Daniel’s Secret Journey Episode 18   

WORK & TREMOURS  

This was really a new beginning for Daniel and his first real job, at seventeen years old. 

Luckily, through the years he had become used to the changing seasons, for he was now out in all types of weather.

Everything was taking on a much greater significance for him. His apprenticeship with the Park Rangers had presented so many new milestones in his life. Solstices, phases of the moon, tides and even modifications in time and the weather, it all became so familiar to him.

He was certainly grateful to Mother Earth, or Gaia, as she is often called, for permitting him to take care of her, and the other kingdoms that share her spaces with us.

The energy and the power that emanated from the rivers and the streams, from the stone circles and the monoliths, engulfed him. His friends of old, the giants of the forests, had started to whisper their gratitude in his ears when he was watching over them.

            Daniel really enjoyed nature and he was empowered by it, but he was also saddened when he became conscious of the damage Mother Earth was suffering due to man’s violent interference.

By creating dams, poisoning rivers, amputating forests of their trees, and all for its miserable own profit, mankind  was destroying what had taken so long to be created.

One amazing and most powerful energy seemed to hang over the top of the Torrs, and exactly where the castle mound and the high point of the churchyard were located; it was as if the folks of old were aware of this and built their places of worship, their temples, and fortifications on these points of power. These places seem to have been chosen, not only for their prominent situation, like hill tops and such, but also because of the intensity of the energy they were spreading around.

When Christianity came along, these same settings were used as building sites for the churches, monasteries, and convents.

            Daniel was very sensitive to the magnetic power of these places; a few moments of quiet contemplation and his energy was recharged. Unconsciously, he must have already taken in these energies when he was a boy. Maybe he had even been looking for them by hiding in the churchyard or going down into the crystal cave.

Now that he knew what was happening, he could purposefully take advantage of it.

The nature of the job meant that he could be called upon at all hours, but he was not ready to renounce his sacrosanct “Prayer meetings” on Wednesday nights. The Universe was looking after him because when he signed for the course that started in September, he found out that the day at college happened to be on a Wednesday too. That was thus settled for at least a year or two, until he would get the qualification that he needed to go to the next level. 

As a member of the Rangers, he was also asked to attend a First Aid course run by St. John Ambulance. That was another string to his bow, and it would enhance his other developing life of spiritual healing, kept up to date with refreshers every two years.

The weather deteriorated rapidly in the winter months, and he was forced to be more cautious and accept the lift John had proposed. It was certainly nicer to sit in a warm car than having to pedal his bike, totally exposed in a howling gale or blinding snow. 

The prayer group had really become the cornerstone of his life. Attendances at the Abbey enabled him to witness the many forms that mediumship could take while witnessing how gifted the members of the circle of friends were.

            In this secure company, Daniel was able to progress very fast, and it wasn’t long before another aspect of his own mediumship began to show itself more strongly. The hands-on healing was another facet to be polished, but it just happened naturally. Daniel supposed that the nature of his job as a Park Ranger helped him to strive in that direction. So many needed his support, and he felt blessed and honoured that he had been given this amazing gift to help others.  

            It was important, in his job as a Park Rancher, to keep in touch with likeminded people in the community to receive their immediate feedback with connection to the outside world.

Both Mum Creck and Silas Green had become regular contributors. Daniel liked to think of them as being lay members of the force. They were always the firsts to help at fund raisings and open days. He called them his Shining Ones. Silas was also a man of the earth, a healer in his own way and they both became unwavering friends. He was grateful to be able to keep in touch with these two very special people. 

One thing still bugged him; knowing that he had been a member of the Mayce family in his former life; he was wondering how they had gained such a bad reputation.

For his mother to tell him that they were a thoroughly bad lot, and only got what they deserved, they must have been truly evil. He had decided to find out all that he could about his family of old, and to devote most of his spare time to get as much information about them as he could. Brother Mark had said that he knew that a member of that family always assisted at the meetings in the Abbey crypt; maybe he had more data, and it would be as well to start the investigation with him.

Having a free Saturday, Daniel biked out to the Abbey and found brother Mark helping in the shop. Weekends were a busy time for the monks now. The publicity in the local papers had seemingly given the Abbey a new lease of life. The decision the Abbey had taken to build the centre seemed to have been the right one.

