I have just returned home from a 10 day trip to Prague. Steve, Andrew - my oldest son, and I joined my daughter, Alea, who was finishing up her semester abroad study program there. We spent just over a week exploring and experiencing this "Golden City" in the heart of Europe. Ostensibly, this trip was about family, being with our two oldest kids, and exploring a place that we might have never visited except that this is where Alea chose to spend her time abroad studying "Art and Social Change". Together, the four of us together walked many cobbled streets, taken trams and trains, experienced the beauty and history of the buildings and sites, and delighted in the cafes serving excellent coffees and pastries. Yet, whenever I travel, I also ask what is the "other" journey that is going on at the same time. Why else was I going to Prague? What else was going on at the same time as I was walking these cobbled streets and visiting these particular sites? What was the soul gift from this journey and these experiences?
Before leaving for Prague, two resources presented themselves to clue me into the answers to these questions.
Before leaving for Prague, two resources presented themselves to clue me into the answers to these questions.
The first was receiving the "Libuše, Prophetess of Prague" card from Cheryl Yambrach Rose's beautiful "Art through the Eyes of the Soul" Oracle deck of cards, with its message:
"A New Door is Opening - Step over the Threshold"
Doors open to allow us an opportunity to reach our fullest potential. Do not fear unknown territory.
In the 8th century, the Druid Princess Libuše foresaw Prague in a mystical trance. It is is said this took place on the hill of her castle at Vysehrad, a magical site that has been occupied since 3000 BCE. She saw a castle whose "renown touches the heavens…its boundaries set by the Vltava's waves….in this place would be a man constructing a "prah". This is translated as "threshold", but is also known to be a hollow dug in the center of European cities to connect them to the Otherworld. There would then be a "prah" ritual performed by a Duid priest aligning it to the four directions. This is how Praha/Prague got its name. Libuše began the Premyslid Dyanasty of Czech kings and represents the last of the Celtic matriarchal society.
The second resource was the unusual travel book called A Traveler's Companion to Prague by Jan Kaplan that is a compilation of personal reflections on Prague over many centuries through letters, diaries, memoirs and anecdotes from many different people. This book provided information and insight into Prague that I would not have been aware of from simply reading travel guides.
In the chapter "Early Beginnings", Kaplan shares Prague's early history in tales written by Cosmas, the Canon of Prague in the 11th century, whose writings give us the ancient account of the legends of Libuše. As one of three daughters of the Pagan Bohemian Pince, Krok, Princess Libuše reigned with her consort, Premysl, and the legend says that she received a vision of a town that created the founding of the City of Prague.
Standing on the rock of Vysehrad in the presence of her husband and the elders of her people, and incited by the spirit of prophecy, Libuše uttered this prediction: 'I see a town, the glory of which will reach the starts. There is a spot in the forest, thirty strides from this village, which the River Vltava encircles and which to the north the stream Brusnice secures by its deep valley; and to the south a rocky hill, which from its rocks takes the name Petrin, towers above it..when you have reached the spot you will find a man in the midst of the forest who is working at a door-step for a house. And as even mighty lords bend before a low door, so from this event you shall call the town which you shall build - Praha. THus the proceeded immediately to the ancient forest, and having found the sign which had been given them they built on this site Praha, the mistress of all Bohemia." (p.36)
Bringing together these two resources provided me with a powerful context from which to explore and experience this magical city, whose glory most certainly does "reach the stars." Also, we stayed at a lovely hotel that was located right at the base of the Cathedral and Castle, the site of the Libuše's vision. I could easily and frequently look up to the rocky mount and see the spires of the cathedral as they reached for and touched the sky.
I felt strongly pulled by the legend of Libuše and the site of Vysehrad where she had received her vision. I kept returning to the card and Kaplan's book to re-read the stories about the legends of the origins of Prague. I was also very curious to experience the actual land and magical site where where Libuše received her vision, and to open myself up to the card's invitation to step over a threshold of my own journey. And so it was perfect that we would spend our last day in Prague visiting Vysehrad which in Czech means "the high castle" and served as the place from where the ancient princes ruled the land of Bohemia.
