"Esoteric Explorer" - 5 new articles
Bega and the Sacred Ring: Chapter 4 "The Trinity Ring"
 Bega and the Sacred Ring: Chapter 3. "The Heart"
 After our initial visit to Cumbria in June 1989 I began to wonder at the significance of the area, the legend of St Bega and how it related to to me and my life? It was certainly an interesting, if not obscure piece of folklore, but I felt that there was a lot more to the scenario. I had nagging questions constantly interrupting my train of thought. The most obvious was; had it somehow been engineered that we should have visited the area on midsummer's day 1989 - Bega had also arrived in the same area some thirteen hundred years before us, circa 650 AD.
Also, why had we been taken around a series of ancient sites by what had appeared at best to be an earth bound spirit, and at worst the imaginings of a madman! I had constantly tried to link up the various places in the hope of making a nice pattern upon the map. No such luck! One particular site bugged me more than most. That was the area of Gosforth. It had been suggested in the psychic material that the area represented in some way a heart or a centre, a meeting point. It was also the first of the sites where there wasn't a stone circle. Was this in some way important? I felt so, but no matter how I tried I could not put my finger on it. A meeting was held soon after we arrived back in our home county of Essex. Carole and I both felt that there was more to come. Among the psychic imagery that manifested on the night of July 15th 1989, was the notion of finding the heart or centre point of the country, although quite how we were to do this never became apparent on this occasion. I became disillusioned with the whole quest and shortly after dropped the idea. April 1990 In the intervening period I joined forces with psychic investigator Andrew Collins, and partook of many interesting quests upon other themes. Then during April 1990 Andrew had a particular dream that was to make me sit up and think. He found himself at Long Meg stone circle. This image was followed by another where he was at the coast, standing on a high point next to a sign post, which appeared to be pointing to all different places within the UK. At this point in the dream he realised that he was standing on an omphalos. After this he awoke. The following day, remembering his dream he looked on the map and located Long Meg, his gaze then fell upon a place called St Bee's Head, on the Cumbrian coast. He then recalled my quest of Bega and realised that he was onto something. Intuitively he used St Bee's Head as a central point, and drew a circle around the British Isles. He had found our omphalos! He then felt compelled to draw a smaller circle, using st bees as the centre once more, but this time going to Long Meg as the outer edge. He drew this on the map also. This I found very interesting, as only five or so miles from St Bees was Gosforth, the site where Carole had received clairvoyant imagery of a heart and a centre. Shortly after this I received a phone call from Andrew and as a result of this we met up, maps and all! All of a sudden I was back on course. Bega as omphalos! But more of this later.  St Bee's Head was the site where in legend Bega landed on Midsummer's day 650. This is how the village derived its name. Bee/Bega are from the same root. I reminded Andrew of the legend of the sacred ring and the fact that the name Bega (Beagh) literally means ring in old Anglo-Saxon language.
We again realised that Andrew had not only drawn an outer ring, surrounding the country, but an inner ring too. At the centre of these two rings we had...a sacred ring! I found it interesting also that the inner ring surrounded all of the sites we had visited during the quest of '89. Not long after this little episode another remarkable psychic called Debbie started getting clairvoyant imagery relating to these themes. This included a direct contact with what appeared to be St Bega herself. She said that we must go up to Cumbria at the beginning of November, on her 7th November feast date to be precise.  A short time later Andrew started seeing a clairvoyant image of a swirling ring. This he saw within a Celtic cross, and he drew it an presented it to me on the 7th May 1990. Then on the 13th May another psychic by the name of Helen Laurens handed us an apport she had received a month earlier. It was a brooch in the shape of a ring. the ring was made of the same swirl of feathers Andrew had drawn a week earlier. Once again I found myself with more questions than answers, and for the first time since June 1989 I felt that "Cumbrian" feeling once more.
The Sacred Centre of the British Isles  Rings on the map, showing St Bee's Head at the centre of the British Isles, skirting the northern tip of the
List of photos from top to bottom:
The Gosforth Cross, Celtic cross psychic sketch, three feathers ring apport © Alex Langstone 2008  Bega and the Sacred Ring: Chapter 2 "The Legend"
Bega was the daughter of a 7th century Irish king. From a very early age she was a devout and loyal Christian, devoting her time to study and prayer. As she got older, she realised that she would never marry, as all her time would be taken up with her service to God. One day she received affirmation of this by way of a Holy Angel who appeared before  her, and presented her with a sacred ring/bracelet. It was inscribed with a cross.
