Where the Tor should be!
At times, the mist lies so heavy o’er the vale of Avalon that it swallows everything. We walk with eyes outstretched, feeling our way through a hidden realm in search of an invisible Tor and its lost horizons.
Glastonbury is withdrawn from sight and the path to Avalon is revealed. In these spaces of time all is paused beyond a white sphere of visibility, through which we are able to physically pass but unable to see. How mystifying it is that a phenomenon so transient as mist appears to hold all in such stillness. Even words seem slow to gain momentum; the mouth is open, but nothing moves from it. The mind too feels foggy, waiting for the spark of Imbolc to reignite the heart’s desires. For now, we are held under the deep spell of this misty cauldron.
A ship upon a skybound sea
When the mist arises, the Tor, Avalon’s most prominent hill which normally occupies a conspicuous section of the horizon, disappears and reappears with an ease that suggests it is able to gather and disperse the mist at will. Sometimes capping only its peak with a misty hat which magics away the tower of St Michael. At other times she appears coy and half obscured by the drape of a marital veil. Other days the mound moves through the mist like a viking burial set sail upon the ocean, with only her peak visible. Sometimes, when the mist is thickest, she appears to fully recline and disappears so completely into rest that one could believe she was spirited away entirely.
St Michael’s Tower
Veiled Tor
That a land mass with such a presence can be reduced to immediate invisibility by nothing more than water suspended in air is fascinating, the frequency of this observation provokes wonder at what else is so easily held from one’s senses by things untouchable, particularly on the folds of this elusive isle.
Only as we directly approach the Tor, lifting a first foot onto first step, does a vague whisper of shape fade into view – and then away again – like the lanterns on a ship’s mast, guiding us upon a skybound sea.
As we ascend, the mist does not let up—no threshold is met, and there is no doorway in the white ceiling leading us into the blue sky. We climb a staircase which reveals only its next few steps, while its grand path, its overarching route, is hidden from our view. In this experience, it’s not clear whether we are walking a journey set in stone, or whether the way forms in front of us as each step unfolds – climbing the Tor is to reflect on life, and it is a place where metaphor is rife, for those wishing to read it.
St Michael’s Tower, Glastonbury Tor
As we ascend further into the invisible, it feels like we slipped beneath a draped stage curtain, lifted the veil and peered up into the other side of things. The mist which, but moments ago, was hiding the mound from sight is now reversed and cloaks the surrounding view of the hills and lanes. The landscape we expect to view, with its gaping horizons and humpback mounds, is not there!
At the top of the stairway, we are cocooned fully within a misty sphere. The transient white walls of this temple in the sky, move continually to hide and hide deeper all that we normally see from this vantage point. All the detail of the outside world lies shrouded and doubtable, concerns of life are left behind. Here, we are left alone except for the presence of the mound carved in earth underfoot and the presence of St. Michael, carved of stone, looming overhead.
With the world removed, holiness abounds and a calm introspection arises. In here, concern for anything other than this experience falls away, we stop peering far and instead, just as when in church with it’s quiet solitude, or within the enveloping crown of our lady linden with her demand for reverence, we are encouraged to focus-very close.
The subtleties, softness, and impermanence of all comes to prominence, while the jagged presence of the world drifts further into the distance. Up here, all of external reality releases its grip and we are allowed to drift as freely as the mists.
Within this safe space, we hide from the eyes of the world, and can be seen more clearly by ourselves.
MW 13/1/25
UPCOMING TREE WALKS:
There are lots of walks planned ready for 2025 – the first two are listed below. In April, public walks will begin twice a month, dates to be released in February. Private walks are available to book at a date and time to suit you.
Sat 1st Feb – 11am – 12.30pm – Event info
Sat 22nd March – 11am – 12.30pm – Event info
I hope to see you for a walk To The Trees in 2025.
