Bearers, arise: be not afraid With hasty steps repair To the secret place where they abide To there await the calling of the king To there await the call, the calling of the king.
‌
CaitlĂn Matthews
photo © virginia chandler
photo © john and caitlÍn matthews
About the Authors John Matthews is a New York Times bestselling author who has written more than one hundred books on myth, faery, the Arthurian legends, and Grail studies. John has appeared on the History Channel and Discovery Channel, and he was an advisor and contributor on Jerry Bruckheimer’s film King Arthur. Caitlín Matthews is the author of many books, including The Lost Book of the Grail and Celtic Visions. As part of the Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, dedicated to the unwritten sacred arts, she teaches internationally on a wide variety of esoteric and spiritual subjects. With John Matthews, she has taught at the Open Mystery School for over thirty years. Virginia Chandler graduated from the University of Georgia and studied medieval literature and history at Jesus College of Oxford University. She is the author of The Green Knight’s Apprentice, Tales of the Northern Band, and co-author of The Last Dragon of the North. She is currently working on The Beowulf Oracle.
w w w.hal lowqu est. org .u k
J OH N A N D C AI TLÍ N MATTHEW S with VIRGINIA CHANDLER
ARTHURIAN
MAGIC A PRA CTIC AL GUIDE TO THE WIS DO M O F C AMELO T
FOREWORD BY GARETH KNIGHT Llewellyn Publications woodbury, minnesota
Arthurian Magic: A Practical Guide to the Wisdom of Camelot © 2017 by John and Caitlín Matthews, with Virginia Chandler. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
first edition First Printing, 2017 Book design by Rebecca Zins Cover design by Kevin R. Brown Illustrations on pages 67, 69, 87, 191, 249, 254, 380, and 532–536 by James Clark Other illustrations by Llewellyn Art Department Tarot card images used by permission of Eddison Books Llewellyn is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Names: Matthews, John, author. Title: Arthurian magic : a practical guide to the wisdom of Camelot / John and Caitlín Matthews, with Virginia Chandler; foreword by Gareth Knight. Description: first edition. | Woodbury : Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., 2017. | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2017041131 (print) | LCCN 2017035479 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738753409 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738750569 (paper) Subjects: LCSH: Magic. | Arthur, King. Classification: LCC BF1591 (print) | LCC BF1591 .M45 2017 (ebook) | DDC 133.4/3—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017041131 Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public. All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number. Any internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources. Llewellyn Publications A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury MN 55125-2989 www.llewellyn.com Printed in the United States of America
To Geraldine and Bali for making this happen, and to all those who answered the call at Hawkwood College over the last 31 years, and to all who will answer in times to come.
CONTENTS
List of Figures xix Acknowledgments xxi Foreword by Gareth Knight xxiii Introduction: Journeying with Arthur 1 Answering the Call of Arthur 1 The Arthuriad 4 Schools of Arthurian Magic 5 Note 10 How to Work with This Book 11 The Art of Meditation 12 Mediation and Ritual 13
. Part 1 .
VISIONS: THE KNOWLEDGE PAPERS 15 1: The King and the Mage 17 The Oldest Arthur 17 The Greatest Mage 18 Merlin and the Dragons 21 The Life of Merlin 22 The Triple Death 23
contents Merlin in the House of Stars 24 Merlin’s Esplumoir 26 The Nest of Vision 29 The Withdrawn King 32 Merlin’s Mysteries 33 The Begetting of Arthur 34 The Sword in the Stone 35 The Round Table 37 Merlin’s Wonders 38 Practice 39
2: The Table of the Stars 41 The Bear of Heaven 41 Arthur and Arcturus: The Crown of Stars 45 The Starry King 48 The Raid on the Otherworld 49 Practice 52
3: Arthur and the Grail 53 The King and the Cup 53 The Other Church 56 The Good Men of Albi 59 The New Knighthood 61 The Five Changes 65 The Grail Today 69 Practice 70
4: Temples of the Grail 71 The Quest 71 The Shape of the Temple 75 Solomon’s Temple 77 The Plan of the City 81
… x
contents Solomon’s Ship 83 The Temple of Man 85 Completing the Temple 86 Guardians of the Temple 89 Practice 92
5: The Mysteries of Avalon 93 The Isle of Apples 93 Merlin and Nimue 98 Daughter of Diana 99 Initiating Goddesses 101 The Flower Bride and the Dark Goddess 105 Other Initiators 106 A Break Between Worlds 108 Practice 112
6: The Rose, the Vault, and the Wisdom of the Grail 113 The Grail and the Virgin 113 The Secret Vault 117 Temples of Light 120 The Castle of the Rose 123 The Sovereign Power 125 The Fair and the Foul 128 The Exiled Wanderer 132 Practice 139
7: The Wounded Kings 141 The Grail as Transformative Vessel 141 The Healing Story 144 The Dry Wells 151 Practice 156
… xi
contents
8: Arthurian Chivalry 157 The Fellowship Begins 157 The Three Who Achieved 160 The Two Who Failed 165 The Woman of the Grail 168 The Quest 169 The Three Tables 170 The Mysteries of the Sword 172 The Crafting of Excalibur 175 The Power of the Smith 177 Practice 178
. Part 2 .
A YEAR IN CAMELOT 179 9: Opening the Ways 181 Introduction 181 The Mysteries 182 Creating an Arthurian Altar and Temple 185 Companions of the Way: Working with the Archetypes 192 The Meditation of the Ring 194
(wi n t er) 10: A Seat at the Table 197 Welcome to the Table 197 The Hall of the Round Table 198 The Oath of the Round Table 200
… xii
contents
11: The Challengers 203 Challenges of the Otherworld 203 The Tapestry of Winter 204 Meditation 1: The Challenge of the Green Knight 207 Meditation 2: The Castle of Lord and Lady Bercilak 211 Meditation 3: The Green Chapel 215 Meditation 4: The Return to Arthur’s Court 217 Gawain and Ragnall: A Celebration 219 The Challenge of the Green Knight Ritual 225
( s pri n g ) 12: Entering the Starry Realms 245 Merlin’s Tower of the Stars 245 Merlin’s Observatory: A Meditation 250 The Starry King 251 The Grail in the Vault of Stars 252 The Ritual of Merlin’s Enclosure 256
( s u m m er) 13: The Magic of the Lake 273 The Initiations of the Lake 273 The Vision of the Nine 274 The Tower of Glass: A Meditation 282 The Wells of Life 284 The Initiation of Taliesin 286 The Wisdom of the Sword 289 Meditation 1: The Sword in Winter 290 Meditation 2: The Sword Awakens 291 Meditation 3: The Sword Unfinished 293 Meditation 4: The Sword in Summer 297 Meditation 5: The Harvest Sword 299
… xiii
contents Sacred Sword-Awakening Ritual 301 The Wisdom of the Spear 304 Meditation 1: The Sleeping Spear 305 Meditation 2: The First Blessings 307 Meditation 3: The Wounded King Lies Sleeping 309 The Sleepers 311 The Ritual of the Sleepers 313
14: Companions of the Quest 341 Blaise 342 Prester John 343 Sophia Aeternitas 346 The Family of the Grail: A Ritual Meditation 348 The Healing of the Grail 359 Healing the Wounded King 361
(au t u m n / fal l) 15: The Grail, the Tarot, and the Tree 367 Greater and Lesser Powers 367 The Tarot of Arthur 368 The Major Arcana and the Arthuriad 369 The Greater Powers 371 The Lesser Powers 372
The Tarot of the Grail 374 The Grail and the Tree 377 The Arthurian Cosmos: The Tarot and the Tree 381 Tarot Triads 383 Working with Images and Archetypes 387
16: The Hallows 391 A Visualization of the Hallows 392 Visions of the Hallows 396
… xiv
contents The Quest for the Treasures of Ireland 403 The Setting of the Hallows in the Crown of Stars Ritual 415
17: The Road to Sarras 427 The Quest 427 The Three Caves 431 The Changes of the Grail 432 Boarding the Ship 448 The Ship of Solomon 449 Restoring the Courts of Joy 475 A Blessing of the Grail 501
. Part 3 .
THE LIBRARY 503 1: Archetypal Characters 505 2: Sites 515 Glastonbury, Somerset 516 St. Govan’s Chapel, Dyfed, Wales 517 Dinas Bran, Glamorgan, Wales 518 St. Michael’s Mount, Cornwall 518 St. Nectan’s Keive, Cornwall 518 Tintagel, Cornwall 519 Merlin’s Cave, Cornwall 519 Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, North Wales 519 Dinas Emrys, Gwynedd, North Wales 520 Stonehenge, Wiltshire 520 Alderley Edge, Cheshire 521 Hart Fell, Dumfries and Galloway 521 Pendragon Castle, Cumbria 521
… xv
contents Cadbury Castle, Somerset 522 Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland 522 Alnwick Castle, Northumberland 523 Wetton Mill, Staffordshire 523 Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland 524 Badbury Rings, Dorset 524 Dozemary Pool, Cornwall 524 Lyonesse, Cornwall 525
3: Sacred Oils and Incense 527 Grail Oil and Incense 527 Arthurian Yuletide Oil 528 Frosted Holly Oil 528 Green Chapel Oil 528 Arthur’s Mighty Ones Incense 529 Bircilak Castle Incense 529 Gawain and Ragnall’s Wedding Oil and Incense 529 Merlin’s Tower Oil 529
4: Heraldry 531 5: Songs 537 Blessings of Avalon 537 Song of the Grailless Lands 538 Merlin’s Song of the Stones 539
6: Blessings 543 My Knights and My Sergeants 543 A Vision of the Fellowship 544
7: Invocations and Farewells 545 Opening Rite of the Hallows 545 Closing Rite of the Hallows 547
… xvi
contents
8: Readings 549 1: The Wisdom of Merlin 549 2: The Round Table 552 3: The Love of Fair Women 553 4: Wisdom of the Grail 555
9: Seasons and Festivals 565 Arthur Through the Year 565 January 565 February 566 March 566 April 566 May 567 June 567 July 568 August 568 September 569 October 569 November 570 December 570 A Spring Equinox Ritual at the Court of Arthur 571
10: Arthur Machen and the Secret School of the Grail 579 Envoi 582 Notes 583 Further Reading 599
… xvii
FIGURES
1: The Pentagram of the Grail 67 2: The Houses on the Pentagram 69 3: The Vesica Piscis 73 4: The Urbs Quadrata 82 5: The Divine Vessel 87 6: The Open Vesica 88 7: The Three Tables 171 8: Two Altars 191 9: Plan of the Ritual of the Green Knight 226 10: Merlin’s Tower of the Stars 249 11: The Five Changes of the Grail in the Deep Earth 254 12: Plan of the Ritual of Merlin’s Enclosure 258 13: The Symbol of the Awen 289 14: Plan of the Ritual of the Sleepers 315
… xix
figures
15: Plan of the Grail Family Ritual 349 16: The Tarot of Arthur on the Tree of Life 370 17: Three Cards from The Grail Tarot 376 18: The Grail on the Tree of Life 380 19: Three Cards from The Complete Arthurian Tarot 384 20: The Tarot on the Tree of Life 386 21: Three Cards from The Camelot Oracle 389 22: Plan of the Ritual Quest for the Treasures of Ireland 403 23: Plan of the Setting of the Hallows in the Crown of Stars 416 24: The Constellation of Boötes 421 25: Plan of the Ritual of the Changes of the Grail 434 26: Plan of the Ritual of the Ship of Solomon 450 27: Plan of the Ritual Restoring the Courts of Joy 477 28: Arms of Some of the Knights and Kings from the Arthuriad 532 29: Plan of the Equinox Ritual 571
… xx
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
T
his book has been forty years in the making, and the number of people to whom I owe thanks would fill pages. Those not named here know who you are and have my thanks forever. My deepest debt is, as always, to my wife, Caitlín, whose partnership has accompanied me through years of studying and working with the Arthuriad. Her kindness in allowing me to include so much of the writing and rituals we have shared over the years has made this an infinitely better book. Profound thanks also to Virginia Chandler, a friend of more recent times, for so generously allowing me to pillage her work, which fits so seamlessly into our own. Others to whom I owe a great debt are our teachers: Gareth Knight, with whom we observed so many of the mysteries and who generously wrote the foreword to the book, and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, whose star shines as undimmed today as it did when we first met almost forty years ago. I would also like to thank R. J. Stewart, with whom we shared many powerful encounters with the infinite and whose written work has brought a vast inner landscape into all our lives. Also to our students, who over the past thirty years have journeyed with us in our regular mystery school teachings at Hawkwood College of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, (to the staff of which so many thanks are also due) and who shared much of the material included in this book. I also wish to pay homage and acknowledge the deep and lasting debt to my spiritual brother David Spangler for many years of discussion and exploration of all things Arthurian; his wisdom is a constant source of awe to me. Thanks also to David Elkington for reading an early draft and making many valuable comments—there are few who could follow the circumlocutions of my thinking so well and still find more to say—and to Grevel Lindop, who kindly read the entire manuscript and whose finely tuned sensibilities noticed a number of errors.
