Lux Esoterica (Nifiluz)

The Isle of Avalon and the Red Spring In the southwest of England, rising dramatically from the flat Somerset Levels, stands the solitary hill known as Glastonbury Tor . Today, this landscape is a peninsula of solid land; however, in ancient and medieval times, the surrounding plains were flooded marshes, transforming the Tor into a mysterious island that the local Celtic population identified as Avalon —the legendary Isle of Apples, the portal to the underworld of Annwn and the resting place of King Arthur. At the foot of this sacred hill, nestled in a quiet, wooded valley, flows a prehistoric spring known as the Chalice Well (also called the Red Spring). The Chalice Well is unique for the physical properties of its water, which is highly saturated with iron oxide, leaving a deep, reddish-orange rust deposit on the stones of its path. This reddish color gave rise to a rich system of Christian and Hermetic legends. The primary narrative, compiled by the thirteenth-century poet Robe...