This meditational piece first appeared in The Lighthouse No.1 Vernal Equinox 1993, and was partially re-written in readiness for inclusion in The Lighthouse Volume 2, No. 2 Winter 2000 - the lost issue! It is the re-written article reproduced here. The drawing of the White Lady by David Taylor, appeared with the original article in TL No. 1, and is reproduced here. The photographs are from my own collection and have been added, as always, for your viewing pleasure. So without further ado, let us enter into the secret pantheistic realms of Nature...The White Lady
A Meditation of Communion with the Spirit of Nature
by Alex Langstone
One of the most beautiful places that I have had the pleasure of visiting has to be the White Lady waterfall at Lydford Gorge on the western flank of Dartmoor. There is a legend at this place of a white lady who appears on moonlit nights; standing within the white lance of the falls. Her hair becomes the tumbling luminous white liquid and her voice the rushing cacophony of cascading water that infinitely caresses the rock-face upon which it glides.
There is another legend also of a lady called Kitty, and it is thought that she fell into the river, where she drowned. Her ghostly presence can be seen each spring at dusk on the night of the new moon.The gorge is an enchanted place of mystery and magic: it is indeed a haunted glade, where one can expect to see elves and sprites flitting between tree and river. Tall slender birch trees sway each side of the river, and a footpath leads away from the falls in both directions. There is a small bridge that leads to a path which leads to the Devil's cauldron, a huge cavernous cleft deep within the gorge, where the River Lyd boils and bubbles away in honour of the old ones. Truly a place of power! But I hear a feminine voice on the breeze, gently calling from the waterfall. It is the Soul of Nature...
The Pathworking.
Make whatever usual arrangements required for relaxation in readiness for meditation. Close your eyes. See yourself standing at the base of a mighty waterfall. You can hear the roar of the water as it cascades down a sheer drop of a 100 feet or more. Although it is only a narrow fall, its power is felt. Feel the clean clear water gently splashing all around. There is a dampness in the air, although not unpleasant, rather invigorating and fresh as a spring morning. Breathe in the cool clean air, feel your body being cleansed both inside and out. Hear the trees of the protective woodland that surround this place rustling in the gentle breeze, and breathe in the cool damp, clean air.
Gradually, as you become accustomed to the sheer beauty of the surroundings, you see in your minds eye a tiny droplet of water resting on your brow. Concentrate on this image for a few seconds. Then see it transform into a tiny wh
ite light, and as it does this it starts to move away from your head towards the waterfall. As it moves it grows in size until you see a round white disc, like the full moon, floating in front of the waterfall. As you watch, the round disc disappears into the waterfall. Look at the point that the disc entered the fall, you can see a portal opening, a rippling of reality, then a spark of light manifests, and from this light emerges a glowing spirit, an ethereal shining lady. She is dressed in white billowing gowns. She stands before you, and although she seems solid, you realise that she is part of the waterfall. Look at her face, she is smiling. She wears a silver crown decked with flowers upon her head, and her hair is long and flowing, shimmering and shining in the reflected sunlight.She stands tall and proud, for we have woken the spirit of the waterfall; the White Lady, the ancient holy spirit of the waters and of the earth, look into her eyes. They show beauty and compassion, strength and wisdom. She holds in her hands three flowers, a yellow daffodil, a red rose and a purple Iris. The daffodil symbolised creativity, and the life giving powers of the sun, the rose for compassion and our life-blood, and the Iris for wisdom and understanding. She throws the three flowers into the water and as she does so we see creativity, compassion and wisdom flowing as one in the waters of life. For the rivers of this land are the very veins and arteries of the Earth Goddess.Look up once more. You see the lady is standing in the river. She starts to move towards you and she lifts her hands to her head and plucks a flower from her crown, this she hands to you. Take note of its colour and type, for this is your own special symbol of the Spirit of Nature.
She returns to the waterfall and holds up her hands, palms facing you. Out of her right palm a green ray of light emerges, and from her left palm a white ray emerges. These move towards us and form a circle of green and white light surrounding us. The energy of this circle of light links us to the the White Lady, the waterfall and the land itself. As we watch the energy from the circle spirals upwards towards the sky, and downwards into the earth. As above, so below!
Concentrate on the image of the lady again. She is glowing, radiating her power. She moves towards us and merges with the energies of the circle of light surrounding us and we enter in communion with her. Listen to what she may have to tell us...
The White Lady begins to draw the green and white light from the circle back into her being, and as she does this you become at one with Nature, you hear the l
and sing! The White Lady is now shining brightly, and you realise that She is Elen, Sovereign Goddess of Albion. She takes the remainder of the green light into her heart and our hearts open up to her sacred song! She turns and slowly merges with the waterfall once more, as she disappears, green and white energy shoots out from the water like lasers into the surrounding landscape, in every direction, to the four winds, into the sacred waters, into the earth and the sky and into the fire within each of us.She is gone from vision, but remains within our hearts. We know She is everywhere, in every tree, flower, stone. In all rivers, seas and lakes. A part of every swelling bud, leaf and stalk. She is within us and you, for She is the Spirit of Nature and is omnipresent. Stand and listen to the sound of the rushing water, feel your feet firmly upon the ground and when you are ready end the meditation.
