Sunday 28 September 2008

Foggy Day

Regular readers of this blog will know that Glastonbury Tor is a very special place for me. It's somewhere I visit regularly, both on my own and with a special friend called Jacquie. Why is it special? Probably because it's a 'high place,' somewhere where I find it so easy to commune with Deity. The spiritual heritage of the Tor is open to question and debate, but what is true is the fact that spiritual pilgrims have visited the place and invested their own energy here in recent times and as such the Tor radiates with a positive, healing, vibrant energy. I just love it there, it's a real spiritual home for me.

So it was that my friend Jacquie and I made a visit to the Tor this morning. We started our ascent at around 08.30, at a time when the entire area was covered in a huge thick blanket of fog. The air was damp and thick with fog and it's fair to say that as we were climbing our thoughts were pretty much "what on earth are we doing, we must be crazy!" It seemed that if there had ever been any doubt as to our sanity, climbing the Tor when it was almost impossible to see more than a few metres in front of oneself confirmed those doubts!

But when we got to the top it was like we had entered a new and different world. Truly, it was just incredible. The sun was shining down on the Tor and it was just so - hot! I had been wearing a jumper and jacket, but I threw these off because it was just so lovely and warm, it was truly glorious.



The shining sun caused a reflection of the Tor and tower to be cast upon the fog that incased us. By clicking on these pictures you can enlarge them, but you can clearly make out the Tor in reflection. I've never seen anything quite like this before, isn't it amazing?




When the fog was thick it was so easy to see how the Tor would have looked when it was an island. The fog looked just like water, it really looked as though you were looking out to sea, and it felt as though one could swim out from the hillside! As the fog began to thin in the heat of the sun, trees began to peep through the fog, giving an incredibly stunning view, just amazing. This picture captures the essence of this quite well. You can also see a House Martin in flight.


We were joined by a herd of cows, complete with Bull! The Bull seemed to want to enjoy the energy of the Tor with us, so visited by way of the Tower itself!


And this is me, testifying to the glorious sunshine on the Tor this morning! As we climbed down, we entered the thick fog once more, and it was back on with jumpers and coats for around an hour and a half before the fog totally cleared.



The analogy here is not lost on me. It's so easy to get lost in the fog when one focuses on the illusion of reality in this world. I often feel as though I don't know where to place my feet, yet as we shift our consciousness, stop relying on the limitations and distortions of our human senses, there is an entirely different experience to be had. We can enter a new and different realm. It may be a hard and difficult journey to get there, we have to bring down so many false towers that we have believed in for some time, some that have propped us up for decades, some that we may have only recently created ourselves, but as we bring them down, we make more room for the light of our Higher Self, our God Self, to radiate and permeate within, and we enter initiation, and the next phase of our journey begins.

Okay, perhaps a trite analogy in many ways, it's somewhat obvious, I guess, but after the developments and happenings for me in recent days, today acted like something of a visual aid, a physical confirmation of what has been happening within.

A blessed New Moon tomorrow, everyone.

8 comments:

Paul said...

Beautiful pictures. I love the bird flying over the mist hanging over the levels. A very special time of year.

Ted Marshall said...

What a very special day. I know what you mean about the Tor, although it's years since I visited.
The picture of the reflection on the mist is amazing, I didn't know this could happen.
Blessed new moon to you.

Anonymous said...

Not trite - just really simple and apposite! I like the thought of a journey from blindness and stumbling into brilliant light and clarity. Beautiful pictures and wonderful prose Andy - thank you for sharing!

Andy said...

Thanks everyone - they are amazing pictures, aren't they? They were taken by my very special friend Jacquie who I know is thrilled that she's been able to share them with you.

Thanks for your kind words on my writing, TGW, I'm pleased you enjoyed it and received something from it. It was an amazing journey climbing the Tor, to come out in that brilliant sunshine having been through such thick fog.

Tess - I didn't know that reflection onto fog could happen, either! When we saw it, we just stood their with our mouths open!

Paul - isn't that bird amazing? We think they were House Martins, and there were hundreds of them around the Tor, and they flew so close around us, but so quickly you could only hear them, not see them as such.

Aura said...

Good gracious, I'm behind in my blog reading!! I missed this one and another---sorta happens when you get so busy you can't even think. *sigh*..I absolutely LOVE these pictures Andy! I bet the experience was just as tantalizing to the senses,physical as well as spiritual. I want to get lost in that fog!

Andy said...

It was amazing, yeah, on so many levels. I don't think that kind of thing happens very often!

The Shepton Witch said...

What lovely pictures. I really love the one of the bull - he's splendid! I have to go the Glastonbury again and get myself up the tor, it has been ages and I did used to love being at the top!

Andy said...

Old 'Bully The Bull' really looks like he means business, doesn't he?!? I so wanted to give him a big pat on the head, but I don't think he would have welcomed it, somehow! I think getting up the Tor every now and then is a necessity for us locals - don't you?!?