeking solace, others just curious. We welcome them all. Our annual day of gathering in June was a truly joyful one with glorious weather in beautiful surroundings, and for those of you who were unable to be there I give below the transcript of my speech on that day.

Lindsay Smith

“Welcome everyone to another Companions Day in our beautiful gardens. Time seems to have a life of its own at present and it seems, in fact, no time at all since we last met – but, as always, we have much to report. We had an extremely successful and busy summer last year which helped us enormously after the disruption of the Covid years and our accounts are subsequently looking much healthier; this to a large extent due to the diligence and devotion of all who work here. Our office and its systems and organisation, all run so efficiently by Nicola Green and her team, have continued to be updated and improved whilst, hopefully, maintaining our personal touch with you, our Companions, and all our other visitors. The shop, as always, thrives under the direction of Caroline Glazebrook and her team, with such beautiful and diverse gifts and books. Caroline also oversees and organises the communications and events side of our Charity as we have steadily moved back into in person events as well as online ones. Our Earth Festival celebrations are now in full swing and those of you who came to Beltane will know how well received and joyous they have become; and we still maintain the online contact with Companions and other supporters which was initiated during the Covid years and has now become a regular and much appreciated part of each festival day. Those of you who were here last year will remember Ark Redwood and Martin Faulkner on the stage talking of their long years of interaction with Chalice Well and with each other. Ark, much loved by so many of you, retired in February after 23 years of loyal service and the position of Head Gardener now rests with Dave Balien, somebody who has lived in Glastonbury for many years and has a strong connection with Chalice Well. As you can see, he and his trusty team continue to tend our gardens and land with such care and with ever increasing attention to the natural way of all growing things. Martin, who has been associated with Chalice Well for many, many years has now, we are so pleased to say, taken up residence in Vine Cottage as our permanent Care-taker. He will be overseeing our constant maintenance programme whilst also holding a strong and steady presence within the buildings and the land. It seems somehow right that he should become such an integral part of the Well after so many years of service. Martin will play a crucial part in the re-organising of our infrastructure so that we are a far more self-sufficient organisation. We are in the process of developing our own water supply which would seem to be not only sensible but somehow a little obvious, and investigating becoming as self-sufficient in energy as is possible, given the extreme volatility experienced

of late. Another major capital project will be the replacement of all the windows in Little St Michaels and our other buildings which, again, is an ongoing process. Martin’s presence in Vine Cottage has initiated a change in the overall running of the retreat house as Nicola, our Office Services Manager, and her staff take that under their wing and, of course, we must always honour the housekeepers who scrupulously care for Little St Michaels and all our other buildings, not only on a physical level but also connecting with and holding the energy therein. Our dedicated Essence team give so much of themselves in the process of selecting, creating and offering such divine and healing products to our visitors, and also in training so many people in the delicate and precious art of their creation and use. Thank you Sophie, Casey and all the staff and volunteers who play a part in this. This year has seen the re-printing of the two books which have become essential reading for those who wish to learn more about our founder and our blessed sanctuary. “Light Upon the Path” by Paul Fletcher, our busy archivist, has been re-printed and updated as has “Chalice Well – the Story of a Living Sanctuary”. Both of which, of course, are available from the shop! Paul still does so much for Chalice Well, not least the editing of two editions of “The Chalice” journal each year which I know are valued by so many of you. He is such a wonderful reference point; his knowledge of all things Chalice Well seems to be boundless! And, of course, I must mention Steve Hawkins, our part time Chief Executive and Company Secretary. He was brought in to re-organise the Charity just at the start of the Covid years and, despite the challenges presented by this, has done an admirable job in bringing staff, volunteers and trustees together in a far more cohesive and organised fashion. It being Chalice Well, his challenges have been frequent and many, but he has ridden the tide of the energies here with humour and equanimity. Our volunteers are so treasured. They come and go and some come and never go and they give of their time and energy without (usually) complaint. Tim Chidgey has for a long time now held the complex task of organising rotas and timetables and a continuous recruitment drive. He does this seamlessly and we thank him and all our volunteers, past and present. And, of course, we the Trustees are also basically volunteers so I offer gratitude to my fellow trustees for their expertise, their love of Chalice Well and actually for turning up, sometimes from far away, despite their own busy lives. It is with sadness that we lost Alistair Jones as a trustee in January due to his increased work and family commitments. Many of you will remember him from his speech at last year’s Companions Day and I am so pleased that he has agreed to stay on as Assistant Archivist working with Paul Fletcher and to still be a presence here at our beloved Well whenever he finds it possible. It is also with sadness that Alison Scobie cannot be here today due to illness but we hope to see her back with her invaluable technology skills as soon as she is able. We humans who have taken on the role of caring for Chalice Well, in whatever form, need to be a presence in both worlds, spiritual and practical, to protect and defend this space in these increasingly tricky times. The team which has built around us over the last few years are so very committed to that cause and I, and all the trustees, salute them. Their dedication and love for Chalice Well is so often very visible and very heartening. I do so hope that you, our Companions, can see and feel this vibration of dedication and care. Whilst we have been busy and successful over the past year it has not been an easy time

