Consuming the Mists and Myths of Ancient Avalon

Pauline MaclaranRoyal Holloway, University of London

Linda ScottUniversity of Oxford

Project Overview

“Roll Your Own Religion” Multiple supplier religious “market”Consumer choice allowed

Selective and purposeful use of goods to achieve spiritual experience and enlightenmentInteraction between religion and commerce, consumption.

Touchstones Thus Far

Sacred shopping-- ACR 2008

Sacred spaces--CCT4Market-directed place versus place-directed market

Services, workshops, and events to facilitate mystical experience, epiphany, catharsis, communion.

Glastonbury

Spiritual consumer mecca; shopping, services, workshops, festivals

Multiple supplier offerings

Small town, big players

Mainstream to margins

Multiple calendars, primarily Christian and Celtic/neo-pagan.

Plan of the Talk

Explain the space

Describe illustrative event

Show how the space, history and topography, influences the planning of the event and the marketing of goods/services.

Isle of Avalon

English myth and fairy tales King Arthur Legend Ancient earthworks, actual Druidic siteHoly Thorn, first Christian church, Holy GrailPowerful English AbbeySt. Patrick and St. BrigidVery nearby: Stonehenge and “Camelot”History, archaelogy, heritage, government support.

Tor

Chalice Well

Wearyall Hill

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury High Street

Glastonbury Tor

Formation and visibility

Water and mists

Isolation and arability

View land and sky

Springs, caverns, fissures.

The Terraces

The Terraces

Neolithic geomancy and astronomy

Ponter’s Ball and population

Celtic rituals and processions

The faerie world, Morgan Le Fay, giants

Christian Calvary Mount.

Monasteries and the Michael Tower

St. Michael and the dragon

The St. Michael line.

International Ley Lines

http://www.palden.co.uk/leymap/mapallmap.html

Tor

Chalice Well

Wearyall Hill

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury High Street

Chalice Well

Chalice Hill and Chalice Garden

Feminine counterpart to the Tor

The red spring and the Holy Grail

Interfaith pilgrims.

White Spring

Reservoir

Hybrid saint/ goddess

Glastonbury Abbey Ruins

The Mary Chapel

Arthur and Guinevere

The crossing of ley lines and dragon lines

Resolution of feminine/masculine, Christian/pagan.

The Service Encounter“Drumming the Dragonlines”

The Right Stuff

Day 1

Chanting and drumming

Singing, sound-making

Meditation, prayer

Multi-tradition material

Night walk through the Chalice Garden.

Day 2

More drumming, chanting

Pilgrimage up the Tor

Gog and Magog.

Day 3

Aftermath

Summary

Postmodern Pilgrimage

Using Glastonbury to market goods and services

Using the goods and services to construct spiritual experience

International, multifaith participants

Promiscuous or profound?