"For this is the great secret, which was known to all educated men in our day: that by what men think, we create the world around us, daily new."

Avalon is an aspect of the Arthurian myth cycle which means different things to different authors: Ynis Witrin, or Isle of Glass, it is a place of magic where the Faery People live; Isle of Apples, it is the Summerland where we go to rest between our lives, and the resting place of King Arthur who will come again when we are in greatest need. It also represents a philosophy, and an ideal state we can work towards; a place where women can live in the light of the Goddess, and worship her as dedicated priestesses. Avalon is said to have been one of several isles in what is now the Glastonbury area, a theory which is entirely plausible when you count how many hills there are in the vicinity which could have been isolated by water. Whether or not Glastonbury Tor is the site of Avalon or no, it now serves as the site of pilgrimage for thousands every year.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon retells the Matter of Britain from several feminine perspectives such as Igraine, Gwenhwyfar, and Viviane - but above all, Morgaine who is called le Fay, dedicated to the Goddess at a young age and heiress to all that is Her worship. The novel is often interpreted as Christianity versus paganism, which is an aspect of the story but not all of it. What Bradley explores is how Christianity and paganism exist side by side, how the Mists of Avalon are still there if only one can push them to one side to enter into the mystery beyond.

Bradley's secretary has been quoted as telling inquirers that the author is Christian; for those who are doubtful, especially in light of her Truth Jourdemayne and Colin MacLaren occult series, here's a bit of background. She was interested in the occult and parapsychology, and very involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA; she is rumoured to have named it) and worked as the editor of Sybil Leek's Astrology Journal. She became interested in the feminist movement during the 1970s and 80s, and studied the Western esoteric traditions, even going so far as to create a ceremonial lodge in the 1960s based on the work of Dion Fortune as well as creating the Center for Nontraditional Religion and being involved in an environmentalist group in an era of emerging women's spirituality.

What is it about The Mists of Avalon that has ensured its place on readers' shelves? Apart from Bradley's elegantly evocative writing style, it is undoubtedly the magic of the Arthurian myth that draws them again and again. There is something compelling about this myth cycle that authors examine and reexamine, and several different interpretations have appeared with various characters cast as villains and heroes. It is not the fact that Bradley has told this version from the point of view of women (Sharan Newman has done the same, as has Persia Woolley; both use Guinevere as a main character, the latter succeeding far better than the former), but that she tells it from the point of view of a priestess of Avalon. The glimpse of how it might have truly been is at once tantalizing and a balm for the ravaged spirit. To know that such a collective could have existed is enough to inspire us. Bradley also does an excellent job creating a consistent world wherein such a mystery tradition operates.

Throughout the Avalon series runs the theme of magic inherent in the land of Britain itself. One of the most moving passages describes how Morgan serves as priestess-Goddess to the man who has undergone initiation as the King Stag. They perform a truly ecstatic rite of sacred marriage, uniting him with the land, Horned One with Virgin Huntress, ensuring its health and fertility, binding him to Avalon and the service of the Goddess. Upon discovering that they are in fact siblings after the rite, Morgaine leaves Avalon, resentful of the manipulation of both herself and Arthur evidenced by the Lady of the Lake. Much of The Mists of Avalon is Morgaine's participation (or non-participation) in the machinations of court and Isle as the priestesses are forced to involve themselves in politics to ensure that Avalon survives. When a torn Arthur makes a series of decisions that do not comply with Avalon's will, they renounce him. From that moment on, the pact between king and land being broken, the fates of both Avalon and Arthur are sealed.

Bradley's premise of the Isle of Avalon consists of an island shrouded by protective veils (raised, we learn, as protection in Lady of Avalon) which a traveler parts by asserting his or her will and thoughts. Nearby stands the church founded by Joseph of Arimathea, and the priests of the White Christ have lived peacefully by Avalon for some time; however, the isle has "drifted" further and further away as fewer travelers seek out the isle with the will enough to part the mists, and land instead on the Isle of Glastonbury. The worlds are drifting apart as mankind loses the ability to travel the paths of the Otherworld through the gates of mystery. "The two [worlds] are one" says the Merlin; yet as there is no room in the mystical vision of the Christians for the Great Mother, Her world is being forced away, no longer able to co-exist or occupy the same space: a reprise of the sundering of the Shining Ones from the land when the faery folk withdrew from the world.

Brought up with stories and films of Merlin being a great wizard and Morgan le Fay being the evil temptress or sorceress figure, one might expect to find lurid and showy descriptions of enchantment in any retelling of Arthurian myth. Refreshingly, this is not the case here. The "magic" that the priestesses use is mental technique resulting from rigorous training, supplemented by the use of herbs and invocation/evocation. They scry, and use shamanic techniques to inspire prophetic dreams. Much of Bradley's vision is solidly rooted in Western esoteric traditions (less so the ceremonial aspect, more so the ecstatic). The Mists of Avalon isn't about magic so much as magic is an innate part of The Mists of Avalon. The knowledge Morgaine and her fellow priestesses possess is how to manifest the Goddess in the world around them, acting as Her representatives. The belief of the people around them adds to their power. As Avalon diminishes into a shadow behind the mists, separate and apart from the world of men, the priestesses fear that the Goddess and her power will diminish as well. The Mists of Avalon isn't about the use of magic; it's about recognizing the magic inherent in the world around you, in the people who surround you, the connection between the people and the land, the cycles of time. The magical system at work here is an active mystical belief in deity and nature, with a strong dose of self-reliance. It is evident from the action of the novel that it takes great strength to be an Avalonian priestess, to withstand the seven-year training and the initiation into the mystery tradition. Many of the "magical" experiences undergone in Arthurian myth are allegories for journeys into the Otherworld.

And yet, there is something more to this novel than a tale of what Avalon might have been like. What Morgaine sees, feels and thinks provokes thought on our own part. By examining her actions and beliefs we are forced to confront our own. Where do we stand in relation to moral action and spiritual belief? When do we take a stand for something we believe in if it conflicts with one or the other? How do we fit our spirituality into our everyday lives? Far from being a tale of Christianity versus Paganism, The Mists of Avalon tells the story of a woman who must deal with integrating her spirituality with the evolving world around her. The beautiful and significant epilogue of the novel leaves the reader with a deeply moving revelation. Morgaine visits the monks on the Isle of Glastonbury to see the tomb of Viviane, the former Lady of the Lake, where a young novice shows her the sisters' chapel. There Morgaine sees:

armfuls of apple blossom, before a statue of a veiled woman crowned with a halo of light; and in her arms she bore a child. Morgaine drew a shaking breath and bowed her head before the Goddess.[…] "Mother," she whispered, "forgive me. I thought I must do what I now see you can do for yourself. The Goddess is within us, yes, but now I know that you are in the world too, now and always, just as you are in Avalon and in the hearts of men and women. Be in me too now, and guide me, and tell me when I need only let you do your will."

Seeing the mystical in the everyday world around us is a form of magic that we strive to master, as Morgaine does. If we are fortunate, we too can recognize the Goddess within us, and hear her speak the words to guide us to do her will.

(c)A. Murphy-Hiscock. Originally published in Montreal's Magickal Circle March 2000