Remembrance of Days Past, The Plague Pit

Remembrance of days Past; The Plague Pit                                               Pimleco, London

Every time I visit London I stay with my good friend Kathy, who has a bed and breakfast right on the Thames River across from The Battersea Power Station. Just outside her door and to the left, is a small fenced off area full of towering trees, flowering bushes and lovely ‘wee’ daises that only seem to grow in the grass in this part of the world.

When I first arrived I noticed that instead of being well cared for like usual, the plot was now overgrown, the grass un-mowed. I mentioned this to Kathy, who agreed, and then went on to explain the history of the land next door. It seems this area was once a huge pit where they’d dispose of the bodies of plague victims back in the middle ages. Since at that time what is now known as Pimleco was outside the city limits, and the river ran right in front of the property, it was easy for those in charge to transport the bodies here and dispose of them.

This small, completely fenced in area doesn’t have a plaque saying that it was once a place where they buried plaque victims. Most likely that’s because it wouldn’t be good for real estate values or the tourist trade, especially if one was inclined to believe in ghosts. So here it sits, totally unnoticed by those that live in the area and the pub that sits just across the walk. All of them totally unaware that those that died during the Black Death are buried right in their own neighborhood.

It was only by luck (well maybe not) that Kathy found an old map that showed exactly where these plague pits once were, each marked, as one would expect, with a huge black cross. And joy of joys, wouldn’t you know it, one was located right outside her bedroom window!

Anyway, to make a long story short, Kathy wondered if some of the plague victims might still be around. It seems that over the years she, her son and daughter and a few of her guests have seen a particular ghost in the upper back room of her second floor. Since she’s quite aware of such things and perfectly all right with those that have passed on, (the ghosts are especially present and active after she’d been away and the house has been closed up for a while), she simply tells them to go away, and they do.

Since I was visiting and asked about the area next door (only because it looked as if the gardener had up and died) she ask if I could possibly ask if ‘her’ ghosts were actually plague victims or some other entities completely. Generally I don’t channel (passage) spirits, or at least I haven’t for a while. The last decade I’ve been too involved with the Elementals to even find time to work with my own Guides, let alone channel spirits. But because she really wanted to know (and yes I was curious too) I said I’d give it a try.

That said, this passage won’t be from the lovely trees in the plot but instead the pit and what appears to be the caretaker spirit that still remains. If this sort of stuff isn’t up your alley, don’t worry, the Nature Spirits and their friends will return next time. If you do decide to read on, and have the time, could you kindly let me (and Kathy) know what you think?

 The Plague Pit

Long ago, in relation to how you view time, this place, now peaceful after all these years, saw sadness unlike anyone today could imagine. Everything changes, yet comes again… times torn apart by injustices and things that can’t be changed. And so it was for those of us that still rest beneath the silent shroud that cover us now. Although many have passed on leaving the pain and misery of those days behind, those of us that still remain do so for different reasons. Some can’t, and unfortunately will never, accept what has become of a life once lived in peace and plenty. Others here knew only hardship. Still even after all this time the gift of love for those close to them was a loss they still feel even in your age. You see, time and destiny are interchangeable, causing some, like those here, to leave un-expectantly, something they cannot accept. In time many more will move on but not before they accept the truth that awakens their souls to what may come in the future

It’s said that those days were full of death and pain… the destruction of the core of humanity. Many like us perished because like many today there was no cure, no hope, and no future. Every thing must move ahead… through lessons learned about heartbreak, loss and the pain felt. This means not only physically but also among family, friends and life, even if it was spent in misery

Time brings to everyone a sense of self, which only comes from the events that shape ones destiny. However the soul, in time, always brings with it what it needs to grow. Although the death of all those here seemed at the time different from what they wanted, it was that sacrifice that made it worthy. You see, if one doesn’t suffer in order to move ahead, doesn’t accept everything that life gives, then it cannot grow. To prosper on the spiritual plane is to experience life as one lives it; in different forms of course, but in all cases. Only through these experiences, both good and bad, can one reach the level of maturity needed to become more.

The Plague or Black Death brought the end of a great civilization. But all things are relative and all beings, whether human or not, are like leaves drifting from place to place, always acquiring what’s needed until they once again become part of the earth.

Don’t cry for us but instead release us from your mind. We are here because we’ve chosen to be, until the time when we will once again join those from before to continue our journey forward.

(I then asked about the ghosts in Kathy’s House, “Were they plague victims?”)

Ghosts you say. What are they and why do they haunt the house, you ask?

It’s said that home is where the heart is and that’s often true. Even those reading this can understand this concept. Therefore it’s not the souls of those that passed (during the plague) that visit but those that lived long after that time. They continue to stay because like so many they can’t accept that the lifetime they experienced has gone. It’s also correct that many that have passed over in my time have also entered this space… many while moving on. However it’s not those that still wait in the shadows, but the ones that won’t release what was once familiar. A close sense of self still remains so they don’t understand why they can’t become what they must.

(I asked, ”Do they live in an alternate reality and at the same as we do?”)

I don’t know because I act as caretaker and my mind only knows what I’ve learned. It‘s true that life evolves, different levels often intersecting; time lapping… crossing over. I don’t think so, although I am not learned in that field.

Seldom do people come here who recognize what we went through, how we feel and to help us move on. It would be accepted with pleasure to be remembered so. Yet time doesn’t surrender what it doesn’t remember and everything we once knew has passed from this plane long ago. Time is relative and within it things change. One can only hope to learn what history teaches. Lessons learned provide knowledge needed to grow. And so we remain until our awareness becomes reality and we can once gain become what we may.

Release the past in your time by accepting that even death is not everything, but only a release to begin another series of opportunities. It isn’t easy, in whatever form you become, but necessary.

Go in peace, lighting a candle in the night so that those that are lost may find the light back. That is all we wish.

We are the keepers of the past and the path to those that wait.

 

In Conclusion

Most people are frightened of the dead, especially when the subject has to do with the Black Death and ghosts that may still remain. After reading this passage hopefully they can now feel sympathy instead of fear. Those times during the Middle Ages are unimaginable to those of us today. We have no idea of the pain these individuals suffered until death finally released them…well some of them, as you’ve just read.

It isn’t hard to imagine, knowing how quickly the plague spread, that many that died never understood what happened to them. Even now they still don’t accept their fate. I’ve seen this in many of the places I’ve visited, from the Battlefields of Culloden to the ancient cities of the Mayas. There are always those that can’t accept that their lifetime has ended and it’s time to move on to their next “adventure.” What’s funny is that no matter where it is, there’s always a caretaker whose job is to preserve the memory of that place. I often think that maybe I should investigate who these caretakers are and why they have accepted this job. Maybe, as I said, it’s to help those that are stuck to eventually move on. One can only hope.

I do think these caretakers somehow influence those that visit these ancient sites where many people have perished. But what, I wonder, about “our pit” and the souls there? After all it’s unmarked and all but forgotten. Another mystery to ask about I suppose.

As for Kathy and her visiting ghost, it was a relief for her to know he was a plague victim, not just some hanger- oner from a few centuries back. She said the next time she saw him she’d tell him to move on. That this was her house now and that he should move forward and not dwell in the past. Then again that’s a good lesson for all of us, don’t you think.

Life is full of fabulous adventures and experiences that help us grow. If we sit around and don’t experience everyday to it’s fullest then how can we. That’s why we should take the advice of the caretaker of the pit …“To prosper on the spiritual plane is to experience life as one lives it.” Sounds like a good plan to me.

That said, I’m off to find a new stone circle to talk too.           Cheri