In this time there will be many paths to enlightenment, many ways to commune with Spirit, and many manifestations of Avalon's archetypal energy. To think otherwise is to live in denial and cling to the ways of a passing Age. For how can one individual, group, or theology ever fully encompass what is infinite and eternal?... This is the truth of our experience in this Tradition as we have lived it. It is not intended to define "Avalon" or "Druidry" for anyone else, including those in other branches of the Greater Avalonian Tradition. We must each come to our own ways of defining and expressing our spirituality; no teacher, group, or Tradition can do it for us. As you travel Spirit's road be mindful of this fact. If you meet others who claim a lineage or Tradition for their own, test its merits for yourself. If it works and it feels right for you, then follow it whether or not it has a 'pedigree'. Do not rely on bloodlines, titles, or booksellers to tell you what to think or how to believe, for even the best blood can be contaminated and the most charming poetry can lie. Let your heart say where it is called, and your feet tell you when they are on the right path.
We enter a time in which women and men of different cultures, traditions and faiths, must learn how to honor each others' differences while also entering into and participating in the circle of Life as equals. This is not a matter of style, but of survival. In every Age, peoples, cultures, and faiths make and remake themselves according to the Truth that unfolds before them. This is our Truth. We yield to the ways of this New Age. While we follow our ancestors' tradition, we do not live in their time but in our own, and must stay true to our origins as we grow and adapt to the needs of the present.
It is our hope to work cooperatively with all of those whose ethics and values do not conflict with our own; yet even within Avalon there is much to be done before our hearts may be brought together in service to this task. To those not yet ready to meet us in friendship, we say: "In the time to come, perhaps we may meet in Love." To those who are ready now, we give you welcome. May the labor of our hands be informed by loving hearts, that we may together midwife the birth of a gentler, more enlightened world for all.
ADO Origins
ADO began in December, 2000 CE, as two e-lists started by the Founder, Morgaine and her life partner, Myrddin: the "Avalonian Order of Ninefold Sisterhoods" and "Druid Brotherhood of Iona", cyber circles devoted to the study of Women's and Men's Mysteries. The founding of these lists corresponded with Morgaine's decision to shift her spiritual focus from Celtic, to pre-Celtic native Avalon -- the Age of Faery and the Mothers, a move that marked a new beginning under different Tradition mentors in the Isles and Brittany, and a broadening of scope to include all nine of Avalon's ancient sites. It is from these Faery Druid mentors that ADO's Motherline, or teaching lineage, derives. Others interested in this period were also drawn to the lists. First to arrive were our Elders, a gathering of Avalonian practitioners drawn to pursue a balanced study and practice within the context of Avalon's oldest surviving teachings. Establishing list members included: Morgaine, Myrddin, Angela (Lightwing), Ceriwydd-White Raven, Aauriane, Ansara, Bryn, Brigit, Caillean, Druantia, Gormflaith, Llawenydd-Hawk, Kat, JourneyWoman, Emelyn, Raindream, Sobeit, and "Wizard Woman of the North". All had previous Avalonian training and during this time the experience of ADO was that of a lively laboratory.
This loose, laboratory structure proved extremely productive for our small, disciplined group, but as more inexperienced members joined traditional structures were employed to help retain a clear focus and accommodate everyone's needs. By this time Morgaine was completing training in Avalon's early customs and root wisdoms, and as these were the customs, laws, teachings, and spiritual practices that had drawn us all together, and which we felt best-suited our individual and collective roles and the needs of the coming Age, we formally integrated them into the structure of the new Order. Explicitly stating our tenets made our direction, purpose, and methods clearer to prospective members. Naturally some preferred not to commit to a particular time period or spiritual practice, and these began falling away, including some establishing members. This was difficult, but necessary for us all. At the same time, the clearer focus acted as a beacon attracting new Seekers; thus a need arose to provide them with some basic information and guidance. The lists began hosting "chats" where these new Seekers could meet more experienced members and find guidance for their explorations into early Avalon. Although we did not realize it in the moment, the ADO spiritual community had been born.
At about this time, Morgaine began her apprenticeship as a Druid priestess and mentor, founding Avalon Sanctuary as a laboratory serving her own continuing studies as well as future students. Both the Sanctuary and the e-lists were included in a one-time, one column-by-one inch classified ad. List membership increased over a hundred-fold in the year 2000 alone. A new and promising generation of younger members joined us; Seekers eager for an ongoing, intensive Avalonian experience. But change was once again on the way. In 2003, at the urging of core members, Morgaine traveled to Florida and began the process through which ADO might become an official, legally recognized religious nonprofit charitable organization. She designed the ADO logo, donated her personal website fore ADO's official use, and began a long process of rewrites and redesign, while continuing to work with core members to faithfully render the tenets of our traditional community into intelligible legalese. The old email lists were converted to an e-community (forum) and events calendar, and a member publication ("Messenger of the Gods") was launched. For three years the fledgling Order struggled with legal issues (including copyright infringements by former members), while continuing to push nonprofit paperwork and provide member services. Some people became frustrated waiting for mentors to get back to teaching, and there was another turnover in membership slimming the membership roll back down to its original size.
