Crazy Guidance! Head over Heels in a Sacred Circle
Last week Jen and I were traveling around Ireland. Our friend Eugene took us on a tour of some of his favorite sacred sites in the area. The first place he took us was Piper Rocks, an ancient stone circle atop a hill.
“You’re gonna focking love this spot”, he said as we walked past grazing sheep and thistle bushes. The circle became visible as we came to the crest of the hill, a concentric ring of stones averaging three to six feet in height. They were many different shapes; field stones placed deliberately into position eons ago.
We paused at the entrance, each saying a silent prayer of thanks and asking permission to enter. I’ve learned that approaching any sacred site with reverence makes me much more receptive to the energy these places offer.
Silently we entered, each called in our own direction. I moved slowly around the inside perimeter, touching the stones, suspending my ordinary thoughts and simply being present.
I was halfway round the circle when I found myself leaning on one stone in particular, my belly draped comfortably across its crescent shape, chin resting atop its crest. This rock was cozy, and I was quite content to stay here awhile…
Then I hear the strangest thing… ‘Do a headstand here’
What???
There’s an image of me doing a headstand atop this stone… This is crazy… a headstand – here? This is too dramatic… Eugene might even think its sacrilegious… No way!
But the image remains, as steady as the rock. I ask for clarity and guidance, and still the image remains… Certainly not something I thought up, I decide to finish my walk around the circle before committing to this crazy idea…
I amble over to Eugene, tell him I’ve received a most crazy piece of guidance. “I’m guided to do a headstand on that stone over there”, I say, pointing.
He bursts into a big smile. “I just talked to the spirits of this place, and they said they were curious just how playful you’d be. If you feel comfortable doing it, go for it!”
And then I remember I’m in Leprechaun country! Is this an elemental practical joke?
I get an immediate reply; this is to move energy, to open another channel for yet another frequency of light.
With any doubt about the appropriateness of the act out of the way, I find myself wondering if I can even do a headstand on that rock…
I go over and take a closer look…
The top is rounded, not an easy spot to put my head. I climb up, try and get into position, find myself in an awkward pose getting into place…
“Why couldn’t it have been that stone over there”, I think, “Or that one or that one! All with nice flat tops, it would be simple and easy. But no, it has to be this one”, and I crouch down again, placing my wool cap between my skull and the hard stone…
Headstands are like bike riding; once you can do it, it comes right back to you. Its not part of any regular practice, but I do notice that sometimes I’m called to place my spine upside down and vertical to the earth, usually to move some energy thru my body.
The same thing happens to me when I freedive; when I place my feet directly over my head as I dive into the deep, there’s a dramatic energetic shift, a rush of energy down my spine, that opens my consciousness into a deeper state…
I plant my hands and head, lift my butt into the air and slowly, one at a time, I tip my vertebrae into position…
I feel a powerful energy rising… the straighter my spine gets, the more it builds… perhaps I’m here to do what the humpback whales do when they hang upside down in the deep blue, singing their humpback songs…
Further up my body goes…
The energy rises faster, speeding up toward a crescendo at the same time my awareness expands… time slows, I feel the presence of many spirits around me; guides, angels, elementals and guardians of this sacred place…
My feet come up… energy, light, euphoria surge thru me… we are a union of light…
In the flow of energy my feet keep going back, back…
“Oh my God I’m going over!” The thought of falling backwards and being hurt flashes thru me… I didn’t even check to see the landing spot!!!
I make a conscious choice to relax and surrender… to completely trust this crazy process… a deep sense of peace and ecstasy floods me… over I go!
BAM!
I land crouching on the soles of my feet, my spine free and clear, and then I fall immediately back to the stone and BAM! The back of my head hits the stone with a resounding whack…
I’m in two places at once – The moment the rock hits my head, I simultaneously feel the exact same whack on the root of my spine… skull and sacrum, the exact same pressure at the exact same time…
Then its over… I’m squatting awestruck on the earth, Jen and Eugene rushing up asking if I’m ok… Jen shares that she saw light shooting out my feet as they went vertical into the air.
“I’m fine, I’m fine” I say, rubbing my shaken head. I get up and walk around, a few leftover stars spinning inside my skull, and laugh at the craziness of it all… Following one’s guidance can result in some pretty unexpected behavior!
Then I notice that the crick in my neck, the crunchy gritty spot that every chiropractor I’ve been to in the past 20 years has tried to free up, is gone…
© Joe Noonan
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Joe, you and Jen are such fabulous examples of flowing with the Universe! I love following your experiences; they’re very inspiring.
This one, in particular, I can so very much identify with, having stood in some remote circles in cow pastures, – it took courage to be playful and follow the odd direction, but it helps me see that logic is often heavy luggage.
Your smack in the head and the sacrum simultaneously immediately put me in mind of my Zen sensei hitting us with the keisaku (wooden stick) to encourage us and break up sludgy bits of energy. I’m glad your wallop hasn’t had any long-term deleterious effects.
BTW, I loved your writing style in this blog. It was a treat to read.
Hi Jan!
The whack to the head was anticipated as I rocketed backwards, the simultaneous whack on the sacrum, while it was midair, was a total shock! Definitely divinely orchestrated! It moved some energy big time! :) Thanks for the comment!
Oh Joe, this is magical,sacred,and extremely funny all at the same time! I love your willingness to follow your Divine Guidance! I’m sitting here with a big grin on my face … you are too precious for words! Can hardly wait til you and Jen get here! All my love to you both!
What a wonderful reward. Not just for listening but for trusting enough to just do it !
Here comes the wave yaaay!
What a great story! Glad you weren’t hurt. And interesting, I often get “urges” to do what might be considered odd things/gestures at times, such as “raise your right hand to the West” or something like that. And I sometiomes obey. But now I feel like I should listen and obey more often. ~Thanks. :-)