for any of us who hold this space given the vagueries of the outside world, so thank you everybody for staying constant. So all is as it can be, given the impossibility of future predictions. We continue to maintain financial stability and to improve our organisation and infrastructure to hopefully in the future become as self-sufficient as is possible to avoid the fluctuations of the world we now live in. But primarily we are a sanctuary for all who need solace and inner peace and this has never been more important or more necessary. “Many Paths, One Source” is our ethos and we welcome all benign beliefs and none and perhaps this phrase can also be applied to the ancient art of healing. Indeed, this is the place according to legend that King Arthur came to for healing and it may be that he rests here still, asleep, until the time for awakening arrives. We sit here, in the heart of Avalon, surrounded by such bountiful gifts. The strong and deep flowing waters to drink and walk through; the abundant plants and trees and the essences and remedies they supply; the pure geometry of the Vesica on our well cover and in our pool which provides a basis for all sacred geometry used throughout the ages and is a symbol of creation and growth and birth and rebirth in the natural world; and the encompassing sounds of running water, joyful birdsong and very busy bees. All these provide us with the core elements for our speeches on this day of “Healing the Soul”. Paracelsus, way back in the 15th century, recognised that healing begins from within, in his words: “The physician should know the invisible as well as the visible man …. There is a great difference between the power which removes the invisible cause of disease and that which causes merely external effects to disappear” (Paracelsus ad 1483-1541) Yes, healing begins from within and there are so many ways to trigger this and I know that our speakers today, who are so very welcome, will not only entertain you but will lead you along paths towards knowledge, healing and release. Healing is such an individual process which primarily must come from within but can be helped along the way by so many things, broadly and, sadly now, termed as alternative therapies rather than ones that might be regarded by some as fundamental. Today, we have three speakers ready to embrace the art of healing and share their own perceptions of ways to reach the body through the soul. Healing is an integral purpose of Chalice Well and indeed of other wells. To quote our founder, Wellesley Tudor Pole: “When water wells up from hidden springs and sources and is brought intimately into contact with air, such water always possesses healing and vitalising qualities which vary in strength mainly according to the rhythm of the mineral substances through which the water has passed in its pilgrimage from darkness into the light of day” This will resonate completely with the homeopaths amongst us but also, I believe, with all those who have sat in Arthur’s Courtyard, walked through the waters there or meditated silently at the Wellhead. Whether the waters of Chalice Well are potentised homoeopathically or taken as they emerge from the ground they do appear to have profound effects upon the body and the soul, amplified of course by the energies within this Vale of Avalon. Rudolf Steiner predicted many years ago that pure sound tones would become a recognised method of healing and we know from the past that sound has been an integral

part of all world cultures throughout time; to worship, to heal; to strengthen, rejuvenate and inspire on emotional, spiritual and physical levels. And Sacred Geometry is such an ancient, ancient art which has been used for healing and so much more; an information passage through which many malfunctions of the body can be corrected. When our energy is corrected and allowed to flow unimpeded, our bodies become regulated and our functions re-ordered and restored. Within our small plot of land on Chalice Hill in Avalon we hold the space as so many have before us and we welcome all; to take water from the Lions Head, to sit beside the Vesica pool, to dream of Arthur and his questing knights and to go deeply within at the Wellhead. We celebrate the past at Chalice Well, we hold the present in deep respect and we await the future with strong hearts and good will. As Wellesley Tudor Pole stated many years ago: “It is the kingdom within ourselves which needs exploring. All the illumination and power we require is there waiting to be discovered and to be used. When the seer speaks of fresh light upon the hills he is trying to make us understand that this light of a new day is already within each one of us, waiting to be recognised.” We at Chalice Well ardently wish for all who come to be healed, on whatever level is right for them in order to be able to go forward with love and light and power in their hearts. So again, as last year, I end my words with talk of love. The love that wholeheartedly conquers fear, that gives without the need to receive and that will collectively take us all into a better world. The love that can be found at Chalice Well. This is the emotion we hold on the days of our Earth Festivals, the emotion we try to maintain in all our dealings within Chalice Well and the energy that I hope you all will take away with you at the end of this glorious day. In the words of TP, “Yes! God is love. And we can prove it. The more love we reflect and share with one another, the greater will be the supply available to us; a supply that is infinite, boundless, never failing and eternal”. Thank you Companions, for your invaluable support and devotion to this small but very special place on planet earth.” The energies within our sacred sanctuary are, as always, being absorbed by our visitors and their power seems, for many, to be increasing. It is my wish, and I hope that of all those who are connected in any way to Chalice Well, that we can continue to hold and honour this energy as a counter to all that appears to negatively influence our current world situation. Love will always be the foundation for renewal and peace and its strength can easily counter the negativity of fear and distress which currently insidiously pervades much of our planet. We perhaps underestimate this ability of pure love to heal, to strengthen and to bring forth light. As Companions of a sacred and powerful site let us all try and put aside the small irritabilities of each day and send out clear and golden light and love and power to the universe to continue to push back the darkness that cannot, and will never, completely engulf us. Sending heartfelt blessings from Chalice Well Lindsay