On 4 December 2004, ADO was formally established as a legal religious nonprofit with Florida Grove members staffing its membership office. One month later, Morgaine and Myrddin returned to Florida and personally submitted the final papers for ADO's tax exempt status, which was granted in May of 2006. We are now a small, but intensely focused group looking forward to growing slowly and carefully while preserving a high standard of quality and integrity. An e-community, cyber resources, member publications, and programs of study have all been made ready. Two years were spent preparing core members as Druid Novices and Apprentices (mentoring Elders-in-Training), and laying the groundwork to manifest the next part of our Founding Vision. To this end, the Founders recently obtained a parcel of land in southwestern Virginia to serve as their permanent home, and the Elder Council's interim Gorsedd, with the possibility of acquiring further land appropriate for a small community nearby. We now have the knowledge and the skills to build our vision of a living, thriving, sustainable, dedicated spiritual community founded upon Avalon's root wisdoms; a dream that is even now within our grasp ... The beacons are lit, the Hearthfire kindled, and those called to serve as we do are already making their ways to us.
ADO Lineage
Blood Lineages
Most groups within the Greater Tradition acknowledge two forms of lineage: (1) Blood lineage, which is inherited from one's own family or through spiritual fosterage ('adoption' into a hereditary family); and (2) Teaching Lineage, often called "the Motherline", which passes from teacher to student, mentor to member. Tradition teaches that ancestral memory is inherited through the mother's bloodlines; thus, in Avalon it is the mother's bloodline that takes precedence. ADO is fortunate to benefit from both types of lineage in different ways.
ADO does not recognize claims of hereditary lineage unless an uninterrupted spiritual practice is also in evidence. Thus, although the Founder and other members can trace blood lineages to pivotal points in Avalon's history, we are not 'hereditaries'. However, the existence of a bloodline in connection with our Motherline has influenced ADO's development in subtle, but important ways. The modern Tradition faces many new challenges, not least of which is the need to live and establish our spiritual lives in a mechanistic, materialist society that is often inhospitable to spirituality, to Avalon, and to Druidry. In laying the Order's modern foundation we were faced with many choices that might have compromised the Tradition's integrity. The guidance of our ancestors (those closest to "the Avalon that was" and the forces that shaped it) has already proved an invaluable asset in preserving Avalon's ancient Druid Tradition without ignoring modern needs. The influence of these far ancestors may now be said to actively reach from Avalon's roots into our present and future, in which we all partake. In this sense, they have become the common spiritual ancestors of all ADO Druids.
We are often asked whether it is important to have blood ancestors in the Isles in order to work as a Druid within Avalon's Mystery Tradition. It is not necessary... but it is helpful, especially for personal work such as the healing of soul debts and ancestral shadow. Awakening memories of past lives -- especially of past lives in Avalon -- can become a major distraction from our present spiritual work, involving the ego in all sorts of misadventures. It is important to remember that what we have been in the past remains in the past; it can neither harm us nor advance us now. Its only benefit is to reveal how and where soul debts and ancestral debts still await resolution, so that we may release these Shadows and live fully in the present moment. Ultimately, a hereditary lineage can neither validate nor invalidate a Way or Path; whatever remarkable events may surround such a discovery, seeking to use this information for personal validation only distracts us from the real purpose of our spiritual journey.
Teaching Lineage
The second type of lineage is the spiritual equivalent of "fosterage" and passes from mentor to member, teacher to student in a continuing line stretching as far into the past and future as the Tradition is maintained and continues. This sounds simple, but it can be quite confusing to those unfamiliar with Avalon's Traditional customs and practices. For instance, it is common assumption that one automatically inherits the lineage of anyone (and everyone) with whom one has studied or practiced, however briefly. This is untrue. In fact, one mustcomplete training, be ordained or anointed a Druid by one's mentor, and also receive a "master attunement" for a claim of lineage to be valid.
Attunement is a process which "tunes" the apprentice's energy to a certain pitch or resonance which is considered the signature resonance for a specific Avalonian Age and Archetype. The attuned energy of the apprentice entrains the desired Avalonian energies represented by the "master symbols" used. These symbols are much like keys to certain places or times within Avalon. In addition to having different symbols for different branches of the Tradition, sigils usually differ from group to group. Having different sigils allows different groups to restrict access to their specific Avalonian "space", and helps to diffuse any negative impact from other groups' workings. An attunement is permanent only if master symbols are used, and can only be given by someone who has received their master attunement through the same lineage (or in the case of ADO, an approved ADO Druid). Similar attunement or "empowerment" practices are found in vibrational healing modalities such as Reiki, and in the practices of various mystic or spiritual traditions, or sects (e.g. certain sects of Celtic paganism and Tibetan Buddhism). Numerous examples of the use of spiritual attunement in the Isles are attested in Celtic literature and folklore, from reports on the initiations of Scottish seers to allusions in early Welsh and Irish literature.
But even where the requirements of training and attunement are met, a lineage can only be claimed where there is a continuing practice. For this reason ADO's Motherline is traced solely through Morgaine and those of her Druid mentors teaching Avalon's native, root wisdoms, and not through any other mentors she may study under. Avalonian Druid Singers remember lineages reaching back ten generations (roughly 300 years), and Seekers have often voiced the challenge: "If your claims are true, why do you not publish the names?" Not hard: Exposing someone to ridicule, harassment, derision, discrimination, and condemnation is a poor way to repay a priceless gift. Most of the old people in the Isles and Brittany will tell you that they cannot practice openly without placing themselves at risk in their local communities; therefore we cannot publish full legal names. True, this may make our claims appear suspect in some people's minds, but we trust you will understand the need for such precautions in a world often driven by religious intolerance, and we urge you to be circumspect when making publicly naming people in your turn.
