The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/glastonbury/page/2)
In this week’s Pagan Community Notes: Supreme Court rules in favor of LGBT discrimination protection, Summer Solstice online celebrations, Juneteenth social media exodus, and more!
Liz Williams describes the “Ballachulish Goddess”, also known as the Goddess of the Straits, and a stone circle in Aberdeen – modern creations hearkening back to Stone Age originals.
GLASTONBURY, England — How did a little market town with a population of 8,000 become, what is considered to be, the Pagan center of England? Glastonbury’s fame is twofold. Firstly, it’s known as the Pagan equivalent of Mecca, somewhat popular with not only British Pagan visitors, but also with members from esoteric communities from all over the world. The town regularly sees groups of Spanish and Mexican Witches, Druids from New Zealand and Italy, Heathens from Germany and Russia, and all manner of Pagans from the States and Canada. So how did this come about?
GLASTONBURY, England — The annual Dion Fortune Seminar was held September 23 in Glastonbury and was attended by approximately 80 people. The popular seminar has been held in the town for nearly ten years, partly in memorial to Dion Fortune herself. Violet Firth, as Fortune was called at birth, first came to Glastonbury in 1919, living in both Somerset and in London from then onward. As one of the 20th century’s most renowned occultists, Fortune is regarded as being partly responsible for the emergence of Glastonbury as a focus for contemporary neo-Paganism, and visitors still seek out her grave in the town’s cemetery. To this day, Fortune’s work is analyzed by researchers attending the seminar and finds an audience among younger members of the neo-Pagan and occult communities.
[Today we welcome Wild Hunt team member Yeshe Matthews as a guest writer. This year, Matthews attended the Glastonbury Goddess Conference 2017 and offered to bring back a report on what this unique event is and what it has to offer. Matthews is a Priestess, a pilgrim, and Goddess devotee who travels the world visiting sacred sites and learning about Goddess culture. ] For 21 years, Priestess of Avalon Kathy Jones and a team of dedicated co-creators have presented the Glastonbury Goddess Conference in the heart of Avalon (Glastonbury, Somerset UK). Born during a difficult time in Jones’ life as she was recovering from cancer, the conference has grown and thrived since 1995, and has been a beacon of creativity, devotion, and magic in the global Goddess community, inspiring numerous students, temples, and mystery schools worldwide.