ENTERING THE STARRY REALMS
Here we focus primarily on Merlin as the guardian and guide to the fellowship. Anyone who has worked with this archetype will attest that he is tricky, acerbic, and difficult—a stern taskmaster. But he is himself driven, working yet towards the foundation of a higher kingdom, having ultimately failed to establish one in Arthur’s time. He remains the archetypal figure of the Mage, and as such he is one of the most important inner plane contacts when it comes to working with the powers of the Arthuriad. The training that leads to anyone wishing to wear the Mage’s mantle is long and demanding, and here we can only touch upon it. But for those who seek to answer the call of Arthur, it is essential to learn to work with Merlin. Without his cooperation and support—often hard won—there is little chance of reaching the point where the Arthurian mysteries become open to us. With this work you enter the season of spring.
Merlin’s Tower of the Stars
This meditation is intended to bring you into the sphere of Merlin and to encounter something of the wisdom he offers to those who seek it.
…
Closing your eyes and sinking deeply into meditation, you find that you are standing on a green trackway that winds between fields of blue cornflowers. A little way ahead is a dark line of trees, the edge of a great forest that stretches as far as the eye can see.
You may hesitate for a moment here, knowing that once you enter this place nothing may ever be quite the same. If you feel unprepared for this great journey, turn back now; bring yourself to everyday consciousness and leave the temple. If, however, you are prepared to undertake this adventure, continue onward into the shadowy world beneath the trees.
Ahead the path winds onward into the heart of the forest. Mighty trees and thickets of dense undergrowth surround you, but there are clearings too, filled with sunlight and capped with blue skies and white, fast-moving clouds.
When you have been walking for a short while, you become aware of the silence. No birds sing here, no animals rustle in the bushes. This is a place so ancient and holy it has yet to be filled with familiar sounds and movements. You walk alone here, your mind slowly stilling until it knows only peace.
After a time you reach a new clearing, and there you see a tall, narrow tower stretching upwards into bright, mid-morning air. As you approach it you see that it has several narrow windows indicating five floors, and a wooden door, closed at present, with a curious knocker made in the form of two entwined serpents. “The wisdom of the stars” is written on the door.
You raise the knocker and knock thrice, at which the door swings open, revealing a flight of worn steps leading upwards into shadow. As you climb, counting the steps, you begin to feel a change in your metabolism: your breathing slows; your pulse beats to a strong, steady rhythm; your sight grows clearer—so that, although the tower is dark within, you have no difficulty finding your way.
Soon you emerge on the first floor and find yourself in a circular room in which the only furniture is a large mirror in an ornate carved frame. A second flight of stairs leads on upwards. You may choose whether or not to go and look in the mirror, which may show you either your true self or an event from your past or future life.
If you choose not to look, or after you have spent some time in front of the mirror, you begin to climb upwards again, feeling as you do so a deepening sense of awareness, so that the stones against which your hands brush as you climb seem to possess a living quality, as does the very air you breathe, which is far clearer than you would expect within the confines of the tower.
Soon you emerge on the second floor and find yourself in a room identical to the first save that around the walls are hung a series of tapestries depicting scenes that have a deep personal meaning for you.
They may once again be events from your own life, past or future, or they may be images of archetypal importance containing meanings not only for you but also of a wider significance. You may choose whether to examine them in detail or continue your ascent by way of the stair that leads upward.
As you climb onwards you once again experience a sense of change, this time to your sense of hearing. Tiny sounds of mice in the stonework, spiders spinning their intricate webs, and birds singing outside the tower break the silence of the forest and become clear and sharp as crystal. At the very edge of hearing you become aware of voices singing music of unearthly beauty.
Now you arrive at the third level, finding yourself in a room filled with light that comes from a great globe of crystal that stands at the center. You may approach and look within if you desire, and there you may see the ways in which your own deepest wishes are fulfilled. (This may be hard, for not all things desired happen as we might wish.) If you do not wish to look within the globe, begin your ascent to the next level. If you choose to look, do so, and in your own time proceed to the next flight of stairs.