We are indebted to the following individuals from our Motherline: Iris, Mabh (and her "Faery Host"), Dorly, Gina, Rosmerta, Aillean (pron. eye-LEEN); and also the following Druid Brothers: Iago, Peregrine, Drustan, and Myrddin.
(Note: While many individuals may use these names, none will share the personal histories of those in our Motherline. Enough is known of each mentor's story to make distinguishing been individuals fairly easy; therefore if you are considering study under someone claiming to be one of the above-listed mentors, we encourage you to contact us. One of our Elders will gladly investigate the validity of their claims on your behalf.)
The "Real" Lineage
Our world is filled with religions all battling to control world beliefs and be "the one and only faith" for all people, in every place and time, and we are all products of this environment. Occasionally, individuals and groups have attempted to assume authority over, and speak "for all Avalon" (or "all Druidism"), instead of on behalf of their own particular circles. But while the ambitious few may court acceptance and support for their ambitions from others, it is difficult to overwrite history unless you are already controlling it. Thus, such claimants to the throne will inevitably be confronted with evidence that contradicts the arguments underlying their ambitions; an experience which history tells us tends to succeed only in provoking a redoubling of effort. But if we have learned anything from mainstream religions, it is the real cost of such delusions of empire building and power.
No self-empowered, self-regulated system can legitimately be ruled by a single (or even a central) authority. The myths clearly establish that Avalon had many queens (Well Maidens, Ladies of the Lake, etc.) and kingdoms hailing from around the world, and not one Queen from "the only Avalon". But even without this evidence, can we honestly assert that compelling everyone to bow to one central authority is self-empowering? Does such a system truly support the concept of Sovereignty? How can anyone rule another's conscience or 'validate' the yearnings of another's heart? Not hard: They cannot. And if there is no single, central authority then it follows that there is also no single 'real/authentic' lineage.
In the absence of such a lineage no single or centralized authority can legitimately claim the right to refuse others access to this spiritual tradition. Overall, we see that as a good thing, for but no one can live another's destiny. We cherish Avalon's tremendous diversity, even as we seek to preserve our own part in her Tradition. In our belief, no one experience, insight, or vision is less important than another. Each being has a unique purpose to fulfil in the Great Pattern of Being. Mythology is replete with examples of the calamities that befall mankind when destiny remains unfulfilled. Therefore, it is not our place to seek to limit the expression of another's faith; and we are obliged to refuse to let others limit our own. Our duty is to remember that the Path of Spirit teaches us not how to be governed or how to govern others, but how to know and govern ourselves.
The Gods and ancestors work differently through each of us, and the Shadow we condemn in others today may well confront us tomorrow. To hunt for outside validation through lineage through an outside "authority" is to finally miss the point. Truth is the only real validation and truth resides within. While it can be an indicator of potential, it is not a guarantor. We still have to do the hard work of earning our attainments in this life, in this moment. Therefore, lineage in itself "proves" nothing; its value lies in deep memory and in the kinship that binds us all together.
The Impact of Eclecticism on Tradition
The Celtic period opened the door to innovation and experimentation that provided a necessary breath of fresh air, clearing away the stagnant energies of the passing Age; but as so often happens, this gust soon became a gale. As some struggled to preserve the ancestral roots of the Avalon they knew, others sought to discover what Avalon might become under new influences (or perhaps more accurately, under their own influence). In the process a vital fact was forgotten: Any change we make to a spirituality affects all who practice within it and has the potential to dilute the power of the original. By introducing new elements, we may also introduce beings and forces that have never been there, do not belong there, and are potentially harmful to the dwellers there.When we 'tinker' (or "add our own little touches") we invariably cause change, an inconvenient truth when the ego prefers dabbling to the rigors of prolonged, intensive training and practice...
For over two thousand years, mainstream society has labored to diminish and discredit the beliefs, ways, and histories of conquered peoples -- including the bulk of its own ancestors. As a result, modern day spiritual practitioners have no 'inborn' respect for the forces with which they work. Many seem to believe that natural laws apply only when we want them to; this idea is especially prevalent amongst eclectics. These "borrowers" stitch together bits of disparate magical systems the way quilters use scrap fabric, tacking them on 'as is' wherever seems convenient. Thus, someone borrowing ideas to fill the gaps in their Avalonian knowledge may claim to be teaching "Avalonian chakras" or "Avalonian channeling," when in fact there is no Avalonian "chakra system," no Avalonian "channeling" or "shamanism", and anyone who has been properly trained will know why there never will be. And while any novice could tell you why we would never use these terms or concepts in reference to Avalonian Tradition, a "borrower" cannot, because they have not troubled to master any of the systems from which they've borrowed... And therein lies the problem...
