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The Elements of Celtic Tradition
Since its launch in 1989, Element Books' "Elements of . . ." series has introduced thousands of readers to a variety of spiritual traditions and techniques. The series has now been updated and relaunched with a fresh new look to appeal to a new generation of readers.
133 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Caitlín Matthews
144 books205 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 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 10, 2020
Very interesting book indeed, but I guess I was looking for something easier to read and understand for a beginner like me and also something more focused on history and not on myths exclusively. My bad.
January 10, 2026
Loved the pictures and a few of the stories/informational tidbits, but found the all-too-frequent spelling errors, sentence fragments, and lack of organization frustrating. I got the sense that, if the author edited the book at all, she did so in only the most cursory manner.
June 22, 2010
When my readings on Celtic culture (probably got there from fantasy books and Arthuriana, but I'm a voracious learner) brought me to this book, I was engrossed. I soaked it all up like a sponge. The gods, the bards, the druids, the silver branch, ogham, tree ogham, bird ogham, the shining ones, oh! This book really was my first book of scripture, of the sort that actually nourished my spirit. It became the bones on which my spirituality would grow and thrive. So thank you very, very much, Caitlín Matthews.
August 26, 2022
I like this author's style of writing, but this book attempted to talk about too many subjects within too few pages. However, I appreciate how this book offers an introduction to true Celtic tradition, rather than the hodgepodge of Wicca.
I did end up skipping a whole chapter. I have zero interest in Christianity, which that chapter talked about. I don't hold the opinion that my ancestors willingly or easily accepted the "new religion" as this makes it appear. I think it was quite a bit less pleasant than that.
In any case, I do recommend this to a new pagan looking into the Celtic tradition. It's a starting point and a whole lot better than Wicca.
I did end up skipping a whole chapter. I have zero interest in Christianity, which that chapter talked about. I don't hold the opinion that my ancestors willingly or easily accepted the "new religion" as this makes it appear. I think it was quite a bit less pleasant than that.
In any case, I do recommend this to a new pagan looking into the Celtic tradition. It's a starting point and a whole lot better than Wicca.
September 18, 2026
More of an encyclopedia which touches lightly on every topic than the in-depth analysis I was hoping for. I still dog-eared lots of pages and will return to it as a reference.
I only found one inaccuracy, which is pretty great after 35 years.
I only found one inaccuracy, which is pretty great after 35 years.
April 7, 2018
Caitlin Matthews (like Merlin Stone) is the perfect blend of evidence-based research and metanymic memory and spiritual recall. I love her work. This one was one of the best yet.
April 30, 2019
UK, 1989, NF
November 2, 2021
A great little book on the celts - it helps if you know a little mythology already.
April 10, 2022
Molto new age, questo testo confonde i dati e le testimonianze che possediamo con ciò che l'autrice e la sua corrente "artistica" vorrebbe che fosse.
1 stella e mezza.
1 stella e mezza.
February 27, 2023
I enjoyed the pagan parts more than the christian parts
December 1, 2016
Well this was painful.
You surely do find a lot of informations there, but in the first pages you are told that it's a good book even for people who know next to nothing abot Celts but oh boy, that was a lie :D
Like 50% of the text are just names, and another names and another names of the same people and you have no idea what the heck is going on if you never read about them before.
You surely do find a lot of informations there, but in the first pages you are told that it's a good book even for people who know next to nothing abot Celts but oh boy, that was a lie :D
Like 50% of the text are just names, and another names and another names of the same people and you have no idea what the heck is going on if you never read about them before.
October 19, 2009
I'd like to give this one 3.5 stars as I don't think it deserves 4 stars. (ok, I'd like to be able to give a lot of my books adjustments by half stars)Not a bad info book. You want to read about Celtic mythology and associated modern worship practices, this isn't bad.
October 13, 2011
I love this author's work!
February 21, 2014
This thin tome is loaded with well-researched and incisive information. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Celtic lore.
January 28, 2019
This one was a bit of a slow read, but well worth it! Very interesting analysis of Celtic mythology and tradition, with a little magic thrown in for good measure.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews