Brecon, Llangors and Patricio Issui: Wales
Monday, 6th May 2024: Cornwall
This encounter all started when Philip (my husband) and I went to St Samson’s church, Golant, Cornwall, to pray because we felt so flat and down, needing refreshment from God after another bout of covid. I lay prostrate before God at the altar on the floor. I was highly aware of my own anxiety, physical pain, and worry. I was finding it hard to rest in Him or hear Him.
However, I realised that I was suddenly no longer in St Samson’s but in the Spirit realm lying on the stone floor of St Keyne’s chapel in Brecon Cathedral. And then I heard just two words, ‘Go back.’
I knew it was time to get back to Brecon cathedral.
Amazingly there was a window of sunshine for a few days, after months of rain, so we booked accommodation and by Thursday were on the road to Wales.
Brecon, Wales: 9-12th May 2024
Some of the revelation and encounters experienced during this visit were highly personal to me and not for general release but I’m sharing what I sense is relevant here.
9 May 24
We stop off at Brecon Cathedral on our journey up from Cornwall. This time we are staying in a new place, a caravan in Llandovery. So our stopover is quite short just a half an hour but it is the start.
St Keynes Chapel, Brecon Cathedral
I have the chapel to myself and the cathedral is quiet, as it is late afternoon. I fall to my knees weeping with the release of stress and relief to be back in my spiritually safe place. The tears just come freely. I cry out to God for the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to be acceptable in his sight (Psalm 19:14). I’m curious about the angels who are here that I’ve seen on other occasions in the rafters and main aisle. (You can read about them in other entries on Brecon). Instantly I sense three come to minister to me. One is standing in front of me and one either side. I wonder if they are Illyricum, Majericum and No Name, who I have met here before and who have accompanied me at times but I have no confirmation of this. I’m focussing my attention on Jesus, not the angels.
I really am desperate to hear from God. It has been such a long, dry, desert season of sickness and slog. I’m intensely anxious and putting pressure on myself to hear, almost scared that I won’t meet with Him and then what? But this isn’t the time to spend a long time in the cathedral. We are still on our journey and I can’t totally settle. I want to return and linger another time, when I hear Him gently say ‘There is no rush.’
‘When you come and you seek Me
Let your heart settle
There is no rush
You do not have to strive
To hear Me
To see Me
When you settle your heart
You sense Me near
All around
Within you
My river of life never runs dry
When you’re thirsty
Come and drink
Come and be refreshed and
Strengthened
For I am near
As you draw near to Me
I draw near to you
Never fear
You are not abandoned
Or forgotten
Nor overlooked
You are indeed the apple of My eye
Forever in My heart
Close to My mind
There is no rush, heart of My own heart
So, we leave for the day and travel on to our accommodation.
10 May 11.24 arrive at Brecon Cathedral.
I sit to wait in St Keynes Chapel.
Very soon I hear ‘Welcome child of God’ and am aware there’s an angel in front of me. What happens next is personal but it leads on to this encounter.
The angel in front of me places a hand on my head and wraps me in both wings. I hear ‘You are hidden’ and I see (in the Spirit) I am clothed now in a drab light brown humble robe. I am also in a stone, low-roofed tunnel which is dimly lit. Asking where the tunnel is leading, I hear, ‘To the Well of Salvation, the Well of Forgiveness of Sins.’ I ponder not really understanding.
Ahead of me I see a courtyard with a stone well in the centre. It is square. I walk over and look in. To my surprise I don’t see any water but instead stones steps leading down. I take them. They are a spiral staircase down one side of the square well. It is very deep.
At that moment, some musicians start to set up in the main part of the cathedral for a lunchtime concert and the noise pulls me out of the encounter, so we decide to leave and move on, returning another time. I know there will be further revelation about this Well.
