Madron Day 2025

Every year, in gratitude to the many people who help the Temple in all kinds of ways, we hold a special Madron Day in Glastonbury.

This year Matthew Holbrook, Priest of Avalon, has very kindly written up an account of the day that we can all enjoy, and we are also have photos from Matthew, Lisa Fletcher and others (do we? who?), not to mention a couple of videos, filmed by ? and edited by Lisa Fletcher.

So – over to Matthew!

Madron Day Altar – photo: Lisa Fletcher

The Orchard gathering happens every year in Glastonbury during the February half-term week.  The final day of this event is always Madron Day, a programme of activities for the enjoyment of anyone who helps the Goddess community, including Madrons, Temple Melissas and friends. This year Madron Day occurred on 23rd February.

It was wonderful to see old and new faces in Goddess Hall, as the event got underway at 10:00. Lisa Fletcher introduced the day and kept everything running smoothly. First Spiral tutor Kit Crowther then took everyone through a ‘Journey to Avalon’ guided meditation. Which was a good activity to start the day. Cat Lupton followed with a wonderful story about the Goddess Bridget. Very appropriate, as we were still in Bridget’s season of Imbolc.

After the break, Merlin Avalon gave a talk about his amazing life and how he came to Glastonbury. Also, how he came to be a Temple Melissa through a chance meeting on Wearyall Hill. I hadn’t seen Merlin for more than ten years, so it was good to catch up with him. Louise Tarrier rounded off the morning with her She Changes talk. I can remember Louise talking at Madron Day many years ago, in advance of her relocation to Australia. She’s now back in the UK, with many new stories to tell.

Everyone brought offerings for lunch and this was nicely presented for us at 13:00. This was also a good opportunity to catch up with everyone. This isn’t always possible during other activities, when we’re focused on laying on a ceremony or course activity.

At 14.30, Lisa took us through the traditional Ceremony of Gratitude. She worked through her list, and presented potted flowers to those people present who’d made considerable contributions. Saving the others for separate delivery in the community. Kathy Jones also received a bunch of flowers, for everything she has done to bring Goddess into the world over the last few decades.

After this, Elsa Field took us through an amazing sound journey with her glass bowls and other sound implements. Sally Pullinger then passed around song sheets and we all joined in with a variety of Goddess songs and chants. Madron Day and the Orchard Gathering came to a close at 16:00. With some attendees facing considerable journeys, following a wonderful time in Avalon.