It is the nature of tradition to pass down to others what we have been taught,as we were taught it. This is the true meaning of lineage, and when this line of wisdom is broken no 'tradition' remains. In order to uphold a tradition we must first understand how innovation and invention are different from eclecticism. Innovation builds on an existing foundation (the defining elements of a tradition), while maintaining the style and principles of the original. Invention starts from scratch to create something brand new. Eclecticism does neither; it rips bits from existing works to create a personal mosaic intended to by-pass the ego-bruising effort required for real mastery. It is possible to innovate within traditional parameters; it is less possible to invent, and it is impossible to simply insert something from a completely different cultural worldview. Eclecticism is dangerous because it strips away the protections inherent in ancient Tradition without establishing new coherent, cohesive systems in their stead. It is damaging because it dilutes the power of each thing from which it borrows, and because it exposes new seekers to untried, untested methods without recognizing or taking responsibility for the results.
The Seeker of Avalon will encounter many persons and groups claiming to represent her in the World. Some will be authentic, while others will be fakes. Knowing one from another can be difficult when we are still learning our way around the Holy Isle; however, immersion in Avalonian literature can provide remedy by familiarizing us with many of the same Avalonian motifs referenced by scholars and Avalonian practitioners. The rest arises from intuition; the guidance of Spirit as it speaks to your own heart.
Finding Your Own Origins: The Hunt for Avalon Within
We have spoken at length now of the importance of origins in this Tradition, and how the personal interweaves with the collective. Those who have stood on ancestral ground and have heard their blood 'speak' know it as an awakening of ancestral memory at the cellular level, manifesting as a dialogue between the land, our ancestors, and us. But the ancestors speak from the perspective of the time(s) when they lived on the land and this voice may also be awakened by other circumstances, such as a return to ancestral beliefs, or an encounter with someone known to us or our forebears in time long past ... The voice of our bloodline may speak wisdom to us, or it may use us to resume old disputes. We have all heard of people and families 'living under a curse' or carrying on blood feuds generation after generation, long after the cause is forgotten. This is what we mean when we speak of passing on (or continuing) ancestral Shadows; hearing our blood speak often heralds a choice of whether to perpetuate or to remove the 'curse'. To choose mindfully we must first know and understand what we are experiencing, and that will requires us to learn about and work with our physical and spiritual ancestors. This (and not unearthing some glamorous ancestor or past life) is the central purpose of exploring our Avalonian origins.
In time past, when the song and story of the land were remembered and burial sites were honored, the people had a better map of whom they might encounter on their journeys, of those who would help or hinder their spiritual growth. But in our time, we cannot know these things with certainty. We cannot know whether a site has been disturbed, or who lies therein. For most of us, the stories of our far ancestors are forgotten. Vital details are lost. Local government counsels, churches, and developers often relocate graves and we cannot always count on an accurate map of such changes -- especially at "minority religion" burial sites. But if we cannot work with the realms of the dead exactly as did our ancestors, we can acquaint ourselves with the lands, Tribes, clans, lore, and general histories that will provide the context for spiritual journey, and this we encourage you to do. Your Avalonian 'line' will be determined by several factors: traceable bloodlines; tribal affiliations; and the lore passed down through the Motherlines for the period you choose as the template for your spirituality. These together comprise your "Tale of Origins" in Avalon. It is a long, challenging hunt, but one well worth the undertaking.
Ages & Archetypes: 30,000 Years of History
Prelude
Not all traditions have a long history, and history is not a guarantee of authenticity, but perhaps because Western society has eradicated any awareness of its own roots in the ancient cultures of the "Old" and "New Worlds", Americans in particular tend to demand of their religions long, showy lineages reaching back into antiquity as a condition for accepting them as "valid". In ADO, we follow the Law of Pragmatism, which states: "If it works, it is 'real'; if it does not work, it is not 'real'." Yes we have a long history, but it is not our history that makes our Tradition and our Order vibrant, powerful and "real". It is the living connection to the land and its indwelling spirits, to our ancestors, and to those in the Otherworlds, that lends power to and authenticates our work. The Druid Tradition of Avalon is not a fiction. It does not derive from the minds of romance or fantasy writers, but from the inner planes of all the lands upon which we and our far ancestors have lived. It is not the special property of Britain or any other modern nation, but a legacy that exists in (and belongs to) all places and times. At its roots, the Avalon Mystery Tradition is part of a tradition more widely known as "Faery" (native or indigenous humanity's "first faiths"). ADO's Druid initiates are those skilled in the expression of this truth as it was known to our far ancestors and as it is experienced through the land by people on both sides of the mirror today.
The histories of societies and cultures pass with them into legend, and in the fullness of time into myth. The spoken word has the power to perpetuate and even revive ancestral worldviews. It embodies the Dream of our shared reality; thus, retelling "myth-story" remains a critical part of any oral tradition. Through these ancestral sacred story cycles ponderous natural phases such as the Great Year may be known and fathomed and their effects remembered and understood. Few modern Traditions retain this wisdom; thus the new Seeker comes to Avalon with small experience of the importance and uses of such lore. If, as Druids, we are to understand, master, and absorb this ancient worldview and use it as a foundation for establishing an Avalonian spiritual practice in our own time ... if we are to perpetuate the customs, lore, and ways that have been handed down to us in a form appropriate and responsive to the needs of the present moment, then we must share an experiential understanding of the worldview that shaped them.
