Orchard News - the Chalice Well

Journal of the Companions of the
Chalice Well
Issue No. 33 • Spring 2012
“The still point of the turning world”

Editorial
As we stood around the well head at 11o’clock on the 11/11/11 point and again at Winter
Solstice, I marvelled at the deep stillness of so many people joining together, entering the silence
and opening their hearts to each other and to the living world. We stood at ‘the still point of the
turning world.’
Ninety-two years before, in November 1919, Frederick Bligh Bond and Alice Buckton
inaugurated the new lid on the cover of Chalice Well with its Vesica Piscis ironwork, in a
ceremony that was deliberately intended to combine all spiritual paths. Bligh Bond had spoken
that day about the geometrical diagram of the Vesica intersected by the spear or the sword of
St. Michael. It is a multi-resonant design. And here we were gathered together in that same spot
celebrating our many paths ‘up the mountain’.
In 2003 when duplicating the original ironwork for the underside of the lid, Hamish Miller
had bent the tip of the spear over, thus allowing the lid to be closed, so that remarkably the spear
tip was transformed into a heart – the perfect expression of the transition that is underway.
On the 11/11/11 morning we repeated the prayer given out on December 12, 2010 by Jose
Arguelles (the 2012 pioneer who passed over in March 2011!):
‘I am one with the Earth
The Earth and my self are one mind’.
Visitors and pilgrims who come to the Well represent many different faiths and paths and all
are made equally welcome. In December for instance, we were visited by Tibetan monks from
the Tashi Llunpo monastery in India (see cover of this issue). At the end of the year a Tibetan
but universal keynote was sounded by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa in his New Year message for
2012. Here is a short extract that Companions may find helpful as we travel through this year:
‘Many people have expressed anxiety about disasters that might befall the world in the year
2012. In fact, we never know what any given year might hold. But if we are sincerely committed
to following a path of compassion and wisdom this uncertainty about the future need not cause
us any concern. Whatever happens, we simply keep our focus directed steadily at what matters
most – cultivating compassion and equanimity, and acting to benefit others. If we harbour this
attitude in our hearts, we can make anything that occurs positive for ourselves and for others…
May all of us who share this planet go forward together into the new-year in harmony. May we live
this year with mutual love and respect for one another and the earth that is our common home.’
We hope you enjoy this issue with articles from home and abroad plus all the usual news
from the Well and we would like to wish all Companions and readers a safe, interesting and
wonderful 2012. Paul Fletcher
Front cover: Tibetan Monks pour sand from their mandala into the Vesica pool (photo by Gareth Lovelock)
Front cover quotation by TS Eliot from “Burnt Norton”, the first poem of TS Eliot’s ‘Four Quartets’
Back cover: The Michael Alignment Across England, page 22 ‘The Sun and The Serpent’ by Hamish Miller
and Paul Broadhurst, Pendragon Press
The Chalice Well Trust is a registered charity, founded in 1959 by Wellesley Tudor Pole and a group of
friends. It is dedicated to preserving the ancient spring and surrounding gardens as a living sanctuary for
everyone to visit and experience the quiet healing peace of this sacred place.
The Trust welcomes donations to maintain Chalice Well and gardens including Little St. Michaels retreat
house, and to further its work. Voluntary contributions towards upkeep are therefore greatly appreciated.
Any person who wishes to support the Trust’s purpose by making an annual subscription may be registered
as a Companion of the Well.
For further information contact: The Chalice Well, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DD UK
Tel: 01458 831154 Fax: 01458 835528.
Email: info@chalicewell.org.uk Website: www.chalicewell.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 204206 Published by The Chalice Well Trust, Chilkwell Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DD, UK

