Sunday, 19 July 2020
10:00 am to 4:30pm EDT (3:00pm – 9:30 GMT)
Online
If you were to ask someone to describe an historical Druid, most would overwhelmingly paint a picture of a wise old man with a long grey beard and white flowing robes, but this tells only part of the story.
An elite and learned social caste in ancient Celtic cultures, Druids enjoyed many privileges – such as exemption from taxes and from serving during war – and were accorded a great amount of honor and social power.
They were priests and augurs, teachers and judges, transmitters of history, and holders of sacred memory.
They were educated and deeply respected men, to be sure…
And, they were also women.
As part of an effort to broaden the general understanding and depiction of ancient Druids to include the women who earned this status, as well as to amplify the voices of women who walk a modern-day druidic path, The Coracle and the Sisterhood of Avalon are proud to be hosting the Women in Druidry Conference 2020.
In this first of what we hope will become an annual offering, we have gathered together accomplished women practitioners, leaders, authors, and teachers representing a variety of modern Druidic (and Druid-adjacent) orders and traditions. Together, we will explore Druidic beliefs and traditions, discuss the differences and similarities between these modern pathways, and share some personal experiences and insights about walking a Druidic path as a female practitioner.
Conference Panelists
DANU FOREST is a traditional wisewoman and Ard BanDrui (arch-druidess), in the Irish Druid Clan of Dana, as well as a druid grade member of OBOD with over 30 years’ experience in the Celtic tradition. Born with the second sight she is a natural seer working closely with the spirits of the land and its ancestral and Otherworldly intelligences as well as plant and tree spirits and the genius loci, the old gods or powers of place. She is a Celtic shamanic healer, a plant spirit herbalist and co-creates her own vibrational essences and tinctures with the spirits of her local sacred landscape, deep in the Avalon marshes near Glastonbury, UK. Danu is noted for her many years’ service to her wider community as well as for her intuitive and practical experience, and her scholarly research. She holds an MA in Celtic studies from UWTSD. Danu holds regular ceremonies as well as workshops and online training, focusing especially on our relationship to the land and re-forging a connection with the ancient guiding spirits of the pre-Christian Celtic traditions.
Affiliations: Druid Clann of Dana, OBOD, BDO, Council of Shamanic Practitioners.
Publications: Nature Spirits, The Druid Shaman, Celtic Tree Magic, The Magical Year, Pagan Portals – Gwyn Ap Nudd, Wild Magic.
Website: www.danuforest.co.uk
KRISTAL JENKS has been a member of the Anglesey Druid Order for 13 years, helping to facilitate the Order’s residential courses, experiential camps and public rituals in the magical landscape of North Wales. Her own Druidry is forged from a deep connection to the land and to the gods and goddesses of her native mythology. In her professional life, Kristal is a midwife .
Affiliations: Anglesey Druid Order – Urdd Derwyddon Môn
Website: www.angleseydruidorder.co.uk/
BONNIE LYNN LANDRY
Bio Forthcoming
Affiliations: Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF), The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), The Sisterhood of Avalon, The Anglesey Druid Order
Website: www.facebook.com/DruidLandry/
CERRI LEE is an artist, writer and druid. A member of the OBOD since 1997, she worked in the OBOD office for a number of years. Cerri has co-facilitated a druid grove since ’98, open seasonal rituals for the eight festivals since 2000 and runs druid themed talks, workshops, camps and conferences. She also is a member of the Anglesey Druid Order and the ADF. Her primary druidic thrust is creating immersive rituals based around ancient British and Irish myths, as well as legends and stories from across the globe. Cerri believes we can use ritual as a form of magical archeology with which to explore ancient themes and gain a true authenticity of experience on a modern druidic path. As well as giving us a powerful window through which to view our own souls, creating a modern ritual experience based on these ancient themes can also guide us to a deeper understanding of and connection to our druidic forebears.
Affiliations: Druid in OBOD, a member of the Anglesey Order of Druids and ADF.
