Sunday, 29 June 2008

Sun, Surf, Saints

The sun was warm, but the wind was strong and the horizon hazy. Along the cliff tops I wandered with my friend Elizabeth, as the surf crashed on the rocks below us and the sea birds soared, crying overhead. As the wind whipped our hair and the sun burned our noses we ambled and talked, pausing now and again to admire the view or examine a wildflower along the way.

We were at St Non's Bay, having first visited the village-city of St David's, founded by her eponymous son, the patron saint of Wales. On the cliffs overlooking the bay is a holy well dedicated to St Non, and the ruins of a chapel set within a stone circle where St Non is said to have given birth to her famous son during a thunderstorm.


There is a Catholic retreat centre nearby, and the well seems to be visited by both Christians and Pagans. I assume the offerings at the statue are left by Catholics and those around the well by Pagans, but that could be oversimplifying things. We both revere the Divine Female after all.

Along the clifftops things are much simpler. The wind scours us clean and the sound of the waves soothes us. There is the smell of seaspray and wildflower honey. We only need to be dazzled by the sparkle of sun on water and to relax in the warmth of friendship to know in our bones that the Divine has many faces and is in all things, and that to split theological (or even thealogical) hairs is to miss the point: it doesn't matter how we see it or what we call it, only that we acknowledge it and value it.

Blessed Be.




3 comments:

Miss Robyn said...

what a fantastic post!!
*sigh*, yet another place i must put on my -to visit- list when I come over next year.
I honour Mary too and I love the way you describe her as the divine feminine.. it suits me down to the ground, thankyou. I have statues of her in my garden where I leave flowers..and like how you say the Divine has many faces. xo I wish we had sacred wells here.. I wonder if I can find a catholic one and treat it like this one is treated?
I have been away at the seaside Gypsy caravan and I feel soothes by the sound of the waves too!

Anonymous said...

Good Morning My Dear,

Thank you so much for this post. It brings back vivid memories of my day visiting St. David's and St. Non's Bay years ago. The bay certainly is a place of power and beauty! I still remember placing a small bouquet and three American copper pennies at the spring. I hope to take Mark there someday while we are visiting you.

Blessed Sommar to us all!

Zahara Celestial said...

beautiful pictures beautiful memories! :o) thankyou

Elizabeth