Dolmen at Carnac All photos copyright © Terry L. H. Brumley. All rights reserved. Click on images for larger views.

Carnac at Beltane

At Beltane in the year 2000, my oldest daughter, Cora, and I made a pilgrimage to Carnac, home to the great prehistoric megalithic monuments. We had traveled by train from Paris to Rennes, then to Auray, and at last by bus to Morbihan Carnac.

At dawn on Beltane, we walked out of our little motel room in Morbihan, Brittany, in France. The streets were empty, silent and still. A gentle mist started to fall. At last, the pilgrimage had begun.

Cora and I climbed the hilly road out of town. Somewhere along the six-mile hike we became footsore and eventually, exhausted. The mist had turned to rain and our clothes were sticking to our bodies so that we were hot and cold at the same time, between the effort and the rain. Drenched and miserable, I asked myself if everything we had been through to reach Carnac was really worth it. Was this folly, to believe She was there, just a little further down the road? We kept on walking, silent and apprehensive -- too stubborn to turn back.

Eventually, the sun came out and the rain ended, and we arrived at the woodland outside of town. Fragrant misty flowers glowed with inner light, and trees welcomed our hearts, branching between worlds. Our destination was at hand: We had entered the realm of Fairie. Trembling with joy, we rejoiced with the Spirits of the land, reveling in the beauty of the Mother.

Menhirs at Carnac (click on images for larger views)

As we crested the hill, there was Carnac before us. The great living rocks, the bones of Her Body, sprang up out of the earth to embrace us. The power of Her love reflected in each ray of the sun as it fell on Cora and me. Golden furze, wild and free, sprang up in clumps among the standing stones. Finally, we reached the Dolmens -- the womb and tomb of the Great Mother. The red tide of life flowed out of the living rock. It was Beltane, and we were alive in every molecule of our beings.

We spent the afternoon feeling the joy of being in Her womb. As we walked the long road back to the motel, we were still giddy with excitement. By the time we arrived back at our motel, our feet were swollen and our calves, aching. We fell on our beds, elevated our legs, rubbed them with lotion, and laughed at our soreness from the bottom of our bellies.

Dolmens at Carnac (click on images for larger views)

Ravished, we went to dinner and ate like starving wolves. The gift of life had been granted to us on this Beltane day. We knew that She is, was, always has been, and always will be waiting for those who seek for Her.