A Soulful Journey Begins: My search for a 500 year old Yorkshire Prophetess

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young (ish) woman in possession of a decision to make, must be in want of a prophecy.

And with Mother Shipton on your doorstep, you can’t get a much better prophetess to visit. These were my thoughts this week, as I decided where to begin A Soulful Journey, the name I’ve given this blog and my new venture; to seek out sacred sites in the UK to find out if what the ancients believed were true - that certain places on this beautiful land have the power to bring about healing and transformation in a person's life. 

The decision I wanted to chat to Mother Shipton about had to do with my health, and even though she’s been dead for over four hundred years, I wasn’t discouraged. So off I went, excited to meet England’s most renowned prophetess, who apparently predicted the French Revolution and both World Wars.

One of the first things you see at the Mother Shipton Cave site are large tree trunks scattered near the entrance. Enjoying my leisurely stroll amongst the trees, I was shocked to find a woman whacking an ACTUAL HAMMER against one of these trunks. After wondering what kind of Fern Gully nightmare I’d stepped into, I noticed they all had hundreds of coins beaten deep into the bark. An ancient tradition, apparently, inspired by a pagan ritual where people once dipped a piece of cloth into a spring or river, placed it over their body to soak up a wound or illness, then tied it to the nearest tree. It was believed the water and earth elements could help dissolve the illness the person wished to rid themselves of. The act of hammering a coin into a fallen tree now has more to do with making wishes and seeking good fortune.

I was here for a prophecy, not to make a wish, so continued on my journey.

The cave where Mother Shipton was born is next to the famous Yorkshire petrifying well. Anyone sensitive to elemental energies can’t help but feel the music radiating from it. The waters stream down the rock edge and into a shallow pool beneath, sheathed in an array of emerald green plant life. 

It took all the willpower I had not to crawl in and bathe in it.

I ended up chatting to a woman who'd also taken a solo trip that day. She must have been able to sense my weirdly-wonderful spirit-vibe, as she immediately started talking about the energies of the land and how she believed coming to places like this can help raise a person’s consciousness 

“Lady, me and you are on the same page!” I said, eager to talk more.

She went on to tell me about sacred sites across the UK (most I’d never heard of) where people have apparently experienced a miracle healing. HOW INTERESTING I should just happen to meet a person with knowledge about the kind of places I want to visit and write about…

Hilary, if you ever end up reading this blog, thank you for speaking with me that day, and letting me photograph you as you said your prayers to the well. I hope you managed to collect some water!

Feeling cleansed and ready to meet Mother Shipton, I headed on up to the cave. I sat for a while against the cold, hard floor, sang to the stone, and mused over the life sized carving of her in one of the corners. 

Eventually surrendering to the idea that Mother Shipton wasn’t actually there, I went back to the well.

Thinking about the ancestral belief that water had the power to communicate information about a person’s future, it made me wonder whether it was the well, and not the cave, I should connect to. 

So, like the absolute feral witch I am, I stepped into the pool and balanced myself on two large stones, squatted low, and rinsed my arms and face with the water flowing between my legs. It felt like the most natural thing in the world (until my ego shouted - “OH MY GOD THE GERMS!!!” So I stopped, and sang instead). 

Feeling too relaxed to stand, I sat on one of the stones, sensing a thought forming in my mind. It eventually took shape and here is what it said -

“Like the constant flow of water that has shaped the grooves in this rock, the emotions that flow through you shape the landscape of your life. Create a stream of joy within your heart and you will have the power to dissolve even the heaviest blocks of pain and disharmony in your body. Like the grooves you see here, your healing won’t take shape over night. With patience, the pain will have no choice but to yield, worn down not by force, but the consistent flow of joy running through you.”

When I came out of my meditative state and finished sending thanks to the well, I was surprised to find a group of people watching me, waiting for me to move so they could take some pictures. 

Woops.

I lingered on the message I’d received. Was it from Mother Shipton? The Well? Or was it simply my own consciousness making things up? Either way, it struck a chord, and I knew I was being encouraged to reflect on the constant flow of panic and fear that had been my norm for as long as I could remember. 

“It really is time for a change,” I whispered to myself.

After that I did something unexpected. I walked up the curved steps to the wishing well behind the rock pool, threw a coin into the water, and, like so many have done before me, I made a wish. 

If you're interested in visiting Mother Shipton's Cave you can find out more information here:

https://www.mothershipton.co.uk/

I visited mid-week so only had to pay £11 to visit and park my car on site. On busy days they can charge up to £39 to park there so it's best to research local car parks before you visit. Hilary told me about Conyngham Car Park which charges £1.50 for 4 hours and is only a 2 minute walk away from the site: https://visitnorthyorkshire.com/index/conyngham-hall-park-picnic-area-and-vehicle-charging