Morgan's Magical Avalon
By Manon Tromp
There are many legends and stories of King Arthur which show a connection to the mythical land of Avalon. The story that most appeals to many, and I am certainly one of them, is the Mists of Avalon written by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This story brought something back to us, which seemed to have been lost for a long time: the ancient feminine power, the goddess within.
The Mists of Avalon talks about the magic of Avalon, the priestesses and the power of women. Anyone who knows the background of the writer, will not be surprised to hear about this feminine approach to the legend of King Arthur. Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930) was an American author of feminine fantasy novels and an advocate for the female writers. The Mists of Avalon was one of many books she wrote and part of the Avalon series. When she died in 1999 her ashes were spread over the Tor in Glastonbury, also known as the center of Avalon.
Very significant in the Mists of Avalon is the fact that the story is being told from a woman's point of view: Morgan Le Fay (half sister of Arthur in this story). She and other women around Arthur, like Igraine (his mother) , Viviane (Arthur's aunt and high priestess of Avalon) and Morgause (his aunt) played important parts in his destiny. Morgan is portrayed in a very positive way, while many other legends show her as an evil witch.
Morgan is one of the oldest names in the legend of King Arthur and the holy grail. She was the most well known of the sisterhood of the nine Morgens. These nine women each possessed a quality of the Goddess and were known for their accomplishments in the seven free arts: astronomy, astrology, mathematics, healing, music, the body and divination. The name of Morgan is also connected to Morgan the Faery or Morgan the Fate, and is derived from the Irish name Morrigan or Mor Rigan: the great queen. The word Le Fay is French for fairy, so in fact she is the Queen of the Fairies. As fairies reside in the underworld, she is the queen of the underworld.
But there is a male side to Avalon, which is represented by Arthur. His name is derived from the Welsh name Arth Fawr, meaning the Big Bear, which is connected to the most bright star of the Northern Hemisphere: Arcturus. Bears were a common sight in the UK until the eight century AD and they had a special spiritual meaning for the Celts. It was a name of honor and gave great power to the person who was named Arthur.
In the Mists of Avalon Arthur is vital to keeping the old Nature traditions alive. Christianity was moving in fast and gaining more power each day, so Merlin and Viviane decided to intervene. With a little magical help, the birth of Arthur was directed: his father was King Uther Pendragon, a follower of the old traditions and his mother Igraine, an Avalon priestess. Arthur was taken at a young age by Merlin to be taught in the old ways and Morgan was taken by Viviane to Avalon to train as priestess.
Both Arthur and Morgan were prepared and trained to perform the Beltain Cermony, otherwise known as the Greenwood Marriage. This specific event is on the night of April 30 and is the start of the festival of fertility. It is the time to celebrate all commitments and relationships for the fertility of the earth. In the Greenwood Marriage the Horned God and the Goddess come together to join as man and woman. In the old days this event was celebrated with big fires on the hills and people wearing green to express the colors of the earth and to celebrate.
The Horned God represents the untamable wild man of the forest. His horns are symbolic for his male vitality and according to old tantric wisdom, because of the male ejaculation being transformed into mystical energy going upward the spine, the horns were formed. This horned god was later portrayed as the devil in Christian Religion. The Goddess was she who rode the white mare to leave all her suitors behind. She was the free and powerful female spirit who knew the power of love and her sexuality. Together they represent the circle of life and death.
Marion Zimmer Bradley did a lot of research in the fields of mythology, religion, psychology and parapsychology. She was a big fan of science fiction and fantasy and many people thought her gifts to be paranormally inspired because she wrote so well and so clearly about the pagan traditions. Despite of her interest in Pagan traditions, she was a frequent visitor of the church. Her mission was to empower the role of women in religion and with this intention she started writing The Mists of Avalon. Her working title was 'Mistress of Magic' which was later changed by the editor to 'Mists of Avalon'. But the true mistress of magic, was Marion herself, because of her capability to bring people into the magical world.
Because of the Mists of Avalon, thousands of women got introduced to the Goddess: a deep feminine spiritual force that had been kept behind the veils of time. It brought empowerment to women who got interested in other writers like Starhawk and Marian Green. Also it got women to read books about female oriented religious stories like The Moon under her feet of Clysta Kinstler: the story of Christ seen through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. In the last part of the Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley gives us an important message by having Morgan realize that the Goddess always lives on. In this case through her role as Mary, mother of Jesus and Morgan concludes that Avalon is safe.
I relate to Morgan: she is my magical self and gives me the power to part the mists of uncertainty and confusion, in order to accept my feminine side. Avalon is connected to unconditional love and the creative powers of humanity. This is where we can show our true faces and where we can accept each other as sisters and brothers. This is very important to feel in these times of confusion and chaos. It is a part of a great transformation to harmony and peace. If you work with the power of Avalon: you are home.
SACRED JOURNEY TO AVALON - September 18 to September 28, 2011
The 'Sacred Avalon Journey' is all set to go and ready to take off on September 18th. We will be on the road until September 28th. The trip just about full but we can make room for two more people. If you feel called to come along with us to the British Isles feel free to get in touch with me at the following link:
http://www.manontromp.com/Manon_Tromp:English
Or via Email at: manontromp@chello.nl
FALL EQUINOX JOURNEY TO AVALON - September 18 - 28, 2011 With Cal Garrison and Manon Tromp.
To hear a little bit about the Avalon Journey, tune in to the following clip:
"Secrets of the Heart" — with Cal Garrison — Part 1: Journey to Avalon — Sept 18~28th, 2011
About Manon Tromp
Manon Tromp is a writer, singer and life coach who lives in the Netherlands. She is the author of the book: "The Magic of Avalon" and one of the founders of the first Goddess temple in the Netherlands. She organizes on a regular bases sacred journeys to Avalon.For more information: www.manontromp.com
Latest articles by Manon Tromp in Spirit of Maat:
November, 2011:
The Guardians of the Mists
September, 2011:
Morgan's Magical Avalon
May, 2011:
What is Magic?
February, 2011:
Avalon is calling
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