Llangors Lake
We have prayed that God’s Spirit would blow us where He wants during the day and sense to head to Llangors Lake. This is a place I often return to as it is highly spiritually significant historically. St Gastyn was a Celtic hermit who lived on one side of the lake at Llangasty and mentored King Brychan’s children in the Christian faith before they all set out as missionaries, many coming to Cornwall. (You can read about previous visits by searching for Llangasty).
On the opposite side of the lake to Llangasty is Llangors. St Paulinus lived here in Celtic times and established a monastery. There is also a Crannog, a fortified man-made island in the lake which was a defensive structure for the ruling Kings of Brecknockshire in early times. It was also used as a place to hold court. It is possible that Brychan lived here for a while (his main seat of power being at nearby Talgarth), hence his children being discipled by Gastyn but the dates don’t exactly tie up. There is a small replica Crannog which has been constructed on the lakeside, which is fascinating, plus a replica sword in the stone, referring to the Arthurian legends also associated with the lake.
It is a gloriously sunny Mayday so we decide to take a rowing boat out on to the lake, as I want to get as near as we can to the original Crannog and see if God wants to say anything. We are forbidden to land as it’s an ancient historical site.
We row over to the Crannog and sit in our boat, listening to God. Before long, I can see flames of holy fire shooting heavenwards in the Spirit realm from the island. Women are dancing in a circle holding hands, worshipping God. There is joy, freedom, and camaraderie in the scene I am watching. This is a place of community, family, and clan. I see golden threads going out from the crannog in many directions and I realise this is also a sending place, a place of commissioning to go out and share about Jesus.
Sitting in the boat just listening and tuning in to God’s Spirit, I can sense angels all around me clothed in blue and reds. It’s a joyful gathering and they ascend and descend from here, just like Jacob’s ladder at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-17). It is a portal. The peace is overwhelmingly heavy despite people’s voices across the water, and bird noises. It is more than just natural. There is such a strong sense of God’s healing presence.
It is a very special and holy time, one that we will remember all our lives and underlined by the spectacular natural beauty of the surroundings.
Back on land we visit St Paulinus church at Llangors intending to pray and learn more about his life and monastery but instead spend a lovely time chatting and praying with the new vicar.
Brecon cathedral:11th May 2024
We go to the cathedral to pray but again they are setting up for an event and it is far too noisy, so instead find a secluded spot in the sunshine of the churchyard, among the cowslips and right by the altar. We sit listening to bird song for a while and have the privilege of watching two nuthatches with a nest in the cathedral wall. They are constantly flying in and out with food for their brood. It reminds me of Psalm 84:3-7 where it mentions the swallows nesting near the altar.
I settle to pray expecting to go back into yesterday’s vision which I know is not yet complete. Instead, I see huge ancient oak gates swing open inwards and behind is a blinding white gold light.
I am told to move forward. I walk right into the light not able to see anything but know this is a walk of faith. Scriptures about Jesus as Light of the world come to mind. (John 8:12, John 12:46, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 John 1:5-7, John 3:19-21). I have an angel escort, two behind and one ahead, perhaps the ones who met me in St Keyne’s chapel the day before but I don’t know.
In this encounter I am not an adult but a young girl of about six, dressed in a long white dress. The angels tower over me, about twice as tall. I see Jesus, in the form of the Lion of Judah walking with me on my left side, companionably. The pace is steady and there is no hurry. He turns towards me and breathes over me with warm fragranced breath. Golden honey oil comes out of His mouth and saturates me. It feels lovely, even if I don’t totally understand what is happening. We continue walking steadily.
Even though it is a holy moment there is a childlike joyfulness. The little girl has woven a large circle of wildflowers. She places it on the Lion’s head like a crown. He purrs with pleasure. We are led to a specific holy place known to me. Standing in the ruins of the ancient site with just the stone foundations visible (all of this is happening in the Spirit), I watch as people’s heads suddenly rise up from what would have been the floor of the church. I am aware each of them is praying and crying out to God. These are Christians who have gone before us,
The Lion turns to me, ’I have gathered all their prayers and have been holding them for the appointed time. The appointed time is now. Come see.’ He shares some more private things with me.
