Glastonbury
Joseph of Arimathea, believed to be the uncle and successor of Jesus, arrived in Glastonbury following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Traveling via southern France, he landed on the coast of Cornwall, bringing with him two Sacred bottles and the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail was the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper, into which his blood and the water from his crucified body were collected, symbolizing the essence of Jesus. The bottles, depicted in red and white, were said to contain the blood and water, coming out of Jesus wounded side.
When Joseph and his disciples arrived at the Glastonbury – the island of Avalon at the end of December, they were exhausted. The first hill they landed on was named “The Hill of the Tired.” Joseph planted his staff in the ground, and it miraculously grew roots and leaves, becoming a glorious tree. This tree, which can still be seen today, symbolizes the rooting of Christianity in the new land. Its branches are used to these days in the coronation ceremonies of the kings of England.
Joseph stayed in Avalon (at the foot of the Tor Hill) and built there the first church in the world from straw and twigs. He then hid the Holy Grail in a cave on the nearby Grail Hill and buried the two bottles in the ground. And then a miracle occurred: two springs began to flow between the Grail Hill and the Tor Hill—one with red water turning everything it touched red, and the other with white water turning everything it touched white. It was believed that the blood and water from Jesus’ body, collected during the Crucifixion in the Holy Grail and the two bottles, was now flowing from the buried Grail and bottles. The springs were attributed with miraculous and healing properties, and the burial place of the Grail became the holiest site in England.
Legends tell us that the eastern part of the impressive Tor hill became the site of the castle perilous of the future Fisher King, the wounded keeper of the Holy Grail, who is considered a Christian counterpart to the Celtic cauldron keeper, Bran. Some say the castle was in other locations.
Joseph of Arimathea built in Glastonbury an early Church and monastery, which was considered the first church in the world. Later, wonderful new churches and monastery were built where Joseph founded his church, The site became the most important pilgrimage destination in England (after Canterbury) and played a significant role in its spiritual history of England until the Reformation in the 16th century.
In the modern era, the town of Glastonbury developed around the sites of Avalon and the ancient churches, lately becoming the New Age capital of England, Glastonbury is the center of the Wicca movement and goddess worship movement, a hub for neo-pagan and neo-Druidic beliefs. It is also a center of renewed and spiritual Christianity, as well as a place for spiritual currents from the East, such as Sufism and Buddhism.
When visiting Glastonbury, there are several “must-see” sites, and it is recommended to spend at least a few days exploring the town and its surroundings. The most prominent site, and the first worth visiting to appreciate the power of the place, is Glastonbury Tor hill. Near Glastonbury Tor is Chalice Hill, and between these two hills are the Red Spring in the beautiful Chalice Garden and the White Spring, which emerges from a sacred cave. Below and to the west of Glastonbury Tor is the town itself, with the remains of the ancient monastery and Churches, another essential site to visit.
Within the town, you will find a selection of witchcraft shops, New Age centers, therapists and healers, a 15th-century church, and several temples and houses of priestesses and the Goddess. On the southwest side of the town is St. Margaret’s Chapel, next to which is the Hill of the Tired and a well called the Bride’s Well. This area, leading to the nearby town of Street, is associated with the feminine principle.
According to the new order of Druids in Glastonbury, three great religions were born here: Druidism, Wicca, and Celtic Christianity. In the 16th century, Dr. John Dee, Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer, and Edward Kelly discovered the outline of the Zodiac in the fields around Glastonbury, which is located in a kind of natural hollow. A few miles northwest of Glastonbury, on the border of the hills that enclose the valley, is the cathedral city of Wells, home to wonderful Christian gothic cathedral and other sites.
Glastonbury is situated on the main energy line of England, the Archangel Michael line, which has an angle of 27.2 degrees northeast. This is also the angle of Glastonbury Tor and the sunrise on May 1st and August 2nd, which are Druidic feasts celebrated with great pomp in Glastonbury.
The island of Avalon in the Celtic tradition
According to Celtic tradition, beneath the Tor hill was the palace of the Celtic king of Fairies, Gwynn ap Nudd—”white, bright bright.” During the time of the Celts, druids lived in the mountain’s caves, and one of three Sacred Choirs continuously sang sacred songs 24 hours a day to support the land’s energies. The king of the fairies had a glass house inside Glastonbury Tor, where the souls of the dead would come and then ascend to heaven. This was a place where souls went to be reborn, allowing them to pass freely between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
Celtic tradition describes the gateway to the other world as being within a fairy mound or enchanted castle, located in the west and surrounded by water. In other words, the gate to the other world was an island in the west—the place of the sunset. This otherworldly island is depicted with a tree on its borders, bearing apples that are the food of the creatures from the other world. Hence, the name Avalon means “apple island.”
