John Matthews

Discover a complete system of magical work based on the myths of Arthur and his knights. With meditations, rituals, visualizations, and pioneering shamanic techniques, Arthurian Magic leads you on a profound soul journey designed to raise consciousness and offer deep levels of wisdom. From Dr. John Dee to the Order of the Golden Dawn to the more recent fascination with the mysteries of the Grail and the Templars, dozens of magical groups and countless individuals have turned to the myths of Arthur and his knights for initiation, inspiration, and instruction. This book is a guide for beginners and more experienced practitioners to incorporate the deep spiritual power of the Grail stories into their lives.

Presenting the culmination of more than 40 years’ research, John and Caitlín Matthews examine the historical and mythological evidence for every major theory about the existence of King Arthur. Drawing on modern techniques in archaeology and scholarship, they reconstruct the history of the 6th century in Britain, the period when the first unambiguous references to Arthur appear. They explore the history of every Arthur candidate, the geographical arguments that have placed him in different locations, and the evidence for his life and famous battles fought against the Saxons. Was the greatest British hero of all time not a king but a 2nd-century Roman officer active around Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria? A 5th-century soldier who operated in areas as far apart as Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, or Brittany? Or an entirely mythical fiction that provided a figure of light during a dark period of British history?

This magnificent deck offers a unique tarot experience that draws on the ancient wisdom tradition stretching back through the Cathars to the Grail myths and the Gnostics. Bestselling tarot expert John Matthews reveals how the universal symbolic language of tarot parallels the Cathar journey of initiation, and invites modern seekers to follow the Cathars' path to self-knowledge and spiritual fulfilment.The cards are illustrated by famed tarot artist Wil Kinghan.

Exploring the vast urban legend surrounding this enigmatic figure, John Matthews explains how the Victorian fascination with strange phenomena and sinister figures paired with hysterical reports enabled Spring-Heeled Jack to be conjured into existence. Sharing original 19th-century newspaper accounts of Spring-Heeled Jack sightings and encounters, he also examines recent 20th and 21st-century reports, including a 1953 UFO-related sighting from Houston, Texas, and disturbing accounts of the Slender Man, who displays notable similarities with Jack. He traces Spring-Heeled Jack’s origins to earlier mythical beings from folklore, such as fairy creatures and land spirits, and explores the theory that Jack is an alien marooned on Earth whose leaping prowess is attributed to his home planet having far stronger gravity than ours.

The Influence of the Bible in Improving the Understanding and Moral Character is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1864. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

The identity of Robin Hood has been questioned many times since the Outlaw of Sherwood first sprang to fame in the twelfth century. No two authorities seem able to agree as to his origins, antecedents, or even whether or not he was a historical personage or a mythical figure. Historians, both amateur and professional, have for years been bringing out new books in which they claim to have found ‘the real Robin Hood’, but his identity remains clouded. More recent studies have sought to push the boundaries of the story further out into recorded time – seeking Robin Hood among the records of government and law enforcement, in the ballads of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, and in the folk memory of the people of Britain. For them, Robin is a product of the ballad-maker’s muse, or a literary fabrication based on the lives and deeds of several outlaws or the garbled memory of an actual person whose real life bore little or no resemblance to the romanticised songs of the ballad-makers. The continuing popularity of the Robin Hood mythos in modern dress through film, TV and novelisation shows how deeply the archetype is embedded. With no less than four new feature films in production at the moment, Robin Hood has never been more in the public eye. This is the only contemporary book to fully explore the mythology of Robin Hood rather than concentrating on the human identity of the famous outlaw. It ties Robin to the ancient archetype of the Green Man, the lore and legends of the Faery race, to the possible Eastern influence of the English Mummers’ plays, and suggests the real identities of several of the Merry Men.

