Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury
Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury, Somerset (for Revista Travesias, February 2005)
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If you drive to Glastonbury from the north (Bristol, Bath, or M4 motorway), go through Wells rather than Shepton Mallet. The film-set view of mystical St Michael’s Tower on Glastonbury Tor, rising through the mists of Avalon – yes, they are real – is stupefying. Site of the first Christian church in England, burial place of Arthur and Guinevere and hiding place of the holy grail, Glastonbury is home to earth magic written large: the Michael and Mary ley-lines are said to meet here, before encircling Glastonbury Tor behind.
Chalice Well gardens are centred around the Well itself and some interesting water features, known here as Flow Forms. Great care and attention has gone into installing the Sevenfold Metamorphic Cascade, including dedicated college research and development. It apparently enhances the subtle energies of the water, to convey life-giving information. Whatever you believe, you can certainly rest and recuperate your energies here.
Walking up here from the town centre (less than a mile), I passed several houses bearing the paraphernalia of the fiercely eclectic spirituality found here; think California with damp mists. They will tell you, while nodding a lot, that Glastonbury is the planet’s Heart Chakra (energy centre), and that the Grail of the Last Supper, or Chalice, is buried beneath this hill.
Designed to maximise the enrichment factor rather than to any traditional garden pattern, the Meadow area features a small labyrinth cut into the grass. There is some interesting seating here, with excellent Tor views. There is a genuine tranquillity here, which the nearby road does not noticeably invade.
The paths are inlaid with ammonite fossils, and the Vesica Piscis motif abounds in wrought ironwork on gates. The Christian symbol of Roman times, it comprises two interlocking circles with an arrow through the centre. Wide herbaceous borders are alive with colour in spring and summer.
At the Chalice Well itself, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man was standing with arms out and eyes closed, intoning prayers or mantras with several large, ornate candles and tea-lights burning. On returning, I can say I did feel the force – yes, there is something special here, something intangible as mist.
Many events are celebrated here as public events, mostly ancient Celtic holidays such as Spring Equinox (March 21) and Beltane (May 1). There are no local trains, but buses run regularly from Bristol, changing in Wells, and from Bath (32 miles approx).
