Caitlín and John Matthews have worked within the Western Esoteric Tradition for over twenty-five years, exploring in their many books--including Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman, The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom, and King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land--its shamanic roots, the spiritual lore of the Celts, the myths of the Arthurian legend, and the many practical approaches of contemporary spirituality. They are cofounders of the Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, established to encourage oral wisdom and the sacred arts, and teach and lecture around the world. They live in Oxford, England.

• Foreword by Gareth Knight Notes on the Excercises in this Book Part One: The Native Tradition Introduction to Part One: The Inward Spiral Threading the Maze Western Folk-Weave The Ritual Stance 1. THE OLD RELIGION Rite and Foretime Walkers between the Worlds Mysteries and Initiation Exercise 1: Finding Your Clan Totem Exercise 2: Analeptic Memory Exercise 3: The Festivals as Bidden Doorways 2. THE MAGIC EARTH Sacred Space The Paths of the Dragon The Wisdom of the Earth Magic Earth Exercise Notes Exercise 4: The Shimmering Way Exercise 5: The Terrestrial Zodiac 3. MEETING THE GODS Native myths and God-Forms The Faces of the Gods Modern Mythographers and Storytellers Exercise 6: Meeting the Gods 4. VOYAGES TO THE OTHER WORLD The Ancestral Paradise The Shining Ones Passports to Inner Realms Paradise Lost and Regained Exercise 7: Contacting the Guardian Exercise 8: The Two Trees Meditation 5. THE SECRET COMMONWEALTH Native Wisdom The Secret People The Mother Country Redeeming the Time Exercise 9: Self-Clarification Exercise 10: The Retreat Part Two: The Hermetic Tradition Introduction to Part Two: The Outward Spiral 6. SCHOOLS OF MYSTERY Flashes of Fire The Hermetic Reality The Language of Desire Guardians of Tradition Exercise 1: The Maze of the Gods Exercise 2: Building the Body of Light 7. THE DIVINE KNOWING The Gifts of Wisdom The Fruits of Gnosis Asian Is Not a Safe Lion The Shattered Vessels Exercise 3: The Temple of Inner Wisdom 8. THE MAGUS AND HIS MAGIC The Return of the Shaman Expanding the Universe The Divine Chariot Exercise 4: The Hermetic Way Exercise 5: The Four-Square Citadel 9. THROUGH THE INNER DOOR Celestial Memories Hidden Masters: Secret Sibyls Guides and Guardians The Hermetic Landscape Exercise 6: The Caduceus of Hermes Exercise 7: Otherworld Gateways and Symbols 10. ALCHEMY THE FIRE-TRIED STONE The Hunting of the Green Lion The Wandering Viaticum The Chymical Wedding Exercise 8: The Shepherd of Stars Exercise 9: Revitalizing Your Roots Afterword: Tomorrow's Tradition Bibliography Index

"This book is a wonderful resource for deepening one's understanding of the personal path being followed. . . . an excellent resource as well as a personal workbook."