Castle Wisdom – Messages from a 13th Century Warrior!

On a recent visit to Denmark we decided to visit one of Europe’s best preserved castles.  Egeskov castle offers a spectacular first impression!  It’s stately presence dates back originally to the13^th century, although its present form, was completed in 1554.   It sits right in the middle of a small lake (moat) which is about 5 metres deep.  Once upon a time, the only entrance was via a drop down wooden bridge.  Strangers and uninvited guests were not welcome!  

Due to the civil wars at that time, most Danish noblemen built their homes to keep the enemy out and protect their households.  The castle consists of two long buildings connected by a double thick wall which would then allow the defenders to abandon one house and continue fighting from the other side if necessary. The double wall also contains a secret staircase including a well.  Other architectural details provide telltale signs of the enormous amount of attention that was given to creating a structure for defence purposes.

Egeskov was an immediate hit with the five younger members of our travel pack!  Unlike visiting a traditional museum, they were able to get into everything in the castle, and touch and feel and explore with all their senses in addition to taking hundreds of pictures within and outside the immaculately maintained castle grounds.

What impressed me most about Egeskov was the actual structure of the castle and the moat surrounding it.  Centuries after it was built, it still stands today, looking alone and isolated except for the now permanent bridge for visitors to cross over the moat to enter the castle.  Although most of it is open to the public, and there are hundreds of visitors a day going in and out; there is still a sense of forlornness and despair that screams out for attention. It reminded me of a strong but battered old soul, still standing guard; ready to fight!  Although its main purpose is now and has been for quite some time now as a popular tourist attraction, it seems that the castle cannot let go of its old identity.  Every part of it looks, smells and feels like it’s prepared to fight till the very end.

It dawned on me that in some ways we humans share some similar qualities with this centuries old castle. Depending on our histories, we too may have weathered many stormy periods throughout our lives and yet many of us are still standing tall even if we are a bit weathered by our experiences.  But like this castle, how often might we forget that the “wars” we once fought are long over and continue to stand stiffly on guard, ready for battle? We remain oblivious to being caught in a time warp that holds us hostage in the past.

A lot of times, as a result of events from our childhood, adolescence, life and circumstances, we become isolated, weathered and build fortresses around us.  Maybe even a moat to keep out those who are not welcome.  While strong walls, moats and draw bridges can certainly keep the enemy out, they can also keep goodness, kindness, love and other such things also out and us firmly locked in! So, while we do stand tall and strong, we also become weathered and withdrawn…perhaps aging but not gracefully!

Not only do we learn to keep others out, we also build walls within ourselves.  Rooms made of some very solid and substantial stone where every room is separate and isolated from the other. We become separated from ourselves.  We learn to live life in these compartmentalized rooms not recognizing the beauty and the spaciousness of the whole castle that awaits us.  There are parts of us that we hide from the world and even to ourselves thinking they are not desirable. Be it anger, dark thoughts, shame and any other traits or attributes that the world has taught us to judge as unworthy. By exposing these dark areas to the light, and to ourselves and owning them as ours, we can finally become free from that which keeps us in bondage.

What we choose to keep in hiding robs us of an enormous amount of vitality and “life energy”. We feel depleted without knowing what’s draining us.  Light erases all shadows and there is such a need for light in our worlds – the internal and external!

I can relate to this old castle!  Its messages are timeless, personal and universal all at the same time!

What did I hear from this great building?  A lot actually…but here’s what I remember:

• Stand tall and proud
• Take care of yourself
• Set solid boundaries
• Some walls are great for keeping the unwanted out, but  know when to take some down as well
• See the whole of who you are…the vastness, spaciousness and greatness that exists in you and everyone!
• Appreciate the perfection in all the imperfections of what makes you – you!
• Let in the new and let out the old…holding on for too long can get you stuck and stagnant
• And finally …Renovate!  When you  know you are in a safe and stable place and the wars are long over…maybe it’s time to bring in the bulldozers and take down some of those stone walls and really let the light in…after all, open concept is really the new way to be!

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