Celtic Immram: Voyage Into The Unknown

Allow yourself to sit or lay down in a comfortable place.

We are taking a very special inner journey today.

So take your time to relax,

To gently allow the body to settle and sink,

To surrender into the softness around it.

As we prepare ourselves to set sail on this journey,

Allow yourself a nice deep inhale,

A nice easeful exhale and a few more slow deep breaths to release the troubles and stresses of the day.

And so we begin.

Goddess Brigid of the ocean,

Brigid of the swift winds,

Brigid of the bright star,

Please guide our vessels today.

In your mind's eye you are seated in a small wooden boat.

Just you.

The boat is on a misty shore,

Just touching the edge of the ocean with waves gently lapping at the bow of the boat.

Allow yourself time to familiarise yourself with the boat in which you're in.

On your hands over the smooth wood,

Feel the firmness of the floorboards under your feet.

Gaze up at the mast in the centre of the boat,

With sails furled and wrapped at the top.

There are no oars in this boat,

No rudder,

No way to steer.

But you feel un-worried about that now.

Allow yourself to notice your surroundings and if there is anything else with you in the boat,

Anything you may be taking with you.

And now give your attention to your surroundings.

Note the mood and colour of the ocean,

The sky,

The weather.

Take a deep calming breath of ocean air and feel the wind upon your face.

As you are taking in all that is around you,

A wave draws in,

A beautiful magical wave to lift your boat and set it afloat beyond the turnings of the tides.

Once the boat is on the open ocean,

You let loose the ropes that tie your sail and it billows and unfurls.

Note the colour of the sail and if there are any symbols upon it.

And as the wind fills the sail,

Your boat turns onwards on its journey,

Driven by the power of the wind.

After some time,

Your boat approaches a small island made of stone.

The shoreline seems rocky and unapproachable,

Piled high with boulders,

Wet with sea spray and draped with seaweed.

As your boat bumps gently against these boulders and your eyes wander over the stone,

There at first seems no way to land or enter this island.

But with patience,

You see a place of damp sand just big enough to stand on.

So tying your boat to a bronze ring set into one of the stones,

You disembark and stand upon the land.

Again you observe with patience and full attention and now see a narrow path that winds around and through and upwards among the boulders.

Following this path up the gentle incline,

You emerge at the top of the island.

A wide expanse of bare stone,

Worn smooth over many years of wind and water and weather.

Notice how the emptiness,

The barrenness of this place affects you.

Your thoughts,

Your emotions,

Your perceptions.

You turn in place to each of the directions,

West,

North,

East and south.

As you turn back to west from whence you came,

There where before there was only emptiness,

You see a domed structure made of the same grey stone,

Open on one side but sheltered from the wind.

You walk towards this structure.

As you draw near,

You see that within this shelter is a great blazing forge.

The stones glow red and the dancing flames illuminate the space.

A great iron anvil decorated with spirals and symbols sits at the centre of the shelter.

And there is something atop this anvil.

It is a gift for you.

Pick it up,

Examine it,

Take your time with it.

Give thanks in the way that feels right for you.

And when you are ready,

Return to your boat with the gift.

As soon as you are seated back in your boat,

The winds pick up and your sail once again turns the little boat away from the stone island and out to the sea.

There you sail for a time,

Watching the horizon,

Observing the weather,

The wind,

Any creatures of sky or sea that you notice.

You will see now that you are approaching a second island.

Stairs are cut into the rock face of this stone island.

Stairs that come right down into the sea and continue under water.

They emerge from the water and continue upwards and curve round a great white cliff face.

Here you tie your boat to a silver ring set into a stair and disembark.

Standing on the white stone of the staircase,

Water swirling around your ankles.

You gaze downwards,

Seeing the stairs disappear into the deep clear water below and then turn your gaze upwards and begin to climb.

The stairs wind around and around the small island.

Gently,

Not an arduous climb but one that requires care and attention as you place your feet on the stone steps.

The stairs end at an opening to a cave,

High above the waves in your tethered boat.

Light reflecting off water touches the walls of the cave and you see they are made of mother of pearl,

Luminous with delicate colours.

As you stand in the centre of this cave,

An echo of the ocean creates an enchanting sound and otherworldly vibration in this space.

You feel the sound permeate your being.

Notice how it makes you feel,

What emotions you experience.

You lift your hands in a gesture of receiving and a gift is placed into your open hands.

Give thanks in the way that feels right to you and when you are ready,

Return to your boat with the gift.

Place the second gift beside the first in your boat and observe as before as the wind lifts your sail and takes you out onto the open ocean.

Notice any changes in the ocean,

The weather,

Your mood or awareness.

In time your boat approaches a third island,

This one covered with a dense forest.

Your boat comes to settle gently on a little beach and you disembark.

This time the way seems clear,

A path leading directly into the forest.

But after going only a little way,

The path forks and you must choose a direction.

A little distance longer and the path forks for a second time and you move through the wood choosing each turning.

Notice how you feel,

What it feels like to choose,

Whether fearsome or exhilarating or something else entirely.

In time you come to a clearing,

You can see that many paths have led to this place from all directions,

Each ending at the same sacred grove.

The tall trees move in the wind,

Sighing and singing with the voices of oak and rowan and willow.

At the centre of the grove is an ancient stone well.

Peering into its depths you see what you are meant to see.

There is a bucket and rope next to this well and as you lower the bucket into the well and retrieve it,

You pull forth a gift.

Give thanks in the way that feels right for you and when you are ready return to your boat with the gift.

Now,

With the three gifts beside you in your little boat,

You feel the wind lift the sail one last time and guide your vessel home.

As the boat returns to the familiar place from which you departed,

You see something new upon the shores.

Now you see three women awaiting you,

Cloaked and hooded,

A stone altar table before them.

Your boat is gently delivered to the shore by the tide and leaving your boat you move to stand before the altar.

Place your three gifts here upon this altar.

As you do so,

The three women come forward and each touches a gift.

And with this touch,

Each gift transforms into a living flame,

Burning without fuel upon the stone.

The flames merge into one and it seems before you that the three women also merge into one.

And then she too becomes part of this flame.

Gaze into the depths of this flame.

Feel it warming your being,

Becoming part of you.

Receive any message or knowledge that is meant for you here.

She will hook that our inner knowing that we all are pr rakened by,

On이 that we all are.

Now,

Brave traveller,

When you are ready,

We'll begin to return to our waking awareness.

Give thanks for the journey and its gifts.

And take your time to rest in stillness and absorb the experience.

And whenever you feel ready,

You can rise from your meditation and rise from your journey.