Last weekend, I finally popped my Glastonbury cherry. I knew it was a mystical place as it is said to lie on a ley line, but I had no idea how “spiritual” it was until we arrived on our first day. The saying goes that some people who go to the Glastonbury music festival go for the weekend and never leave….on first impressions I could see why.
As we drove toward the town, with the Torr sneaking through the morning sunshine misty clouds, I felt a flutter of anticipation. Our first stop would be the Chalice Well of quiet contemplation, and I could hardly wait to get out of the car.
The well did not disappoint and I envied one local lady that I saw with her meditation cushion as she made her way up toward it, it was probably a morning ritual for her, and it gave me the nudge to do something similar at home.
We filled our bottles full of the red well water that poured from the lion’s mouth (the safest part to drink from) and noted how the iron tinge tasted like blood on our lips. The water has many beneficial minerals (or perhaps left-over drugs that had floated down river?), either way, it managed to cure my headache in about thirty minutes from drinking it, so I wasn’t going to complain….
After the well, we went into town and headed for the first shop. In my naivety, I believed that Glastonbury was a vibrant market town that had a couple of crystal shops and perhaps a vegan restaurant or two. I had no idea just how many spiritual shops awaited us! I was pleasantly surprised at how each shop offered quality gifts and items in, I did not find it to be tacky or chintzy.
Each shop keeper had a wealth of knowledge on what oracle cards to recommend, or which crystal to use when, or what herbs to mix for the perfect apothecary blend. The smells of the resin burners at each shop threshold drew us in for more, and the array of books in one old and rickety store left me so mesmerised, I could have stayed in that place for hours.
I noted how some women were walking bare foot, how some men were wearing what the hell they wanted with no f*cks given and that the whole town carried a chilled out vibe like we were inside a confetti snow globe……….until I understood that if you shook that snow globe, you might be left with the undercurrent of what is actually going on in Glastonbury high street but what some may choose to ignore.
There were pockets of areas for lost souls, mostly outside the churches or on the Abbey green. Drunk or high, these poor men and woman were shouting, swearing, laughing, joyously dancing as the shadow of their demons watched on.
The contrast between light and dark was evident to me. As my friend so eloquently put “Glastonbury allows some to just give up, kind of accepting them in society as they are”. It is like they went to Glasto to find themselves, but it did not work out. It made me feel sad and the energy made me feel sick.
I saw one man giving a Life Reading to a client outside on the pavement, trying to avoid the drunk man swinging his arms around and shouting at the same time. It just felt all kinds of wrong.
But isn’t that society as a whole spectrum anyway? The lure of money and success, or enlightenment and awakening on your personal journey whilst we ignore the madman shouting in the corner.
It gave us girls much to think about. I don’t’ want this blog to take anything away from my visit. I can honestly say it was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had, and we had so many spiritual signs it was unreal, the magic of the place left me buzzing and I finally felt at home with like-minded souls. But it also reminded me that everything is not always as it seems.
As one passer-by pointed out “This place is Disneyland for hippies…..”, perhaps it seemed that way to him and repulsed him the way Las Vegas repulses me. I guess it depends on whose eyes you are looking through.
Until next time,
Tanya