Ages & Archetypes
An "archetype" is the original or prototype (as opposed to an "icon" or representation thereof). The primal, archetypal Avalon exists all around and within us, in everything, every place, and every time; but ideas, like beings, have a life of their own and must evolve and adapt in order to survive. What we in ADO call archetypal "aspects" are simply names for the places where Avalon's Mysteries have evolved unique characteristics, creating denominations (or "branches") that set them apart without removing them from the Tradition, the shift from matriarchal to patriarchal society being a prime example. We believe that the Age we now enter embodies the transition from a society centered on either feminine or masculine energy to one that encompasses both as different but equal (egalitarian) forces.
The time periods in which each of these three philosophical archetypes (Mother-centered, Father-centered, and Egalitarian) is dominant could be said to represent Avalon's different "Ages", and are part of arepeating cycle that cannot be fit to linear models or conventional linear histories. The far ancestors neither saw nor experienced time as we do. For them, it was not a linear progression marked by arbitrary number values, but an unfolding story, bending back upon itself and retreading its steps in ever-evolving ways. Within this context, the Primal Ancestors (the shapers of this world who provide the basis for life, often remembered as 'giants') have their dwelling in the Ancient Age; an Age that is also the far future. Ancestors whose lifetimes are removed from us by more than 25 generations, but who are not Primal Ancestors, are said to dwell in the Middle Age. They are usually seen as collectives and include nearly all the denizens of Faery and the High Kin. In time past, they were honored mainly outdoors at "roadside shrines" or altars. Those who dwell within 25 generations of the present moment exist in the "Present Age" (from which we descend again into a time of shaping, or "Ancient Age"). Thus Avalon's many ancestors include both spiritual and blood forebears remembered at outdoor altars, household ancestor altars, the Samhain Feast, at the family "mound" (or burial site), and at the birth of a new child. The family home -- in particular the hearth, which anciently resided at the "heart" of each home -- provides a central focus of spiritual contemplation, with the same authority as any spiritual Sanctuary.
Within these basic cyclical designations we find the various historical points of focus and their corresponding practices. Historical points of focus are places where Avalonian Ages coincide with the Ages of conventional histories in defining ways. For example, in Avalon the Copper/Bronze Age marks the time when patriarchy supercedes matriarchy as the dominant philosophical and societal standard. If we look at how this developing patriarchy finds expression we will see points of significant change (such as Celtic, Arthurian, Christian, etc.) that can serve as convenient developmental "periods". These we call "historical points of focus". If we examine modern Avalonian practices across groups, we find that different Avalonian groups use the customs, beliefs, and methods of these different periods as templates upon which to base their modern work. Each chooses the template that suits them best, and which they believe best serves present needs. Of course, such arbitrary divisions of time held no meaning for the far ancestors, who saw reality as a story bending back upon itself, without beginning or end. Our obsession with measuring and controlling time would seem bizarre, even pathological to them -- and in fact, they would be quite right to think so; for nothing has taken us quite so far away from Nature as our obsession with controlling and manipulating time.
In ADO, we see the dawning Age as the part of the story where the world spiritually descends to the collective Station of Confrontation in the cycle of Great Years, during which we face the cumulative consequences of millennia of poor judgements and imbalance. The collective awareness stirs with the vague sense of impending, inevitable, sweeping change that heralds the onset of the Wasteland. Though we have not yet faced this Wasteland, the promise of rebirth already shows itself. We see this in the re-emergence of Nature Religions and Goddess culture, even in the midst of a heavily masculinized, industrialized western world. Such change is always difficult and dangerous. The presiding powers seldom relish yielding their authority and control. It is the intensity of these struggles which mark them as major transitions; when those in power resist the turning of tides, their tightening grip destroys much that might otherwise survive. It has happened before -- but in the past, ancestral lore, physical fitness, knowledge of survival skills, the ability to cooperate and collaborate, and the planet's own strength and natural diversity helped to protect us. These advantages are now lost to many of us. Our best hope, then, lies in making ourselves more fit to survive: in reclaiming the wisdom and skills to live harmoniously within Nature; in learning to govern ourselves instead of remaining children reliant on a parental 'leader' whose very task is fated to corrupt us and them; and in marrying these skills by reclaiming the ability to live in true, self-sustaining, egalitarian community. We believe that only through these skills may we successfully meet the coming changes and upheavals.
We are taught that each New Age begins with a time of transition that marks the decline of one type of society and the ascent of another. New World Amerindians have called the time now ending the "end of the Fourth Age" or the "End of Days" (not to be conflated with the "End Times" of Christianity). If we look at these prophecies through the ancestors' eyes, we recall that for the far ancestors Creation itself was eternal; thus the stirrings we feel are not the end of all things, but merely the death throes of the world we have known, and the labor pains of a new Age already coming into being. The Age to come will echo many aspects of those that have gone before. Patterns will seem to repeat, offering opportunities to break out of outmoded ways of thinking and being. In such times our potential to effect positive change is manifestly increased. In times of chaos, world stewards skilled in the basics of life in the Wildwood and the ways of community are uniquely qualified to provide guidance and leadership... All we need do is to overcome our own egos and a lifetime's bad conditioning; to find the courage and imagination to face the Truth head on; develop the Will to transform ourselves into proper stewards; and to commit our Hearts to doing it -- whatever that might mean.