The fairy king, Gwynn ap Nudd, is the ruler of the underworld and the leader of the wild hunt. Departing souls are picked up by the wild hunter, Gwynn ap Nudd, and taken to Avalon. The dogs and horses of the wild hunt are otherworldly creatures, usually depicted in red and white. When the soul enters the underworld, a miraculous cauldron appears, and immersion in it guarantees rebirth. In Celtic tradition, several important cauldrons exist: the cauldron of Dagda provides never-ending nourishment, and the cauldron of Bran brings warriors back to life. Cauldrons symbolize the transformative and nourishing power of the Great Goddess.
According to 12th-century writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth, the island was the residence of Morgan Le Fay, who was the chief priestess of nine priestesses. Morgan, or Mordon, is the keeper of the mysteries of Avalon, the great mother associated with death and rebirth. She is linked to the keeper of the Celtic cauldron of rebirth—the old witch Goddess Ceridwen. According to Celtic tradition, Ceridwen’s home is Avalon. After encountering the dark face of the goddess in the form of Ceridwen, the soul is reborn.
Today, the New Order of Druids, founded in 1988, is active in Glastonbury, reviving ancient pagan traditions related to the phases of the sun and moon. According to them, Glastonbury became a Druidic center in 2500 BC, when the labyrinth in Tor was created. In 500 BC, the Druid Abrax (identified with the legendary King Bladud) was active there and served as the guide of Pythagoras. Every five hundred years, there is a record of activity in the place. After Britain became Christian, the Druidic Celtic tradition continued in a different form, associated with the legends of the Holy Grail.
The Apple Island – and the Gate to the Land of the Dead
Impressions from a visit to Glastonbury – Winter 2002
Five hours of driving on the left side of the road, and five minutes on the right side, which almost cost me dearly, is the time it took me to get from London to Glastonbury. It was my first time driving in England. I landed at Heathrow in the evening, and instead of sleeping in London, I preferred to drive in the other direction. Glastonbury is located in the west of England. Once, the place was an island called Avalon. In Welsh, “Awl” means apple, so Avalon means Apple Island. But why an apple?
First of all, because apple trees grow there. Not many indeed, but there are one or two that are very important in the Christian tradition. More on that later. Secondly, because an apple is the fruit of the Garden of Eden, the fruit of the other world. Avalon has always been, and some say still is, the gate to the other world, the world beyond, the Garden of Eden. Avalon was considered a gateway to the world of the dead in Celtic time, where souls would go. And so, although I wasn’t dead yet (although the five minutes of driving on the right almost got me there), Me and my soul made our way there, in a rented car.
Avalon-Glastonbury area consists of several hills located within a flat low plain. Two thousand years ago there is evidence that the plain was a sea, or a lake with an island in it. Like other islands in the west (Iona in Scotland for example) the island of the apple was considered a sacred island from time immemorial, a place where the sun sets and therefore serves as a gateway to the world of the dead. The island has a special topographic-geological features. In one part of it rises a steep hill called the “Tor”, under the hill was the palace of the Celtic king of Fairies – Gwyn ap Nod – “white, shining bright”. On the top of the Tor hill there is a tower dedicated to the legendary Christian archangel Michael, the hero who defeats the darkness – the dragon – and brings light to the world; Michael in worshiped by lightening bonfires. Indeed, since ancient times, bonfires were lit on the hill. The ancients (no one knows who) carved into the hill seven huge steps – terraces – which are connected here and there and create a huge labyrinth, the largest in the world (the height of the hill is 140 meters). From time to time, on Druidic holidays, all the “crazy” people from England arrive, all those who consider themselves pagans, shamans, druids, etc… and light fires on the surrounding terraces (the maze takes about three hours to walk).
Next to the steeply rising Hill of the Tor, masculine in appearance, there is another hill, rounded, low, soft, feminine in appearance. This hill is called the Chalice hill, underneath it the Holy Grail, the cup of Jesus in his own glory, is buried. Of all the places in the world, the chalice came precisely there, and this is the reason why the place became the holiest in England, an impressive monastery was built next to it and it became an important pilgrimage site in England until the Reformation in the 16th century.
Glastonbury is a gateway to the spiritual world. For this reason, it became these days the capital of the New Age movement in England. The main street is lined with dozens of shops selling books on healing, astrology, the higher self, ancient cultures, paths to enlightenment, crystals, incense, Tibetan bells, and the like. Hundreds of healers, spiritual teachers, pathfinders, mediums, communicators, and just eccentric individuals have gathered there. Some live in Glastonbury, while others make pilgrimages to the place every year. Even King Arthur has seemingly came out of his grave and walks the streets, proclaiming that the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived (there is one madman in Glastonbury who claims to be King Arthur). In short, it is a lively place.
