Goddess movement and Fellowship of Isis

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Olivia Robertson, Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, Pamela · 1976 · Clonegal, Ireland

What it is

This is not a therapy. The "Goddess movement" is a broad current of contemporary spirituality centred on female divinity, which scholars link to feminist theology, archaeology and anthropology and to second-wave feminism. This entry covers two organisations within it, then the psychotherapist's…

Format

• Daughter societies: College of Isis (founded 1986; offers correspondence courses and confers Magi degrees through Lyceums), Spiral of the Adepti, Spiral of Alchemy, Noble Order of Tara (1989; nature conservation) and Druid Clan of Dana (1992; nature-based psychic gifts). Tully describes a 33-degree…
• Other offerings: weekly hands-on healing by donation at the Goddess House and other therapeutic treatments; Seasonal Oracles of the Lady of Avalon; workshops and online offerings; legal weddings and handfastings; pilgrimages; the Goddess Conference (begun 1996); a Madron membership scheme; and a…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Training: the Priestess/Priest of Avalon training began in 1998 and is described as a "Three Year, Three Spiral" course based in Glastonbury. The first Spiral leads toward becoming a Sister or Brother of Avalon. The training then leads to becoming a Priestess or Priest of Goddess and of Avalon. Online and in-person tasters are offered. The cycle starting 31 October 2026 is presented by named tutors. Costs,…
• Assessment. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) and its spirituality, religion and moral traditions module; an involvement map (roles, time, money, relationships, training stage); differential assessment; risk. Move on when you have a shared formulation that separates the presenting problem from the belief itself.
• Focused work. Whatever the client came for: religious trauma, grief, identity, a group conflict, distress during training, a family rift, leaving. Use standard evidence-based methods, adapted to the client's spiritual language.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the client seeking spiritual guidance from you. It is working when the frame stays clear.
• delayed diagnosis or stopping treatment. It is working when spiritual and medical care coexist.
• ridicule widening the rift. It is working when communication improves and any genuine risks are addressed.
• loneliness, loss of meaning, and depressive symptoms. It is working when the client feels settled in their choice.
• minimising, or fear of spiritual consequences. It is working when the client can describe their freedom of choice concretely.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.