Ayn Cates Sullivan’s journey into the heart of Celtic mythology is both a scholarly adventure and a deeply personal quest.
In this exclusive interview with MysticMag, she shares how her academic research at King’s College London and spiritual connection to ancestral lands inspired her acclaimed Legends of the Grail series. Blending myth, mysticism, and storytelling, Sullivan brings ancient Celtic goddesses and heroines to life with fresh relevance.
Through her work, she invites readers to reconnect with the sacred wisdom of the past and explore the deeper mysteries of the soul.
What inspired you to delve into Celtic mythology and create the “Legends of the Grail” series?
In 1985, I was given an overseas research award to King’s College London, where I eventually obtained my doctorate. I spent a decade studying Irish and Celtic mythology. I was born and raised in Virginia, which is in the United States. Because of my philosophical father, I was well versed in Greek and Roman mythology. I had heard stories of our Scots-Irish ancestors, and I was curious about these historical figures, particularly the knights of Northumbria and the early Irish kings and queens. I used to make up stories about them, and I still do.
Living in Britain, I was able to visit Northumbria in northern England, Ireland, and Scotland, and discover more about the roots of my mother’s family. My father’s lineage is mostly Welsh, English, and French. Visiting ancestral lands is a terrific way to learn history.
My doctoral thesis was on the works of Lady Gregory, an Anglo-Irish noblewoman who collected the folklore of Ireland and was determined to preserve it. Her books include Gods & Fighting Men and Cuchulain of Muirthemne. I was very inspired by these tales, which are written in a blended English and Gaelic syntax called Kiltartanese. The poet W.B. Yeats was also inspired by the folklore Lady Gregory collected and added to the flowering of the Celtic Twilight, which embraced Ireland’s cultural heritage. Fortunately, I was able to visit Lady Gregory’s property called Coole Park. It is a place filled with literary magic and fairy tales.
Over the years, people asked me to share these Irish tales, and eventually, it evolved into the Legends of the Grail series. The first book is a collection of stories of Celtic goddesses and heroines, mostly from Ireland. I really could have called it Stories of the Faery Grail, because many of the strong feminine heroines in the book predate Christianity. The second book is called Heroines of Avalon & Other Tales, which includes short stories about British goddesses and grail heroines. This book includes the tale of the first person to achieve the Holy Grail — a woman by the name of Dindraine! Once the stories started to flow, I kept writing.
I then wrote and published my first novel. Nimue: Freeing Merlin is based on an old British tale of Merlin’s magical lover Nimue, who sealed him up in a tree. The book begins in present-day Britain when a woman realizes she is the reincarnation of Nimue and must go back in time to release Merlin, and winds up falling in love with him.
The next novel in the series is Riddles of the Ancestors, which takes the reader from modern London into the druidic isle of Mona and other mythic realms. It begins when young Merlin and his sister Ganieda discover a Round Table that holds secret star codes that can activate a template for the New Epoch. Before Gaea (Mother Earth) can be reborn, several riddles must be solved in different timelines that involve the druids of Mona, the Olympians, and King Arthur’s court. A group of demigods must gather in 21st-century London for the shift in ages to occur, but there is always resistance. I am currently working on my third novel, which does involve the many wives of King Arthur and the importance of his return.
How do your personal spiritual practices influence the themes and narratives in your books?
The path of the Celtic mystic has unfolded naturally within me. I have found firm roots in the Celtic world and do experience Celtic Spirituality as an all-encompassing spiritual path. Writing fiction based on earlier myths has sent me on multiple wondrous quests for deeper spiritual meaning. I appreciate the way the older Druidic traditions interweave with Christianity. I now have the sense that the divine is with us as a living field of wisdom. We might have moments when we are more – or less – aware of this living divinity that is always around us and is part of us. Walking in the living landscape, we sense a direct connection with spirit. Celtic Spirituality also uses storytelling and art to explore the many threads of spirit and direct connection with the divine. I am currently working on a book about the mystical path of Celtic Spirituality.
