Blessings All,
I am pleased to welcome you to the inaugural issue of the renewed publication of The Barge – the official newsletter of the Sisterhood of Avalon. Every month, The Barge will keep you up to date with SOA activities, offerings, local gatherings, open celebrations, and membership opportunities. We hope that you find this newsletter to be an informative and inspirational companion on your Avalonian journey.

Yours in the Holy Isle,
Jhenah Telyndru
Morgen, Sisterhood of Avalon

Membership Update
The SOA currently opens for membership twice a year, at Calan Gaeaf (Samhain) and Calan Mai (Beltane).
The membership portals are announced on our
SOA-Updates Yahoo Groups list.

The Calan Gaeaf membership portal is open between October 13th through November 6th. Be sure to check out our member pages on the SOA website for more information about joining at this time. If you have any questions please be sure to email the Board Secretary.

The Tor Stone
The Tor Stone is a quarterly journal charting the female path of personal growth and empowerment through the Mysteries of Avalon and the guidance of the Goddess. Published at each of the four Celtic Holy Days by the Sisterhood of Avalon, each issue of The Tor Stone reflects the prominent energy of each portal and the ways in which our processes of healing and growth as women mirror this endless Cycle. Features in each issue will include subjects such as personal growth and the spiritual journey, herbalism and healing, poetry, art, energetic and ritual techniques, the Goddesses of Avalon, Celtic traditions, Women’s Mysteries and much, much more. Our mission is to create a publication that is informative, instructional and inspirational … speaking to the inner wisdom of every woman. We welcome your submissions! For more information, please visit our website at www.torstone.org

SOA Hearths and Learning Circles
The Sisterhood of Avalon fosters a growing number of Hearths, Novice Hearths and Learning Circles. These groups of sisters gather to celebrate the Divine, to support each other in their growth and transformation, to learn the ways of the Avalonian Tradition, and to serve their greater communities in many ways. If you would like to find out more about joining or starting an SOA Hearth, Novice Hearth or Learning Circle, please contact our Hearth Matron for more information. Most groups sponsor Informational Teas locally to connect with women interested in making the journey to Avalon in safe sister space. Watch this list for periodic announcements for the dates and locations
of these Open Teas.

Sisters meet up in Salem Massassachussets for a day of fun.

Afal Iachaol Novice Hearth, located in Indiana, is in its second month of meetings and we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know one another and immersing ourselves in the work. We would like to extend an invitation to sisters for Calan Gaeaf. We will be hosting a combined ritual gathering with our “sister hearth” Cainc Arian and surrounding sisters within driving distance. If any sisters will be in the Indianapolis, IN area over the weekend of Nov 7-9, or would like to make a weekend trip here, please contact me! We would love to meet you and share Sacred Space with as many sisters as possible! Interested sisters may contact me at bobbi@quantumgeneralcontractors.com.

Sisters in Northern California have come together to begin a new Novice Hearth, Aelwyd yr Arfordir Gorllewin (Western Shore Hearth). Begun as a Learning Circle earlier in 2008, the Hearth is now meeting several times a month for study, energy work, and full moon rituals. We have six dedicated Sisters, and SOA members in the San Francisco Bay Area are welcome to join us!

Silver Moon Cauldron Hearth is a small group of SOA members that meet twice monthly to learn/discuss aspects of the Avalonian Tradition and for full moon ritual: we are currently studying the 5 Goddesses of the Avalonian Pantheon.
Meetings and rituals are typically held in Sturbridge, MA and Storrs, CT. If you are local to the area and would like information on membership please contact Hearthmother Diana at lady777di@yahoo.com.

Roshyn Melyn Hearth, located in Northern Texas, is honored to have recently been given Novice Hearth Status. Our first Open Tea was a great success with two new guests in attendance. After an opening cup sharing with our signature Rosehip tea we chatted over finger sandwiches, fruit and chocolate mouse cake. The sisters then united in a fun ‘pave stone’ activity creating our own unique interpretation of the yoni. We have planned for a Calan Gaef get away November 14-16 in a private Villa at Lake Texhoma Resort and extend the invitation to any sister in the area. We also plan to hold our 3rd annual sister’s day out in December; near to Winter Solstice (date to be announced). For information on our North Texas Hearth, or the sister get-away, contact RoshynMelynHearth@yahoo.com or the Hearthmother, Deb, at dltb@lycos.com.

Prairie Spirit Novice Hearth in the Land of Living Skies is pleased to announce we have been chartered with the Sisterhood of Avalon. We are a group of five women living in and near the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We are also hosting a monthly Learning Circle which has three additional active members who are considering pursuing membership with the SOA. The women in our hearth have been gathering for about a year and have developed a sense of community and trust. We are delighted to have this opportunity to come together to learn and grow in our Avalonian path. If anyone would like more information about our Hearth please feel free to contact Sydney Bell, Hearthmother at mooncrow_song@yahoo.ca.

Cainc Arian, The Silver Branch Novice Hearth, located in Cincinnati, OH, is pleased to welcome Jennifer C. to our learning circle! Cainc Arian has been a novice hearth for over two years and meets on a weekly basis. The hearth is a place where members may focus on their personal spiritual journey in the company of their Sisters. We concentrate on practicing the tools of our path and creating a bond of mutual respect and love between members. If any woman within the Cincinnati area would like to learn more about joining Cainc Arian’s learning circle, or if there are Sisters in the area who would like to join our hearth, please contact Hearthmother, Kim D., at avalonwomon@hotmail.com.