News from the Well
Office news
The first thing to say is that we are welcoming back Natasha Wardle who has been on maternity
leave for the past year. She is returning in a new role as Projects and Development Manager to
oversee and take forward specialised ventures. Simon is remaining in his role of General Manager.
For those of you who know Muriel Spenceley, our Essences Coordinator, she and her
husband Ben are looking forward to the arrival of a new little Spenceley later this spring. She
is currently working on the development of our new Practitioner Sets of Essences which will
be available shortly.
Last year we welcomed Natalie to the Well in her role of administrator on frontline. We
also bid a very warm hello to Sally, and together they are now staffing frontline and welcoming
visitors on a job-share basis. They introduce themselves below:
Sally Cooper: My first visit to Glastonbury was in March 2010 and on that weekend I felt very
strongly that I wanted to live here. At that time I knew my job (in the marketing department of
a large company) was coming to an end after 15 years, so I decided to rent somewhere to see how
living here actually felt. My two children were (and are) very supportive, and after being here only
a few months, I made the decision to sell my house in Kent and live here permanently. I came to
the Healing Weekend and soon after started volunteering in the office – although, if I’m honest, I
really wanted to be gardening! However, when the opportunity to work part-time here came up,
I applied and was thankfully accepted. I have enjoyed getting to know the other members of staff,
the volunteers, the Trustees and also more of the history of Chalice Well Trust and how it operates.
Natalie Norton-Ashley: For 10 years I had been a stay at home mum and the time had come
for me to return to the working world. The job for a Receptionist came up at Chalice Well and
after interviews and work trials I was lucky enough to be given a 3 month trial, and one year later
I am still a member of our excellent team. I love meeting people and as our visitors come from far
and wide it is an ideal opportunity to hear their stories. Working on Frontline means that Sally
and I deal with many phone calls, so if you call you are likely to hear our cheerful and friendly
voices. One of the most satisfying things I have been able to achieve so far, was to be able to raise
our Green Tourism award from Bronze to Silver. Taking bookings and welcoming Companions to
our accommodation plays a big part of my role along with helping to organise Special Access to the
gardens outside normal opening hours. At the end of my working day, as part of the team, I enjoy
doing a final walk round the garden to make sure all is safe and secure.
Shop news
Chaia Forster: As you may have noticed in this issue and the previous issue of The Chalice, where
we welcomed Vanessa, we had two new members of staff start in the shop in the last months of
2010. Vanessa and Alison joined within a month of each other. It is a pleasure to work with both
of them. They each have different strengths and we make a good team together. But the three of us
are by no means the whole shop team; we have invaluable help from about seven volunteers who
are dedicated and bring their own input and energy.
To be honest, without each and every member of the shop team the shop would not be the
lovely place that it is. I very much look forward to working with them (and possibly some new
people) in 2012.
Alison Sutton: Chalice Well has been a very special and sacred place for me for some years
now and before moving to Glastonbury I would often meditate, sitting with Chalice Well water,
visualizing myself there by the well head. It was my energetic connection to Glastonbury. The
Well then took on further importance to me as I had two initiation ceremonies here privately, in
the gardens, and because of this it will always feel like my spiritual home. When a vacancy in the
shop came up, about a year after I had moved to Glastonbury, I knew at once that this was my
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opportunity to serve the Well as part of the team that nurtures and cares for this special place, and
jumped at the chance. A year and a bit on I still love being here and as soon as I walk through the
gate into the garden I feel uplifted and at home, even on the greyest of days. There is a tree that
I look out on through the shop window that I watch changing through the seasons and I often
wonder if it watches me; such is the magic of this place!
On a more sombre note, we have farewells to say to four of our current volunteers who
have passed over since the last issue: Bahli Mans Morris, Annie Duckworth, Willa Sleath and
Derek Brightman.
Marion Poole, Volunteer Coordinator writes: We were so sad to lose Annie Duckworth, one
of our gatehouse volunteers, in October. Annie had been a volunteer for several years but had been
unable to attend her shifts this year due to ill health. Annie was such a good representative for us
in the gatehouse. She was a real character, with a wonderful way with visitors and was always
ready to have a laugh and joke, even when she wasn’t feeling well. We all miss her.
And Ark Redwood writes: Derek Brightman first joined the garden team way back in
mid-2002. It was soon clear after he had been here for a while that there were some jobs which
failed to suit him, yet others in which he positively excelled, so much so that he soon had his
own personal ‘department’, including activities such as sweeping, raking, deadheading daffodils,
watering hanging baskets and containers, counting and bagging up the coins thrown into the
Vesica Piscis by wishful visitors. He was always very dedicated to these jobs, and I rarely had to
remind him to do them.
One job which he took to wholeheartedly was in the construction of most of the ceremonial
fires over the past nine years or so. He could always be relied upon to build the most magnificent
of fires, some still blazing in our memories.
Derek was a very kind-hearted, generous and self-effacing man, whose obvious frailties and
vulnerability endeared him to many people who often came to love and care for him, even though
he may not have been aware of it.
To think of him in the past tense seems wrong somehow. He will surely stay very present in the
hearts and minds of lots of people for a long time to come.
Many Companions will remember Willa Sleath as a former Guardian of Chalice
Well between 1986 and 1995. Her time at the Well is covered in ‘The Story of the Living
Sanctuary’, pages 74 to 76. We will pay full tribute to her in the next Chalice. In this issue,
page 19, there is an appreciation of Bahli Mans Morris.
Events News
Chalice Well joins Bahá’í Celebrations
To commemorate the centenary of Ábdu’l-Bahá’s visit to Britain
from 4 September to 3 October 1911, when he was welcomed and
hosted by Wellesley Tudor Pole, Chalice Well participated in two
separate events.
The first took place at Chalice Well in the gardens on the
evening of 23rd September when there was a gathering of local
Bahá’í’s. A white rose bush was planted in the gardens, there was a
short talk about the connections between Ábdu’l-Bahá and Tudor
Pole given around the Vesica Pool in the lower garden and then
Bahá’í prayers were read at the well head. This was co-ordinated
by local Companions Alan and Pauline Royce.
The second event was at the National Bahá’í Centre at Rutland
Gate in London on the 29th September. About sixty people
gathered that evening including several members of the Tudor
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Cover of the programme for
the Bahá’í event in London 29
September 2011

