​Wonderful visit to Alsia Sacred Spring near St. Buryan in Cornwall today. This spring is said to be named by  visiting by mariners looking for fresh water, who brought the the name Alsia, via France, from ancient Greece as part of the cult of Mother Nature Demeter. It is full of lush wild plants and a small stream trickles from the well all year round. Today the May Flower Hawthorn trees were glowing at the entrance gate - a cloud of inflorescent white. The Hawthorn tree is associated with May day rituals and goddess worship where the trees were often grown around a sacred place. May flower is said to bring bad luck if picked and brought into the house. My Aunty Tilly once scoulded me as a child after I picked what I thought were lovely branches of white blossoms and wanted to bring them into the house. She wouldn't entertain them crossing the threshold.

 When I entered the gate at Alsia and came close to the spring the sounds of the outside world receded so that all I could hear was birdsong and the gentle flow of the spring water trickling from the pool. I felt stillness and calm as I stood next to the well and an amazing feeling of peace. Here is a place that makes you feel you can put aside your restless mind, and just let everything be, at its own pace, in its own time. I've taken that feeling away from me every time I've visited over many years.

I've been guided by nature spirits to create flower and vibrational essences at some of the special sites of holy wells and springs in Cornwall and based upon my interpretation at the different places, I've developed the Voyage Holy Well Essence set which may take you to on a personal journey of self discover.

Goddess-well from the Voyage Holy Well Essence range is an interpretation of the energy signature at Alsia, focusing on my feelings of being able to find a still place to gain perspective on self and being able to "let it be". The invocation of the goddess relates to the gentle and fruitful surroundings, and the principle of fertility of mind and body coming from a still, calm place within ourselves. As we celebrate May Day the beginning of summer after our Beltane fires, we acknowledge our energy being reignited with the increasing light - all the better from being at a calm, peaceful centre.

Beltane blessings,
​Lesley

Spring is finally here

It has seemed like a long winter even in Cornwall where we get our fair share of sunshine.
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Finally like the beautiful Peacock butterfly resting in the glowing Blackthorn blossom we are out of the cocoon and enjoying the return of the light and, like hibernating grass snakes, we are basking in the sun and stretching out to capture every revitalising ray.

Today do three things to raise your sunshine feelings like:

Look up at the sky where ever you are and feel transported by the flow of the clouds.

Sit beside a growing plant in your home, office or outside and feel the calm, peaceful energy being shared with you. 

Give yourself permission to daydream about you favourite outdoor space, be there soaking up the sun, snow or whatever makes you feel good.

Feel a bit of cornishwellessence today.

​Lesley

Did you know that the seasons can make you feel great or less than great? Want to feel revitalised now? Welcome Spring! What a wonderful celebration of nature and regeneration throughout the Cornish countryside.

On the 8th May we celebrated the passing of winter and the coming of spring with the ancient Furry Dance at Helston Flora Day. Like the Padstow ‘Obby Orse’, we chase the demons away and encourage fertility of the land and its people. The battle of good versus evil in the Hal an Tow mummer’s play early in the morning stirs up the new energy and the dancers wend their way through cottage and shop to bringing prosperity and renewed vitality to all throughout the day.

The emblem worn by Helston residents is Lily of the Valley, gentlemen wearing it on the left, ladies on the right.
Lily of the Valley has interesting folklore which mirrors the Hal an Tow story.
A medieval Christian legend of the origin of lily of the valley told of Saint Leonard. In A.D. 559, St Leonard asked permission to go live in the woods so he could spend his days among the trees and flowers communing with God. Also living in the wood was a dragon named Temptation, who appeared before St Leonard to try and get him to leave the forest. Leonard was at prayer and did not hear him. When the dragon could not find St. Leonard it went to St. Leonard’s hut and burned it down. When Saint Leonard returned, he fought the dragon in a bloody battle. Wherever the dragon lost a drop of blood, a poisonous weed began to grow. Wherever Saint Leonard's blood fell, a Lily of the Valley appeared. After three days Saint Leonard was finally able to slay the dragon.


Much symbolism involves Lily of the Valley. It is considered the sign of Christ's second coming, and is often called Ladder to Heaven or Jacob's tears. The plant is also mentioned in the Song of Solomon in the Bible. Mary's tears’ is yet another name for Lily of the Valley; legend says that when Mary cried at the cross, her tears turned into this flower. It is considered a symbol of purity and humility, sweetness, and renewed happiness. In some areas, lily of the valley was thought to have the power to help men envision a better world

Lily of the valley, cultivated for over 400 years, seems to be loved everywhere. Sprigs of the blossoms are worn in the lapel on May Day in France, and it is the national flower of Finland. In Germany and Scandinavian countries, it was thought to be good luck to go to the woods and pick "Virgin's tears" in the spring.
Often carried in bridal bouquets, lily of the valley is sometimes considered the "fifth thing" that a bride should carry {right after something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue}. The Dutch carry this a bit further and often plant the pips of lily of the valley in the first garden the couple owns. Each time the plants bloom, year after year, the couple is supposed to celebrate the renewal of their love.

Lily of the Valley was Kate’s choice as part of the Royal Wedding bouquet as we can see for all the right reasons.