Thursday, June 28, 2007 Oracle: Ailim, which is Fir or Scots Pine

Thursday, June 28, 2007
Oracle:
Ailim, which is Fir or Scots Pine. This is a
guardian tree which is noted to be far sighted.
The Six of Wands indicates journeys, victory and
messages.
I’ve included a Scot’s pine egg for additional
magic!
The Journey
After breakfast I headed back down to Waverly station. I had gathered tour books
yesterday and decided on which tours I wanted to take. I booked the tour for Loch
Ness, Glencoe and “Rob Roy territory” for tomorrow; a second tour of the intriguing
Rosslyn Chapel for Saturday; and Loch Lomond, Aberfyle, Stirling and the Trossachs
for Sunday. And there were still more ghost tours to catch next week!
Today I felt rested and ready for a more strenuous adventure. My aching back had
healed from hauling luggage, and I had also been doing “self Reiki” to heal, to an
amazing effect. I was not yet ready to tackle Arthur’s Seat, but a smaller hill – Carlton
Hill, which I had observed from the castle. It was another of Edinburgh’s magical hills,
this time on the New Town side.
Carlton Hill
It was a windy, overcast day, but still well worth the climb for the views of the city.
View of the city, with the castle in the distance, from Carlton Hill
“The Folly” on Carlton Hill
Rowan tree, Carton Hill
View toward the Salsbury Crags from Carlton Hill
Ruins of an abbey in the Salsbury Crags, view from Carlton Hill
View of Holyrood Castle from Carlton Hill
I descended the hill and headed toward New Town for a cappuccino at the Arthur
Conan Doyle Pub. Doyle was another famous Edinburgh author, and he had modeled
his main character, Sherlock Holmes, after one of his own professors, Dr. Joseph Bell at
the Edinburgh Medical School. The pub had a delightful interior complete with Conan
Doyle and Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.
Conan Doyle Pub
To my delight, I was seeing (and photographing) many distinguished gentlemen
sporting a traditional kilt.
That afternoon, I returned early to the Ceilidh-Donia to meet up with Karen, who had
just come back from her own tour with Virginia of Western Scotland. Virginia had
departed directly back to her home in England, while Karen returned to Edinburgh for
her departure the next day.
We had dinner together at the hotel, which served excellent food, then spent the
evening talking about our adventures and discussing our futures. Naturally we
consulted with the oracles just for fun.
Tonight’s whisky: Glengoyne, a Highland malt with an “oak and apple” flavor with grass
notes. Very fruity, malty and dry.
Websites
Carlton Hill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calton_Hill,_Edinburgh
Conan Doyle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle
Sites
The Conan Doyle Pub and Restaurant, 71-73 York Place, Edinburgh, 0131 524-0031
Accommodations
Hotel Ceilidh-donia: http://www.hotelceilidh-donia.co.uk/ , phone: 0131 667 2743