The Angel spoke: "Receive this mark of favour, sent to you by the Lord God, since you own that you are ordained to His service, and that He has become your bridegroom. Place it therefore upon your heart and upon your arm, that you may admit no suitor but Him" Shortly after this vision, her father decided that she should marry, and after securing a deal with the Norwegian Royal Family, it was decided that Bega should marry the King's son. A great Royal banquet was arranged to celebrate the engagement, but Bega was having none of it and asked God what she should do. The answer came that she should flee to the coast where a ship would meet her. Whilst the revellers were at the banquet Bega slipped quietly away to meet the boat, which took her across the Irish sea to Cumbria. She landed at a promontory which is now named after her: St Bee's Head, on midsummer's day, circa 650 AD. Her first task was to secure some land, so she could establish a nunnery. She approached Lord Egremont, who laughed in her face, saying "You may have as much land as is covered by snow on the morrow!"
Being midsummer's day Bega prayed to God for a satisfactory outcome. In the morning a small piece of land on the coast (St Bee's head) was covered in snow. On approaching Lord Egremont he was ashen faced.The idea of snow falling in the middle of summer obviously was too much for him, as he told her to take the land. Here Bega built her nunnery and, according to one tradition, along with her six sisters stayed for many years, performing miracles with the aid of her Mystic Ring!
Cleator Church, Cumbria
 St Bega depicted in stained glass,
© Alex Langstone 2008 Chapter 3 "The Heart" coming soon...  Bega and the Sacred Ring: Chaper 1 "Contact"
What the critics have said about Bega and the Sacred Ring:
"A fascinating telling of a modern day psychic quest, the events are articulately and atmospherically told." Amazon.co.uk
"If you are interested in the goddess, sacred sites, the omphalos, and questing buy this book, come to think of it, buy it even if you're not!" Mercian Mysteries. "As well as being different, Bega and the Sacred Ring is another important book" The Occult Observer. "An interesting psychic adventure" The Cauldron. "A strange and unusual book" Insight. Bega and the Sacred Ring
On Midsummer's day 1989 I arrived in the magnificent county of Cumbria, in England's far north west. I had apparently arrived on holiday along with Carole Young. I say apparently because by normal standards the holiday turned into something that would stay with me , constantly perpetuating ideas 'till now and no doubt beyond! Whilst staying at a picture-postcard Victorian cottage, which seemed to grow out from the natural rock at the base of mighty Skiddaw mountain, I made what I now describe as my first inner-plane contact. The first inkling we both had of this was an image psychically seen by Carole, of a brick arch, housing a bronze bell, which was tolling. Following this we felt compelled to walk across the fields behind the cottage, and as dusk drew ever nearer the first sighting of our contact was made. He came as a ghostly figure of a white druid-type elder and first manifested atop a windswept knoll in the fields mentioned, at twilight upon the feast of St john the Baptist - Midsummer's Day.  Ciaran's Mound? - Bassenthwaite
Directly as a response to gaining the contact of Ciaran we were led to Castlerigg stone circle, where again contact with the druid-style figure was gained unbidden. From here on in, lay ahead a series of psychic clues which spurred us on from site to site in an unplanned and seemingly, at the time, random quest. Over the following five days we visited the following sites in the following order upon instruction from the inner-plane contact Ciaran. Castlerigg stone circle Long Meg and her Daughters stone circle Swinside stone circle The Grey croft stone circle St Mary's church, Gosforth Skiddaw mountain path Tumulus at Shap Long Barrow at Shap St John's church, Bassenthwaite. At each of the sites aforementioned we were given instructions to light a sacred flame and visualise a golden ray of energy, recapitulating from each point, which we felt was in some way helping to heal and revitalise the land, until at the long barrow at Shap, Ciaran departed, leaving us somewhat confused and bewildered. We were also told where we were to go next from each site, so we never knew too far in advance where we would end up. We meticulously followed the psychic clues and information gained from our astral guide. One of the most enigmatic statements received was "Go to the site by the lake and the mountain!" this was picked up as a direct response to our mediation upon Skiddaw mountain, and I later realised that it was of particular importance, as will become apparent shortly. We were eventually led to visit St Bega's church, situated by Lake Bassenthwaite. This was discovered only because of our visit to St john's , where within the church guide we discovered the existence of the older church of Bega. Once at St Bega's church we realised the significance of the statement "Go to the site by the lake and mountain!" - here we were standing in the shadow of the magnificent Skiddaw mountain, on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. To top it all, there on the roof of the ancient building, was the image Carole had seen clairvoyantly at the beginning of the week. A bell housed within a brick archway! We had apparently reached our final destination.  St Bega's church in oil by Southend artist Doreen Wilson
The chancel arch is the oldest part of the building, being pre-Norman. Traces of Norse and Saxon building were found during restoration work carried out in 1983, and it is said that the present site was an area sacred to pagan culture long before Christianity came and superseded it. The present building can trace it's lineage to the 10th century. © Alex Langstone 2008 Coming soon Chapter 2. "The Legend"  An Interview with Carole YoungTo coincide with the relaunch and serialisation of psychic questing cult-classic Bega and the Sacred Ring, I took the chance to speak to one of the psychic questing movement's longest serving supporters, Carole Young.