News from the Well Caroline Glazebrook writes: We love having everyone together to celebrate the turning wheel of the year in community, sharing the water and the land of Chalice Well. As you can see from all our photos Beltane featured the fire that heralded the May morning blessings and Glastonbury Border Morris were present for the Maypole dancing. At the beginning of June there was a successful Companion’s Day which explored the theme of Healing the Soul. Companions celebrated this special day with three impressive speakers (see report in this issue). In the evening the concert was well attended with the large crowd spilling out of the marquee into the garden to watch Nigel Shaw and Carolyn Hillyer. The following day saw workshops led by Peter Neumann (the art of sacred incense making) and Tom Bree (sacred geometry). Two weeks later it was summer solstice and at the beginning of August we celebrated Lammas with a loaf specially made by a local baker.’

Jumping the fire at Beltane

The Beltane fire is lit

Preparing the pole

May morn dancing

The Well dressed at Lammas

Mother and Child at Lammas

The solstice fire

Detail of Lammas Well Dressing

The summer solstice well dressing

Dates for your diary: ✴ Please join us for our Samhain Gathering on 31st October for a midday meditation at the wellhead and an evening gathering at the Vesica Pool (check our website for timings). ✴ The Chalice Well Winter Solstice Labrynth opens to the public on 22nd December. It will be created once again by sacred geometer Tom Bree. The temporary labrynth offers a way of deep connection with this sacred land and offers a spiritual journey inwards as we mark the returning of the light at midwinter solstice. ✴ Tom Bree will also explore the significance of the labrynth on Thursday 21st December in Chalice Well Meeting Room. After his deeply knowledgeable talk you can walk the winter solstice labrynth with Tom before it opens to the public the following day. Tickets are available from Chalice Well website. ✴ The Winter Solstice meditation is at the Wellhead on 22nd December at 12 noon.

✴ The Winter Solstice Fire Ceremony will begin at 2pm on the lower lawn on 22nd December. ✴ The Heart of the Well retreat is taking place over the weekend of 17th/18th/19th November with Lindsay Smith, Sophie Knock and Alistair Jones and with two talks by Paul Fletcher. Enquiries re places to Chalice Well office. Tel: 831154.

Chalice Well Volunteers. Tim Chidgey writes: The Volunteers Garden Party was held on 26th July in the meeting room, and was well attended despite the heavy rain, which did not dampen the spirits. After a wholesome buffet, awards were given to: Lea Surs, for ten years’ service to the Well. With further certificates to Amanda Glynn and Edie Quilter for outstanding service. The atmosphere was enhanced by gentle acoustic music from staff members, Dave and Martin, accompanied by Andrew, a garden volunteer. Volunteer numbers in the gatehouse and shop have slipped recently. So if you’d like to help out and enhance your relationship with the Well, please visit: https://www. chalicewell.org.uk/getting-involved/volunteering/ and complete the form at the bottom of the page. Thank you. Finally we thought Companions would be interested to hear that a new Holy Thorn was recently planted on Wearyall Hill and Chalice Well Trustee Sophie Knock was among those present for the Blessing.

News from the Shop

Caroline Glazebrook The Chalice Well Calendar 2024 is now available online and in our shop. Favourite areas of the garden, beautiful flowers and precious pollinators are shown in stunning photographs for each month of the year. Dates of the new and full moons, our Chalice Well gatherings and events are included, plus useful information about Chalice Well. The calendar is £13 (chalicewell.org.uk/webshop)

Bee image from the new calendar

The 2024 Calendar

Brand new to our range are these wonderful Notebooks with lined, plain and flower of life pages for your notes, observations and creative ideas. They feature gorgeous photos from the garden alongside quotations from Wellesley Tudor Pole and Alice Buckton so that these notebooks can help you to feel you’re always able to be in the garden. A5 Notebook is £9/ A6 Notebook is £7. We are truly grateful to everyone who visits our shop or orders online because every purchase helps to maintain the garden, the buildings and the land surrounding Chalice Well. Thank you for spending with us. We hope our carefully curated gifts and Chalice Well items inspire an even deeper connection with this sacred place.

The cover of the new notebooks

Detail from new notebook

Garden News Into the trees

Dave Balian The sounds of Chalice Well in the early morning before the town awakes is mesmerizing. In this timeless ancient Avalonian valley sounds bounce around in an echo chamber created by low twisting Yews, Abbey stone and magical flowing water. Magpies, robins and blackbirds blend with cooing doves and clicking wrens, mistling leaves pushed by hungry voles noses. Shells of cobnuts crack in the teeth of squirrels, who leap through the hazel branches. This is the voice on the surface of things, but the moment we touch our heads to the trees a deeper, quieter voice can be heard. A voice that knows eternal mysteries.

Dave settling in

My first months at Chalice Well have been wonderful. I have found kindness in all who work here and all who have visited. I am so grateful to Ark for handing over with such grace and goodwill, thank you all.

