Thin Places - Llansor Mill, South Wales

Another thin place - Llansor Mill, near Caerleon in South Wales. My partner and I attended an Enneagram workshop there two weekends ago, which was eye-opening on its own, quite apart from the stunning location.

It's only a ten-minute drive from the M4, so easy to get to, and nestles in the most beautiful landscape - not wild, but very hilly and green and has a lovely feeling of privacy.

We stayed in the old mill house which Stephen and Mary Ashton have converted into a very comfortable meeting room-cum-holiday home. There's more accommodation in another old stone house, plus space for camping down nearer the Sor brook that gives the place its name. 

There's something very healing simply about being in nature, but here they also run a programme of events to nurture body, mind and spirit, or simply let you come and stay and soak up the tranquil atmosphere. The sun came out for us too, so we saw it at its best.

The website can be found here.

Thin places - The Bield at Blackruthven

This is a picture of one aspect of the Bield at Blackruthven, in Scotland, where we will hold this year's Men's Rites of Passage. In Celtic spirituality, this would be know as a thin place, a place where the veil between earth and heaven is thinner than normal, and where it is easier to perceive the spiritual and to interact with it than in a more humdrum location.

"Bield" is a word that can variously contain the meanings of refuge, shelter, protection, nurture, encouragement, emboldening, or succour. It is a truly beautiful place that describes itself as a centre for spiritual renewal, and rests without apology on Christian foundations while opening its doors to people of all faiths and of none. People go there all year round to find quietude, stillness, healing, to learn and be taught, to pray and reflect. It also hosts a number of other events during the year including Solas, the Scottish version of the Greenbelt festival.

As a location it is ideal for the Men's Rites of Passage, with its quiet open spaces and access to wild open country, and its history of providing a sacred space for learning, growth and healing. You can find the website here.