I settle into my seat on the bus thinking about everything that just happened and picked up my phone to check my pictures. Wait, there’s no way we’ve been here for an hour and a half, it feels like we’ve only been here ten minutes.
Once again, I was awe of the magic I was feeling that made ninety minutes seem like ten and then it happened again. Suddenly we were off the bus walking to the car. I was still marveling at my experience with the stones when a voice asked, “what would you like to see next?”
“Wait, this isn’t all we’re here for? There’s more??”
I’m about to burst! I can’t believe it.
Road trip!!! Yes!!! Who doesn’t love a good adventure?
Then I stopped, realizing I have no idea where we should go, I hadn’t done any research to know what could be next. I was certain my face was mirroring the blank thoughts in my head.
I replied, “I don’t know, what else is over this way?” I was suddenly thinking about having three weeks here and all I came up with was Stonehenge and possibly London. I honestly felt that anything else I saw would be a bonus. I wasn’t sure what time would allow for. I didn’t want to impose; they still have the day to day and children to tend to.
Maybe it wasn’t fair to leave it up to my hosts to figure out. I’m wondering If they are upset, I didn’t come with any plans in mind.
We settle into the car, and started to head out of the parking area when they ask how I might feel about a visit to Glastonbury? Excitement shot though me like fireworks! Yes; yes that sounds great. I’ve heard of it by way of three mystics, I know of, from England who happen to live in Glastonbury. One has a YouTube channel and often does her podcast from key spiritual locations in the area. How fun!
They’re excited that I’m excited and off we go!
As I settle into this new adventure I realize I mistook their quiet for being upset when that wasn’t the case, no one was upset about my lack of planning. They only wanted to give me the same gift I had given them, which was to make sure my trip was everything I’d hoped it would be. So far, my time with them was wonderful and I was feeling like a true adventurer in a faraway place.
We’re on the road when I think about the time and ask, “How long is the trip” “A bit over an hour but it’s a beautiful ride through the countryside”. I prefer a drive so I can experience the charm of this beautiful county. I’m excited to see Glastonbury and already wondering what magic is waiting there for me.
We’d been driving for a while. As I looked out the window deep in thought, I noticed the lush green fields seemed to roll on forever. I was imagining faeries dancing around the trees in the field when I heard “do you have any interest in visiting the Tor”? I pull my attention back and look straight ahead seeing what they were pointing to in the distance. It looked to be a huge pillar in the on a hill. I asked “what is the Tor? I’m not sure I have interest in seeing it”. I didn’t feel a yes in my body at the thought of going there.
They explain it’s known as the Glastonbury Tor and it’s connected through mythology to King Arthur and Avalon. They explained that it’s said to be a highly spiritual site and even validated that the youtuber I knew of did some ascension energy updates from this location occasionally.
Interesting, still I felt nothing.
I’ve always felt a connection to Avalon through Merlin but somehow seeing the Tor did not feel like something I needed to do at this time so I said I’d pass, and we could continue to Glastonbury.
They asked again if I was sure, I was. I didn’t feel a pull there, but I felt it with the mention of Glastonbury. Theres something there, I can feel it deep within.
After driving for a little over an hour through a winding country road which seemed to wind to sharply to the left, we were suddenly in what appeared to be a tiny town… but wait, don’t blink, cough or sneeze, you will miss the town!
The street we wound up on was High Street, which appeared to be the main road or really only road in the town. There was what looked like a town square with some kind of obelisk in the center, maybe a meeting point of sorts, like the town center. As we drove by I could see a few sketchy looking characters hanging out with bicycles parked around it. Later as we walked it, I saw the plaque on the pillar which said it was the Glastonbury Market Cross bringing High Street and Market Place together.
There were only two roads, the one we were on and another road, but then I saw the sign read “for pedestrians only”. As I looked closer, I saw it was a cobblestone road that appeared to have a handful of restaurants near the square and possibly a bunch flats further down the cobblestone road.
Since we were arriving later in the day, we were able to find a parking spot on High Street which only allowed for two hours parking so we’d have to move the car or leave. I found that interesting. It was just like home; we have towns with metered parking.
We exited the car to the sidewalk. I was standing there taking in the street with the lights aglow from the stores against the beautiful, moody sky. It looked like something out of a movie.
High Street didn’t appear to be wide enough for two cars to pass but somehow, just like every other street I’ve experienced since being here they seem to figure it out.
As I was looking at all the storefronts my hosts were dealing with the meter. I noticed each building, though attached to each other had a different color and architecture from the next. It was such a beautiful street, I would love to have gotten there earlier to have more time to explore.
It appeared most of the stores were already closed except the one we parked in front of which I was now grinning at. “Dicketts the Stationers & Co.” is what the sign said but as I looked in the front window all I saw was art supplies of every type. I asked if we could step in for a minute, I knew we were all hungry, but I wanted to experience an art store while I was in England. I could now check that off the list.
When I entered the store, I could feel the magic! More “friends” that made me feel like home, art supplies of every kind. The store had all kinds of paper, pens, cards, clever gadgets as well as some of my favorite Derwent pencils, Daler Rowney paint and so much more. Then it hit me, these are British brands I buy back in the states, another familiar feel making me feel at home.
I intimately knew this store from deep within and thought this is where I would shop if I lived in this area.
