Sacred Pilgrimage to Glastonbury

Portrait of Dominique Hurley at the Chalice Well in Glastonbury, UK by Christine Radnich Photography

Oh Blessed Be! After years of connecting to the energies and waters of Glastonbury UK, I was finally called to visit in person. I’m so glad I answered that call.

Sixteen days was too short!

It feels like I was just starting to slow down on the doing to benefit from the being when it was already time to leave.

Back in November, my Team of Divine Helpers had introduced this pilgrimage as “The Gateway”.  

Do I fully understand why yet?  No. But that’s OK.

Three weeks after my journey across the Pond, I’m still integrating all that I learned and experienced in my time there.

This transformative trip offered me so much on so many levels – body, mind & spirit. 

• day trips to Uffington, Wells & Tintagel-Cornwall
• Multidimentional Energy Clearing & Realignment + Karuna Reiki training (Levels 1 & 2)
• 6-day Sun Lover Goddess Conference
• 3 nights at the Chalice Well Gardens with private access to the gardens after closing time
• solo walks at sacred sites in Glastonbury
• hours reading the amazing channeled book “Anna- Grandmother of Jesus”
• a digital detox (no social media, blog posts, emails or newsletters)
• and more.

Of course I took thousands of photos – all with my iPhone! That’s a first. My shoulder injury from last winter is helping me lighten the load. Although I’d brought my pro gear for my 3 days in the Garden, I never used it. You can see all my albums on Flickr or on Facebook.  But I’ve included my favourite 77 below.

I only decided to participate in this intensive 6-day adventure when a friend told me it was happening during the dates I’d been intuitively guided to journey to Glastonbury

It was overwhelming, humbling, exhilarating and exhausting. I’d leave my B & B at 7:30am and often not return until 10 or 11pm. If you know me, that’s way past my bedtime! But I didn’t want to miss anything.

The whole town was a mega version of what I’d experienced pockets of in this lifetime. Hundreds of new age shops and a vibe unlike anywhere else!

Every day, we participated in full assembly (200+) ceremonies, presentations & rituals as well as small group workshops & conversation circles. There were venues all around town, including some art galleries, Goddess Temple, Goddess Hall, and Goddess House.

A group of 10 ceremonialists had been planning it for a year. What an organizational feat!

I laughed, I cried, I sang, I danced, I learned & I witnessed. I joined the crowds and retreated in solitude.

This was my first full immersion in the world of the Goddess. Wow! My mind, eyes and heart are definitely more open to the meaning of the Divine Feminine now.

I may not be one of those who travel yearly to attend this conference (next year’s 25th Conference will be for the Earth Mother Goddess) but I know I was meant to be there this year. What a blessing! My consciousness has expanded because of it.

“The Chalice Well is among the best known and most loved holy wells in Britain.

The Well and surrounding gardens are a Living Sanctuary, a place to soothe the soul and revive the spirits. Since ancient times, wells have been regarded as sacred places, giving access to the mysterious and Divine. Here, we honour, as others have done for thousands of years, the Well and the healing and restoration it offers.

In the past, it was known as the ‘Red Spring’ or ‘Blood Spring’ because of the red iron deposit the water leaves on everything it touches. Many legends are attributed to its waters, not least among them is that they represent the blood of Christ, miraculously sprinting forth from the ground when Joseph of Arimathea buried or washed the cup used at the last supper. For others the waters are acknowledged as the essence of life and so a continuous spring like the Chalice Well is seen as a direct expression of unbounded life force.” (from the garden brochure – www.chalicewell.org.uk)

This is the real reason I felt called to Glastonbury. I bought a pendant of the Vesica Pisces Chalice Well cover in Saskatoon back in 2008, before I knew what it was.

When I moved to St. John’s in 2011, my friend and collector Regina Wright gave me a small bottle of both the Red Spring waters from the Chalice Well and the White Spring Water from across the street. I’ve been using these to bless my canvases ever since. Just as I was running out, Tristan of Otherworld Treasures in Ottawa gave me 2 bottles to thank me for a mediation I’d led in his shop.

When I was studying at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art in Austria in 2013/14, I learned about the sacred geometry of the Vesica Pisces: the two becoming one, the marriage of Heaven & Earth, and so much more. It called more and more to be included in my paintings.

I was so glad Regina told me the Gardens have a few rooms for Companions, giving you 24/7 access to the grounds. So I bought a membership and booked 3 nights after the Conference, thinking I’d cloister myself for some contemplative integration time. Well, that turned out to be 2 days & 3 nights with a day trip in the middle. One of the Conference participants, Donna Virgilio, who is also a tour guide, offered me a seat on her bus to Tintagel-Cornwall. I couldn’t say no!

I loved the Gardens. I experienced it through my eyes (camera), feet, and heart. Still, I feel like I only scratched the surface of what there is for me there. But having been in person and having brought back 2 big bottles of healing waters, the work continues from here.

Oh, and I’m still reading the channeled Anna books I bought there.  They’re resonating so deeply with me. They reveal an expanded version of the story and family of Jesus and of their time in Glastonbury among many other places; it’s a fascinating, heart-opening read. When I finished the first book, my whole being was buzzing with energy. I totally recommend them.

If you visit my albums on Flickr or Facebook, you’ll also get descriptions of each place I visited. My Chalice Well Garden album of 186 photos, for example, will give you a slow meditative journey through the whole gardens.

For now, enjoy this visual summary of my trip. May it be another testimony of the value of following our inner callings. 

Note: Click on the first image and use the arrow if you want to scroll through the full-sized images.