Avalon Within: A Sacred Journey of Myth, Mystery and Inner Wisdom
By Jhenah Telyndru
Llewellyn Publications, 2010
ISBN 9780738719979
Throughout the ages, the loom of Celtic Lore and Arthurian Legend has woven a subtle tapestry of symbol and allegory around the Priestess Path found at the heart of the enigmatic Island of Avalon. Drawing upon the vibrant powers of Glastonbury’s Sacred Landscape and the rich heritage of Celtic British mythology,Avalon Within: A Sacred Journey of Myth, Mystery and Inner Wisdom parts the mists of distant memory to reveal a practical foundation in the Avalonian Tradition.
Avalon Within provides potent tools for growth and personal revelation to women who quest for the Holy Isle, offering guidance in using the journeying techniques of Immrama to enter the Sacred Landscape and connect with the archetypal realms of Avalon. Avalon Within presents accessible instruction for developing legendary Avalonian skills, such as the Sight and the art of Glamour, for use in healing the wounds of the soul and unlocking the wisdom of the Priestess Within.
Come walk the labyrinthine pathway of Glastonbury Tor, connect with the Goddesses of Avalon through myth and ritual, and release the potential of the Avalonian Cycle of Healing — an effective paradigm of inner transformation found encoded in the initiatory symbolism of the Cauldron of Ceridwen. Part the mists of illusion, journey across the watery lake of the primal unconscious, and return home at last to the whole and Sovereign Self that awaits you at the core of your being — the essence of Avalon Within.
For the companion album of spoken word meditations from Avalon Within, see Journeys to Avalon.
Praise for Avalon Within:
“A richly imagined path to self actualization combining the archetypal myths of Avalon and [Welsh legends] with modern psychological techniques. The guided journeys within the book are powerful, lovely, and effective.” – Ellen Evert Hopman, Druid Priestess and author of A Druid’s Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year
“Reading of Avalon, of her Goddesses, her priestesses, awakens the desire to know again the ancient mysteries. Jhenah Telyndru interweaves her careful Celtic scholarship with illumination born of having guided many, many women through the mists that had hidden from them their birthright. This is both a reference book and a sacred resource, a well of information and of inspiration.” –Rev. Elizabeth Davenport, Ph.D.
“That’s the real appeal of Avalon Within. It’s not another Celtislush book that some writer cranked out to put beans on the table. It is the culmination of well over a decade of concerted effort, research, and ritual by Jhenah herself and many other women, past and present. It weaves together the threads and tag ends of Celtic women’s spirituality into a whole tapestry, something at once old and new, individual and universal. It beckons you to do what you’ve always wanted, to step into the mists and follow your heart. So go ahead, You won’t be disappointed” -Elizabeth Barrette, Managing Editor of SageWoman and author of Composing Magic.
“As a university professor who does a lot of reading I consider this book to be a gem. It is an excellent book that I have read over and over. Avalon Within is a road map for following spiritual aspects of the Celtic year, with particular reference to the Goddesses of the Mabinogion and ancient traditions of the peoples that inhabited England, particularly what is now Wales and Cornwall” – S.L. Crowell Davis, Ph.D, DVM
“The Arthurian legends, dense with symbols evocative to western minds, like the search for the Holy Grail, are perhaps the greatest story of indigenous European mythology; they have been told and retold through the centuries, in our time fascinating creative scholars like Carl Jung, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Joseph Campbell. In Avalon Within, Jhenah Telyndru, continues this tradition, traversing the borders of depth psychology and spiritual formation to provide the practices and theoretical formulations which can empower women whose hearts have been awakened by the archetypal pattern of the ancient Priestesses of Avalon.” – Anne Benvenuti, Ph.D.