… xxi
acknowledgments To Kresimir Vukovic for the many empowering talks on the true meaning of myth and for the suppers at Merton and Oriel. Nor can I forget the memory of those who lit the way into the depths of the Arthurian forest, including, as well as those already mentioned, A. E. Waite, Walter Stein, Manly P. Hall, and Charles Williams. Thanks also to my editor at Llewellyn, Bill Krause; my sterling copyeditor, Rebecca Zins; and the wonderful James Clarke for the addition of artwork and diagrams that make the book shine. John Matthews oxford, 2016
‌ xxii
FOREWORD
I
t was a truly awesome and splendid thing that we did…” wrote Caitlín Matthews on a May morning thirty-five years ago, after the Whitsun weekend of 1981, when, in the presence of a few dozen kindred souls at Hawkwood College, we had evoked, almost to visible appearance, some of the archetypal figures of Arthurian legend. As far as I was concerned, this magical lightning strike on a Pentecostal Sunday came in a completely unexpected manner. After two days of lectures on the roles of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Gawain, and Mordred in the breakup of the Round Table Fellowship, I had thought a fairly cultured marrying up of literature with occultism might be an appropriate and genteel way of winding down the weekend. I aimed simply to read a piece of narrative poetry in the form of a directed visualization in an attempt to reproduce the effects of a minstrel upon an assemblage of people—which in medieval times would have been the means of passing on or even creating these living legends. And a bit of Victorian poetry seemed innocuous enough; to wit, a section of Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur read by candlelight to an assembled company sitting in a circular formation, being perceptively present when Arthur and the sole surviving Round Table knight, Bedivere, arrive at the lake after the last battle. The king is mortally wounded and commands Bedivere to cast his sword, Excalibur, into the lake. After twice failing to do so for plausible but specious reasons, Bedivere finally does so. An arm rises up and takes the sword, and as if this were a signal, a barque with three mourning queens arrives to take the wounded king to the Isle of Avalon. The sequence ends at the point where Bedivere, as sole remaining knight, holds within himself the whole Round Table. The last words of the king are to ask that Bedivere should pray for him.
… xxiii
foreword As soon as I said this, it became plain to me what I should do. I asked all present to identify themselves with this last remaining representative of the Round Table and also to pray for the king. At this point I took a hunting horn and blew three long blasts on it. Don’t ask me why I did it or even what I was doing with a hunting horn on my person or what I expected to happen. It was entirely intuitive. But what happened, happened all right! To the eyes of vision, great doors opened in the west, together with a waft of sea air and even spray. The mighty figure of the king came through the doors, crowned, with short golden beard, robed, and with the great hilt of the sword Excalibur very prominent, impressive with its jeweled work and in its mighty runed scabbard. With the king came Queen Guinevere, Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, and all the knights and ladies. Larger than life, they took up their positions about the Table Round. In the center rose a column of incense smoke with astral rainbow colors manifesting the powers of the Grail, the Cauldron, Merlin, and Nimue. As soon as they did so, I became aware that a great Round Table had formed on the imaginative level within the hall, or possibly even the etheric, for it seemed almost palpable and extended out to the very seats of all present. The power within the room was intensely strong, so much so that the small table altar with the two candles and thurible upon it seemed to be wavering up and down as in a heat haze. As Caitlín went on to remark in her report: The power which we invoked was both visible and perceptible to every sense; the candles on the altar shimmering with a radiance greater than their own. None of us wanted to leave; we were gripped, not by fear, but by longing to remain. One by one the company dispersed to bear into the world the substance of what we had experienced, and to continue the work of the Round Table within our own sphere of life.
Never mind intellectual theories about possibilities of mass vision or hallucination or whatever. This final remark about continuing the work is significant. It would be possible to follow through with an account of what happened in this respect in the lives of a number of those who were present, for a number have made their presence known as writers and teachers. It would make up to a very long book indeed! The present tome covers only two! The point is that the whole Arthurian tradition is intensely fertile. You hardly have to go searching for archetypes or ideas—they will come out searching for you! Which is rather after the fashion of the ladies associated with the Table Round, who can be every bit as important as the knights. Time and again we find it is a maiden who lures a knight out onto a quest, guiding
… xxiv
foreword him on the way, overseeing his various tests and being quite sharp tongued about it too on occasion. They can be awakeners, initiators, testers, guides, and faery companions. Nor is the scholarly side of Arthurian legend a sealed and definitive book. I was recently invited to attempt a new translation of the so-called Elucidation of Chrétien de Troyes’s romance Conte du Graal, a thirteenth-century French poem that has lain virtually forgotten since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century and that contains some of the most powerful and revealing clues to the nature of the Grail. Within the seven branches of the story, we learn the cause of the Wasteland, of how the maidens of the wells were violated by the antiGrail King, Amangons, and the attempt to restore them by the quests of King Arthur’s knights through the seven guardians of the story. To go with my efforts, Caitlín and John Matthews, under the title of The Lost Book of the Grail: Restoring the Voices of the Wells, have provided the first full-length study of the Elucidation to appear in any language, in fulfillment of the text’s own words “that the good that the Grail served will openly be taught to all people.” And so the work goes ever on, as is plainly apparent from the contents of the book before you. All you have to do is to plunge into the magic lake of enchantment that the Matthews’s have conjured before you. And you really are spoiled for choice—enchantments of the land, enchantments of the otherworld, enchantments of love, the mysteries of the Grail—the ways laid out by a transformative set of signposts that lead ever more deeply into the heart of the myths, all of which embody the theme of the quest, of the desire to break out from the ordinary and to enter a world of wonder. Welcome to Avalon. Gareth Knight
author of The Secret Tradition in Arthurian Legend, Merlin and the Grail Tradition, and The Faery Gates of Avalon, among others
… xxv
INTRODUCTION
JOURNEYING WITH ARTHUR
The initiate is one who can perceive this parallel world, more real than our own, where “stones are sapphires and sand is gold dust,” but which lives invisibly for the profane, swallowed up in matter. Only the initiate can say “Et in Arcadia ego—I live in Arcadia.”
…
Gerard de Sade, Le Secret des Cathars (trans. CM)
Answering the Call of Arthur I first fell in love with Arthurian mythology when I read T. H. White’s incomparable Once and Future King (1952) at age fifteen. When I finished the book, I went straight to my local library and discovered they had a whole section devoted to Arthur. I read everything they had in stock and then ordered the books that called to me from the bibliographies within those. But as my knowledge and understanding of the material grew, I began to see that there was something more than history or myth at the heart of these stories. In that same year I began what became a second lifetime study into the esoteric and occult. I joined a secretive group who traced their origins to the Middle Ages and beyond, who taught me how to see with my inner eyes, and I began to read everything from Robert Graves’s White Goddess to A. E. Waite’s books about magic. And everywhere I looked, I found Arthur and the Grail.
… 1
introduction It took a few more years of reading and study before I finally understood. I was being called to serve Arthur just as the Knights of the Round Table had done. Like them, I would go on a quest—seeking knowledge and wisdom and, of course, the Grail—discovering that the stories were much older than the elaborate and colorful tales of the medieval storytellers. I found that Arthur was older than many of the gods who had arrived with each successive wave of incomers into the land of Britain, and that his story was written in the stars as well as on the earth. The myths that surrounded him were ancient too. They were dark and powerful, and they spoke of love and honor and death—but above all they spoke of the land. Arthur, as I knew by this time, was one of the oldest guardians of the land—a Sleeping Lord (as he came to be called) who dreamed away the centuries, hidden within the earth, holding the energies of another time until called upon (as the legends said) to return in time of need. Over the years I began to teach these mysteries, cautiously at first, then with increasing delight in the knowledge that others shared this path. I met my future wife, Caitlín, and discovered that she too had heard the call of Arthur, and that her knowledge of the older stories, those of the Celts, was equal or surpassing to mine in the medieval strand. Together we began to study the myths in even greater depth, collaborating on The Arthurian Tarot in 1990, developing this further in Hallowquest (1990, revised in 1997 and again in 2015). Together we studied with Gareth Knight (himself a student of Dion Fortune, whose work on the Arthurian mysteries was and is unsurpassed) and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, within the aegis of the School of Light mystery school. In America we began to work with David Spangler, one of the most important visionary teachers of our time, and discovered that he, too, loved all things Arthurian. It is part of the power of the Arthuriad that, being founded upon esoteric principles, it is unusually apposite for magical work. An example of this to which we were witness took place during a weekend workshop in 1982. In this, a tremendous pool of energy was built up, using the group consciousness of the fifty to sixty people present. When this energy had been allowed to create its own vortex of power, the magus leading the group proceeded to call the energies of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, and Morgan from the inner realms. The immediacy and power of the response was total. The Arthurian archetypes were immediately present among the group and remained so for some time after. In a certain sense the Sleeping Lord was recalled from Avalon and sent forth again into the world to work for the restoration of the kingdom. Later, in further magical rites carried out by the same group and its affiliates, this work was continued and strengthened, both at actual sites with Arthurian associations, at further group meetings,
… 2
introduction and by individuals working alone. As Gareth mentioned in his foreword, Caitlín’s firsthand account adds further details: The prophecy of the return of Arthur was fulfilled that night at the Camelot we had built; after a reading of Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur we invited back into our company the archetypes of the Round Table. We sat silently, for what seemed an age, invoking the personages with whom we had become so familiar throughout the weekend, sending them forth to intercede with the troubled world of our own times and inviting in those of our friends and family who might wish to share in our fellowship. It was truly an awesome and splendid thing that we did. The power that we invoked was both visible and perceptible in every sense: the candles on the altar shimmering with radiance greater than their own. None of us wanted to leave: we were gripped, not by fear, but by a longing to remain. Then one by one the company dispersed to bear into the world the substance of what we had experienced, to continue the work of the Round Table within our own sphere of life.
This work culminated in a large-scale ritual in 1987 intended to bring about the Restoration of the Courts of Joy, the deeply magical place in which the four hallows of the Grail myth— Cup, Spear, Stone, and Sword—were set once more at power points in the body of Logres, there to work actively for the healing of the land and those who dwell upon it (see chapter 17). We have returned to Arthurian themes again and again, both in books and courses, especially our yearly “showcase” gathering around Christmas at Hawkwood College in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Here we have explored the Arthurian world in what has become an open mystery school, which brought a legion of talented people together. They have taught us as much as we have taught them, and over the years (more than forty now) we have been asked again and again if we would ever gather all the work we had produced in one place. We have, and this is it. Twelve years ago, in 2004, we were invited to the USA to attend the first of an extraordinary gathering of writers and practitioners who walked the path of myth from every land. This was the first of the now-legendary Mythic Journeys events held in Atlanta. Here we found ourselves sharing breakfast with Robert Bly, lunch with Michael Mead, and dinner with Brian and Wendy Froud, Peter Beagle, and Ari Berk—all of whom shared our love of the myths and the mysteries. Among the younger people attending the event was Virginia Chandler, and we knew within five minutes of meeting her that we had met someone else who had heard the call of Arthur. We became, and have remained, good friends. Virginia is herself a founding member of a magical guild, founded in 2008. The Fellowship of the Round Table is an Arthurian mysteries guild; through fellowship, meditation, ritual, and oracular study, they seek the enlightenment of the Grail.
