Caitlín Matthews Books

How did Raven steal the sun and why is Leopard terrified of Hare? Animal tricksters from around the world leap off the page in this collection of tales.

Offering advice on the application of simple shamanic principles to daily life, this book sets out to show how they can be learned by anyone, regardless of creed or religion. It describes how, through practical exercises, readers can explore their inner space, journeying between the everyday world and the spiritual realm of the shaman, and how to harness creative imagination and innate healing powers, and find one's spirit voice and true destiny.

"A practical guide to fortune-telling with the Lenormand oracle. Explores the meanings of the 36 Lenormand cards and their playing card insets to help build a resourceful, interpretative vocabulary Provides instructions for many spreads, starting with 3 or 5 cards and building to the Grand Tableau spread, which uses all 36 cards. Includes case histories for readers to interpret, self-tests, and practice exercises. Reveals the origins of the Lenormand oracle from both coffee-ground symbols and playing card cartomancy More than 200 years old, the 36 Lenormand cards are an oracle combining standard playing cards with images from the everyday world, such as key, book, animals, and flowers. Their simple, predictive, and non-esoteric nature opens the realm of fortune-telling to all, offering a traditional cartomantic divination where card combinations fuse together to give clear answers. In this complete guide to Lenormand card reading, Caitlín Matthews explains the multiple meanings for each card, providing keywords so the reader can quickly build an interpretive vocabulary for Lenormand fortune-telling. She details how to lay spreads, starting with 3 or 5 cards and building to the Grand Tableau spread, which uses all 36 cards. She explores the significance of the playing card pips and suits on each card and how cards combine to create a variety of meanings. Matthews enables readers to learn the Lenormand card keywords so they can both read for themselves and express their interpretations to clients. Providing real case histories for readers to interpret, she also includes self-tests and practice exercises with answers to check at the end of the book. In addition to her comprehensive practical introduction to the Lenormand oracle, Matthews delves deeply into the history of cartomancy to reveal the mythic blueprint that underlies this simple deck, the key to which lies not in their imagery but in their connection to playing cards"-- Provided by publisher

The history of Tarot Médiéval reads like an adventure novel. It was a French Tarot originally written by Francis Rolt-Wheeler and artist Christian Loring but published in the fateful year of 1939. Following the fall of France in June 1940, it seems not to have survived, and few copies of the original remain. Caitlín Matthews has translated and edited Rolt-Wheeler’s text and written new material for this beautiful Tarot, whose art has been painstakingly restored by renowned artist Wil Kinghan. Tarot Médiéval has a luminous, dreamlike, medieval setting, with fully illustrated 22 Major Arcana, 16 Court Cards, and 40 Pip cards in the suits of Cups, Swords, Scepters (Wands), and Shekels (Coins).  Each card explores the symbolic, initiatic, Kabbalistic, numerological, astrological, and divinatory significances, to nourish the spiritual life. The historical and magical context of this extraordinary deck is rooted in the Oswald Wirth school of Tarot, and Caitlín has provided new ways of using the cards that give meditational paths to explore it in a deeper way. This is a Tarot whose time has come, and an inward adventure of a lifetime is waiting in the cards.

Discover the Living Wisdom of the Ancient Celts The ancient Celts and their spiritual mediators, the Druids believed in the communion of all living things and sought harmony between nature and the human soul. Now, with this inspiring book of day-by-day mediations, renowned Celtic scholar Caitlín Matthews shows you how to reawaken the power of this age-old spiritual inheritance.Using poetry, myths, reflections, rituals, and visualizations, Matthews leads you on a yearlong pilgrimage that will help connect the cycles of your soul to the circle of the seasons. From the winter months of Samhain the summer months of Beltant, from mediations on the gifts and blessings of life to the insights and promises of the soul, she enables you to complete your own sacred circuit of the turning year.Brimming with the legends and lore of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and Britain, The Celtic Spirit is a brilliant introduction to the sacred wisdom of the Celtic path--and a potent resource for daily spiritual renewal.