I start every day dowsing into the garden to find out what it would like me to do and how it would like me to be. Then I try and marry my vibration to its own. As a lifelong companion gardener, welcoming all life to the garden, I try to find subtle plant combinations that animals and the plants themselves need to survive and flourish. The silver washed fritillary needs violets planted near the base of an oak tree for the pupae to crawl down and feed on. At the Well our beautiful oak is elementally and energetically our Air Guardian. I dowsed in some violets near its base in the hope of making this connection. After a few weeks a large fritillary floated through the border on its way to making use of this perfect combination. By listening to the garden we can relax back into nature. Our internal dialogue may pause for a moment to detect softer more subtle vibrations.

A few years ago I had the great pleasure and good fortune to be asked to garden for a lovely couple, Molly and Alan. When, quite soon after starting with them, Alan passed to spirit, Molly and I became great garden adventurers. Using the plants in a slow motion firework display, we broke all formality and convention, realising that the first rule of gardening is there are no rules of gardening. At the start of World War II Molly was recruited at the age of 17 to work at Bletchley Park, England’s top secret decoding base. She had been selected because she was a child mathematical genius. Molly began to work with a very small select group who exclusively worked on the messages of Hitler’s High Command. A role which awarded her such high security status that she virtually never left the base. In 1995, fifty years after the war that many now realise was shortened by those decoders, she finally told Alan and the family what her role had been. In those fifty years that tied her to the Official Secrets Act she had never told a soul. One day Molly announced the sad news that doctors had told her that her gradual sight loss could no longer be checked, but Molly had a plan… We set about relandscaping the garden, widening paths, removing steps, softening edges, cutting back branches. We moved Molly’s bedroom downstairs and made the house clutter free. We also began garden walking meditations. Slowly appreciating each plant and flower, smelling, touching and sensing each plant spirit, each plant personality. We picked ripe vegetables by touch and grazed the borders, identifying plants to remove by touch and scent, leaving the soil and all below untouched. At the end of the day Molly and I would sit under the willow tree in meditation as deep and fulfilling as any I am likely to experience. As Molly’s sight faded she seemed to expand, not confined to a perceived limitation, seemingly not daunted or feared by the future, using her other senses to fill the space and support herself. For some months after Molly too passed to spirit, I continued to work in her garden. I split the herbaceous perennials for the last time, collected seeds and took cuttings. My first task arriving at Chalice Well was to create a small flowerbed by the wall to the left of the entrance gate at the end of the pergola. Globe artichokes, Irises, Asters, Canterbury Bells, Ipomoea and Campsis, most from Molly’s garden, remind me every day of one of my most beloved gardening renegades, who through plant vibration, continues to encourage and inspire my journey into the trees.

Essence News ~ Autumn 2023 As the gentler, quieter months begin to wrap themselves around us, we turn our thoughts to what the last year has brought us; what we have learnt and nurtured and what we have given back in exchange. As the gold and russets of Autumn warm our hearts, the earth offers her fruits and berries so that we may gather all that will sustain and nourish us through the colder months. This can be a fulfilling time of year to appreciate our harvest, to see what has blossomed and thrived, what has fallen by the way and let go of what is no longer needed. It is such a delight to move with the seasons feeling the connection with the earth, her waters and all of her kingdoms; to be at one with her. This year in our Flower and Vibrational Essence Practitioner Training we have been looking at our relationship to Water and how we can listen to the Waters of the World. We have asked many questions but perhaps the most significant one being, ‘How may we serve the sacred waters and what is our sacred activism for them?’ Water is an integral element of our lives; what if we were in touch with those waters close to us, our local springs, rivers, lakes and oceans, that we had a deeper connection to them, and then of course what would our lives look like if we communicated with the water that moves within us, how would this affect our health and wellbeing? If you feel to, take a moment to sit with some wild water or a glass of spring water, move into your heart space and be open to connecting and developing your relationship with water. It is a beautiful moment to listen quietly and let the waters speak to you. When you have finished offer the water your love, blessings and your gratitude, if you held a glass of spring water you could drink some, offer it back to your local water source whether that be a small spring or the ocean or perhaps your plants would enjoy it? This water is now filled with your love and it’s a lovely gesture to offer it back to the earth in whichever way feels right for you. When we co create a flower essence, it is the union of the plant, the sun and the spring water, it is the sacred water that hold the energy of the essence. The Chalice Well Flower essences are cocreated with the waters that flow from the ancient spring and hold the energetic signature of the flower in its pure state, allowing its healing qualities to blossom to its full potential and beauty.

Chalice Well Trust founder Wellesley Tudor Pole wrote “Water from a particular Well or Source never loses its affinity for the place from which it has been taken” so people can receive the blessings of the Well even when they are far away. It is not just the special energies of this place that give the essences their power. It is their amplification in the sacred waters of the Chalice Well. We had the joy of co-creating the Buttercup flower Essence in May and Pink Hydrangea flower Essence in July with our lovely Chalice Well Flower and Vibrational Essence Practitioners in training, both essences were an utter blessing to connect with and to listen to their wisdom and healing gifts. We look forward to including them in future essence ranges.

