I went to Castle Dunure to host this event, but in the end I was on my own. That didn’t make me go home right away; I knew I was there with a purpose.
Deciding I would take my time with it, I started with a grounding, and really sat with the place. Depsite the fact that I know there was a lot of damage done to the natural side of this place, I felt a deep peace. It gave me more clarity while wandering around for facts. I saw so many opposites: human interaction, already in the early ages, but in decline. Other human interaction with a more solid appearance: playgrounds, sports attributes, all on heavy Tarmac grounds. It makes you wonder how tarmac might be safe when a child falls off a swing…. There were iron fences, around and in the castle, and iron fences around a monoculture field surrounding the castle ruin. Still, in the midst of decline, in the midst of woundedness, there were wild flowers popping up; in the cracks of the castle wall, through the tarmac, along the fences, on top of the walls, and all the way down over the rocks, to the beach. There were birds nesting on top of the castle: pigeons, blackbirds, jackdaws. At the seaside I saw gulls, and a gannet, and behind me in the village I heard a raven. During my first connection session I felt a feeling of abandonment, of neglect, of invisibility. After walking around, and seeing all the beauty, this ruined castle struck me as a deteriorating, but faithful guardian. Crumbling down, but still watching over the ocean. It was like he was telling me that, despite the pain, despite his woundedness, he wouldn’t give up easily. It was because he found his partner: nature, with her beauty, and her unending resilience and growth, married him despite his ugliness and harshness. Together they form a couple with opposites, and in that, they bring forth hope!