Ongoing Online Programming Presented by the Sisterhood of Avalon
Inspired by Celtic Traditions and Rooted in Wise Women’s Ways
In Welsh tradition, the Goddess Ceridwen, from whose cauldron the Awen arises, birthed a babe whose brow was aflame with wisdom’s illumination. As Gwion, he stole the precious drops of her brew meant for another. As the reborn Taliesin, she swaddled him tightly, and set him afloat in a coracle – a small rounded vessel woven from branches and covered in leather. Discovered in a salmon weir, and raised by a Welsh prince, the boy grew to become the greatest bard ever to dwell on the Island of the Mighty.
As a reflection of this mythic process through which we seek wisdom and divine inspiration, the Sisterhood of Avalon has created The Coracle, a vessel that moves across the waters, bearing knowledge and sharing Awen. We invite you to join us on a continuing journey of online learning, offered by priestesses of our tradition and our invited guests.
We hope you can join us for this bend of the journey!
Current Offerings
CERRIDWEN – THE MOTHER OF AWEN
With Honored Guest
KRISTOFFER HUGHES
Saturday, 22 May 2021
12:00 – 2:00pm EDT/5:00 – 7:00pm BST
Join Druid and author Kristoffer Hughes on a journey to discover the origins of Cerridwen and her role in the Welsh Bardic Tradition. Travel through time to explore her functions as Muse, Witch, and Goddess and how she has evolved into a delicious fusion of all three aspects.
Kristoffer will take you on a roller-coaster ride through tradition, mythology, story, denigration, scandal and dizzying ulterior motives and agendas that went into the making of the Goddess so many love today.
Dare you peer over the cauldron’s edge and into the bubbling brew of Awen?
KRISTOFFER HUGHES is Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order. He is the award winning author of several books and the designer of The Celtic Tarot. He is a Druid graduate of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and is its 13th Mount Haemus Scholar. He is a native Welsh speaker and lives on the blessed Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn). He works professionally for Her Majesty’s Coroner and is an actor on Welsh language television and stage. Website: angleseydruidorder.co.uk
Registration Details
Cerridwen – Mother of Awen with Kristoffer Hughes will take place on Saturday, 22 May 2021 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm EDT (5:00pm – 7:00pm BST) via the Zoom platform.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
Event admission is open to everyone, regardless of gender or spiritual tradition.
Past Events
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 LIN 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/
SYDNEY BELL
Conference Host and Panel Moderator
Sydney Bell (MSW) is a psychotherapist, speaker, body-positivity advocate and priestess in the Avalonian Tradition. She believes that by providing spaces to challenge oppressive beauty and health paradigms and instead promote body diversity and radical self-love, we can turn the tide against rampant body dissatisfaction and the negative health outcomes that go with it.
Sydney currently resides in Kitchener, Ontario with her partner Jon, two dogs and one cat. You can find resources and learn more about her private practice work at: www.sydneybell.ca
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 Schedule
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.
Ogham: Nestled in the Healing Branches
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020
Time: 11am – 1pm, EST
Venue: Zoom
Less well known than the Runes, the Ogham is a language and divinatory system that has been attributed to the Celts. Veiled in more mystery and controversy than the Runes, the Ogham is a beautiful symbolic system that opens us to the special energies and messages from the trees. In this introductory session, the overall Ogham system will be presented, including history, mythology, and the meanings of the individual symbols. Open your ears to the beautiful language of the trees and learn how to attune to these energies for insight and healing.
Following this talk, Tiffany will host weekly hour long meditations to work through each of the ogham fews. These will begin on Monday, May 18. More information will be provided during the class.
About Tiffany
Tiffany Lazic (BAA, RIHR, RP) is a Registered Psychotherapist and Spiritual Director with a private practice in individual, couples and group therapy in Kitchener (Canada) and internationally via Zoom. As the owner of The Hive and Grove Centre for Holistic Wellness, she created and teaches two self-development programs and has conducted workshops for many conferences and organizations in Canada, the US, Mexico, and the UK. She is the author of The Great Work: Self-Knowledge and Healing Through the Wheel of the Year (Llewellyn Publications, 2015). Visit Tiffany at www.hiveandgrove.ca
To Register
In the spirit of being in service to our community during this difficult time, this class is being offered for free. Space was limited to 100 attendees, but due to demand these seats filled within days, and so we have expanded our capacity to 300 attendees. To reserve your place, please fill out the registration form found here.
