The focus of this Station is to set the work of the Light Half of the Cycle into motion, committing ourselves to charting the course of consciousness and external manifestation. Emergence is aligned with the fertile energies of solar Taurus—the externalized beauty of abundance born of inner renewal reflected out into the world by lunar Scorpio.
The Station of Emergence in the Cycle of the Moon—
First Quarter
The moon is in her first quarter from the seventh through the tenth day after the dark moon. During this phase, the right half of the moon appears to be illuminated by direct sunlight. The first quarter moon is visible throughout her course in the night sky. She rises in the east at noon, is at her apex in the sky at dusk, and sets in the west around midnight. Energetically, this is a time for emerging into the light, planting seeds for manifestation, and seeking outer balance.
Self-reflective Questions for the Station of Emergence
Take some time to meditate upon these questions while in a clear and receptive space. Use your replies to help form a focus for the work of the Station of Emergence. Be sure to record your thoughts in a journal—this will help you chart your process of growth and change as you do the work of the Avalonian Cycle of Healing.
What perspectives, situations, persons, and things in your life bring you joy? What things stimulate exhilaration? Happiness? Fulfillment? Pleasure? A sense of accomplishment? Balance? How often do you permit yourself to engage in these things?
Make a list of your gifts, talents, abilities, and interests. How much time do you devote to the pursuit or development of the items on this list? How much of person that you are inside is reflected into the outside world? What is the reason for any dissonance between what is within and what is without? What can you do to change this?
If there were nothing preventing you from achieving your ideal life, what would this life look like? What would you do for a living? How would you spend your leisure time? Where would you live? What would your guiding principles be? What can you do to manifest this ideal life? Create a plan of action—a spiritual road map—that will bring you to this destination. What do you aim to accomplish in one year? In three? In nine? What can you change today that will set you down this path?
Think about the times that you were able to achieve your goals. What did you do in those instances that was different from the times you fell short of manifesting your desires? Can you discern a pattern of decisions and actions that have held you back from doing and being all that you could be? What can you choose to do differently?
Think about the insights you gained from the work you did at the Station of Descent and review your answers to the self-reflective questions posed. Revisit the work of the Station of Confrontation and the revelation of the shadow at the core of your being. How can you constructively apply these hard-earned wisdoms to the work of Emergence? In what ways can you work to reroute the energy freed from the shadow realm of the Unconscious and use it to empower the woman you were meant to become?
The Avalonian Landscape: The White Spring
alternative names: Tor Springs, Well House Spring
cycle of healing: Station of Emergence
cauldron transformation: Wren/Hawk
elemental alignment: Air
energy center: Throat
Moving out from the Underworldly realms into the shining brilliance of the light, the White Spring fountains out of the Earth like the freed-up energies of the unconscious rising to the surface to nourish whatever seeds we choose to grow. Moving into the active portion of the Cycle, the White Spring holds the energies of the Station of Emergence and serves as a portal moving outward, just as the Red Spring stands at the threshold of that which lies within.
There is great significance in the duality of these two springs. They resonate with the energy of the Celtic Otherworld, as white and red are emblematic of Annwn; we see these colors together over and over again in British mythology in connection to the Otherworldly realm. Essentially standing side by side in the Tor Valley, these springs are of completely different telluric origin, and their waters exhibit different properties of flow and mineral content. The Red Spring boasts a constant stream, having never failed in historical memory, even in times of drought. It has high iron content, a constant temperature, and its waters are thought to originate many miles from Glastonbury, perhaps as far away as the Mendip Hills to the north.
The White Spring’s flow, on the other hand, is much more sporadic, and its high calcium content is attributed to the limestone Lias layers underlaying Glastonbury Tor. These waters rise from deep within the earth—perhaps originating from an artesian system—percolating through the limestone caverns beneath the Tor before emerging as a confluence of springs at the surface. The high calcium content is consistent with the formation of flowstone, the petrified mineral deposits laid down by a flow of water often found in caverns and caves. Indeed, there are visual accounts from the late nineteenth century describing the lush and verdant area surrounding the White Spring as being covered in white calcified material, creating natural pools and flow forms.
Once spilling from the mouth of a cavernous opening in an enclosed rock face hanging with flowstone, the waters of the White Spring—also known as the Tor Springs—were as venerated as the neighboring Red Spring. The flow of the two springs was thought to have commingled in symbolic marriage at some point in their journey towards the marshlands of Avalon. It is easy to see how the fantastic sight of this grotto, dripping with the ghostly echoes of calcified stone streaming forth from a cavern leading beneath the Tor, could suggest the entrance into the Underworld realm of Gwyn ap Nudd. What a vision it must have been!
Unfortunately, the construction of a stone reservoir in 1872 has completely obliterated the natural beauty of the White Spring, and has, over time, been converted from its original purpose for use as a café and jewelry shop in recent years. Even with the more commercial uses of the building, some acknowledgement of the spring’s spiritual power has been made in the form of indoor shrines in areas where the water has been allowed to flow freely, and to run on the floor in channels reminiscent of some of the flow forms in the Chalice Well and Gardens.
