Avalon Within

by Jhenah Telyndru

  The ultimate objective of the Avalonian Tradition is to birth the authentic self; to peel away the masks we wear and shed the roles we play born of others’ expectations. As a reflection of this, we come before the Goddess in ritual without makeup or fancy adornment, save for those items which hold significance to the work. We choose to garb ourselves in robes and hooded cloaks of dark blue and black, to help us align our energies with the deep magnetic nature of the Divine Feminine, in resonance with the historic descriptions of Celtic Priestesses. Ideally, these cloaks are made of natural fibers such as wool and linen in order to approximate the clothing native Britons would have worn.

  Together, these aid in our linking to the Avalonian archetype—the similarity to the dress of the Priestesses of the Holy Isle. Everything about these vestments, from the color to the fabric, is energetically in synchrony with our roles as Sisters of Avalon. The jewelry we choose to wear in ritual should also reflect this energy. Since we work primarily with feminine lunar energies, silver is best. The stones, forms, and images of our adornments should reflect our personal work, represent Avalon and the Goddess, or be another personal power symbol.

  Ritual garb is a powerful tool that facilitates a shift in consciousness—of the self and others—from the secular world to sacred space. Enrobing oneself in clothing and jewelry set aside for ritual use makes a powerful energetic statement. With each ritual, the attire we choose becomes more and more empowered with the magickal essence of our workings. In time, the simple act of dressing in ritual clothing will cause a shift in consciousness, reducing the time and energy needed to complete the metamorphosis from the mundane to the magickal.

  It is recommended that you not allow other people to touch your ritual objects, clothing, or jewelry so that energy building up and empowering these objects (keyed into your person and your work) are not dissipated or diluted by others’ energies. A good way to store your ritual items is to wrap them in silk, a natural energetic insulator. A silk cloth will prevent any charge from fading.

  Before beginning this or any working, it is important to prepare your ritual space and to set your intention. Ensure you have all your needed supplies, that you have turned off the telephone, and have asked people living in a shared space to give you some personal time—these steps are crucial to your working’s success. If working outdoors, you must be sure that your clothing is appropriate to the weather conditions; nothing can break ritual concentration more than being too hot or too cold, or wearing inappropriate footwear. Once mundane concerns have been addressed, move forward into creating your sacred space.

  The Avalonian Altar

  The altar is the focus of ritual in many cultures and belief systems around the world. It is a powerful archetype that is universal in its purpose; a place set apart that acts as a connection between profane and sacred. Very often, this symbolic sacred center included a representation of the axis mundi—the world axis—often a pole, tree, or central standing stone; it acted as the focus of the village or homestead. Therefore, when constructing an altar, you are creating a center around which your ritual universe revolves.

  Setting up a ritual altar is a powerful devotional experience; time and care should be taken to consciously collect or create objects that will occupy symbolic space on your altar. Ultimately, your altar is an expression of your desire to bridge worlds and connect with the Divine; it should reflect your passion, personality, and the fruits of efforts you have made to understand yourself, Avalon, and her goddesses. What follows is an outline of suggested components for your Avalonian altar. As always, your Sovereign self should have the final say on what you include in your sacred space.

  1. Representations of the Three Realms

  As Celtic cosmology takes a tripartite view of creation, these facets of the whole are represented on our altar:

  the silver branch: an apple branch with nine silver bells hung along its length, it symbolizes the Upper World or the Druidic circle of Ceuguent. The Silver Branch is what calls us to the quest. It is the desire of the priestess self to actualize its potential and come into complete awareness of the Divine within. The creation of the Silver Branch as a ritual tool should be done with consciousness and clear purpose. It is helpful to craft this tool during the waxing moon, imbuing it with the intention of it opening the self to Avalon’s pathways, resonating over the lake of the spirit to part the mists of illusion.