I stayed at a hotel at the foot of the Tor, and the Tor is indeed impressive. Early one morning, I descended the creaking stairs of the guest house and, with a “Golani” spirit, made my way straight to the top of the hill, ignoring the fence, the path, or the terraces, and the wonderful maze that all of these formed. It wasn’t quite what Alexander the Great did with the Gordian knot but i wanted to cut through it all in the same spirit. However I soon found out I wasn’t alexander, While it’s always good to aim high, there were no trees to hang to on the slopes of the Tor, so I found myself sliding on the wet grass, tumbling down the steep slopes and terraces. Scratched and bruised, I made my way back to the path leading up the hill, which stubbornly resisted my direct approach.
Halfway up the hill, there is a huge stone on the side of the path known as “the living stone.” It’s called that because, if you lean on it early in the morning when no one is around, it is said to communicate with you and speak to your higher self (at least, that’s what someone I knew claimed). Being quite tall and it being early in the morning with no one else around (who’s crazy enough to go out on a rainy winter day at five in the morning?), I decided to give it a try. I closed my eyes, trying to intensify the feeling. A tense silence surrounded me, and then the higher self spoke to me—it was my wife on the cellular phone, asking me to put the car in the garage..
After getting rid of this higher self, I turned to the other higher self, again closing my eyes, trying to intensify the feeling. The view around was really impressive (even though my eyes were closed); fog covered the surrounding plain, and the hill of Tor and the surrounding hills really looked like an island. I felt something creeping down my back—it was the drops of the annoying English rain penetrating my shirt. And yet, I felt happy. Happy that I was alive, happy that I had feelings, happy for the air, for the water and the rain, for the grass and trees around, for being here in England in this wonderful place, for being alive and breathing. Suddenly everything connected—my life so far, the moment, everything seemed carefree, peaceful, understandable, eternal. I suddenly realized that perhaps Avalon really is the gate to the other world, and that throughout our lives there is some kind of veil that hides us from this world of truth, and only at especial times and places it is removed.
It seems that Avalon is one of the places on earth where this veil is thinner, where you can see through it, remove it (and what helps with this is the connection to the forces of nature). Apparently, the stone spoke to me, or it was simply the early hour outside, in nature, in the mists, at sunrise. Whatever the reason, the main thing is that the moment stayed with me. I felt connected to the tens of thousands and millions of people who were here before me, whether they were kings, madmen, or monks. They all had feelings, they all had lives and had to face difficulties, they were all part of nature and something bigger, the human quest for meaning throughout the ages.
When I reached the top of the hill, a wind blew. I took shelter between the walls of the tower, breathed in a little more of the summit air, the wind and the wet grass, and then went back down.
The story of St. Collen
According to the book The Life of St. Collen. The Welsh saint is said to have come to Glastonbury in the 7th century, following the establishment of an ancient monastery there by St. Patrick. The monks lived in isolation in huts or caves on Glastonbury Tor, and St. Collen lived near the White Spring at the foot of the hill. One day, he overheard two peasants talking about the castle of Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of Fairies. They said it was hidden inside Glastonbury Tor and that the Fairy king welcomed visitors to his castle, but strange things happened there; a person might enter the castle thinking it was for one night and not return for many years, if they returned at all.
St. Collen dismissed these stories as superstitions, attributing them to the devil’s work. However, the next day, a messenger appeared at his door. It wasn’t quite human, but it looked human, and it brought an invitation from Gwyn, the Fairy King, to visit his castle. The saint refused, but the same thing happened the next day. When the invitation came for the third time, St. Collen knew he had to go. He filled a bottle with holy water and set off.
St. Collen passed through a strange mist and reached the top of the Tor, where he found a hidden entrance to an underground castle. It was the most beautiful castle he had ever seen, filled with strange guests: musicians, horses, girls, and more. St. Collen was taken to a great hall with a huge fireplace, where music played and fairies in fancy dress enjoyed themselves. All the fairies were dressed in red and white. At the end of the hall, Gwyn sat on a golden chair. He greeted St. Collen and asked if he wanted to eat, but the saint, aware of the dangers of eating fairy food, refused, saying, “I do not eat the top of a tree.”
Gwyn became angry and asked, “What’s the problem? Have you seen such fine food before?”
St. Collen replied, “Although the food and clothing are fine, red is the color of fire, and white is the color of cold and snow.”
St. Collen then took out the bottle of holy water and splashed it around. Slowly, Gwyn, the fairies, and the castle disappeared into the mist, leaving him alone on the top of Glastonbury Tor with only the wind and the grass around him.
Dunstan
Bishop Dunstan (909-988) reached the highest position in English Christianity as the Archbishop of Canterbury. He designed the coronation ceremonies of the kings of England, developed English Christianity, and is regarded by New Age followers as a magician and the hidden leader of the Druids at the end of the first millennium AD.
