On Crossing the Hedge

I have been focusing for the last year on what I call travelling the Hedge, hence the name of my blog, Somewhere Over the Hedgerow.  There are many different names for what is basically astral travel, and the destinations although all similar are a world beyond ours, where we go through the mists to visit with ancestors, other wordly beings, the divine, ancient races that exist in this realm no longer.  The entrance is achieved via trance and this can be reached using entheogens, meditation, alcohol, just a  little loosening so that your mind is free.  It is important not to be inebriated, just happy, open to the adventure.  Where you go and what you set up is up to you.  A guide is vital, as there can be dangers once you follow the crooked path.  An open mind is good, but don't fill the open mind with thoughts of your own, let them come to you, and they will come.  After all, you don't want to be having imaginary conversations, you want to stimulate the life spark and speak with those beyond.  I chose to look for my Grandma, who when I was a child, looked out for me and my best interests even when my own mother would not.  I loved that woman and knew that she would be a good choice for me to let me know what is up, which is what the guide is for.

If you are confused, don't worry, it can take a long time for all of the ideas and concepts to sink in.  Once embarking on the path, maintain time in the real world.  Grounding yourself in the real world is important, as spirits can be cheeky or malevolent, kind or curious to see what reactions they can get from you.  They are not like humans, there is a sense of nonsense to them and for them that is natural.

I have a fairly easy time of it, getting to the meeting place I mean (there is nothing easy about crossing the hedge).  When I was 6 my appendix ruptured and I died on the table.  I remember looking down at my body and this was my first out of body experience.  I saw them working on me and then suddenly I was waking up in my bed and I was very sick.  I was in the hospital a long time, I went in just after Christmas and came out Easter Sunday.  I convalesced at home for a month, and then returned to school.  Now TVs in hospital rooms were not the norm, so I had to entertain myself, it was then I develloped a passion for books.  

As I grew up my dreams became interesting, I saw things and knew things that others did not.  For me, these things were obvious, but it set me apart from my peers and they just thought I was creepy.  It was the 70's and you just didn't go around yelling... woo woo... I'm a witch.... You just kept it to yourself.

However, in 1977, Rankin and Bass made an animated film of the hobbit, and the notoriety of The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit opened the eyes of many people.  Magic and wizards filled the air, and suddenly the 1980's had witches starting to come out of the broom closet.  This was great because suddenly a wealth of information including anthropological studies, women's studies, art, science, crafts, started to make sense.  

So with my new found information and a lot of floundering, I found my own way, albeit slowly, over the hedge.  I taught myself to go into a trance without falling asleep.  I would meditate walking along a wooded path and then going beyond the hedgerows and into the wildwood where I would sit by a fourway crossroad and just wait to see who came by.  I had problems connecting with anyone there and often sat alone on a rock.  Then one day I reached out to my Grandma on my father's side, I called out to her and she came.  She has been guiding me ever since.  

I have worked on the crossroad, and now there is a beautiful garden at the crossroads with an outdoor pub, where I get together with my recently departed relatives and we talk.  We keep away from my mother's relatives, but that's a tale for a different day.  Anyways, this is how I get in.  In your mind, you can build a crossroad, a safe place, and from there your guide can take you into the world beyond.  I have not travelled often beyond the safety of my crossroad, but it's an issue with my mom and as I said earlier, that's a tale for another time.