This time the change within you is subtler: you begin to be aware of connections, of the links that form between many different and variable things. Ideas or images that seem to exist independently of one another are seen to resonate, forming fresh thoughts or pictures in your mind.
Now, as you arrive at the fourth level, you find yourself emerging into a place where the walls are transparent, like glass or crystal, and where the winds somehow blow, bringing scents of the outer world—all the rich and delicate aromas of nature. You can see, with your enhanced sight, much farther than you are normally able, and you look out across a landscape of richness and variety.
Here are mountains and valleys, rivers and streams, forests and green hillsides; wild, uncultivated lands and the colorful quilt of fields and gardens. Houses, too, you can see, with smoke curling lazily into a blue sky. If this seems to you the landscape of the otherworld or of an earthly paradise, you are not far from the truth, for this is Logres, the inner kingdom of Britain, over which Arthur, the great king, once ruled. To your eyes it may seem familiar if you entered the world of Arthur from an earlier meditation.
Above the land arches the sky, and though it seems like day in the country beyond, in the sky you see stars. There are familiar constellations, including Arcturus, which you know to be connected with Arthur. From it beams of golden light spill out over the land, awakening it to glorious beauty and strength. Your eyes may be drawn to any one of the starry patterns you see, and you should remember this, as it may become important to you in your later journeys.
When you have looked your fill and have drunk the wine of the air, you begin your ascent to the fifth and final level, this time emerging into an airy room lined with shelves and cluttered with curious objects. In a chair before a roaring fire sits a figure in robes of deep blue. His hair is white, yet his face seems ever young and his eyes see deeply into you.
You know at once that you are face to face with Merlin and that it is his observatory you have entered and climbed. He bids you welcome and to be seated in a chair opposite his own. Before you can speak he holds up his hand for silence and regards you deeply. His scrutiny is powerful and uncompromising. Whatever secrets you hold are revealed to him, and the true purpose of your coming is also known.
After a time he speaks, and in his words you hear either words of welcome or instruction. He may tell you that you are not yet ready to enter the realm of Arthur, to answer the call. If this is so, then you should rise and take your leave, returning by the way you came and awakening to everyday consciousness.
If, however, Merlin bids you welcome to the realm where his power is all, then you may speak the desires of your heart—the reason for your coming and your hopes for the journey you have undertaken. Only truth may be spoken here, for Merlin has read the very books of the stars and all things in potentia are known to him.
Finally, he rises and offers you a goblet of silver in which is a clear drink. You may choose whether or not to accept this, but be sure that if you do you are imbibing truth itself, a distillation of Merlin’s wisdom, which will remain yours for as long as you are worthy of it. Beyond this you drink from the wisdom of the stars, which Merlin has studied from this tower for time beyond measure.
This done, Merlin draws aside a curtain to reveal a small wooden door in the wall. He opens it and ushers you through…and you find that you have returned once more to the place from which you began your journey. Take a moment to reestablish contact with your physical surroundings, then open your eyes. You will find that your senses remain enhanced for some time, and whatever you discussed with Merlin or whatever you learned during your time within his tower will be yours to refer to whenever you have need.
Merlin’s Observatory: A Meditation
(CM)
Here once again we find ourselves in Merlin’s tower. This time the focus is different and we look not to the stars but to the dragon energy beneath the earth. Here also you begin to explore your own deep ancestral connection with the magic of the land. This is true wherever in the world you come from; there are no boundaries in the otherworld.
…
Close your eyes and enter into silence. Call upon your companion to accompany you and guide your way: this may be an animal, a hero, a deity, an ancestor—someone whom you love and whose companionship you respect.
Before you is the door to Merlin’s observatory, which exists timelessly. You enter and see that it no longer resembles the tower you so recently explored. Now set within the floor are two pools: one is golden with sunlight, the other silver with moonlight. Between them stands Merlin himself before a great mirror, one that you have seen before that is also the lens through which the mage observes the land of Logres, a vigilance that does not cease.
