Glastonbury, Somerset
This is probably one of the most famous, mystical sites in the world. It has connections with King Arthur (Arthurian legend), Joseph of Arimathea, Glastonbury Tor, The Abbey, the intersection of Ley Lines and Earth Energy lines around the world to name but a few. As well as many pilgrims and holiday visitors from around the world, Glastonbury also has a large concentration of people with alternative beliefs. The town itself is reported to have been surrounded by marshland/water possibly dating to around the 3rd or 4th Century BC. Because of this marshland, it is argued by many that this must be the mythical place known in Arthurian Lore as 'The Isle of Avalon'.
At the base of a hill is the Chalice Well and according to legend it is the site where Joseph of Arimathea threw the chalice used at The Last Supper by Jesus. It is also said that Joseph of Arimathea (Great Uncle of Jesus) brought the boy Jesus to Glastonbury.
Within the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey, situated in the town centre, stands the Glastonbury Thorn, which blooms every year and is said to be of the staff that Joseph of Arimathea placed in the ground whereupon it took root.
According to legend, Arthur and Guinevere are said to be buried within the Abbey grounds. Monks, in 1190, found remains of a man which were said to have had the inscription, "Here lies the renowned Arthur, in The Isle of Avalon". These bones were reburied in a black marble tomb which was later destroyed in the dissolution of the abbey in 1539 after Henry VIII closed down abbeys and monasteries when he split from the Catholic Church.
The only Abbey building that remains intact today is the Abbott's Kitchen.
Only a few stone buildings in the town date from the time that the Abbey was active, the "Glastonbury Tribunal" currently occupies this one. PICTURE
In 1907 The Church of England purchased the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. Frederick Bligth Bond, who was directing the excavations at the time, argued that the abbey's construction had been based around a sacred geometry, originally known by the Egyptian Pyramid builders, which had then been passed down through generations of stonemasons.
The town itself offers a mix of New Age/Alternative shops and stalls covering everything from crystals to religion and would be of interest to anyone who is interested in the Mystical/Religious World. New Age Travellers (Hippies) inhabit the sidewalk coffee shops and many sit on the sidewalk with a hat on the ground seeking charitable donations. They are often accompanied by one or two small dogs for purposes of sympathy.