  the tree of life: symbolizing the Middle World or the Druidic Circle of Abred, it is the World Tree that bridges the Three Realms. Represented by a woody plant or small tree on indoor altars, or a fully grown tree—preferably apple—outdoors, the Tree of Life allows us to journey to the Upper and Lower Worlds, taking the Otherworldly energies found in the unconscious Lower World and the transpersonal Upper World and bring them into consciousness in the heart of the self. We can use the wisdoms found above and below to aid in effecting soul change and personal transformation in the here and now.

  the cauldron of inspiration: embodying the aspect of the Lower World or the Druidic Circle of Gwynfyd, the cauldron is a hanging or three-legged iron vessel representing the regenerative and creative powers of the Goddess. It is the source of the wisdom that lies deep within the self beneath the inner waters of the unconscious. The cauldron, holding the essence of the power of the Divine Feminine, is the ultimate object of the soul’s quest and a potent tool of transformation. Make an infusion or strong tea of the herb vervain (Verbena officinalis), an herb of Sight, by adding two tablespoons of vervain to sixteen ounces of water that has sat for five minutes after boiling. After it is cooled and strained, pour the infusion into the cauldron in preparation for use in this solitary ritual. (NOTE: If you are pregnant, do not use vervain; make an infusion of catnip [Nepata cataria] instead. Although both vervain and catnip are herbs that are traditionally taken internally, always check with a health care professional before ingesting any herbal product.)

  2. The Apple

  Sliced horizontially through its center to reveal the five-pointed star within, the apple is an evocative symbol to keep on your altar, recalling the five Goddesses of Avalon and the five Stations of the Avalonian Cycle of Healing. As we have seen, the apple itself is an ancient archetype of women’s wisdom and is one of the most vital symbols of Avalon, the Holy Island that bears its name.

  3. The Offering Bowl

  Made of whatever material or shape you wish, the offering bowl or plate holds a gift which will be left outside after the ritual working in an energy exchange that honors the local spirits, elementals, and ancestors. This offering can take many forms, including: food, libation, herbs, and stones.

  4. Incense

  Burning incense during a ritual serves a two purposes: it empowers and reinforces the energetic tone you are trying to set through your work, and it acts as an offering to the goddess with whom you are connecting. It is especially effective to create your own incense blends specific to your ritual intention by researching herbs and resins sacred to Avalon and the goddess you wish to honor. Take into consideration the phase of the moon and the energy of the Station you are working through when making your incense. It is always ideal to harvest and dry these herbs yourself, but you can purchase some of them in metaphysical shops or natural food stores. However you obtain the herbs, grind the components with intention using a mortar and pestle and sprinkle the resulting blend over a lit charcoal disk during your ritual working. The lit charcoal should be placed in a ceramic dish filled with sand or in a small iron cauldron kept on your altar just for this purpose. Resources for herbs and incense blends can be found in the appendix.

  5. Intention Ribbons

  Ranging from coarse homespun to fine linen, scraps of cloth were tied to overhanging tree branches and left as offerings to the spirits and deities of the many sacred wells that dotted the British Isles. These prayer ribbons would carry the prayers, requests, and intentions of pilgrims to the Goddess’ ears, empowered b
y the three Celtic Realms of Land (the tree), Sea (the well), and Sky (the wind). To keep with this humble yet powerful ancient practice, obtain strips of cloth or ribbons to use as a representation of your commitment to the work of the coming lunar cycle as revealed to you during this moon ritual. These ribbons of may be of different colors, reflecting either the tone or energy of the work, or the place in the Cycle it is holding. After working with them, these intention ribbons will be tied to the Tree of Life on your altar. Like those of the pilgrims of the past, they will hang between Worlds, spanning the threshold space, and broadcast our intent by existing in all Three Realms simultaneously.

  6. Other

  Objects, statuary, tools like a finger labyrinth, or images to connect you to Avalon and the Lady you are working with may also be included on your altar, as simple or elaborate as you wish. The important thing is to ensure that everything you place on your altar serves a purpose and is a reflection of the energy with which you wish to work or connect.