… 3
introduction When the universe arranged for this book to be commissioned, through a set of circumstances that can only happen when you are as deeply into the mysteries of Arthur as ourselves, it was clear that not only Caitlín (who has worked at my side all of this time and produced a formidable body of work that continues to fill me with awe) must contribute to this work, but also Virginia, who had been quietly assembling her own magical workbook, should be part of this enterprise. So here it is, our book of Arthurian magic, a kind of grimoire in the medieval sense of a book of magical recipes and rituals. It is not exactly a system, in the way that the magical work of the Golden Dawn can be said to be, but it is intended to gather together as much of our inner work on the Arthurian myths as possible. The first part contains knowledge papers, gathered over the years and now woven into the mythos of the Arthuriad. These deal with the nuts and bolts of the mysteries—the who and how and why. The second part assembles a selection of rituals, meditations, and other types of work to create a course of study and practice and to bring alive the mysteries for us at every level. Finally, the third part, the Library, collects the names and qualities of people, places, and things that fill the vast landscape of the Arthuriad and adds information to aid seekers in finding their way through the Lands Adventurous. This name, given to the lands through which Arthur and his knights roved, is as good today as it was in the Middle Ages, and the lands themselves are as open to us as they were to Arthur’s knights. But before we start, let’s take a brief look at the subject matter of this book: the extraordinary body of work (totaling thousands of pages and hundreds of books dating mostly from the period between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries) known as the Arthurian legends.
The Arthuriad The Matter of Britain, as it has long been called (to distinguish it from the Matter of France, the legends of Charlemagne) has been recognized by many students of the mysteries as the basis of a set of teachings every bit as powerful as those of Egypt or the classical worlds of Greece and Rome. There is no obvious pattern, no precise formula to the texts, so that for many they remain no more than mere stories, however inspiring; but for those trained in the magical arts of the Western Mystery Tradition, they are much more: their secrets can be revealed, their codes unlocked, and their revelations enjoyed. The history of the Arthurian legends is a long one, and this is not the place to go into this topic in depth; those wishing to know more are referred to the extensive lists of further reading at the back of this book. In the context of this exploration of the mystery teachings and the call of Arthur we shall, of course, draw extensively on the medieval literature, as well as older
… 4
introduction traditions stretching back hundreds of years earlier. It is our belief that these writings and the oral traditions that gave them birth were designed to contain a set of secret teachings, here referred to throughout as the Arthuriad. We have collectively and individually given a considerable part of our lives to the untangling of these mysteries. We have also, from the start, been privileged in being able to celebrate these mysteries in many ways, as individuals and with groups of like-minded people. Much of what you will find within these pages has grown out of that celebration, and we are indebted to all who came with us on this voyage of discovery, as well as to our own teachers, both inner and outer, who shared their wisdom and understanding of the Arthurian traditions with us.
Schools of Arthurian Magic The Arthurian and Grail mysteries have played a part in the inner life of the West for a long time. From the moment that Robert De Boron wrote how Christ spoke to Joseph of Arimathea “holy words that are sweet and precious, gracious and full of pity, and rightly are they called secrets of the Grail”,1 he assured that seekers would desire to know these secrets. In many ways the idea behind the present book deals exactly with this idea: those who hear the call of Arthur also hear the call of the Grail, and this has been the way of the journey since the great romances of the Middle Ages were written. At the time, when Grail fever was at its height and more and more texts dealing with the subject were being written, there came to be, perhaps inevitably, the idea of a secret hidden body of initiates who knew the inner mysteries of the Grail. The idea of the saintly “pure men” of the Albigensian Heresy possessing a physical object is unlikely to be true, but that the Cathars at least knew something of the inner truths expressed by the Grail is far more likely. The Templars, also widely believed to have possessed the Grail, may have guarded for a time the object known as the Mandylion, which many have associated with the famous Shroud of Turin or the Vernicle of Veronica. It has been noted that the description of the folded shroud, protected by a frame that shows only the face, is consistent with descriptions of the head in the dish found within the stories of the Grail.2 Whether the Templars actually possessed any secret knowledge is less easy to prove since so much calumny was directed at them at the time of their existence and actual documents relating to them are few and far between. However, modern Templar orders exist that claim the wisdom of Arthur and the Grail as part of their heritage: It is a fundamental belief of the Templar tradition, a belief backed by long experience, that if the seeker after truth begins to work seriously on himself, he will start to radiate light on the inner levels…Every man and woman who is stirred by stories, legends or films of
… 5
introduction noble heroes is merely reacting to the promptings of the True Knight who sleeps within the heart…The task of awakening the True Knight within us is not an easy one. We will need first of all to look honestly at ourselves and then take the first steps with courage and determination. The spiritual impulses…will then certainly respond to the light of our aspiration and reveal to us that True Will which will guide us inevitably to the Grail.3
The truth of this statement chimes perfectly with the ideas of Arthurian chivalry that we shall explore in chapter 8, and it is to the awakening of the “True Knight” (man or woman) that much of the work outlined in this book is dedicated. As well as contemporary Templar orders, modern Cathar movements have also made an appearance in recent times and have shown themselves to be founded very firmly in Grail spirituality. In particular, the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, founded by J. van Rijckenborgh and Catharose da Petri in 1952, has continued to disseminate ideas that reflect those of Arthurian chivalry and the Grail. A full account of this is to be found in The Treasure of Montségur by Walter Birks and R. A. Gilbert.4 A guiding light in its early days was Antonin Gadal, who later changed his name to Galaad after the greatest of the Grail knights and founded a center in the Pyrenees (also called Galaad) devoted to the restoration of Cathar ideals and (possibly) to the discovery of the Grail itself. His book Sur le Chemin du Saint-Graal makes fascinating reading and is full of insights into the inner meaning of the Grail mysteries.5 One of the Gadal’s associates for a time was an Irish writer on esotericism, Francis RoltWheeler, who later made his own contribution to Grail literature in his book Mystic Gleams from the Holy Grail, in which he gave an account of the stories from a purely esoteric viewpoint, including some improvable connections and links with the past that nevertheless have a ring of truth about them. The legend of the Holy Grail glows…with an inner light of esoterism (sic). Few, indeed, be those who have sought to follow the silver thread of Spiritual Initiation in this strange and mysterious cycle of miracle, of faerie, of chivalry, and of a super-sacrament. Consequently, in this mystical legend, there is a glimpse of the unknown; the reader may lose his way in a thicket of visions…This Way will lead us into the astral world and into the kingdoms of Faerie, where Merlin, the enchanter, serves as guide. Those who know how to read the book of nature will find the links of Celtic initiation in these sagas, and may even hear the tread of “the Lordly Ones.”6
Despite Rolt-Wheeler’s colorful style there is much in his book that reinforces the fascination with the inner mysteries of the Grail among modern esotericists. Another source of inspiration into the Arthurian and Grail mysteries is the Rosicrucian movement, beginning in the seventeenth century from roots in the Renaissance and continuing
… 6
introduction into the present. More than one writer has seen the Rosicrucians as the inheritors of Grail material. In particular, Manly Palmer Hall, who founded the Philosophical Research Society in the United States in 1936, linked the mysterious group with the Grail, stating that it is evident that the story of…the symbolic genealogy of the Grail Kings relate(s) to the descent of Schools or Orders of initiates. Titurel, (the Grail King), represents the ancient wisdom, and, like the mysterious Father C(hristian) R(ose) C(ross) is the personification of the Mystery Schools which serve the Shrine of Eternal Truth.7
The gathering of the Rosicrucians certainly resonates with the Pentecost meeting of the Round Table. The prestigious Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was working with Arthurian archetypes as long ago as 1896, its founders recognizing the potential power of the legends and working with them extensively both as individuals and within their own temple traditions. After them, several offshoots, including the Stella Matutina, Dion Fortune’s Society of the Inner Light, and the Servants of the Light (see below), have all utilized the deeply mystical elements within the stories to form working magical systems. A. E. Waite, himself one of the founding members of the Golden Dawn, first wrote of “a Secret School of the Grail” in his 1933 volume The Holy Grail: Its Legends and Symbolism.8 There he finds the presence of a mystical body of thought, almost without form but threading its way throughout the literature of the Arthuriad as in some way “a Grail behind the Grail.” This he sees as emerging from the lost Celtic church, which he believed preserved a more ancient liturgy and belief system after the church of Rome had set its own theology in stone. The presence of this…Secret Church is like that of angels unawares. In the outer courts there are those who are prepared for Regeneration and in the adyta there are those who have attained it: these are the holy assembly. It is the place of those who, after the birth of flesh, which is the birth of the will of man, have come to be born of God…It is the place of the Waters of Life, with the power to take freely. It is like the still, small voice: it is heard only in the midst of the heart’s silence, and there is no written word to tell us how its Rite is celebrated; but it is like a priesthood within the priesthood…There are no admissions—at least of the ceremonial kind—to the Holy Assembly: it is as if in the last resource a Candidate inducts himself. There is no Sodality, no Institution, no Order which throughout the Christian centuries has worked in silence…it is not a revelation but inherence…it does not come down: more correctly it draws up; but it also inheres.9
Echoing Waite’s words, other groups and individuals have continued to work along lines that assume the existence of such a mystery school. The Anthroposophical movement, founded
… 7
introduction by Rudolf Steiner and others as a breakaway from Theosophy in 1914, has had the Grail and Arthur at its heart from the beginning. Steiner himself wrote a considerable amount on the subject, which repays study, including this prophetic passage from his Outline of Occult Science: The hidden knowledge flows, although quite unnoticed at the beginning, into the mode of thinking of the men of this period (i.e. the Middle Ages)…The “hidden knowledge” which from this side takes hold of mankind now and will take hold of it more and more in the future, may be called symbolically “the wisdom of the Grail…” The modern initiates may, therefore, also be called “initiates of the Grail”…The way into the supersensible worlds… leads to the “science of the Grail.” (Thus) the concealed knowledge of the Grail will be revealed; as an inner force it will permeate more and more the manifestations of human life…We see that the highest imaginable ideal of human revolution results from the knowledge of the Grail: the spiritualization that man acquires through his own efforts.10
During the 1930s and 1940s Christine Hartley and Charles Seymour worked together under the aegis of the Stella Matutina lodge of the Golden Dawn, forming a Merlin Temple and pursuing their studies of Arthurian archetypes and the Grail. A partial account of their work is to be found in two books: Dancers to the Gods by Alan Richardson11 and Ancient Magics for a New Age by Richardson and Geoff Hughes.12 The latter also includes a fascinating account of Hughes’s own contemporary work in the tradition of the Merlin Temple. Other groups who have continued to work with the Grail and the Arthurian mysteries are Aurum Solis, or the Order of the Sacred Word, originally founded by Charles Kingold and George Stanton in 1897, and more recently continued by Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, who have released some of the order’s papers in the form of a series of books published under the general title of The Magical Philosophy.13 For those wishing to understand the magical work upon which so much modern esotericism is based, these are essential reading. In America, the Sangreal Sodality, founded by the British occultist William G. Gray, until recently operated a correspondence course based upon Gray’s extensive writings. These included a study of the background to the Western Inner Traditions and a series of ceremonials and sacraments loosely based on the Grail mysteries.14 These were not, of course, the first to explore the legends in this way. In particular we should mention A. E. Waite (1857–1942), whose books remain among the most thoroughgoing explorations of the hidden mysteries to be found within the medieval texts. In the USA Manly Palmer Hall (1901–1990), founder of the Philosophical Research Society, located astonishing depths of meaning in the stories of Arthur and the Grail in books such as Orders of the Quest (1948), expanded in The Adepts in the Western Esoteric Tradition (1949), and inspired follow-
… 8
introduction ers such as Corinne Heline (1882–1975), who in her book Mysteries of the Holy Grail (1977) rightly called the court of Arthur “a Mystery School.”15 In Germany Steiner taught extensively his own strand of mystical awareness of the Grail and Arthur, inspiring his fellow seeker Walter Johannes Stein to research and write a powerful book, The Ninth Century: World History in the Light of the Holy Grail (1923), of which I was instrumental in bringing out the English edition in 1991.16 In France notable esotericists such as Rene Guénon (1886–1951), Henry Corbin (1903–1978), and more recently Pierre Gallais17 have explored the Grail myths in particular, bringing their own intricate awareness of its place in the world. In Italy Julius Evola explored the initiatic aspects of the stories in his Mystery of the Grail.18 In Britain, where the Arthuriad finds its natural home, a succession of knowledgeable adepts have answered the call of Arthur—notably Dion Fortune (1890–1946), who founded the Fraternity of the Inner Light (later renamed the Society of the Inner Light) in 1927, a dedicated mystery school that continues to honor the Grail and Arthurian mysteries at the heart of its magical work and whose teachings empowered Gareth Knight, one of our own teachers, to follow the path of Arthurian enlightenment. Its sister organisation, the Servants of the Light (SOL)—founded by W. E. Butler in 1964, whose developing work began as the Helios Course by Gareth Knight and John Hall and today still flourishes under the watchful eye of Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki (also one of our teachers)—places considerable emphasis on the same teachings. The poet Charles Williams, a follower of Waite and himself a member of Stella Matutina, founded the Order of the Co-Inherence within an intimate circle of friends in 1917. This was something closer to Waite’s idea of a secret Christian order existing alongside the outer work of the church and was more of a mystical brotherhood than a proper magical order. It feels, indeed, not unlike what we have learned to call the Company of Hawkwood, with its variable membership who have followed where we led over the past thirty-one years. At the end of his study of the Holy Spirit, The Descent of the Dove, Williams wrote words that still resonate with us, in terms that apply equally to the Arthurian mysteries: The apprehension of this order, in nature and in grace, without and within Christendom, should be, now, one of our chief concerns; it might indeed be worth the foundation of an Order within the Christian Church (where) the pattern might be stressed, the image confirmed. The order of the Co-Inherence would exist only for that, to mediate and practice it…The Order would have no easy labour. But, more than can be imagined, it might find that, in this present world, its labour was never more needed, its concentration never more important, its profit never perhaps more great.19
… 9
introduction This book is dedicated to all those who have shared our journey as students, scholars, fellow travellers, correspondents around the world—the “friends of myth,” as we like to think of them. And, of course, to all the many who will answer the call of Arthur—as well as of Guinevere, Merlin, Lancelot, Perceval, Argante, and the mighty throng of archetypal beings who walk at our sides and open the way to the vast and mighty realm of the otherworld that underpins everything we read and write and study. As you follow them, be prepared to find yourselves standing in front of many doors, entrances to the truly magical realm of Arthur. Prepare to share in the visions and the adventures that lead to the very heart of what has rightly been called the Western Mystery Tradition. This is of its nature a retrospective work, and some of this material has appeared in a different format in other publications. It has generally been revised and rewritten for this book.