Carole: I had many psychic experiences as a child. They seemed perfectly natural to me. One of my earliest recollections is of vivid dreams, some that came true. My Mother was also very interested in dreams and we used to discuss them together in the mornings, I was fortunate we could share in our interest. A lot of children who are sensitive to such things are made to feel there is something wrong with them if they talk about it. However, my Father who was a really lovely, wise and kind man and very down to earth and practical thought we were both mad but let us get on with it, he seemed amused by it all I think. I also discovered that my friend Kathryn was also very interested in dream interpretation, so we used to interpret each other’s dreams on the way to school, or attempt to. I believe dreams are very important and are one of the best sources of psychic information going. My Mother was probably more clairvoyant than me and I tend to hear spirit rather than ‘see’, however, when I was about 9 yrs old I went with my Mother to visit a friend of hers she hadn’t seen for a long time. Whilst there, I went upstairs and on the landing an elderly lady passed me and smiled. She asked me if I was having a nice time, she then promptly walked straight through the solid door into a bedroom! Evidently the lady of the house had a lodger who had passed on a couple of years previously. It was a wonderful experience. I felt privileged to have seen her. She seemed solid and real but surrounded in a gentle light. Her eyes were bright blue. Anyway, I had all sorts of experiences and was fascinated by all the mysteries of the universe. I was also very interested in UFOs. I think it’s important to have a positive outlet and channel for psychic ability and to have training and discipline. When I was 21 I took up a study of astrology and started reading astrological charts for people and of course studied my own chart intensively, this helped me in many ways and I found I used a lot of intuition when reading the charts, I also had a sense of purpose and direction, which I felt was positive and helpful to other people. I actually had less random psychic experience once I took up astrology; I was more grounded and generally less open to influences than before. I was more in charge of my own ship, so to speak. I also developed a healthy scepticism. My aim was to try and learn and have an open mind. I remember being very hungry and thirsty for knowledge of the more mystical/spiritual kind. However, one experience I had while at school aged about 12/13 I found disturbing, not so much due to the experience itself but the reaction to it! One afternoon I was called into the Headmaster’s office. He told me off good and proper for going out of school at lunchtime. He said he had seen me walking along the road in my school uniform and so had others. I protested that I had not gone anywhere and had eaten my lunch in the playground with a group of friends. He insisted it was me; my friends went to see him and told him I’d been with them all lunchtime. He was really quite nasty and said. “Well it must be your double, don’t meet her or you’ll die” Some people just don’t know how to speak to kids! He seemed pretty spooked out by it and I reckon he had me marked down as some kind of wicked witch even at that young age. I felt a bit of the old persecution vibe going on there. However I must show some understanding as he was probably scared shit-less! To this day I have no idea exactly what occurred. Oh well, there are more things in heaven and earth and all that! Around the age this happened can often be a time for strange occurrences of a psychic nature, for some children. Alex: When and why did you first become involved in the controversial subject of Psychic Questing? Carole: I first got involved in psychic questing in the early 80’s when I went along to Andrew Collins' Earthquest Group. I was working in All this seems so long ago now and those days will probably never come again but I have vivid memories and we did have some laughs as well. When I look back at it, it was all very innocent and so heart -felt and I think that’s what made it so good! It was during these times during the 1980’s that Andy first wrote and published Earthquest News. The magazine consisted of articles of quests that the group had been involved in. The Earthquest News journal in my humble opinion was brilliant and still stands today as excellent material for anyone interested in psychic questing. As for the psychic side of things, I started using my abilities in new way, a completely new direction. We mainly worked as a group and everything that was picked up on psychically was written down and researched and articles were formed for Earthquest News, or for lectures. Everyone contributed and quite a few people received good psychic information even though they never felt they were psychic before. The whole situation had triggered abilities they didn’t know they possessed. It is important to write things up so it can then be passed on to others, so preserving and passing on knowledge. Something that the main individuals in questing have in common is they work hard, otherwise quests just evaporate, which really is a waste. As regards to questing and psychic ability Andy really wanted to work with direct information psychics and was on the look out for anyone who showed signs of this ability to receive names, dates and places accurately, this is totally understandable as they are so valuable in the psychic questing movement. I am not a direct information psychic myself, they are quite rare, but I have my moments. . During my time with Earthquest I also got to go to some UFO lectures and as I had been fascinated by the UFO phenomena