Chalice Well Essence 'Heart of the Well' for Unity Heart of the Well is a powerful ally for heart centring and energy healing work beneficial for both healers and those in need of healing. Born of the Aquarian principle of collective unified intention, to take this Essence is to sip from the overflowing cup of joy, love and peace in remembrance of all that we are and can be unified, one consciousness, one heart. Co-created by the Spirit of the Well and the Chalice Well Companions, a golden stream of love and light flowed from the hearts of those assembled in a circle around the Vesica Piscis pool towards the centre of which was placed a crystal bowl of Chalice Well water. This Essence was made on Companions’ Day in June 2008, when over 150 people gathered. Companions are a community of all those who love and serve the Well.

How to Use this Essence Chalice Well Essences are most effective when worked with consciously. We suggest calling upon the Spirit of the Chalice Well and asking that you may receive all that you need at this time. Take 7 drops under the tongue, or in a glass of water, morning and evening, or as your intuition suggests. Casey Jon

‘Healing the Soul’: Companions’ Day 2023

A report by Alistair Jones

Companions’ Day was held on Saturday 3rd June, with over 200 Companions and friends of Chalice Well attending. We came together, as always, to express our love in supporting the Well and to share our companionship with each other. The focus for the talks centred around the concept of ‘healing the soul’ - a fitting theme to be held at such a healing place.

The Companions in the marquee.

It was another wonderful day, filled with sunshine, laughter, and fellowship. Following the opening circle, the Chair of the Trust Lindsay Smith formally welcomed everyone and gave an uplifting appraisal of the Trust’s activities over the previous year (her talk is available in full in this edition of The Chalice). Dr Yubraj Sharma, a GMC-registered medical doctor and experienced homeopathist, then gave an interesting lecture focussing on the ‘homeopathic proving of Chalice Well’, exploring the links between anthroposophy and the Arthurian legends. Interweaving his anthroposophical insights, homeopathic understanding, and experience as a registered doctor into his discussion, Dr Sharma detailed the anatomy of the heart chakra and the anthroposophical medicine view of the rhythmic system, reflecting upon the Arthurian legends of Glastonbury as well as his Steiner-influenced interpretations of the symbolism of Chalice Well. After the Silent Minute at 12pm, sacred geometer, author, artist, and great friend of Chalice Well, Tom Bree gave the next talk of the morning. Entitled, ‘As above, so below…on Earth as it is in Heaven’, Tom discussed the importance of re-establishing the relationship

between Heaven and Earth, an archetype he stresses is central to all spiritual paths in its reconciliation and unifying of polarities. With great skill and humility, he practically demonstrated examples of this unification of above and below; the links between geometry and cosmology; and the unification of the square, circle, and triangle. It was fascinating to see Tom at work, gently illustrating the way that geometry can reflect deeper cosmology and the active bridging of opposites. His recent book, The Cosmos in Stone explores these concepts in relation to the architecture of Wells Cathedral. It is well worth reading. Many of those who came joined us for lunch in the marquee. This is often a good time for making new acquaintances or catching up with old friends. Indeed, this year we were particularly blessed by the presence of many long-standing companions, former staff, volunteers, and trustees. It was a joy to see companions old and new mixing in the summer sunshine to celebrate Chalice Well and Wellesley Tudor Pole’s vision together.

Lindsay Smith speaking at Companions Day

Dr. Yubraj Sharma speaking at Companions Day

Tom Bree at Companions Day

Chloe Goodchild speaking at Companions Day

Chloe Goodchild, voice healer, singer, wisdom teacher and composer, gave the final talk of the day. Her inspiring workshop explored the transformative power of sound and the ‘healing voice’ as a messenger for the soul. She guided us through a series of vocal exercises to find our true voice, demonstrating the transformative and healing qualities of the human voice with great compassion. It was beautiful to hear the many voices of the companions united in harmony, a poignant symbol of Chalice Well’s ethos of ‘many paths, one source’. At the end of Chloe’s talk, we joined together for the closing circle as she guided us to use our bodies and voices to send our love into the waters of Chalice Well. The day finished with the resounding sound of the sacred Aum being enunciated by us all, a celebration of a day filled with goodwill, light, healing, and shared endeavour. We wish to thank everyone again for attending. To quote a Chalice Well newsletter of 1982, “the magic of the day was created not by a few, but by everyone and everything.”

The Well dressed for Companions Day.

Nigel and Carolyn at the evening concert

A beautiful evening

More seating was required!