Pole family, representatives from Chalice Well, and relatives
of Basil Wilberforce and Annie Besant. They were made very
welcome with wonderful Bahá’í hospitality. A short address was
given by The Hon Barnabas Leith OBE followed by readings
from Bahá’í writings. There was then an extract from the
play ‘97 Cadogan Gardens’ performed by Sarah Perceval and
Sarah Morrissey recreating events at the time of the visit when
Ábdu’l-Bahá stayed at Lady Blomfeld’s house in Belgravia. Also
on display were archival items associated with the participants
from the 1911 gathering.
Active Supporter Event October
Cover of the programme for the
local Bahá’í event in Chalice
On Friday October 7th we welcomed Active Supporter
Well (drawing by Alan Royce)
Companions to Chalice Well for a behind-the-scenes glimpse
of Chalice Well with an informal afternoon and evening event with staff and Trustees.
After afternoon refreshments in Little St
Michael’s and a mindful garden walk in the Autumn
sunshine with Ark, Companions were joined by
Trustees and staff for supper, after which Paul
Fletcher, our archivist and Trustee, presented
fascinating and absorbing insights into the purpose
and development of Chalice Well Trust. The evening
was rounded off by a wonderful night-time walk in
the Candlelit gardens.
Active Supporters being shown around the
garden by Ark (Photo by Gareth Lovelock)
Those who joined us commented
on the informality and friendliness
of the occasion, as well as how much
they felt ‘at home’ in the uplifting and
healing atmosphere of the Well.
We will be holding a similar event
on January 31st 2013, and those
attending will be given the opportunity
of staying in Little St Michael’s, as well
joining us on February 1st for the
Imbolc ceremony and conversation café
on the lower lawns.
Apple Day October
We were very lucky with the weather this year
for Apple day, with a record turnout for the
afternoon storytelling session in the orchard
with Martin Faulkner and Tim Bates. Adults
and children involved in the storytelling spread
themselves around the heavily-laden trees to pick
and take home some of the apples from Chalice
Well’s bumper crop.
Chalice Well Refreshments’ selection of
home-made cakes went down well with visitors,
Active Supporters and staff members enjoying their meal in
Little St Michael’s (Photo by Julie Davies)
Les Davies MBE at Apple Day (Photo by
Tony Arihanto)
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especially the apple and celery soup,
apple cake and the apple and honey
flapjacks, all made with our own apples
and honey from Chalice Well.
The apple crushing and pressing
team led by Ark, Mike Spring and
volunteer Dan Goodfellow helped adults
and children produce the delicious fresh
apple juice, which they enjoyed drinking
afterwards.
An engaging talk and grafting
demonstration by Orchard Mentor
Les Davies MBE involved a number of
interesting apple tree props. Similarly, Orchard Mentor Les Cloutmans’ enjoyable orchard
wildlife walk and talk went down well with all the visitors.
On the lower lawns, there was plenty to look at inside the display tent with apple reference
books to browse, and many thanks to Gareth Lovelock for the photographic display boards.
Bee keeper Tom Done gave a fascinating and informative talk featuring a demonstration hive
(read more about how he produces Chalice Well Honey on page 12).
Halloween
Commemorating the departing light and nature’s move towards rest, stillness and dreaming,
the Halloween celebrations began at 4.30 pm when the children explored the gardens. Seeking
out the mythical and magical characters living at Chalice Well, they were able, along the way,
to meet this year’s visiting ogress and dragons. After the fancy dress parade, hosted by Titania
the Fairy Queen and judged by Auberon the
Fairy King, it was time for the adults’ evening
ceremony. This opened with the drumming of
Jana Runnalls and her group as all gathered
beneath the Yew trees to hear Natalie Fee
assisted by Tony Arihanto, Brian Conquer,
Cristina Villacorta and Vanessa Poulton call
in the Directions; honouring Earth, Air, Fire,
Water and Spirit. The evening closed after
Raventales had enthralled the assembled crowd
with stories of old under the Guardian Yews.
6
Left: Martin Faulkner, storyteller, at Apple Day. Right:
Children enjoying Apple Day (Photos by Tony Arihanto)
Clockwise from top-right: The ogress at Halloween; one of the dragons under the Yews at Halloween; and
volunteer Graham Lever as King Arthur at the Waterfall at Halloween (Photos by Tony Arihanto)

Tibetan Monks visit Chalice Well
There was an inspiring ceremony in December when monks from the Tashi Llunpo Monastery
in India visited Chalice Well at the end of their stay in Glastonbury. The monks had spent four
days in the Assembly Rooms creating a beautiful sand mandala that represented compassion.
Sand from the mandala was poured into the Vesica pool (see photo on the cover) from where
the vibration of the sacred sand was then carried via the flowing waters out into the world.
To support the monastery or the monks contact www.Tashi-Llunpo.org.uk
Tibetan Monks around the Vesica Piscis (Photo by Gareth Lovelock)
Winter Solstice December
After a well-attended
midday meditation, and
the gathering of a large
crowd encircling the
fire on the lower lawns,
the very popular Winter
Solstice celebrations
began. These were led by
Sophie Knock, Natasha
Wardle, Lokabandhu and
Merlin, marking that still
point which occupies
Above: Lighting the Solstice fire.
Below: Merlin leads the participants at
‘the turning’ (Photo by Tony Arihanto)
the space between the ending
and the beginning of nature’s
regeneration. Afterwards,
together with the conversation
café and hot spiced apple punch
on the lower lawns, the festive
music and song was provided
by the Silver Twiglets and the
Avalonian Free State Choir.
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News From The Garden
What a difference from last
winter! This time last year
the Garden was deep in snow
during a prolonged cold spell.
The weather this autumn and
early winter has been totally
different, with warm and dry
days predominating. It’s only
been with the onset of December
that we have experienced rainy
days and colder temperatures. It’s
possible that we will go through
the rest of the winter without
experiencing much snow at all, as
the pattern has so far been fairly
mild; but I still wouldn’t bet on
it! The climate is so changeable
these days that nothing is certain,
so it’s best to take each day and
week as it comes.
As mentioned in the last article the Long Border (behind the Gatehouse) has been receiving
the majority of my attention this autumn in that it has been almost completely revamped.
The longest job was in clearing the majority of the plants from the bed in order to thoroughly
vanquish the weeds, especially the masses of ground elder (although, with that particular
plant, there’s no absolute guarantee that every shred of it has been eradicated!). After the
weeding the soil was re-fertilized with rock dust and pelleted manure, and after the new plants
went in the whole ground has been covered with a thick mulch of home-grown compost.
With that sort of treatment
next year’s growth should
be luxuriant!
Quite a few of the old
plants are still in situ, or have
been moved around within
the border, including the
amelanchier, sarcococca,
perovskia, spiraea, and
prunus. The biggest visual
change is that the smoke
bush (Cotinus coggygria)
has been pollarded to a
Y-shape in order for it to
re-sprout next spring so
it can be better managed.
It had grown far too leggy
and was causing too much
Part of the new Alpine Border (Photo by Gareth Lovelock)
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Ark Redwood preparing the Long Border (Photo by Julie Davies)
shade. Admittedly it does
look a bit drastic, but the