Daniel asked brother Mark if he had a moment. They sat down at one of the tables, and a monk brought them a tray of tea and cakes. Seeing Daniel’s tormented face, brother Mark was concerned when he asked:

            “How, can I help you, Daniel?”

“Well, as you may remember, it has transpired that I was one of the Mayces. Jake was then my elder brother in that lifetime, and I’d like to know why that family got such a bad reputation. I recall that you mentioned that one of the family always attended the meetings, here in the Abbey crypt, and I thought that maybe you might be able to shed some more light on this question.”

“I saw some sketchy records of a member of your family of the long ago; let me see … the name was, Lucius, I believe. He must have been your uncle on your father’s side. He started off as a member of the circle in the Abbey, but with the problems of warring neighbours and pirates his presence was required full time at the castle. He hated having to give up the circle, and decided to start his own meetings, in the castle itself, which were not safe for the brothers to attend; but you know this is only hearsay and I’m not sure of the result,” said brother Mark.
“Is there any way of finding out more from records in the library?”   

“I don’t think there is anything more in writing about this, but I could ask Father Abbot if he knows anything more about the mystery. Leave it with me, Daniel, and I will let you know next time we meet.”

“OK, brother Mark. Thanks for the tea and the cake. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

“See you then, and God bless you, Daniel,”

Daniel picked up his bike, leapt onto the saddle and cycled away with a wave. Daniel thought that after his interference in the affairs of the smugglers, there were no more reasons for him to go to the castle. The place had lost its interest as it was no longer a mystery, and the knowledge of the secret passages he would keep to himself and devote his time to other things.

            During his travels around the woods and the moors, Daniel had noticed, on the far side of Tutshill woods, there was a natural pyramid hill, this aroused his interest in the legacy of Egypt, which seemed to come back into the news every so often. It seemed that many people wanted to know more about the romance of the subject.

            Thanks to the wide range of specialised books he could find in the Abbey library, he was able to discover a wealth of information on that ancient civilisation. The knowledge he gathered on King Tut, the name by which Pharaoh Tutankhamen was best known, fascinated him. Would it be possible that there was any connection between King Tut and Tutshill? An interesting supposition that made Daniel smile, as it opened yet more fields of entertaining research for the future.

One evening, on his way home from work, his interest was drawn more intensely towards the pyramid hill. He felt that he should have a good look at this structure. It intrigued him and made him wonder, was it natural or was it manmade?

            It was already dusk when he decided to take a stroll to the hill. The smell of wood smoke got stronger as he approached the hill. Rounding the base with its large copse of hazels, he saw a thin blue plume of smoke wafting up in the still evening air. It came out from the centre of the circle of trees. Although the copse was on private land, and not under the care of the rangers, he got nevertheless concerned whether that fire was under control. Forest or moorland fires were too frequent not to take special care to avoid them.

            Not wishing to disturb anyone on their own ground, Daniel moved slowly and quietly towards the copse. As he approached the first of the hazel wands, he could just make out figures moving through the trees, so he stopped to watch and listen. What he saw there reminded him of a dream he had had a long time ago. The shadows all wore long pale robes with hoods, making it difficult to tell whether they were men or women. When they began to chant in a language he did not understand, it dawned on him that it might be some ancient Gaelic dialect.

            The group’s swaying movements increased and turned into a dance of some sort. Only the inner circle was moving, while the outer remained immobile. Then, when the motion stopped, a member of the group spoke, and they all sat around the circle of the fire. Daniel decided to move in closer and try to see who they were and what they were doing. As he approached, the one who seemed to be the leader, got up and came towards him.

            “Can I help you,” asked the man in a cultured voice.

As Daniel was now facing the hooded man, he was struck by the form of the capuche; it reminded him of the headdress worn by King Tut, he had seen the photograph in one of the history books on Egypt in the Abbey Library.

Daniel explained that he had seen the smoke from a distance and that he was concerned about the risk of fire.

“I can assure you it’s under control,” was the hooded man’s reply.

“I can see that, Sir”. Daniel, nodded towards the dying embers, “but may I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Is this an official enquiry?” said the man looking at Daniel’s uniform, suspiciously.

“Not yet,” said Daniel, “but if the fire were to spread to areas under our control, then it would certainly become official.”