‘These are the secret things of my heart. Ponder them well in yours.’
We leave the Cathedral grounds and travel on to the remote Patricio Issui Chapel, which I’ve visited previously and is written up here. It is another very holy and sacred site.
Patricio Issui Chapel, Wales
I enter the little chapel on a glorious sunny May Day. Walking through the churchyard is like stepping back in history. The May blossom is out, fields are carpeted with bluebells, the sheep and lambs are in the field below the church. Bird song fills the air and I hear the first cuckoo of the year. The mountains rise in the distance, woods and fields filling the near view. For me, it’s as near to heaven as it gets on earth.
Entering the chapel, I move through the carved wooden screen into the area near the altar and sit to pray, hidden behind the screen and in private. I wait for God to draw near.
I enter into the vision from Brecon Cathedral where I am descending into the Well of Salvation, the Well of Forgiveness of Sins. I am walking down the spiral staircase, picking up at the place the vision ended before. An angel holding a lantern walks ahead of me, leading the way. There are lit sconces on the stone walls but the light is dim.
I can see that I am full of God’s Holy Spirit fire and burning brightly after the encounter experienced in Brecon Cathedral churchyard but I still have a sense of trepidation. I know I’m being led to see something awful.
I think we’ve reached the bottom of the spiral staircase and there’s a tunnel. I can see cages and iron bars with people behind them. Evil is thick in the air. The angel turns to me and says, ‘Do not fear. I am here with you and our Lord wants you to see the prisoners, captive in sin.’
Now I can see it’s an underground dungeon with people incarcerated by sin. There are no lights now, just the angel’s lamp. I hear moans, whimpers of desperation of the forgotten and lost ones buried here, deep in sin. I begin to hear their thoughts and read their hearts.
‘I thought I’d be happy.’
‘It wasn’t worth it!’
‘She trapped me!’
‘I hate her!’
‘It’s his fault!’
‘I hate God!’
The hiss of bitter resentment spurts through the bars. Some spit at us as we pass, others scream. ‘I can’t stand the light, turn it off.’ However, I watch a few reaching through the bars towards the light desperately crying out, ‘You can help me. Help me!’ I feel bewildered, when the angel turns to me and says in a matter-of-fact way, ‘Help them!’ It is a firm quiet command. I look down at myself at the fire burning in me and wonder what to do.
‘Tell them about Me,’ the Spirit of Jesus whispers to me. ‘Tell them that I love them and will forgive them everything, if they will only turn to Me.’
I begin to move towards outstretched hands and I clasp them.
‘Help me’ they beg.
‘How can I help you?’ I ask.
‘Set me free.’
‘How? Show me how?’
And I tell them about Jesus, the Saviour, the One who forgives all sins. One by one they kneel, weeping, recognising their sin and accepting Jesus. As they do, at that moment their cell doors unlock and spring open. Some rush out and fall at my feet but I don’t let them but hug them and show them to the steps which lead up and out.
I watch as they begin to climb and am amazed to see they are not on steps at all but wading, then swimming up through water towards the light. As they do so, they are being washed of all the blackness, filth, and dirt, cleansed of all their sins. Now I understand it truly is the Well of Salvation, the Well of Forgiveness of Sins and that no sinner is beyond reach.
I also have the sobering understanding that not everyone wants to be free. Some are truly drawn to God’s light but to others it is terrifying and they draw away from it. Yet, even in the darkest places Jesus wants us to be there because there are prisoners waiting to know Him. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
The encounter finishes and I am back in the chapel, back in the sunshine and birdsong but sobered and pondering all that has been revealed. I take time to sit in the sunshine afterwards, soaking in the beauty of God’s beautiful creation, not wanting the darkness of what I’ve encountered, nor the evil, to linger.
