Erin Johanson, Pagan chaplain
Erin Johanson is the University of Sussex’s first Pagan chaplain. She talks about what the winter solstice means to her - and her journey to Paganism and Sussex.
The winter solstice is the celebration of the victory of the Holly King over the Oak King in Celtic, Brithonic Paganism. They are brothers but they are constantly fighting and that’s what causes the seasons. In mid-winter, the Holly King is at the height of his power and the Oak King is diminished. The solstice celebrates the time of calm until the rebirth of the sun.
I became Sussex’s Pagan Chaplain – the first in a UK university – just over a year ago. I was already at the University as I began a PhD in history in 2020 (I am researching the history and the residents of what was once a mental asylum in Sussex). I also work part-time in the Library, where I organise exhibitions. I was chatting with the University’s Chaplain, Dr James Croft, who is a Humanist. And, because of my interest in Paganism – which incorporates pre-Christian and other non-monotheistic religions – I said we needed a Pagan chaplain. James suggested that I do it. I was interviewed by the other chaplains as the role is not only about holding rituals. You have to be able to provide support and pastoral care, and I have that experience through my work in the Library.
I perform eight rituals a year – one for each of the solstices and the equinoxes. I hold a ritual on the closest Wednesday to those dates and try to do it outside the Meeting House to be in touch with nature. I set up a little altar with a candle. North is ‘earth’, so I will put a little bowl with salt in it to represent earth. East is ‘air’, so I will have some feathers. South is ‘fire’, so I have incense. And west is ‘water’, so I have a bowl of water. We then call to the different directions – acknowledging all the different elements that make up the earth and what provides us with sustenance and the ability to live. But we are also acknowledging the spirits of the place. It’s very calming and mindful. I will generally read a story or a poem about the seasons.
I was brought up in an agnostic household in Australia. I went to an all-girls Church of England high school, which was awful and terribly restrictive, and I dabbled in different faiths and spiritualities over the years – including Buddhism and Christianity.
Nine years ago, when I was 38, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I wanted something to slow down my mind, so I quit my career. I was high up in communications and customer services in the gaming and music industry, and really successful. But I was travelling all the time and always sick. I started to focus on the things that make me feel centred. I took up meditating and, because I had always loved history, I began a Masters degree in genealogy, which involved tracing my own ancestors.
I believe in ancestral memory. I lived in France for 20 years, but I moved to the UK eight years ago. There have been times I have felt a strong connection to places I have visited. Only later have I discovered that I have ancestors from that place.
On a whim I Googled ‘Druids in Sussex’ and I found the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. I joined the organisation and started on the path of Druidry, learning about the different myths and ceremonies that follow nature and the wheel of the year, and accepting that we are part of nature. Just because we have conscious thought doesn’t change the fact that we are part of the ecosystem and the longevity of this planet. Everything is linked. What I really like about it is that it forces you to slow down and observe the turning of the seasons and being perpetually conscious of what’s going on in the planet.
I walked into the Glastonbury Goddess Temple, meditated and burst into tears. I had a beautiful, powerful yet comforting breakdown. That’s when I realised that my spirituality is more aligned with the Goddess of Avalon. The Goddess exists in all belief systems across the world, but this divine feminine has been diminished or lost over the years due to the patriarchal nature of religions in general.
I am in the middle of training with the Glastonbury Goddess Temple to become a priestess of Avalon. But it’s not like going to university. If you are practising and providing counsel and outreach for other people, you can call yourself a priestess. There is no doctrine. It’s not like a religion, where you have to follow a set of rules. I do my rituals in the way I do them in Druidry. But for others it might just be that they light a candle.
What I love about Paganism is that it floats quite nicely with other religions. One of my friends is a Christian Druid. He is a practising Christian, has been baptised and has very strong Christian values but is a Druid as in he respects the turning of the wheel. No one Pagan is exactly the same as another, and that’s the same in the Druid group.
There are lots of shared beliefs, but in Paganism we respect that everyone’s spiritual journey is individual, whether in Paganism or Buddhism, or whatever. It’s about mutual respect of each other and of different belief systems and of understanding that it is not the place of any one group to try to dictate to others what is right or wrong. Every ritual here or with my groups or with my goddess temple is about peace. That’s really the core Pagan belief.
I am much more chilled than I used to be. I decided that I was not going to do anything that made me intensely unhappy. I realised that I am very lucky to be able to work part time and do my degree and live a comfortable life. I recognised that that’s not possible for a lot of people. I also love being at Sussex – it’s a fantastic university. I love being a student and working here. I love working in the Library and helping students and I am lucky to have found something I adore.
The Winter Solstice Ceremony and Celebration takes place at the Meeting House at 2.30pm on Wednesday 11 December 2025.