tree itself should be fine; in fact it will completely rejuvenate it.
Another tree which has had the chop in the last few days is the largest of the upright
cypresses bordering the Glade (the hazel grove just past the top of the Long Border). This tree
had become too large over the years and was encroaching too much onto the pathway, and
was a bit too dominant within that area. Its removal has now served to open up the entrance
to the Glade, so that now perhaps more will be tempted to come and sit and meditate within
this enchanted place.
The other tree which has been causing even more shade is the tall sycamore, which
overlooks the vesica area. This has now been thinned out and reshaped, meaning that the
light levels will be enhanced, and a better balance can be achieved within the border.
Below the Long Border recent visitors will have noticed brand new alpine beds being
constructed and planted up. The old rockeries, on either side of the pathway, were well past
their former glories, and were in desperate need of a revival. Well, they’ve definitely had that!
In fact this has been a very exciting project for me as I have never before had the opportunity
to design a specifically alpine feature. Subsequently I have been delving into specialist online
nursery websites and books and have almost become an alpinaholic in the process! The focus
has been primarily on those plants that thrive in mountainous areas rather than common
rockery plants, and wanted to have as much variety as possible on order to obtain a longer
flowering period. Also, almost all of the plants are evergreen, so this will ensure an all-yearround
display. Our landscaper, Martin, has done a fantastic job with building these beds. They
look great even without any plants at all! With attentive maintenance there is no reason why
these alpine beds should not become key features within the Garden, and serve to thrill and
delight visitors for many years to come.
Ark Redwood
Orchard News: The Year of Plenty
“Go forward and graffe, set, plant and nourish up trees in every corner of your
ground. The labour is small, the cost is nothing. The commodity is great, your
selves shall have plenty...” John Gerard, Great Herball (1597)
2011 was indeed another
year of great plenty
in the Chalice Well
Orchards and it was not
just maturity in the main
orchard – most trees in
Bucktons are now 11-13
years old - that brought
a crop of plenty but the
second warmest year
since records began.
The growing
year began with an
exceptionally mild
spring which caused
blossom time to begin
in mid-April perhaps 10
days ahead of schedule. Tony Arihanto standing by one of the laden apple trees (Photo by Mike Spring)
9

Blossom time - free of excessive wind or rain damage – was longer than usual and fruit set
was exceptionally good and by late June trees were groaning with apples and some had to be
picked off heavy laden branches to prevent bough break.
One bough-break casualty sadly was our much loved and highly productive ‘Beth’, early
dessert pear by the compound gate. Her top heavy main trunk snapped off one morning in
August with a loud crack with Head Gardener Ark Redwood in earshot; Beth has survived
however and with careful formative and restorative pruning may well make a full recovery in
4-5 years.
There was a warm if largely overcast summer with useful late rain and collecting fallers
began as early as July 12 when our lone Exeter Cross in Bucktons shed its first ripe red apples.
Our first apple picking day for juicing with Hecks was August 23rd, three weeks earlier than
last year.
What to do with the ‘great commodity’ was the real issue this year. After Mike Spring
and I picked 75 boxes of apples to send to Hecks, with help from volunteers Nikolas, Karyn
and Elaya, we managed a much more regular supply of fresh picked apples for shop sale
and display this year both inside and outside the shop, leading to much increased sales. We
also continued to supply Henry and Anya Cox of Earthfare in Glastonbury High Street with
freshly picked boxes of popular early eating apple varieties such as Discovery, James Grieve,
and Sunset.
After a successful Apple Day on October 8th (see news section) we still had more apples
than we could use amidst a general glut elsewhere and so invited staff, volunteers, friends and
even local community groups to come and pick and take home our remaining crop which
would otherwise go to waste as we have no large scale apple storage facilities either at the Well
or in the local community.
Nonetheless we did successfully carry out our first experiment in storing late season apples
such as the delicious Ashmeads Kernel in a 10 tray wooden rack surreptitiously located in the
bottle shed. For the first time we managed to store late apples through to Winter Solstice
celebrations on December 22nd when two trays of Ashmeads Kernel were sold to visitors to
the shop and the refreshments stall.
One pleasing footnote to the bumper harvest – the ‘Fiesta’ memorial apple tree planted by
the Tudor Pole Family in the Cress Field a decade ago finally came good this year after much
TLC and produced a small crop of very sweet big red crisp and juicy white fleshed apples
despite its difficult position under the boundary trees and overgrown hedge adjoining Well
House Lane.
With the exceptionally mild weather winter pruning has already begun in the Plum
Orchard in Chilkwell Street and a new Quince – variety ‘Vranja’ - will be arriving in January
from Top Fruit Trees in North Cadbury to replace the Quince which died a couple of years
ago at the bottom of that orchard.
As usual this winter I’ll be assisting Orchard mentor Les Davies MBE on two one day
winter pruning courses hosted jointly by SRLM and Chalice Well (Jan 28 and Feb 12) and we
hope to run another Grafting course for beginners at the Well during 2012.
Meantime thanks are also due to the ‘Good Shepherd’ - Joe Joseph whose Wiltshire Horns
are even now in Buckton’s Orchard for their annual grazing and whose care and diligence in
managing and rotating the grazing has made my job as orchard keeper much less troublesome
than in the years before he arrived.
Anthony Ward,
Orchard Keeper
10

