About us

The Druid Grove of Bega

An Gelli Dhrewydhek a Bega

The Druid Grove of Bega (An Gelli Dhrewydhek a Bega) is a small independent druid order based in North Cornwall, UK. The Grove was born out of an idea that developed from the 1989 quest for St Bega and subsequent book Bega and the Sacred Ring, which was an account of the spiritual quest published in 1992. The Grove has its spiritual roots in the Bassenthwaite area of Cumbria and some of its original philosophies are based on the mystical life of Bega; Celtic saint, hermit, teacher and healer. We are currently based high up in the remote hills of North Cornwall, close to the western extremity of the wild and beautiful Bodmin Moor.

The idea flourished when we were asked to perform a private ceremony to consecrate a new stone circle in west Cornwall in the summer of 1999. This was followed by Summer Solstice and Lughnasadh rituals at the same stone circle. Following from this we received requests to perform two handfasting rituals, one on Chapel Porth beach in Cornwall and the other at Castlerigg stone circle in Cumbria. From this point the grove flourished and we quickly established an online presence along side our spiritual work in the wider community.

We are inspired by the beautiful landscape in which we live, and our rituals and ceremonies are often psychically inspired by the spirits and guardians of the land. Our Druidry is rooted in a deep and respectful love of the land, sea and sky and we honour the spirits of  place. As this sacred serpentine spiralling energy flows through the land  and on the wind, it  also flows through our lives, and we are each of us interconnected by this mysterious spirit; the serpent's breath, this ancient esoteric holy energy. We also honour the deeply connected mystical experience common to all the diverse religions of the world.

Our Grove's banner depicts a unicursal labyrinth. As it twists and turns, it symbolises our spiritual path.  The maze, as with life, requires effort and commitment to walk it's  serpentine way and to reach the ultimate destination - the mystical centre, our core of being. This silent place, a meditational space, can be a place of enlightenment and knowledge and it can reveal our true selves if we are willing. The labyrinth is also symbolic of the twisting spiralling energies of the living, breathing landscape.

This  design can be seen carved upon a slate cliff in nearby Rocky Valley,  close to the powerful and ethereal St Nectan's Kieve waterfall at Tintagel. Maybe indicating the sacred nature of the site and the potency of the land?

Alex is a founding member of the ArchDruid Union of the Druid Clan of Dana, one of the three custodian unions of the Fellowship of Isis and both Alex and Paul trained as Bards in the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in 1996. Our outlook is eclectic, animistic and pantheistic in nature. We focus on the arts and we work broadly within the native spiritual traditions of the British Isles, seeing God/Goddess manifesting as the Flowing Spirit in Nature and within each of us as Inspiration. For further information please contact Alex Langstone or Paul Atlas-Saunders here.

Bega of the Gifts Iseum; an official Fellowship of Isis Iseum, is our Druid Grove's sacred Hearth of the Goddess - a sacred place of sanctuary and healing for all. Healing can be requested, and we honour all as sacred before the Divine. Please enquire about possible membership by email.

"Awen re bo dhis!" 

Photographs: Top: Rocky Valley labyrinth, St Nectan's Glen, Tintagel. Middle: St Nectan's Kieve waterfall. Bottom: Druid Grove of Bega banner, painted by Paul Atlas-Saunders.