The Road to Avalon
The first grade of our Holy Celtic Order of the Temple, the Knights of St Joseph of Arimathea and Dames of St Mary Magdalene, is dedicated to the learning and practice of Avalonian spirituality. Those of us who have felt the call of the Avalon of the Heart might be able to give a personal appraisal of what Avalonian spirituality means to us, but the tradition, as a whole, is so multi-faceted that it is doubtful whether anyone would explain it in exactly the same way. It must be experienced at first hand either through visiting the sacred sites in Glastonbury or through pathworking meditations, or preferably both, in order for an individual to apprehend these mysteries for themselves. A basic historical overview is certainly necessary to access this tradition and a more thorough historical examination may be of even more benefit. Hence this article in which I hope to look as some of the different influences quite closely to see if a coherent picture, particular to ourselves, might emerge from the Mists of Avalon.

As the great occultist Dion Fortune wrote back in 1934, “Two traditions meet in Avalon, the ancient faith of the Britons and the creed of Christ”. This is our starting point, that meeting place of Christianity and Druidcraft, which is fundamental to an understanding of the Avalonian mysteries and indeed essential to an esoteric understanding of the particular charism of the Holy Celtic Church International. We build on the foundations laid by the saints of yore as well as latter-day Avalonians, and having the benefit of more than a hundred years of Avalonian history, since the tradition re-emerged from the mists, we can see how Awen, the Holy Spirit, has moved in the lives and literary works of various interesting characters.
The Wyrd Sisters have done us proud in connecting the strands of the web in some extraordinary ways, as we shall see.
The Wyrd Sisters have done us proud in connecting the strands of the web in some extraordinary ways, as we shall see.
As Dion Fortune rightly observed “Two traditions meet in Avalon …” She did not write in the past tense. It was not a case of one religion being conquered and exterminated by another, as some on both sides of the camp would like to believe, but rather like the ebb and flow of the waters themselves, for even today, the Isle of Avalon, sometimes becomes an actual island when the Somerset levels are flooded. Avalon is the place of meeting of the Old and New Religions, resulting in a symbiotic relationship between the two. Neither fundamentalist Pagans nor fundamentalist Christians will ever find a place there, because Avalon stands firmly between the worlds, holding both together, each dependent on the other for a full apprehension of its mysteries.
The fact of the place being one of encounter between the Old and New Religions might be less remarkable, were it not for the fact that the tendency towards what we might call an Avalonian Christo-Druidism can be discerned in the lives of several of our pioneering Avalonians, those who were touched by the magic of the Avalon of the Heart.
Let me begin this brief review of some of these folk, beginning with Our Lord himself. Though none of the old stories suggest that Jesus visited Avalon, yet we may consider him an honorary Avalonian as, according to tradition, he visited nearby Cornwall.
The fact of the place being one of encounter between the Old and New Religions might be less remarkable, were it not for the fact that the tendency towards what we might call an Avalonian Christo-Druidism can be discerned in the lives of several of our pioneering Avalonians, those who were touched by the magic of the Avalon of the Heart.
Let me begin this brief review of some of these folk, beginning with Our Lord himself. Though none of the old stories suggest that Jesus visited Avalon, yet we may consider him an honorary Avalonian as, according to tradition, he visited nearby Cornwall.