Note To distinguish between the various contributors without unnecessarily interrupting the flow of the text, we have placed initials next to the subheading where one or other of the writers has made a major contribution: • John Matthews ( JM) • Caitlín Matthews (CM) • Virginia Chandler (VC)
… 10
HOW TO WORK WITH THIS BOOK
T
here are many ways to celebrate the Arthurian mysteries, and no two individuals or groups will be the same. Each and every one who hears the call of Arthur and the Grail and decides to follow this path will find their own way of working. The instructions in part 2 of this book are not set in stone; they are there to help you discover your preferences and encourage you to read, study, and devise your own variations to the teachings outlined below. It is not necessary to have studied esoteric methods of working; however, some basic knowledge of visualization is certainly helpful and will help deepen the truths that emerge from working though this book. Instructions in chapter 9 will show you how to create a sacred space in your home or outside that can become a focus for all your work with this material. The knowledge papers contained in part 1 are intended to provide background information for everyone who answers the call of Arthur. Along with the information and reading lists contained in part 3, you should find everything you need to get started. If you are already a practitioner of the sacred arts or belong to a group or order, we hope you will find new and inspiring details in the book to further your practice. It is hoped you will follow your own course of reading (as many will already have done) and find yet more in the seemingly inexhaustible depths of the Arthuriad. The practical exercises in part 2, while they are arranged around the four seasons and grouped by theme, can in fact be worked in any order. You will also notice that they follow, broadly, the order of the knowledge papers in part 1. Again, these are not intended to be followed in strict rotation and can be adapted to suit each practitioner. Although this part of the book, “A Year in Camelot,” is intended to enable a twelve-month period of study, this may be extended to any period you wish; all studies of this kind should be taken at their own pace and certainly not rushed.
… 11
how to work with this book When we began our own writing and teaching programs over forty years ago, it was necessary to offer a considerable amount of explanation on such matters as how to meditate, how to behave in a ritual, etc. None of this is necessary now due to the greatly increased experience of practitioners and the vast number of books that cover these details. The notes that follow are offered as guidelines only and can be skipped by those whose training is advanced enough.
The Art of Meditation The most important instruction for meditation is to make sure you are not going to be disturbed. Turn off your mobile phone, put away your tablet, hang up your house phone, and make sure that no one with whom you share your home will disturb you for as long as you need. Next, be sure you are comfortable. An upright chair is always better than a couch or a bed as you might find yourself drifting off to sleep. Relax and take some deep breaths, clearing your mind of the background noise that accompanies us everywhere. It is a good idea to read the texts first, either aloud or to yourself. If you have a recording device you might wish to read them into it so that you can play them back and allow the images to rise naturally, rather than having to see them while you are reading or immediately after. Whichever method you adopt, the important thing is to be there, within the scenes described, as totally as possible. Remember that you are a part of these scenes and that you should be experiencing them yourself, not watching them happen on an inner TV screen. The more you invest the scenes you are seeing with a sense of awareness—seeing the stones of the castle wall, feeling the breeze from the sea on your face or the grass beneath your feet, hearing the words that are addressed to you—the more you will gain from the experience. Your senses will enable you to build the scenes described in your imagination over time and take on a life of their own, often developing and leading you further in. You will see that pauses (ellipses) are noted within each visualization to enable you to receive your own impressions. With a little practice you should be able to construct the scenes described in such a way that they possess tactile reality. Once this is achieved you can move easily from one reality to another. Remember that you can repeat any of the visualizations as often as you need if you do not receive any insights on the first occasion. Repetition is not just for beginners but for all practitioners—it allows our practice to be supported and to endure. If you should find yourself disturbed by anything you see, you can always return to your own place and time by simply blanking out the images and reasserting the solidity of your normal surroundings.
… 12
how to work with this book Finally, always write down your impressions or realizations immediately after your inner journey. Sometimes these may not seem very relevant at the time, but often later you may find yourself looking back on these records and discovering things you missed at the time. Indeed, keeping a magical diary, in which you can record the experiences you have when working with the Arthurian mysteries, is an important adjunct to your progress and insures you do not lose touch with your ongoing work.
Mediation and Ritual The difference between meditation and mediation is something that is not often discussed and less often understood. Meditation, as discussed above, is a means of experiencing the other side of reality within the consciousness through the power of the imagination. In meditation we perceive with our interior senses the scenes and scenarios in which we partake. Several kinds of meditation exist, of course: passive, active, and mystical. In the passive kind, we merely receive impressions or come into a state of stillness; stillness brings us into a state of oneness and is a natural quieting of our being that should precede other forms of meditation. In the active kind, we move at will within the scenario that we are meditating upon, interacting and understanding; this may include elements of stillness and elements of mystical union. In mystical meditation, we draw closer to or merge with the sacred in its different forms, just as oil and water in a bottle can be shaken together; many spiritual traditions use this form to experience divine communion with their spiritual source. Mediation is a form of reconciling heaven and earth, the spiritual and the physical, gods and humans. It is the breathing in and breathing out of the universe that we acknowledge so that all within the cosmos partakes. It is an essential circuit of the gift of life. (See also chapter 4 on the foundation of temple work with regard to this.) Mediation is one of the first requirements of any priest or priestess since they are not there for their own gratification but are rather in service. Mediation is their primary work, bringing needs before the Divine and mediating divine help or wisdom to earth. If any magical practitioner is unaware of this factor, then any ritual becomes just a sacred play script in which there is no dynamic interaction of heaven and earth. For example, in a ritual a framework is created to make a container for sacred powers to be mediated: sometimes to the sacred powers from the earth, sometimes from the sacred powers to earth, often both. In a ritual that has been created to honor ancestors, the mediation of the ritual is towards the ancestors; in a ritual that has been made to accept a neophyte into a society, then the mediation is between the sacred powers of that society and the neophyte who is becoming an initiate of the society.
‌ 13
how to work with this book The concept and power of a ritual does not originate with its writer but comes from the otherworld and the powers, allies, and contacts with whom we work magically. We both receive and send forth the power of the ritual, getting ourselves out of the way. In this way, we share what has been received with the whole world. Thus, even if you do not actively participate in a ritual but read it as you might the rituals included in this book, you are still mediating the power that underpins the written word. Mediation is an ongoing prayer with our contacts, allies, guides, and spiritual sources. Unless it is present in magical work, there is no circuit of power in a state of exchange: any magical work becomes a one-way street. Mediation is the factor that is missing from sorcery or dark magic, which are manipulative, coercive, and selfish in intent. Mediation is done while standing on the threshold between earth and sky and in the presence of the abiding otherworld, where manifestation meets the unmanifest between time and eternity. It is where we acknowledge the gifts we are given and return thanks from whence they came. For most beginners, mediation is something that has to be learned: giving thanks, coming into stillness to experience divine powers, setting aside the self to perform the ritual or to receive the current of the meditation that they are doing. Any good mediation that has come from a contacted source will, after a while, take on its own life and begin to operate the mediator! This is where a sense of mediation is beginning to happen: communication and reciprocation take place. This doesn’t mean becoming an open channel for all and sundry to march through, but rather creating a path between the mediator and the guides and allies who enable the meditation. A dialogue begins that becomes natural, sustaining the soul and often shaping and guiding our actions. For experienced practitioners, mediation becomes the predominant part of the work that they do. Whether you notice older people in church praying quietly every day in the same way or mature magicians who rarely speak but when they do, it is from a considered place, you are meeting the mediators. Those who practice mediation carry a truthfulness and integrity in them that is more aware of community than of self. They are listening more deeply.
‌ 14
P ART ONE
Visions: The Knowledge Papers
1
THE KING AND THE MAGE
Whoever can read aright the myth of Merlin will understand the hidden place four-square in the Island of the Strong Door.
…
Manly P. Hall, Orders of the Quest
The Oldest Arthur The Arthurian legends are far older than many suppose. This is not the place to go into the historicity or otherwise of the man called Arthur—who may have lived in the second century AD or the fifth—but rather we shall be looking at the mythical and archetypal figure that is for all time. Nor will we deal overmuch with the literary history of Arthur, whose extended life begins in the eleventh century and is still very much with us today. This book will deal with another Arthur, one far older and deeper than the medieval king and his knights, yet whose outline can still be glimpsed in the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth, who wrote the first connected history to have survived in his History of the Kings of Britain,1 or in the vast, lush, and powerful medieval novel Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory,2 who magnificently delineated not only the mythic history of his hero but also gave us the best picture of Arthurian chivalry based on the reality of the fifteenth-century world but with a dash of something more. In fact, both of these Arthurs, along with many more—a multiple set of personalities existing side by side and within each other like nesting boxes—have been subsumed into the shadowy presence of a far older figure, who actually might have been a god.
… 17
chapter one We know very little about this first proto-Arthur, or, as he was probably known, Artos (which can mean “bear”). It is possible, though not provable, that a very ancient deity, a spirit of the land who ruled alongside his consort Artio, may lie at the root of all the rest, and that the other later “Arthurs”3 took the name in the full knowledge that they were assuming the mantle of an archetype that would both strengthen them and resonate with their followers. This might be the Roman Arthur of the second century AD who led a band of warriors from far-off Sarmatia (who brought their own Arthur-type myths with them) or the later fifth-century hero who brought together the feuding Celtic tribes and welded them into a force strong enough to keep out successive waves of invaders from Germany, Friesland, and Jutland for some forty years, stamping his personality and deeds so utterly on the land that he has never been forgotten.4 But again, it is not these historic Arthurs whose call we answer, though we may do more than nod to them across the centuries. The Arthur we seek is a far loftier figure, one who walks across the infinite reaches of space or lies sleeping under the green earth awaiting his own call to rise up and restore the fortunes of his native land. Despite the cosmic nature of this figure, he is not so far removed from us as we might think. He can and does reach out across the vastness of time and space to touch our hearts, and he may choose to walk with us on our journeys. He is a figure as much for the present as the past—a shining exemplar, a passionate teacher, and a wise and noble companion.