On our last day, Alea, Steve and I set out and headed south to Vysehrad. Andrew had experienced the underground night life of Prague the night before and had only just gotten back to the hotel as we were leaving. It was an especially cold and wintry day as we walked from the Metro stop and entered the gates into Vysehrad. As soon as we got inside of the walls, the place took on another worldly and timely feel. I began to feel as though I had truly entered an "other world". As we walked the quiet streets, I saw many signs of the sacred feminine - rotunda towers, stones marking ley lines, Mary and Child images above doorways and a full sized statue in the famous cemetary, even a vulva shape in a tree. I experienced a soft, protected energy here high up on this rocky outcropping and was very happy to be here.
"A New Door is Opening - Step over the Threshold"
Doors open to allow us an opportunity to reach our fullest potential. Do not fear unknown territory.
In the 8th century, the Druid Princess Libuše foresaw Prague in a mystical trance. It is is said this took place on the hill of her castle at Vysehrad, a magical site that has been occupied since 3000 BCE. She saw a castle whose "renown touches the heavens…its boundaries set by the Vltava's waves….in this place would be a man constructing a "prah". This is translated as "threshold", but is also known to be a hollow dug in the center of European cities to connect them to the Otherworld. There would then be a "prah" ritual performed by a Duid priest aligning it to the four directions. This is how Praha/Prague got its name. Libuše began the Premyslid Dyanasty of Czech kings and represents the last of the Celtic matriarchal society.
The second resource was the unusual travel book called A Traveler's Companion to Prague by Jan Kaplan that is a compilation of personal reflections on Prague over many centuries through letters, diaries, memoirs and anecdotes from many different people. This book provided information and insight into Prague that I would not have been aware of from simply reading travel guides.
In the chapter "Early Beginnings", Kaplan shares Prague's early history in tales written by Cosmas, the Canon of Prague in the 11th century, whose writings give us the ancient account of the legends of Libuše. As one of three daughters of the Pagan Bohemian Pince, Krok, Princess Libuše reigned with her consort, Premysl, and the legend says that she received a vision of a town that created the founding of the City of Prague.
Standing on the rock of Vysehrad in the presence of her husband and the elders of her people, and incited by the spirit of prophecy, Libuše uttered this prediction: 'I see a town, the glory of which will reach the starts. There is a spot in the forest, thirty strides from this village, which the River Vltava encircles and which to the north the stream Brusnice secures by its deep valley; and to the south a rocky hill, which from its rocks takes the name Petrin, towers above it..when you have reached the spot you will find a man in the midst of the forest who is working at a door-step for a house. And as even mighty lords bend before a low door, so from this event you shall call the town which you shall build - Praha. THus the proceeded immediately to the ancient forest, and having found the sign which had been given them they built on this site Praha, the mistress of all Bohemia." (p.36)
Bringing together these two resources provided me with a powerful context from which to explore and experience this magical city, whose glory most certainly does "reach the stars." Also, we stayed at a lovely hotel that was located right at the base of the Cathedral and Castle, the site of the Libuše's vision. I could easily and frequently look up to the rocky mount and see the spires of the cathedral as they reached for and touched the sky.
I felt strongly pulled by the legend of Libuše and the site of Vysehrad where she had received her vision. I kept returning to the card and Kaplan's book to re-read the stories about the legends of the origins of Prague. I was also very curious to experience the actual land and magical site where where Libuše received her vision, and to open myself up to the card's invitation to step over a threshold of my own journey. And so it was perfect that we would spend our last day in Prague visiting Vysehrad which in Czech means "the high castle" and served as the place from where the ancient princes ruled the land of Bohemia.
On our last day, Alea, Steve and I set out and headed south to Vysehrad. Andrew had experienced the underground night life of Prague the night before and had only just gotten back to the hotel as we were leaving. It was an especially cold and wintry day as we walked from the Metro stop and entered the gates into Vysehrad. As soon as we got inside of the walls, the place took on another worldly and timely feel. I began to feel as though I had truly entered an "other world". As we walked the quiet streets, I saw many signs of the sacred feminine - rotunda towers, stones marking ley lines, Mary and Child images above doorways and a full sized statue in the famous cemetary, even a vulva shape in a tree. I experienced a soft, protected energy here high up on this rocky outcropping and was very happy to be here.
We walked through the Vysehrad Gardens and found the statue of Libuše with her consort, Premysl, as she received the vision, her hand outstretched to the heavens. I stood before her and gave thanks for her providing me with this invitation to experience Vysehrad and to cross this threshold.