since I was a child this was great! I just used to sit and listen and look at the slides, hoping to learn something. Alex: What is your own perception of the psychic questing phenomena? Carole: I think psychic questing is amazing. I know it’s considered controversial but it’s very exciting and it covers so many different subjects. I think really it’s a whole way of looking at life. The quest is within as well as we learn about ourselves. What I find positive about questing is its approach to using psychic information. Basically psychically received information tends to be researched before it’s used, if it cannot be researched then that is stated and people can make their own minds up. I personally don’t like this attitude of total acceptance of every bit of psychic information. Only time will tell in some cases. The main thing is not to want to be right all the time but put whatever is received into the pot and if it checks out then great, if it doesn’t, then someone else might receive relevant information. Honesty is important and if nothing is received then it’s best to say so. That way integrity remains intact. Psychic questing takes all involved on a journey that can be a bit of a roller-coaster ride of experiences, discoveries and emotions. It’s a funny thing this questing, some people just seem to have the questing gene. What I have also found is that certain combinations of people working together on a quest just work really well and the quest starts happening and yet other combinations of people just don’t seem to work. I have seen this happen many times. As an astrologer this doesn’t really surprise or mystify me as I know that certain combinations of people create a special kind of energy when together. Take one person out of the equation or put another in and it can change that energy radically. In astrology we do a chart called a composite for a couple and it shows what they create when together, not so much the effect on each other but what effect they have on others and the world around them, like a third point. Two makes three, creativity! This applies for groups of people also. It’s a bit like a recipe. I also believe that being in tune with the signs of nature is a major part of psychic questing, as nature can talk to our souls and awaken our inner vision. Alex: What is the most interesting aspect of your work as a psychic? Carole: There are many interesting aspects to psychic work, it’s very varied. I still find it all interesting and fascinating and as every year goes by I realise how little I really know and how much there is to learn. It’s a hunger to know really, a fire within. Yes, I have my dull times but basically it’s still there. It’s the eternal flame. Everyone has it; certain people and experiences can fan its flames and reawaken it. I think questing can be something of a passion, for quite a lot of people. Psychic stuff is just part of the picture, but it’s still fascinating and interesting, I don’t think I’ll ever lose that. I have to say that the most interesting psychic quest I was involved in was the Bega quest because I felt so in tune with it and so connected and it opened up a whole new path for me. Alex and I worked well together, it just seemed to flow. The whole experience was so cathartic and healing, for me it was very much about self-healing as well as the Quest. Also, this was the time I discovered Goddess energy in a very specific way. I have worked with Goddess energy ever since. To me, there is one Divine Source of Creation that rays out into different forms but comes from the One Source, this is my belief! Alex: What other quests have you been involved with? Carole: I have been involved in many quests with Earthquest, many of which were written up in Earthquest News. One was on the However, another excellent psychic quest I worked on was with Jack Gale in Alex: (Laughing) Yes I remember it well. The Carole: The Bega quest began on Midsummer’s day in 1989. I met Alex Langstone in 1985. He came to an earth mysteries group called New Era and we got on really well right from first meeting and have been friends ever since. Andy Collins then set up Earthquest '88 which took off in a really big way. Alex came to this group and got involved. Alex and I both needed a break and we decided to go to Alex: Yes, the "Divine Spirit in Nature", so perfectly sums up the quest for Bega! So tell me Carole, where do you see extreme fringe subjects such as Psychic Questing going in the future? Carole: Well, I see psychic questing gaining even more interest over the year’s I think. Obviously there’s still lots of people not remotely interested, always will be but I can see interest growing and hopefully involvement, as it’s a very varied subject really whether you’re a psychic type, a researcher, writer or just fascinated, I think different types of people can contribute constructively if they have a genuine interest and get a lot out of it themselves. As for me, well I’m not actively involved in any quest at the moment apart from life which lets face it is a quest in itself but who knows, maybe sometime in the future with the right people, the right place, the right time? In the meantime, I have memories of some great quests, and of course Bega is ever present in my life. Astrology still plays a large part in my life as does Reiki and I am endlessly fascinated by them, never bored by them and still learning, I don’t think we ever stop learning and so we nourish our souls as well as enrich our minds. Happy questing, have fun, and love and light to you all! Carole's recommended reading list: Goddesses, Guardians and Groves by Jack Gale
Interview conducted by Alex Langstone. Photograph of Carole Young by Alex Langstone.
 More Recent Articles |
