by Manon Tromp

Who thinks of Avalon, thinks of magic and mysticism, the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, of the mists of Avalon or of the Goddess honoured there. It is also possible that Avalon does not mean a thing to you; however, it does give you a certain feeling. Avalon is a name that has enormous appeal to numerous people, all over the world. Why? What is that link with Avalon many feel? What is Avalon? Does Avalon exist, or is it a figment of our imagination?

Finding the answers to these questions became a personal journey of discovery – an assignment to investigate the magic of Avalon. Avalon seems to be intangible but it is really within reach. For me, Avalon is closely linked with the town of Glastonbury in the South West of England. The year 2002 was the first time I came to Glastonbury, England, ‘The Isle of Avalon’, as the sign along the road indicates when driving into town. It was a feast of recognition and an overpowering sense of coming home: I have been here before and here is where I wanted to be. I hear that from many people who have crossed my path since then, and who, like I, have visited Glastonbury. And even if they have never visited the place, they do have the feeling they have to.

No one can deny that Glastonbury has a strong energy, which can be felt by many. It is a loving and transformative energy that expresses itself differently per person and feels differently every time. This energy is also known as the Avalon energy, but what is that connection between Avalon and Glastonbury?

The meaning of the name Avalon

The name Avalon is from the Celtic Avalloc or Avallach, a Celtic demigod who ruled the underworld. The word Avalon means: “The Isle of Apples”. Indeed, many apple trees grow in Glastonbury, but that does not have to mean anything. The apple was seen as the fruit of wisdom for Goddesses, a magical fruit. A dragon or a serpent guarded the holy orchard. Later, the apple became a forbidden fruit in the bible, and Eve, urged by the serpent, was accused of seducing Adam to take a bite of this forbidden fruit. The tone was set and women, from now on, were portrayed as seducers and traitors by the church. With this, the church leaders succeeded in their endeavor to ban the (female) nature religion and to entice people to convert to Christianity. And yet, the mystical meaning of Avalon stayed alive, especially in legends; she slumbered in the background, waiting until the fruit of wisdom could be eaten again and we can use our inner wisdom once more.

Avalon and the Goddess

According to a legend, Avalon was long ago an existing physical place, where priestesses were honoring their Goddesses by performing rituals. It was a sacred place, a kind of temple, where not everyone had access. The Celtic people respected this. One says that through the arrival of Christianity, Avalon is shrouded behind the veils. Only those possessing the ability to look through them can gain access to Avalon.

For centuries the priestesses have honored the Goddess with ceremonies and rituals in Avalon. Avalon is connected with the Goddess and in that sense is a symbol for female spirituality. The Goddess is Mother, the giver of life, she who creates. Life originated from her womb, she looks after it, nourishes it and feeds it. The cycle of her body is the cycle of the earth: a circular, reoccurring change. The Goddess is the symbol for our femininity connecting us with creation, beauty and respect for the life Mother Earth gives us.

According to the legends, women rule in Avalon and more specifically the Lady of Avalon; a Goddess of love, beauty, power and wisdom. She is the Lady of Light and Dark; she has multiple names and multiple ways of appearing.

Among the eldest names are those of the nine Morgans – a sisterhood of nine, of which Morgan la Fey is the most well known. The familiar druid Taliesin in the book Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth has noted these names. The nine women together possess all the qualities of the Goddess and are known for their knowledge of the seven free arts: astronomy, astrology, math’s, healing, music, the body and divination. The nine Morgans sit in their dark cloaks in a circle around the large cauldron of inspiration, immortality and reincarnation, in a cave, deep under the Glastonbury Tor, in the underworld of Annwn. Sometimes they take the appearance of black crows, white doves, green jays or hawks.

Female Spirituality

Female spirituality is an acknowledgement of the Goddess as planet, as the earth and of woman. In short, this is the female principle of creation that is inside all of us. We can create life, we can celebrate life and honor her through our participation in the cycle of the earth and the universe. We represent Life! The Goddess is everything that is creative, everything which lives in nature and everything what it truly means to be a human.

The Goddess gives everything and takes everything, she is the connection with life, the earth and the cosmic powers. Everything that influences the earth, influences the Goddess and everything and everyone on earth. A clean environment is good for us, just like harmony among people without competition, conflicts and separation. The Goddess is in all of us; she is the power and the strength of women and men, to direct their own lives, to having free choice and to take responsibilities for their actions. The philosophy of the Goddess is, that there is abundance for everyone.

Glastonbury: Isle of Avalon

Glastonbury is located in the South West of England, in the district of Somerset, not far from well known stone circles like Stonehenge and Avebury. The popular mystic of the early twentieth century, Dion Fortune, called Glastonbury: the Avalon of the hart. Glastonbury being the physical place and Avalon being the spiritual place. Many myths and legends indicate that Glastonbury is where Avalon is.

Glastonbury used to be an island and was called Ynisvitrin, an old Celtic name, meaning: The Isle of Glass. It was well known for it’s hill, called the Tor, which still stands out in the landscape of today. According to stories, this hill was used to bury the dead. In Avalon legends the Tor is known as land of the dead, the underworld. These legends also point out a connection to Caer Sidi, the glass castle of the fairies and the home of Cerridwen, the crone goddess who is in charge of the kettle of wisdom.

But the best known legends which connect Glastonbury to Avalon, are the King Arthur ones. He represents the male side of Avalon and of it’s values: strength, courage, protection and power. The name Arthur was derived from Arth Fawr, The Big Bear in the solar system. The legends mention a few places in and around Glastonbury were important events took place. One of the most well known legends is about the dying Arthur, who is taken by boat to the Isle of Avalon. There he will rest until he returns.

Avalon in the here and now

Glastonbury has always been a place for pilgrims from all kinds of backgrounds. Nowadays it still attracts a lot of visitors who are intrigued by her mystery and history. It is considered to be a centre for spirituality and magic. The whole town breathes spirituality and people in all kind of colorful outfits roam the streets to visit the spiritual shops that are everywhere. The energy of Avalon is felt everywhere and it gives you a feeling of love, acceptance and openness, which in the ‘real world’ is not always easily found. The meetings with people you can have are special and before you know it, you will be in a deep conversation about life with someone who you have just met. Many different spiritual activities are being organized every day and you can have your pick from anything from yoga to Buddhist meditation, from wicca meeting to a druids ceremony.

The Avalon spirit of the heart is also evident in the more big events that are being organized. I will mention a few I have attended myself and which I can highly recommend: the Glastonbury Symposium and the Goddess Conference. The symposium is a three day event where speakers and researchers present their findings on earth mysteries as crop circles, orbs and other phenomenon. The Goddess Conference is a 5 day celebration of female spirituality with workshops, lectures and ceremonies. Both events take place in the month of July.

There are more places like Glastonbury/Avalon in the world, which seem to be portals to other worlds and dimensions. They have a peaceful and loving vibration, which makes you feel unconditionally accepted. It also brings about a faster pace of spiritual and personal development and before you know it your creativity seems to be exploding and taking you to levels, you never knew were possible. I can get easily addicted to places like that, because deep down I know this is our natural way of being: living from the heart.