We then walked out to and explored around the top of the wall, overlooking the woods and river to the south. I had misread the map, and thought that the baths where Libuše had supposedly received the vision was over to the south, but I knew something didn't feel right. Why would she receive this vision on the opposite side of the city and the rocky hill where she would site the castle and the Cathedral touching the stars?
I was a little disappointed and confused by this experience, so we continued to walk along the pavement around the top of the wall, coming to the southwest corner. A small vineyard was tucked in next to a building, and as we rounded it, we came into view of the city of Prague to the north, with the Castle and Cathedral in the distance up the river. The energy here opened up and expanded. I felt drawn to this area. I felt enlivened. I took a picture that included another vineyard with the city in the distance. I could feel the creative energies of this spot, and generation of life and nature in the vines, even though they were pruned and prepared for winter. I experienced a vibrancy and aliveness in this area, and when I looked over the vineyard and down hill, I saw the rocky outcropping, the remains of the baths and the ancient castle, and the river down below. I was here a the very place I had been so pulled to come.
I was a little disappointed and confused by this experience, so we continued to walk along the pavement around the top of the wall, coming to the southwest corner. A small vineyard was tucked in next to a building, and as we rounded it, we came into view of the city of Prague to the north, with the Castle and Cathedral in the distance up the river. The energy here opened up and expanded. I felt drawn to this area. I felt enlivened. I took a picture that included another vineyard with the city in the distance. I could feel the creative energies of this spot, and generation of life and nature in the vines, even though they were pruned and prepared for winter. I experienced a vibrancy and aliveness in this area, and when I looked over the vineyard and down hill, I saw the rocky outcropping, the remains of the baths and the ancient castle, and the river down below. I was here a the very place I had been so pulled to come.
I walked over to the outlook, imagined the vision as Libuše saw it, and saw the low clouds quickly moving, seeming as though they were touching the spires of the Cathedral, reminding me of the "glory of which will touch the stars"!
I rooted myself to the core of the Earth in this spot, and reached my energy to the stars, connecting myself like a Tree of Life. I gave thanks for being here, for experiencing the invitation to cross a threshold, and to open to and receive a vision and to bring it forth into reality and form. Nearby, there was a young tree that was hung handmade, simple ornaments made of fruit, bread, toothpicks and thread. So simple, yet it offered a symbol of acknowledgement of the legend of Libuše and my accepting her invitation, and promise of the fruit and gifts to come.
I rooted myself to the core of the Earth in this spot, and reached my energy to the stars, connecting myself like a Tree of Life. I gave thanks for being here, for experiencing the invitation to cross a threshold, and to open to and receive a vision and to bring it forth into reality and form. Nearby, there was a young tree that was hung handmade, simple ornaments made of fruit, bread, toothpicks and thread. So simple, yet it offered a symbol of acknowledgement of the legend of Libuše and my accepting her invitation, and promise of the fruit and gifts to come.
As I walked toward the church, I became aware of the connection of the vision of Prague to this land, this place. The vision needed a place to land, to be received and then to be created and made manifest. It needed a container where it could both be received and take root. Land. Place. Connection to the Earth. The vision and the dream would have remained simply a dream without the land to root it, contain it and give it form.
My awareness expanded into a reflection of my journey over the past five years that has been about finding and connecting to my roots - my physical as well as my spiritual roots, and feeling a sense of belonging. Eighteen months ago, right around the time of the summer Solstice, as I completed the first leg of my Mary Michael pilgrimage, I planted my core tap root into the land of my Cornish Celtic ancestors in the middle of the of the circular Restormel Castle in Lostwithiel, Cornwall, deep into the center of the Earth, to connect with the core crystal at her center. Resonance and relationship with the land and a sense of belonging are so vitally essential to me. Having left my homeland when I was three and grown up in another country and culture from my ancestors, and having learned by necessity how to live without this connection, I have only recently begun to accept the full truth of the necessity of a powerful and intimate relationship to the land, and to the Earth.