Looking very haughtily now, the man interjected:

“I don’t wish to be rude, but you seem very young to be a Ranger, and maybe you don’t know that this is private property.”

Noticing that the conversation was taking a turn for the worse, Daniel thought it important to explain who he was, and that he was interested, on a personal level, in what they were doing.

“I’m sure you will understand that, if I am aware of what’s going on here, there will be no need to trouble you again.”

“In that case, I can assure you that we care for the environment. The great difference is that we try to do it in a spiritual way, by communicating with the earth energies, if I can put it like that. We try to mend the injured earth, by using the ancient rituals our forefathers, the Druids, were practicing.”

“Then I wish you well,” said Daniel, adding immediately, “in my private life I too am committed to help others in a spiritual way. If you ever need my help in the future, you can always find me at the Kinston Arms in the village.”

After bidding his farewell to the group, Daniel started to depart until a voice called him back.

“Just a moment,” said a voice that Daniel recognized instantly.
“Silas, good heavens, is that you?”

From the far side of the group and out of range of the dying fire light, a man came forward and drew back his hood. Daniel was dumbstruck, it was indeed Silas Green’s voice he had recognised. “Silas, it’s great to see you.”

“You know each other?” asked the leader.

Daniel thought it was amazing that in all their discussions, Silas had never let on that he was a member of the Druids.

“Well, Silas, you are a dark horse.”

Silas turned to the leader: “You have no need to worry, Michael, this is a good man, and yes, we know each other well.” 

Daniel was now formally introduced to the group, making him realise that another link had been forged in the ever-growing chain of friends who were working in diverse ways to heal the earth.

He stepped back while they concluded their ceremony. Silas and Daniel walked back to the village.

They had so much to tell each other. Silas explained that Michael was from London and that he had opened a shop in town the previous year, selling crystals, incense, runes, tarot and the like. He was also the proud owner of a house he was refurbishing as well as of the land on which the pyramid stood.   

            It was late, and Daniel was starving.  He asked Silas if he’d like to join him in a fish and chip supper. They walked down to the Chippy bought their supper, and then came back to Silas’ cottage to eat. They both enjoyed a great supper and each other’s company.

That night another secret had been revealed and another secret society had come into Daniel’s life.

            Silas gave a brief outline of his work with the Druids, and Daniel was beginning to understand the complex web of dedicated people, who are working to restore life on earth the way it should really be. Few know of their existence and often they are not even known to each other.

            Still so much misunderstanding and prejudice was going around about what they were doing; although in the long run their work was benefiting the planet and the rest of humanity, it is   misconstrued in the present day as it was in times past. No doubt that, if it were still possible, these good men and women would be denounced as witches and warlocks and consequently burned at the stake.

Daniel was growing very concerned about the number of religions and cults he was finding out about. Many were even issuing death contracts against whoever dared to show a lack of respect towards their founding prophets. He wondered where was that great human brotherhood everyone was dreaming of?

 Knowing that, for the moment, he could not do anything about it, he tried to put it to the back of his mind, still realising, at the same time, the great need to help others to achieve their objectives in life.  But some actions had to be carried out in utmost secrecy as the Father Abbot had made it only too clear.

            Seizing the moment, he took the opportunity to quiz Silas about his knowledge of the Mayces, and the possible reasons of the demise of the family in the distant past.

Silas was very willing to tell Daniel all he knew about them, and began right away with:

            “You know there is so much misconception about what people do and about their motives. Often a name can be blackened out of jealousy, spite or just plain ignorance, but then again, I remember my grandfather, who was a very religious man, looking at life in a strictly God-fearing way, saying to me once that the Lord looked kindly on those who lived according to the will of God, but that those who turned away from the Lord would not prosper.  

            If you read the Bible, you’ll find that those Kings of old who wouldn’t turn away from the worship of idols or who tolerated and allied themselves to pagan neighbours, did reap the wrath of God, and this, even though prophets tried to advise and guide them onto the straight and narrow path.”

“But what about here in this little corner of the world?” said Daniel.

“Well, and I don’t want to put you off, my boy, but I remember that in the distant past, there was a legend assuring all who heard it that there had been devil worship up at the castle. That could be why it is a ruin now.”

That was all Silas could remember.