Days 9 & 10: Monday 26th & Tueday 27th May 2008

Imagination vs Reality?

How is it possible to describe the last two days? I have written a lot recently about imagination and how God uses it but the reality of walking the land and finding truth outweighs by far the imagination’s picture of what can be found. Without the Holy Spirit's help, it would not be possible to explain our experiences. We – as a team – are slowly coming to terms with what the Holy Spirit has showed us. Our precious friend Tim H was not with us on this walk and how we missed him and the others who have walked with us.

However, let me tell the story of the first day. When praying over the map on Friday last, the Holy Spirit impressed on me strongly to visit the local high place (Hadleigh Castle) and a local country park called Wat Tyler Country Park. Wat Tyler Park sits alongside a creek with three names adjacent to Vange Marshes and seems to face towards South Essex. To my eyes, it was shaped on the map like a mouth speaking over the South Essex area.

We planned to walk from Stanford to Pitsea on Monday 26th May and visit both castle and park on Tuesday 27th. At the last minute though, due to heavy rain and severe winds blasting across our countryside, we agreed to do the visits on Monday and walk on Tuesday in better weather.

On Monday 26th May, when visiting Hadleigh Castle, our first stop, we met up with Avril BB, a local intercessor with an encyclopaedic knowledge of her area and people. When we got to the castle, we found that General Booth had been there one hundred years before us, and founded a ministry alongside it to support and train young people – praise God for the Salvation Army. To our delight the ministry includes a tea room and rare breeds farm which is well worth a visit.

Avril filled us in on local happenings and some spiritual history. Hadleigh Castle itself is now owned by English Heritage and as we ascended the hill, we were nearly blown over by the force of the wind. After some prayer and discussion, we felt there was a link with sacrifice but that the significance of the land was as a watchtower and we spent some time orienting ourselves and what we could see – Canvey Island below, the water tower on the next hill, Southend in the distance and Shell Haven to the west.

Moving on, we drove back towards Stanford le Hope to visit Wat Tyler Country Park. A little history is that Walter Tyler was the Kentish leader of the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381. This occurred following the Black Death of 1349 which killed one third of the UK population. In Essex the statutes against labourers charging more for their services were severely enforced by the lords of the land.

“The smouldering unrest flared into open rebellion over the poll tax imposed by the government to raise money for war against France. The revolt began in Essex on 30th May 1381 (627 years ago this week) when villages from Fobbing, Corringham and Stanford-le-Hope savagely attacked the king’s commissioner who came to Brentwood to revise the tax returns. The rising spread rapidly and rioting occurred all over the county, the rebels making sure they burnt the court records of their villeinage. Then there was a general movement towards London, where they joined Wat Tyler and the Kent rebels, entering the city on 13th June. The rebels met with the boy king, Richard II, who made promises of the end of servitude and trade restrictions.” (pp 40-1, A History of Essex, A C Edwards)

Walter Tyler was, however, attacked by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Walworth and later murdered on his orders. King Richard’s promises proved worthless and he marched with an army into Essex, reaching Chelmsford on 2nd July 1381, revoking all agreements. Despite two more risings in Essex and 500 people slain, order was eventually restored.

We were intensely aware of a sense of rebellion rising up from the land as we approached Wat Tyler park but on arrival, the park seemed rather deserted and quiet. Through a divine appointment with the park manager, we discovered what the Lord wanted to reveal. Now, let me backtrack a little.

On the way to Wat Tyler Park, in the car, I had been talking of a story I had read in London’s Forest by P J S Perceval. I could not remember the details fully then but now I quote:

“Certain lands were held of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s (Cathedral) by the annual service of supplying the deer used at the Feasts of the Apostle St Paul. In the 14th century, the lordship of West Lee was so held by Sir William de Baud of Corringham, not far from Canvey Island. The De Baud family provided annually a buck on June 29 and a doe on January 25 (both for Christian festivals). The delivery of the animals at the back of the cathedral occasioned a ceremony suggestive of the ritual of ancient mythology. According to Dugdale (another historian), the Dean and Chapter ‘apparelled in copes and proper vestments, with garlands of roses on their heads’ awaited the deer which was carried in procession to the steps of the high altar. The head was then separated from the body but whether decapitation took place in ancient sacrificial manner is not recorded. The carcase was straightaway sent to the kitchens to be baked, while the antlered head was affixed to a pole and borne aloft before the cross, in procession round the cathedral and out at the west door; where, standing amidst the bedecked priests, the keeper who had brought the deer sounded the “death” on his horn. Others stationed about the city, answered with their horns and the ceremony came to an end.”