The Greatest Mage As do all great men and women, Arthur had a teacher: Merlin, a name almost as resonant as his own. Just as we will not trace the historical reality (or otherwise) of Arthur, so we shall not delay ourselves with speculations regarding the possible identity of Merlin. There is indeed a figure who bore the name Myrddin and who was a bard, a warrior, and a visionary, and who may have lived in the sixth or seventh centuries, but very little of this figure remains in the record of the time, and the reality of the Merlin we shall introduce in these pages is, again, a far older and more cosmic figure than the wizard of medieval and contemporary storytellers. Behind him stands an even more ancient being named Blaise, who was, according to some accounts, Merlin’s own teacher. He is a figure so distant that only through the journey of meditation can we access his teachings, and even then he may seem as distant as a star. For most of us he is Merlin the Magician, Merlin the Enchanter. He lives backwards in a crystal cave, growing younger every day, though in fact both of these details stem only from the world of twentieth-century fiction, where Merlin is very much alive. There, he wears a pointed
… 18
the king and the mage hat and starry cloak and carries a staff and may answer to the name of Gandalf, Dumbledore, or even Mr. Spock. But there is much more to him than this composite of medieval and modern imagery drawn from varying sources. Merlin’s roots go far deeper, and he is far older than any of these ideas of his history. Indeed, he has had many incarnations since he first arrived on the scene sometime in the fifth century AD as a prophet and shaman. From this shadowy beginning he has reappeared over the succeeding centuries as a medieval magician, an alchemist, a sage, and even as a lover. In our own time these elements have been combined into the figure we recognize from countless novels, films, plays, and even a couple of operas. Yet despite the fact that he is one of the most well-known characters in myth, legend, and literature, Merlin remains one of the most enigmatic and subtle players in the vast tapestry of the Arthurian legends. He said of himself, in the medieval text known as the Didot Perceval, “Because I am dark and always will be, my words shall be mysterious”—a truth which remains eminently true to this day. The oldest stories in which Merlin features derive from the great treasure trove of myth and legend belonging to the Celts. These sources, often forgotten or neglected, are important for a complete understanding of who he was, for while the Arthurian legends in which he plays such a leading part betray the influence of French and German storytellers, the myth of Merlin, in its purest form, draws upon traditions dating from far earlier than any of these. In fact, though we are more used to thinking of Merlin as a medieval magician who arranged the birth of Arthur, who created the Round Table, who set a magical sword into a stone, who performed great feats of magic before being shut under a stone or in a cave by the vengeful faery Nimue, there was another Merlin, an older Merlin whose life and deeds are very different from those of his medieval successor. This Merlin is not a magician but a seer and a prophet—or, as we might call him today, a shaman.5 The first shamans fulfilled many of the roles later attributed to Merlin: they were lore keepers, healers, prophets, diviners, and ceremonialists, as well as ambassadors to, and interpreters of, the gods. Shamans were born, not made; they were literally walkers between the worlds whose attunement to both tribal consciousness and the spirits of the otherworld was so fine that they could slip between the hidden chambers of life and death and report on what they saw there. It is upon the shaman’s revelations and visions that much of our oldest known religious practices and beliefs are founded. While individual tribal members had only a vague notion of the threshold dividing the worlds, not only could the shamans divine future events through interaction with the spirits of nature and of elemental forces, but they were also supremely sensitive to the will of the ancestors, the first gods.
… 19
chapter one In each of these aspects of the shaman we can find something of the character and actions of Merlin. He too is a mover and a shaper, a seer who offers profound insights into the inner worlds of the spirit. Even in the later medieval figure of the magician, weaving his spells and shaping the destiny of Arthur and his people, we can catch a glimpse of the shaman, while in the earliest records in which the name Merlin appears it is central to his character. These early records can be enigmatic, often not written down for several hundred years after they were first composed, held in oral memory in the form of poems meant to be spoken or sung by court bards in the halls of early Welsh chieftains; here we shall only touch upon them to demonstrate how ancient and powerful the archetype of Merlin really is. The first recorded mention of the name Merlin (in its Old Welsh form Myrddin or Mirdyn) is in a ninth-century poem called Y Gododdin that references a warrior called “Mirdyn,” though nothing more is said of his character or role, and we have no means of knowing whether this character is in any way related to the more famous Merlin.6 Another Welsh poem, the Armes Prydein (Prophecy of Britain) that dates from roughly the same period, is more helpful. It uses the phrase Dysgogan Myrdin (Merlin foretells) as the opening words to several of its stanzas. The poem foretells various events that are to come and establishes Merlin as a prophet.7 These brief references suggest that the name Merlin was known as long ago as the eighth or ninth centuries—possibly earlier since these references had almost certainly been preserved in oral tradition for several hundred years before this. Again, whether this Merlin has or had anything to do with the later character, the references are intriguing enough to give us pause for thought. Elsewhere, in a collection of poetic triplets used by the native British bards as a kind of aidemémoire for storytellers and poets, we also find mention of Merlin, who is even given a pedigree of sorts. These enigmatic writings, known as Trioedd Ynys Prydein, or the Triads of Britain,8 date in manuscript form from the thirteenth century, but their origins are once again much earlier, being traceable to sixth-century sources at least or even earlier if we refer them to oral tradition. Triad 87 lists Three Skillful Bards of Arthur’s Court: Myrddin son of Morfren. Myrddin Emrys, and Taliesin.9
This reference is particularly important, as it is the first time that Merlin is associated with Arthur, as well as suggesting that there may have been more than one Merlin. We should also
… 20
the king and the mage note that here Merlin is presented as a bard, a role which at this point in time was assumed to include not only the ability to write poetry and to sing, but also to possess prophetic insight. In his next appearance in the early literature of Wales, Merlin is not only a poet but also a warrior. A few enigmatic references scattered through a collection of medieval poems, some of which are actually attributed to Merlin himself, tell us a little more and hint at a story that would not be fully retold until the eleventh century.
Merlin and the Dragons Beyond these fragmentary references most of what we know about Merlin today derives from two written sources, both attributed to the medieval author Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100– 1155). The first, his History of the Kings of Britain (Historia Regum Brittaniae), deals only briefly with earlier rulers and concentrates most of its lively retelling on Arthur. But it is here that we meet Merlin for the first time in a role that has remained largely unchanged ever since. In Geoffrey’s account, Merlin’s first appearance forms a dramatic centerpiece to the first half of the Historia. Vortigern, a minor king, makes a bid for power after having the rightful king assassinated and bringing in Saxon mercenaries to fight the Picts in the north and his own enemies elsewhere. He is briefly popular, but his star soon wanes as more and more Saxons arrive and begin acquiring more extensive areas of land. Finally the exiled sons of the former high king return at the head of an army and Vortigern flees to Wales, where he intends to build a stronghold from where he can mount a counter-offensive. Having chosen a site, he sets his builders to work, but every night the progress they have made is undone by a mysterious agency. Vortigern consults his Druids and learns that only the blood of a fatherless child, spilled on the foundation stones, will ensure the completion of the fortress. Sent out to search for such a child, Vortigern’s soldiers discover Merlin at Carmarthen. He is the son of a Welsh princess, but no one knows his father. The woman and her son are brought before Vortigern, and Merlin’s mother explains that she has led a devout and pure life, but that she was visited in her chamber by a mysterious being who fathered the child upon her. Vortigern is tempted to disbelieve this account, but Merlin himself speaks out in defense of his mother and challenges Vortigern and his Druids to explain the real reason why the tower will not stand. He tells them that there is a pool beneath the hilltop and that within it is a stone coffer containing two dragons, one red and the other white, who battle mightily every night, thus causing the ground to shake and the work of the king’s masons to fall. Vortigern orders his men to dig and finds that everything is as Merlin foretold. The wise child then explains that the red dragon symbolizes the Britons and the white dragon the Saxons, and prophecies that after
… 21
chapter one a time the white will overcome the red. He then goes into a trance and for the next fourteen pages in Geoffrey’s book proceeds to expound the future of the race to the very end of time. Among other events, he prophesies the coming of Arthur, “the Boar of Cornwall,” who will “bring relief from these invaders, for it will trample their necks beneath its feet,” and warns Vortigern of his own forthcoming death. The end of this extraordinary outburst is apocalyptic, with references to a riot among the planetary houses and the fall of deadly rain. Finally, “in the twinkling of an eye the seas shall rise up and the arena of the winds shall be opened once again. The Winds shall do battle together with a blast of ill omen, making their din reverberate from one constellation to another.”10 The structure and content of these prophecies show a remarkable grasp of the tides that control the fate of the world, and Merlin’s vision of the future is as terrifying as anything foretold by Nostradamus several hundred years later. Wherever Geoffrey found the material for this part of his book, it was clearly not from his own mind, indicating that he was in some way the recipient of a body of traditional lore associated with Merlin. From this point onward Merlin is forever associated with dragon energy, the lifeblood of the earth that races and thunders beneath our feet wherever we go and that is most active in the ley lines which crisscross our planet, carrying energy from place to place. Geoffrey’s book became, by medieval standards, an overnight bestseller, with dozens of manuscripts being copied and distributed. The author, emboldened by the success of his first book, turned to Merlin as the subject of his second work, the Vita Merlini, or Life of Merlin,11 completed around 1150. For this he turned to earlier records, many now lost, and re-created Merlin as a seer and a shaman.
The Life of Merlin At the beginning of the Vita, Merlin is described as a king of the South Welsh, famed far and wide for his wisdom and power. When war breaks out between Gwendollau, the king of Scotland, and Peredur, a prince of North Wales, Merlin fights alongside two local lords named Peredur and Rodarchus. Also mentioned are three “brothers of the prince” who are mighty warriors and slay many of the enemy until they are themselves slain. The effect of this on Merlin is profound. He laments their deaths movingly and commands a tomb to be raised over them. Finally, the weight of sorrow at their loss overthrows his mind and he runs mad, fleeing from the battlefield into the forest. Merlin now becomes a “man of the woods,” living on roots and grasses, observing the wild animals and even conversing with them and generally displaying
… 22
the king and the mage all the aspects of the traditional figure of the shaman. Here we are firmly in the world described in the poems attributed to Merlin. When winter comes he finds it increasingly hard to survive. He complains of this aloud in verses that clearly show Geoffrey’s indebtedness to older poems collected within his lifetime by monkish scribes. One day a man hears his laments. He is from the court of King Rodarchus, who is now married to Merlin’s sister Ganeida (Gwendydd in Welsh). He reports what he has seen and heard and a party is at once dispatched to the forest to capture the wild man and bring him back to court. They send a bard with the soldiers, and it is this man’s playing that brings Merlin back to the edge of sanity. Through music he remembers both his sister and his wife—a shadowy figure named Guendolena who has almost no part to play in the story, though her existence will contribute to Merlin’s history later on.
The Triple Death Once back at court, the sights and sounds and the large gathering of people drive Merlin back into his shell of madness. He begs to be allowed to return to the woods he has grown to love, but Rodarchus has him incarcerated until he can be restored to health. A famous episode now follows that was to be repeated several times in the later stories of Merlin. When he sees Ganeida with her husband, he laughs aloud. Puzzled, the king demands to know what causes this mirth. For an answer, Merlin says that when he saw Rodarchus remove a leaf from his wife’s hair, he laughed because he knew that she had got it while meeting with her lover in the woods. Furious, the king rounds on Ganeida, but she conceals her guilt by dismissing her brother’s words as those of a madman. She then offers to put the king’s mind at rest by proving just how mad Merlin is. She sends for a boy and asks Merlin how he will die. He replies that the boy will drown. Ganeida then sends the boy away, has his hair cut and different clothes put on him, and presents him again to Merlin, asking the same question. This time he says the boy will die by falling from a cliff. Finally, Ganeida has the boy dressed as a girl and asks the same question for a third time. Merlin laughs and says that “he” will hang. By this time everyone is convinced that Merlin is truly mad, and they prepare to release him back into the wild. Ganeida and Guendolena make an effort to persuade him to stay, but he refuses. Ganeida at this point asks him if his wife should be allowed to remarry, and Merlin says that she may do as she pleases but that any man who marries her should watch out and never come near him. He then returns to the forest.
… 23
chapter one Shortly after, the boy for whom Merlin predicted three separate deaths is out riding and falls from the back of his horse over a cliff; his foot is caught in a tree branch, and as he hangs there upside-down his head goes beneath the waters of a river and he drowns. Thus Merlin’s prediction is proved true as the boy falls, is hung, and drowns in the same moment. This whole episode focuses on a very ancient theme indeed. Among the early Celts such a triple death would have marked the one who suffered it as being chosen by the gods. Evidence has come to light in recent years suggesting that those chosen for sacrifice may have been killed in this way. The body of a man found in a peat bog in Cheshire and dating from the first century AD was found to have been both strangled and had his throat cut before he was thrown into the water. The contents of his stomach indicate that he had eaten a ritual meal just before his death, suggesting that he was indeed a chosen victim offered to the gods, whose otherworldly kingdom was believed to be accessed though water. The presence of this episode in the Vita points to a genuinely ancient source for this part of the story, perhaps a distant memory of a time when a figure not unlike Merlin would have served as a priest—and may himself have dealt the triple death to a chosen sacrificial victim. It is very much in line with the shamanic aspects of his character.
