Glastonbury, a small town in the south west of England, has been dubbed the ‘epicentre of the New Age in England’ (see New Age Movement) and ‘heart chakra of planet earth’. Such epithets are simply the latest claims made for a place which has been hailed over the centuries as the ‘cradle of English Christianity’; the Isle of Avalon of Arthurian legend; and the New Jerusalem, where Christ will appear at his second coming.
Glastonbury’s Christian credentials are based on the legend that merchant and provider of Christ’s tomb, Joseph of Arimathea, came to Glastonbury after the crucifixion, building a simple church (on the site later occupied by Glastonbury Abbey) and bringing both the Grail (the chalice used at the Last Supper) and the Glastonbury Thorn, which flowers in spring and also around Christmastime. Some believe Joseph of Arimathea hid the Grail at Chalice Well, a chalybeate spring with redstaining waters. Further elaboration of this myth suggested that Jesus had accompanied Joseph to Glastonbury as a boy, inspiring William Blake (1757-1827) to write ‘And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England’s mountains green?’, and convincing some that Jesus will return there. Glastonbury also boasts connections with a number of Celtic saints, including St Bride. Glastonbury Abbey became a major medieval pilgrimage destination, but it was brutally suppressed in 1539 when Henry VIII ‘dissolved’ the Catholic monasteries and the Abbey fell into ruins.
In Arthurian legend, after his last battle, King Arthur was taken for healing to the Isle of Avalon, where some believe he remains, to return at some hour of great need. Rising out of the Somerset Levels, once a vast swamp with lagoons and waterways, Glastonbury was at one time an island or peninsula, leading some to identify Glastonbury with Avalon. The twelfth-century ‘discovery’ of the bodies of King Arthur and his queen in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey seemed to confirm this.
From the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries, a spate of esoteric religious activity commenced in Glastonbury, although it really flourished as a centre for a variety of spiritual seekers from the 1970s onwards. Glastonbury’s credentials as an important site of New Age and alternative spirituality are myriad. Occultist Dion Fortune (see Fortune, Dion) lived in and was greatly influenced by Glastonbury; Eileen Caddy (see Caddy, Eileen) declared Glastonbury a ‘Centre of Light’, one point of a ‘sacred triangle’ involving the Findhorn Community and Iona. In the 1970s and 1980s the ‘Ramala Teachers’ were channelling messages to the Ramala Centre in Glastonbury. On 16
August 1987, hundreds gathered on Glastonbury Tor for the Harmonic Convergence as people attempted to ‘activate’ sacred sites around the world. Glastonbury is said to lie at the nodal point of significant leylines, which some claim gives it a particular ‘energy’ and healing powers, and there have been frequent rumours of UFO sightings (see UFOs).
Many now believe Glastonbury was a major pre-Christian site of Goddess worship (see Goddess Movement), and some maintain that Glastonbury was a huge centre of Druidic learning (see Druidry), attracting students from all over Europe and beyond. Contemporary Druids and Pagans of various types (see Neo-Paganism) converge on Glastonbury to celebrate the ‘Celtic’ or ’8-fold calendar’ of quarter days, equinoxes and solstices there, while what are perceived as pre-Christian customs and ritual are ‘revived’, ‘reclaimed’ or created. Various new religions (see New Religious Movement) and assorted spiritual groups (ISKCON, Baha’i, Sai Baba, Sufi, Buddhist) have had a presence in Glastonbury over the years, and Christianity remains a vibrant force in the town, with a variety of denominations and Anglican and Roman Catholic Pilgrimages to the Abbey each summer.
Reflecting the ‘topophilia’ (love of place) of much contemporary spirituality, many feel that physically being in Glastonbury literally puts one in touch with the sacred. For some the most significant spot within Glastonbury is the Tor, a strangely contoured hill crowned by St Michael’s Tower (all that remains of a medieval chapel). The Tor is variously regarded as a three-dimensional ceremonial maze, the entrance to the Other World, and a communication tower for alien contact. Others regard the Abbey ruins as its spiritual centre. The very landscape in and around Glastonbury is thought to reveal its sacred and special character through symbolic shapes and figures, either occurring naturally or meaningfully moulded in some previous era. What is seen and how it is interpreted depends on individual belief and perspective. At the start of the twentieth century, John Arthur Goodchild discerned the ancient ‘Salmon of St Bride’, a monument he considered equal in importance to Stonehenge. In the 1920s, artist Katherine Maltwood saw in Ordnance Survey maps of the Glastonbury area a variety of configurations in the landscape which she interpreted as a giant Zodiac, centred at nearby Butleigh, with a circumference of roughly 30 miles. Various versions of the Glastonbury Zodiac have developed subsequently, and many now believe that this Zodiac is the ‘Round Table’ of Arthurian myth. People discern at least two different Goddess (see Goddess Movement) figures in Glastonbury, one whose womb is covered by the Lady Chapel of the Abbey, and another for whom Chalice Hill is her belly, with the red waters of Chalice Well as her menstrual flow.
A distinctive spiritual service industry has evolved in Glastonbury, including a huge range of healing, spiritual tour guides, specialist shops, and ‘spiritual’ Bed and Breakfast accommodation. The Isle of Avalon Foundation promotes spiritual education, with a diverse programme of lectures, workshops and training courses (e.g. Working with Angels and Nature Spirits, Tools for Remembering Past Lives, Firewalking, Tarot Counselling, Shamanic Practice).
Glastonbury in many ways epitomizes the ‘mix and match’ ethos of much contemporary spirituality, and ‘spiritual tools’ and services abound to assist individuals on their spiritual quest. Old myths are recycled and renewed—some say Jesus came to Glastonbury to attend the Druidic University, others believe that Arthur will return to
Glastonbury to lead people into a New Age. For a great range of spiritual seekers, Glastonbury is a site of great national, indeed planetary, sacredness and significance.
