Heaven's Gate

 

"This was but one though taking roome for three

Religion, wisdom, hospitality.

But since Heaven Gate to enter by is Straight

His fleases burden here he kept to wait

Till the last trump blowe open the wide gate

To give it entrance to the soul its mate." 

This is from 'Button's Plaque' in All Saints Church, Alton Priory, Hampshire; it relates to a 'Heaven's Gate' which is clearly a gateway or portal into another world. The church has two trapdoors in the floor, underneath which are ancient saracen stones. Clearly the church itself was built upon a Heathen Sacred Site - this the 'Gateway to Heaven' is more Heathen than Christian. But of even more interest is the Long Barrow which stands out own the hill above the church - Adam's Grave. The more interesting part is that its original name was Wodnes Beorge - "Woden's Barrow". There is a 1700 year old Yew Tree in the churchyard - we shall look at this later. William Button died in 1591. 

There were two significant battles fought at Woden's Burgh - one between Coel and Caewlin (King of Wessex) in 597CE, the other between One (King of Wessex) and Coelred (King of Mercia). The name 'Coel' suggests that this is the 'Old King Cole' found in children's tales - obviously of an English origin. 

It is said that to walk 7 times around the barrow it will invoke its powers - presumably 'The Devil' since the Judaeo-Christians demonised Woden above all gods. Sometime in the mid 1960s a Miss Cobern was walking back from the barrow to where she had parked her car. Suddenly she felt anxious and uneasy; it was cold and cloudy and looking around her she could see no-one about. She was near to the barrow and began to hear the sound of horses coming at full gallop, so many that it sounded like a vast army. When she had passed completely by the barrow the sounds stopped. 

There are local legends surrounding Woden's Barrow -

• Others have told of hearing the sound of galloping horses.
• Animals have been seen taking flight for no apparent reason. 
• Ghostly 'shades' have been seen around the barrow.
• Baying hounds are said to be the guardians of the barrow. 

I have myself experienced something at the barrow many years ago, when I took the (ex-)wife and children on a tour around the Sacred Sites of the area, of which there are many. I stood on the top of the barrow and started to chant a Thunor-Blot (this was before I knew it was dedicated to Woden); it was  clear day, and as I was doing it I became surrounded by midges flying around me in untold numbers. Then the skies started to go cloudy and grey, and the wind got up strongly, helping the midges to clear luckily. We went back down to our car because it was starting to rain heavily - not the first time Thunor has done that!

Anyway, to get back to the church; this was build originally in the Saxon period, and it has a doorway in the North Wall. This shows how old it is because most churches are aligned East, whereas this is aligned to the Northern Gods. Nearby is a White Horse between Milk Hill and Walker's Hill (on which Woden's Barrow stands). The White Horse is late, 1815, but sometimes these may have been subconsciously created on such spots. 

"Button's Plaque" is on the tomb-chest of a William Button, and there are several phrases of interest marked on the plaque. These are interesting because they talk of Immortality, and in fact seem to hint at the Astral Body which is much covered by Don Miguel Serrano -

'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.' (I Corinthians 15)

'It is sown a natural body.'

There is an angel at the top centre blowing a trumpet -

'The Key of David.' (Revelation 3:7).

A roll comes out of the trumpet's mouthpiece -

'It is raised a spiritual body.' (I Corinthians 15:14)

On the palm leaf he bears -

'Death is swallowed up in victory.' (I Corinthians 54)

On the top left a grid-like pattern has three suns and three phases of the Moon -

"This is the gate [ ] the Lord.'

On the top right -

'The righteous shall enter in at it.' (Psalm 118:20)

Button is said to have 'resurrected' with a full head of hair and a vigorous body 'not as like a 64 year old...probably meant to be 33.' 

This piece is rather interesting in that he is said to 'resurrect' in a younger form, thus suggesting in the Astral Body or Body of Light. He may have been 64 when he died, hence this figure, and the Number 33 itself suggests a link to Krist since I believe he was this age when he died on the Cross. We are talking here of the Resurrection of the Spiritual Body. 

Left - 'This is the Gate'.

Right - Shall enter in at it.'

This is as much as I recorded and once had a photo which has long been lost, devoured by a PC no doubt - something that often happens to me. This whole thing has to refer to the 'Last Judgement', which suggests in itself that after all of the catastrophic changes that we are going through during Ragnarok there will come a point when the higher spiritual beings are 'resurrected' in their Astral Form to partake of the New Earth (or the Old Earth returned maybe). Whatever the case, right or wrong here, the point is that the old church here is a 'Gateway to the Gods'. This may be at the point of the ancient Stone Circle or it may be at Woden's Barrow itself. There are two churches in the area - Alton Barnes and Alton Priory, and it is the latter that these can be found. It was many years since I have been there. 

Of course, the 'Heaven Gate' is the 'Gates to Heaven' which open to allow the 'righteous' to pass into; but these inscriptions suggest a deeper and hidden meaning to this, and a knowledge of the stars. The point that stands out is the phrase - 'But since Heaven Gate to enter by is Straight' - since it links to the 'Straight Way' mentioned by Tolkien, that to enter the 'sunken lands' one needs to take the Straight Way. The 'trumpet' is said to be blown by Gabriel, who would be equivalent to Hama/Heimdall who blows the 'Last Horn'. This is also perhaps significant in view of the area's link to Woden's Wild Army since this is in some areas called the 'Gabriel's Hounds'. 

The 'Horse and Hounds' go together to make up the Wild Army, and this is an Ancient Archetype. We find this confirmed in the above account of the Wild Army and the 'Baying Hounds' that guard the mound. This is just one of the reasons why we should not perhaps dismiss everything to do with Judaeo-Christianity and thus 'throw out the baby with the bath-water'. There is much of the Ancient Wisdom hidden in Christian Texts and Christian Lore - perhaps, when one thinks of it, the best place to hide it where it would not be destroyed during an era ruled by these people. Under their very noses - so to speak!