I then paused, and realized that just as the vision of Prague was received on this ancient, magical site, it also was received by a woman, a person, a soul, in a body to contain it, communicate it and act on it. She who was willing to be in sacred action in alignment with the sacred vision. The vision of Prague needed a wise and receptive person who was willing and able to hear, see and trust its message, and to understand and resonate with it. A deep and intimate connection to the land along with a woman of trustworthy character and a openness to the sacred and divine. In a heartbeat, I realized that the Sacred communicates through both the land and the stars, Earth and Heaven. We may open our hearts and hands to Heaven to receive from above, and at the same time, we must be rooted and grounded to the Earth to resonate and contain the fullness of the message. It is not either/or but another opportunity of both/and. It is our connection to both the spiritual and the physical, the stars (Heaven) and the Earth that gives us the capacity to hear, see, receive and act on communications from the Divine.
This awareness then spiraled and expanded into an acceptance that I am - and we each - can be the container and receptacle of sacred communications. To be deeply rooted not only to place and land, but also deeply rooted and connected to my body. My body is my Earth, my personal magical, mystical and sacred site, my home, the place to which I always belong. It is the paradox of it is about place, and at the same time, it is not about place. It is about being centered and connected to the physical, the material, in a respectful, accepting, and loving way. Always. I am rooted and belong wherever I am, and wherever I am, I am rooted and belong.
This is the threshold. To come home to my own being and body. To accept with the totality of my being that am home in my body. My soul belongs right here. I am being invited to cross and step over...to come home to my body. To love and celebrate my body. My sensations. My sexuality. My physicalness. My pleasure.
The next step of my path of evolution, creation and transformation is to come home and be deeply rooted in my body. Fully. To release all shame, guilt, resistance and come into full love and acceptance of all of who I am as a soul in a beautiful human body as a woman. Sacred and divine. Sexual and spiritual. Divine and Human. Earth and Heaven. All here, in me, as me, walking on this beautiful planet Earth, whose glory touches and connects with the stars. Heaven on Earth. Right here. In me. As me.
I paused. I took a big deep breath of recognition and acceptance of the fullness of this vision, this invitation and threshold. I said YES. YES. YES.
As I arrived at the Church a few hundred feet away, I was greeted by two of the most beautiful mosaic murals above the two side front doors. They spoke deep into my soul, with their unusual, colorful and golden symbols of trees, spirals, Heaven and Earth, angels, Life and Light. On one level, they spoke to me in a way that confirmed and celebrated my YES. On multidimensional levels, they communicated in a symbolic language that somehow I know provides me with a map of the journey on the other side of the threshold. I have yet to decipher and decode these symbols so that I can use and understand these maps, but I trust that the symbols and images will reveal themselves as and when the time is right. For now, they are calling on me to simply receive them, trust them, and allow them to speak and communicate with me, and to know that I do not have to fear the journey. The way into this unknown territory will be shown to me, and that I will receive guidance and support as I step onto this powerful journey of the Great Mystery and the unknown.
My awareness expanded into a reflection of my journey over the past five years that has been about finding and connecting to my roots - my physical as well as my spiritual roots, and feeling a sense of belonging. Eighteen months ago, right around the time of the summer Solstice, as I completed the first leg of my Mary Michael pilgrimage, I planted my core tap root into the land of my Cornish Celtic ancestors in the middle of the of the circular Restormel Castle in Lostwithiel, Cornwall, deep into the center of the Earth, to connect with the core crystal at her center. Resonance and relationship with the land and a sense of belonging are so vitally essential to me. Having left my homeland when I was three and grown up in another country and culture from my ancestors, and having learned by necessity how to live without this connection, I have only recently begun to accept the full truth of the necessity of a powerful and intimate relationship to the land, and to the Earth.
I then paused, and realized that just as the vision of Prague was received on this ancient, magical site, it also was received by a woman, a person, a soul, in a body to contain it, communicate it and act on it. She who was willing to be in sacred action in alignment with the sacred vision. The vision of Prague needed a wise and receptive person who was willing and able to hear, see and trust its message, and to understand and resonate with it. A deep and intimate connection to the land along with a woman of trustworthy character and a openness to the sacred and divine. In a heartbeat, I realized that the Sacred communicates through both the land and the stars, Earth and Heaven. We may open our hearts and hands to Heaven to receive from above, and at the same time, we must be rooted and grounded to the Earth to resonate and contain the fullness of the message. It is not either/or but another opportunity of both/and. It is our connection to both the spiritual and the physical, the stars (Heaven) and the Earth that gives us the capacity to hear, see, receive and act on communications from the Divine.
