Our first 4 evenings were spent near Avebury, the town with one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain. It contains the largest Megalithic stone circle in the world and it did not disappoint. Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England.
We hugged the stones, meditated lying next to them, laid our cheeks and our backs against their warmth and felt the slow pulsing of these ancient ones. And we played the crystal bowls – pure magic! Our course work was completed out in nature and in a quaint community hall near our highly recommended White Horse Inn in Avebury.
On Day 5, we travelled a couple of hours from Avebury to our next accommodation in Langport, near Glastonbury and we took the opportunity to immerse ourselves in Glastonbury with a tour with Tor (his Scandinavian name). A highlight for all of us was visiting Chalice Well – a place we would visit again and again over our 11 nights in Langport.
Chalice Well, surrounded by beautiful gardens and orchards, is a living sanctuary. It is one of Britain’s most ancient holy wells, nestling in the Vale of Avalon between the famous Glastonbury Tor and Chalice Hill. For over two thousand years it has been a place of pilgrimage where people have gathered to drink the waters and find peace, healing and inspiration.
Our accommodation was 2 converted barns – very comfortable and the big plus was having a Hot Tub!! Many an afternoon was spent in the hot tub – luxury!
One of the highlights of our 15 night retreat was the way each person learned to play the crystal bowls and how they developed a sensitivity to the bowls, to each other and to the advanced therapeutic techniques. We all felt inspired by each other.
Walks in the countryside in and around little villages and visits to greater forests to play the crystal bowls and commune with nature were a highlight. Taking an individual bowl to play in the woods or beside a mountain stream, listening to the birds sing with the sounds of the crystal bowls was otherworldly.
Part of the course is to apply the Crystal Sound Advanced Therapeutic Techniques to an environment and the way I do this is to offer a Home Blessing and a Business Blessing to the local community. There is a famous retail shop in Glastonbury called Star Child where they create and sell herbs, resins, oils, perfumes, teas, candles, small pottery pieces. They had recently moved into new premises so my offer of giving them a Business Blessing as part of the CST course was warmly welcomed. What a magical time we all had. The owner, Manager and staff were thrilled with the shift in the energy and they felt very supported by the crystal singing bowls and the affirmation which was in the form of their new Heart Philosophy.
The Manager, Jamie wanted to show us the warehouse where they create, make and blend the oils and resins sold in the shop. Wow, we were so excited to visit this place of deep alchemy.
We returned several times to Chalice Well and one of the times was for an evening Summer concert as well as on the last day of the course when we visited the gardens for Summer Solstice. How beautiful it was to be part of the ceremony and the blessing of Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and at a very sacred place full of history, goodwill and a deep reverence for Nature.
It was the final blessing on what had been a magical mystery tour of Avebury and Glastonbury and the surrounding countryside. Our experiences and the sisterhood we shared were amplified and magnified by the pure resonance of the alchemy and classic crystal bowls we played as part of the retreat. The retreat is the beginning of the 12 month study program and the work we completed in the retreat is the foundation of what will occur as each student works through the learning outcomes and the study program. Regular contact with me is part of the course and one of the joys for me as creator and teacher of the Crystal Sound Therapy course is that I walk the journey with you. Step by step as much as you want me there, I am there answering questions, having discussions, reading and commenting on your written work. It’s a journey of great awakening to your own unique insights and abilities.
The next International Crystal Sound Therapy (CST) “Path of the Heart” retreat is being held in Katoomba on November 8 – 22. Bookings are being taken now. If you feel the calling to work in depth with the transforming, pure resonance of the crystal singing bowls, this course is unique and the most detailed and comprehensive offered in the world today.
