Holly
by Blayze

Sink your awareness down into the earth. Become aware of your breathing. Enter a trance state (using usual breathing techniques…)

You find yourself standing at the foot of a large hill - all around you is darkness pierced only by the brilliant light of the stars… twinkling like jewels embroidered into the velvet cloak of the night sky above you.

By the light of the stars you can see that a path winds in a spiral about the hill. You move to the left and begin to walk along the path - ever twisting and spiralling to the left. You begin to feel the ground slope beneath your feet as you slowly walk the spiral path. Your awareness shifts with each turn as you sink deeper and deeper into trance.

You are aware moonlight growing brighter as you near the summit of the hill and you realise that the moon is rising to hang just above the hill itself. 

Bathed in the moonlight is a tall, ancient stone that stands in the centre of a flat plateau. The spiral path winds ever towards the stone in the centre, one half of which is in shadow, the other illuminated by the silver light of the moon.

Gradually you find yourself walking in a ever tightening spiral as you move closer and closer to the stone… always and ever moving to the left. At last you come face to face to with the towering and ancient weathered rock. By the light of the moon you see that there is an image carved upon its surface… A straight line runs from an inverted V at the base to the top of the stone. Halfway up the line you see three horizontal lines extending to the left. This is the Ogham Tinne - the Holly, carved into the single upthrust spur of living rock.

You feel the power awakening in the stone and sigil as the moon continues to rise. The Ogham stave glows and you run your hand along its length. You feel the energy tingle through you from the tips of your fingers to your feet upon the earth. Suddenly everything shifts and you find that you have passed through the stone into another realm. Mist envelopes you and you experience a moment of disorientation, but you can now feel the stone standing at your back. 

All around you is mist and cold. You can see your breath puff out in front of you to merge with the mist. Slowly you step forward and the mist begins to swirl and shred away. You feel the crunch of snow beneath your feet.

You are in a frozen landscape under the light of the full moon. In the distance you can make out shapes covered in snow... tall trees cloaked in the winter's cold. 

You walk towards the trees and you see that moving away from you, they form a double column with a path leading in between.  You move to the entrance of the column of trees and see that they are of Holly. Remove your clothing and leave it at the entrance. You stand naked in the snow. Feel the embrace of Winter!

The trees are close together and the path is narrow, as you begin to walk through sharp Holly leaves prick at your skin and the trees move slightly at your passing, small clumps of snow fall from the leaves and branches to land upon the path. You notice that you are bleeding from where the leaves have scratched you, drops of your blood fall upon the snow of the path.

Gradually you become aware that as your blood touches the snow, small red lights begin to glow upon the trees. The Holly berries are acknowledging your passing and your blood causes the snow to melt from the trees, the berries glowing red amongst the hint of dark green leaves.

You continue walking down the corridor of trees, small red lights showing you the way.

Finally you reach the end of the corridor of trees and you see an open space before you. A large circular clearing bordered by Holly trees, all with brightly glowing berries reflecting upon the snow overed clearing under the light of the full moon.

At the centre of the clearing stands a single Holly tree, majestic in stature. You move closer to the central tree and you see that hanging in its branches are a small set of scales and a golden sickle. Move to the tree and take up the sickle.

Now begin to walk around the clearing, moving to the left. Look at each of the trees as you walk.

Think about leadership and all that goes with it. Think about things that have been done to you or for you that you have not balanced out. Hurts given to others or hurts received - Have you apologised or changed your actions because of these things? Have you acted with leadership and balance in these circumstances? For each act that has not been balanced out... cut a leaf from a tree with your sickle.

Think also about gifts given to others and gifts recieved, have these acts been balanced with leadership and thanks? Have you rewarded where reward is due? Or been rewarded yourself for actions undertaken? Should you have done so or been so?

Again for each act that remains unbalanced and needs to be redressed... take a leaf from a tree in the grove surrounding you.

Now take these gathered leaves and place them in one cup of the scales that hangs from the central tree.

Now walk around the trees once more. Think about those acts of hurt that have been balanced and redressed. For each of these, cut a berry from one of the trees with your sickle.  

Think also about those acts of thanks or reward that have been balanced out, that you have been rewarded for or have rewarded others for... been thanked or thanked someone yourself. Look at the actions in light of balance and leadership.

Again for each of these acts, cut a berry with your sickle.

Now take these berries and place them in the other cup of the scales hanging from the central tree.

Now that both sides of the scale are full... look at the balance between them. Is one side weighed heavier than the other? What does this tell you? How do you use your leadership? Are you using it for honour, strength, generosity and hospitality? Or are you using your leadership for innapropriate gain and taking other people for granted? 

You need to balance out your leadership and find appropriate justice - no matter how hard.

Begin to understand the balance of Might and Mercy, Honour and Sacrifice and how it applies to you. When you have achieved some insight into this, take up the leaves and berries and weave for yourself a crown.

Now take the sickle once more and walk around the clearing looking for a deadfall branch.

Take it up and trim it and debark it with the sickle. Look at the wood turning to bone in your hands.

There is a balance between the prickly green leaves, the life giving berries and the bones of the earth and our bodies. This a mystery of the Holly.

As a leader you wield your powers with the balance and justice of the Holly. Yet Holly is also the strength in adversity.... Green in the Winter snows. And these qualities go right to our very bones... our skeletons. They are ingrained.... we just have to find them, expose them, and draw upon them.

Take your branch of holly and hold it to the sky.

Snow begins to fall and kiss your skin. Your scratches close and heal as your find your winter strength in the cold and the dark.

From our of the column of trees you hear and feel the thundering of hooves. From between the trees comes a chariot drawn by a white horse. The chariot is formed of great holly shafts gleaming bone white.

The charioteer is cloaked in green and has oak leaves in his hair. He drives once around the clearing and then spirals in towards you. He comes to a stop and motions for you to mount the chariot. You stand behind the driver, feet placed on the boards of the chariot. 

The driver speaks soft words to the horse and the chariot begins to once more race around the clearing. You adjust your body weight subtlely , not holding on with your hands, but holding your holly branch up to the sky like a triumphant spear. The wind rushes through your hair and you feel invigorated... One sovereign driving another. Both with skills of their own.

You understand justice and balance and the exhilaration that comes with both as well as the pain of achieving it. The charioteer circles the clearing once more then heads for the column of trees.

As you pass down the column, the bright berry lights wink out. The charioteer stops at the end of the column of trees. Thank him and acknowledge his prowess as a driver. Get out of the chariot and move in front of the horse and driver.

With reverance and honour, remove your holly crown and place it in the snow before you, plant your holly branch upright in the centre of the crown.

The berries on your crown glow and light the way home for the charioteer. He turns his chariot around and heads off between the trees.

Pick up your clothes and put them on. Make your way back to the standing stone.

Where you walk, small patches of green appear in the snow.

You arrive back at the Standing Stone. It now bears a spiral marking. Begin to trace the spiral as it twists to the right. You become aware of mist forming around you once more and again a feeling of disorientation. 

As the mist begins to clear you find that you are once again standing upon the hillside under the fading light of the setting moon. By the light of the stars you begin to walk the spiral path out from the centre, ever moving to the right. You begin to feel the path sloping downwards as you tread the spiral path around the hill. As you walk you feel yourself becoming heavier and heavier, you begin to be aware of other sounds…. Slowly you reach the bottom of the hill and sit at its base. You become aware of the feel of your body, the shape of your skin and your breath. You feel the blood flowing through your veins . You become aware of the sounds around you… 

When you are back… open your eyes.