This awareness then spiraled and expanded into an acceptance that I am - and we each - can be the container and receptacle of sacred communications. To be deeply rooted not only to place and land, but also deeply rooted and connected to my body. My body is my Earth, my personal magical, mystical and sacred site, my home, the place to which I always belong. It is the paradox of it is about place, and at the same time, it is not about place. It is about being centered and connected to the physical, the material, in a respectful, accepting, and loving way. Always. I am rooted and belong wherever I am, and wherever I am, I am rooted and belong.
This is the threshold. To come home to my own being and body. To accept with the totality of my being that am home in my body. My soul belongs right here. I am being invited to cross and step over...to come home to my body. To love and celebrate my body. My sensations. My sexuality. My physicalness. My pleasure.
The next step of my path of evolution, creation and transformation is to come home and be deeply rooted in my body. Fully. To release all shame, guilt, resistance and come into full love and acceptance of all of who I am as a soul in a beautiful human body as a woman. Sacred and divine. Sexual and spiritual. Divine and Human. Earth and Heaven. All here, in me, as me, walking on this beautiful planet Earth, whose glory touches and connects with the stars. Heaven on Earth. Right here. In me. As me.
I paused. I took a big deep breath of recognition and acceptance of the fullness of this vision, this invitation and threshold. I said YES. YES. YES.
As I arrived at the Church a few hundred feet away, I was greeted by two of the most beautiful mosaic murals above the two side front doors. They spoke deep into my soul, with their unusual, colorful and golden symbols of trees, spirals, Heaven and Earth, angels, Life and Light. On one level, they spoke to me in a way that confirmed and celebrated my YES. On multidimensional levels, they communicated in a symbolic language that somehow I know provides me with a map of the journey on the other side of the threshold. I have yet to decipher and decode these symbols so that I can use and understand these maps, but I trust that the symbols and images will reveal themselves as and when the time is right. For now, they are calling on me to simply receive them, trust them, and allow them to speak and communicate with me, and to know that I do not have to fear the journey. The way into this unknown territory will be shown to me, and that I will receive guidance and support as I step onto this powerful journey of the Great Mystery and the unknown.
To complete, I will share with you some powerful and wise words that I received in honor of the Solstice from Francis Rico at www.ashamansguide.com:
So – are you ready to step into the Great Mystery?
Stepping off into the wild beauty of flowering Creation need not be daunting. We’ve prayed for this time to come, and we’re all in this together...align with a willingness to accept what Life is offering – with a keen sense of the possibility that Mystery just might offer us a greater opportunity to heal our selves and our world than we have achieved with “mastery.”
This truly is the calling of the Spiral Path. To step over the threshold and leave behind the safety of the closed circle. To step fully into effortless flow of the Spiral. To allow for the mystery of the universe and of Life to guide and carry us forth into a new world, one in which we celebrate all of life, the sexuality and the spiritual, Heaven and Earth - for it is all Beauty, Love and the Divine.
This is the invitation and promise of the Spiral Path. It will guide and provide for you every step of the way. And it will take you home to your Self, and create a world beyond anything you have ever known.
So – are you ready to step into the Great Mystery?
Stepping off into the wild beauty of flowering Creation need not be daunting. We’ve prayed for this time to come, and we’re all in this together...align with a willingness to accept what Life is offering – with a keen sense of the possibility that Mystery just might offer us a greater opportunity to heal our selves and our world than we have achieved with “mastery.”
This truly is the calling of the Spiral Path. To step over the threshold and leave behind the safety of the closed circle. To step fully into effortless flow of the Spiral. To allow for the mystery of the universe and of Life to guide and carry us forth into a new world, one in which we celebrate all of life, the sexuality and the spiritual, Heaven and Earth - for it is all Beauty, Love and the Divine.
This is the invitation and promise of the Spiral Path. It will guide and provide for you every step of the way. And it will take you home to your Self, and create a world beyond anything you have ever known.
A powerful experience on the day before the Winter Solstice that also happened to be the 28th anniversary of my marriage with Steve. As I walked the land of Vysehrad, I was with Steve and my daughter Alea. They were with me, but also know and love me as to give me space and time for mystical, inner experiences at magical and sacred sites.
Such is the beauty and gifts of these relationships. I am so blessed and grateful.
Such is the beauty and gifts of these relationships. I am so blessed and grateful.
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