Every year the area near Glastonbury in Somerset plays host to the legendary music festival. Hundreds of thousands of eager concertgoers descend upon the local railway station to camp out and enjoy watching a selection of their favourite artists perform.
It’s an event on many a person’s bucket list and one that gets broadcast worldwide – usually in the midst of the muddiest British summer times. But Glastonbury also has another face. And it’s one of fairy tales and folklores, magic and myths, goddesses, druids and magic spells, peace, harmony, and healing.
The bucolic English town is surrounded by that unique English rolling countryside greenness, cow-filled fields and something else…something intangible in the air, something magical you can’t quite put your finger on.
Glastonbury Tor dominates this picturesque landscape, topped by the ruins of the medieval Chapel of St Michael. The hill stands proud and alone, looking out over the extreme flatness of the rest of the region – it’s a place where history and legend meet, as do explorers and worshippers from around the world to watch the sunset or absorb some of the magic on the full moon.
Legend has it this was the site of the mythical island of Avalon, where King Arthur was taken after being mortally wounded and where he sleeps until his country calls him to service again. And it’s said to be a place of healing and renewal, marking an ancient mystical node where ley lines (invisible lines of energy) converge. It also has a somewhat bloodier history as Glastonbury Abbey’s last abbot was hung, drawn and quartered there following Henry VII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. There’s no doubting a lot has gone on atop Glastonbury Tor and at the nearby Abbey and Chalice Well and Gardens, where the iron-red waters are rumoured to have healing properties.
Our destination, on the outskirts of town, has stunning views of the Somerset Levels towards the Tor. The Healing Waters Retreat and Sanctuary is a spiritual and healing retreat centre and B&B. The house offers incredibly relaxing surroundings and large comfortable bedrooms looking out over the tranquility of the beautiful countryside. There’s a shared kitchen stocked with myriad tea choices and a wide range of breakfast selections, including cereal, fruit, and the freshest of local eggs. There’s no wifi or television, ensuring the time for peaceful contemplation and relaxation has no interruption. The retreat offers a wide range of therapies for physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
My time was to be spent exploring the world of Creative Kinesiology and Body Talk, which looks at the close inter-relatedness of body, mind and spirit. My therapist Mylene radiated a sense of peace and warmth and I instantly felt comfortable with her. This particular therapy is based on the premise that imbalances at any level result from unsolved or not-seen stresses, so it’s all about restoring balance to create a resilient body and focused mind. Mylene explained after our first session that, generally, people came to her because they were ‘stuck’ in life and needed help to move on to a happier and more balanced place. She established that this was not the case with me (thankfully – I didn’t think so – but hey, you never know). As a result, we used our time together (two one-on-one sessions a day) to explore my inner self more closely and look at any daily issues in my life to find ways of dealing effectively with them.
We discussed the three levels of intelligence that need to work together – the brain, heart, and guts and the different types of knowledge they generate that all need to work together. Our sessions were used to reinforce this balance using a combination of meditation, body talk, tarot cards, Bach flowers, tuning forks, switching, and conscious connected breath work.
It was the first time I had ever experienced this type of therapy, but I arrived with an open mind on a quest to learn more about myself and what benefits could be gained from such an experience. I’m pleased I did. I left equipped with mental and physical exercises and techniques that I can use to help with life’s daily stresses – and I’ve surprised myself as I am using some of them. Perhaps more importantly, I left Healing Waters feeling totally at peace with myself, relaxed and with a spring in my step. I slept very well in the comfort of my lovely room and enjoyed time alone, inhaling that enigmatic Glastonbury air and benefiting from my sessions with Mylene.
The retreat is a short walk away from the centre of town, with lots of lovely cafes and a collection of intriguing shops selling everything from crystals to books to magical spells and readings. It’s the sort of place where anything goes, and everyone is welcome; the perfect destination for reflection and self-discovery and a relaxing break enjoying the beautiful English countryside surrounding it.
Words By Sandy Cadiz-Smith
Contact Details
Find out more about Mylene Chiron and the therapies she offers at evolutionary-healing.net.
Sandy stayed at Healing Waters Retreat and Sanctuary healing-waters.co.uk
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