Born in Glastonbury, Dunstan became known as a calligrapher and horse farrier (he is credited with making the horse’s hoof a sign of good luck). King Athelstan made him his advisor, leading to his rise to greatness. However, he eventually left the court and lived as a hermit in a cabin he built at Glastonbury, engaging in goldsmithing, music, and calligraphy. He led a charismatic community that later inspired the reformation of the English Church. Upon King Edmund I’s accession, Dunstan became his advisor (resulting in Edmund’s burial at Glastonbury) and, with the king’s support, was appointed in charge of Glastonbury Abbey, which he restored.
Dunstan was exposed to the Cluniac reforms while in the Low Countries in 957. He then became a close adviser to King Edgar “the Peaceful” (who was also buried at Glastonbury). Under Edgar’s rule, Dunstan became the Bishop of Worcester and simultaneously the Bishop of London. In 960, he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of English Christianity. From then on, Dunstan worked for reforms in the church, including the observance of the vow of nuns, the prohibition of simony (selling church positions for money), and the encouragement of study. He spent the last ten years of his life teaching in Canterbury and supporting the poor.
According to New Age adherents at Glastonbury, Dunstan was the head of the order of the Druids, who continued to exist in secret under Christian rule. This is why he was accused of witchcraft at the beginning of his career and became famous for his ability to confront and defeat the devil. He was an expert in letters, images, and exorcisms and became the most important saint in England during his time and for many years afterward.
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was the most important religious complex and place of Christian pilgrimage in England until the 16th century [1]. However, the abbey was destroyed during the Reformation, abandoned, and forgotten until it was rediscovered, excavated, and restored in the early 20th century by spiritual archaeologist Bligh Bond. Bond dedicated his life to promoting the significance of the monastery, its uniqueness, and its connection to early Christian and Arthurian traditions. Today, Glastonbury Abbey is an official and recognized heritage site, featuring a museum, reconstructions of ancient remains and some original buildings, costumed actors recreating historical life, and expansive parks with enchanting corners.
According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea built the first church in the world here and buried the Holy Grail on the nearby hill. Joseph founded a monastery with 12 monks, forming a sort of primary round table with 12 huts arranged around a central circular structure. Because of this, many saints, such as St. Patrick, and historical figures, including the most famous one, King Arthur, came to the site in the following centuries. The Monastery gained further importance in the middle ages with the appearance of the Round table and Holy Grail Legends.
One bright day, at the end of the 12th century, the monks were digging in the monastery yard to prepare carrot beds or for some other reason. To their amazement, they found an ancient tomb with a sign stating, “King Arthur is buried here,” alongside another sign identifying a blonde woman as the beautiful Guinevere (although she was no longer so beautiful when they found her). This discovery occurred shortly after the legends of King Arthur and the Round Table had spread throughout Britain. The finding of the tomb established a link between Glastonbury and the Tor hill with Avalon Island, where Arthur was taken to recover after the final battle. Needless to say that this discovery brought much publicity and wealth to the monastery.
The historic Glastonbury Abbey was initially built in the 7th century by Centwine, King of Wessex. At the end of his reign, he became a monk and retired to the monastery. The abbey rose to prominence during the time of Dunstan, who served as abbot in the 10th century, and later as Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury. Dunstan promoted the monastery, making it a center of pilgrimage and the heart of the renewed monastic life in England. His reforms contributed significantly to its development, and several English kings were buried there. In the 11th century, King Edmund Ironside was crowned at Glastonbury Abbey.
In the 12th century, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine built the Lady Chapel, which some say contains sacred dimensions expressing the structure of the divine worlds and the secrets of the divine feminine principle (the Shekinah). It is also seen as a reflection of the original 12-hut structure erected by Joseph of Arimathea [2]. Although the chapel was mostly destroyed, it remains the most impressive building in the complex today, with interesting sculptures above the doorways. Following the construction of the chapel, a huge cathedral began to be built, with construction lasting until the 14th century and incorporating the older buildings. During these years, the monastery flourished as a center of pilgrimage and worship.
However, all this came to an end in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII, who destroyed the monastery and had the abbot executed, with his head displayed on the tower on the Tor Hill.
Today, the Glastonbury Abbey museum at the entrance of the site showcases finds from ancient times of the monastery. impressive remains of the cathedral and the lady Chapel stand out, the old kitchen building of the monastery stands out as having been preserved intact. inside the cathedral, visitors can see the grave marker of King Arthur and Guinevere, further cementing the abbey’s connection to the legendary past.
Frederick Bligh Bond
Frederick Bligh Bond (1864-1945) was an archaeologist, architect, and a medium, but most notably, the man who awakened the spirit of Glastonbury from its slumber.
