Very complete with history and lore as well as activites. Two thumbs up on this one. Great pictures too. Everything os presented in a very straightforrward way, no hokey stuff in there that would make you say "huh?" I love this book - made for a much more meaningful christmas for me this year.

The Winter Solstice (as with the solstices and equinoxes) hold a special place in our world because anyone can celebrate them. So many cultures and religions have customs, beliefs, rituals that occur on or around the Solstice.

This book highlights some well known and not so well know European Solstice and Yule customs. It also delves quite a bit into Christmas customs that were influenced by eariler Pagan ones. But the information in this book is extended outside the Euro realm and reaches many cultures - really emphasising a common bond between all people.

The book is nice enough to offer as a gift or a coffetable treasure. It has a wonderful layout and lots of beautiful pictures, drawings, and poems. In the back of the book it has a couple of Rituals/ Plays that are suitable for public Ritual or a seasonal play.

This book can be enjoyed by anyone but definitely appeals to Pagans or curious/ liberal Christians.

I almost didn't buy this book because it had Christmas in the title and I supposed it would not have much in the way of the pagan holiday. I was very wrong. This is the best book I have ever read on the solstice. It tells of celebrating Yule before Christianity abducted it. "The Winter Solstice" has the look of an arty, coffee table book but it is definitely worth the read. It offers a couple of small rituals and some great phrases for ceremonies. It is more of a scholary history than a magickal book. I cannot wait to read it again next December to get me in the Yule spirit!

This little book mixes Pagan and Catholic thought as freely as it is found in its native Ireland, and presents it in a beautiful little format just like the little books the Anglicans used to put out... only this is not for Saxons but for Celts, wherever they are. There is a blessing here for everything, from birth, through marriages and other happy times, to life's inevitable strife, to those given for those who have passed. This can also safely be displayed on your coffee table where your strait-laced Baptist grandmother can see it; there is nothing here that will offend her, but we know what it means.

I have found this to be an invaluable present to give to friends and family who have reached a milestone in their lives (like reaching 80) or who have been extremely ill or about to die. I'm always at a loss of something suitable to give at these times - and really there's so much comfort in these sayings. Wrap it in gold paper and give to someone special. It's difficult to get hold of, but worth it. I've yet to read the little book of celtic proverbs - may be similar and easier to get hold of.

This book is a re-release of "Mabon and the Mysteries of Britain", first published in 1987, which is now out of print. The author has revised and updated this new version.

We are mostly familiar with the stories and heroes of the Mabinogian. The stories are of Welsh origin. They are the stories of knights and ladies which have entertained us for many generations.

Ms. Matthews is a researcher into the Arthurian legends, Celtic traditions and has published many books in this vein. This is the first of her books that I have read, and I found it interesting as I am familiar with the Mabinogian.

The start of the book delves into Welsh pronunciation, in order to help the reader sound out some of the names from the book. There is also a section on Welsh story telling, helping the reader understand where and how these stories came about. Ms. Matthews then disassembles the stories of the Mabinogian for the reader, discussing the imagery, the language and the suggested meanings of the different parts of the story. She does a splendid job of making this easy for the reader to understand, and based on her research gives interesting insights into some possibilities of the inner meanings of the material that may have eluded the reader.

She also includes family trees, story progressions and various translations in order to help the reader come to a fuller understanding of what these stories represent. There is also a very complete bibliography in the back of the book as well as the book being indexed.

All in all, this is a fine book to explore the Mabinogian with, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to better understand some these wonderful stories. This would benefit the beginner as well as provide good discussion material for those who are familiar with the material presented here.

Celtic scholars and neopagans will find this a useful book - but those dedicated to reclaiming the ways of our ancient Celtic ancestors will find it an invaluable key to The Matter of Britain as it was known in the time before Arthur. Profound, revelatory, impeccably researched, "Mabon" and "Reclaiming the Gods" by Nicholas Mann are perhaps the two most important books on the ANCIENT Celtic masculine mysteries ever to be published.

I really enjoyed this book. I also recommend it to my Shamanic Healing students. Though the Matthews' have a background in Celtic Shamanism, practitioners of all paths will find this book useful. This book covers all the important aspects of Shamanism from spirit helpers to soul retreival and divination. I highly recommend it!