Times of Tribulation
Wellesley Tudor Pole
Excerpts from an article written in January 1957 by Wellesley Tudor Pole. For the full transcript
please visit the ‘Historical Archives’ section of the Chalice Well website and click on the ‘Wellesley
Tudor Pole’ link.
There is confusion of thought in many people’s minds about the venue and significance of
the final conflict of this age, often referred to as ‘Armageddon’ or ‘The Times of Tribulation’.
What is not realised generally is the fact that the main arena for this struggle between
the forces of light and darkness is not situated in our outer world of life and being at all.
Fundamentally, this great battle is being fought out on a Cosmic level and what we are
experiencing on earth is a ‘reflection’ of this immense struggle and the repercussions flowing
from it. This does not mean that we play no part in what is going on ‘elsewhere’. On the
contrary, our every thought, word and deed can help to tip the scales in one direction or the
other, because the battleground is on a mental level to which all our thinking and feeling
processes have access.
The means by which events taking place in invisible spheres around us throw their light
and shadows into human consciousness and are translated into conditions directly affecting
external happiness on our planet is a mystery beyond our present ken. Study of the interplay
of forces between various levels of life and being belongs to the Science of the future. What
we cannot doubt is that under Divine Providence the Law of Cause and Effect operates justly,
and has always done so, not only in the affairs of man and nations but in relation to all
manifestations of life everywhere, and that this Law is primarily based on infinite Love in action.
It is, I think, true of the human race as a whole as it is of single individuals, that no-one can
live unto himself alone. In fact, I feel that this principle is capable of a still wider and deeper
application covering experiences and events taking place beyond the time-space conditions
within which we are confined at present.
If this be a correct assessment of the position, we must naturally ask ourselves what we can
do as individuals in humble service to God and to those great Beings who direct the battalions
of Light. There is a certain sense in which the whole Universe is contained within each one
of us. And it is this Universe for which each individual is responsible. The arena for ‘our’
battle between the dark and light forces lies within your consciousness and mine, because this
battle is personal to you and to me. We can live in such a way as to be capable of reflecting
and declaring the power of the Light out into manifestation, or we can allow the dark forces
of our natures to secure the upper hand. There can be no neutrals in this struggle. You and I
are personally responsible for the outcome of this ‘Armageddon of the Soul’. It is beyond our
finite understanding to compute the extent to which our thoughts and acts can influence the
Cosmic struggle as a whole. However, this much we can know: namely, that it lies within your
and my power by our prayers, thoughts and actions to reinforce the Armies of the Light and
to an extent which, cumulatively, may well prove decisive. Or we can provide ammunition for
the dark forces by selfish preoccupation with our own desires, ambitions and sense pleasures,
thereby giving the Light no opportunity to be reflected and manifested through us and, as a
direct result, prolonging the agony of the conflict. Each of us, therefore, can play our part in
prolonging the time of tribulation or in shortening it.
Gradually the spiritual leaven entering our minds and hearts will begin to transform life
on earth and will give all who are ready to receive it greatly added power to fight for the right
and replace evil with good. In this way the present days of tribulation can be shortened and
victory on earth levels for the Powers of Light can be triumphantly assured, bringing about
the end of the period of ‘Armageddon’ and signalling the gradual dawn of the Golden Age.
11

Chalice Well Honey:
From hive to jar
In issue 31 of The Chalice we introduced Chalice Well beekeeper Tom Done. On a sunny November
afternoon I visited him at his home in Butleigh to learn more about how the honey is produced
for sale in our shop.
Tom had already visited the bees that morning at Chalice
Well to give them their sugar-based winter feed and he
explained that without this extra energy source, there
would be far less surplus honey available for sale next
summer. In recent weeks the bees had been feeding on
the late-flowering Ivy, one of the last plants of the year to
provide pollen, but despite the mild autumn, there was
little food about for the bees. On average, they need 8 to
10 kilos of sugar per hive during the autumn months.
Bees will also take in water, for example from grass, to
help them digest the sugar. They convert this sugar syrup
into honey, just as they would with nectar, which is the
main constituent of the honey, although there will also be
some traces of pollen in it.
This year Tom collected over 700 lbs of honey from
his various hives at home and nearby, with 250 lbs coming
from Chalice Well alone. The amount varies each year,
2010 being exceptionally good yielding over 900 lbs.
The actual process of honey production starts with
the collection of the ‘supers’, the frames containing the
honey. It can take Tom several days to get all the honey
supers home, after which he slices off the thin layers of
beeswax, produced by the glands of the worker bees, which bees use to cap the combs when
the honey is ripe. This beeswax can be used to make balms, candles and polishes. After 5
minutes inside Tom’s electric cylindrical centrifuge, the runny honey is forced out into special
honey containers below, where it is stored until being put
into the jars. The runniness of the honey depends on the
nature of the nectar brought back, although the worker
bees will also have taken out most of the water from the
nectar, by fanning their wings at the hive entrance to create
a flow of air, which helps evaporate the excess moisture
and bring the water content of the nectar down to about
20%.
If left, all natural honey would normally crystallize, or
become granulated and set. Even though natural honey
like Tom’s, unlike most honeys sold in the supermarkets,
hasn’t been pasteurised, it is absolutely safe and has a very
long shelf life. By law though, a ‘best before date’ has to
be put on, even though in reality it would keep far longer.
Tom explained that honey found in Egyptian tombs has
Tom with one of his hives at home
(photo by Julie Davies)
12
Tom Done at Apple Day (photo by
Gareth Lovelock)
been found to be perfectly edible, even though it may have
set a little!

Tom also produces a ‘creamed’ honey, which is made by warming granulated honey until
it is slightly melted, then adding runny honey and beating it into a creamy consistency. After
it has been put into jars it will stay soft and spreadable. Even though we may see labels such
as ‘acacia honey’ on jars of honey, it isn’t generally possible to specify exactly which plants the
bees are taking their honey from. The honey at Chalice Well, for example, derives from plants
and flowers possibly within a 2 mile radius, and as far as Tom knows, we have no GM crops
grown within our area at the moment. It is, however, possible to take the bees to the moors for
a month to collect nectar from the heather, which produces a favourite honey of Tom’s. The
hives are transported by car, with care taken to ensure the bees don’t overheat, and a special
mesh cover is put on the hive to prevent them from escaping.
In the 1920’s Tom’s great uncle, a beekeeper, always
went to his bees stripped to the waist as he believed that
they could recognise his scent and know him from this.
In those days there was an outbreak of what was known
as ‘Isle of Wight’ bee disease which nearly wiped out
the rather quiet and reserved old British bee (some can
still be found in parts of Scotland and Ireland). Italian
strains were then introduced into the UK. His uncles’
bees didn’t get the Isle of Wight disease immediately, but
unbeknown to him, his neighbour’s bees mated with the
more aggressive Italian strain, and then with his bees,
and Tom’s great uncle was killed by his own bees in the
1920’s when he was in his 80’s.
Tom believes his own bees do recognise him in some
way, that they know how to react to him, and that with
a new swarm that has been collected and put in a hive, it
may take some time for the bees to get to know their new
beekeeper. It was an old custom when a beekeeper died
to ‘go and tell the bees’ and a black ribbon would be put
around the hive of the deceased beekeeper. Behaviour
(Photo by Julie Davies)
can also be affected by some types of nectar, such as rape nectar. Generally however, the bees
only react aggressively if they feel under threat, and swarms are usually more concerned with
finding a new home than with attacking anyone, as they are generally ‘heavy with honey,’
because when they prepare to swarm, bees collect some of the honey from their hives on their
legs, to take with them to the new colony. So, generally, Tom believes, if you leave a swarm
alone it won’t be too aggressive.
To find out more about types of honey and honey production, have a look at the Somerset
Beekeepers website, at www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk
Did you know?
• If you find a tired bee immobilised, you should give it sugar syrup, not natural honey,
as some viruses which affect bees may be transmitted via the honey. You could end up
spreading a virus from one colony to another.
• There is a bee mite called the ‘Varroa’ mite which lives on the bee grub, and effectively
weakens the adult bee.
• Bees are famous for their ‘waddle dance’ when returning to their hive. It tells the other
bees not only the exact location of the source of the nectar, but also the distance, to within
one metre.
Julie Davies
13