In 1907, the Church of England purchased the ruins of the old cathedral, which had been destroyed during the 16th-century Reformation, and began excavations at the site. Bond, a promising archaeologist and architect, was appointed to lead the work. He was considered an expert in ancient church architecture and had designed several impressive public buildings in the area. As the excavation began, Bond started to receive messages that guided him on where to dig, and he always found what he was looking for in those places. He worked with a group called “The Company of Avalon,” receiving these messages through automatic writing. He published the story in a book called “The Gates of Remembrance” in 1918, which caused a great commotion. According to Bond, monks from the past guided him with archaic language and detailed descriptions of the life and history of the place.
Bond studied and believed in gematria and sacred geometry, publishing books on these subjects. He claimed that medieval church architecture drew from the ancient Gnostic tradition—a mystical Christian movement from the 2nd-3rd centuries AD—and used sacred dimensions that expressed the structure of the divine worlds. He argued that the architecture of cathedrals was based on geometric squares and sacred proportions derived from gematria in ancient Gnostic Coptic writings and the New Testament. Bond was a member of the Freemasons, the Theosophical Society, the Rose Cross Order, and more.
Three years after the publication of “The Gates of Remembrance,” Bond was fired from his job at Glastonbury and became the editor-in-chief of the quarterly “Science of Paranormal Phenomena”. This was after he became a member of the British Association for Paranormal Research. In 1926, he moved to the United States, where he was associated for ten years with the American Association for Parasensory Research. His last book, “The Secret of Immortality,” was published in 1934.
Bligh Bond was not the only one involved in channeling at Glastonbury. Sir Charles Marston, head of the British Philosophical Society, believed in supernatural powers and practiced automatic writing (channeling) especially at Glastonbury. He was a member of the Knights of St. John and believed in the connection between the Israelites and the British. Marston advocated a popular theory at the time, claiming that the British originated from the ten lost tribes. He received messages at Glastonbury, directing him to invest his energy and money in Israel. As a result, he became one of the main financiers of archaeological excavations in the Land of Israel during the Mandate period, including sites such as Tel Ajul, Jericho, and Lachish [3]. Marston was particularly interested in the development of the Hebrew script.
The founders of the Findhorn settlement in Scotland, the oldest and largest spiritual settlement in Great Britain, also received their inspiration and messages about their path at Glastonbury. This happened through channels on the Tor hill, where they were told that their mission was to grow vegetables in a sandy bay in northern Scotland, thereby renewing the connection between humans and the spirits of nature and leading to the establishment of a spiritual settlement.
The Chalice Garden
In the valley between Chalice Hill and Glastonbury Tor lies a wonderful garden with a spring at its center that gushes red water. According to legend, this is caused by the blood of Jesus contained in the bottle and the Holy Grail brought by Joseph of Arimathea from Israel and buried at the site. The water is considered holy and healing, coloring the canals and pools through which it flows in red. The garden features meditation and prayer corners, pools, and small waterfalls. The source of the water is a well with a cover decorated with the Vesica piscis, symbolizing the Holy Grail [4]
The founder of the Chalice Garden is Wellesley Tudor Pole (1884-1968), a mystic known for establishing, together with Churchill, a minute’s silence in memory of those who fell in World War II, observed every day at nine in the evening. However, Wellesley Tudor Pole’s main contribution was introducing the Bahá’í faith to England. He traveled to the Middle East in search of the Holy Grail but met `Abdu’l-Bahá (the son of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í faith, who is buried in Acre) in Turkey and became his disciple.
The Bahá’ís view gardens as a means of communicating with God. Inspired by the Bahá’í gardens in Israel, Wellesley Tudor Pole cultivated the Chalice Garden in Glastonbury in 1959 as a place for the Holy Grail. However, miraculous events revealed to him that the Grail is now buried elsewhere, in Bridget’s Well on the nearby Beckery Hill. The story goes like this:
Wellesley Tudor Pole had a vision in which he was told that a precious object was buried in a well, which could only be discovered if young maidens, pure in heart, went to the well at sunrise. As luck would have it— as always happens in a good story— Tudor Pole had two young friends who fit the description, sisters Kent and Christine Allen. They went to Bridget’s Well at the appointed time and searched in the water. When they were about to give up, one of them felt a hard object in the mud at the bottom of the well. Upon cleaning the mud, they found an ornate blue glass bowl.
It turned out that another man, named John Goodchild, had been instructed to place the bowl in the well several decades earlier. Goodchild had found the bowl in Italy and believed it to be an important artifact for Jesus’ second coming. He was associated with working with the Celtic goddess Brigit.
Experts invited to study the bowl came to the surprising conclusion that it dated back to the time of Jesus. The press, esoteric societies, and the public were captivated by this discovery. Eventually, Tudor Pole established the Grail Gardens at Glastonbury and housed the bowl there. To this day, the Grail Well Society uses the bowl for rituals and spiritual purposes.
