Guest Post by Medwyn McConachy, 15 September 2015
Before I left my home on Vancouver Island I spoke of my desire to walk the sacred pathways of my ancestors, this last week in Wales found me doing exactly that. In the good company of eight others, our group of nine meandered o’er vale and hill visiting with the old ones in tomb, circle and standing stone. Eric Maddern and Angharad Wynne have been exploring these pathways in the spirit of creating songlines drawn from the Australian definition “a songline is an ancient mythological route that connects sacred places across a landscape.” Eric is a mystic/storyteller/ecowarrior called to the foothills of Snowdonia to create the place he named Cae Mabon, Angharad born on these lands joins him in these mystical journeyings.
Opening to the land and the beings of the land, we explored within and without. Messages flowed from the stones, the rivers, and the ancient landscape, allowing us to believe, even for a moment, that our imaginings were indeed the fabric of the real story of our ancestors.
Reaching the Druid’s Circle a dramatically placed stone circle we were greeted with views to the ocean and to the high mountain barrier behind us, leaving us in no doubt as to the location of this ancient ceremonial place.
Held by the circle we ate our lunch and then we co-created a ceremony of listening to and speaking the messages from the stones. A powerful experience bringing through the voices of the old ones.
As each of our group spoke our messages from the stones, others called them back and eventually we had our song of the Druid’s circle:
It’s been a long time but we are still here
I AM THE GATEKEEPER I AM THE BLENDING OF CULTURES
your steps are supported
and we your ancestors love you beyond all reason be at peace
Hilariously our ceremony was interrupted by two groups of students completing Prince of Edinburgh awards treks, several tourists some of whom were completely lost – Eric helpfully guided them on, and Sister Kathleen walking smartly along in brown habit, sandals with no socks, also stumbling upon this sacred site unaware of the significance of the pathway she trod.
So we returned down the Druid’s way through the late afternoon light reflecting on the now open sands at low tide on Traeth Wylofain the sands of weeping.
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