Singing The Soul Back Home is a refreshing and approachable introduction to shamanism for people who have not encountered the practices and cosmologies of 'walking between the worlds.' What is perfected in this work from cover to cover is the blend of personal account (Caitlin's own childhood), with a thorough yet heartful introduction to shamanic cosmology. Fleshed out with plenty of practices and "permissions" for people to approach a revisioning of how they perceive the world around them, Singing the Soul Back Home does exactly what its title suggests. It deserves to sit alongside other works in shamanism, such as Harner's The Way of the Shaman and Tom Cowan's Shamanism As A Spiritual Practice for Daily Life.

This is one super book I love the diffrent storys and I realy like "The Sick Wizard"story.This book is excellent for younger children (4-9).In this book it says the contry of origin (eg"The Boy Magician Hopi)It is good to practice the story and tell others.

This book contains nine folk and fairy tales from nine different cultures. The stories are printed in a medium size type and with simple, yet bright and inviting fantasy pictures, it is an open invitation to children to expand their reading skills while being pleasantly entertained. These stories are sufficiently obscure to seem brand new to young readers and so provide a wonderful sense of discovery as well as a fun journey through the realm of make-believe. The tales come from the British Isles, Europe and Russia, the Mediterranean and also two from the treasure-house of North American Indian lore. John and Caitlin Matthews are brilliant scholars of folk history and of magical lore and their choices of these nine stories provide a beautiful opportunity to experience lesser known folk tales that are filled with magic and wisdom. Having been fortunate enough to visit the ancient stone circle in England called the Rollright Stones, my personal favorite story in this collection is "The Witch of Rollright" that tells how the ring of stones came to be standing where it is now located. The illustrations for this story include fairies dancing at the feet of the beautiful witch who kept the land safe from a would-be conquerer. The text contains tidbits of folklore concerning the offering of milk to the fey and the significance of the elder tree in pagan lore. All the stories have similar indigenous imagery. This is not your average fairy tale book but instead the Matthews have faithfully delivered gems of wisdom and whimsy from the simple people who lived with and understood these concepts as part of their daily lives. I heartily recommend this book.

When I bought this book, I was so excited to begin my meditations focusing on Morgan, Igraine, Guinevere and Nimue. I didn't even get through the book. The meditations themselves are unique, but the book itself wasn't at all what I expected.

Instead of developing the connection with each of the women associated in the Authurian Legend, I felt "turned off" due to the technical slant of comparing different versions of the authurian myths and trying to put together some elements that were not included in all of the versions. I felt disconnected, like there was no sense of cohesion tying together the women I so respect. I wanted to learn more about the women in the legends, to feel like i was sitting across from them, having a conversation over a hot cup of tea. Instead, it felt like a cold, technical research paper not at all bringing to life the legends of the past. In short, I was deeply disappointed-- MZB is my favorite author, and I respect the Matthew's other works.

Like the Grail, the reward this book offers is apparently not available to all, judging from the variation of reviews. Personally, I found the painstaking research and revelation of parallels between various historical sources enlightening in the extreme. Through the work of John and Caitlin Mathews, the reconstruction of truths long lost to us comes to us as a precious gift. If ever there were a literary representation of "racial memory," this book must have at least a strong claim on this title.
I have been fascinated by Arthurian legend since my youth, but have never appreciated it before as I do now as a consequence of reading this wonderful work. If you can apply your intellect and your spirit in synergy and not in conflict, I suggest that you might find as much treasure in this book as I have.

I have always had an interest in mythology and Arthurian legend and have found that few books really touch on the individual personalities or archetypes of the women of Arthurian legend beyond the usual over dramatized stereotypes of "Morgan = Evil sorceress, or confused seeker", "Morgause = "Malignant Manipulator, Power-monger", "Guenevere = Insecure Harlot".

"Ladies of the Lake" give these women back the power taken from them by traditional legend and modern retellings and allows the reader to see them in a richly spiritual and human light. I found that like book "The Goddess in Everywoman", each "lady" carries attributes that most women can relate to in some form or another. There are 9 attributes examined:
1. Energizer
2. Measurer
3. Protector
4. Initiator
5. Challenger
6. Deliverer
7. Weaver
8. Preserver
9. Empowerer

I for one am pleased to see a book such as this that gives a fresh look at women who have been underrated in many tellings of Arthurian legend. While many books will touch upon the aspects and strengths of each of Arthur's many knights, this book gives the same, long awaited look at the women of the legends. I love many of the retellings of the Arthurian legends, such as the "Mists of Avalon" and subsequent books in the series by Marion Zimmer bradley and this book seems to give a lot more insight into the personalities and spiritual arttributes behind the traditional ladies.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in Arthurian Legend or who want to know more about the women of the Arthurian legend from a unique perspective.