The Power of Number
The ancients believed that Harmony results when all things are in balance, reflecting the natural order of Creation. This order was defined in terms of cosmology, and number was its template. We are taught that all things in Creation are in a perpetual state of imbalance, seeking balance. It is the force of this imbalance that causes motion, change, momentum, and which, in counterpoint to the gravity at the still centrepoint, generates the centrifugal force that causes all things to turn back on themselves. The idea that space is actually curved, and that time is cyclical rather than linear, are both examples of this understanding. The number templates that defined ancient cosmologies also recognized this concept and held it at their centres. The ancients understood Balance and Harmony in terms of the relationship between stillness and perpetual movement. For this reason, their numerological systems each had an even (balanced) number hidden at their centres. Vestiges of these past cosmological systems remain with us and inform familiar aspects of our world even today.
For example, Western Christian society's twelve month year with the sun at its center, 12 man juries presided over by a single judge, counting by the dozen, etc. all mirror a template of Jesus (the solar, sacrificed god) and his twelve disciples. Although we think of this as a "twelvefold" system the central number is actually thirteen, with Jesus "hidden" at its center. Each cosmology has such a hidden center, and each retains certain elements of its predecessors (e.g. the seven day week, the seven planets, etc.). Within each cosmology, numbers have esoteric significance and energetic characteristics that define their principle functions and endow them each with specific meaning. Interpretations of the influence of each number vary according to the prevailing worldview. (For example, the number "1" can be understood and experienced as either the unifying principle or as an oppressive, controlling force, depending upon one's perspective.)
One finds Avalonian templates based on twofold, fivefold, sevenfold, eightfold, ninefold and twelvefold cosmologies. A ninefold template (with a hidden tenth at its centre) typically heralds the dawning each Avalonian Age, and signifies new beginnings informed by past lessons. Thirty years ago the Tradition stood on the brink of extinction when the Internet arose to reunite Avalon's long separated practitioners. The ancient Dragon and Hedgerow Schools were revived, bringing the teachings preserved in the Isles and Brittany to an international public for the first time in millennia. This fulfilled an ancestral prophecy about our time; that a generation would come whose work would restore the whole fabric of the ancient Tradition and set the stage for a re-blossoming of Avalonian spirituality in a new Age. That Age is now upon us.
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There are many ways to tell the tale I now unfold to you. We are a Druid tradition and so I will tell the tale as it was told to me, and my mentors before me. It will also be my tale, as I have seen, lived and studied it, for I too have a part to play in this story. Some may dispute it, believing themselves possessed of the "only" Truth or the "only"Avalon, but this has never been my truth - and that is the only Truth that I can tell. May it leave you feeling nourished and satisfied!...
The Early Tradition
In the beginning, long before the coming of the Celts to these shores, the Avalon Mystery Tradition was comprised of the beliefs, customs, practices, and worldview of the native (or 'Faery') people of the "British" Isles (the "Isles of the Mighty"), Western Europe, and eastern North America, people we call "Braithion" or "Cruithne" (the "speckled peoples" mentioned by the Celts and later peoples). These people believed themselves descended from three royal lines (or "Noble Houses") of immortal ancestors: the Houses of Ceridwen & Celi, Dôna & Beleu, and Penarddun & Llŷr . The denizens of these Houses were not worshipped as "gods" in the
modern sense, but were seen as spiritual teachers and guides, upon whose example the ancient Tribes based their own culture, spirituality, and society. Thus, as the prime ancestors inhabited a mother-centered world governed by three matriarchs, so too their descendants, Avalon's nine archetypal Tribes.
These first Nine Tribes shared one philosophy and method of spiritual practice which, handed down from generation to generation, established a Tradition that forms the basis for our own spiritual practice today. This ancient, formative period we call the First Age, or the "Age of the Mothers". It was a time of explosive growth in which the three Tribes of each House grew and expanded, ultimately encompassing twenty-seven Tribes in each of the Three Realms (or eighty-one Tribes to each House). These first Tribes formed the three archetypal Avalonian Orders. There are three traditional teachings on which of these three Orders was "the original": the Avalonians of Iberia* teaches that the Tradition came from Avallenia (northeastern North America) to the western Isles, spreading from there to Western Europe; the Avalonians of Alba* say that the Tradition appeared first in the lands of the Welsh-speaking peoples and from there spread to other lands; and the Hibernians* say that it began with the coming of the Gaels. (*Terms corrected to reflect current usage.) In ADO we do not choose between these teachings, but hold each in memory with equal respect.
The Age of the Mothers marks thousands of years of relative stability and peace in which the Tribes had no Chieftains, but sat "in Council" and lived as Hunter-Gatherers and Pastoral peoples sharing common resources. (Without surplus stores, there was no surplus to fight over). The short-term surplus created by the shift to agricultural society cost the land its long-term fertility, leading to shortages and creating an obvious inequity that prompted the conversion of hunters' skills to warriorcraft. As new, massive tools were too cumbersome for child-bearing women to manage, men became the primary providers. Power shifted out of the hands of women, reducing their value and status within the community. The Age of the Fathers was at hand.