We should all be familiar with the lines from William Blake’s "Jerusalem":
“And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England’s mountains green,
And was the Holy Lamb of God,
On England's pleasant pastures seen.
And did the countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic mills.”
Blake was referring to the legend that the boy Jesus was taken on a trip to Cornwall by his great-uncle, St Joseph of Arimathea, who was dealing in Cornish tin. According to the story they landed at St Michael’s Mount, which happens to be directly connected by the St Michael ley line, running in a straight line from Mont St Michel, through St Michael’s Mount and on through various St Michael churches, to St Michael’s Tower on Glastonbury Tor, the great Stone Circle Temple complex of Avebury, and beyond. Given the legendary quality of scripture in general it matters not one jot whether the story of Jesus in Cornwall is historically reliable or not, if it pleases us and we find some spiritual meaning in it.
Personally, I see a definite correspondence between Christ the Sun Child - born at the Winter Solstice - and Mithras; the Druidic Mabon ap Modron (“Son of the Mother”) and several other solar heroes, but more than that, for me the fact that in the story it is the Christ Child who comes to Britain speaks to me of a gentle gospel; a simple, innocent and harmless gospel. The Christ Child is a threat to no one and is at the same time a potent symbol of the Divine Potential in all God’s children.
“And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon England’s mountains green,
And was the Holy Lamb of God,
On England's pleasant pastures seen.
And did the countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic mills.”
Blake was referring to the legend that the boy Jesus was taken on a trip to Cornwall by his great-uncle, St Joseph of Arimathea, who was dealing in Cornish tin. According to the story they landed at St Michael’s Mount, which happens to be directly connected by the St Michael ley line, running in a straight line from Mont St Michel, through St Michael’s Mount and on through various St Michael churches, to St Michael’s Tower on Glastonbury Tor, the great Stone Circle Temple complex of Avebury, and beyond. Given the legendary quality of scripture in general it matters not one jot whether the story of Jesus in Cornwall is historically reliable or not, if it pleases us and we find some spiritual meaning in it.
Personally, I see a definite correspondence between Christ the Sun Child - born at the Winter Solstice - and Mithras; the Druidic Mabon ap Modron (“Son of the Mother”) and several other solar heroes, but more than that, for me the fact that in the story it is the Christ Child who comes to Britain speaks to me of a gentle gospel; a simple, innocent and harmless gospel. The Christ Child is a threat to no one and is at the same time a potent symbol of the Divine Potential in all God’s children.

So let us move on to St Joseph of Arimathea himself. Legend tells us that after the resurrection an angel told him to gather disciples and sail west until he saw a hill like Mount Tabor and to rest there and in the shadow of the hill to build a church. Mount Tabor, you may remember, was the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus was transformed in the sight of two of his apostles into a Being of Light, therefore, it may also be apposite to note here that Glastonbury Tor, has since time immorial been the supposed abode of Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of the Fairies, who in Celtic countries are often referred to as the “Shining Ones”.
When Joseph and his band of pilgrims arrived on the Isle of Avalon they came ashore at what is now Wearyall Hill, so called because they were extremely weary after their long voyage. It is said that Joseph planted his staff in the ground and there it sprouted and became the famed Glastonbury Thorn. Now the Glastonbury Thorn is actually a species of Hawthorn particular to the Middle East, and of all the trees it is the Hawthorn that is most often associated with the Good Folk and sacred to them. Is it a coincidence that St Joseph was sent by an angel with a Fairy Thorn to Avalon, and not just any Fairy Thorn, but one which flowers at Christmas as well as in spring? A Gift for the King of the Fairies perhaps? Legend also tells us that Joseph was welcomed by Arviragus, sometimes called a Druid Prince, and sometimes a King, who gave him twelve hides of land for the Christian settlement on Avalon. Twelve hides is a considerable amount of land (more than 2,000 acres) so we must assume that the missionaries from the east were warmly welcomed.
The story of how St Joseph of Arimthea brought the Cup used by Our Lord at the Last Supper to Glastonbury is well known. According to legend, at first the Grail rested on the altar of the little thatched, wattle and daub church built by Joseph and his companions, but the times were turbulent and for safekeeping it was later moved into a chamber under Chalice Hill. Still later it is said to have been moved to its final resting place at the bottom of Chalice Well.
St Joseph and his band of disciples seem not to have been interested in gaining converts, as their community died with them and for a couple of hundred years the little church and monastic huts fell into ruin, until St Patrick came from Ireland and founded a monastery on the site. There is of course no actual historical evidence to support this story, yet it is not unlikely that the original abbey was built on a Celtic foundation and there may indeed have been an adjacent community of Brigidine nuns at Beckary, which is was believed to have been founded by St Brigid herself. The name Beckary is thought by many to be an anglicisation of “Beag Eire” meaning “Little Ireland” in Gaelic. Perhaps because of the speculations about the reverance paid to the oak and the perpetual flame at the Brigidine Mother House in Kildare, some of the the early 20th century Avalonians believed that the Brigidine community was originally a “Druidical College of Women”. Whatever the truth of that particular assumption, we can indeed be certain that wherever St Brigid appears the Goddess whose name she bore is never far behind.
When Joseph and his band of pilgrims arrived on the Isle of Avalon they came ashore at what is now Wearyall Hill, so called because they were extremely weary after their long voyage. It is said that Joseph planted his staff in the ground and there it sprouted and became the famed Glastonbury Thorn. Now the Glastonbury Thorn is actually a species of Hawthorn particular to the Middle East, and of all the trees it is the Hawthorn that is most often associated with the Good Folk and sacred to them. Is it a coincidence that St Joseph was sent by an angel with a Fairy Thorn to Avalon, and not just any Fairy Thorn, but one which flowers at Christmas as well as in spring? A Gift for the King of the Fairies perhaps? Legend also tells us that Joseph was welcomed by Arviragus, sometimes called a Druid Prince, and sometimes a King, who gave him twelve hides of land for the Christian settlement on Avalon. Twelve hides is a considerable amount of land (more than 2,000 acres) so we must assume that the missionaries from the east were warmly welcomed.
The story of how St Joseph of Arimthea brought the Cup used by Our Lord at the Last Supper to Glastonbury is well known. According to legend, at first the Grail rested on the altar of the little thatched, wattle and daub church built by Joseph and his companions, but the times were turbulent and for safekeeping it was later moved into a chamber under Chalice Hill. Still later it is said to have been moved to its final resting place at the bottom of Chalice Well.
St Joseph and his band of disciples seem not to have been interested in gaining converts, as their community died with them and for a couple of hundred years the little church and monastic huts fell into ruin, until St Patrick came from Ireland and founded a monastery on the site. There is of course no actual historical evidence to support this story, yet it is not unlikely that the original abbey was built on a Celtic foundation and there may indeed have been an adjacent community of Brigidine nuns at Beckary, which is was believed to have been founded by St Brigid herself. The name Beckary is thought by many to be an anglicisation of “Beag Eire” meaning “Little Ireland” in Gaelic. Perhaps because of the speculations about the reverance paid to the oak and the perpetual flame at the Brigidine Mother House in Kildare, some of the the early 20th century Avalonians believed that the Brigidine community was originally a “Druidical College of Women”. Whatever the truth of that particular assumption, we can indeed be certain that wherever St Brigid appears the Goddess whose name she bore is never far behind.