Exploring the themes and deities in my books, I created two sets of cards with illustrator Belle Crow duCray. Celtic Elemental Tarot (Findhorn Press/Inner Traditions 2025) is one way to learn Celtic myth and legend. Within the court cards, we find the families of the Irish hero Cuchulain, the Arthurian court of Camelot, the court of the Fisher King, and the early Welsh deities. Most of these figures are also part of the Legends of the Grail Series.
Our second deck will be released in early 2026. We are very excited about The Fair Folk Oracle: Communicating with the Tuatha Dé Danann (Findhorn/Inner Traditions 2026). In this oracle deck, we meet Mother Danu and her superhuman children, as well as many nature spirits and elementals. The oracle is an invitation into the attuned and caring realm of the Sidhe.
I also wrote a book with my mother, Gwendolyn F Cates, called Mythic Adventures. This coffee table book is of her paintings and my poetry. In the way of Celtic Spirituality, we use art and poetry as the medium to connect to a greater field of living wisdom. The cover artwork on the book is called “Goddess Creating Eve.” In the book, we explore the realms of the goddess and the inspirational beauty of the natural world.
I have written twenty-four books. Most have spiritual or mythological themes, several are books of poetry, there are many children’s books, and retold fables. A Story of Becoming, the tale of an apple tree, won 18 literary awards and is one of our enduring classics. The Sparkle series has been very popular amongst young readers.
Can you discuss the mission and vision behind Infinite Light Publishing & Media?
I worked briefly in the British publishing world before returning to America. I spent twenty-five years in California and was encouraged to move away from the traditional model of publishing into independent publishing. Writing a book is only a fraction of what independent writers and publishers do. We work with editors, graphic designers, and printers before our work appears in print.
Mike Daniels is my publishing coach, and he has taught me a lot about book sizes, prices, paper quality, book cover options, end sheets, copyright pages, distribution, and so much more. Because of our attention to detail, our books have won over sixty literary awards and are distributed globally.
I initially formed Infinite Light Media and Publishing to publish my own fables and children’s books, but have also published books by Iva Kenaz, Marcela Benson, Gabriel Cousens, Hannah Hocking, and others. It is always a pleasure to see a vision become a physical book.
What messages or lessons do you hope readers take away from your “Sparkle” children’s series?
The popular Sparkle series has been such a joy to create and produce. Initially, I wrote the books for my children. My daughter Kathryn always wanted five books at bedtime, so I wrote these as multiple tales within one book. My friend Belle Crow duCray saw the stories that had been illustrated by my children and insisted that she should illustrate them, and we should publish them. The first in the series was Sparkle & The Gift, and then Sparkle & The Light. I had no idea that there were industry standards for children’s books, and so we called these “out-of-the-box books for children of all ages.”
After visiting the London Book Fair and being told that these were not children’s books, I called them fables. They have won multiple literary awards and have sold about five thousand copies, which is a win for independent children’s books. The average is about two hundred books. The biggest issue with Indie books is distribution. The books are buried on Amazon, and so I began working with BCH Fulfillment, which distributes indie publishers globally. The books are also available as eBooks. In the beginning, POD or print-on-demand books were not of high quality, but that is now changing. We spent a lot of time editing to refine and perfect the content. Belle carefully selected the fonts. We used thick 100lb paper, debossed titles on the book covers, and many more features that have been very well received.
After learning more about industry standards for children’s books, we took one story from each book and made the Sparkle Easy Reader series, which includes: Kachina’s Rose, Ella’s Magic, and Undina’s Spell.