The Modern Landscape of the Tradition
If we cast our eyes beyond the bounds of our own Order, we shall soon see that the landscape of the ancient Tradition has re-manifest in slightly revised form today; not through the auspices of any one person or Order, but by evolving organically through the voice of the land and our shared ancestors. It is a revision that in every way mirrors the structure which lies at Avalon's roots and origin. It is a fascinating mirror of all that Avalon has been in the time before -- and all that she may be in the days to come...
Avalon's modern practitioners may be generally categorized along the following lines:
1. Solitary or Group
2. Matriarchal council or Patriarchal linear hierarchy, or some combination of the two
3. Hereditary or Teaching lineage ("Blood or Motherlines"), or both
4. Same-sex circles, Groves with both men's and women's circles, and/or "Tribal" communities
5. Reclaiming or Traditional, or both
Because we are all drawing from the same pool of culturally specific folklore, literature, sacred landscapes, and artefacts, modern Avalonian groups and practitioners share a great deal in common that is distinct from the teachings of Neopaganism and Neodruidism; however, each group presents this common material very differently, according to their chosen points of focus. The resurgence of interest in Celtic culture has made this the period of choice for most Avalonian groups, bringing money and media attention to this branch of the greater Tradition. But the bulk of Avalonian Tradition, like the bulk of history, is not Celtic and did not originate with one or two groups or individuals, but with countless ancestors and their descendents. Though groups are often founded and develop independently of each other, they remain tied to Avalon's Traditional roots; thus certain tenets and general teachings continue to be held in common.
Closer scrutiny of practices across various Avalonian circles soon verifies this claim. Such comparisons often incite the wrath of individuals and groups that fear and resent being defined by others -- and rightfully so. We have ourselves suffered as a result of other people's misinformed theories about us. However, any meaningful exploration of the greater Avalon Mystery Tradition will require us to examine and compare the spiritual practices of different circles which claim to be 'Avalonian' and to describe them as we observe and/or experience them. To that end, we have categorized some of better-known Avalonian groups according to the historical points of focus which seem best to correspond with their professed spiritual practices as we understand them:
1. Faery (native) Avalonian Druid Groups(Avalon Druid Order / ADO, Green Dragon Grove):
Teaching Order and Tribes community; Healing School and Grove. Locations: The Highlands,
VA / Uisnech, Éire, respectively.
3. Early Celtic/Sisterhood Groups(Avalon Priestess School / Brighid's Academy of Healing Arts ): School
and circle incorporating a somewhat eclectic mix of teachings; and Traditional mixed Grove. Locations:
London & Glastonbury, UK / Uisnech, Éire, respectively.
reclaiming and some outside influences. Locations: Asheville, NC / Ithaca, NY.
5. Late Celtic-Arthurian Groups(Sisterhood of the Hearth / British Mystery School of Avalon / Avalon
Mystery School / Brotherhood of Avalon): Sister & Brotherhoods, groves. Locations: Salt Lake City,
Utah / Somerset, Britain & Wales / the USA, respectively.
Between these groups there is great variation -- even amongst those whose practices derive from the same time periods. For instance: Sisterhood of the Hearth, the British Mystery School, and Avalon Mystery School are all defined as "Celt-Arthurian", yet not all are 'Druid", not all are exclusively Celtic, and each places themselves differently in the sacred landscape. The reasons for this are many. Whilst a common landscape template informs the whole Tradition, its features find unique expression in each local environment. In addition, even slight shifts in time and location may mean working differently with the land and/or with different groups of ancestors. Thus, although all Avalonian groups share a common taproot ('Avalon' or what we call, 'the Greater Tradition'), the experience of each group remains specific and unique.
The Return through the Mists: The Power of Tradition in Manifesting Ancestral Intention
Those who have read Alwyn & Brinley Rees on the early Celts will find the focus and physical placement of these modern Avalonian groups of particular interest. The brothers Rees, drawing on original documents and writing as native Welsh scholars, present an intricate picture of the ancient correlations between cosmology and the sacred landscape as manifest in proto-Celtic culture. The earliest Celts more closely resembled the native Druid culture and were more easily assimilated into it; thus, the observations of the brothers Rees are of prime interest to us as well. In brief, here is the landscape they describe:
Both native and Celtic Druids recognized that power derives from the sovereign Lady of Life whose body is mirrored throughout Creation, and they courted Her acceptance whenever they arrived in new lands. Both the navel (umbilical connecting us to the Mother) and the heart of Sovereignty were seen to reside at the land's center; thus, the ancient Druids were much occupied with identifying their locations in the immediate landscape(s) with which they were acquainted. Once a regional center was located, the surrounding land was divided into portions or parts that were each ascribed magical properties and characteristics. Each area returned a portion of its land back to the common center which acted as the regional font of wisdom and justice for the local Tribes and their Druids. Here they built their Mystery School and (later) invested their Chieftains. The number of magical "parts" corresponded to the prime number of Tribal cosmology. For the Celts, this number was five (four quarters with a central fifth); for the Picts before them, seven, and for the first or 'Faery' people (the Braithion), nine. The magical properties and characteristics ascribed to each also changed according to cosmology.