Merlin in the House of Stars In the Vita time passes and Guendolena finally plans to remarry, having given up any hope of seeing Merlin again. He, watching the stars, reads this coming event and feels abandoned. He summons a herd of deer and, riding on the back of a stag, drives them before him to the court. There, seeing Guendolena’s would-be bridegroom standing in a window laughing at him, Merlin wrenches off the stag’s antlers and throws them, killing the man instantly. Officers from the court pursue him and catch him when he falls into a river. He is brought back to the court in chains and on the way laughs aloud twice more, apparently without reason. When he hears this, Rodarchus is consumed with curiosity and demands to know why. At first Merlin refuses to explain anything, but he finally agrees to talk if he is allowed to return to the forest. Rodarchus agrees, and Merlin explains that the first time he laughed was when he saw a man begging in the street, little knowing that he was sitting on top of a hoard of gold (a story also told of the biblical prophet Elijah). The second time was when he saw a man buying a new pair of shoes, though in fact he would drown in the river a few hours later. Once again both predictions are proved true and Merlin is set free. Before he departs, Ganeida again begs him not to leave, but Merlin is adamant.
… 24
the king and the mage Why, my dear sister, do you strive so hard to hold me back? Neither winter with its storms, nor the chill north wind when it rages with savage blast and lashes the flocks of bleating sheep with sudden hail-shower…will be able to deter me from seeking the forest wilderness and the green glades…12
Then he relents. After all, food might grow short, so he lets his sister build him a house with seventy doors and windows through which he may study the stars and read the future of the nation. Further, let there be many secretaries trained to record what I say, and let them concentrate on committing my prophetic songs to paper. Come here often yourself, dear sister, and you will be able to stay my hunger with food and drink.13
It could be said indeed that those who work magically with the archetype of Merlin today are “secretaries” taking down his wisdom. So Ganeida builds Merlin a house with seventy doors and windows, as requested, and comes to visit him as often as she can. Most of the time he continues to live under the trees, but in winter he retreats inside to watch the stars and to prophesy. Soon after this he is joined by the bard Taliesin, and the two wise men fall to talking of the mysteries: wind, weather, and the secrets of creation. As we observe Merlin and the bard discussing the wonders of creation, we may notice a significant detail. Taliesin recalls how together he and Merlin carried the wounded Arthur from the Battle of Camlan and, with the help of the mythical ferryman Barinthus, took him to the Island of Apples, ruled over by a ninefold sisterhood, of whom the first and most famous is named Morgen. This character will later metamorphose into the familiar Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s half sister and archenemy in the great medieval epics that follow; here she is represented as a goddesslike figure well-versed in the healing arts, once again proving Geoffrey’s familiarity with more ancient folklore and myth, in which Morgane (under the guise of the Morrighan) appears as a goddess of war. This remains one of the oldest sources that connect Arthur, Morgen, and Avalon, and here for the first time we learn of the fateful Battle of Camlan and of Arthur’s eventual end. These memories prompt Merlin to begin a further strand of prophecies about the leaders who will follow Arthur. But while the two seers are thus engaged, word comes of a new spring that has broken forth from the ground nearby. They go to view this, and when Merlin drinks from it his mind is at last restored. Word of this reaches Ganeida and the rest of the court, and people begin to make their way into the woods to ask Merlin to lead them again. But he refuses, pleading old age and a desire to retire from the world and to continue his observances from
… 25
chapter one within his house. Taliesin decides to remain also, and soon after Ganeida also comes to join them. Ganeida herself now finally begins to express her own prophetic gifts, the powers she has shared with Merlin but had chosen to lay aside in her role as queen and mother to her children. Many of these events, especially the stories of the wild man of the woods and his prophetic gift, strike a shamanic note. As with most traditional shamanic figures, seership comes after a period of sickness or seeming madness. In common also with such people, Merlin lives separately from his fellow men in the forest, eating grasses and roots. He talks with animals, watches the stars, and makes prognostications from events he has observed. Like shamans from the dawn of time, people come to consult him and he responds with revelatory visions. Virtually every aspect of his character as depicted here seems to point to memories of the shamans who once served as guides and interpreters of the mysterious world around them. Geoffrey gives us an unforgettable portrait of Merlin: intensely human, crushed by the horror of war, yet crafty and cunning as any shaman of the old world. His Merlin is a lover also, capable of experiencing jealousy, yet he harbours an awesome power—the gift of prophecy and seership that enable him to foretell the future and see the truth hidden beneath everyday events. By presenting him in this way, Geoffrey established a basic pattern for the characterization of Merlin, which would be reworked again and again through the ages. Like the ancient shamans in whose footsteps he treads, Merlin is an elemental figure here who may perhaps remind us of the Green Man, a powerful nature spirit of ancient and worldwide tradition who represented the very essence of the natural world. But when he withdraws into the forest again, as he does at the end of Geoffrey’s tale, to live not in the wilderness but in an observatory from which he studies the pathways of the stars, he has already begun to transform into another Merlin. This being is both a prophet and a magician, and it is in this guise that we shall meet with him again and again in our journey to Camelot.
Merlin’s Esplumoir It has become customary to view the end of Merlin’s career in a certain light: as an ageing magician captivated by a young woman. In this scenario Merlin is beguiled into giving away his greatest secrets in return for sexual favours; once the temptress—whose name may be Nimue, Niniane, or Vivienne—has succeeded in extracting this knowledge, she at once uses it to imprison her aged lover, sometimes under a great rock, sometimes within a hawthorn bush, sometimes in a glass tower. From here he is said to utter elusive prophecies or gnomic sayings, while in some versions the Perron de Merlin, or stone of Merlin, becomes a starting point for
… 26
the king and the mage adventure, to which those in search of the strange or the mysterious resort to await events or instruction. Such is the story which Malory gives us in the Morte d’Arthur (book IV, ch. 1): Merlin fell in a dotage on the damosel that King Pellinore brought to court, and she was one of the damosels of the lake, called Nimue. But Merlin would let her have no rest, but always he would be with her. And ever she made Merlin good cheer till she learned of him all manner thing that she desired; and he was assotted on her, that he might not be from her…and always Merlin lay about the lady to have her maidenhead, and she was ever passing weary of him…and she could not be rid of him by no means. And so on a time it happed that Merlin showed her in a rock whereat was a great wonder, and wrought by enchantment, that went under a great stone. So by her subtle working she made Merlin to go under that stone to let her wit of the marvels there; but she wrought so there for him that he came never out for all the craft he could do. And so she departed and left Merlin.
In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini and elsewhere, Merlin reaches a great age, or a particular stage of spiritual development, and decides to retire from the world of his own accord. He is sometimes still accompanied by a female companion, though, as in the Vita, it is more likely to be his sister than his lover, and the place of retirement may still be a tower, an island, or a cave, but these are all seen as places of Merlin’s own choosing or even construction. To understand this aspect of the story, we need to ask why Merlin should withdraw from the world. We have already suggested one answer: that he sought further knowledge or the opportunity to grow. However, this may only be one aspect of the truth. There are, in fact, several other figures, though from different traditions, each of whom shares some of Merlin’s attributes as prophet, mystic, and seer, and has a specific reason for withdrawing. Consideration of these figures may help to clarify matters. The figures in question are generally known by the term “hidden” or “inner” kings, beings who have responsibility for a particular aspect of tradition or teaching and who continue to administer this even after they have withdrawn from active participation in the world, although they are not actually dead. Among the most notable are Melchizedek, Enoch, Elijah—and Merlin himself. Despite their many differences, these figures share certain important aspects. They are all mysterious, shadowy beings who appear at a time of crucial import and who seem to have neither an orthodox beginning nor end to their lives. Finally, they each withdraw or disappear, leaving conflicting accounts of their actual existence, function, or allegiance. Melchizedek was “without beginning or end”14 while Enoch “walked with God and was not”15 but beyond this seems to have no point of origin. Enoch is first mentioned in Jewish
… 27
chapter one traditional sources—significantly, as we shall see—as living in a hidden place from which he watches and records the deeds of mankind and holds occasional converse with God. Later he is represented as a king over men who ruled for more than two hundred years before being summoned by God to rule over the angelic hosts. To this rather sparse account we can add, from various other sources, that Enoch visited heaven, often while still in the flesh, and that he was instructed by Archangel Michael in all things, after which he wrote some 366 books—an interesting detail, as some have claimed that Merlin wrote the same number of prophetic books. When transported to heaven, Enoch had bestowed upon him “extraordinary wisdom, sagacity, judgment, knowledge, learning, compassion, love, kindness, grace, humility, strength, power, might, splendour, beauty, shapeliness and all other excellent qualities,” and received besides many thousand blessings from God, and his height and breadth became equal to the height and breadth of the world, and thirty-six wings were attached to his body to the right and to the left, each as large as the world, and three hundred and sixty-five thousand eyes were bestowed upon him, each as brilliant as the sun…16
The description continues for several more paragraphs, outlining a truly cosmic figure. At the end it is revealed that Enoch—whose name, not surprisingly perhaps, means “the enlightened one”—received a new name. As the text puts it: A magnificent throne was erected for him beside the gates of the seventh celestial palace, and a herald proclaimed throughout heaven concerning him, who was henceforth to be called Metatron. God declares: I have appointed my servant Metatron as prince and chief over all other princes in my realm…whatever angel has a request to refer to me, shall appear before Metatron, and what he will command at my bidding, ye must observe and do, for the Prince of Wisdom and the Prince of Understanding are at his service, and they will reveal unto him the science of the celestials and the terrestrials, and knowledge of the present order of the world, and the knowledge of the future order of the world. Furthermore have I made him guardian of the treasures of the palace of heaven, Arabot, and of the treasures of life that are in the highest heavens.17
Enoch has thus become a Lord of Hosts and a guardian of the treasures of life in heaven. More interestingly, he is also said to have assumed the position left vacant by the fall of Lucifer. He thus balances the uneven ranks of the angelic host, and perhaps it is not stretching the analogy too far to see here an echo of the place left empty at the Round Table, which will one day be filled by the destined champion of the Grail. In the description of the revelation of the sciences celestial and terrestrial, the knowledge of present and future, we have another analogy
… 28
the king and the mage of the knowledge and wisdom of Merlin, derived from within his observatory with its seventy doors and windows. That he is also a guardian of treasures adds yet a further parallel, as Merlin is also said to guard the Thirteen Treasures of Britain.18 Many ages after the withdrawal of Enoch, another figure appears to represent the mysterious hierarchy of the withdrawn kings. This is Elijah, who even in biblical sources comes across as a rather cantankerous, argumentative character, not at all above telling God how things ought to be done. The story is told that when the time came for him to ascend to heaven, the Angel of Death was reluctant to admit him. Elijah argued so violently before the gates of heaven that God himself was forced to intervene and gave permission for a wrestling match between Elijah and the angel. Elijah was victorious and now sits with Enoch and Melchizedek, like them recording the deeds of mankind. He is also seen as a psychopomp, detailed to stand at the crossroads of paradise and guide the righteous dead to their appointed place. He is thus, like both Enoch and Merlin, a way-shower, guiding travellers on an inner journey, and, like Enoch, he rules over a portion of paradise. Many stories are told of Elijah’s travels through the world and of his many disguises, through which he becomes something of a joker, though always remaining a stern judge of human frailty. Thus he is often to be found travelling the roads with some unsuspecting companion, behaving in an extraordinary manner or laughing unaccountably as one who knows the inner truth of the situation from an unknown source. In this he resembles Merlin closely, since there are several well-attested instances of “Merlin’s laughter,” where he has perceived things unseen by others and finds the foolishness of men too funny to restrain his mirth. Indeed, there are so many similarities between Elijah and Merlin that it is very easy to pass from one to the other, especially if one considers one of the most significant accounts of Merlin’s end. It is found in the medieval Grail romance known as the Didot Perceval. Here Merlin declares that God “did not wish him to show himself to people any longer, yet that he should not be able to die until the end of the world.” To Perceval, he adds: “I wish to make a lodging outside your palace and dwell there, and I shall prophesy wherever our lord commands me. And all those who see my lodging will name it the Esplumoir (or Molting Cage) of Merlin.”19 The word esplumoir takes us even more deeply into the heart of the mystery that connects Merlin to the inner kings and also provides the true reason for his withdrawal.