The White Spring
Across from the Chalice Garden at the foot of Glastonbury Tor, there is a building on the side of the hill with a large underground room where the White Spring flows. The place has been set up as a pagan temple, featuring a baptismal pool lit by candles, twig arbors for sitting and meditation, figurines, and crystals. The water flows from the walls, exits in a channel, and paints everything it touches white.
The red color in the nearby Red Spring is likely due to iron deposits in the ground, while the white color in the White Spring a few meters away is probably due to limestone rocks in the ground. The proximity of these two different springs is an amazing geological phenomenon that was perceived in ancient times as proof of the existence of the Holy Grail, believed to contain blood and water at the place. In Celtic tradition, these two colors were associated with the underworld, and there was a belief in a labyrinth of tunnels under the Tor hill. In the Middle Ages, a group of thirty monks entered the labyrinth; after a few hours, only three returned, their hearts broken. Consequently, the entrance to the tunnels was blocked. The existence of the White Spring and the minerals it deposits suggests the presence of these tunnels, as water dissolves limestone rock and creates caves (such as stalagmite caves), which is probably what happens underground.
Mary Magdalene Chapel
The west street of Glastonbury is named after Mary Magdalene. The New Age community in Glastonbury firmly believes she was Jesus’ partner and represents female divinity. She was a woman whom Jesus cleansed of seven sins, his close disciple, and according to the “Gospel of Mary Magdalene,” a Gnostic text from the 2nd century AD, he used to kiss her on the mouth and reveal to her the secrets of the spiritual path. In ancient times, a kiss on the mouth was considered a way to transfer the “pneuma”—spirituality—from teacher to successor.
On this street, you can find a church dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, the House of the Goddesses (which includes references to Avalon), and an ancient chapel and gardens dedicated to Saint Margaret and Mary Magdalene, among other sites. The entire western area of Glastonbury is associated with feminine energies. The chapel and gardens dedicated to Mary Magdalene and St. Margaret were built in the 11th century by the last Saxon queen of England, Margaret, who fled to Scotland after the Norman invasion.
Queen Margaret preserved the ancient Celtic Christian tradition, within which St. Brigit, associated with Mary Magdalene, holds great importance. She established the gardens and chapel in their honor at Glastonbury, creating a complex for the treatment of patients and pilgrims. The chosen location was at the foot of Beckery Hill, where there used to be an ancient chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene.
According to legend, King Arthur was guided in a dream to visit Mary Magdalene’s chapel at Glastonbury at sunrise. He reached the chapel but could not enter, as two glittering swords blocked his way. Arthur fell to his knees, and the swords parted. Upon entering the chapel, he noticed the priest celebrating Mass with the help of the Blessed Mother of God carrying her Son in her arms. When the priest asked for the gift of the Holy Spirit—the body and blood of Jesus—the mother offered the child as a sacrifice, and yet he remained unharmed.
At the end of the mass, Mary picked up a crystal cross from the altar and gave it to Arthur. As a result, Arthur stopped using his shield depicting three red lions on a silver background (or according to another account, a white dragon and a red dragon) and replaced it with a shield showing the Virgin with a child on her right arm and a cross in his hand. This replacement of the shield led to his success in the wars with the Saxons.
This legend appears in a slightly different form in an early anonymous French novel called “Perlesvaus.” There is turmoil in Arthur’s kingdom, and he wanders through a desolate land created by his failures. He eventually arrives at a small chapel on the island of Avalon and receives a vision of the Virgin offering her son as a sacrifice. The episode is accompanied by a mysterious fire. Arthur sees the Grail, that undergoes many upheavals and changes until it finally becomes the Holy Grail. Meanwhile, the keeper of the Grail, the Fisher King, lies seriously injured in his castle. As a result of what happens, the king is healed, Arthur’s luck and happiness return to him, and with the help of the new shield he received, he manages to defeat the Saxons in the Battle of Mount Badon.
Many commentators of the legends of King Arthur try to point out the reasons that led to the collapse of the Round Table. One of the main reasons is seen as Arthur’s inability to reunite with his queen, Guinevere. Not only does she flirt with Lancelot, but she is also frequently kidnapped. In some of the legends, her kidnapper is a demon named Melwas, who takes her to the underground dungeons of the Tor hill, realm of Gwyn ap Nudd—the demon king.
The story of Guinevere’s abduction symbolizes the power and rule moving away from Arthur. The quest of the Knights of the Round Table is, to a large extent, a search for a solution to this problem. The Fisher King represents Arthur’s situation: he possesses the Grail but is wounded in his groin (caused by the Spear of Destiny), which prevents him from ruling effectively. Thus, he spends his time futilely fishing on the lake. The Fisher King is unable to enter the realm of the feminine element, unable to achieve union with his missing part to reach wholeness. In Arthur’s case, this means the inability to realize the holy marriage of king with queen, country with sovereign.