The land was also divided north and south according to polarity; the masculine north governing administrative functions (warriors and lordship) and commerce, and the feminine south governing agriculture and the arts (heart, home, and 'song'). Of the two, the South was accounted the more important for its focus was resonance, the principle by which all things come into being and an emblematic power of the three immortal Mothers who together represent the sovereignty of the lands where dwell their spiritual and blood descendents. These polarities met and merged in the land's spiritual center (which did not always correspond exactly to its physical center). Often twin centers or "hubs" existed, the southern "song" center serving Spirit, and the northern serving Lordship. For example, we may look to Ireland, where Tara served as the primary seat of kings and Uisnech as the primary seat of Druids. It was a pattern repeated at sites across the ancient landscape.
From the onset of the "agricultural period", the collective perspectives shifted from an expectation of abundance to a "poverty mentality" founded upon the fear of shortage; a fear predicated on the subconscious awareness that unsustainable practices made shortages inevitable. Profiting from their neighbours' misfortunes gave those who controlled the surplus a powerful (if short-term) survival advantage, which provided a potent incentive to create future shortages and initiated a self-perpetuating cycle of excess and want that continues to define modern markets and societies today. The era of the collective ("the many") was over; the era of self-interest ("the one") had begun. Thus the Age of the Fathers has led us to the threshold of the Wasteland.
It needn't have been this way, but we must now act circumspectly and cautiously if we are to avoid reliving past mistakes. We cannot restore a natural state of Harmony and Balance by swinging from one extreme to another. Thus our charge is not to recreate the Age of the Mothers, but to establish the Third Age, the egalitarian Age of the Tribes; an Age honoring a true balance between the sexes and promoting the self-actualization of the individual as part of (and in service to) the collective. It is toward this balance that we now strive.
and Orders have all evolved independently of one another, this is an extraordinary coincidence; one which we feel demonstrates the power of a real Tradition to manifest its founding intention generation to generation -- with or without our direct knowledge. This is the power of drawing strength from a common taproot, even when branching out into the future. The longer a tradition has been maintained and perpetuated, the more powerful these roots will be and the greater their ability to manifest.
The irony is that this pattern emerges despite group fear of being subsumed by a 'Greater Tradition' or individual fear of being subsumed by a group. Say "community" or "Tradition" to some people and images of the Borg will start dancing in their heads. Yet the very fact that there are so many variations on one theme amply demonstrates that a collective, whether represented by a group or by ancestral Tradition, needn't have bow to a centralized authority or inhibit individuality. Between rampant eclecticism and rigid conservatism there is a middle way through which Tradition, collectivism, and individualism may be honored.
Paying the Blood Price: The Cost of Lineage
The momentum of tradition cannot last indefinitely without help from members willing to "pay it forward". While the existence of Avalonian groups, carrying on a Greater Tradition of which they are only partly aware, helps to substantiate the antiquity and continuity of 'Avalonianism', at what point does our lack of cohesiveness dissipate the cumulative power of momentum generated by generations of practicing Avalonian Druids and Priest/esses, causing the Tradition to collapse back into either a solely hereditary practice or oblivion? At what point do we pass from 'half-awareness' or 'vague awareness' to loss? At what stage does self-absorption collapse into total narcissism? If we are to preserve and pass on our ancestral legacy, we must remember that our separate groups and communities remain tied to one Greater Tradition that is self-empowered and self-regulating. The fear of losing our identities or having someone else take credit for our accomplishments must be challenged if we are to pass on a whole Tradition instead of our various idiosyncratic "personal touches".
Sadly, while Americans clamor loudest for access to "ancient traditions", the difficulty we have in committing to one path means that we are also amongst those most to blame for their loss. Spiritual traditions are not "products" to be packaged and sold as disposable goods to the public. A spiritual tourist cannot carry forward a tradition anymore than a vacationer can do so for the foreigners s/he briefly visits. To be Tradition Stewards is a life-long commitment; there is no walking away when things get tedious or difficult (as any true discipline will, at times). The commitment must be equally firm whether we practice our spirituality as "sole survivors" or in the company of others. For many Americans this is simply too much to ask -- which would be fine, except that as we export our 'disposable culture' throughout the world, we bring every tradition we encounter under threat. Traditions are sustained by lineage, and the price of lineage is commitment. Whether Westerners can muster this commitment remains to be seen, but even one person can ensure a tradition's survival. If we each assume that we are that person, the Wasteland may yet be healed.
What is interesting about this is that while the above-named groups have evolved independently, if we imagine them to occupy one modern Avalonian landscape we find that they reflect this ancient template extremely well. The numerology at the base of each group's spiritual methodology is also consistent with the pattern documented by the brothers Rees, as are the regional "centers". For instance even in America, Avalon's Celtic Sisterhoods tend to work within a fivefold system (five "chakras" or light centres), while her Faery Druids employ a seven or ninefold system (depending upon their exact point of focus). The two primary Avalonian groups are centred in the north and southeast, reflecting the ancient twin centers of the sacred landscape. In the Isles the same pattern emerges. Considering that Avalon's modern schools
In this time there will be many paths to enlightenment, many ways to commune with Spirit, and many manifestations of Avalon's archetypal energy. To think otherwise is to live in denial and cling to the ways of a passing Age. For how can one individual, group, or theology ever fully encompass what is infinite and eternal?... 
