London Pilgrimage 1

The forecast was for rain this weekend. The weather gods must have known of my intention to do a pilgrimage to sacred sites. The sun I hoped for, showed up and shone. Thanks weather beings!

My companion and I decided to walk from Ludgate Circus to Tower Hill. En route, we would visit St Brides Well in Fleet Street, Ludgate Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral (the site of A Dianic Temple), The Mithras Temple Ruins, the London Stone and the White mound at Tower Hill.

Clutching an A to Z, a dog-eared copy of Peter Ackroyd’s London: A biography, and assorted print outs of a range of bits from the net, we set off from Holborn station on a blustery, sunny morning.

19th November being Transgender Memorial Day, in a rather loose fashion, we dedicated our pilgrimage to the remembrance of transgender people who were victims of transfobic murder. At the different sites, we connected with aspects of the experience of transfobic violence and did workings to honour grief and mourning, pride, strength and healing.

Already an accomplished exhibitionist, I was in my element! Boldly, I cast circles in churches, climbed over barriers to forbidden ruins and clambered around in full view of curious tourists and church-goers in a clump of yew trees whilst meditating! My companion, being sighted, was slightly more disturbed by the curious stares, puzzled head-shakes and sometimes outright hilarity caused by the sight of two middle-aged women, eyes-closed and muttering, waving around a rattle, a candle, incense and other assorted impedimenta of the impromptu alter variety! Soon though, even she like I, was lost to whatever was going on around us as we slipped more and more easily into that other place where anything can and sometimes does happen.

So settle down and read/listen to some of who and what we met.