  Between the Worlds

  After your altar is set up and your ritual intention is clear, you may proceed with this solitary ritual.

  1. Entering the Otherworld

  Begin your working with nine shakes of the Silver Branch, symbolically embarking upon your journey beyond the Ninth Wave and into the Otherworld. This action marks the transition of consciousness from what is without to the realm of what is within, and from what is mundane to what is sacred.

  2. Establishing the Power Breath

  Adopt your Power Breath (p. 54) to help move you into ritual stance. Do this for at least three cycles of nine, focusing on the ebb and flow of your inner tides. You should maintain the Power Breath throughout your working.

  3. Three Realms Exercise

  Perform the Three Realms exercise (beginning on p. 191) in order to cleanse and clear your energy space as well as to expand your consciousness to the Sacred Landscape within and without.

  4. Raising the Stones

  Establish safe and sacred space around and within you by envisioning yourself surrounded by a circle of nine standing stones. With your breath and intention, will the circle of stones into existence, taking as much time as you need to really feel them solidly around you. It may be helpful to use nine physical stones to mark your circle and use them to tie into the energy of raising the tall standing stones; quartz crystals or Welsh bluestone (the type used to create the inner circle of Stonehenge, and other ancient British megaliths) are particularly good at holding this energy. When you can feel that the stones are strongly around you, use your Silver Branch to trace the circle three times around you in a moonwise (counterclockwise) direction, connecting the tall stones to each other by a web of silvery energy that maintains your space and empowers your working. When the stones are raised, stand in the center and three times chant or speak the following:

  The Ninefold Blessing of Avalon

  Nine times beat the Owl’s Wings

  Avalon above me

  Nine times ride the Shining Mare

  Avalon below me

  Nine times drink the Cauldron’s Brew

  Avalon within me

  Nine times turn the Silver Wheel

  Avalon around me

  Nine times sing the Starling’s song

  Avalon come through me

  Nine times spin the Motherline

  Avalon behind me

  Nine times weave the Priestess Cloak

  Avalon before me

  Nine times join the Sister’s Dance

  Avalon beside me

  Nine times birth the Blessed Isle

  Avalon beyond me

  Ninefold blessings surround me

  Ninefold Illuminations fill me

  Ninefold transformations make me whole

  5. Charging the Cauldron

  Using the Hermetic principle that like attracts like, lift your arms to the moon—either directly in her light or through the power of visualization—and inhale her feminine energy, filling your aura structure with lunar essence. Envision yourself enrobed in an orb of silvery moonlight—light and sparkling when the moon is full, heavy and magnetic when the moon is dark. When you feel you are completely filled with moon energy, turn your hands down over the cauldron on your altar and discharge all of the energy you have collected into the waiting vessel. Exhale it until you are completely emptied of the moon energy, now condensed into the vervain or catnip infusion. Holding the charged cauldron as you proceed with the ritual Immram to follow will empower your journey and serve as an additional medium of communication with the Lady, as we will see.

  6. Chant: Barge of Power

  Barge of Power is a powerful chant that helps to open the doorway into the realms of Avalon. It describes the inner journey to the Holy Island and calls upon the energies of the Three Realms—the Power of Land, the Wisdom of Sea, and the Freedom of Sky—to move us through the veil of illusion and across the lake of the Unconscious, until we arrive at last on her shores. Use this chant to help you to pierce the shadowy mists that seek to bar you from recognizing the truth of all that you are, and to help set you on your path to Avalon. Repeat the chant at least three times in your working, and visualize the energies moving through and around you as you move deeper within.

