Post by jadedsage on Aug 10, 2004 13:29:17 GMT -5
by Rhiannon Solana and Lady CalliÈan
Email: dragondancyr@hotmail.com
History:
Launched in May 2001, Ar Afalon and the Avalonian Institute of Magickal Arts are the creations of four close friends - ny'Raia, Seraphina Spellweaver, CalliÈan and Amanda Rain. What began as a series of online discussions about Arthurian Myths and Avalonian Mysteries has evolved into a tradition and college based on the concept of awakening to our true selves.
Traditionally, Avalon is seen as a sanctuary for Goddess worship exclusive to women and women's mysteries. The Elders, however, have developed a different viewpoint that encompasses the Pagan belief in the polarity and equality of the God and Goddess. After countless hours, days and months of intense research and study, the Elders of Ar Afalon have unearthed evidence and theories that clearly point to this equality, beginning with the belief that Avalon is Annwn, the home of the God Afallach, father to the nine sister Goddesses who tended a pearl-rimmed cauldron, which we believe to be the forerunner of the Chalice or Holy Grail.
The Elders of Ar Afalon have a history of study and experience in the Pagan ways of worship, living and spiritual growth. As a result each Elder brings her own special gifts, talents and skills to Ar Afalon and the AIMA. Each gift has been lovingly tended and integrated into the college and tradition so that students may drink from a deep well of knowledge, craft and spirituality. While the tradition and institute are based on the Arthurian Myths and Avalonian Mysteries, they are not limited to these subjects. In addition to these subjects, the AIMA includes ancient Celtic lore, metaphysical principles and Paganism as it is practiced today.
Core Beliefs:
In one supreme divine power, from which the entire universe sprang. Because the human mind cannot comprehend this supreme power we, as a race, have humanized or "anthropomorphized" this Divine source, causing It to take on forms which are more accessible to us - the God and the Goddess.
The ancients saw the Divine within all of nature - the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the plants the animals and humans themselves. From these close observations it became clear that all life on the planet, and possibly in the Universe, was and is created by the union of male and female. Therefore, the ancients surmised, the Divine must also be comprised of male and female and they began to worship both Gods and Goddesses. In the beginning it was clear that through pregnancy and childbirth, the woman was the creator of life and She was revered above the Gods. Over time, as the male role in procreation became evident, the Gods were elevated in status and stood next too the Goddess as Her equal. Within Ar Afalon we also worship the God and Goddess as equals, neither above the other.
That it is possible and necessary to communicate with the Divine on a regular basis. Within the tradition of Ar Afalon, developing a deep, personal relationship with the Divine is the primary method for achieving spiritual growth. Without this relationship, rituals, magick and other spiritual practices have no meaning, bring no comfort and do not serve in the quest to awaken to our true selves.
That every Soul is connected, be they here on this Earth or elsewhere in the Universe.
In the Collective Consciousness: If we are interconnected and utilize this unconscious power, we have the ability to alter the world around us. Scientists have utilized a method of monitoring global consciousness and have ascertained a response in their readings of mass consciousness and have also had results in random number generations, over long periods of time, revealing that the consciousness can direct its influence across time and space. This is directly in line with the centuries-old mystic teachings.
In Reincarnation: A soul incarnates into various bodies through many lifetimes in the hopes of gaining more knowledge and furthering its development. This is not always the case, though. Sometimes, through poor choices made through our free will, we may "slip back" in our overall development.
The lessons to be learned through living in a physical body include, but are not limited too:
How to remain connected to the Otherworld while living in the physical realm, not allowing society to take from us those things that our *real* selves know to be true.
How to live a life that is not based in fear.
To realize (or remember) the connection we all have to one another, and that what we do to, or for, others, we do to ourselves. This has a positive as well as a negative aspect. When we hurt others, we hurt ourselves. When we help others, we help ourselves. When we love others unconditionally, we love ourselves unconditionally.
To learn that we are something more than just this physical body and that we are powerful within our own right. We have only to learn the utilization of that power. This is only a small part of the lesson to be learned, though. The other part is to learn how to use those powers for the good of all, taking into consideration the lesson that what one does to or for others, she/he does to or for her/himself.
