I stumbled on Alsia Well (pronounced Ay lee ah) when reading an article in the marymichaelpilgrimsway. I had not heard of this sacred well before and not surprising, as there are no sign posts whatsoever. As it was the day of the New Moon, I thought I would hop on my local bus and just go with the flow, following the information in the article and just see where it took me. Bearing mind that the author of the article had approached from the opposite direction, via a footpath, from Carn Les Boels.
It was very wet day for my pilgrimage, and even though I took my waterproof jacket, I should have worn my wellies!
I got off the bus at St Buryan hoping to find public toilets, which I did, but they were locked. I followed the signpost to Logan Rock and on the left noticed an ancient Cornish Cross.
After about a 10 minute walk I came across a junction and decided this is where I had to go right. It was opposite a farm entrance.
I followed the narrow lane which took me past Higher Alsia Farm to the right and Alsia Mill to the left.
And then Granary Barns.
A little further on, to the left, are steep steps that go through the Cornish hedge bank.
On the other side, you are in a private driveway, and fortunately, the owner pointed me in the right direction, which was straight ahead over a stile. She also, told me that Trevor Rogers, who was mentioned in the article I had read, who was the previous owner, had died a couple of years ago.
I went straight ahead following the fence to my left and at the end came to a post where I turned left, as instructed by the owner of the property.
As you can see, the path is very overgrown, and this is where my feet got soaking wet. The path is also fiercely guarded by Blackthorn. I took this as my Crone protection. Just as well as I had shorts on.
You can see trees in the distance and it is just before there that I came across an apple tree, and at this point I turned right on to what turned out to be the Well path.
Before I even saw the gate, I new I had arrived when I saw the huge Gunnera growing in the boggy land.
Fortunately, the gate was not locked, so I was able to enter this Sacred place. Words cannot describe the peace and tranquility. I asked for a sign that I had permission to enter and a crow called in the distance, followed by a sky lark (amazing, on a rainy day) and a robin.
I have since read of “the Well’s ancient connection with the Goddess culture, which may in some way be linked to its position on the Mary line” (which I was unaware of). No wonder I connected to Morgen Gliten. It is her time on the wheel of the year and she is connected to water, Sacred Wells and emotions. And emotional I got. Shedding lots of tears. It is a beautiful place to ask for guidance and to connect with Mother Earth to receive her messages.
It was hard to tear myself away from such a beautiful place, but before I did, I left offerings and sang “We will never lose our way to the well”. It brought back memories of my Crow Sister Course and singing that song with Willow at the White Spring in Glastonbury, spookily enough, when I was learning my Morgen Gliten module.
Two remarkable things happened that day. On the start of my walk, on the road near the Cornish Cross, a Crow had been run over and another Crow was on the telegraph pole looking down, and all I can say is she was wailing. I have never heard that sound before (or maybe I am becoming more connected). On the way back, at the same place, a lady in a car stopped to ask if I needed a lift somewhere. She could see I was soaked and she noticed, that when she passed me, the road was dangerous and she was concerned. I said thank you, but I was only a little way to St Buryan where I was catching the bus back to Penzance. She was a lovely lady and turned her car around and went back on her journey. How often does that happen? Another person actually stops, turns around, comes back to a complete stranger because she is concerned about them. Magick!
Blessings