To the left and right of the mirror are doors covered with curtains. You are invited forward to look into the mirror. Walk between the pools…You are no longer fully aware whether you are in a room within a tower or in the land itself. Perhaps you are in both, for around you the land is spread out, its vitality veining the rivers of the land, its power and energy pooling or oscillating in different places. Become aware now of a more subtle perception.
Looking into the mirror, note what in your world is falling asleep now—what qualities, concepts, or patterns within the land need refreshment and renewal?
While you remain in the observatory, your spiritual companion passes through the mirror into the land and brings back a token of these things that need refreshment and renewal. Your companion returns to the observatory and places the token into the moon pool, where it can be refreshed and made new in another cycle.
Look again in the mirror and note what in your world is awakening now—what qualities, concepts, and patterns are beginning to form that need the encouragement of use and practice?
While you remain in the observatory, your spiritual companion passes once more through the mirror into the land and brings back a token of these things that need encouragement and use. Your companion returns to the observatory and places the token into the sun pool, where it can grow in the golden light.
As the tokens are received by the two pools, a change comes upon the observatory. The pools begin to boil and bubble with activity. From each pool arises a dragon: a red dragon and a white. They stretch out their necks towards the doors set on either side of the mirror and call aloud.
Know that the left-hand door leads to the realm of the ancestors: through that door now comes an ancestor.
Know that the right-hand door leads to the realm of the descendants: through that door now comes a descendant.
Both ancestor and descendant lead you to the mirror once again; together they reveal to you the gift of your lineage that passes through all time, and you are able to perceive its effect upon the land.
Allow them to teach you more about the gift of your lineage: how it is to be used and what special duties and obligations go with it.
The time of teaching is over. The dragons utter their cries again; ancestor and descendant depart through their doors. The dragons dance and twine around the mirror of the land, and you can no longer see the images it reflects. But in this place outside time, you stand as a mediator between what was and what will be: it is time to depart, to return to your own time and place, there to mediate the gift that runs within your bloodline in the ways that you have been shown.
With your companion, bid farewell to this place and those who are here, and pass through the great door of the observatory.
The Starry King
This practice is designed to establish contact with an inner reality behind Arthur. From this beginning will spring many things as you continue to explore the age-old mysteries. Throughout you will find moments to pause and reflect on the knowledge that comes to you through this visualization.
…
Close your eyes and imagine that you are standing at the summit of a high hill. It is night, and all around you are the noises of the night: the bark of a fox, the shrill screech of an owl. But more than this, the air itself is filled with an energy that resonates within you like an audible note. You look up and see that the sky is filled with stars, which shine so clearly that you feel you can almost reach up and touch them. As you look, your attention is drawn to one particular quarter of the heavens: the north. There you perceive a pattern of stars that you had not noticed before. They form a rough circle through which a patch of sky shows that is empty. As you look, the circle seems to grow larger, to get nearer, until you are looking into what seems like a window in the heavens.
Into this now comes a scattering of new stars that take up the shape of a crowned figure outlined in light. This is the Starry King, who stands behind the archetype of Arthur. A great hand and arm of light reaches down, and you feel yourself lifted up, cupped as in a mighty palm, and set down again on an island of cloud. Beneath your feet the ground is firm, and you walk a little way until you see before you a low green mound on which grows a clump of trees. There, seated beneath the shade of the great boughs, is the king, chin in hand, staring out at something that as yet remains hidden to you. As you approach he turns, and you see in his eyes many things reflected: the starry sky, your own face, and something more—an understanding and recognition of your own destiny. You have a chance to speak with him, if you wish, or you may simply sit for a while in silence, sharing his vigil until it is time for you to depart.
You will know when the moment comes to leave; take your leave of the king accordingly. Before you depart he offers you a blessing, which is yours to accept or refuse as you wish. If you choose to accept it you may be sure that its effects will be felt in your life long after.