Website: www.cerrilee.com
JHENAH TELYNDRU is an author, speaker, and educator. She is the founder of the Sisterhood of Avalon, a Celtic women’s mysteries organization with world-wide membership, and is the academic dean of the Avalonian Thealogical Seminary. Jhenah holds a masters degree in Celtic Studies from the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, and did her undergraduate studies in archaeology. She teaches four-day residential training retreats around North America and the UK, and facilitates pilgrimages to sacred sites in the British Isles and Ireland through Mythic Seeker Tours. She is a frequent presenter and guest speaker at academic conferences, religious symposia, Women’s Spirituality gatherings, and Pagan festivals. A priestess in the Avalonian Tradition for over 30 years, Jhenah has been following a Pagan path since 1986.
Affiliations: Sisterhood of Avalon (SOA)
Publications: Avalon Within, The Mythic Moons of Avalon, The Avalonian Oracle, Pagan Portals – Rhiannon, and Pagan Portals – Blodeuwedd
Website: www.ynysafallon.com.
JOANNA VAN DER HOEVEN is a Druid, Witch, author and teacher. She has written several books on Druidry, countless articles for Pagan magazines and websites, and has spoken at conferences, fairs, festivals and more. Joanna is the co-founder of Druid College UK, which offers a three-year training programme. She is also a singer, musician, poet, dancer, and budding filmmaker/photographer. She has a BA Hons English Language and Literature degree and also has an NVQ with the British Horse Society in Riding and Stable Management. She has been a practicing Pagan for over 25 years.
Affiliations: SOA, OBOD, Druid College, UK
Publications: The Book of Hedge Druidry, The Awen Alone, The Hedge Druid’s Craft , Zen for Druids, Dancing with Nemetona, The Crane Bag, and Zen Druidry
Website: www.joannavanderhoeven.com/
Our panel discussion will be followed by three one-hour workshops:
The Faery Faith in Gaelic Folk Magic – Danu Forest
In this experiential workshop, traditional Celtic Wisewoman Danu Forest will explore the roots of Celtic folk magic and visionary practice in the pre-Christian beliefs of Ireland and the British Isles, and its connection to our landscape as well as our indigenous spirit kin the faerie folk, and the powers of place.
Ritual as a Tool for Magical Archeology – Cerri Lee
A talk on how ritualising ancient poetry, myths, narratives and concepts for large groups, in a camping scenario on a field in Sussex has, not only bought these themes to life, but profoundly changed both my own and the lives of many others. I will discuss the obsessions that drive the us, the hows and why’s we tackled particular themes such as The Battle of the Trees, The Spoils of Annwn and the Anglow Saxon ‘Nine Herbs Charm’. I will go into some of the logistics and energetics involved, including how to deal with being a complete control freak yet still allow the participants and the Awen to have their freedom within the ritual. Also, with the full permission of those involved, some of the personal, magical transformations recounted back to me following some of the camps.
Sovereignty Goddesses in Celtic Traditions – Jhenah Telyndru
Sovereignty Goddesses are one of the most well-attested Celtic divinity types, and can be found – both overtly and subtextually – in Irish, Welsh, and Arthurian lore and legend. In this workshop, we will discuss the role of the Sovereignty Goddess, learn how to identify Sovereignty figures in literary tradition, trace the evolution of Sovereignty over time, and explore ways for modern practitioners to reclaim the energies of Sovereignty in our own lives.
Conference and Registration Details
The Women in Druidry Conference will take place on Sunday, 19 July 2020 from 10:00am to 4:30pm EDT (3:00pm – 9:30 GMT) via the Zoom platform. The conference will be recorded and audio will be made available to every paid attendee.
Conference admission is open to everyone, regardless of gender or spiritual tradition.
Tickets for this virtual conference are $20.00.
Thank you for your interest! Registration is closed because the event has passed. Information about how to purchase a recording of the conference will be available soon!