The weak winter sunlight is beginning to illuminate the tomb at Sunset now; slowly creeping along it, day by day, until the midwinter solstice sun shines directly along the low, long, passageway, trod by long forgotten feet, into the tomb, the womb, lighting the rear wall of the chamber, as it did in ancient times.
Maeshowe, the finest of chambered tombs, lies at the heart of Neolithic Orkney, a reminder of the feats Neolithic Man was prepared to go to build monuments to their dead. What their Spiritual practises were, we will never know. But I speculate, that these tombs were for their Spiritual Leaders, Priests, Shamans, Witches, what ever name we, modern man wish to give them. Their lives faded away thousands of years ago, but some of the residual energy, left behind, must surely still exist, and those who are sensitive enough to tap into it, may find a link with the past which is powerful and life changing.
If it is true, (and I think it is) that we all have a little Witch Blood inside of us; that we are Spiritual Beings inside a Physical Body; that each of us has a Divine Spark within, and that this Witch Blood, Spirit, Divine Spark needs only to be woken for us to achieve all that we can be; to become our true-selves and awake from the Sleep that keeps us Spiritually unaware. Then can visits to such powerful places such as Maeshowe reawaken that Spark deep within and awaken the Sleeper?
I think it can.
Now is especially the time when we can be awakened.
For Midwinter is the time of rebirth. The time of the Return of the Light to the World.
A time when we go into our own Midwinter quite naturally, for whether or not we are aware of it, this is the time when our natural rhythms slow and we become retrospective and thoughtful. We become as the tomb, quiet, dark and brooding.
As I watch those, who at this time of year worship nothing but the Gods of the Cash Tills, rush hither and dither with the stress of the Festive Season, I wonder about the tomb they are building for themselves, and wonder if any illumination will find it’s way in to help them see what they have become. Or will they just brush such things aside as nonsense, too afraid of change, and carry on floundering in their sleep, seeing life as the eternal nightmare.
Is there any hope?
I think there is. Once I was asleep… but saw the Light and woke from the nightmare.
This Midwinter Solstice I will watch the Sunrise, from a Sacred Place. I will celebrate the lengthening days at Yule, (25th) with feasting and merriment. I will renew the connection with myself, my friends, my family, the Land and my God’s; I will during this time see my soul illuminated and once again reborn; for as the Wheel Turns and the year waxes, the increasing Light will shine on the Divine Spark with us, illuminating and enriching us, for we are all God’s and Goddess’s.
© Cymraes 2008
***This article has been written with the new Seeker in mind, the one who has just begun to wake, and finds themselves in a strange twilight world where, the real still seems unreal. But, as we all are awake on many different levels, I hope it may inspire others further along the path too, and I welcome comments, experiences, to be shared and discussed for I am well aware this is only my take on the subject and others may or may not agree.
***Maeshowe has a live feed directly into the tomb. I will be watching the light enter the tomb via this link. Having been there, I like to reconnect and witness this event, each Midwinter. Perhaps one year I will be lucky enough to actually be there, rather than watch it on the net. It is a most wonderful sight and never ceases to send shivers through my body and soul!
***”The Gods of the Cash Tills” is a phrase coined by my dear one Spike and I thank him, once again for such an insightful phrase. If you use it, please give him credit.