Turning, you walk away from the island across the cloudy floor and feel yourself once again gently lifted up, carried, and set down in the place from which you began. The circle of stars grows smaller and more distant and you become aware again of the night sky and the hilltop where you stand. Then this, too, slowly fades and you become aware again of your normal surroundings. Open your eyes and reestablish contact with the outer world.
The Grail in the Vault of Stars
This visualization is intended to draw down power from the starry realms and to aid in establishing the presence of the Grail within the earth in five mysterious shapes. When you experience this you are drawing upon all the mysteries of Arthur and the Grail in order to send them forth into the world and beyond. See also figure 11. (Included here with acknowledgement to Gareth Knight, who led a similar working.)
…
Imagine that you are standing on the northernmost pole of the planet. This is not the magnetic pole but the pole of the earth’s axis around which it spins. Above your head be aware of the constellation of Polaris with the great beacon of the Pole Star at its heart, and around it the constellations of the Great and Little Bears and the coiling form of the dragon, Draco.
Here there is no real horizon, no cardinal point to the compass, so references to east, south, west, and north are relative, referring to the true points from which influences pour in from the distant constellations.
With eyes still closed, stand up and face the true east. You are looking across the vast sea of space, lit by a million stars. Amongst them you are able to pick out the silver shape of the bull, the constellation of Taurus. At its center, like an eye, is the star Aldebaran, a smoky red point of energy sometimes called the Eye of God.
Within this starry form you gradually become aware of another shape, that of a great circular dish, which catches the light of the stars and reflects it towards you. This light surrounds you and is drawn into your heart center, where it is gathered up and projected downwards, through the center of your body, through your feet, and down into the earth beneath.
From there it branches out towards the equatorial band and then inward towards the core of the planet. There, in the very center of the earth, you see a great crystal cup, shaped so that it catches light both from above and below and also emits rays in every direction.
Now it catches the light you send, the concentrated force of the great dish, in which you make an offering of all your intentions, and sends them raying out in all directions, striking upwards through the earth until they reach each of the seven continents of North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. Each of these becomes ringed by a line of brilliant light, which remains glowing as you make a 90-degree turn to the right…
You are now facing true south, and before you, across the depths of space, you can see the constellation of the lion, whose heart is the bright star Regulus, also known as the Little King. As you look you see that sitting astride the back of the lion is the bright shape of a radiant child. This is the Divine Youth who will grow to carry the light to all people of the world.
He raises both hands and throws a long shaft of light across the gulf that separates you. Once again it is gathered into your heart center and from there channelled down into the planet, raying out beneath your feet to the equator and then inward to the receptive cup of the Grail. From there it speeds out on all sides, striking upwards into the landmass of the seven continents, islanding them in a second band of light.
Now make another 90-degree turn towards the true west where, across the deeps of space, you see the constellation of the scorpion, a being sacred to the goddess Isis. There you see Antares, another dark red star. In the midst of the scorpion is a glowing cube of light, each face of which represents one of the sacred elements from which creation is formed. As it turns, it sends forth a great beam of light towards you, and you catch it and gather it into your heart center, from where it flows through you and down into the body of the planet that is still called by us “Mother Earth.” There, as before, it reaches the band of the equator upon every side of the planet and is channeled into the great crystal cup at the heart of the world; caught up and sent forth again, it passes upwards until it reaches each of the seven continents, surrounding them in a third band of light, which glows ever brighter.
Turning once more 90 degrees to the right, you now face true north, where you find the constellation of Piscis Australis, the great cosmic fish in whose mouth glows the bright star Formahalt. Below the outline of the fish is the shape of a great spear—the weapon that, in the story of the Grail, was used to both wound and heal—which now sends forth healing light towards you, where you capture and distill it forth again from your heart through your feet and into the earth, where the crystal Grail, the final shape assumed by the hallows in the mystery of the five changes, waits to catch and then send forth again the light you perceive passing through the earth and then outwards again to each of the seven great continents, building a fifth barrier of light around them.
