Anticipating the Avalon Cauldron Gathering 2023

Avalon Cauldron Gathering 12-14 May, 2023, Assembly Rooms, Glastonbury

In the depths of winter it is hard to imagine spring. We are still part of the darkness. The stars shimmer and the reflective atmosphere of this season continues to inform our way of being.

Yet nature and soul are stirring, as the earth turns and toils into another year.

This is a good time to set our intentions for the coming season. To think about the year ahead and look towards the lighter months.

What do we want this year to feel like? How can we deepen our connection with Cerridwen, our Cerridwen Kin and be of service?

Bee envisioned that each year we would hold in person gatherings. 

So once again this year we are holding the Avalon Cauldron Gathering. On 12, 13 and 14 May we will gather to celebrate and create.

The Priestesses have an abundance of offerings. 

• Friday 12 May will be dedicated to the Sisters.
• Saturday 13 May will be open to the public. We have offerings to bring mystery and magic to the public.
• Sunday 14 May will be a variety of Sister-dedicated offerings.

We are in the process of creation, the Sisters all have seeds of ideas, they are beginning to shape and form their gifts.

We’ll post the Programme and further details here when it’s available.

Please contact Bee with any enquiries at bee@cerridwen.co.uk 

I attended the gathering last year and it was one of the most formative moments in my journey.

I know that the word journey is too often used to describe activity but I cannot think of a better word. The gathering brought the book learning to life, it was an experience that shaped my connection with Cerridwen and my sisters.

One of my reasons for joining the Priestess training was to find connection and community. I enjoyed meeting online, learning together across counties, countries and continents. 

But when together in a room singing, dancing, circling in ceremony and celebrating it was magical and a lot of fun. There was laughter, hugging, and a few tears. 

In honouring the lineage, traditions and activities of our amazing mothers we can experience the joy, unconditional love and acceptance of a circle, which is beyond description. It is one to experience. In this way we can grow our trust in each other and the gifts we have to offer in service. 

For those of you that are more experienced, to bring your empowered self to these events sets the tone for those that follow.

We would love to see you there. In the Assembly Rooms in Glastonbury. We will each travel from our land to this gathering place, the place of wisdom and magic. 

And later returning to our own lands, a little bit more magical and connected by our rainbow threads.

 

Jules, Priestess of Cerridwen

West Yorkshire, UK

Jules completed the Priestess of Cerridwen training in October 2022. She is a leader in business and is working out how to combine these different pathways. In the meantime Jules is continuing her learning with her Sisters and Goddess with love, joy and endless curiosity. Jules has learnt that the world is a magical place once we open ourselves to it and the possibilities.

 

I have always felt like I am ‘home’ when I arrive in Glastonbury, but I have never felt it quite as strongly as I did when I arrived at last year’s Cauldron Gathering. Before I even took part in the workshops, rituals and ceremonies, I felt that sense of homecoming, to be welcomed by my sisters and, the first day, I had the sensation of Cerridwen’s cloak being around us all.

For me, the Cauldron Gathering is a chance to plug into the ‘main socket’. Energy is so important in the work we all do, and receiving that connection in circle with my sisters sets me up for the rest of the year, reminds me that no matter how far away I live from Avalon, and no matter how many months go by until I see my community in-person again, we are all together on this journey. 

I believe that what we are doing with the Cauldron Gathering is actually quite ancient; we are carrying on a tradition of meeting at points throughout the year, just as our Celtic ancestors came together from across great distances to meet, celebrate, and discuss important things together. And, of course, nothing compares to the feeling that arises in me when I hear the Cerridwen Kin’s voices meeting and merging in song at our gatherings. It is in those moments that I know that Cerridwen is weaving Her magic and moving amongst us. 

 

Elan Clark, Priestess of Cerridwen

West Lothian, Scotland

Instagram: @elan_and_the_hare

Elan is a scholar, writer and editor in the field of Celtic Studies. She has a PhD in Gaelic poetry and teaches university classes in Celtic culture and literature.