Drawn from countries and cultures of the northern hemisphere, these wonderful wintry folktales express the magnificence of the season. From a group of courageous Russian animals to a legend about a bag of warmth that can keep winter away forever, these cosy stories will keep out the winter chill. AGES: 6-10 SELLING POINTS: * Intercultural: The eight tales in the collection come from Austria, The Czech Republic, Russia and Scotland * Family library: Vividly told tales and exquisite artwork make this a perfect collection for families to enjoy on a cold winter's night AUTHOR: Caitlin Matthews is the author of many books on sacred lore and Celtic traditions. She was born a week after Christmas and has always loved the snow and stories about midwinter. A writer, singer and storyteller, She is also the author of 'The Barefoot Book of Princesses'. ILLUSTRATOR: Helen Cann has worked as an artist and illustrator since 1992, when she graduated from the School of Art, University of Wales. Helen uses all kinds of patterns to create her illustrations, drawing her inspiration from textiles, ceramics, jewellery and furniture.

The Steampunk Tarot transports readers to an alternate reality filled with helium airships and adventure. Blending Victoriana and Gothic elements, it features 78 cards, including 22 major arcana and 40 minor arcana, showcasing a world of innovation and imagination. Ideal for both tarot enthusiasts and steampunk fans, it offers unique insights and methods for divination.

Reveals the long-forgotten prequel to the Grail mythos and how it has profound resonance with modern times. Unveiling the long-forgotten prequel to the Grail quest stories, Caitl̕n and John Matthews examine The Elucidation of the Grail, a forgotten 13th-century French text, and show how it offers the key to understanding the sevenfold path of the Grail and the deeper stories beneath the Christian Grail narrative

"Reveals how the ancient Celtic text of the Mabinogion was the mythical predecessor to the legends of King Arthur. ? Revised edition of Arthur and the Sovereignty of Britain (UK) that includes the author's latest research and insights. ? A comprehensive reader's companion with synopsis of stories and full commentary. ? Written by renowned scholar Caitlin Matthews, author of The Celtic Wisdom Tarot (15,000 sold). The ancient Celtic stories of the Mabinogion have received universal recognition from scholars as both sources of the Arthurian legend and keys to insights into the ancient magic of the Celtic Otherworld. Now renowned Celtic scholar Caitlin Matthews, drawing on a full range of medieval texts and ancient Welsh writings, provides a fully revised and updated reader's guide to these rich and far-reaching tales. In King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Matthews sheds particular light on Sovereignty, the Goddess of the sacred land of Britain, and the spiritual principle of the Divine Feminine. Clearly revealed are the many alternate forms taken by the Goddess of the Land--including her incarnation as Morgan of Avalon, who plays a dominant role in the Arthurian cycle. Also established are links between the legendary characters of the Mabinogion and their counterparts in other living myths of the Western world. Through the marriage of the Celtic kings to the Goddess of the Land, the sacred contract between political rulership and responsibility for the land's well-being is dramatically revealed. In King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Matthews once again articulates definitively the continuing relevance of ancient Celtic thought and belief as illustrated in the powerful myths and legends of ancient Britain."--Amazon

Anyone interested in the feminine face of God throughout the ages will find Sophia an illuminating experience. Caitlin Matthews' scholarship connects us to past, present, and future in the very depths of our femininity. ----Marion Woodman, Jungian analyst and author of Dying into Life . Sophia, or "wisdom" in Greek, has been revered in many forms throughout history--from the Dark Goddess of ancient Anatolia; to her Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Cabalistic manifestations; to her current forms as Mary and the orthodox St. Sophia. In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas , Sophia sits with God until the creation. Then she falls into matter and becomes manifest in every atom, permeating all things "like the sparks that run through charcoal," as Matthews says. While God is "out there," the Goddess is "in here"-- the mother-wit of practical inspiration and compassion at the heart's core. This definitive work comprehensively establishes a realistic Goddess theology for Westerners in the twenty-first grounding spirituality in daily life and the natural world; learning to work playfully and play seriously; ending the gender war to enjoy sacred marriage.