Walkers Between the Worlds The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus Paperback - 2004

From the rear cover

HERMETIC STUDIES / CELTIC Beneath the orthodox religions of the West runs a current that has preserved both the native lore of our ancestors and the magical knowledge of the Hermetic tradition. The Western esoteric tradition has preserved our vital connection with the Otherworld, keeping alive the ancient earth wisdom of the shamans as well as the gnosis of the classical Mysteries that informed ancient civilizations; this legacy of perennial wisdom enabled the flowering of high magic in the Middle Ages and Renaissance and its lively influence is still part of the West's spiritual inheritance. In Walkers Between the Worlds, Caitlin and John Matthews reveal the development of these complementary traditions in Western culture. As the orthodox structures of the West appear increasingly hollow and irrelevant, the way of the shaman and the magus remains vital, offering many practical methods for reawakening awareness and reconnecting with the sacred continuum of the universe. In addition to its rich appraisal of the Western esoteric tradition and its guidance to both new and continuing practitioners of the native and Hermetic traditions, Walkers Between the Worlds contains twenty-one practical exercises drawn from the teaching methods of both traditions to help the reader explore these Mysteries. CAITLIN 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.