Indian and Celtic Traditions of Spirituality
In the summer of 2011 Jyoti Sahi visited the Chalice
Well garden and as we sat in the meadow looking across
to the Tor we discussed the comparative traditions
contained within Indian and Celtic spirituality. After
returning to India he sent us this article. I am sure
many Companions will feel the resonance and echoes
of these different traditions.
The Grail legend, which goes back to pre-Christian
times in Europe, has fascinating parallels in Indian
myth and symbol. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
remarks in his study of Yaksas (ancient spirits
of the vegetation and sources of life in pre-vedic
India) that ‘there is nothing novel in the recognition
of Grail parallels in Indian literature. They are,
however, more striking and numerous than Grail
scholars have suspected, and it will be useful to cite
the most important’. 1
Ananda Coomaraswamy goes on to discuss the
South Indian Tamil legend of Manimekhalai (3 rd
Cent. A.D.). The story tells us of the daughter of a
dancer, who later assumed the character of a goddess
of life and healing. She is described as carrying a
mysterious vessel, which is the source of life:
‘There will appear a damsel with a begging bowl (originally the Buddha’s) in
her hand. Fed from that inexhaustible bowl the whole living world will revive.
As a result of her grace, rains will pour in plenty at the command of Indra,
and many other miracles will take place in this town. Even when rains fail, the
country will have abundance of water.’ 2
Coomaraswamy goes on to elaborate:
‘The bowl itself is called Amrita Surabhi, and it appears once a year on the
Buddha’s birthday, from the waters of a lake beside a miraculous Buddha-seat
protected by Indra; it emerges from these waters and enters Manimekhalai’s
hands; she makes it her vocation to alleviate hunger, thus for example in Pulur,
“she appeared in the hall of the hungry and destitute, with the inexhaustible
bowl in her hand, as if pouring rain had come on a wild region burnt up with
the heat of the sun”’ 3
Jyoti Sahi (photo by Mary Priest-Cobern)
Coomaraswamy also discusses the iconography of Maitreya, who is the earliest of the
Bodhisatvas, to be designated as such. This Buddha of Wisdom and Compassion carries the
emblem of a chalice full of nectar (amrit). Coomaraswamy relates this image to an earlier
figure of a Naga, or serpent protector of life, who is also shown carrying a flask of elixir.
“With the water of life (amrita) shalt thou heal the suffering due to the corruption of our mortal
nature”. 4
1 The Grail motif. Part II, Yakshas. p. 37
2 Opp.Cit. p.39.
3 Opp. Cit. p. 39.
4 Quoted from the Lalita Vistara by Coomaraswami in his first part of Yaksas, p. 31.
14

Possible grail bowl: the wooden
Nanteos Cup
Emma Jung in her extensive study of the Grail legend,
also notes links with symbols that are found in the East,
particularly India. According to the version of the Grail
myth, which we find in Wolfram, Perceval’s half brother
Feirefiz travels to India to found there a Grail Kingdom.5
In fact, the image of the Grail Castle, which is envisioned as
being the centre of the Universe, overlaps with archetypal
symbols connecting the temple motif with a future, ideal
city, where heaven and earth meet. This holy city, which
is reflected in the myth of Glastonbury, is also found in
the legends concerning temple cities in India. Varanasi, on
the river Ganges (known also as Benares), is such a sacred
city, where according to its myth, a pillar of light links the mundane waters of life, to the
transforming fiery realm of the heavens. The city becomes the manifestation of the ‘mandala’,
at whose centre is the tree of life, and garden of enlightenment.
On the banks of the river Ganges, across from the city of Benares, is the sacred garden
of Sarnath. To this grove of trees, Gautama Buddha came with his disciples, and preached
his first sermon, setting the wheel of the law in motion. This teaching of the Buddha is often
referred to as the ‘fire sermon’, and we find this alchemical mingling of fire and water, earth
and the domed space of the sky (gagana mandala) as an undercurrent in the cosmic worldview
of Buddhism.
For the psychologist Carl Jung, images, which we find in the story of the Holy Grail, and
the garden of Creation, are of profound significance for understanding the journey of the
soul towards ‘individuation’ or self-knowledge. Here the mysterious legend of ‘Prester John’,
a legendary Christian King of the East, represents an ecumenical longing to integrate the
wisdom traditions of the East with an emerging humanism that presaged the Renaissance in
Europe. The figure of Thomas the Apostle of Jesus, who according to a venerable tradition,
was commissioned to establish links with India and further East, indicates a way that brought
the Gospel and the world of pre-Christian myth together. Thomas is represented in medieval
and later Renaissance art, as the disciple
who wanted to put his finger into the open
wounds of the Risen Lord. The doubting
searcher articulated the telling phrase of
Christian Bhakti (devotion): “My Lord and
my God!!!” In Indian thought, we hear of the
“cave of the heart” where true wisdom and
self-knowledge is to be found.
Emma Jung states as a conclusion to
her reflections on the significance of the
pre-Christian Merlin, medicine man and
prophet, that this compelling voice from
a Celtic past, brought into the Christian
narrative a primal spirituality. She writes:
‘In Wolfram, the German spirit has been united with the cultural values of the
Orient in an uncommonly fruitful manner, and it would seem as if it were
possible to humanize, i.e. to integrate, a more considerable part of the figure of
Merlin through this detour connected with the assimilation of the East. Wolfram
definitely possesses a “wisdom”….’ 6
5 The Grail Legend by Emma Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz. 1986. p. 385
6 Wolfram Von Eschenbach. Op.Cit. pp 397-395
ex-Trustee Mary Priest-Cobern welcoming Jyoti to
Chalice Well (photo by Sam Woodhouse)
15

