Many people know of the magic of Glastonbury and the magic of the Chalice Well located there, but not as many know that just a few feet away is another sacred water source. It is mysterious, very magical, and very different from the Chalice Well. Hundreds of people come to Glastonbury to marinate in the many magical and healing energies that surround and intersect there. Many come to shop, climb the Tor, and spend hours in the beautiful and quiet gardens of the Chalice Well Trust. The White Spring, which today is found paralleling the Chalice Well gardens is located just on the other side of the Well House lane. This magical water is saturated with lime and calcium which leaves white deposits everywhere the water runs. Giving it the name the White Spring or White Well.
If you have ever visited Glastonbury and explored the quiet magical town, then you are most likely familiar with the magical gates that surround the Victorian Well House just a few steps away from the Chalice Well Garden. Those that are familiar with the Victorian Well House know it holds the secrets of the White Spring, and know that its energies are often kept hidden and secret. While the Chalice well garden is open most of the time, the White Spring Well House sits quietly waiting for the doors to open, during its limited hours. Outside of the Wellhouse is a small damp shrine, with spirals formed into the stone wall and platform. In recent years the front of the Well house has been redone. There is now a beautiful water feature with cascading pools of water. Here you can see the magical White Springwater flowing right outside the gatehouse.
When the gates open to the old Well house, the sounds of the water can be heard like a soft voice telling the secrets of the sacred land and the mysteries of the white spring. The Wellhouse is lit only by candlelight, bringing even more mystery and magic to the old well house. While there is no artificial light in the old well house, turned sacred shrine and temple. It is lit by so many candles and pinholes of natural light that once your eyes adjust you can see many sacred shrines and nooks and crannies that hold sacred objects, offerings, and sacred objects. Many visitors wade through the water in their bare feet, visiting the many shrines dedicated to the Lady of Avalon, St Brigid, and the King of the Faery (to name a few).
The Wellhouse, originally build in 1897, is dark and damp, and speaks of the darkest mysteries of all, those of our soul, and the darker aspects of the shadow that often go unnoticed. While the Chalice well is the one famed for being the well of healing, it is often associated with blood and feminine mysteries of the iron-laden waters. There is nothing more magical and mysterious than a direct contrast of this sacred place just a few steps across a small street, the White Well. The Wellhouse quickly fell into disrepair and was abandoned until about 1980. It was then resurrected and the blue doors built. Do not let the mysterious and quiet energies of the White Spring fool you into thinking that this is not a place of healing. For it is here, in the deeper, darker aspects of ourselves, where we can find deep healing and true transformation. While the Chalice Well speaks of blood and feminine mysteries, the White Spring speaks of bone, milk, masculine energies, healing, and transformation.
The Glastonbury Tor is often associated with St. Michael or the Arch Angel Michael. However, its power and mystery are not limited to the Sun Gods. Deep below the Tor, in the realm of the Faery King Gwyn Ap Nudd is where the sacred White Spring bubbles up. Strengthened by the mysteries of the Fae and Avalon, the white limestone waters bubble up through the base of the Tor. They trickle down over the land paralleling the path of the Chalice Well.
The colors of the White Spring and Chalice Well’s energies combine and can be seen reflecting the colors of the Faery Realm, White and Red. These colors and themes are also mirrored in the energies of the sacred apple orchard on the hills surrounding the Tor and sacred springs. The red apple skin symbolizes the life force and blood and the energies of the chalice well, while the white of the apple symbolizes the white well, calcium, and bone, which is often seen as the structure and foundation. Both of these energies of the land continue to rely on each other’s energy for balance and completion. Glastonbury truly is a magical place, with so many esoteric connections to the Faery realm and Avalon. If you are able to visit this magical land, make sure to plan your trip around when the White Spring’s Well house opens, it is well worth the visit!
By Annwyn Avalon
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