Interestingly enough, our longer “out of the box” fables continue to be very popular, especially A Story of Becoming, which is an indie classic. We could call the fables our rebel books. Having said that, one of our industry standard books, Undina’s Spell, won a Gold Nautilus Book Award and a Gold Mom’s Choice Award. Here is one of our five-star reviews:
Undina’s Spell is an epic fantasy storybook for children written by Ayn Cates Sullivan, Ph.D., and illustrated by Belle Crow duCray. Eva was a gifted young girl who instinctively felt at home in the forests and woodlands. She could converse with the animals and plants she found there and knew about the healing properties of every plant, tree, and vine. Eva was asleep in the meadow one day when the animals and the water spirit, Undina, came to see her. The animals sang an ancient and magical song as she slept. White Stag and the assembled creatures believed that Eva was the one being who could find the Dragon’s missing emerald and restore harmony to the planet. When Eva awoke, Undina explained what had happened and asked for Eva’s help. Could Eva be the one who finds the missing emerald and returns it to the Rainbow Dragon? The Rainbow Dragon’s Emerald gave me shivers as I followed Eva’s acceptance of her quest. I especially loved how the author merges modern-day concerns for the environment with the classic fantasy theme of her story. I appreciated the influence of classic fantasy visionaries like George McDonald and Hope Mirlees, and found this a story worth reading over and over.
Belle Crow duCray’s colorful and lovely illustrations work so well to enhance the story and display its roots in both nature and high fantasy. Each panel is a work of art suitable for framing and hanging on a child’s wall or in a classroom. Sullivan’s choice of a young girl for the quest sends a marvelous message to young girl readers. Eva is not a princess but a quest-taker whose courage and intelligence are summoned to save the world. A perfect selection for story time or bedtime, this book is also suitable for new readers to read on their own. Undina’s Spell is most highly recommended. – https://www.ayncatessullivan.com/product/udinas-spell/
How does your podcast, “Wisdom of the Ages,” complement your written work and outreach?
All during the pandemic and for several years afterwards, I was the host of Wisdom of the Ages on the SuperPowerNetwork. We had a wonderful time, but the network has now decided to go a different direction. One year, my show had five million downloads, which helped me realize that people love shows with spiritual content, particularly Celtic Spirituality. At present, I have turned my focus to my two emerging decks: Celtic Elemental Tarot and The Fair Folk Oracle, which are forthcoming. I have several in-person retreats and workshops, which can be found on my events page. I am also developing a few online courses. They can be found on my events page: www.ayncatessullivan.com/events/
If you want to learn more about the books, book an author coaching call, or an intuitive reading, you can do so through my booking page: https://www.ayncatessullivan.com/contact-me/
What upcoming projects or topics are you most excited to explore in your future writings?
I am being called back into the teaching arena, and I am excited to share what I’ve learned over the years with a like-minded community. So that I can continue to produce a lot of material, I generally take the time around Samhain and Winter Solstice – the winter months – to retreat with my beloved into the mountains where I can dream and write. In the spring and summer, I travel, see friends, and am more available to students.
I write a lot of poetry in the summer, often in Maine, and tend to work on the lengthier material in the winter when I have time to focus deeply. The creative muse has her own way of working, and there are always surprises!
I will be doing several book launches in the UK and USA this autumn, which will be listed on my events page. I am also offering two Celtic Spirituality retreats in Virginia in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. We will be able to gather in a safe space and delve into the Celtic mysteries. The title is: “AWEN: Inspiration from the Ancient Irish Ancestors” and will be held as a weekend retreat on Oct 31-Nov 2, 2025. At the beginning of 2026, I will be hosting another retreat called “Brigit & The Fair Folk Oracle” to delve into the teachings of Faery. There is a limit of twenty at each retreat, so the courses may sell out quickly. Contact Debra Scott at the Mountain Light Retreat for more information or to book your space: debbie@mountainlightretreatva.com
Another of my passions is healing with horses, and I have a number of “unicorns” that have assisted me over the years. But that is the subject of another tale.
Do sign up for my newsletters. I write a few a year, so I promise not to overwhelm you with messages. If you want to be in touch, message me on my Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/ILPBooks/
What I am most excited to explore now is an ever-deepening path of Celtic Spirituality. Fables, folklore, cards, and non-fiction are emerging from a path that picked me up forty years ago. I love nature, poetry, and art, and sharing “awen” – inspiration – with the community. I hope to see you on my travels!