The Nest of Vision Much speculation has gone into the meaning of the word esplumoir, since there is no exact equivalent in English. For a long while it was believed that the term originated from the cage
… 29
chapter one in which hunting falcons were kept, and that because Merlin happened to share his name with an actual bird of prey, an elaborate pun was intended. In one sense this was correct, since birds molt in order to change and to grow fresh plumage, and Merlin himself, under another guise, is described as wearing a cloak of feathers and living like a bird in a tree. However, the real meaning of esplumoir is even stranger and takes us into some very curious areas. In Celtic tradition we find an episode from the Voyage of Maelduin, in which the travellers arrive at an island where they see a huge bird renew itself over and over in the waters of a lake. When one of the crew drinks this water, he is said never again to be troubled with bad eyesight or toothache, so strong are the properties of the water. The same text adds a biblical reference for the validity of this episode, from the psalm which says “You shall renew yourselves as eagles,”20 and it is to a biblical, or rather a Hebraic, source that we must turn for a further definition of the esplumoir. In the Zohar, one of the most important mystical texts of the Judaic tradition, we find a description of paradise that both recalls the earlier passages dealing with Enoch and Elijah and takes us a step further. In this passage we read of a part of heaven in which is “a certain hidden place, which no eye has seen but those to whom God shows it, and which is called ‘the Bird’s Nest’…Within this the Messiah (in Jewish tradition there are many Messiahs, so that Christ is not necessarily meant here) lies ailing, in the fifth hall of Paradise, in the Castle of Souls, the Bird’s Nest, visited only by Elijah, who comforts him.”21 This conjures up a scene that will be well known to students of the Grail. There, in many different texts, we find an old, ailing king lying in the hall of the Grail Castle (which could certainly be termed the Castle of the Soul) visited by Arthur’s knights. When we discover that in a romance almost contemporary to the first known compilation of the texts that became the Zohar, this same king is called “Messias”—a word that could only have come from the Hebrew—the parallel is even greater. What, then, of the “Bird’s Nest”? The text further describes it as a place of prophetic vision: The Messiah enters that abode, lifts up his eyes, and beholds the Fathers (Patriarchs) visiting the ruins of God’s sanctuary. He perceives mother Rachel with tears upon her face; the Holy One, blessed be He, tries to comfort her, but she refuses to be comforted. Then the Messiah lifts up his voice and weeps and the whole Garden of Eden quakes, and all the righteous saints who are there break out in crying and lamentation with him. When the crying and weeping resound for the second time, the whole firmament above the Garden begins to shake, and the cry echoes from five hundred myriads of supernal hosts, until it reaches the highest throne.22
… 30
the king and the mage Merlin, also, when he enters his esplumoir, is able to see things that others cannot: glimpses of British history, just as the Messiah sees glimpses of Jewish history. There is, also, a marked similarity between the apocalyptic descriptions in the Zohar and the extraordinary visions of Merlin in both the Vita Merlini and the earlier Prophecies set out in Latin by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the middle of the twelfth century. Nor should we be surprised by these points of similarity between Christian and Judaic authorities; the barriers between the two cultures in the Middle Ages were far less severe than is often supposed. It is more than likely that any one of the widely read, much-travelled romance writers could have encountered the tradition embodied in the Zohar and elsewhere, and that it became a seed planted in the soil of their own vision. Thus Chrétien, who was the first to capture the story of the Grail in a coherent form, may himself have been a converted Jew or at least may have had access to the extensive Jewish library in his hometown of Troyes.23 In Celtic literature also, long recognized as a primary source for the Arthurian myths, are descriptions of the otherworldly abode of the dead, in which both Enoch and Elijah are described as living on a mysterious island until the day of judgment, while in an early poem of the bard Taliesin, who also identified himself with Merlin, we find the line “I was instructor to Elijah and Enoch.”24 Merlin likewise is said to retire to a glass house containing the Thirteen Treasures of Britain—including the Cauldron of Annwn, the Celtic Grail—and this also is on an island. Indeed, an early nineteenth-century scholar interpreted this in his own particular way, describing a museum of rarities in King Arthur’s time…which Myrddin ap Morfran, the Caledonian, upon the destruction of that place, carried with him to the house of glass in the isle of Enill or Bardsey…This house of glass, it seems, was the museum where they kept their curiosities to be seen by everybody, but not handled; and it is probable that Myrddin…was the keeper of their museum in that time…25
Merlin’s esplumoir is here both a treasure house and a place of prophecy, as is the Bird’s Nest, and within it, like Enoch and Elijah, Merlin notes down the history of mankind to a clerk named Helyas, whose name is a corruption of Elijah and who writes down all that Merlin recounts from inside his retreat, just as Blaise does for Merlin in other versions of the Arthuriad. Again, remembering how, in the Vita Merlini, Merlin withdraws to his observatory to study the heavens and the mysteries of creation, we see another version of the molting cage as a place of study and learning—a place where, in the magical inner realm built by Merlin himself in another dimension, the prophet and wise man can put together the fragments of his knowledge to make
… 31
chapter one a whole. This is Merlin as phoenix, and we may remember that in the thirteenth-century poem Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, the Grail is described as a stone, having the properties of renewal, “like that from which the phoenix renews itself when it is near to death, and from which it arises again restored.” There are a number of references in Arthurian literature to an early name for Britain being Clas Merddin, Merlin’s Enclosure, and it is said elsewhere that he built a wall of brass around this island to protect it from invasion or attack; here, perhaps, we have another aspect of the esplumoir. Along with the references to Clas Merddin are many more that relate the island of Britain to the magical realm of Faery. In a text concerning the adventures of Ogier le Dane, a hero once as famous as Arthur, we find him carried off to Avalon by Morgan le Fay. The description is interesting: The barge on which Ogier was, floated across the sea until it came near the Castle of Loadstone, which is called the Castle of Avalon, which is not far this side of the Terrestrial Paradise, whither were wrapt in a flame of fire Enoch and Elijah, and where was also Morgan le Fay…26
Virtually the same story is found in a thirteenth-century Spanish Arthurian romance called La Faula by Guillem de Torroella.27 Here we have descriptions of the otherworld in which are not only Morgan le Fay but also Enoch and Elijah. Again, in the Vita Merlini, we find a description of Britain that leaves us in no doubt that the tradition drawn upon here saw this island in a particular light. Britain is …foremost and best, producing in its fruitfulness every single thing. For it bears crops which throughout the year give the noble gifts of fragrance to man, and it has woods and glades with honey dripping in them, and lofty mountains and broad green fields, fountains and rivers, fishes and cattle and wild beasts, fruit trees, gems, precious metals, and whatever creative nature is in the habit of furnishing.28
This is Avalon as much as it is Britain; Merlin’s isle, where adventure begins at the stone that bears his name, and where his voice may be heard upraised in prophetic utterance.
The Withdrawn King Together with Enoch, Elijah, Melchizedek, and many more, Merlin has become a withdrawn or inner king, one who has chosen to enter an inner realm from which he will no longer play a direct role in the affairs of the world, electing instead to mediate events at a deeper level, where the barriers between humanity and the otherworld are less defined.
… 32
the king and the mage This new house is the real esplumoir, the molting cage where it is possible to sever all ties with the outer world and move towards another state of being. There are parallels for this in many other areas of study, including Sufism or the Qabalah. This shifting jigsaw of people and places happens outside of time, where different names are given to the same people manifesting in time and at each junction taking on a new aspect with an ongoing purpose. A late medieval manuscript wonders how so wise a man as Merlin could have allowed himself to be entrapped by a girl and speculates as to the real nature of the story: For there are a variety of opinions and talk among the people, for some of them hold that… Merlin was a spirit in human form, who was in that shape from the time of Vortigern until the beginning of King Arthur when he disappeared…After that, this spirit appeared again in the time of Maelgwn Gwynedd at which time he was called Taliesin, who is said to be alive yet in a place called Caer Sidia. Then, he appeared a third time in the days of Morfran Frych son of Esyllt whose son he was said to be, and in this period he was called Merlin the Mad. From that day to this, he is said to be resting in Caer Sidia, whence certain people believe firmly that he will rise up once again before Doomsday.29
Merlin is evidently still seen as active from within the sphere of Caer Sidi (misspelled “Sidia”), which is yet another name for the Celtic otherworld, as well as a place where a famous prisoner, Gwair (or Guri or Mabon), once resided.30 In the other, parallel version, Enoch/Metatron begins as a replacement for Lucifer, righting the balance of power in heaven. He reappears as Melchizedek, initiating a line of priestly kings who lead to Christ and beyond, to the Grail itself. He reappears next as Enoch, who becomes Sandalphon, the way-shower, and returns yet again as Merlin, who takes the Grail to the Nesting Place, the Bird’s Nest, the esplumoir, from where it passes into other hands. This is all a far cry from the view of a lovesick old fool who allows himself to be tricked into an imprisonment from which he cannot escape. Here Merlin’s withdrawal is a willing one, made from choice, to allow him the freedom of spirit necessary to enable him to grow and change. This can best be brought about within the chamber of the Grail, which is called by many different names but had only one identity, like the withdrawn kings. They are the same, yet different, as is the Grail and all it stands for. Merlin is one of those figures that travels through the world for a while, only to withdraw again into the inner realm.
Merlin’s Mysteries As soon as we move beyond these impressive beginnings into the epic landscape of the medieval romances that made Arthur famous the world over, we see just how deeply Merlin’s work
… 33
chapter one is woven into the tapestry of the Arthurian world. According to the medieval stories, Merlin is a failed Antichrist whose mother is visited in her chamber by a golden man who lies with her and gets her with child. When it is born, the infant is strange, otherworldly, covered in black hair. His mother sees a merlin hawk flying over and names him for it and has him baptized so that the black hairy pelt falls off him and he is no longer part of the plot to destroy humanity. However, the child retains the knowledge that came to him from his dark origins, only now he uses it to the betterment of humanity by attempting to found a perfect earthly kingdom ruled over by Arthur and Guinevere. Other sources suggest that the being that visited Merlin’s mother in secret was a faery, one of the Sidhe perhaps, so that Merlin had faery blood. Another idea is that he was born in and from the great forest of Broceliande, the place evoked by Dante in his famous line “Midway though this life I woke to find myself in a dark wood…”,31 a dark wood that somehow contains the whole of human consciousness, all our dreams and nightmares or hopes and fears—an endless pool of knowledge from which Merlin borrows what he needs to create the Arthurian kingdom.
The Begetting of Arthur Once Merlin had been drawn into the sphere of the Arthurian tradition, it was inevitable that his role should become that of guardian and guide to the young king. More importantly, he is seen as active in the actual process of the future king’s conception, as though echoing his own strange birth to produce another child of wonder. Once again it is Geoffrey of Monmouth, who did so much to shape the Arthurian mythos, who gives us the earliest surviving version of the story. Though well known, it is worth looking at again. In the Historia after the triumphant return of Aurelius and Uther, the former rules only briefly before being poisoned, after which Uther becomes king. His first victory, over the Saxons, is aided by an alliance with Gorlois, duke of Cornwall, and at the celebrations that take place after the battle, the duke’s wife, Ygerna, is present. As soon as he sees her, Uther is immediately filled with desire for her, with the result that he took no notice of anything else, but devoted all his attention to her. To her and to no one else he kept ordering plates of food to be passed to her. Also, he kept sending his own personal attendants with golden goblets of wine…When Ygerna’s husband saw what was happening, he was so annoyed that he withdrew from the court without taking leave.32
This made Uther so angry that he declared war on his former ally and raised a huge army to pursue Gorlois back to his lands. Fearing for his life and the safety of his wife, the duke placed
… 34
the king and the mage her in the care of trusted officers in the castle of Tintagel. He himself fortified the nearby camp at Dimilioc. Learning of this, Uther attacked both places and was repulsed. Tintagel Castle itself was virtually impregnable, and the knowledge that Ygerna was within drove Uther mad. At the suggestion of his advisors he summoned Merlin, who was, according to Geoffrey, amazed at the strength of Uther’s passion and promised to help him. Interestingly, there is an attempt to avoid Merlin’s use of magic to bring about the desired events. Geoffrey’s text reads: If you are to have your wish (said Merlin) you must make use of methods which are quite new and until now unheard-of in your day. By my drugs I know how to give you the precise appearance of Gorlois, so that you will resemble him in every respect.33
Just what these drugs are that Merlin is supposed to use is never revealed, though in Robert de Boron’s later version of the story Merlin gets Uther to rub his face with a herb that transforms him. Still later texts make it clear that he uses magic, but the outcome is that they arrive at Tintagel looking like the duke and his men, and are admitted. That night Uther lies with Ygerna and begets Arthur upon her. At the same time, Gorlois leads a foray against Uther’s army and is killed, thus ensuring by a technicality that the future king Arthur’s paternity is assured and leaving the way clear for Uther to marry the widowed Ygerna.
