STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:
The aim of Avalonian Thealogical
Seminary is threefold:
1 - To Remember
... Through Service to Self - We provide a centralized, uniform
foundation in the Avalonian Tradition to reveal a practical road map
for undertaking the journey towards personal evolution and self
actualization.
2- To Reclaim
... Through Service to Sisters - We cultivate the art of
Empowerment Midwifery, present training in pastoral counseling and
the facilitation of rites of passage in accordance with local laws and
scope of practice.
3- To Renew
... Through Service to Goddess - We encourage the growth of this
work by requiring that each student complete a comprehensive
neoteric Thesis relating to the Avalonian Tradition. We ensure that
sisters become fully grounded in the Avalonian Method of Wisdom
Transmission, so that the ever expanding circle grows ever stronger.
COURSE OF STUDY
The Avalonian Thealogical Seminary is a rigorous training program
designed to awaken the innate wisdom in every student. The course work
requires students to push through their perceived limitations and to
expand their boundaries on mental, emotional and spiritual levels.
Less a course of study than a guide to effect lasting inner change,
deeper understanding and connection to the Divine Feminine, the
Avalonian Thealogical Seminary serves as a Midwife to consciously
assist in the birth of the empowered woman within.
To accomplish this, ATS
embraces a paradigm of learning which is very different from the
pedagogical techniques to which most of us are accustomed. This type
of learning requires tireless, disciplined work and dedication to the
revelation of the authentic self; fearless questioning in
the search for truth and lasting change; and enormous courage to
push past limitations in order to draw from the inner well of wisdom
which is our birthright as women.
Through the use of
scholarly resources, mythic tradition, esoteric philosophy, and tools
designed to encourage personal evolution, the Avalonian Thealogical
Seminary charts a course for lasting change and provides a gateway
to access the Shining Realms of Avalon.
ADMISSIONS:
Applications for the program are accepted from women who are members
in good standing of the Sisterhood of Avalon. A student is expected to
remain an active member of the SOA Community throughout the course of
her seminary studies. An application, essays and a statement of intent
are required for admission. Please contact admin@avalonseminary.org
for an application and information packet.
ACCREDITATION:
There are at present no accrediting agencies for Pagan Seminaries, as
there are very few such institutions in existence, but we hope that
this will change over time.
ORDINATION:
We recognize the need for a comprehensive and thorough training
program for women wishing to serve the Goddess and their communities
as ordained clergy. All women who complete the entire Seminary program
will be eligible to apply for ordination through the Sisterhood of
Avalon. It is necessary to participate in a Seminary retreat as part
of the Ordination process. While a Seminary student must be a member
in good standing of the SOA she need not pursue Ordination; in such
cases, a Certificate of Completion will be issued.
DISTANCE LEARNING:
The bulk of the training will take place through Distance Learning,
and each student will be assigned a mentor to guide her through the
program. The lessons are interactive and will require readings,
essay work, participation in online discussion groups and inner
questing. There are Five Levels of Learning in all, including a
Pastoral Counseling Component and limited residency retreat (required
for Ordination but not for course completion) in addition to the
presentation of a Thesis. A certificate of achievement is presented at
the end of each Level successfully completed, with a final Ordination
credential presented to eligible students.
Our long term goal is to
establish a physical Seminary patterned after the ways of old, where
women can come to study and to immerse themselves in the work. Until
then, we have adapted relevant aspects of the Tradition appropriate
for distance learning for transmission over the internet. By its very
nature, in-person learning and apprenticeship is the ideal for
the Avalonian Tradition, and we are dedicated to manifesting a space
for this to happen.
PROGRAM DURATION:
Due to the nature of this work and the personal processing which is a
part of it, it is difficult to quantify exactly how long it will take
to complete this program. We have designed the guided course work to
take between three and four years to complete. Thesis work can begin
after completing Level Three of the Seminary, and may be concurrent
with the Pastoral Component, if a student so desires. We ask that
Thesis completion take no more than two years after finishing the
entire Seminary program.
MORE INFORMATION:
For a detailed packet, with information about course work,
tuition, application and registration materials, please email admin@avalonseminary.org
Please remember
that you must be a member of the Sisterhood of Avalon to be eligible
to participate in this Seminary program.
All written and graphic
content on the Avalonian Thealogical Seminary website are © Avalonian
Thealogical Seminary and © Jhenah Telyndru, except where otherwise
noted. None of the material found on these pages may be copied or
duplicated except with express consent from Avalonian Thealogical
Seminary.
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