As a result of an overemphasis on cosmology and transcendent ideals, Arthur becomes separated from his earthly nature. The king no longer knows his subconscious, sexual, physical side and becomes impotent. Under these conditions, the abductor represents the subconscious, split side. Guinevere becomes a distant sun goddess rather than an earthly and sexual one, so it is no surprise that the couple has no children. Guinevere is the opposite of Morgan Le Fay, who sleeps with all the heroes she meets. Guinevere is an ideal of sweetness, a barren spiritual being. To enter the underworld, she must be kidnapped. The only child Arthur has, Mordred, is the result of his union with Morgan Le Fay, who is also his half-sister, or in other versions, with his other half-sister, Morgause, the wife of Lot, king of the North and the underworld.
Arthur’s “sisters,” Morgan and Morgause fulfill the traditional requirement of a sovereignty but at the cost of being defined as evil by the chivalric dualistic cosmology. Both are queens of the underworld, dark, seductive, and sexual. According to this interpretation of the legend, Mordred could, in fact, be Arthur’s complete self. He was born as a result of an enchanted union between a king and queen of the land, making him the true heir to the crown. Mordred’s birth on May 1st, a significant day in Celtic tradition, aligns with the sun’s orientation to the Archangel Michael line on which Glastonbury is located.
Arthur attempts to restore the proper order of the kingdom and maintain the sacred marriage with the goddess of the land by arriving at the chapel of Mary Magdalene in Glastonbury. However, instead of meeting his beloved, he encounters the figure of the mother.
The necessary connection to the feminine principle of sovereignty also appears in the story of the Lady of the Lake, who gives Arthur the sword Excalibur. The sources agree that Excalibur was forged on Avalon Island, under the patronage of the Lady of the Lake, also known as the Wells and Springs. This points to her connection to the ancient Celtic Goddess of Wells and Springs, Brigit, who embodied the sovereign spirit of the land. The sword, the Grail, and the crystal cross (polished earth) are all symbols buried at some point under or below the threshold of consciousness.
The Irish identified Brigit with Mary Magdalene. The Virgin Mary could not contain the original power of the Celtic Brigit, so the chapel of Beckery was dedicated to Mary Magdalene. Between the two Marys, the virgin and the non-virgin, the goddess of Beckery was able to contain the forces that moved through the water and land, as the sovereign and primordial spirit of the earth.
Thanks to Arthur’s encounter with the forces rising from the earth in the Mary Magdalene chapel, the symbols of sovereignty were returned to him. He received a crystal cross that allowed him to revive his kingdom. The crystal symbolizes the earth goddess, the mystery of the goddess who grants sovereignty. All the symbols in the legends—the cup, the cross, and the sword—point towards the ancient mystery of the union of the male spirit of the king with the female spirit of the rulership over the land.
John the Baptist Cathedral
In the main street of Glastonbury stands a neo-Gothic church from the 15th century, known as the Church of John the Baptist. Its stained glass windows depict the Holy Grail and the two bottles brought by Joseph of Arimathea from Israel. In the yard, a descendant tree of the holy hawthorn original tree is found, believed to have grown from Joseph of Arimathea’s staff when he planted it into the ground at Beckery Hill.
The holy hawthorn tree is considered part of Jesus’ crown of thorns. Uniquely, the tree at Glastonbury blooms twice a year—in December, marking Jesus’ birth, and at Easter, marking his death. Every year, a flowering branch from this tree is sent at Christmas to the English king or queen.
In the church courtyard, there is a labyrinth with seven circles, at the center of which lies a blue stone originating from the neighboring town of street. This labyrinth was established in 2007 by a writer named Sig Lonegren who was interested in geomancy, and found in Glastonbury a hub of energy lines. Near the church, you will find a selection of bookstores, witches’ courtyards, pubs, cafes, restaurants, galleries, and places for treatment and healing.
Wells
Not far from Glastonbury, about 10 km away, at the foot of the Mendip Hills, lies the wonderful town of Wells. Named after its many water springs (distinct from “Wales,” one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom), Wells boasts one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England, built between the 12th and late 15th centuries in the Gothic style. This cathedral, like St. John’s Church in Glastonbury, upholds an important local musical tradition. The town features ancient buildings, numerous water springs, and a quiet, magical atmosphere that complements the activity of Glastonbury.
On the facade of the cathedral, between the beautiful gothic arches, are six hundred statues that constitute a complete cosmology rooted in Masonic societies tradition, making it the most sculptured facade in England. The assembly hall of the monks is a work of art, with many of the figures sculpted inside the church being humorous—one, for instance, has a toothache, symbolizing the healing properties of water, especially in dental matters.