Although tarot decks are really personal items and one's connection to them is far more important than what others think about them, I am still writing this review to give an overall idea about what you can expect from the Celtic Wisdom Tarot. First of all, I really don't recommend it to beginners because the deck has its own numbering system and to those who are unfamiliar with the general Tarot structure it may seem overwhelming. In addition, I found it hard to use in my readings firstly because my hands are extra small and the cards are extra large. This deck has the biggest cards that I have ever used. It was impossible for me to shuffle them, which made them more suitable for meditation than divination. The deck's price may seem high, however the cards are high quality and the book is very well written. Caitlin Matthews is a knowledgeable person. However, some of the stories given did not really relate to the meaning of the cards, this would be a problem for beginners. By the way, Matthews is not the artist, the artist's name is not written on the book, which I found very disturbing because the best feature of this deck is the artwork. I personally don't recommend this deck for divination purposes, but as always you should examine the deck for yourself and decide if it will work for your own special needs.

Caitlin Matthews, a recognized expert on the Celtic tradition and an established Tarot designer has combined the two to create a visually stunning and unique deck and companion book. The cards are rich in color as well as Celtic symbolism.

The companion book is in full color with beautiful pictures of the cards, charts and layouts. The book does an excellent job of describing each card and their relation to the other cards and the spreads. The book also discusses the responsiblities and ethics of Tarot divination, a topic far too frequently overlooked in books on the Tarot.

This deck is quite unusual; this has its good and bad. The good is that it gives the student of the Tarot a different perspective on the cards and divination. The bad is that the unfamiliarity of the cards could be a block to good readings.

Rather than Major and Minor Arcana, this deck has Wisdom Cards and Story Cards. The Wisdom cards are all named differently than the conventional Major Arcana. The Story Cards are divided into the four suits of Battle, Skill, Art and Knowledge, which correspond to Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles.

Despite (or perhaps because of) its deviation from convention, this is a "must-have" deck for serious Tarotist, both readers and collectors as well as anyone interested in the Celtic tradition.

Although the cards are rather large, as noted by other reviewers, the up side is that their size makes them ideal for contemplation and visualization, as the cards virtually shimmer with the most radiant and lively colors I've ever seen in a Tarot deck. In conjunction with the beautifully produced hard cover book that comes with this deck, one can get involved on many different levels, i.e. some may wish to pursue readings, while others may want to use the book and cards as a colorful means of gaining an in-depth familiarity with Celtic myths and legends. Be forewarned, though, that this deck bears no resemblance whatsoever to other traditional Tarot decks - Caitlin Matthews has created her own system; however, one senses that it is well worth the effort to delve into it.

I've long respected John and Caitlin Matthews for their elegance of expression and willingness to turn to actual Celtic sources. In fact, it's partly thanks to them that I'm studying Celtic language and literature at a graduate level. But...there's no getting around it: the evidence just doesn't support John Matthew's conclusions in this book. The translations are...imaginative, shall we say, (and yes, I do know Old Welsh) The [probably] historical Taliesin's poems are available edited by the great Sir Ifor Williams and his edition is available in English as 'The Poems of Taliesin' trans. by J Caerwyn Williams. They are a) much earlier than the material presented here, and b) not mystical or pagan. In fact, one of the best ones, the 'Marnawd Owain' begins and ends: 'The soul of Owain son of Urien, /may the Lord consider its need...' and is thoroughly Christian. Full stop.
The 'druidic/shamanic' poems Matthews presents as being earlier are AT LEAST THREE HUNDRED YEARS LATER than the poems of the historical Taliesin, and whilst it's true that they draw on common Celtic tradition about the role and power of the poet, we CANNOT draw conclusions about pre-Christian shamanic practice [if there was such a thing] from poems written between 900 and 1200. Do the maths. It's the same with the Sovereignty figure. In what sense is She the 'Goddess'? Yup, the pre-Christian Celts probably worshipped their bit of earth as a goddess. Fine. But this descends through three to four hundred years of Christianity before it appears in writing. It's a LITERARY motif, not a pagan one. To give another example, when medieval German poets referred to 'Frau Minne', Lady Love, the tradition they were drawing on could be traced back through European culture to the goddess Venus/Aphrodite. But in no meaningful sense were they worshipping a pagan Goddess! It's the same with early medieval Irish writers invoking the figure of Sovereignty, and with medieval Welsh poets concocting poems - drawing on old tradition - in the voice of a prophetic superbard, identified with a historical poet who died three hundred years or more before thy were born. such a strategy boosts their own prestige.

