Chalice Well, Glastonbury.
Beautiful ancient iron rich well water which turns everything in its path a tint of red. Had a fabulous time here, very peaceful. I drank some of the well water of our divine mother collected from the Lions head within the gardens and yes it does taste like blood! The iron deposits make it taste so and also turns the waterway red. In the past this well has be known as the ‘Red Spring’ or the ‘Blood Spring’, linked to the essence of life.
There are lots of stories behind this well, as you can imagine, in this area predominated by churches. The main story that has held sway is where Joseph of Arimethea struck his staff into the ground and the water sprung from that place and has done ever since. And thus represents the blood of Christ. Another is that the Chalice from the last supper was washed and buried there. More likely though is that Druids honoured the well long before Joseph of Arimithea arrived in England. There is some recognition that a Druidic university existed in Glastonbury before Christianity arrived on English soil. Thus it would seem to be that the well was a natural phenomena to Glastonbury, and a source of sacred well water to those who originated from the geographical area, prior to the arrival of Christianity.
Ancient Energies (Ley Lines)
The garden is sited along the Michael and Miary leylines. These two leylines cross paths in the area of the garden known as ‘King Arthur's Court’, along their routes between Cornwall, Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury Tor, Avebury stone circle and Norfolk. The crossing point has a shallow healing spa located on this powerful energy lines. I walked through this beautiful and very cold water pool. The waters there are famed for their curative properties, which I can gladly say I needed at the time of my visit. I knew once I stood there in the courtyard that I had to have a dip into the pool. It’s just one of those times when intuition tinged with curiosity took over and I just got barefoot!
Sacred geometry
The geometric symbol used on the well is continued throughout he gardens. The Vesica Piscis is an ancient sacred geometrical symbol which was in use before many religious persuasions adopted it. It has been used throughout the ages for various different meanings. Vesica Piscis translates into ‘ "bladder of a fish" in Latin. It is named after the conjoined dual air bladders ("swim bladder") found in the bodies of most fishes. The shape is also called mandorla ("almond" in Italian). It is formed from the cross section of two overlapping spheres and includes the inner portion of the overlap. There have been many uses for the Vesica Piscis. The following are just a few:-
1.Representing the union of forces - the spirit and the body, dream and reality, the masculine (oval overlap) and feminine (circle).
2.Connected to Jesus Christ, by means of the (vertical) fish symbol in the overlap, called the ‘Ichthys’ by early Christians.
3.In art the (horizontal) oval in the overlap was used to create an aura of light (halo) around religious figures and served as a focal point for meditations.
4.A symbol of the joining of the god and goddess to create offspring.
5.A symbol of the life force of the goddess.
6.Mathematical geometry considered important and holy by ancient mathematicians such as Pythagorus.
The modern Chalice wells garden is a beautifully kept space in the vale between Chalice Hill and the Tor. It has ancient Yew trees and a wonderful meandering path which is surrounded by flowers, plants and shrubs which are designed to connect visitors with nature and the source of life. The addition of the graduated pools also lends flow to the energy of the space and also utilises the Vesica Piscis, adding to the imagery. There is also a monks garden which is still kept with medicinal herbs.
The Chalice Wells gardens is maintained by the Chalice Well Trust which was put in place by Wellesley Tudor Pole in 1959, to protect the Chalice Well and enable visitors to continue enjoying the serenity and healing properties of this sacred space.
Bibliography
http://www.halexandria.org/dward097.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/vesicapiscis.html