The Sword in the Stone Arthur’s birth, brought about in this way through the disguising of a man by otherworldly means to resemble the husband of the woman he loves, fits the ancient Celtic myth of the Wondrous Child. In addition, it paves the way for Merlin to engineer his next miracle, the sword in the stone, which brings with it public recognition of his protégé. Other writers were not slow to take up the story that Geoffrey had launched, and in the accounts that followed, Merlin’s true magical status came more and more to the fore. In Robert de Boron’s version, as in most that followed, the election of Arthur to king was less of a foregone conclusion. Others contested his parentage and legitimacy, and it is up to Merlin to arrange a spectacular event to ensure that the destined king is chosen. The scene is one of the most famous of the stories of Arthur and has been retold countless times. Merlin arranges for all the various contenders to come together in London to choose a new leader. He then sets up a block of marble with an anvil set into it through which is sunk the blade of a sword. Around the anvil is written, in letters of gold, the following legend: Whoso pulleth this sword from this stone is rightwise king born of all England
… 35
chapter one When word of this spreads, all of the would-be kings try to free the sword. But of course Merlin has seen to it that only Arthur can succeed, and with this single act he establishes himself as the most worthy person to rule. The sword from the stone is often confused with Arthur’s more famous weapon, Excalibur, but in fact the young king does not get this sword until later, when the first one provided by Merlin shatters in battle. In fact, the enchanter’s next great magical act is to provide Arthur with a far more powerful weapon. Heroes have always been portrayed with magical swords, which often ensure their recognition as the rightful heir to a kingdom. The Greek hero Theseus earns the right to rule by lifting a huge boulder beneath which lies his father’s sword. In Germanic mythology Siegfried proves his worth by pulling forth a sword embedded in a tree. Arthur is no exception, and in virtually every version of the story it is Merlin who arranges for Arthur to get the sword, which is in the keeping of the Lady of the Lake, one of the most powerful otherworldly and magical figures alongside Merlin himself. When the sword from the stone breaks, Arthur is bereft of his heroic weapon, but Merlin calms him by saying that he will obtain for him a far better sword. Let Malory take up the tale: …they rode until they came to a lake, the which was a fair water and broad, and in the midst of the lake Arthur was ware of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in the hand. Lo! said Merlin, yonder is that sword that I spake of. With that they saw a damosel going upon the lake. What damosel is that? said Arthur. That is the Lady of the Lake, said Merlin; and within that lake is a rock, and therein is as faire a place as any on earth, and richly beseen; and the damosel will come to you anon, and then speak ye fair to her that she will give you that sword. Anon the damosel came…Damosel, said Arthur, what sword is that, that yonder the arm holdest above the water? I would it were mine, for I have no sword. Sir Arthur, king, said the damosel, that sword is mine, and if ye will give me a gift when I ask it of you, ye shall have it. By my faith, said Arthur, I will give what gift ye will ask. Well, said the damosel, go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself to the sword and take it and the scabbard with you, and I will ask my gift when I see my time. So Sir Arthur and Merlin alighted and tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into the ship and when they came to the sword that the hand held, Sir Arthur took it up by the handles, and took it with him, and the arm and the hand went under the water.34
As in so many instances within epic and mythic story, this magical gift comes with a condition that will cause Arthur trouble later on, when the lady demands the head of a rival damosel, but from this time on Arthur holds the most powerful weapon on earth, which while he carries
… 36
the king and the mage it makes him undefeatable. However, as Merlin explains shortly after, the scabbard is every bit as important: Then Sir Arthur looked on the sword, and liked it passing well. Whether liketh you better, said Merlin, the sword or the scabbard? Me liketh better the sword, said Arthur. Ye are more unwise, said Merlin, for the scabbard is worth ten of the swords, for while ye have the scabbard upon you, ye shall never lose no blood, be ye never so sore wounded; therefore keep well the scabbard always with you.35
Merlin’s part in all this is more than a simple go-between. He knows the Lady of the Lake and is aware of the sword’s unique power, for this is no ordinary weapon but one of the ancient and sacred hallows of Britain. By accepting it Arthur enters into a contract as ruler over the sacred earth. Merlin and the lady together bear witness to this agreement, and both will guard and protect the young king throughout his life. This is a theme to which we shall return later, as it had far-reaching effects within the Arthurian world and is still important to modern practitioners of magic. And as we shall see, the power of the sword remains central to the stories and to an understanding of their deepest inner nature.
The Round Table Merlin is now at the height of his powers. Arthur has been chosen king, a group of rival lords has been successfully defeated (not without a little help from the enchanter, who causes the rebel army to see terrifying visions), and now the king has his magical sword. Only one further act remains for the great enchanter to bring about: the building of the Round Table and the establishment of a fellowship of knights who will sit around it, and whose names and deeds will continue to live in memory long after Merlin himself has departed. The first mention of the Round Table comes in the work of the Anglo-Norman poet Wace in his Roman de Brut,36 in which he gave his own version of the events described by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Wace evidently had access to other sources than those used by Geoffrey, and one of these may have contained a reference to the creation of the table. Wace tells us that it was created at the request of Arthur himself, in order to prevent his followers from quarrelling over who should sit closest to him. However, it is Robert de Boron who seems to have been the first writer to elaborate the story and to describe Merlin as the table’s actual creator. In this instance he makes the table not for Arthur but for Uther, to whom he tells the story of the Last Supper and of a second table built at the command of Joseph of Arimathea in memory of the first Eucharist. Here the members of the Grail Family, a select group of guardians whose task it is to protect the sacred vessel, sit to eat and are fed by the Grail.
… 37
chapter one Now Merlin proposes a third table, at which will one day sit a great company whose chivalrous deeds will be honored all over the world. In the later versions of the story Merlin has the table made “round, in the likeness of the world” and presents it to Arthur when he marries Guinevere. Even the suggestion to send out a call for all knights of worship and strength to come and sit at the table originates with the mage, who also warns Arthur that one seat should be left empty until the one destined to sit there appears. This is said to be in memory of the seat occupied by Judas at the Last Supper, and later we are shown how anyone foolish enough to disobey this instruction is likely to be swallowed up as the earth splits open and a warning voice announces that this chair is only for the destined Grail knight. Long before this, when the table is installed at Camelot, Merlin arranges for statues representing twelve kings overcome by Arthur to be installed, each one holding a candle to light the hall. And when the first fifty knights (there will be three times this number in the end) arrive, Merlin has seen to it that their names are already inscribed in letters of gold on the backs of each chair. The “fairest fellowship in all the world” is thus established with the help of Merlin’s magic. (See also chapters 7 and 9 for more about the magical nature of the table.)
Merlin’s Wonders From here on, Merlin’s role as a magician and wonder worker is well established. We see him appearing to Arthur in various guises—as a fur-clad hunter, as an old man, and as a child, each one blessed with a unique wisdom. On one occasion, when Arthur catches sight of the mysterious Questing Beast, a creature made up of several animals, Merlin appears first as a youth who offers to explain to Arthur the meaning of the creature. When Arthur rejects this information on the grounds that the boy is too young to know of such matters, Merlin reappears as an old man, to whose words Arthur is far more willing to listen. From this point on, we are given to understand, Merlin will take this form at all times, for in this way he is more certain of being listened to. It may well be to this moment that we owe the characteristic image of Merlin as a white-bearded elder, though he remained a young man beneath his disguise. His initial appearance as a youth, however, reveals Merlin’s essentially otherworldly form as a wondrous child who can accomplish the most remarkable deeds. Once the Round Table is established, Merlin’s role begins to diminish. He looks ahead to the future appearance of the Grail, destined to be the new fellowship’s greatest adventure, and prepares the way for this in various ways. Almost his last act before apparently falling into a trap set for him by the otherworldly Nimue is the part he plays in the story of two knights, the brothers Balin and Balan.
… 38
the king and the mage The story begins with the arrival of the Lady of the Lake demanding the gift she had been promised by Arthur, which turns out to be the head of another lady who had only recently asked for help from the fellowship. Caught in a dilemma, Arthur refuses, and in the ensuing melee the hot-tempered Balin snatches up a sword and cuts off the Lady of the Lake’s head. From this moment he is under a curse and sets out on a series of adventures, shadowed by Merlin at every point. The final act in this tragic series of events occurs when Balin, pursuing an evil knight who attacks people under a cloak of invisibility, accidentally wounds Pelles, the Grail king. This event, known as the Dolorous Blow, is one of several events that take place at this time and that foretell the coming of the Grail. Shortly after this Balin meets up with his brother, Balan, though neither recognizes the other since they are disguised in unfamiliar armor. The brothers fight and mortally wound each other. Merlin, who has watched all of this, now appears, and, taking the sword from Balin, embeds it in a stone that he then sets adrift on a river. In an echo of Arthur’s drawing of the sword from the stone, Galahad, the future Grail winner (also a Wondrous Child), will later take this weapon for himself. Merlin meanwhile buries the two dead knights in a single tomb over which he erects a stone. He prophecies that many famous combats between rival knights will take place there. This story illustrates the nature of Merlin’s involvement in the affairs of the Round Table and of King Arthur’s realm. Constantly watching, sometimes intervening directly, he is always shaping the future, as though following some secret dream of his own. It is here that we see him in his most typical guise as the mover behind the scenes, as someone who knows what is to come and sets out to ensure that the destiny of Arthur and his knights is fulfilled. Soon he will retire to his esplumoir, from where he can reach out even to our own time. PR ACTICE
The work connected to this chapter will be found primarily in chapters 9–12. There, the meditations and rituals are designed to open the way into the realm of Arthur, the mysteries of Merlin, and the magic of the Round Table.
… 39
Body, Mind & Spirit / Celtic Spirituality
H eed
the
C all
of
A rthur
Begin a Magical Quest of Inner Transformation Discover a system of magical work based on the stories of Arthur and his legendary realm. With meditations, rituals, visualizations, and pioneering shamanic techniques, Arthurian Magic leads you on a profound soul journey designed to raise consciousness and unleash deep levels of wisdom. Discover dozens of exercises and a complete twelve-month course of study that will bring the mysteries alive and open your inner awareness to the mystical power of these profound legends. Dozens of magical groups and countless individuals have turned to the Arthurian tales for inspiration, instruction, and initiation. This book is a guide for beginners and experienced practitioners to cultivate the spiritual power of these influential myths. Explore the sacred sites, songs, blessings, invocations, and festivals. Create incense and oils for magical workings. Meet the most important and influential archetypal figures as you discover how to awaken the knight within. John matthews is a New York Times bestselling author who has written more than one hundred books on myth, faery, the Arthurian legends, and Grail studies. John has appeared on the History Channel and Discovery Channel, and he was an advisor on Jerry Bruckheimer’s film King Arthur. caitlín matthews is the author of many books, including The Lost Book of the Grail and Celtic Visions. She has taught at the Hawkwood Open Mystery School for over thirty years and is a founding member of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies. John and Caitlín live in Oxford, England, and can be found online at www.HallowQuest.org.uk. VIRGINIA CHANDLER graduated from the University of Georgia in 1993 with a BSED; she also studied medieval literature and history at Jesus College of Oxford University. She is the author of The Green Knight’s Apprentice, Tales of the Northern Band, and co-author of The Last Dragon of the North. $29.99 US
Facebook.com/LlewellynBooks • Twitter:@LlewellynBooks • Instagram:@LlewellynBooks
www.Llewellyn.com