The native Glastonians never lost their devotion to Brigid. A stone carving of her, with her sacred cow, is preserved on St Michael’s Tower and her well was visited at Beckary until the early 20th century, where devotees would leave votive offerings tied to a fairy thorn tree as is customary among the Celts. Devotion to the saint was given a new lease of life more than a hundred years ago by three inspirational young ladies, Christine and Janet Allen and Kitty Tudor-Pole along with their spiritual mentor, Kitty’s brother Wellesley. The story of the Glastonbury Blue Bowl, discovered by the girls in Bride’s Well at Beckary in 1906, is a complex one. Suffice to say that under the guidance of their mentors, Wellesley Tudor-Pole and Dr John Goodchild, the young ladies established, in Bristol, for several years, what was in effect a priestesshood of Bride, centered on veneration of the Blue Bowl, which was believed, at that time, to be the Holy Grail itself. After a few years the girls went their separate ways, but one, Janet Allen, became Sr Brigid Allen OSB of Stanbrook Abbey, the most prestigious community of Benedictine nuns in Britain. Sr Brigid remained a devotee of Bride of Beckary throughout her life as a nun and thus brought together something of the amorphous Druidical and Brigidine spirit with the Benedictine tradition. She is an example to us of someone inspired by the Avalonian mysteries, yet one who could only find the depth of spirituality she sought in her complete dedication as a Bride of Christ.

