I'd been feeling the pull to visit Glastonbury for a couple of years. In some of the spiritual groups I'm in, Glastonbury is seen as the heart chakra of the world, the modern day name for the ancient land of Avalon and is the setting for famous myths and legends involving The Holy Grail, King Arthur, and Joseph of Arimathea (Jesus's uncle - even Jesus is said to have visited here to receive powerful initiations at the Tor). It's also home to one of the biggest New Age communities in the UK, the most spiritual shops I've ever seen in one place and powerful sacred sites such as the Chalice Well Gardens, the White Spring and Glastonbury Abbey. Yes, it's a magical place but if you visit make sure to spend some time speaking to the locals too! They have a wealth of knowledge about the history of the town and having a conversation could lead you to an amazing event during your stay!
My friend Saffron offered to drive (no mean feat from the North East of England) so we set off early one Saturday morning, rocking out to Queen on our trip to Somerset which seemed to fly over very quickly. Driving into Glastonbury I started to get interesting sensations in my hands and legs - you can already start to feel the powerful energy before you even arrive!
My friend Saffron offered to drive (no mean feat from the North East of England) so we set off early one Saturday morning, rocking out to Queen on our trip to Somerset which seemed to fly over very quickly. Driving into Glastonbury I started to get interesting sensations in my hands and legs - you can already start to feel the powerful energy before you even arrive!
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| Just what you would expect from the street art! |
Glastonbury Town Centre
If you're into crystals, spiritual books, oracle cards or even fairies, witchcraft or dragons this is the place for you. Practically every shop in the high street (apart from the Coop which still manages to stock some pretty far out stuff) is spiritual in nature. You'll also find a lot of health food cafes mixed with more traditional pubs. We found that there wasn't that many places to go and eat in the evening (it's probably worth getting into the car and exploring to find a nice pub) and one night ended up having an Indian takeaway on the steps of the Tourist Information Office which was delicious (and fun to eat outside).
Recommended places to eat
1) Blue Note Cafe - vegetarian and vegan cafe and great cake. Exit the back and find the courtyard where you can find the Goddess Temple and more spiritual shops.
2) Hundred Monkeys Cafe - Organic cafe specialising in vegan, gluten-free and dairy free. I had a great chickpea dahl here, and an amazing raw chocolate cake.
3) Cinnamon Spice - Indian takeaway with a good vegetarian selection (eat it outside for best results)!
4) Earth Fare Glastonbury - one of the best organic supermarkets I've ever come across. This place literally has everything you could ever want if you're looking for organic or health food products.
Recommended shops
1) Star Child Glastonbury - Amazing place for candles, incense and stunning goddess sculptures (I highly recommend the Glastonbury incense)
2) Labyrinth Books - you'll find a really good selection of spiritual books here, as well as oracle cards
3) Stone Age - wonderful jewellery shop with some amazing pieces (the Egyptian pieces really stood out for me in here)
4) The Speaking Tree - Another great book shop which also has a great range of children's books
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| Glastonbury town centre (from top left) - amazing street art, the courtyard near the Goddess Temple, inside Star Child Glastonbury, some more amazing street art |
The Goddess Temple
You can find the Goddess Temple in the courtyard behind the Blue Note Cafe (just behind the High Street). My friend had visited the Temple on a past visit and told me that the energy there was incredible, and she wasn't wrong! You walk up the steps, go inside, take off your shoes and find a place to sit before the Goddess (there are oracle card decks there too which you can use if you feel called). I sat crossed legged for a while and ended up with tears flowing down my cheeks, there is such powerful, divine healing energy here. It's open from 12pm - 4pm everyday and I guarantee it will blow your mind!
Chalice Well Gardens
The Chalice Well wasn't too far away from our pretty B&B, Haydn House (about a fifteen minute walk). I didn't really know what to expect from the Chalice Well. The entrance is welcoming and you start to get a sense of the magic going on beyond the vescia pisces-adorned front gate. There's a sign reminding you that it's a World Peace Garden and you're encouraged not to use your phone. The famous symbol also forms part of the path as you enter. On the left past the main gate you'll find the retreat centres (I wished I'd asked to take a look). We paid £4 for entry which lasts for the whole day and a couple of pounds for branded glass bottles to collect some well water.
I remember watching a lady exploring the Chalice Well on a Youtube video about a year ago, but I had no memory of it being on a variety of levels or the setting of the well itself. We rounded a corner and descended for a better look. I almost stopped breathing for a while. The famous vescia-red pool was smaller than I imagined but just as red (coloured by the iron oxide deposits). I felt compelled to lay down on the grass and feel every inch of the energy pulsating underneath the ground, but instead I ended up sitting on a bench next to the well. I couldn't believe the vibrations and pulsations I could feel beneath my feet. It was the strongest energy I have ever felt anywhere, eclipsing a temple I visited in Chiang May and Santorini. It was unbelievably powerful energy, yet sweet and comforting. The water trickles down a structure which reminded me a little of the birth canal and into the famous vescia pisces shape. Other people arrived as I meditated but I was oblivious. I was rooted to the earth and could have happily sat there all day in a state of bliss.