Although the space has been altered by construction and commercial development, the spiritual nature of the White Spring is being reclaimed and honored today more than ever before. The Companions of the White Spring purchased the property in 2005 and began a staged process of converting the reservoir building into a temple. With shrines dedicated to the Lady of Avalon, Gwyn Ap Nudd, Brigit, and St. Michael, the building plans feature a series of pools both for immersion and for reflection. Outside of the building, White Spring waters flow freely from a spout directly across the lane from a similar one for the Red Spring. An outdoor shrine has been built where the waters collect, and is decorated with stones, flowers, and other offerings left by pilgrims.
White, nourishing, and transforming all it touches, the Tor Springs represent the milk of the Mother. It is the vital and fertile flow freed from the bones of the Earth, returning to the surface with the promise of new life and abundance. The fundamental nature of the White Spring speaks of laying down new pathways and re-channeling the essence of that which is found within. Complementing the menstrual energy of the Red Spring, the White Spring creates and builds up, while the other cleanses and breaks down. We enter the darkness through the cauldron womb of the Red Spring, and emerge from the Underworld through the shining portal of the White Spring.
These two sacred springs hold the essence of the dual nature of Avalon’s transformational energy, mirrored in the Red and White Dragon Lines that encircle Glastonbury Tor and arch out across the landscape. We must embrace the energies of creation and destruction, for it is only through the interplay of what is in the light and what lies in shadow—of that which is conscious and that which remains unconscious; of outward expansion and inward contempl
ation—that soul growth and personal evolution can occur.
Immram to the White Spring of Avalon
The White Spring is related to the Station of Emergence in the Avalonian Cycle of Healing. Stepping through the portal of this Station, we commit ourselves to the outer manifestation of the potential we have come to recognize within. Use this holy site to empower your journey of self-actualization as you begin to reroute energies once ensnared in shadow. Plant the seeds of your growth in the renewed and fertile soil of your soul.
The challenge of this process of self-revisioning is to break free of destructive patterns by rerouting your energy to flow in a new and personally empowering direction. At the Station of Emergence, the butterfly of our soul departs from the darkness of gestation’s cocoon and is birthed into the limitless promise of the Light Half of the Cycle. All that we can dream, we can become. All that we strive for, we can obtain. All that wounds us, gifts us as well—which way the pendulum swings is a matter of choice. The Station of Emergence calls us to dip deep into the well of our potential and transform the prospective self within into an actualized reflection of Sovereignty without.
Perform the Immram to the Island of Avalon as described on p. 55. After disembarking the Barge to Avalon, proceed with the rest of this working.
The Journey
It is dawn. Stepping out of the Barge that transported you across the glassy lake to the Holy Isle, you meet your guide waiting for you on Avalon’s shores. Greet your guide. Share your reason for undertaking this journey and your desire to visit the White Spring; ask to be guided there.
The landscape is painted with shimmering dewdrops, catching the first warming rays of the awakening sun. As you are led through the orchards, the crisp morning air is filled with the discourse of birds and the heady scent of apple blossoms. Time passes differently here. The shifting colors of daybreak provide a pastel backdrop for the white and pink flowers bursting forth to blanket the spindle-limbed forms of Avalon’s apple trees.
The hilly terrain slopes up and then down again, finally causing the slumbering body of the Tor to rise gently over the landscape. Take note of what you see along your path as you follow your guide, not to the spiraled hilltop nor to the pregnant earthen mound silhouetted against the sun-brightening sky, but to the valley between these two hallowed promontories. Turning slightly to the right, the path you follow is lush and green, fragrant with the delicate scent of the opening blooms that ornament the plants and trees.
The energy of the narrowing trail begins to shift and you find yourself walking through a small copse of oak trees, garlanded with strands of tiny clusters of yellow flowers. The pathway leads to a sheltered alcove, encrusted with strange stone formations that seem to flow out from the hillside. Everywhere, small pools of fossilized ripples cover the ground; even the overhanging plant life is garbed in a cleansing sheen of white.
Peering into the alcove, you hear and then see a stream of water emerging throat-high from a small opening in the back wall. Looking up into the rocky crevice, you see that it widens into a passageway before diving deep into the hillside—evoking mystical images of crystal caverns below the Tor. The flowstone follows the path of the water, laying down new layers of mineral to renew the old channels; the entire alcove is encrusted in stone formations, creating a magickal garden of calcified movement.
Like Mother’s milk spilled across the Earth, the flow of water winds its way through an enchanted landscape of sluices and tiny waterfalls into a naturally formed basin pooling beside the exposed roots of a gigantic oak tree. The ancient tree reflects upon the shining water, its roots nourished by the flow—its form straight and tall, its limbs hanging with yellow threads of flowers. Growing as high as its roots run deep, the oak tree bridges the worlds above and below, just as its roots now straddle the waters of the White Spring. Fed by the glistening waters from below, the mighty tree is able to stretch its limbs high above.
