The Blessing of the New Sanctuary Site

The rain had stopped by the time I’d finished painting two large flat pebbles ready to take to the sanctuary site later that morning – something I hadn’t intended to do, but when walking past the CC marquee on the way to the sanctuary blessing and hearing everyone joyfully singing, I just couldn’t resist joining in, painting a heart symbol on one pebble and the yin & yang symbol on another.

It was Thursday the 17th November 2022 – the day we were to bless the site of a new sanctuary – a replacement for the one destroyed by fire the year before. The site was cleared a few weeks after the fire and has since been used as an open-air sanctuary with individuals and groups taking time out to imbue the area with love as often as they could and I’d walked up from the marquee with many others to do the same. I placed the two decorated pebbles I’d carried there between the many others that had been lovingly painted, and all arranged around a central display in readiness for the Blessing Ceremony.

Walking around those who had gathered for the ceremony I found a vantage point from where I could see and listen to the proceedings about halfway between the wild garden and the sanctuarysite itself and had only a few minutes to wait before Kathy Tyler, our Focaliser for the event, began the Blessing Ceremony – taking advantage of those few minutes to attune to and enter into the silence, and to feel and add to the joy that is always present when so many kindred souls are gathered.

Kathy began the Blessing Ceremony by asking us to close our eyes and become still, though by then my own senses had already made a deep connection and in that same moment the whole area of the sanctuary area began to rise up into a grass covered mound and continued to grow until quite large!

In the next moment I suddenly became aware that we’d become ‘hemmed in’ by nature – the pine trees in particular had tripled in number and were ‘standing’ close together right behind the outer circle of the congregation, with joyful nature beings of every description swirling and dancing around and between them.

Then another smaller mound began to form on top of the first, pushing up and causing the grass to part. Initially it looked as though a large round stone was trying to push through but as it rose up further, revealed a large bald head that had a contorted face!
Its head and face were greyish in colour, and looked like an Orc but with a gentle expression with bumps and pretruberences, reminiscent of a those I’ve seen in movies. Initially, this powerful earth spirit seemed to be struggling to change its appearance until succeeding to display a face that prompted a sigh of recognition from the onlookers even though everyone’s eyes were closed!

I could feel a definite interplay between this being and all those present, and of course the face that drew such a reaction from the crowd was that of our dear Eileen.
Other familiar faces followed in quick succession, all of whom must have been associated with the sanctuary for many years and have added their loving energy since the first sanctuary was constructed on that site and able to be sensed by this Earth Being. I remained as an observer throughout the experience, my thoughts totally occupied in recording the unfolding events.

In perfect timing, and perhaps only a few minutes after closing our eyes, Kathy asked that we attune to the source of light deep within our beings and radiate it into the new sanctuary site. I’m not sure of the exact words Kathy spoke but in an instant, everyone in the congregation became a living beacon, channelling their light in unison into the earth beneath our feet which I can only assume interacted with the Earth Being or Deva – Gaia’s ambassador for all the love that had been imbued into the Earth over the previous months, as in the next moment there was an explosion of light, so bright, so extensive – the like I’ve never seen on either the outer nor inner levels of being!

Out of this breath-taking display, rays of sparkling light began to arise and stream out in all directions followed soon after by the wings and then the form of a beautiful angel as it rose high above us, gently opening its wings to form a sparkling canopy of colour and light over-lighting everyone. The air became charged with love as the angel’s beautiful face, overflowing with compassion, turned to look down upon us.

The next words I heard were those of Kathy bringing us back into the present and asking us to affirm God within ourselves, within each other, and within everyone.

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I realised later, having had similar experiences over the years, that I’d slipped into non-duality, that in the few minutes of waiting for Kathy to begin, I must have been ‘tuning into’ the finer vibrations of the sanctuary site and the moment I closed my eyes, switched from participant to being an observer overlooking the whole scene, and blessed to ‘see’ what was taking place behind the scenes – within the subtle realms.

I was observing the manifestation of all the energy that had been lovingly imbued into the earth and stored somehow within and around the area where we were stood just waiting for this moment. That the energy must have been building for many months to have reached a level where it could bring about what I was a witness to!

It was fascinating to feel and see, the interplay between this emerging Deva and the onlookers, physically and emotionally – given that no one else was consciously party to the unfolding scene, I felt truly blessed and uplifted at being the witness to this glorious event.

Afterwards, it was realised that we had exercised our God like ability to give birth to an Angel – one that has the quality representing the thoughts of all those who contributed to its creation, thoughts of love, peace, reconciliation? The whole experience left me with the insight that an angel with a specific quality had been brought into life, and though it faded back into its own dimension when the blessing came to an end, it would continue the purpose its human creators had collectively imbued into the sanctuaries sacred space for as long as needed!