For a moment you hold these images as clearly as you can. See the outlines of the continents islanded in light, and know that this will bring harmony and peace to all who live there and that the light will draw people of good heart into a place of unity. In this way the healing power of the Grail, in each of these five forms, is given back to the world. As a channel for its light, you also gain benefit from it.
Slowly now, as you watch, the light begins to fade, though it will continue to shine out in the inner worlds and do its work of healing and restoration. Become gradually aware again of your surroundings and awaken gently from this work of meditation.
The Ritual of Merlin’s Enclosure
(CM)
According to one tradition, Merlin built a wall of brass around the island of Britain to ward off attacks from without. For this reason one of the magical names for the island is Merlin’s Enclosure. The following ritual is concerned with the mysteries of time and the turning year. It calls upon primal beings and ancient seers gifted with the ability to see beyond everyday reality. Among the Celts there is a tradition of the winds being named for different colors, and it is said that a particular wind brings good or bad things to those who are able to see.
Because of the archetypes worked with here, this is a ritual in which questions may be asked and answered. Before the ritual, therefore, the whole company writes a question on a leaf: the leaves are put in a basket, and three are selected, sight unseen, to create oracles. The questions should be those that concern the whole country or the world, not personal or trivial things. The oracles that are given from the questions are mediated via the otherworldly guardians by the three people representing Myrddin, his sister Gwendydd, and the bard Taliesin. (Note that the word daimon refers to a spiritual guide or helper and should not be confused with a demon.)
Dramatis Personae
Three Seers in the Observatory
- Taliesin (tal-ee-es’in) with the Wand of Knowledge, Seer of the Sun
- Myrddin (mer’thin) with the Wand of Vision, Seer of the Stars
- Gwendydd (gwend’eeth) with the Wand of the Tides, Seer of the Moon
The Quarter Guardians
- Eagle, Guardian of the East
- Horse, Guardian of the South
- Salmon, Guardian of the West
- Stag, Guardian of the North
In the Courts of Merlin’s Enclosure
The North Winds
- Black Wind in the North
- Shadow Wind in the East Northeast
- Speckled Wind in the North Northeast
The East Winds
- Purple Wind in the East
- Yellow Wind in East Southeast
- Red Wind in the South Southeast
The South Winds
- Shining Wind in the South
- Sea-Green Wind in the South Southwest
- Grass-Green Wind in the West Southwest
The West Winds
- Rush-Pale Wind in the West
- Brown Wind in the North Northwest
- Gray Wind in the West Northwest
Beyond the Stars
- Keeper of the Gates of Time with the Globe of Eternity
In the Depths
- White Dragon’s Head
- Red Dragon’s Head
Ritual Implements
- A crystal globe
- 2 sets of drums and beaters
- Singing bowls
- Leaves created before the ritual
- Papier-mâché dragon heads or equivalent
- A chair
- A gong
The company and the seers are in place as the ritual begins. Enter Keeper of Time, masked. Singing bowls sound.
KEEPER (holding a crystal globe in hands)
Three worlds there are, a spiral of time and one present moment.
Precious beyond telling is the drop of dew hanging upon a leaf;
Mirror of worlds, a mighty gathering in one constellation.
Behold the tree that joins the worlds together:
Tree of chiming, tree of singing, branches spread and roots beneath.
Stars send their song to the deep roots calling,
Sun marks its season in leaf and seed,
Moon quickens sap in the inmost veins.
Breath, blood, flesh, and bone of being.
All That Is—held in the mercy of eternity. (places globe on chair)
KEEPER
Keeper of the Gates of Time I stand,
The Janus-headed hinge of the door,
Opening this way and that between the worlds.
The aeons turn, one age succeeds the other.
One memory courses through the blood.
Who are the creatures that hold the world steady?
THE QUARTERS
Breath and blood, flesh and bone,
Air and fire, water and stone.
Wing and hoof, fin and tine,
We mind the oath that safeguards time.