Above: Peter Neumann’s sacred art of incense making workshop

Right: Tom Bree’s sacred geometry class

Dunlop Vision In the last issue of The Chalice we published an account of D.N.Dunlop’s visit to Chalice Well in 1914. This was taken from The Path magazine. Further research uncovered an article by Dunlop’s wife Eleanor who accompanied her husband to Glastonbury that Easter and recorded her experience in a piece called ‘The Grail Cup’. ‘I am sitting on Chalice Hill where, it is said, St. Joseph buried the Cup of sacred memories. The vale of apples (Avalon) lies all around, bathed in spring sunshine. Soon the countryside will be a drift of creamy white and pink blossoms, for the apple blossoming is in May, the Celt’s earthly paradise. In the ‘Avellenan’ or Song of Apple-trees one of our bards describes his mystic tree as being seven and yet seven-score. Seven sweet apple trees, and seven score Of equal age, height, width and bulk, Out of one bosom of sweet mercy spring. The Mendips guard the far horizon, and at their feet gleams the mere into which the brave Sir Bedevere flung King Arthur’s sword ‘Excalibur’. Surely the past but slumbers in the present: what has been, is, and ever will be. The heart a magic crystal, evokes whate’er it wills. In this crystal I can see Brigh, the beloved of every Celtic soul, Brigh; the radiant goddess of light and beauty, whose many-bowered chambers are in the Sun, and yet whose tender care is over all her children. We know her also as Dana, mother of gods and men. Swiftly she passes across the crystal, clad in rainbow glory, with a smile of transcendent sweetness on her lovely face. For a moment, all is white and clear, and then I see what looks like a crown of gold, which flashes with opal and ruby lights, rose, pale green and blue, shot through with warmest crimson. A second glance shows it to be a circle of mystic fire, and in the centre plays a fountain from which melodies rise and fall – heartbeats of joyous life. Surely this glowing centre must be Brigh’s Cauldron’, the Grail Cup in which the precious brew of life eternal was distilled and offered free to every hero-soul who came to drink. ‘Pair Dadena’ was it called, ‘Cauldron of Rejuvenescence’. Then the vision passed, and I saw an aged man stooping over a crucible, from which arose the fragrance of myrrh and cinnamon, olive and galangal. These, I was told, commingled to produce the golden oil, ‘Elixir Vitae’.

With the mediaeval seer my visions passed. Alone, upon the green hill, I prayed. My prayer was answered. In a pine wood with no one near I saw the ‘Grail’. Nearby the sound of running water, overhead the deep blue sky and in the midst a pure white cloud, heart-shaped appeared. I gazed upon this purity with deep-felt adoration and then I saw a fount of rosy light rise up within its centre. The risen spray broke in a rose of perfect beauty which fell and touched my feet. Rosa Mundae, rose of love immortal, uniting with thy fragrance Earth to Heaven! So sweetly poignant was the fragrance of my rose that I knew not whether to rejoice or weep.

Then I bowed and raised the crimson rose first to my lips, then hid it deep within my heart, for I too had seen the Holy Grail, even as Blanchefleur in days of old. The ancient cauldron and the seer’s golden oil are one with the Grail Cup of redemptive passion.’

Photo Special

The Dream

Wellesley Tudor Pole

This reverie was found among the Russell papers in Scotland and unusually is undated as normally every bit of writing by WTP is dated. In a preamble WTP explains that at the time this was written his ‘reflections seemed to pass into a dream state in which events are regarded from a different perspective’. In this state he writes, ‘human three dimensional reasoning no longer holds the field.’ At this time he was reflecting on the nature of the Reappearance and how a spiritual event can be misinterpreted when nothing definite is known. So here is an example of WTP looking beyond the vale into the spheres and he advises caution over any interpretation as these type of ‘visions’ or musings can be ‘translated in a variety of ways.’

T.P. found himself standing among the stars and gazing earthward. As he descended toward our planet, revolving first in darkness and then in light, it took on the appearance of a globe on which the lands and the oceans were indicated symbolically by their individual vibratory condition, and not by their geographical delineations. As he approached nearer the Earth but still far distant and not yet within the confines of the planet’s atmosphere, T.P. heard himself saying, ‘Show me the Holy Land where Christ will first reappear in outward form.’ It was at this juncture that T.P. became aware of the operations of the Blended Ray as its powerful beams radiated down into the planet’s atmosphere and on to the planet itself. It became apparent that this Ray in itself was the preparer of the way, the spiritual ammunition so to speak available for use by the forerunners of Christ’s return and by all on earth who have dedicated themselves to His Service in the spirit of fellowship and goodwill. As T.P. came nearer to Earth, he could watch the revolving globe more closely, picking out one by one of the Continents and the Oceans, then the various countries; the mountains, the rivers and the seas; the Cities, the forests and the waste places. Finally he found himself standing immediately above the British Isles. The hour seems to be in the period of hush before Dawn, and yet there was a sense of expectation. In the darkness there were points of light that glowed upward from various centres within these Islands. These glows did not emanate from the towns and cities but from holy spots of long ago; from Glastonbury and the Arthurian Centres, from Iona, and Tintern, and Tara and from many other hidden but sacred centres. It seemed as if each holy place received and mirrored forth the light pouring down upon it from the Blended Ray: that Beam of Illumination that may indeed herald the return of the Christ to earth levels. And in his dream T.P. received the answer to his question in these words:‘Behold before you the Holy Land now being prepared for the steps of the Master of Masters, the Christ. It is here that He will first reappear among you. The disciples of His Coming are already in your midst. It is within this Island that will be built the New Jerusalem. So let it be.’

