Happy Beltane!

Spring is bursting out in Portland. The flowers are amazing this year. We have a huge, century-old Gravenstein apple tree in our back yard that usually puts out a few blossoms every year just to remind us that it really is an apple tree. This year it was covered in pinkish white froth and smelled divine.

Flowers always remind me of Beltane 2007, which I spent in Glastonbury, England at Chalice Well Gardens. We stayed at the Chalice Well guesthouse, so I was in the gardens as much as possible, drinking the healing waters, meditating, and admiring the flowers. The Gardens have an immense presence and vitality composed of the combined spirits of its plants, insects, spiders, fungi, and bacteria. It’s almost palpable.

One morning as I was meditating and playing in the powerful energy lines that pass through the Garden, I heard a

faint hum. I opened my eyes and saw a bee, hovering so close to my face that my eyes almost crossed. She was smaller and much less fuzzy than a honeybee, and her flight was quick and purposeful. She would hang perfectly still, moving nothing but her wings and then she would dart down the path. A second later she would be back in front of my nose. She did this several times, reminding me of Lassie doing her “Timmy’s in the well, come quick!” routine. Obviously the garden wanted me to go somewhere, and it had sent the perfect guide.

The bee’s trips down the path and back were getting quicker and her hum was edgier. If she’d had a foot, she would have been tapping it impatiently. OK, fine. I got up and started walking down the path after the bee. She led me down to the main sidewalk and turned right. We arrived at the restrooms.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, barely managing to keep from giggling hysterically.

The bee flew toward the entrance and then back to me, in a most insistent manner. I realized that I’d been drinking well water all morning and I really did have to pee. How did she know? And why did she care? When I came out of the restroom, my guide was waiting for me.

“OK, now what?”

The bee flew off, keeping to the sidewalk, and I followed. Moments later we arrived at the gift shop.

“What do they pay you to do this?” I asked my tour guide. I was laughing so hard I was almost doubled over. Madam Bee was not amused. She darted almost frantically toward the door and back to me several times without stopping.

Maybe there was something in there that I needed. I knew there were several things in there that I wanted. Another look around wouldn’t hurt. I went in and my friend flew away. I could almost hear the sigh of relief. Her job was done.

As I crossed the threshold I let my mind go blank and just started walking. I arrived at the book section. No surprises here. If there’s a book section, I will head for it. I was standing in front of several books on gemstones. The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall was closest to my hand so I decided to do a little bibliomancy. I closed my eyes and opened the book. When I opened them and saw the picture of the calcite crystal, something in side me said “Yes, this is what you need.” The stuff it was supposed to heal—back pain, joint pain, weakness, low energy, fear, worry, toxicity, kidney issues—sounded like a list of my problems. It’s also a stone of wisdom, intuition, protection, and peace. It comes in lots of colors and I was “told” to get them all.

Chalk and marl underlay much of southern England. Both are made of calcite (calcium carbonate). Most geologists believe that both Chalice Well and the nearby White Spring are fed by local groundwater. And so it is no surprise that the White Spring waters contain high levels of calcium, a major component of our bones. But why Chalice Well contains so little calcium and so much iron makes interesting speculation.*

The Chalice Well gift shop didn’t have calcite, but I found one in Avebury that did. I bought all the colors they had. They’ve been on my altar ever since, arranged in a vertical line. The orange/red crystal corresponds to my base chakra, yellow to my power chakra, green to my heart chakra, blue to my throat chakra, and a clear crystal to my crown chakra. Their stabilizing, strengthening energy fuels my morning meditation and heals my body. My low back is healthy again, and I have become much braver.

The Garden gave me two priceless gifts. It gave me a tool that would help me to help myself. But it also gave me the privilege of intimately experiencing the truth that Mother Nature is alive and cares for each and every one of us. If we just pay attention and follow her advice, she will heal us.

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. If you don’t believe me, go to Chalice Well and ask the bees. They’ll confirm every word.

*”Energy Secrets of Glastonbury Tor”, Nicholas Mann, (Green Magic, 2004)