The Healing Well at Glanleam, Valentia Island Ireland
There are several healing wells on Valentia Island. Toberfinnan is located in the gardens at Glanleam
(see post about the gardens of Glanleam history of the property).
Fun fact: for several months before traveling to Ireland the joints in my fingers had been stiff and hurting. I had voiced concern to a few people close to me that I was afraid I might be getting rheumatoid arthritis.
I spent some time just sitting near the well just taking in the lack of noise when I first arrived on the island. Several days later I noticed that my fingers were not hurting anymore, but didn't think anything of it because I hadn't actually drank from the well yet... UNTIL a few days after that my fingers still had not been hurting and I found myself in a small museum dedicated to the history of the island. There I read about the healing garden and found out that according to legend this well in particular cures none other than... RHEUMATISM! Coincidence? After that I decided to spend more time by the well. I prayed, journaled, soaked my hands in the water, drank from the well, and (obviously) made art.
Spending time by the well was a wonderful way to start my travels. Whether the well truly "healed" my aching joints or not is irrelevant (although I think it is worth mentioning that in the month since this experience my joints still do not hurt - which obviously makes the story even cooler). I think the real point is that spiritual healing can happen whenever you are open to it. The experience helped me to slow down, quiet my mind, and reflect... on fears, pain (physical and emotional), insecurity, anxieties, guilt, and dreams of letting all of that go. I think many people are weighed down by these things. Furthermore I think many people tend to busy themselves constantly with trivial tasks or complaints and consumption in order to avoid looking their feelings in the eye (no judgement here, I'm included in that statement as well). Therefore, this experience reinforced my belief that sometimes we need to set aside time to intentionally reflect in order to release all of that crap we don't really want to carry along with us. And all those psychology nerds like myself can agree that rituals like this are also wonderful because you're not only expressing your pain, but also being proactive by physically letting it out in a tangible way instead of passively feeling victim to your experience (I just couldn't help but toss an art therapy pearl in there!). Anyway, point being, whether you are traveling or not, allow yourself QUALITY time for your own needs and let that shit go! The rest of the world can wait an hour.
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