The Avalonian Goddesses refers to the goddesses worshipped by modern Avalonian witchcraft. They are the five goddesses whose stories appear in The Mabinogion. Cerridwen, Blodeuwedd, Rhiannon, Branwen, and Arainrhod are all powerful goddesses in Welsh Celtic tales. In the Avalonian tradition Cerridwen, Blodeuwedd, and Rhiannon each take a third of the year as primary goddess of that cycle. Branwen and Arainrhod are considered goddesses associated with the thirteenth and fourteenth moons (in other words special celestial occurrences).
Cerridwen is a goddess that is associated with the crone aspect of the triple goddess. Blodeuwedd is associated with the maiden aspect (and in some cases the sexual aspect, since she was not a mother), and Rhiannon is associated with the mother aspect! In the case when Blodeuwedd is sexual aspect Arainrhod is the virgin aspect. As the wheel of the year turns the Avalonian tradition cycles through focusing on different goddesses associated with the aspect of the triple goddess that is related to that time of year. Right now in Spring we are in the time of Blodeuwedd, and she is the May Queen and the flower bride. After that we move into the time of Rhiannon, and her motherhood is associated and symbolized by the harvest of late Summer and Autumn. Finally during the Winter we will return to the time of Cerridwen and the dark times of the year, symbolized by her crone aspect!
The Avalonian tradition takes the original stories of these goddesses, and faerie women, and uses them to honor the natural world throughout the year. There is a lot of power in the natural world, and honoring the earth is a great way to grow closer to our most true selves. Avalonian witchcraft is rooted in goddess worship and feminine mysteries. This is a truly female centered practice, and honors the divine feminine within all of us, both men and women! Priestesses within this tradition are known as Morgens, after the original faerie women of Avalon.
The five goddesses of Avalonian witchcraft are diverse, and all woman can find at least one that they feel deeply connected to! We all have innate power within us, and by honoring the divine feminine within ourselves we grow closer to the natural world. Honoring the elements, flowers, trees, animals, and all of nature is a way of learning about the deepest truths of our world.
I hope that you have enjoyed learning a bit about the Avalonian goddesses. Let me know you thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the cover of Flower Face. I found the image on amazon.com.
Further Reading
- The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies
- Avalon Within by Jhenah Telyndru
- Mythic Moons of Avalon by Jhenah Telyndru
- Rhiannon: Divine Queen of the Celtic Britons by Jhenah Telyndru
- Flower Face: A Devotional Anthology in Honor of Blodeuwedd edited by Lori Feldmann
White Rose of Avalon 