To learn that the physical toys are nice and make the time we spend here pleasant, but those toys aren't the point of being here. The only thing that we can take with us is the love we have shared with others.
That it helps to know what we have encountered prior to our present incarnation. It is much like a puzzle: Find enough pieces of it and you can put it all together to form an entire picture.
That Soul recall varies from incarnation to incarnation. One needs only to be knowledgeable in the ways of interpreting the clues she/he is given.
That our dreams are a way for the Divine and our guardians to communicate with us, if one is knowledgeable in interpreting them. It is also possible that they are a way for our Spirit Self to communicate with our Conscious Self. Again, we just have to learn to interpret them.
That Divine messages can also come to us through our everyday interactions with others. Sometimes, when the Divine or our Guardians have been unable to get through to us another way, for any number of reasons, they try to send messages to us through others, or to others through us...we just have to be aware of such occurrences.
That there are multiple layers of reality; that the Otherworld exists parallel to our own and that there is a dimension or "veil" separating that world from this world; that it's possible to cross that "veil" with one's mind - all one has to do is learn how.
Ar Afalon also embraces the Eastern belief in Karma. What you put out you get back. Whether Karmic retribution is equal to what was sent or amplified in intensity depends on the perspective of the believer. Karmic results may be instantaneous or delayed, and may possibly occur in a future lifetime.
Ways of Worship:
We believe that the purpose of worship is to connect with the Divine, with the spirit(s) of the land, and with each other. In the case of Sabbat and Esbat celebrations we will also employ the energies inherent to that period and the associated mythology. We will use guided meditations to achieve the mindset necessary for communion with the Divine.
We encourage members to limit the tools, regalia and ceremony used for worship and ritual so they may be free to focus on the spiritual aspects of worship. The Elders prefer to use candles and incense only for meditation and prayer.
The goal of Ar Afalon is to rediscover the spiritual knowledge and practices of our Celtic ancestors and as such we will focus on the history and mythology of the Irish, the Welsh and the Scots. We will use the Arthurian/Avalonian mythos as a base and while we may "borrow" working spiritual ideas from other paths, we will endeavor to examine and translate these ideas from a Celtic/Arthurian perspective.
Email: dragondancyr@hotmail.com
History:
Launched in May 2001, Ar Afalon and the Avalonian Institute of Magickal Arts are the creations of four close friends - ny'Raia, Seraphina Spellweaver, CalliÈan and Amanda Rain. What began as a series of online discussions about Arthurian Myths and Avalonian Mysteries has evolved into a tradition and college based on the concept of awakening to our true selves.
Traditionally, Avalon is seen as a sanctuary for Goddess worship exclusive to women and women's mysteries. The Elders, however, have developed a different viewpoint that encompasses the Pagan belief in the polarity and equality of the God and Goddess. After countless hours, days and months of intense research and study, the Elders of Ar Afalon have unearthed evidence and theories that clearly point to this equality, beginning with the belief that Avalon is Annwn, the home of the God Afallach, father to the nine sister Goddesses who tended a pearl-rimmed cauldron, which we believe to be the forerunner of the Chalice or Holy Grail.
The Elders of Ar Afalon have a history of study and experience in the Pagan ways of worship, living and spiritual growth. As a result each Elder brings her own special gifts, talents and skills to Ar Afalon and the AIMA. Each gift has been lovingly tended and integrated into the college and tradition so that students may drink from a deep well of knowledge, craft and spirituality. While the tradition and institute are based on the Arthurian Myths and Avalonian Mysteries, they are not limited to these subjects. In addition to these subjects, the AIMA includes ancient Celtic lore, metaphysical principles and Paganism as it is practiced today.
Core Beliefs:
In one supreme divine power, from which the entire universe sprang. Because the human mind cannot comprehend this supreme power we, as a race, have humanized or "anthropomorphized" this Divine source, causing It to take on forms which are more accessible to us - the God and the Goddess.