EAGLE
Eagle am I, from the lofty mountain.
HORSE
Horse am I, from the grassy plains.
SALMON
Salmon am I, between sea and river.
STAG
Stag am I, from the ancient woods.
THE QUARTERS
Memory lives and memory dies,
Key-holders we of the doors of time.
KEEPER
From every airt, what winds carry the news?
WINDS
We color the land from shore to shore;
We open the window and close the door.
BLACK WIND
Black as jet is the northern wind of winter.
SHADOW WIND
Dark as a shadow is the world in winter’s wake.
SPECKLED WIND
Speckled as an egg is the spring’s awakening.
PURPLE WIND
Kingly purple is the eastern wind of spring.
YELLOW WIND
Yellow as gorse is the song of spring.
RED WIND
Red as the rose is the coming of summer.
SHINING WIND
Bright and shining is the southern wind of summer.
SEA-GREEN WIND
Green as the sea are the summer breezes.
GRASS-GREEN WIND
Green as the grass are the leaves before falling.
RUSH-PALE WIND
Pale as a rush is the western wind of autumn.
BROWN WIND
Brown as a bog is the world turned to autumn.
GRAY WIND
Gray as stone is the bare earth of winter.
WINDS (together)
We color the land from shore to shore;
We open the window and close the door.
KEEPER
What is the name of this threshold where worlds are made?
EAGLE
Some call this place the molting cage of Merlin, his esplumoir.
Each feather marks the fall of time.
HORSE
Some call this place the Giant’s Dance.
Each measure marks the rhythm of time.
SALMON
Some call this place the Salmon Weir of the Rich Fisherman.
Each catch is an aeon of time.
STAG
Some call this the place of apple trees,
Fair Afallenau of the branching tines.
Each apple is a world in the making.
THE QUARTERS
Time is the mercy of eternity.
Eternity is the gift of time.
Turn each turning,
Gladly step the way,
Follow the tide-turn,
Mark the trackless way.
KEEPER
Three luminaries for the three worlds:
Sun, moon, and stars shine through how many openings?
THE COMPANY
Seven score are the doors and windows of this place.
Light and darkness, darkness and light are its eyes.
KEEPER
What is the house in the forest clearing?
THE COMPANY
The abode of the seers who look beyond time.
KEEPER
At this threshold of the three worlds,
Where tower and tree are one,
I call upon the seers within the house.
The three seers begin to move from their timeless watching.
TALIESIN
Keeper of Time, you who go Janus-headed,
Between your gates time swirls like mist,
Gathers, reforms, and shapes itself again.
Why do you call us from our watch?
KEEPER
Do you remember why this tower was made?
GWENDYDD
For my brother was this house built,
With seventy doors and seventy windows
For him to see the fire-breathing Sun with Venus
To watch by night the stars wheeling in the firmament,
That he might learn the future of Clas Myrddin (clas mer’thin).
TALIESIN
Under the direction of the wise Goddess
I came hither to answer the questions
Of my deeply troubled cousin.
KEEPER
How is the restoration of his rightful mind?
MERLIN
I was taken out of my true self, like a spirit,
Knowing the past, foretelling the future.
The secrets of nature were mine: the flight of birds,
The glidings of fish, the pilgrimage of the stars.
By merciful providence, I drank the restoring waters
Of a new-sprung stream and was myself again.
SEERS
Since then, we have lived secluded from the world,
Watching the paths of Clas Myrddin.
KEEPER
My servants and my watchers between the worlds,
What do you see in the tide of time?
MERLIN
The world tree withers, pillar of the sky.
GWENDYDD
Fair grew the great tree, full of years.
TALIESIN
Fair grew the oak, ancient and rugged.
MERLIN
I saw the acorn snatched up by a woodpecker,
Long has it grown without tending of man.
SEERS
We marked its place of planting and growing long since,
Now we keep it in mind and memory.
GWENDYDD
But the sap is failing.
The tides of oceans make contrary turn.