Her first cousin, incidentally, was the Rt Revd Dom Aelred Carlyle OSB, founder of the first successful Anglican Benedictine community, established on Caldey Island, before their conversion to the Church of Rome. Dom Aelred was psychically gifted and whilst he was still an Anglican he had no problem indulging in a little Spiritualism alongside his Anglo-Catholicism. In fact, through the mediumship of Capt
J A Bartlett, assisted by the renowned esoteric archaeologist Frederick Bligh Bond, Dom Aelred was able to obtain what he believed to be the relics of the martyred last Abbot of Glastonbury, Blessed Richard Whiting OSB. Mr Bond, it might also be noted, after a rather chequered career as an architect and archaeologist at Glastonbury Abbey, eventually moved to America where he joined an Old Catholic Benedictine community and was ordained priest.
Among the many interesting characters around the margins of Avalon in the early 20th century these three; Sr Brigid Allen, Dom Aelred Carlyle and Fr Frederick Bligh Bond set an important precedent for us in being people who were at once faithful Catholics yet also open to esoteric research and unconventional mystical experiences.
J A Bartlett, assisted by the renowned esoteric archaeologist Frederick Bligh Bond, Dom Aelred was able to obtain what he believed to be the relics of the martyred last Abbot of Glastonbury, Blessed Richard Whiting OSB. Mr Bond, it might also be noted, after a rather chequered career as an architect and archaeologist at Glastonbury Abbey, eventually moved to America where he joined an Old Catholic Benedictine community and was ordained priest.
Among the many interesting characters around the margins of Avalon in the early 20th century these three; Sr Brigid Allen, Dom Aelred Carlyle and Fr Frederick Bligh Bond set an important precedent for us in being people who were at once faithful Catholics yet also open to esoteric research and unconventional mystical experiences.
A woman of an altogether different temperament to Sr Brigid, yet equally dedicated in her own way, was the aforementioned pioneering psychologist and occultist Violet Mary Firth, known by her pen name of Dion Fortune. In many ways she took up the revitalising of the Avalonian tradition where the Allens and the Tudor-Poles left off. They breathed new life into the Brigidine and Grail traditions of Glastonbury and even partially reconnected the Benedictine thread, but it was Dion Fortune who did most to articulate the unique charism of the Avalonian tradition as a place of meeting between the Old and New Religions. She identified three strands in the tradition, to which she assigned three colours: the green strand of Druidical and Faery Faith; the purple strand of monastic spirituality and the orange strand of the Hermetic and Arthurian traditions.
Naturally, Arthur himself also embodies the relationship between the old and new religions as few others have done. Whilst outwardly conforming to Christianity, his mentor, Merlin, was a Druid and according to legend he rests among the Fair Folk of Avalon where he was taken for healing after his last battle. In history, he stood at the crossroads where two worlds collided, and now in the 21st century, perhaps he can be a helpful guide for those who seek a new path across the marshes, avoiding the dead end of a literalist exoteric Christianity on the one hand and the shallowness of secular neo-Paganism on the other. As Marion Zimmer Bradley so rightly observed at the end of her novel, “The Mists of Avalon”, “And so, perhaps, the truth winds somewhere between the road to Glastonbury, Isle of the Priests, and the road to Avalon lost forever in the mists of the Summer Sea.”

The early Avalonians, living before the neo-pagan revival and near total secularisation of Britain, remained for the most part firmly Christian and supersessionist, in that they believed that Christianity superseded the Old Religion. A good example of this thinking can be found in the writings of Bishop William Bernard Crow, consecrated by Mar Georgius of Glastonbury in 1944, who taught that “the teachings and symbols of the older non-Christian religions found their perfect fulfillment and consumation in the person of Jesus Christ”. Whilst we may broadly agree, times have changed and just as we do not now speak of the "Old Testament" but rather of the "Hebrew Bible" and do not think of Judaism as redundant because of the Christian revelation but rather acknowledge it as a valid path to the Divine, so I believe we may affirm various subjective truths without making any claims for the superiority of one over another. Thus, an interspiritual approach becomes possible, where any individual wishing to participate in the Avalonian tradition may do so coming from either an Apostolic or Druidic perspective, or both, without detriment to either.
Just as one may walk the ancient sacred processional way that winds its way around the Tor and thereby view the landscape from different perspectives, so the Avalonian path when walked in all its fullness will always blend the energies and insights of the Abbey, the Tor and the Well.
Just as one may walk the ancient sacred processional way that winds its way around the Tor and thereby view the landscape from different perspectives, so the Avalonian path when walked in all its fullness will always blend the energies and insights of the Abbey, the Tor and the Well.
The Rt Revd Dom Alistair Bate OSBA, KSJA (Tau Blaise), Feast of St Joseph of Arimathea, 2020

Bibliography:
“Glastonbury: Avalon of the Heart” by Dion Fortune
“The Avalonians” by Patrick Benham
“Wicca and the Christian Heritage” by Joanne Pearson
For more about the Avalonian Tradition please follow the links here!