The Sauna Part 251

We climbed into the limo without saying a word, awed by the power of such a holy experience. The driver asked if we still wished to proceed to Glastonbury and Jon nodded his head in assent. We rode for an hour and as we approached I recalled the words of the beloved poem, written by William Blake, to immortalize the Christianized version of the Holy Grail legend.

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England’s mountains green
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England’s pleasant pastures seen
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green & pleasant Land.

Jon smiled as I recited the poem, and hummed the melody written to accompany it by Emerson, Lake & Palmer in more modern times. That song had been my first exposure, as well as his, to the body of work by William Blake and I hadn’t known at the time of the story of Joseph of Arimathea which had inspired it. But I was very well-acquainted with the legends of King Arthur and the famed Isle of Avalon which many believed was actually Glastonbury Tor.

We went first to the Tor, where the remains of an old church stood at its summit. We walked up the path, arm in arm, and from the top we could see the low-lying moors, known as the Somerset Levels, which were currently flooded with water. The Tor did appear as an island and I felt strongly that we were indeed standing atop hallowed ground. It had always been my dream, since first reading the legends of the Matter of Britain, to one day make my own pilgrammage to this mystical place. And here I was, finally, in my forty-fifth year, standing in Avalon with the love of my life, both past and present.

I couldn’t stop smiling and I was filled with such a feeling of exhaltation that I could barely speak. If my time on earth had ended right at that moment, I would have gone peacefully into the Summerland, knowing I’d really come full circle. Fortunately for me, Jon was a little less overwhelmed and managed to remember the camera and he took photos from various spots on the Tor. My only regret was having to move from this place, but we intended to go down to the Abbey and visit the village of Glastonbury before returning to London for the show.

We stopped at the site of the natural spring embedded at the foot of the Tor. Known as Chalice Well, it had never run dry and had been in nearly continuous use for the past 2000 years. The well, strategically located at the base of the Tor, represented the Goddess, the wellspring of life, whereas the Tor itself resembled an erect phallus and represented the male energy of the God. It was no wonder that the ancient people who worshipped here recognized the importance of the symbolism inherent in these manifestations of deity.

The Abbey itself bore the distinction of being the oldest above-ground Christian church in the world and was supposedly built under the instigation of Joseph to house the mythical Holy Grail. It was also rumored that the monks of the Abbey had discovered the remains of King Arthur and Guinevere, but that tale was much disputed amongst many scholars.

Little remained now of the once proud, busy Abbey, but it was here on its grounds where we saw the fabled Holy Thorn. It was believed to have sprung from the spot where Joseph planted his staff on his arrival in England. This particular version of hawthorne, we learned, grew only here and it flowered twice every cycle-in the Spring and again each year at Christmas.

We made our way into the village and stopped at a local café where we enjoyed a quick snack with a traditional cream tea before moving on to peruse the many and varied shops that Glastonbury offered. It reminded me much of Sedona, with a heavy concentration of New Age style shops, but with more celtic flavor.

We had a long ride back to London and we needed some food we could eat in the car, so we grabbed an assortment of chicken wraps from another café and an irresistable cake made with truffle cream and pralines to share with the guys. We added coffees to go and returned to the limo, prepared now for the three hour ride.

“I noticed Glastonbury had a Bread & Breakfast right in the village. I wish we’d had a little more time to spend, but I was thinking that maybe we could come back this summer?” I suggested as I took another bite of my sandwich.

“I saw that too and they had classes and such on various topics, so I picked up a flyer. We must have been thinking along the same lines” he grinned. I could even schedule a couple shows at one or two of the stadiums while we are there.”

Always the businessman, Jon was a master at juggling the many demands of his hectic life. I had yet to develop that skill and tended to think more dichotomously, keeping business and pleasure in separate categories. However, I realized that this trip had been both and I nodded my head in agreement. Perhaps that was how he managed to maintain his sanity with such a grueling schedule.


**************


We reached the Hammerstein just after the opening act had gone on stage and I saw the look of relief as we walked into the band room. It wasn’t like Jon to cut things this close and he was glad he’d brought his gig clothes when we left in the morning.

“Shit, we were starting to panic” Richie said as we entered.

“I should have called, but I knew we’d make it in time” Jon acknowledged.

“And you brought us cake? Aaawwww… I guess you’re forgiven” Dave grinned as I removed the dessert from the box.

Jon pulled off the sweater he’d been wearing and slipped into his black leather shirt and he declined the glass of wine Richie had poured, preferring coffee instead. I knew it had been a long day already and I felt bad that he now had the show on top of it all. Jon seemed non-plussed as he could do the routine in his sleep and he wolfed down a piece of the cake before the call came that we had fifteen minutes until showtime.

“How was the visit to Stonehenge?” Richie asked casually as we munched on the cake and everyone prepared in their own way.

“It was fantastic! When I get home, I’ll email the pictures. We liked it so much we’re thinking of going back in the summer” I said excitedly.

“So, does that mean I should expect we’ll be doing more shows here this summer?” Richie smirked, knowing Jon as he did.

“The thought crossed my mind” Jon winked with a grin.

Everyone groaned as they were all getting sick of the road and feeling anxious to get home, but summer was still a long way away. As much as I dreaded having to leave tomorrow, I would be glad to see my boys and relax and the other’s envied my chance for escape.

“So tonight’s our last night? You’re flying out tomorrow afternoon?” Tico asked and I nodded my head.

“Trish, do you realize what a hardship this means for the rest of us? Jon’s gonna be totally unbearable once you leave and we still have another two weeks left of this tour” Dave complained.

“Not to mention the fact that we’ll miss you too” Richie added and they all shook their heads in agreement.

“Jon, did you put them up to this?” I asked, quirking my eyebrows as I tried to make light of the impending departure.

“No, doll, it’s just the truth” Tico interrupted. “It’s been fun for us too and Dave is right. Maybe it’s selfish, but we have to live with him when you’re gone” he said seriously, shirking his shoulder in Jon’s general direction.

“Five minutes” came the call and that ended the discussion as everyone began making their way to the stage.

Jon pulled me against him for a final kiss as he whispered into my ear.

“See, it isn’t just me who’ll be missing you, babe” he said softly as we made our way toward the stage.