The Heart Worships by Alice Buckton Silence in Heaven – Silence on Earth – Silence within! Thy hush, O Lord, O’er all the world Covers the din. I do not fear To speak of thee In mortal kind: And yet, to all Thy Namelessness I am not blind. Only I need And kneel again Thy touch to win; Silence in Heaven – Silence on Earth – Silence within! (Taken from Through Human Eyes (1901))

Alice Buckton and Friends at the Wellhead in 1925

The Chalice Well, or Blood Spring and its By G.W. Wright Traditions This is a paper written by vegetarian, homeopath, schoolmaster George Wright in May 1886 for ‘the first proceedings of the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society’ a copy of which came up for sale recently and was purchased by Companion Alan Royce. So this is the view from 1886 when Tudor Pole was two years old and Alice Buckton was almost certainly working for Octavia Hill in London helping the poor.

‘There is no prettier legend to be found than the one attached to the subject of this paper. It may be told in a few words. After the crucifixion the Christians were much persecuted, and those high in authority amongst the Jews determined at once and for ever to stamp out Christianity from the face of the earth. Is it not, therefore, wonderful that Joseph of Arimathea, who acted so kindly a part towards Christ, and had provided a tomb wherein to deposit his body, should receive special attention from the enemies of the rising faith. He was therefore compelled to retire before the advancing tide of enmity; and St. Philip, being anxious to send missionaries to Britain, designated twelve disciples for that duty, placing Joseph at their head. He ( Joseph) appears to have been in the South of France, and from thence proceeded to Wales, where the whole party were imprisoned for attempting to preach, but being released they found their way to Britain. Arviragus, who reigned under the Roman Viceroy, being a heathen, also refused at first to allow them to preach, but remarking they had journeyed from far and were of modest demeanour, allowed them to settle in the Island of Ynswitren, or Avalonia, and, eventually, gave each a hide of land. This island was then surrounded by marshes, but Camden translates an ancient ode relating to it as follows: ‘O Isle of apples; truly fortunate, Where unforced fruit, and willing comforts meet, For there the fields require no rustic hand, But Nature only cultivates the land, The fertile plains with corn and herds are proud, And golden apples shine in every wood.’ This is somewhat poetic, a flight of the imagination which, if true when the ode was written, many of the farmers of the present day would like to see re-established, as they generally find, I am given to understand, that Nature requires some aid even in this happy Isle. Tennyson, speaking of it in his Arthurian Idylls, says –

‘The island valley of Avillon, Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow, Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies Deep-meadow’d, happy, fair, with orchard lawns And bowery hollows crowned with summer sea.’ Joseph brought with him the chalice of the last supper, and hid it, or in some way located it in, or on the hill which henceforth was to be sacred to its memory, and to be known as Chalice Hill. ‘The cup, the cup itself from which our Lord Drank at the last sad supper with His own; This from the blessed land of Aramat, After the day of darkness, when the dead Went wandering over Moriah – the good Saint, Arimathean Joseph, journeying brought To Glastonbury, where the winter thorn Blossoms at Christmas, mindful of our Lord.’ As when he landed in Wearyall and stuck his staff into the ground, it immediately sprouted and grew; so now, as he had hidden away the cup, a spring arose from it, and sought and gained an escape from the bowels of the earth to the outer air. This spring, however, was not of ordinary water – it was a veritable “water of life” leaving in its track its signs in blood – thus inviting all to partake of the vivifying stream in a spiritual as well as in a physical sense. ‘Ah me! So long ago The mists of clouds and ages comes between That time and this, yet still the Chalice spring Is bubbling up; nor winter frost, nor drought Affect it; still it flows ceaselessly. No man’s invention can divert its course, Nor find from whence it comes; no hill supplies Its shining waters; straight from out its cup It springs, and shall spring ceaselessly, for aye, A gift, a miracle, from God to man.’ It is a thankless task to try and prove these legends merely legendary, but it is generally possible to find some strata of fact beneath the surface of fiction; so it may be well to try and trace what is true in this. In one particular all the old chroniclers agree, viz., that in this Island the first church was planted, and that in the first century; and also they agree that the agent was one of the Apostles, but then begins the divergence. Some think it was St. Paul, some St. Simon, and some St. Philip, the latter choosing Joseph as the actual missionary. But if Joseph did come over, who is to say whether he brought with him the Chalice of the Last Supper, or who can produce any evidence as to his burying it in Chalice Hill? That it is known as Chalice Hill seems to point to the spot as the one in which the Holy Grael was for a time deposited, but whether hidden, or placed in a building specially prepared for it even legend sayeth not, although legend points to the idea that it was never out of the keeping of the purest in the island.