  Barge of Power, take me to Her shore

  Barge of Wisdom, take me to Her shore

  Part the mists which blind me

  Reclaim the Lake inside me

  Barge of Freedom, take me to Her shore

  7. Journeying to Avalon

  Holding the charged cauldron to your chest or in your lap, settle into your space and begin the Immram to the Station site aligned with the intention of your work or which is appropriate to honor the goddess at the present point in the yearly cycle.

  red spring: Station of Descent, Rhiannon

  the tor: Station of Confrontation, Ceridwen

  white spring: Station of Emergence, Blodeuwedd

  modron’s mound: Station of Resolution, Arianrhod

  island of avalon: Station of Integration, Branwen

  When you reach Avalon on the Barge, call your guide and journey to the part of the island that is your focus for this working, asking to be brought into the Goddess’ presence. Arriving at the sacred space, announce yourself, present your request to connect with the Lady, and speak the reason for your journey; make your intentions known. When you feel the time is right, speak the invocation to the goddess with whom you are seeking to connect (found in chapter 13), or better yet—create your own. Spend time in contemplative silence, awaiting Her arrival and keeping yourself focused and open.

  When She arrives at the sacred site, acknowledge Her presence with an outward display of honor and respect—a bow, or perhaps a deep curtsey. The Goddess may appear to you in physical form, in the guise of one of Her sacred animals, or in another form entirely, so keep your mind open to any possibilities. Take the time now to ask for Her guidance and for any information that will help you on your journey of unfolding. Remember to ask specific questions and wait for a reply.

  You may receive your answers in many ways—you may hear Her voice in your head, see image or symbols play before your eyes, or even feel an awareness or knowing unassociated with any physical sense. As with all things, it may take time for you to build your discernment and sharpen your receptivity to be clear enough to be conscious of information the Goddess has for you. Do not be discouraged if you meet any challenges in obtaining information, for the universe will ensure that you will receive all you need in a perceivable manner, be it in dreams or as a symbol you encounter multiple times throughout the day. Suspend your disbelief and be open.

  When your time spent in communion comes to a close, ask the Goddess to bless the waters of the cauldron you are holding and imbue it with Awen, so that by scrying in its depths, you may receive additiona
l information and insight about your work. When She is done and you feel that it is time for your communication to end, thank the Goddess for Her presence and assistance. Once more, make an obvious sign of respect to honor the Divine Lady, and bid Her farewell with the following, or a line of your own creation:

  It is with Love that I have called You, and with Love I now release You

  May I serve You in all that I do, and may everything I do serve You.

  Watch and feel Her energies gently take leave of you and the sacred site before you. Spend some time in silent contemplation of all that you have seen and experienced. When ready, your guide leads you back through the orchard and to the shores of the lake, where the Barge of Avalon awaits you. Turn once more to face the island, and thank the Lady and all the guardians of this sacred space for supporting your work and allowing you to visit. Bid your guide farewell, and climb aboard the Barge to complete your journey to the other side of the lake, bringing with you the memory of all that has come before to the here and the now.

  NOTE: When first performing this solitary ritual, you may wish to skip the next two steps and move directly to partake of the Graal of Wisdom. When you have accumulated experience and can perform this ritual with confidence, add the next two steps to your ritual practice after connecting with the Goddess and returning from Immram.

  8. Scrying in the Cauldron

  Use the empowered cauldron to scry for additional information and insights as described on pg. 102, keeping your ritual intention and the experiences from your Immram and communication with the goddess in mind.

  9. Cloth of Intention

  Take the ribbon that has been waiting on your altar and spend time infusing it with the goal of your work for the coming cycle, guided by the information received from scrying and in Immrama. When it feels strongly charged with your intention, immerse the ribbon in the waters of the cauldron to connect it with your work and the Divine blessings of the Goddess to support you in your process. Tie the wet ribbon on a branch of the Tree of Life. Throughout the coming month, the plant’s vital energies will empower your intentions and will serve as a point of connection where that which is above meets that which is below. Keep the ribbon in the tree until your next moon working, when a different ribbon representing the next month’s endeavor will replace it.