TALIESIN
Loud groans the tree in the fitful wind.
Seasons turn from their accustomed quarter.
MERLIN
Lost are the way-marks of the stars.
Fruit fails to ripen on its branches.
KEEPER
In timeless memory the world abides.
In the grip of time the world’s forgotten.
Yet not all have strayed from its branches:
Whoever asks the question and gives the gift
Still keeps faith with the source of life.
As long as the question is asked and the gift given,
The doors of life and death will open and close,
The world may yet be cleansed and renewed.
Seers who keep the thresholds,
It is the hour of the world’s remembering.
SEERS
Whoever asks the question and gives the gift,
We summon you now by the many-colored winds.
EAGLE
Call forth the west winds. (West Winds bring their news to Eagle and return)
HORSE
Call forth the north winds. (North Winds bring their news to Horse and return)
SALMON
Call forth the east winds. (East Winds bring their news to Salmon and return)
STAG
Call forth the south winds. (South Winds bring their news to Stag and return)
THE QUARTERS
Between the worlds the way is clear
Each doorway leads from there to here.
In blood and tears, in sighs and sweat,
We gather the news that none know yet.
(Quarters bring their news to the Seers)
MERLIN
Leaves blown by the reckless winds.
TALIESIN
Leaves of question and enquiry.
GWENDYDD
Leaves of rumor and report.
TALIESIN
Three orders of spirits there are that tend the universe,
Forever renewing the world by renewing the seeds of things.
MERLIN
Let us ask their counsel
That a blind and heedless world may hearken.
Sister, sit you in the Chair of Vision.
Speak as you are bidden,
Declare the ages of the moon.
GWENDYDD (sitting in the chair with globe)
Spirits of the sub-lunar world, I call to me.
Show well the shapes, give goodly grace
As I peer into the deep
At what has been, what is, and what will be.
MERLIN
Winds of the airts, sing well your song!
Company chants wordlessly until Taliesin speaks.
TALIESIN
Seer in the Chair of Vision, this I now ask you:
(asks a question from one of the leaves)
GWENDYDD
(looks into globe and gives spontaneous oracle from the chair, finishing with:)
Blessed is the chair of Caer Sidi, where none is afflicted with illness nor age.
(leaves chair and globe)
GWENDYDD
I know the changings of the turning moon.
(to Taliesin)
Cousin, sit now in the Chair of Vision.
Speak as you are bidden.
Declare the ages of the sun.
TALIESIN (sitting in the chair with globe)
Daimons of the airy heaven, I call to me.
Divine the dreams, make clear the voices
As I look within the shadow of the sun
Of what has been, what is, and what will be.
MERLIN
Winds of the airts, sing well your song!
Company chants wordlessly until Gwendydd speaks.
GWENDYDD
Seer in the Chair of Vision, this I now ask you:
(asks a question from one of the leaves)
TALIESIN
(looks into globe and gives spontaneous oracle from the chair, finishing with:)
I possess three chairs of harmonious accordance
and I will chant until the judgement. (leaves chair and globe)
TALIESIN
I know the spot where the sun rests.
(to Merlin)
Cousin, sit now in the Chair of Vision.
Speak as you are bidden.
Declare the ages of the stars.
MERLIN (sitting in the chair with globe)
I call upon the Bright Ones of the starry vault.
Refresh the vision, shine clear your ray
As I search the dazzling darkness
For what has been, what is, and what will be.
GWENDYDD
Winds of the airts, sing well your song!
Company chants wordlessly until Taliesin speaks.
TALIESIN
Seer in the Chair of Vision, this I now ask you:
(asks a question from the leaves)
MERLIN
(looks into globe and gives spontaneous oracle from the chair, finishing with:)
The books do not lie;
The Chair of the Guardian is here
And shall so continue until the judgement.
(leaves chair and brings globe to table)
MERLIN
I know the movements of the dancing stars.
Sister, I thank you; Cousin, my thanks.
Keeper removes chair to side of room.
