The New Death Priestesses of Avalon
I had the great pleasure of co-tutoring with Bee Helygen on the Death Priestess of Avalon course this year; and over the coming months I will be sharing some of our work, research and experiences with you.
In the time of Samhain last year, a group of wonderful women undertook a year-long quest to dedicate themselves to working with those in their communities as a Death Priestess. They came together to see how they could be of service to others and in undertaking the journey, to explore their own relationship with the inevitable transition from this life.
They each undertook their quest with courage and return now to their communities to offer support in a variety of ways including as educators, ceremonialists and advocates. They offer healing and gentle care, practical signposting, support for the writing of funeral wishes and creative activities to support bereavement. They co-create beautiful ceremonies together with families and friends and those who are facing the end of their life; they offer bespoke blessings, anointings and vigils. They conduct funeral ceremonies and memorials; they offer companionship to the bereaved community and they are gentle and accomplished sacred listeners.
The Death Priestess course was a tapestry of threads with which to weave a balanced approach to supporting those at the end of life. We worked with a variety of approaches including sacred oils, with healing sound, supported by specific crystals, the creation of sigils and pathworking. We explored the writing of Advanced Care Plans, the legalities of death care and funerals, the logistics of a crematorium funeral and that of a natural burial to name but a few.
The first Death Priestesses of Avalon can be found across the United Kingdom and also one in Switzerland. Each of them is dedicated to empowering others, to help reduce the taboo of talking about death and dying, to bring more ceremony and ritual back to the dying room, the funeral home and the burial or cremation. They are the first of the Death Priestesses of Avalon but they are of course, the granddaughters of many generations of priestesses in the temples across the world and of the wise women of the villages who laid out the dead in years gone by. They are remembering and bringing the work into our communities today.
Blessed Be.
Sarah Weller
Anneva – Priestess of Cerridwen
I am blessed to work within my community as an end of life doula, a funeral ceremonialist/celebrant and as an undertaker working from my little farm- based funeral home – The Potager.