There was really nothing I needed since I brought a few art supplies with me, so I didn’t buy anything. I was feeling all about the experience I was having. I would remember this.
It felt magical, I wanted more, so I left the store and was back on the sidewalk and for a moment I thought my eyes were tricking me.
There in front of me was an apothecary!! Star Child Apothecary to be exact. A big store that felt magical without even going in, in a tiny, charming town in historical Glastonbury. It had an old-world vibe to it, and I was excited to explore it before it closed.
The minute I walked in the aroma was the first thing to hit me. I realized it was a combination of the candles, smudge sticks, incense, essential oil and herbs collectively. The scent was relaxing which was good because I needed to come back down to Earth and focus.
I felt dizzy with excitement, there was so much to explore in a short amount of time.
The store had old wooden floors and was very long and wide. Everywhere I looked there were huge wooden shelves from the bottom to the top holding candles, books, incenses, tarot decks, oracle cards, essential oils, herbal teas, and assorted tools.
It was a beautiful shop decorated in a way that made me feel like a witch, magician or some magical creature might walk in any moment. It had a Harry Potter vibe, and oh there it was again.
Magical and perfect!
As I turned back to the register area, we’re greeted by a woman who said to let her know if we needed help with anything.
I was lost in all the botanical goodness surrounding me. There was so much to take in. It felt impossible to know if I needed something from here. This is the type of shop I usually want some kind of takeaway trinket from but there was nothing hitting me at the moment except the overwhelm of my senses at the sight of it all. So much to explore so little time.
I was looking at the large jars of herbs on the counter behind the register. My mind was drifting to thoughts of my younger self, wanting to cast a spell with an eye of newt, toe of frog and tongue of dog, which I learned much later in life that as mysterious as that sounded, these were just cleaver covert names for the plants being used in a spell or ritual. It was a kind of code for witches only. How disappointing there was no jar of newt eyes or frog toes… I’ll opt not to take a tongue of dog though.
I liked it, it was a fun way to make the magic of plant medicine seem like more. I love a little mystery with my magic. I laughed at the though of adding an eye of newt (mustard seed) to my made-up potion, it always makes me giggle to hear my mom sigh in the background “oh Maria”.
It was then, suddenly in that moment, reflecting on spells and potions that I remembered my hosts mum having a touch of eczema on her finger that we tried to help her with through a loving conversation. I was feeling it could be stress and possibly grief contributing to what she was experiencing.
Eczema can be tricky. I’ve had a lot of experience working with herbs over the years, and somehow the fun of reflecting on spell casting in my younger years suddenly reminded me of an herbal oil I could make for it.
I spoke with my host who’s mum it was, she thought it was a good idea, so we approached the woman behind the counter to get an 25 grams of Lavendar, St. Johns Wort, Comfrey, and Calendula. I couldn’t make a salve since I didn’t have proper equipment, but upon returning to the house, I could make an oil that could be rubbed on her finger daily to soothe the anger of the eczema.
Happy with our purchase for our witches’ brew, although there was no eye of newt or toe of frog, I felt content this would be a powerful ointment once we got it into the cauldron, sorry I mean pot, with some olive oil although that might not happen for a few days.
Wow the excitement is building in me, a magical potion awaits my crafting!
We leave the apothecary, bag in hand, this has been another magical moment and then I’m pulled back to the present by the gnawing of my stomach.
It’s not just me, all three of us are hungry and in need of food. Google says the Queen of Cups is a good place to eat and it’s open until 11pm, with excellent reviews. I hear the menu has hummus, falafel, potato batata, olives, pita bread and more, I’m in!
The directions show it’s on the cobblestone road near the Obelisk in the town square. The sky is dark and cold but incredibly beautiful. I’m thinking about how blessed I’m feeling for the amazing adventures we had today, but my thoughts are put on hold. We’re navigating a darkened ally to the Queen of Cups. It’s looking like something out of a movie, a darkened street, no lights, only the lights on the building to guide us.
The building is very old world with a charm that feels welcoming. The sign out front is a simple hand painted sign with the name, nothing fancy.
We walk in and are warmly greeted by the hostess and shown to a table. I notice we almost have the place to ourselves; there’s only two other people having food. It’s got a nice chill vibe, very low key with light middle eastern music playing in the background.
We order tea as we read the menu, which looks amazing. We all agree that we can’t make up our mind, laughing at wanting to try it all and agree to get a bunch of sharing plates so we can have a taste of everything. The food does not disappoint.
I think about my favorite place to eat back home, the Pita House. The owner is Turkish and the food is incredible. I smile at the familiarity.
We share about our experience with the stones; they are more interested in mine since they’ve been there many times before. Our conversation runs to the moon and back.
And just like that it’s time to go, the meter is expiring and we need to be back at the car. We leave the Queen of Cups and the air is a little crisper, the walk feels good after our meal.
I look around.
We’re the only car left on the street.
We load up and buckle in; I find out we have a ninety-minute drive to our final destination for the day.
I settle into me seat, full and happy.
Road trip!
**Note** In transparency I did not take the picture you see here of Star Child Apothecary. I realized once we got back to the car and tried but it was too dark at that point and came out as a very dark blur. This picture is from their website and the photo credit goes to whomever took it, very thankfully. The photo of the street looking towards the square was taken after we parked and exited the car.