The Grail symbol and the meeting of cultures.
As an ‘Indian Christian artist’, I have found in the mythic world of the Grail legend a way
to integrate the Gospel message with the wisdom traditions that are to be found in Indian
culture. We may discover here how a Christian spirituality evolved from pre-Christian Celtic
roots. In our present multi cultural world, this process might help us to integrate a vision
of what it is to be truly human, as manifested through the life and death of Jesus, with an
ancient understanding of the spiritual quest. In this way the Grail legend, which is deeply
imbued with Gospel values, shows how theological and cultural divides can be bridged
through the imaginative power of the story. It seems to me that the elemental longing for
spiritual enlightenment, which we find in all cultures, is revealed in the inner journey towards
mystical wisdom that is profoundly inclusive. Here cultural elements are re-interpreted and
refashioned in a creative way, to affirm a spiritual wisdom that reaches back to a time far
preceding the Christian era, while remaining true to the Gospel vision.
After meeting the British monk Dom Bede Griffiths in 1963, and travelling to his Ashram
in South India, I discovered the rich symbolic world of the Syrian Christian tradition, based
on the hymns of St Ephrem. It appeared to me that the poetic metaphors to be found in
this liturgical expression of early Christian faith, offer a way to rediscover the insights of a
Biblical world-view in our Asian context. Some scholars have even suggested that the Holy
Grail theme goes back to an early Aramaic, or Syrian Christian devotion to the vessel used
by Jesus during the Last Supper. In fact a Chalice belonging to the Syrian artistic tradition, is
claimed to be the original Holy Grail.
In the imagery of the sacred garden, with its life giving sources of water - a ‘deep down
freshness’, as Gerard Manley Hopkins calls it - we discover an inner landscape of the soul which
draws on perennial streams that well up from the earth to nourish our spiritual roots. The
well reminds us of those principles of life that are common to all, making the land to which
we belong, and which we try to cultivate, a sacred space. In the Syrian Christian tradition of
Kerala (in South India), going back to the early Church that St. Thomas is believed to have
founded, every Church is built near to a source of sweet drinking water. Some of these ancient
wells go back to pre-Christian times and were associated with holy places where local people
came for healing. These sacred springs provide wells of healing in every land, and prepare
the local community for an understanding of what it means to find the hidden source of the
‘undiscovered self’ in their own native culture. Here heaven and earth meet in the image of a
holy ground, where the divine is made present in the human.
Vital stories that shape a whole civilisation are constantly in the process of being retold,
offering new ways in which cultures meet and dialogue. The Grail legend as we have noted,
has drawn elements from the essential wisdom of many different spiritual traditions. Can we
find new insights in this story that would lead to a deeper encounter between the Christian
search for wholeness, and Indian intuitions concerning inner transformation? The Grail motif
in India has represented both fullness, and emptiness, in
that it has been associated with the begging bowl of the
Buddha. This vessel which the wandering monk carries
to the villages, in order to receive food from the devout,
is being compared to the cup which Jesus shared with
his disciples at the last supper. Like the pierced side of
Jesus on the cross, the begging bowl represents a spirit
of self-surrender, and renunciation. It is open not only
to give, but also receive. It is this image of humility and
hospitality that becomes the key to understanding the
Sacred Garden of Sarnath
inner significance of the chalice and also the well. Here
16

in the garden of the heart, people come to meet and
share their longing for spiritual enlightenment. They
discover the truth, in the very process of being open
and receptive to what each has to offer.
Jyoti Sahi
Books referred to:
1. “Yaksas” by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (Part I and
II) Munshiram Mahoharlal. 1980
2. “The Grail Legend” by Emma Jung and Marie-Louise A young deer in the garden at Sarnath
von Franz. Trans. Andrea Dykes. 1986
Jyoti was born in Pune, Maharashtra, in 1944. His Mother was British and came to India in 1936
to teach in an experimental school in Udaipur, Rajasthan. There she met his Father, who came
originally from Punjab. His childhood was spent in North India, near the Himalayas. He studied
art at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts from 1959-63, and met Dom Bede Griffiths in
1963. Jyoti stayed in his Ashram in Kurisumala, Kerala, and later in Shantivanam Ashram in
Tamilnadu where he moved in 1968. He met Jane Sadler in Kurisumala Ashram in 1968, and in
1970 they were married by Dom Bede. They have lived in a Christian village outside Bangalore
since 1972, and have five children, and five grandchildren. Jane started a school in the village in
1975 with which she is still very much involved.
Mary/Michael Pilgrims Way
Our vision is to establish and promote a pilgrimage route across
England, from West Cornwall to the Norfolk coast, to be walked as a
whole or in sections, by people of any faith.
The Earth Energy currents identified by Hamish Miller and
Paul Broadhurst and described in their book The Sun and The
Serpent are being followed in developing this project. They
give coherence to the route, connecting many sites of spiritual
significance along the way. (See back page of this issue.)
Pilgrimage is practised widely throughout the world, which
suggests that it fulfils some deep need in the human psyche, maybe
stemming right back to the earliest human experience of hunter gatherers.
This route with its associations with myth and history, spirituality and wilderness offers a
rich opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and attune more deeply to, as T.S. Eliot described
it, “the still point of the turning world.”
This process begins to happen naturally as we slow to the pace and rhythm of walking for
which our senses were evolved and as our minds, which are so often overstimulated by the
demands and distractions of modern life, begin to settle.
An intention underpinned with reverence and respect creates the possibility that we not
only receive the gifts that pilgrimage may offer, but nurture the relationship of interdependence
and reciprocity with all life.
A pilot section of over 130 miles between St Michael’s Brentor on the western fringe of
Dartmoor National Park and Glastonbury, legendary destination of Joseph of Arimathea, is
now complete with way marking and a guidebook for the route available. Along the way are
numerous sites to inspire or nourish the spirit, including churches and holy wells, wayside
crosses and standing stones, burial mounds and hill forts.
17