The ancients saw the Divine within all of nature - the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the plants the animals and humans themselves. From these close observations it became clear that all life on the planet, and possibly in the Universe, was and is created by the union of male and female. Therefore, the ancients surmised, the Divine must also be comprised of male and female and they began to worship both Gods and Goddesses. In the beginning it was clear that through pregnancy and childbirth, the woman was the creator of life and She was revered above the Gods. Over time, as the male role in procreation became evident, the Gods were elevated in status and stood next too the Goddess as Her equal. Within Ar Afalon we also worship the God and Goddess as equals, neither above the other.
That it is possible and necessary to communicate with the Divine on a regular basis. Within the tradition of Ar Afalon, developing a deep, personal relationship with the Divine is the primary method for achieving spiritual growth. Without this relationship, rituals, magick and other spiritual practices have no meaning, bring no comfort and do not serve in the quest to awaken to our true selves.
That every Soul is connected, be they here on this Earth or elsewhere in the Universe.
In the Collective Consciousness: If we are interconnected and utilize this unconscious power, we have the ability to alter the world around us. Scientists have utilized a method of monitoring global consciousness and have ascertained a response in their readings of mass consciousness and have also had results in random number generations, over long periods of time, revealing that the consciousness can direct its influence across time and space. This is directly in line with the centuries-old mystic teachings.
In Reincarnation: A soul incarnates into various bodies through many lifetimes in the hopes of gaining more knowledge and furthering its development. This is not always the case, though. Sometimes, through poor choices made through our free will, we may "slip back" in our overall development.
The lessons to be learned through living in a physical body include, but are not limited too:
How to remain connected to the Otherworld while living in the physical realm, not allowing society to take from us those things that our *real* selves know to be true.
How to live a life that is not based in fear.
To realize (or remember) the connection we all have to one another, and that what we do to, or for, others, we do to ourselves. This has a positive as well as a negative aspect. When we hurt others, we hurt ourselves. When we help others, we help ourselves. When we love others unconditionally, we love ourselves unconditionally.
To learn that we are something more than just this physical body and that we are powerful within our own right. We have only to learn the utilization of that power. This is only a small part of the lesson to be learned, though. The other part is to learn how to use those powers for the good of all, taking into consideration the lesson that what one does to or for others, she/he does to or for her/himself.
To learn that the physical toys are nice and make the time we spend here pleasant, but those toys aren't the point of being here. The only thing that we can take with us is the love we have shared with others.
That it helps to know what we have encountered prior to our present incarnation. It is much like a puzzle: Find enough pieces of it and you can put it all together to form an entire picture.
That Soul recall varies from incarnation to incarnation. One needs only to be knowledgeable in the ways of interpreting the clues she/he is given.
That our dreams are a way for the Divine and our guardians to communicate with us, if one is knowledgeable in interpreting them. It is also possible that they are a way for our Spirit Self to communicate with our Conscious Self. Again, we just have to learn to interpret them.
That Divine messages can also come to us through our everyday interactions with others. Sometimes, when the Divine or our Guardians have been unable to get through to us another way, for any number of reasons, they try to send messages to us through others, or to others through us...we just have to be aware of such occurrences.
That there are multiple layers of reality; that the Otherworld exists parallel to our own and that there is a dimension or "veil" separating that world from this world; that it's possible to cross that "veil" with one's mind - all one has to do is learn how.
Ar Afalon also embraces the Eastern belief in Karma. What you put out you get back. Whether Karmic retribution is equal to what was sent or amplified in intensity depends on the perspective of the believer. Karmic results may be instantaneous or delayed, and may possibly occur in a future lifetime.
Ways of Worship:
We believe that the purpose of worship is to connect with the Divine, with the spirit(s) of the land, and with each other. In the case of Sabbat and Esbat celebrations we will also employ the energies inherent to that period and the associated mythology. We will use guided meditations to achieve the mindset necessary for communion with the Divine.
We encourage members to limit the tools, regalia and ceremony used for worship and ritual so they may be free to focus on the spiritual aspects of worship. The Elders prefer to use candles and incense only for meditation and prayer.
The goal of Ar Afalon is to rediscover the spiritual knowledge and practices of our Celtic ancestors and as such we will focus on the history and mythology of the Irish, the Welsh and the Scots. We will use the Arthurian/Avalonian mythos as a base and while we may "borrow" working spiritual ideas from other paths, we will endeavor to examine and translate these ideas from a Celtic/Arthurian perspective.