Archives for January 2020

 

 

I pay attention to my dreams. Often they take me on confusing journeys or I see people I know and then have to figure out what it means. Sometimes the message is very clear, as in a name of a person or place in all caps right in front of me. When disturbing dreams emerge, I really take note of what’s going on.

Still sick with a cold, I slept in again on Wednesday. 12 hours of sleep! The soldiers let me sleep and didn’t start banging around the B&B until after 9:00 a.m. My original plan for the day was to visit Vught Concentration Camp and see a museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Those plans derailed after a dream I had the night before about WWII and my first European speaking engagement. I took the dream to mean I should avoid the camp and city and do something else. Traveling alone does have its benefits. There is no one to complain you totally rearranged your day.

So where did I go instead? A friend recommended Heeswijk castle after seeing photos of Ammersoyan castle. Heeswijk was not far away and it was where the 101^st Airborne unexpected landed in September 1944. The castle opened at noon and I thought the website said their restaurant at 11, so I headed in that direction intending to have lunch before the tour.

After arriving at the castle I found the restaurant did not serve food until noon but I was able to have coffee and a cookie while I waited for the tour to begin. The office even gave me a copy of the tour and main points about the castle’s history in English. The tour was in Dutch and I was the only English speaking person in attendance. Armed with my history and a lot to look at in each room of the castle, I was good to go!

I think every soldier who ever fought and died in the area around the castle, and those attached to the castle from centuries prior, showed up that day. The energy rode in pressure waves through my head off and on. I had such a headache when I was finished with the tour.

The castle was built in the 14^th century in part. It was added to in the 16^th century. No photos were allowed to be taken inside the castle but it was simple and beautiful. Unfortunately much of the original items had been sold off in years prior, but enough was still there to give a visitor an understanding of what the castle had been like in various centuries.

One really cool part of the tour, for the historian in me, was the archive room which we entered through a ‘secret door.’ The room contained historical photos, paintings and the family’s genealogy! I really wish I could have taken photographs in that room!

Walking through the castle, as the energy ebbed and flowed, the soldiers spoke. They reminded me of things of past lives and spoke of things yet to come. When the tour concluded, I made my way to the restaurant where I had a beautiful and delicious salad with greens, goat cheese, and a variety of nuts. Dark wheat bread and some yummy her dressing/butter accompanied the salad. Adding hot tea, I was set. It was very relaxing and I sat there so long enjoying the beautiful lunch that I saw a bride in her wedding dress walk out to go into the castle to be married. I was grateful, as I assume she was, that the grey skies were not crying.

After lunch I drove back toward my B&B and made a stop at the walled village of Heusden. I parked outside the village walls and walked in through the village gate. The entire place was quiet because not many were out this rainy afternoon. I stopped in the visitor’s center to see what maps or history they offered and watched a video about the history of the village and St. Catherine’s Church were on 5 November 1944, there was a fire which killed 134 civilians. The fire was caused by the Germans blowing up the church where the civilians were taking refuge.

I wandered through the village along cobbled streets admiring the old tilted buildings and architecture. It felt as if the medieval version of me was seeking something. I wandered until I felt I had done enough.

Again the universe spoke. I listened and wrote in my journal. Passing by St. Catherine’s, I took some photos and said prayers for the souls who were lost that dark day. Then it was time to depart. I had explored enough of my past for the universe to say, ‘OK you can leave.’

Later that evening I wrote more about my day. A past life me came through and told me about a place I had lived with someone I loved very much in that time of Heusden and in a similar place.

© 2020 Ancestral Souls

 

 

Sometimes the universe and my soldiers have lessons to teach or wisdom to impart. They will go to any lengths necessary to make sure I am paying attention, even if it means the inconvenience of a flat tire and small cold. And that is what happened on 19 October – a flat tire and small cold.

I made it to Ammerzoden in a little over two hours and before it was dark, with no issues with the tire. The B&B owner, Tonja, was there to greet me and show me my home for the next two weeks.

Hedelbed is a sweet little B&B situated near a quiet field by the dike. You do hear birds, insects, the occasional horse, wind rustling through the trees, and the occasional car, but otherwise it is calm and peaceful. A perfect place to stop, think, rest, be still, and write. I had a large room with a bed and living room area, a kitchen, bathroom and if I wanted to bring guests on my next trip, there was a second room with beds off the main entrance.

On this trip I had tried to plan a few days of nothing. This meant I could sleep until I woke up, go where I wanted, eat what I want, or just do nothing. These were not days to meet someone, attend ceremonies, or give a program. Going with the flow for the trip and taking advantage of almost every opportunity meant I had only a couple of days like this left in my three weeks. Until, the universe and soldiers intervened and said, ‘STOP!’

On Monday evening I went to bed and did not set my alarm for an early hour. I did set it with enough time to get ready to go get the tire replaced in ‘s-Hertogenbosch 15 minutes away. I intended to be there by 9:00 but it was closer to 10 and that was fine. The tire was replaced within an hour and a half which was plenty of time to write and just be.

Sitting at the car dealership I realized the best thing for me that day was to go back to my cozy B&B and have lunch and hot tea, a nap, and then think about what to do next. It was NOT to go off to play tourist all over the place. And, I needed groceries for my B&B, so off to the local grocery store I went!

I had a luxurious nap that afternoon and when I woke decided to walk into the village and see what I could find. Tonja had mentioned a bakery in the town center. Bakery usually means something chocolate and yummy, so that’s where I went.

The bakery was off the main road and had more bread and dessert options than a person could eat in a year! I had an Appleflappe (apple turnover) and coffee while I wrote. When I was finished I took a piece of chocolate yumminess with me and went walking. I first went to the church and lit a candle.

Over the course of the trip I lit candles in most churches or chapels I found. I lit them primarily for my soldiers and certain living people I was meeting on the trip or had unfinished business with. By the end of the trip I was even lighting them for myself. We all need help. The chapel was very small but full of love and I sat there a long time thinking. It became a wonderful spot to sit and think over the two weeks I was in Ammerzoden.

When I finished I walked down a road off the main road and stumbled upon Ammersoyen Castle. I knew I was staying within walking distance of one, but had not looked on the map to see exactly where it was. I didn’t go into the castle since I had food with me and it was getting close to closing time, but I did walk around the outside.

Across the road from the castle were the ruins of an old church. What ghosts wander there inside the building and on the grounds? I so desperately wanted to go inside the church but the entire area was fenced off. There was however an open gate and I did walk through and explore the outside of the church from a closer viewpoint.

The entrance to the main church yard was barred and locked. It appeared they open it on special event days only. I was able to take some photographs and conjure stories of what might go on there, especially after dark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walk back toward my B&B was peaceful and along the way I noticed another street that looked to lead to the dike. Feeling pretty good, I had to investigate! I found a bench along the narrow road which ran along the dike and sat there a long time. Cars passed. People on horseback rode by. And couples walking their dogs slowly moved past me. The skies were threatening rain but every so often the sun peeked out.

I sat on that bench a long time writing and just breathing in the country air while watching the barges and boats float by. Looking down that narrow, winding road, I knew another day before I left, I would have to return and take a long walk. See where the road led. But for this moment, sitting was the right answer.

Solo travel is good and, I feel, required at certain points in life. While on those journeys, sometimes being forced to stop and realize it is for your own good, can open marvelous new doors and ways of thinking and being.

Have you tried this recently?

© 2020 Ancestral Souls