WINDS
We heed the answers of the threefold ages;
We broadcast the seeds across the face of the earth.
NORTH WINDS
Go forth and bring now to birth
Seeds that have lain in the earth.
SOUTH WINDS
Go forth and kindle the spark
Seeds that have lain in the dark.
WEST WINDS
Go forth and moisten the grain
Life that in dryness has lain.
EAST WINDS
Go forth and fill with breath
Power that lies dormant in death.
WINDS
Go color the land from shore to shore
Blow open window, blow open closed door.
Winds and Quarters stand to make the doorways and windows with upraised joined hands.
GWENDYDD
Beneath the moon there is a stirring.
TALIESIN
Beneath the sun there is a listening.
MERLIN
Beneath the stars there is a gathering.
EAGLE
Each window to the sky is full of wings.
HORSE
Each doorway of the stones is thronged with dancers.
SALMON
Each mouth of the weir is choked with fish.
STAG
Each branch of the tree is netted with stars.
QUARTERS
In every time and place life whispers and stirs.
In eternity and space the powers gather.
KEEPER (moves to table with seers, calling)
Guardians of earth, the doors are open!
Merlin, Gwendydd, and Taliesin raise their wands to mediate the coming of the dragons.
SEERS
Dragons, come forth!
Heads of white and red dragons appear with drum and gong. White goes northwest and red goes southeast in a transverse interweaving movement.
Movements of the Dragons
The white dragon head collects the company from the western half of the circle and makes a loose anticlockwise spiral, then spirals out and goes through the eye of the white dragon, while the red dragon head collects the company from the eastern half and makes a loose anticlockwise spiral, then spirals out and goes through the eye of red dragon. (The “eye” is made by the last two people in each line raising their hands to make an arch.) The heads of the dragons lead their tails of people around the room in opposite directions OR following the direction they are facing when they come out of the spiral, they circulate the room until bidden to stop by the keeper.
KEEPER (holds up the globe)
Time was. Time is. Time shall be no more.
There is intense stillness as all times become one with eternity.
KEEPER
Time is the mercy of eternity.
Eternity is the gift of time.
Now, in this timeless time and placeless place,
Give forth your gift.
From wherever they currently stand, the company turn outwards, raising their hands as healing and blessings are mediated to the universe.
KEEPER
Each soul return now to your time and place!
(the company returns to their places; as they do so, Keeper says:)
Turn each turning
Gladly step the way
Follow the tide-turn
Mark the trackless way.
MERLIN
The stars hold their courses still.
Inspire the souls who have chosen their destined lot!
TALIESIN
The solar circuit turns again.
Illumine and initiate the souls who are fervent!
GWENDYDD
The moon changes in its changeless dance.
Regulate the tides of the soul’s vitality!
MERLIN, TALIESIN and GWENDYDD (raising hands)
We give a blessing in the name of the dwellers in Avalon!
STAG (raising hands)
Snow in good season…
SALMON (raising hands)
Clean waters flowing…
HORSE (raising hands)
Fruitful the warm earth…
EAGLE (raising hands)
Winds to ripen the seed.
WINDS (raising hands)
Peace to all peoples
Peace to all creatures
Peace to all beings!
EVERYONE
Peace! Peace! Peace!
(singing bowls sound)
KEEPER
Times turn, the threshold passes
One tree still joins the worlds together
(holds up the crystal globe)
Precious beyond telling
Is the drop of dew upon the leaf;
Mirror of worlds, a mighty gathering in one constellation.
Three worlds remain, a spiral of time
And one present moment.
Breath, blood, flesh, and bone of being:
All That Is—held in the mercy of eternity.
(opens the western door)
Now I herald the sacred time.
As the door is opened, so may the twelve sacred days
Be held in honor as midwinter grows near.
All creatures rest and re-create the world
In timeless joy, unceasing measure.
May love come again to make green the earth!
Dragon heads lead Winds and Guardians around room and out. Seers and Keeper go last.