Jae Fae In Avalon: Remember Remember the 5th of November

5th November is an important date for me. Nothing at all to do with plots involving the houses of parliament, but because it was on Saturday 5th November 1988 that I went to Glastonbury for the very first time. That is half my lifetime ago now. I was going to go down for the day yesterday but due to engineering work on the railway my journey would have been a lot longer than usual so I decided it wasn't feasible.

On that November day 28 years ago I had no idea that I would go back to Glastonbury again and again. Although I didn't know it at the time, what I felt there was the Spirit of Place. It was the Tor. I had gone down to Somerset for the weekend to stay with a friend I met on holiday in 1997, Linda, and she suggested taking me to Glastonbury as she thought I would like it. Understatement of course as I fell under the spell of the place.

It was the Tor. We climbed it on a murky cold November afternoon with fabulous autumn colours and the smell of wood smoke in the air. As we drove away from Glastonbury in the direction of Butleigh, I had to look at it until I could not see it any more. Over the years it has become that whole sacred valley which is important to me. Chalice Well, the White Spring, the Tor and Modron's Mound (Chalice Hill).

My pagan dawn began that day, Glastonbury awoke a sense of mystery which had always been there, and I started reading about earth mysteries and Druidry.

1988 was the turning point in my life. I used to have a very large nose, the result of falling down some stone steps when I was 6. I got teased about it all through school, and beyond, people saying nasty things as I walked past, cruel taunts and jests, being told constantly that I was ugly. It affected my self esteem, and was the root cause of the depression and anxiety I have battled since my late teams. But in April 1988 I had plastic surgery, on the NHS on psychological grounds, referred by a psychologist I had been seeing for cognitive therapy, Helen. When the plaster came off two weeks after the op, and I was saw my nose for the first time my response was "I've got a normal nose". So that was a really major turning point earlier in the year, then I discovered Glastonbury. It took me a long time and a more therapy to get where I am today, a strong and independant woman. But the journey was worth it. And on that very first trip to Glastonbury one of my thoughts was.. so this is where other mystical hippy people like me go!

Have some photos of the Tor through the years (all taken by me)

My iconic photo of the Tor at sunset in Oct 2007, which is included in the photo supplement of the second edition of "Avalon Within" by Jhenah Telyndru