You notice a simple wooden bowl lying between the roots of the oak tree; it is a pilgrim’s cup, worn smooth with use and seasoned with age. You bend to fill the cup with the calcium-rich liquid, and with awareness and intent, you take a drink. Like the whitewashed vision of the holy grotto, the cleansing energy of the water fills your soul. Take some time to experience this sacrament, being sure to take note of how it makes you feel and the way your personal energy shifts.
Sit down next to the tree and breathe in the essence of this place. It is serene beyond words, yet crackles with the vital energy that accompanies springtime newness. Take some time to watch the flow of the water, listen to the early morning birdsong, and experience the growing warmth of the new day’s sun. Gaze at your image in the water, reflecting on all that you have learned about yourself during the work of the Dark Time.
Watch the water as it runs down the pathway, making its own winding way out of the mouth of the Earth, passing over the stones that seek to contain it, and laying down its own track through the lush plant life, transforming all it touches with its white and shining purity. Your soul resonates with the song of the White Spring: it is one of rushing waters, breaking free of old patterns, and finding ways to reroute that which rises to the surface from within the depths of the darkness—ever in pursuit of its goal. The soil of your soul has been renewed; receptive and fertile, what will you plant in your quest for Sovereignty?
Deep in thought and gazing upon your own reflection, you feel the rise of a warm breeze that stirs the limbs of the tree towering above you. Three golden threads of oak blossoms fall into the water, dispersing the image of your face as it sends subtle ripples across the pool’s glassy surface. As the motion subsides, you watch as your reflection reforms itself into a symbol. As soon as the image completely resolves itself in the water, you realize it is a key to unlock the door to the inner change you are seeking to make. Be sure to take precise note of the symbol’s details.
The tree beside you begins to vibrate subtly, and you rise to stand in front of it. As you do so, the oak begins to glow and the texture of the bark begins to shift before your eyes. The ridges rearrange themselves into a gleaming replica of the symbol you saw in the water. Curious, you reach out to touch the image, but your fingers pass right through it into the trunk of the tree. Fascinated, you feel drawn to walk into the symbol, and as you do so, the tree becomes intangible and you pass through easily.
Your vision tilts, the landscape shifts, and you find yourself looking out at the world from the perspective of the oak; everything around you has been transformed into a shining reflection of the world you left behind. You can see the luminous aura of every living thing, and the spring water pooling at your feet carries a stream of life-force energy emanating from the core of the planet itself. You can feel that your arms have become oak branches, your hair budding leaves and strands of flowers, your torso its trunk, and your legs and feet its roots. Take some time to experience what this feels like, and fully give over to the sensation of being one with the oak tree.
You become aware of something shining invitingly above the top of the tree. Although the details are not completely clear, you can see just enough of it to recognize that it is an image of your actualized self. You strain to touch the image, but for all of your efforts, it is just beyond the reach of your highest boughs. Knowing that this vision would not have revealed itself if there was no way for you to claim it, you consider how you might be able to reach higher.
The pool of milky water begins to tingle beside your feet and you feel your vast root system, anchored deeply in the ground, drawing nourishment from the rich earth. You feel new growth at the very tips of your roots and the recent underground extensions that have sought and found the underground flow of the White Spring. There, below the surface, you sense an abundant source of recently liberated energies awaiting a focus for use. With consciousness, you begin to draw the rejuvenating energies of the spring up from the earth and into the tree’s vascular syste
m. As it enters the roots and rises up through the trunk, the sacred waters transfer the potential from below into the ability to manifest a harvest above.
At last, the water spreads out into the tree limbs, expanding outward and entering into smaller branches and twigs. As its vibrant energy enters the smallest ends of every stem, the transformational waters catalyze an amazing burst of growth. Fresh green tips begin to telescope out from the sealed points where last year’s growth ended. Burgeoning buds of leaves begin to unfurl and the last of the yellow oak blossoms open to the springtime air, high above the ground. The growth accelerates as the transfigured crown of the tree comes alive, reaching skyward—seeking to attain the potential height made possible by the new growth of the roots below.
Higher and higher and higher you reach, a bit disoriented by all the change. A sudden doubt halts the transfer of energy from below, and the growth stops, with your goal a mere hair’s width away. You try to clear your focus and regain your momentum, but it is almost as if an invisible barrier is pressing downward on you, preventing any further upward growth. Your limbs feel heavy and the burden of holding them upward begins to feel more than you can bear. It’s too hard … too hard.
The wooded area has grown hushed with anticipation, the silence unbroken except for the distant sound of a wave of wind through the trees. Rushing towards you and bearing the scent of apple blossoms up from the orchard, the current of air sets your branches into gentle motion as it sings the song of the breeze. Feeling renewed, your vigor returns. The wind seems to have shaken loose any lingering doubts and has freed you from weariness and stagnation. Your limbs start to grow again—reaching up and up until at last, it touches the image of your priestess self, no longer out of reach.
Avalon Within Page 13