The earliest record of the legend of the Holy Grael seems to be in a Welsh manuscript at the time of Henry 1st, 1100 to 1135; and in Master Wace’s ‘Brut d’Angleterre’, 1150, it is repeated. Then Robert de Barron, in his ‘Roman du Saint Grael’, 1180, gives it in greater detail. Sismondi, in his ‘History of the Literature of the South of Europe’ speaks of ‘The Queste’, and tells us that all early writers consider the cup was brought by Joseph into Britain, and that it eventually came into the possession of the Knights of the Round Table. From France the legend may be traced to Germany, and now a temple is said to have been built in which the cup was preserved. It was called the ‘The Grael Temple’ and was considered to be the true representation of paradise on earth. We are told a stone of inestimable value was made into a goblet by Joseph of Arimathea, which was used for the last supper of Christ with his disciples, and it then received miraculous powers, and in the following years angels descended from heaven every Good Friday to renew the sanctity of this wonderful cup. To be elected one of the Guardians of the Grael was the highest honour that could be attained by a knight in ancient times, as it demanded the greatest purity and nobility of character. In some ages none on earth were found worthy of this office, and therefore, angels hovered in the air bearing the precious cup. In time, however, the religious knight, Liturel, founded a temple, and an order of Knights Templars, for its preservation, on a mountain called Montsalvage, in Biscaya. The temple is described at length, and on the summit of the main tower was fixed a large carbuncle, which threw out its radiance over a wide circle, and served by night to guide pilgrims to the sanctuary. How finely does that part of the legend, where the angels hover between earth and heaven with the cup, with the pilgrimage of the holiest and the purest to gain a sight of the sacred relic, symbolise the quest of every earnest soul after what he conceives the highest, the purest, and the best, and how often do the words of the poet express the disappointment of the yearning heart, when seeking the highest he finds he can attain only the high – ‘Methought I saw the Holy Grael All palled in crimson samite, But what I saw was veil’d And covered; and this Quest was not for me!’ Arthur tells his knights, the vision is not for them, only for one here and there. ‘Oh Galahad, Galahad, for such As thou art is the vision, not for these, Thy Holy Nun and thou, have seen a sign – A sign to maim this order which I made.’ And Percevale, the brother of the Nun here spoken of, when seeking a vision of the cup, says of himself – ‘Then every evil word I had spoken once, And every evil thought I had thought of old, And every evil deed I ever did Awoke, and cried “This Quest is not for thee!” But many of the faithful say that the spring itself is sufficient proof of the influence of the cup, for here is the water bubbling up as blood, and producing miraculous cures. But still the doubter is not satisfied, and replies it has even to be proved, that the water takes it rise at all from this hill, or from any hill in the neighbourhood. It is quite possible that it comes from a

great distance, and wells up from a great depth. It is peculiar that while most of the springs in the neighbourhood are more or less, and generally more, affected by the rainfall, the produce of this is always the same, winter or summer, in wet or dry seasons. It is, also, always of the same temperature – cold in summer, warm and steaming in wintry frost. But while it may be a matter of doubt if Joseph ever came to this island at all, or if the Holy Grael was ever hidden by him in Chalice Hill, there can be no doubt whatever that the spring is continually welling up some fourteen feet below the level of the ground – a constant rush of clear, sparkling, wholesome water, twenty-three thousand gallons per day, day after day and year after year. The spot where the water rises is in a deep depression or valley between the Tor and Chalice hills, and in the upper ground this depression is considerable, and forms the site for ponds during the rainy seasons. It appears that this valley must originally have extended through the lower garden, that the earth has silted down, collecting over this spot, and the hollow has been filled up for garden purposes. If so, it is quite possible the chambers and buildings that now exist beneath the ground, were, when built, on the lower level, but still on the surface of the land. In any case, on the spot where it wells up from the earth, has been built, how far back as to time it is difficult to say, two chambers, with exceedingly massive walls, some ten or twelve feet deep, the one chamber leading into the other, in which, when empty, the interested investigator may walk. These chambers may be about 6ft. and 8ft. square respectively, and the water rises some 8ft. in them before reaching the outlet by which it flows in glazed pipes, to the baths, house &c. Until the last nine years the channels leading from these chambers to the places of utilization of the water, were pipes formed of trunks of trees bored through the centre, and made to fit into one another, as the sample before us. Around these chambers, and also at the lower part of the ground just above the bath houses, there have been found much very old and particularly substantial building, forming an interesting subject of investigation, as a specimen of durable old work. It is quite possible here are the remains of baths or other buildings, used long before the present ones were erected. It is interesting to note, that there is some ground for calling it “The Blood Spring”. It is a chalybeate water, and the iron is easily recognised when tasted at its source. But the iron is rapidly deposited. Indeed in coming in contact with the air, it immediately oxidizes, and as an oxide of iron is deposited on all the stones it passes over, leaving a red mark in its course. And it is very singular that when the water runs, it runs – not too rapidly – into a shallow trough, from the top of which only the surface water flows, this oxide of iron collects at the bottom in round masses, which have the exact appearance of clotted blood. This often occurs, and continually attracts attention. So exact is the resemblance, that it would be quite excusable did any one assert positively it was as it appears to be. So that it might be rightly named, as it is in all the old deeds connected with the property in which it rises, “The Blood Spring, or Holy Well.”

End of Part One (All grammar and spelling have been kept from the original document)