Caitlín Matthews

Caitlín Matthews is a writer, singer and teacher whose ground-breaking work has introduced many to the riches of our western spiritual heritage. She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 70 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom: A study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought. Her Lost Book of the Grail is a new translation by Gareth Knight and herself of the Elucidation, a 13th century text: this study by Caitlín & John, opens up a mythic landscape where Holy Grail and Faery Grail meet.

Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.

Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. Her other screen credits include appearances in the Secrets of the Code (2006) and the Ancient Mysteries production of The Quest for the Holy Grail. (1997)

With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell, she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that remain often without record or witness. The FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.

Caitlín’s other books include One Hundred Steps to the Grail, Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Diary of a Soul Doctor. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the The Complete King Arthur: One Hero, Many Faces and Walkers Between Worlds. Her books have been translated into more than Twenty languages from Brazil to Japan.

The author lives in Oxford with her husband, John, in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with their cats, Willow and Scaramouche. Postal address: BCM Hallowquest, London WC1N 3XX, U.K.

Features contributed to The Witches' Almanac:

The Art of the Omen Days: Light from Midwinter’s Heart, The Witches’ Almanac 2018, p. 36

Bibliography:

* = currently out of print

Animal Tales, (with John Matthews) Templar Publishing , 2009
The Aquarian Guide to British & Irish Mythology, (with John Matthews) Aquarian Press, 1988.*
Arthur & the Sovereignty of Britain: King & Goddess in the Mabinogion, Arkana, 1989.*
The Arthurian Book of Days, (with John Matthews) Sidgewick & Jackson, 1990
The Arthurian Tarot: A Hallowquest Pack and Handbook, (with John Matthews) Connections 2003 *
The Arthurian Tarot Course: A Quest for All Seasons , Harper, 1993*
The Barefoot Book of Princesses,, Barefoot Books, 1994 and many reprint editions.
The Blessing Seed: A Creation Story for a New Millennium, Barefoot Books, 1998 (story for children)*
The Celtic Book of Days, Godsfield Press, 1995*
The Celtic Book of the Dead, Eddison Books, 2018
The Celtic Devotional, Godsfield Press, 1996, reprinted 2004*
Celtic Love: Ten Enchanted Tales, Harper SanFranciso, 2000*
Celtic Memories, Barefoot Books, 2003*
Celtic Myths, Folio Soc (with J. Matthews) 2006*
The Celtic Tradition, Element Books, 1995*
The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations For the Turning Year, Harper SanFrancisco, 1999
Celtic Visions: Seership, Omens and Dreams of the Otherworld, Watkins, 2012
Celtic Wisdom Box , Connections, 2008*
Celtic Wisdom Oracle, Watkins, 2011
Celtic Wisdom Sticks: An Ogam Oracle, Connections, 2001*
The Celtic Wisdom Tarot, (with Olivia Rayner) Harper Collins, 1999*
Christmas Tales, (with John Matthews) Templar Press, 2010
Complete Arthurian Tarot, Connections, 2014
The Complete King Arthur: Many Faces, One Hero, Inner Traditions, 2017
The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook, Inner Traditions, 2014
Da Vinci Enigma Tarot, Connections, 2005*
Daveluy Lenormand, Ninth Initiate Books, 2013
Diary of a Soul Doctor, Star Seed Books, 2016
The Elements of Celtic Tradition, Element Books, 1989 *
The Elements of the Goddess, Element Books, 1989*
Encyclopedia of Celtic Myth and Legend, Rider, 2003*
Elemental Encyclopaedia of Magical Animals, (with John Matthews) Element, 2005
The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle (art by Virginia Lee) , Watkins, October 2013
Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom: A Celtic Shaman's Sourcebook, Rider, 2001*
Faery Magic, (with John Matthews) Templar Publishing, 2009
*The Faery-Tale Reader, (with John Matthews) Aquarian, 1993.
Fireside Stories, Barefoot Books, 2007
The Fourth Gwenevere, (with John Matthews) 2014
Hallowquest: The Arthurian Tarot Course, (with John Matthews) Harper Collins, 1997*
How To Be A Princess, Carlton 2007 *
A Hundred Steps to the Grail, Mythwood Books, 2015 (Kindle only)
In Search of Women's Passionate Soul: Revealing the Daimon Lover Within, Element, 1997*
King Arthur: Myth and History, Folio Society 2008*
King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Inner Traditions, 2002
King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, Gothic Image Books, 2008*
Ladies of the Lake, (with John Matthews) Aquarian Press, 1992*
The Little Book of Celtic Blessings, Element Books, 1994*
The Little Book of Celtic Lore, Element Books, 1998*
The Little Book of Celtic Wisdom, (with John Matthews) Element 1993*
Lost Book of the Grail,, (Forthcoming) 2017-18
Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, Inner Traditions, 2002
Mad Professor’s Laboratory, ( with John Matthews) Templar Press 2010
Magic Toy Box, (with John Matthews) Templar Publishing, 2010
One Hundred Steps to the Grail,, Mythwood Books, 2015 (ebook)
Psychic Protection Handbook,, Piatkus, June 2005
Quests and Adventures, (with John Matthews) Templar Publishing, 2009
Sea Stories, (with John Matthews) Templar Publishing, 2009
The Search for Rhiannon, (poetry) Bran's Head, 1981*
Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Wisdom for Every Day, Connections, 2002
Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom: Bride of God, Quest, 2001
The Steampunk Tarot: Gods of the Machine, (with John Matthews, art by Wil Kinghan) Connections, 2012
Storyworld, (with John Matthews) Templar Publishing , 2009
Tales from the Haunted House, (with John Matthews) Templar Press 2010
Tales of the Celtic Lands, Barefoot Books, 2008
Tarot Tales, (with Rachel Pollack) Century, 1989 (stories) *
This Ancient Heart,, (ed. With Paul Davies) Moon Books, 2015
The Trick in the Tale, (with John Matthews) Templar Press, 2008*
Untold Tarot,, Eddison Books, 2018
Voices From the Circle: Heritage of Western Paganism, (with Prudence Jones) Aquarian Press, 1990*
Voices of the Goddess: A Chorus of Sibyls, Aquarian Press 1990*
Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus,, Inner Traditions, 2004
The Way of the Celtic Tradition, Element, 2003*
While the Bear Sleeps: Midwinter Tales, Barefoot Books, Sept 1999 (children’s stories)
The Wizard King & Other Enchanting Tales, (with John Matthews) Barefoot Books, 1997*
Zauberkarten:The Magical Cards of Mlle Lenormand, Ninth Initiate Books, 2016

Contributor to the Following Collections:

Anglo-Saxónica: revista do centro de Estudos Anglísticos da Universidade de Lisboa Series II, 10-11, Lisboa, EdiÇoes Colibri, 1999
Fons Elders (ed.)
Mythological Europe Revisited: Humanism and the Third Millennium III, Brussels, VUB University Press, 2000
Patricia Monaghan, (ed)
Irish Spirituality Dublin, Wolfhound Press, 2001
Ulrich Müller & Werber Wunderlich (eds.)
Verführer, Schurken, Magier(Mitterlalter Mythen vol. 3) St Gallen, UVK Verlagsgesellschaft, 2001
Way Of The Oracle: Recovering the Practices of the Past to Find Answers for Today, Weiser, 2012
Mark Townsend: Jesus Through Pagan Eyes, Flux, June 2012.

Caitlín’s website can be found here

Caitlín’s blog can be found here