The saddest thing in the whole book is the introduction, in which John looks forward to the publication of Professor Patrick Ford's work on the same material. This is now out as 'Ystoria Taliesin'. It's brilliant. Get them both, compare and contrast...you'll see what i mean.

There is no true study of the Celts or of Druidry that omits the work of the Bards themselves. While we may all await with baited breath an English translation of the Four Ancient Books of Wales, Matthews has provided us with substantial, fresh, sensitive translations of much of Taliesin's work. An indispensible volume.

I've been fascinated with myths and dreams and prophecy for some time, so I found John Matthews book TALIESIN THE LAST SHAMAN quite intriguing. The book has two parts: 1) an exploration of what is known or thought to be known about Taliesin who was probably a real person who lived in the 5th - 6th centuries in Britain as well as an interpretation of what Taliesin's works represent; 2) a collection of Taliesin's poetry translated by Matthews and his wife Caitlin.

Taliesin was probably British or Welsh although he might have considered himself something else-perhaps Cymry. The Romans described the inhabitants of what is today the United Kingdom as British, while the English referred to them as Welsh-their word for foreigner. Matthews refers to Taliesin as Celtic (Keltoi), a word the Greeks used to describe the people of northern Europe. Matthews describes the Celtic society that probably produced Taliesin and links his poetry to the Celtic view of the cosmos. He sees Taliesin as a "wise" man who penetrated the secrets of the universe and then attempted to share his vision via words.

Since I don't speak or read ancient Welsh or Irish, I can't pretend to know whether or not Matthews' interpretation of the Taliesin poetry is good or bad or even accurate. Although the book is not from a mainstream academic source, Matthews appears to be relatively scholarly, frequently citing from respected works and noting where his perspective differs from that of others. He also uses contextual material to locate Taliesin in time and space as an historical person. This secondary material seems to be consistent with various academic interpretations.

This is a Fantastic book, especially for anyone who wants to do more than simply read fortunes with their Tarot pack! This course goes much further into Magic and inner development, and with that, some pretty scary realisations come! A must for anyone seriously into the Celtic aspects of Tarot or Magic. It also has a great Bibliography at the end for further studies. (I'd also highly reccomend RJ Stewart for anyone who's interested in finding something with a little more 'bite' than most of the 'new age' books on the market at the moment!)

I was drawn to this deck, the art work is beautiful and The legend of King Aurthur is of great interest to me. It beats the Waite-Rider deck that I used to use.

Those looking for a Tarot deck and course which explains the minutae and difference between a seven of wands reversed and a eight of swords are going to be disappointed in this set. Its completely different in scope, outlook and use. More of a mediative deck than one for divination, the Hallowquest is not everyone's kettle of fish, but if you have an interest in meditating on the archetypes of the Arthurian world, then this book is your cup of tea indeed.

I'd been looking forward to getting this deck. While I've enjoyed reading the card intrepretations, I'm very disappointed with the deck. The cards have a kind of slick/sticky coating that makes them extremely difficult to shuffle. Plus the artwork leaves a lot to be desired.

This is the best deck I have used so far. Even if the pictures aren't as beautiful as many other decks, they are brightly colored. The feel and accuracy of the deck makes up for any lack of ability on the artist's part.

The interpretations for the cards are easy to understand and apply to everyday life, they do not fall into the trap of oversimplification or cryptic meanings. I also found the histories of the people portrayed as a good way to ease into the legends surrounding the area.

I would recommend this deck to anyone.

Lisa's deck succeeded where all others have failed with me. I am able to remember the information about each card (I have a poor memory) because she packs so much symbolism into each image. Not only that but the energy she so obviously poured lovingly into each card shines so brightly as to burn their meaning into my very soul. I love the jewel-like colours, the way she portrays Avalon in both verdant and subtle hues, so adeptly conjuring up the soul-poetry and magic of this landscape and it's many and varied inhabitants. If I diodn't live here I would want to after seeing this fabulous deck which I would recommend to anyone who loves Glastonbury with it's profound mystery and soul-poetry... and to anyone who loves the Tarot. A rare treat.