The builders’ guild that constructed the cathedral, as well as the nearby Gloucester Cathedral, became known as the Severn School. According to John Michell, their architecture is based on a geometric tradition learned in Masonic lodges, from which they drew inspiration for design principles. The model for their work was the dome of the sky, perceived as a perfect, divine structure of true proportions and harmonies, as described by Plato in the dialogue “Timaeus”.
In other words, Plato’s cosmology, which significantly influenced the Italian Renaissance, also manifested in medieval architecture through the associations of Freemasons. The universe was conceived as an organism with various parts perfectly coordinated by the laws of geometry, reflected in the classical harmonies of music and the movement of the stars. By incorporating geometric relationships into their buildings, the builders recreated the universe, creating ideal receptacles for the music and hymns that filled medieval churches, reflecting the music of the spheres. According to the Severn School’s concept, music and architecture emanate from the same source—the ideal universe—and their combined influence creates a heavenly atmosphere in churches, giving believers a taste of heaven.
In addition to their interest in mathematics, geometry, and occult science, the builders cultivated a love of nature. The Scholastic aim was to study and admire all created forms, leading to the decoration of perfect architectural forms with ornaments of animals and plants as a way to exalt God’s creation.
The town of Wells is known as the place of the temple of the goddess, characterized by healing waters. The Celts considered the place holy in ancient times. With the establishment of the first English kingdoms, in 705 AD, Ine of Wessex built the first church.
Near the magnificent Gothic cathedral are the Bishop’s Palace and the Monasteries, which consist of a row of small houses forming the oldest and smallest street in England. Nearby, a bridge spans the river, and a moat full of water surrounds the area. Together with the green lawns and trees, this creates a pastoral and beautiful picture.
Street
A few miles south of Glastonbury lies the town of Street, home to just over 10,000 people. Historically, there was a Roman settlement here, and possibly even earlier ones. The area near Street features a bridge over the swamps, reflecting a time when the Glastonbury area was flooded and dotted with fishing villages.
In the Middle Ages, the prominent religious center in Glastonbury overshadowed Street, which served primarily as an access road with shops along it, giving the town its name. In the 17th century, a colony of Quakers established themselves in Street, founding the large Clarks shoe factory, which still operates today. Currently, Street has several nice guest houses for visitors to Glastonbury and a large shopping center.
Goddess House and Temple
Megalithic culture is associated with the existence of a matriarchal society in Britain, as well as elsewhere around the world, which believed in the Great Mother and was connected to the energies of the earth. Alongside the revival of pagan and druidic beliefs by neo-pagan and neo-druidic movements, a movement of goddess worship and renewal began in the 20th century. This goddess culture became a central part of the spirituality of the new Glastonbury. A group of women engaged in goddess culture, paganism, and witchcraft built a house in the heart of the town that serves as a temple to the female deity. Each room is dedicated to a different goddess and decorated accordingly, with some rooms used for treatments and others for meetings.
Among the rooms, you can find, for example, a room characterized by the color red, dedicated to Rhiannon, the Celtic goddess of passion. She embodies red, passionate, and wild sexual energy, in contrast to the refined energies of love. She is political and assertive, opinionated, and also associated with infanticide. Her passion is evident in her eyes, and she is connected with the sun, spring, and daytime, knowing exactly where she is and managing her world with self-confidence.
Each room in the temple is designed according to the image of the goddess it represents. Additionally, there is a large hall where ceremonies, larger meetings, and workshops are held, decorated in a colorful and pagan style.
Elsewhere in Glastonbury, there is another Goddess Temple where rituals are held according to the cycles of the moon and the year. The Mother Goddess was the first and only deity of the human race, guiding humanity in the transition to agriculture, the development of social life and religion, and the cultivation of morality and awareness
Footnotes
[1] Except for Westminster Abbey in much of the later periods.
[2] John Michell explains the sacred geometry, symbolism, and importance of the ancient monastery founded by Joseph of Arimathea and the buildings constructed afterward. He highlights how the monastery’s design and subsequent structures reflect deep spiritual and mystical significance, incorporating sacred proportions and geometric principles. These elements are believed to express the divine structure of the universe and the spiritual path, aligning with ancient Gnostic traditions and conveying the harmonious relationship between heaven and earth..
[3] Sir Charles Marston wrote a book titled “The Bible Comes Alive” about the excavations in Lachish, which was popular and caused a significant stir at the time. His main thesis, as presented in his books and supported by the excavations, is that the chronology of Moses is much earlier than traditionally thought and is related to the invasion of the Hyksos in Egypt. According to Marston, there was already writing and belief in ancient monotheism 3,500 years ago, with Moses and the Israelites connected to this period. He argued that the Bible was written during this time, and that the criticism of the new Bible is mistaken and incorrect.
[4] This symbol features a ratio between the height and the width of the section—a connection between two circles at the center—that is the square root of three, an irrational number approximately equal to 1.732. This relationship is associated with the Christian Jesus.