When I felt like it was time to move, we ascended up a level to a part of the well where you can walk in the water, or just sit and appreciate the surroundings. The Garden has many meditation points where you can sit and light a candle or meditate. Then up another set of steps is the Lion's Head Fountain, where you could fill up your bottle. Later on that day we came back and witness a couple going a druid ritual which was beautiful. From there as you walk up you discover the Chalice Well, the cover lifted to show the vescia pisces (an ancient symbol of sacred geometry). Visitors sat on the wall next to it and meditated; one woman did some sort of energy ritual over it. I sat and really noticed the woodpigeons calling to each other, amazed by the perfect mimicry. I keep hearing the same call since I visited everywhere I go (apparently it means love and peace).
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| One of the most peaceful and powerful places I've ever visited - Chalice Well Gardens |
The final level of the garden was a grassy area where we just lay flat out on the ground, knocked out by the energy and the peaceful vibes. We were probably there for about an hour and ended up going back for longer in the afternoon. When I go back I intend to spend the whole day there. I was happy to meet a Hay House author, Lisa Lister there who was in circle with some other women. The Well and the Garden is definitely one of the most beautiful and powerful places I have ever visited. I feel like I softened and reconnected with my inner feminine, and less than a week later I changed the way I dressed and started to wear kaftans and lots more rings and other jewellery! For some reason we didn't feel called to go into the White Spring, but hopefully next time.
Glastonbury Tor
Another site which felt sacred was the Tor, probably the most famous landmark here. We took plenty of water and waited until the late afternoon to avoid the midday sun to climb it but it was still pretty hot. I felt a real sense of pilgrimage and history and quite heavy at this place (could be something to do with the monks who were slaughtered here in the 1500s after the Dissolution of the Monasteries). The Tor is also known as St Michael's Tower was built in the 14th century and has been restored and partially rebuilt many times. The view from the top was spectacular, and at one point some Red Arrows flew past quite low which was pretty impressive. The history and legend surrounding the Tor is never-ending, I've read that there are powerful crystals beneath the Tor and that Jesus and his peers went through initiations inside the Tor (in the book Anna, Grandmother of Jesus).
Another site which felt sacred was the Tor, probably the most famous landmark here. We took plenty of water and waited until the late afternoon to avoid the midday sun to climb it but it was still pretty hot. I felt a real sense of pilgrimage and history and quite heavy at this place (could be something to do with the monks who were slaughtered here in the 1500s after the Dissolution of the Monasteries). The Tor is also known as St Michael's Tower was built in the 14th century and has been restored and partially rebuilt many times. The view from the top was spectacular, and at one point some Red Arrows flew past quite low which was pretty impressive. The history and legend surrounding the Tor is never-ending, I've read that there are powerful crystals beneath the Tor and that Jesus and his peers went through initiations inside the Tor (in the book Anna, Grandmother of Jesus).
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| View of the Tor from below |
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| I loved this painting of the Tor in the B&B |
We visited the abbey on the morning before we left and I'm so glad we managed to fit in a visit! The ruins definitely give you a sense of the history of the place (it was established in the 7th century). I definitely got a strong sense of devotion and ritual here. It was one of the most powerful and richest monasteries in England by the 14th century, but was partially destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII (I can't believe the amount of damage one person inflicted because of a divorce). One of the main things I wanted to see was the purported site of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere's tomb, the discovery of which has been alleged to have been a publicity stunt to raise funds for the abbey. The Lady Chapel is beautiful in all of its ruined glory (I loved how colourful weeds were growing at various points all around it). I found the Abbot's Kitchen interesting as well, (it's one of the best preserved medieval kitchens in Europe). There's also a herb garden here where volunteers are growing medicinal herbs that were grown there hundred of years ago.
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| The magnificence of Glastonbury Abbey (from top left) - the Lady Chapel, the site of the tomb, St Patrick's Chapel, the Abbot's Kitchen |
All I can say is spending two days here is not nearly enough! I can't wait to go back and spend more time at the Well and the White Spring, and hopefully do a tour around other sacred sites such as Tintagel, Merlin's Cave and St Nectan's Glen. I would also love to go on retreat here too. I left with a deep desire to find out more about the legend of Camelot, the Divine Feminine and the ancient land of Avalon.
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