I am often asked why it is that the Sisterhood of Avalon is a women-only organization; after all, cannot men also feel called to the Island of Avalon? The Sisterhood of Avalon is inspired by the enclaves of Celtic Holy Women which are known to us through Classical historical sources, and are found in Celtic myth and local folklore throughout the British Isles and Europe. While we know that both men and women could serve their communities as Druids – that elite caste of priests, judges, and teachers which has intrigued scholars and fired the imagination for millennia – it appears that there also existed groups of women who dwelt apart from Celtic society, yet who, nonetheless, served their people. These women were famous for their healing arts, divinatory skills, the ability to shape shift and control the weather, as well as for tending sacred precincts and being learned in the sciences, mathematics, language, and music.
There are many Neo-Pagan paths which are inspired by, or attempt to reconstruct, the Druidic path in particular and aspects of Celtic religious practices in general. Not much is known about what the Celts believed or what the Druids knew, in no small part because they – while not illiterate – chose not to write any of these things down. The Sisterhood of Avalon shares in common the same source materials that other Celtic Pagans and modern Druids use to inform their work. However, our focus is on Celtic Women’s Mysteries as represented by these ancient groups of women who chose to live set apart from men. We are interested both in remembering the lives and practices of these ancient women, as well as in reclaiming and renewing their wisdoms – both literally and metaphorically – in a way that is relevant and transformative for the women of today.
While the majority of modern Pagan paths are mixed gender, and those that are Wiccan-based embrace an ethic of Balance as manifested in the honoring of the Goddess and the God, we believe there is also a place for Gender Mysteries – and indeed, in many ancient cultures, gender-specific temples were the norm, not the exception. We realize that there are men who are drawn to the Avalonian Tradition, and it is both to honor these ancient communities of women, as well as the soul process of modern men, that only women are able to join the SOA. For men who wish to walk this path, I will say that many of the techniques and tools presented in my book Avalon Within will certainly be accessible to you, and will go a long way in your personal work and in your quest for the Holy Isle. However, I do think that the nature of this journey is different for men and women.
Women are the Guardians and Bearers of the Cauldron of Rebirth or Grail, while men must embark upon a Quest for the Holy Vessel and be renewed by drinking its transformational elixir. This difference defines, in my opinion, the reason that the path for women and men who choose to engage in Gender Mysteries are separate – different, yet equal. Looking at the mythos and meaning of the Quest for the Cauldron, as seen, for example, in the ancient Welsh poem Prieddu Annwn, from a depth psychology perspective, we see that women find the Divine when they acknowledge their inner Sovereignty and come to honor their innate wisdom, while men must seek the Divine Feminine to heal their inner landscapes and revitalize the Wounded King within them – that essence of Divine Masculine that has been co-opted in the name of power-over, not power with, for so long. As a woman, I can only speak from the perspective of the female experience, and so would never presume to define that experience for a man — though it is my hope that someone will, and will share that path with other men who are drawn to walk this sacred path.
Image by E. Wallcousins, 1912. “In Caer Pedryvan, four its revolutions; In the first word from the cauldron when spoken, From the breath of nine maidens it was gently warmed”.