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Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus
A comprehensive overview of the Western perennial tradition--the hermetic tradition and the ancient earth wisdom of shamanic indigenous peoples
• Provides practical exercises to reawaken mystical awareness and reconnect with the ancient mystery traditions of our ancestors
• Reveals how earth wisdom and high magic complement one another
In Walkers Between the Worlds , the authors reveal the development of both these traditions that were never far beneath the surface of Western culture and how they complement each other.
As the orthodox structures of the West appear increasingly hollow and irrelevant, the Western way trod by the shaman and the magus remains vital, with many practical methods for reawakening awareness and reconnecting with the earth. In addition to its in-depth theoretical analysis, Walkers Between the Worlds contains practical exercises drawn from traditional teaching methods used by both native and hermetic traditions to help the reader explore these mysteries.
• Provides practical exercises to reawaken mystical awareness and reconnect with the ancient mystery traditions of our ancestors
• Reveals how earth wisdom and high magic complement one another
In Walkers Between the Worlds , the authors reveal the development of both these traditions that were never far beneath the surface of Western culture and how they complement each other.
As the orthodox structures of the West appear increasingly hollow and irrelevant, the Western way trod by the shaman and the magus remains vital, with many practical methods for reawakening awareness and reconnecting with the earth. In addition to its in-depth theoretical analysis, Walkers Between the Worlds contains practical exercises drawn from traditional teaching methods used by both native and hermetic traditions to help the reader explore these mysteries.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2004
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469 people want to read
About the author
Caitlín Matthews
166 books184 followersCaitlín Matthews is a writer, singer and teacher whose ground-breaking work has introduced many to the riches of our western spiritual heritage.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 13, 2012
I read Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus for the first time about 3 or 4 years ago. Since then, I have repeatedly referred back to its wisdom and practices. It constantly provides insight into the specifics of my practice, and more importantly, insights into myself. As I've said, this wonderful work is at least in my top 10 favorite books of any genre. I just couldn't resist writing at least a basic review, or more accurately an account of how this book has helped me understand my own psyche and my journey of growth through my personal reality.
I grew up in a Christian environment [Southern Baptist to be specific] and could never really relate to the dogmatic style of "salvation" that was offered for the low low price of my complete devotion to a deity that I had no real reason to believe in as far as I could tell. So, naturally, like many young Christian-born folks who are unhappy with their spiritual options, I headed in the immediate opposite direction; the east. I studied Buddhism as a religion, and moved on toward Zen and Taoism as a personal experience, practiced alone. I also studied Hinduism, Jainism, gobbled up Siddhartha and followed Huston Smith's studies of world religion. Ultimately, I felt that eastern spirituality wasn't any better of a fit than Christianity was. As much as I disliked Christianity, I also realized that I wasn't raised in an eastern culture and couldn't really appreciate the subtle cultural aspects of those practices either.
One day, a friend gave me The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, which introduced me to the world of indigenous or shamanic practices. A whole new world opened up to me with these earth based religions. [And more than just spiritual practices; I delved into Alternative History, and then Ancient Astronauts and ultimately Conspiracy Research. It really is a natural progression if you think about it. Ha Ha.] I started to understand the nature of the inner journey, of finding my true self and piecing it all together.
However, being the curious and imaginative space cadet that I was, I eventually started to wonder about the outer journey, synchronization with the cosmos itself. I read plenty of books, got into the occult, Gnosticism and the mysteries. Played with the tarot, divination, devoted a great deal of time to Astral Projection, etc., etc., but nothing ever really clicked. Don't get me wrong, I learned a great deal and gained tremendous amounts of wisdom and cosmic insight, but personally, I just couldn't find a way to relate my daily life with my spiritual life.
Then I picked up Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus one day in the bookshop where I was working. As soon as I got into it, I had a profound experience of clarity. Not only is 'Walkers' well written, but it provides a "rhyme and reason" to the mystery. The authors have compiled their vast knowledge base in an extremely digestible manner. I won't minimize the density of the information, I would recommend at least a basic background in shamanism and hermetic tradition. But short of that, this book is all you need to understand the relationship between oneself, our home the earth and the cosmos at large.
It may not be perfect for everyone, but if any of my story seems the slightest bit familiar to you, then chances are this book will hit the spiritual/intellectual spot. This is truly a masterful work; a piece of art that adds context to the immensity of the cosmos in which we exist. I couldn't live without this book in my library, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
I grew up in a Christian environment [Southern Baptist to be specific] and could never really relate to the dogmatic style of "salvation" that was offered for the low low price of my complete devotion to a deity that I had no real reason to believe in as far as I could tell. So, naturally, like many young Christian-born folks who are unhappy with their spiritual options, I headed in the immediate opposite direction; the east. I studied Buddhism as a religion, and moved on toward Zen and Taoism as a personal experience, practiced alone. I also studied Hinduism, Jainism, gobbled up Siddhartha and followed Huston Smith's studies of world religion. Ultimately, I felt that eastern spirituality wasn't any better of a fit than Christianity was. As much as I disliked Christianity, I also realized that I wasn't raised in an eastern culture and couldn't really appreciate the subtle cultural aspects of those practices either.
