Blog 24.06.21
The Black Prince Well, Midsummer.
It was cool under the ‘wild wide-hearted rose’ that enshrouds the spring and valerian grows up on either side of the stone steps which lead down to the water.
I squeezed in under the rose- it smelt amazing, and stepped down- I think that this is an important part of the meeting of oneself and the water- the source- the going down to meet it- lowering yourself. Stepping down feels a bit like surrendering to what’s in there- not walking up to a monument- looking up, with steps- awed by its might, this is the opposite approach and quite humbling.
The last step is a perfect place to sit and I put my feet in again- just the soles this time as I watched the gnats merrily circling over the water. I was reminded of a passage I had read the day before in ‘The Pattern of the Past’ by Guy Underwood, something about gnats circling over water features- even unseen underground water features- such as blind springs and aqua-stats. When dowsing, he says it is useful to note where gnats ‘dance’ as it often corresponds with an underground source. So I was not surprised to see the gnats in motion over the water and I felt less likely to be bitten by them as it’s the males that dance and the females that bite- so I sat calmly and watched my feet ‘sit’ on the water.
It was cool and clear and calm.
As I sat I looked deeper into the water, saw the floor of the basin the water flows into and then the reflections of the well head above. Next I noticed the bright blue sky also reflected in the water, the green foliage and then raising my sight to the water level itself I saw some twigs, pollen and other natural debris floating on the water.
There I noticed another.
A shiny hard backed beetle, perhaps still alive, floated near my feet- I tried to ‘save it’ by picking it up with my toes, but it floated away, further, so I used my foot to pull it towards me, once close enough I was able to pick it up with my hand and see what it was exactly- and whether it was alive or dead.
It was still, its wing had come out of its casing on one side so it looked lopsided but as I held it in front of me, it started to move. I looked to find to find a place where it could dry out naturally some more and put it to rest and recover on one of the mossy stones which make up the top level of the step area to the well. The moss is in dappled shade along here, so it should be a safe area to dry out. It was hesitant to leave my hand, its feet clung to my skin as I pushed it gently off- for a second I panicked, thinking it may cling on or hurt me, but then it freed itself and walked off the tip of my finger onto the sunlit mossy patch of stone and scurried off to find a crack, a hiding place.
I did hope that the beetle had not been a sacrifice or blessing to the well because I had removed it, worried about its life and that thought had overpowered my will to leave it be.
I felt a real connection with the well and its water on this visit- through the surrounding foliage, the stone structure, the beautiful beetle and dancing gnats, I realised I love this place.
