The ancient pilgrim route known as St Michael's Way runs right by where I'm staying, as does the accompanying St Michael ley line made famous by the book The Sun and the Serpent by Hamish Miller. Oddly, once I'd examined Miller's mapping of the line (and its companion the St Mary line), I realised that for at least ninety per cent of the time I have lived in England it has been in close proximity to some part of the line, between Cornwall and Suffolk. It was one of the main instigators of my writing The Poisoned Dragon.
As the concentration of ch'i or life force is particularly strong along a healthy line, nature is also usually abundant. Hence, walking or even driving 'the Way' is rewarding and nourishing even beyond what you would normally expect. Above is where the path enters marshland and you can see that even here in this dank and gloomy stretch there is something beautiful inherent. I felt this to be true also at the railway crossing nearby.
Crossings of any sort in a landscape have a magical quality, such as in the mythical standing of crossroads, for it is where different directions, purposes, desires and journeys meet. The result is often a profound stillness at the heart of a lot of movement. Sadly, many pedestrian crossings of railways have been closed due to people not taking enough care, and accidents occurring, which is what happened further down the line. Crossings are sacred places and deserving of respect. I recommend you pause when coming to one, and take time to absorb the stillness, the magic.
This part of the journey continues through the marshland and a bird sanctuary, before emerging at the village of Marazion and St Michael's Mount, an Anglo echo of Mont-Saint-Michel in France. From here or nearby ancient pilgrims could board a ship to continue their journeys to Europe. Mine was simply - after spending some time enjoying the beautiful location - to turn around and retrace my steps back home.
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