Attention has now turned to the next phase of development; the identification and
surveying of a route down through Cornwall, which is almost complete.
Places visited en route include the ancient stone circles of Boscawen-ûn and the Hurlers;
peaceful holy wells such as Alsia and St Neot and intimate parish churches such as Germoe.
There is also the famous landmark of St Michael’s Mount. These and many other sacred
sites are set within the context of beautiful scenery, including stretches of coastal footpath,
secluded river valleys and the wild expanse of Bodmin Moor. Pilgrims will walk right up
through the Cornish peninsula and cross the river Tamar into Devon, before connecting with
our pilot project start point at Brentor.
Our aim is to write a guide to accompany this Cornish section of the route so that it is
available to support pilgrims walking by summer 2012.
As we continue to extend the route across the country a second priority is to consider
different alternatives for accommodation to complement the existing camping and Bed and
Breakfast options. Carrying camping equipment can be burdensome, however well selected to
minimise weight, whilst nightly B&B is costly and beyond the means of many. One possibility
may be for the project to purchase tents which are then stored by sympathetic landowners,
who are willing to make space available in paddock or field for a night’s rest for a weary
pilgrim or two. Hospitality to strangers is a tradition which many experience travelling in other
countries and cultures and could perhaps be rekindled in our own society, where historically,
religious houses offered shelter to pilgrims prior to the dissolution of the monasteries.
Mary/Michael Pilgrim’s Way is a volunteer run not-for-profit organisation, funded by
personal donations and grant aid.
In return for a small subscription, supporters receive a guidebook and regular newsletters.
All income is used to support the ongoing development of the pilgrimage route. Alternatively
a guidebook can be purchased for the pilot section of the route at £4.95 plus £1.09 post and
packing.
To find out more about our project visit our website at www.marymichaelpilgrimsway.org
or contact Richard at contact@marymichaelpilgrimsway.org or ring 01647 432093
Richard Dealler
(Chairman, Mary/Michael Pilgrims Way)
The Causeway leading to St Michael’s Mount (photo by Richard Dealler)
18

Bahli Mans Morris
26 February 1945 – 21 September 2011
At dawn on September 21st, Autumn Equinox, our dear friend,
long time companion and volunteer, Bahli Mans Morris, crossed
the rainbow bridge for the last time. It is no coincidence that Bahli
departed on such a significant day as her whole life was steeped in the
sacred and the meaningful. Her grandfather used to tell how on the
day she was born a rose bloomed in the garden. This was in February
and says so much beyond words about Bahli.
While her own daughters, Casey and Kerry, were small she
took them around the country, visiting sacred sites, and coming to
Glastonbury when they were 9 and 8 years old. During this time
she was involved with White Eagle Lodge and had a healing circle in
Bromley where she lived.
A few years later she started her training in Aura Soma, working
with the 108 beautiful bottles of rainbow coloured oils, essences,
essential oils and herbal extracts which use the energies of crystals and gems, as well as the energies of
the angels and Masters. In time Bahli opened the shop, Pendragon, with her husband Bill Mans, in the
courtyard of the Glastonbury Experience and went on to open another shop called The Birth of Venus.
She also started to explore the Glastonbury Zodiac with the likes of Elizabeth Leader in the 1990s.
Out of this evolved her work with the Ladies of Avalon; spiritual female archetypes which she wove
into a wonderful divinatory system with poetry and coloured silks. I was privileged to experience it and
found it amazingly deep and accurate.
Her creative vision and desire to bring peace and healing extended across the world, and found
expression in the Creative Health Network, which focused on bringing together humanitarians, healers
and peace builders through a variety of forums. This took Bahli to Jerusalem where she bore witness to
the remarkable work of those who are striving together for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land.
Much of her life was to assist in making individual and collective peace a reality.
She continued her work with the Holy Land through her close friend Sheikh Aziz Bukhari, who
was the Spiritual Sheikh of the Naqshabandai religious practice of Sufism and the Jewish peace-maker,
Eliyahu Maclean. She hosted them when they came to Glastonbury. The Sufi path fitted well with her
understanding of divine love. She also became involved with The Hope Flowers School in Bethlehem,
Palestine, working with them to raise money so that they could continue their work in teaching
non-violence, citizenship, social and community skills to children, building a brighter future for them
and their communities. She later travelled to Siberia and the Altai Mountains with Jenny White, to the
heart of the shamanic culture, which also resonated with a deep part of her spiritual make up.
Finally, I feel blessed to have been able to share her last year making the Glastonbury Zodiac Essences
with her, Casey and Nicki Greenheart. We travelled all over the landscape, it was often quite hard to find
a date because of Bahli’s commitments to the Pilgrim Reception Centre and Chalice Well! Working
on that level with her was a complete joy and privilege. Her enthusiasm and love of nature and deep
connection to the Divine shone through then as ever.
Through her Glastonbury Zodiac work she was able to express her deep commitment to the wells
and springs. She first became a Companion of Chalice Well in the early 1990s and a volunteer in 2000.
Her deep love for the Well made her a wonderful gatekeeper. She was a key member of the team which
trialled the Chalice Well Flower Essences, giving valuable feedback from her intuitive experiences with
the Essences. On Winter Solstice 2010 she very capably stepped in to hold the direction of North for our
Winter Solstice ceremony at the last minute when snow disrupted plans! Bahli was multi-faceted; she
had an extremely rich spiritual and creative life with a generous and open heart and we were privileged
to have her as part of the volunteer team at Chalice Well.
Sophie Knock
19

The Michael Alignment across southern England
(From ‘The Sun and the Serpent’, page 22.)