One day, a friend gave me The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, which introduced me to the world of indigenous or shamanic practices. A whole new world opened up to me with these earth based religions. [And more than just spiritual practices; I delved into Alternative History, and then Ancient Astronauts and ultimately Conspiracy Research. It really is a natural progression if you think about it. Ha Ha.] I started to understand the nature of the inner journey, of finding my true self and piecing it all together.
However, being the curious and imaginative space cadet that I was, I eventually started to wonder about the outer journey, synchronization with the cosmos itself. I read plenty of books, got into the occult, Gnosticism and the mysteries. Played with the tarot, divination, devoted a great deal of time to Astral Projection, etc., etc., but nothing ever really clicked. Don't get me wrong, I learned a great deal and gained tremendous amounts of wisdom and cosmic insight, but personally, I just couldn't find a way to relate my daily life with my spiritual life.
Then I picked up Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus one day in the bookshop where I was working. As soon as I got into it, I had a profound experience of clarity. Not only is 'Walkers' well written, but it provides a "rhyme and reason" to the mystery. The authors have compiled their vast knowledge base in an extremely digestible manner. I won't minimize the density of the information, I would recommend at least a basic background in shamanism and hermetic tradition. But short of that, this book is all you need to understand the relationship between oneself, our home the earth and the cosmos at large.
It may not be perfect for everyone, but if any of my story seems the slightest bit familiar to you, then chances are this book will hit the spiritual/intellectual spot. This is truly a masterful work; a piece of art that adds context to the immensity of the cosmos in which we exist. I couldn't live without this book in my library, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
October 20, 2008
Oh my Goddess! I finally "get" Christianity! Page 196 is all you need to know!
It's impossible for me to know where to start with a book this dense. Even with all my years studying shamanism, Witchcraft, magic, and world religions, this book had lots of information that either elaborated on things only touched upon in other sources or explained things no other text ever tried to do. I knew I'd love the shaman section, but the magi section is where I learned a lot about paradigms I don't always agree with, but ought to know to be well rounded. As someone with no Christian background, I found the sections of early Christianity's involvement with mysticism fascinating. It helps if you have already read dozens of books on the history and practice of shamanism and magic so that the sheer volume of information doesn't overwhelm you. This is the rare book I can actually say advanced workers of magic in the Western Tradition can enjoy.
It's impossible for me to know where to start with a book this dense. Even with all my years studying shamanism, Witchcraft, magic, and world religions, this book had lots of information that either elaborated on things only touched upon in other sources or explained things no other text ever tried to do. I knew I'd love the shaman section, but the magi section is where I learned a lot about paradigms I don't always agree with, but ought to know to be well rounded. As someone with no Christian background, I found the sections of early Christianity's involvement with mysticism fascinating. It helps if you have already read dozens of books on the history and practice of shamanism and magic so that the sheer volume of information doesn't overwhelm you. This is the rare book I can actually say advanced workers of magic in the Western Tradition can enjoy.
April 20, 2014
I wanted to find a book that explored the many interweaving traditions and pathways that have made up the Western Mystery traditions from pre-Christian times, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and into the presence, and Walkers Between the Worlds does that to a certain extent, though its sections feel disjointed. Some sections I loved, while others felt as if too many pieces were missing. The book has both the strength and the weaknesses of having been written by practitioners of these pathways: It reflects a lifelong relationship with the traditions, perspectives, and practices described, but it lacks a certain context and self-criticism. I'd definitely recommend this book to those interested in the Western Mysteries, but with the caveat that more exploration is important to gain a more complete understanding and framework.
August 9, 2009
This book was very informative about mythology and differentiated between the underworld/tribal consciousness and the mundane world and the otherworld/cosmic consciousness. There were exercises in the book to work on your spiritual consciousness, but I only did the first one where it asks you questions about yourself. Because of the detail it took me awhile to go through this.
November 2, 2012
Best book on understanding thin places
October 19, 2021
I really enjoyed the first part of this book, and I found the exercises interesting. I like Caithlín's take on things, even if I don't fully agree with everything. I'm interested in the psychology go the occult, and definitely keep one foot on the ground, so to speak. But this is a very well researched and informative volume of magical discourse. I much preferred the pre-Christian section, as that is primarily where my interest lies.
Currently reading
July 22, 2008Still in process, and just beginning... will check back in with reviews and stars once I get a foothold in it. Looks really good, though!
November 17, 2011
This is one of the most brilliant books you'll ever read. Beginning Alchemy.
January 4, 2019
Practical guide for deepening one's relationship with the Hidden World.
April 23, 2017
Impressive knowledge about the core of many mystic and shamanistic traditions.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews