The Glastonbury Tor, or St Michaels Tower, is a world wide known spiritual sight that many are drawn to every year.
It had been a goal of a friend and myself to travel to Glastonbury and climb up the iconic hill to the Tor itself. It was a much steeper hill than we were expecting, or should I say the side that bus dropped us at was much steeper. It wasn’t until we had climbed to the top that we realised the other side was more of a gentle amble uphill as opposed to the vertigo inducing side we were on. Anyway… despite that we were thrilled to be there, Finally! Years of planning finally come to fruition!
Glastonbury village itself is enchanting, and not just because its choc full of magical and spiritual shops. It instantly feels like home when you arrive. Like somewhere you’ve been to many times before and you are comfortable being in. We arrived on market day so the whole centre was buzzing.
We caught the little bus to the Tor itself from the town centre. It was a diddy little bus but rather packed with visitors. Some were going to Glastonbury Well and other sites along the way, next on our list. During our journey we kept catching tantalising glimpses of the hill and Tor itself and then finally we had arrived. We crossed a small meadow, with an ice cream truck in the middle of it (bizarre), and then straight in front of us was the start of our climb. Oh My Word! That is one hard climb!!! Oh my poor leg muscles.
A tough climb but oh so worth it. Being close up to the Tor is quite daunting. The energy is so strong, deeply rooted and stable. Its like an energy beacon, or portal, that radiates out over Glastonbury effecting all who live in its shadow. For myself and my dear friend Michelle it was a Pilgrimage. We are both deeply spiritual people and coming to Glastonbury had been a trip we had wanted to take for many years.
The thing that really stood out to me at the top of the hill was that, despite all the tourists milling about, it was incredibly peacefull. You could feel entirely alone with your thoughts sat up there yet you were surrounded by people. The Tor seems to instill a need for reflection and recapitulation. The energies nurture a balanced, calm and peacefull state of mind. I noticed this effect in the people who were sharing the top of the hill with me. Even some children who were enjoying a day out with their families were calm, relaxed and peacefull. Strangers were happy to talk to one another. Boundaries seemed to have been lowered for the day.
Reaching the top of the hill felt amazing. I was so proud of this achievement. After a long term illness im still mostly house/bed bound so to be able to do this was incredible. Saying that I must be honest in that it was also one of the most painfull and agonising achievements of my life but hey…. no matter what this illness may put me through I will always have the memory of climbing the hill up to, and being at, the Glastonbury Tor. Nothing can ever take that away from me! Michelle was just amazing and gently supported me as we made the ascent. We stopped regularly and sat down and made the trek in little bite sized pieces. She was so kind and patient with me and made the whole thing possible. Bless her heart.
Glastonbury is special for so many reasons and not just because it is the heart chakra of the planet, or that it is home to the Tor or the Glastonbury Well or Abbey. The area has a fascinating history stretching back a long way. For me it is the wonderful healing energies in the land of Glastonbury.
Akasha Shamanka 