This book compares the beginning of symbolic thought in human infancy with that of our close primate relatives, the chimpanzees. The author investigates the precursors of symbolism by studying the actions and interactions of a small group of these intelligent, non-human primates who live in Singapore Zoo.Drawing upon his years of detailed observations, Matthews offers an in-depth analysis and interpretation of chimp behaviour to present an unprecedented account of the beginnings of symbolic thought. The book shows that the actions the chimpanzees perform have structural and semantic similarities with the actions of emergent expression and representation we find in human infancy. Of great importance is the finding that chimpanzee mark-making activity is not an artefact of human interference, but part of chimpanzee culture. Young chimpanzees seem to be introduced to acts of pretence and imagination by older and more experienced ones and taught the rudiments of expression, representation and symbolism.The implications for our understanding of symbolism, language, art and education are enormous, as are those about our origins and our place within nature. The book is written in an accessible style for both specialist and non-specialist readers, and illustrated with the author’s drawings and photographs.

From the author of Votan - 'Probably the best book ever done about the Norse,' says Neil Gaiman - comes a gripping new retelling in the Arthurian cycle by a masterful storyteller.Gwenevere, Arthur's Saxon wife, is a problem. As the dynastic cement between the British and the Saxons, her marriage to Arthur will result in a child that will unite both sides. At least, that would have been the plan, had the Great Duke Arthur not died (accidentally and not at all heroically) and left the petty kings of Britain to squabble over his title.Only Morvran, Arthur's chief fixer, has the wit to see that the Fourth Gwenevere is the key to maintaining a crumbling peace. But when she is abducted, it seems that all hopes might disappear with her.For, in a world where swords and horses have names of honour, where poets speak as oracles of a shifting truth and the raiding of Saxon warriors is set to ruin Britain, perhaps it's only the Fourth Gwenevere herself who has the real solution?This edition contains bonus material!

This vivid retelling brings together the best-known stories about Arthur and his court exploring the relationships between the main characters in the legends. Magnificent illustrations by Pavel Tatarnikov add to the atmosphere of Arthurian England.

We train because we are human and we become human because we train. This is the surprising and original conclusion of Anatomy of Performance Training, in which John Matthews shows how training is a very human response to the problems of having a body and living in the world. Using illustrative case-studies of professional practice, each chapter addresses a specific body part, offering a self-contained discussion of its symbolic and practical significance in the artistic, and commercial, activities of training. These anatomical case-studies are cross-referenced with other disciplines (such as sport, high diving, deep diving and artisan craft) to further expand our understanding of performance. Stand-alone chapters, ideal for reference, build towards an overall conclusion that the uniquely human practice of training is emerging as a new and pervasive ideology globally. Ideal for readers seeking to understand the relationship the body has with the theatre and training, or for teachers looking for a new, innovative approach to performance, Anatomy of Performance Training is an accessible, original contribution to the philosophy of training for performance.

From the author of the bestselling book Pirates and our own How To See Faeries (with Brian Froud) comes a wonderful interactive book about Faeries. The book includes faeries of the British Isles as well as those of Scandinavia, Germany, North America and even the Asian, Arab and African worlds. The book is divided into 13 sections: among them A Brief History of Faeries; Who’s Who of Faeries; Good Faeries vs Bad Faeries; Faerie Courts; Faerie Spells; Faerie Places, Faerie Sightings; Faerie Gold; Faerie Children; Faerie Good and Bad Fortune; and Faerie Music. The book is illustrated with new art from talented faerie artist Matt Dangler as well as other celebrated contemporary artists alongside classic art by William Blake, Henry Fuseli, William Turner and others. An important aspect of the package will be the striking memorabilia included: A Handbook for Faery Hunters; a small manual of how and where to look for fairies; an envelope of real faery photos; a 19th century faery pull out map (currently housed in the Library of Congress!) and more.

The myths and legends of King Arthur and his knights, of the enchanter Merlin, and of their quests and adventures, form one of the greatest cycles of stories ever composed. In this book the most important tales are explored in depth by one of the world's best known authorities on this subject. Also included are a series of meditational exercise to help the reader find his or her way to the heart of the Arthurian mysteries.