The representatives of the De Baud family from Corringham were paid for the buck and this practice went on until the reign of Elizabeth 1. The writer (Camden) suggests it was perhaps a survival of the ceremony which was enacted in the Temple of Diana that formerly occupied the site of St Paul’s and that the owners of the same land were obliged to furnish the deer required for the sacrifice.

The first words out of the park manager’s mouth were ‘Do you want to see the sculpture trail?’ When we asked what this was, we were told we should go and see the totem poles and the giant deer’s head in the water feature. At this point, we realised the Lord had clearly sent us there and so after obtaining a map and instructions about the route, we regrouped and prayed at the entrance.

Our first stop was what we called the cage – a giant metal tin can surrounded by bars and featuring words in sentences written backwards. I was really uncomfortable with anyone reading those words as I felt it was what we were meant to do – so we didn’t!

After praying, one of the team shouted ‘Jesus is Lord’ three times into the tin can and we prayed protection for all the children, past, present and future, who might play around it. The cage naturally speaks of entrapment. It is possible that speaking the words ‘entraps’ a person into the spiritual mesh (mess) here.

It also reminded me of a ‘henge’ in which it is often the case that the roots are in the underworld while what is on top is on the earth. Henges form spiritual doorways into another dimension and are often intended to draw spirtual forces through this doorway encouraging them to manifest.

Next were the totems – and totems they certainly were! Totem is an Algonquin (Red Indian) word meaning ‘inanimate thing regarded and venerated as an outward symbol of an existing intimate unseen relation”. These were outward symbols of the spirits listed below.

Looking at the faces, of which I can only show you a couple on this blog, they represented hopelessness, despair, fear, religiosity, pride, shame & desperation. The right hand one we discerned as despair and the middle one as shame.

We cut them off at the legs spiritually (as again they were rooted in the ground) and prayed the blood of Jesus over them. We were shocked at the overt nature of these things and surprised anyone would want them there.

Next, we found the giant deer head and below is a picture of it, sitting in water close to one of two ‘satellite dishes’ that are so designed as to magnify the sound of spoken words.

We were not surprised that the deer head faces towards the Thames estuary, over Canvey Island.

Interestingly, we have since discovered that the white hart was the emblem of Richard II, the king involved in the Peasant’s Revolt. It is also well known that the deer is an attribute to the spiritual principality that has manifested as the Roman goddess Diana, formerly worshipped on the site of St Paul’s Cathedral. However, this type of worship goes back much further into prehistory when goddess worship was more widespread. The so-called ‘Great Goddess’ (which later manifested as Diana (Roman), Artemis (Greek), Isis (Egyptian)) had multiple other manifestations often associated with a deer. (See little picture to left here). Following further research, the team and I are convinced the appearance of this decapitated deer head, combined with whispering satellites in such a location, is not an accident, particularly given the presence of a whispering gallery in St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Roman goddess Diana was supposed to ‘whisper words of guidance in the ears of her followers’ so there is another definite link here with the principality that calls itself a goddess.

Two of us read scriptures into the satellite dishes declaring who Jesus is and the others stood the other end and said Amen! We read from John 1.1ff - In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning and from Colossians 1.15ff – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The deer head appears later, on a pole, exactly as in the St Paul's story, in a small spiritually-landscaped garden at the back of the manager’s office (see picture). After the giant deer’s head in water, we came across a variety of unpleasant sculptures – a cockroach-like thing, an altar (possibly intended as a phallic symbol) in line with Corringham Church tower and just about lined up with the water tower we had seen from Hadleigh Castle. The altar had been partially knocked down and we prayed around it and cut off its power connection with Corringham Church.

Through another divine appointment with a local dog walker, we found a glade in the forest that was well hidden but quite uncanny. As soon as I walked in I felt sick – really sick as if I wanted to vomit. I can feel it again now as I write. This is what we saw.

Why did I have such a strong reaction? I believe I sensed the spiritual forces at work here and that this is a place where evil lurks. Locals call this glade "the graveyard". They may be right - it is like entering a place of spiritual death. It was guarded by three wooden watchers on the high ground. We discerned the red statues were the central ring forming a henge line which led out of the glade. Others were guards or watchers of the red ones and would soon become red ones.

We followed the red henge line which led to a spiritual garden a little way further on.

Some pictures from this are below and right but there was a living henge made of willow, some sculpted acorns that looked like giant eggs and a second black statue. This black statue (on the right) was in the disabled garden as a sensory object. It’s my belief it represents 'the crone', one of Hecate’s three faces. Hecate was another goddess manifestation of this principality - the goddess of the underworld with authority over the 'keys of Hades'. This principality competes with Christ for the keys of death and of Hades (Rev 1.18). However, the bible says that 'Christ has lordship over the cosmic powers which he has taken captive in his train' (Ps 68.18 & Eph 4.8-10).

The other image was the wall picture below right – a symbol often found where the principality lurks. This was quite well hidden at the back and we nearly missed it. This needs a bit more research which we are doing. However, it seems to show the sun's face shining down on a very dour farmer who is washing out a cloth in a bucket full of water. I have seen something similar before so will be following that up.

So, it’s clear to the team at least that the Lord has opened our eyes to see something of what is operating over our area. If this park is like a mouth speaking over South Essex, what is it saying and why? We are privileged to have been given this revelation and we need to pray for insight as to the Lord’s heart on what he wants his people in Essex to do.

An incomplete journey...

I stopped the above report after outlining our visit to Wat Tyler Country Park. To be honest, it was a rather overwhelming two days – the second day almost worse than the first. Much happened on Monday 28th May – if you’ve read the above, you will understand.

I had planned the Tuesday walk over Vange Marshes quite carefully. According to the Ordnance Survey map, there were two paths crossing the Marshes and we intended to take the shorter one. We had no trouble walking from Stanford-le-Hope to Fobbing Church, having lunch in the church gardens. However, as soon as I sat down to eat, I experienced stabbing stomach pains – a foretaste of the spiritual atmosphere?

Sure enough, as soon as we set foot onto Vange Marsh, we lost our way in confusion. The upshot was that after several hours of hot walking, confronting about ten scary bullocks, several confusing stiles, two lakes and a crossroads, as well as stubble that spat sharply at us, we were blocked by a large stinging-nettle and water-filled ditch about ten feet wide and six feet deep. It should not have been there and we could not cross it.

At this point, we sensed the blockage was not only in the natural and so, retracing our steps, left the marsh by the only exit available - Marsh Lane. It was uphill all the way so Linda and I praised God the whole mile-long lane as Gerry and Avril tracked behind. From there, we walked down the even longer road into Pitsea. Another rather overwhelming – and disappointing - day!

Remembering the research connections we had made the previous day between the deer head and its decapitation in St Paul’s Cathedral (formerly an Isis-site) and the whole area of Corringham and Fobbing, we felt the land was defiled by both this votive offering and that some of that had come through in the Peasant’s Revolt – even though we understood the pain the peasants of that time laboured under. Additionally, the juxtaposition of the waters was significant remembering Jeremiah 51.13.

In Leviticus 18.28 it says

“And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.”

The team felt this was what had happened to us but in reverse. The presence of God in us through the Holy Spirit had caused the defiled land itself to vomit us out. On reflection afterwards, I felt there was an ‘suppurating wound’ in the soil and that it must not be left like this – we plan to return to this spot to do some further prayer walking according to God’s timing and leading.