Inner Cosmology: Balancing the Three Realms
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2020
Time: 11am – 1pm, EST
Venue: Zoom
In Celtic traditions, creation can be organized in accordance with the Sacred Three. This tripartite cosmology is known to us as the realms of Sea, Land, and Sky. These realms can help us orient ourselves in relation to the Universe as it manifests around us, as well as assist us in understanding the Universe as it manifests within us. Learning to navigate this inner landscape with consciousness is a key skill to master on the voyage to Sovereignty and self-actualization. Together, we will explore the energies of the Three Realms, discuss ways to become centered in our awareness of them in our lives, and learn a meditative practice which can assist us in bringing these realms into balance – both within and around us.
About Jhenah
Jhenah Telyndru (MA, Celtic Studies) 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 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. For more information about Jhenah’s work and offerings, please visit her website: www.ynysafallon.com.
To Register
In the spirit of being in service to our community during this difficult time, this class is being offered for free. Space was limited to 100 attendees, but due to demand these seats filled within days, and so we have expanded our capacity to 300 attendees. To reserve your place, please fill out the registration form found here.
Reclaiming Body Sovereignty
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2020
Time: 11am – 1pm, EST
Venue: Zoom
Experience the transformational power of Reclaiming Body Sovereignty. When we are Body Sovereign, we are empowered to find peace with our body size and shape (BodyPeace), and nurture a positive relationship with food and engage in positive movement to support our health and well-being (BodyTrust). We also begin to feel more comfortable in our own skin, speak our truth and more fully engage in the world (BodyRespect).
Join Sydney as she shares a framework for working toward body sovereignty built from years of experience working as a counsellor and body-positive activist. Sydney believes we can transform our relationship with our bodies by intentionally fostering Self Compassion, Mindfulness, and Discernment in our day to day lives. At this session you will have the opportunity to learn about becoming more fully present in your body and joyfully claiming space in the world.
About Sydney
Sydney Bell (MSW) is a psychotherapist, speaker, body-positivity advocate and priestess in the Avalonian Tradition. She believes that by providing spaces to challenge oppressive beauty and health paradigms and instead promote body diversity and radical self-love, we can turn the tide against rampant body dissatisfaction and the negative health outcomes that go with it.
Sydney currently resides in Kitchener, Ontario with her partner Jon, two dogs and one cat. You can find resources and learn more about her private practice work at: www.sydneybell.ca
To Register
In the spirit of being in service to our community during this difficult time, this class is being offered for free. Space was limited to 100 attendees, but due to demand these seats filled within days, and so we have expanded our capacity to 300 attendees. To reserve your place, please fill out the registration form found here.
Becoming the Isle: Avalon and Energetic Sustainability
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2020
Time: 11am – 1pm, EST
Venue: Zoom
It seems we have entered the Age of Women —a time when women are more active and powerful in the world than ever. Women are doing all kinds of great work, in addition to raising families and serving in their communities. However, it seems that the more roles and responsibilities we juggle, the more challenged we are with maintaining our energy levels in a very draining world. Many of us often push ourselves to the point of exhaustion or burnout, which can take its toll on our physical and emotional wellbeing. How can we, as women living and working in today’s world, avoid this energetic burnout? What can the Isle of Avalon teach us about energetic sustainability? Through meditation and written exercise, we will explore ways to effectively manage our life force energy, and view the Isle of Avalon as a model for self-sustainability.
About Diana
Diana Byron (RYT) is a Yoga teacher and Herbalist based in Connecticut. As founder of Dhyāna Yoga & Wellness, she offers Yoga, meditation and wellness classes —both in-person and online. She received her Yoga teacher certification through Kriplalu Center for Yoga and Wellness and earned a certificate in Herbalism through Rosemary Gladstar’s herbal program at Sage Mountain. Diana has also studied and works with various energetic healing modalities, as well as esoteric forms of spirituality. Diana has been a member of the Sisterhood of Avalon since 2003 and currently serves as Healer Matron on the Council of Nine. You can learn more about Diana’s offerings at her website, dhyanayogaandwellness.com.
To Register
In the spirit of being in service to our community during this difficult time, this class is being offered for free. Space was limited to 100 attendees, but due to demand these seats filled within days, and so we have expanded our capacity to 300 attendees. To reserve your place, please fill out the registration form found here.
Keep up to date with our ongoing offerings by joining The Coracle Facebook group, found here.