*
… Just then there is a flurry of wings, and squawks and screeches overhead and we turn our attention skyward in time to see an enormous buzzard chasing off two ravens from the precincts of Uffington Castle.
“Oh, Don look!”Cries Wen, “the hawk of the morning has chased the shadows of the night away.”
As if on cue a sky lark flies up from the ‘fairy thorn’ with as an incongruous a cacophony of song as you are ever likely to hear in such a setting…
As the ravens fly into black specks and disappear in the mist another buzzard glides into view and we watch the two mighty birds soar on the up-draught for awhile as if spiralling around some unseen cone of power.
It certainly feels like we have been accepted into something although I am not quite sure what.
I make a mental note to look up the origins of the phrase, ‘…the Heart of Albion’…
*
The acrid smoke hung heavy in the night air.
They would feast tonight.
But for now she plaited the strands of horsehair from the white mane.
A gift from the gods she would treasure…
A blessing as she shared the meat roasting in the pit on the plateau.
The flames cast a dull glow across the faces of the clans.
They were expectant, eager yet solemn.
They were waiting…
***
THE INITIATE
Book One of the Triad of Albion
Stuart France & Sue Vincent
The Initiate is the story of a journey beyond the realms of our accustomed normality.
It is a true story told in a fictional manner. In just such a way did the Bards of old hide in the legends and deeds of folk heroes, those deeper truths for those ‘with eyes to see and ears to hear’.
Don and Wen, two founding members of a new Esoteric School, meet to explore an ancient sacred site, as a prelude to the School’s opening event. The new School is to be based upon a nine-fold system and operate under the aegis of the Horus Hawk.
The trip does not unfold as planned.
Instead, Don and Wen, guided by the birds, find themselves embarking upon a journey that will lead them through a maze of spiritual symbolism, to magical mysteries and the shadowy figure of the Ninth Knight.
As the veils thin and waver, time shifts and the present is peopled with shadowy figures of the past, weaving their tales through a quest for understanding and opening wide the doors of perception…
Now available via Amazon worldwide.
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Stuart France 
As always, I began looking up “Heart of Albion,” hoping to find something to give what I have read more meaning since I am really new to the study. There is a book publishing company, whose name used to be “Heart of Albion,” but apparently at some point they dropped the press off the name, so it is just the name, and they have a lot of books that appear to be about the history, etc. of different areas in England. Their web site is http://www.hoap.co.uk/, which clearly still refers to Press on the end.
Another resource I uncovered was the following:
Initially the remains of the Argon Military in Albion, the Heart of Albion group was formed to give the people a voice in the corporation-dominated environment. Its military history makes it a well-structured organisation but sanctions imposed by Plutarch limited its growth as a [defence] force. Their skills however have transitioned more into reconnaissance and corporate sabotage, mainly with the aim of uncovering and exposing any wrongdoings by Plutarch. This was from I believe Wikipedia.
That seems from thinking of the word, “corporation” to be more recent in history, so perhaps not a good source.
But finally, I discovered what I believe is the correct Heart of Albion, and that is Britain itself, for it appears that it was founded by Giants, and Albion was the largest and the main one. Oh, what a wonderful discovery. Can you imagine an entire country founded as it were by giants? No wonder the place seems to be full of such magic and the people are really tough when it comes to fighting for their country and their pride in all that it holds. My goodness! Well, I am happy for the day, my mind full of amazing things to think about. Now why on earth didn’t the schools teach us these really important facts of our nations and our world? School would have been so much more interesting . . .
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This really is captivating writing, Stuart.
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