HALLOWQUEST NEWSLETTER PART 2

NEW AND FORTHCOMING BOOKS FOR 2025

Our newsletter has come in two parts this new year, as we have been waiting for confirmation of dates, final titles, and prices on these new books. Some of the books coming later in 2025 and early 2026, we will have to tell you more about them when the season turns. Due to the accidents of publishing, some books get pushed back, held up, and some years, like this one, they all tumble together and arrive severally. Here is a rare picture of John reading rather than writing!

NEW AND REPRINTED BOOKS FOR 2025

Over the last few years John has been working on and helping to bring to publication two works by his old friend, Helmut Nickel, late Curator of Arms and Armour at the Metropolitan Museum of New York. Out of the starting gate first is ARTHUR’S MISCELLANY: Aspects of King Arthur from Shields of Power to the Questing Beast: a collection of Helmut’s essays and ideas told with insight and humour. Here is a sample: ‘In the tenth-century Annales Cambriae, which possibly goes back to contemporary sources, the entry about the Battle of Badon Hill mentions that Arthur “carried the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ on his shoulders for three days and three nights”. It is likely that this Latin quote is based upon a Welsh source, in which the words for “shoulder” (ysqwyd) and “shield” (ysqwyt) were close enough in spelling to get mixed up quite easily.’ Arthur’s Miscellany is full of such insights, based upon a lifetime study of heraldry and armour, edited by John.

These essays were written over a period of more than 30 years, some never published before now. Chapters include: ‘The Arms of Lancelot du Lac’; ‘Why Was the Green Knight Green?’; and ‘Merlin, Magic, and Swords of Power’. Alongside his career as an historian and museum curator, Helmut Nickel was also a famous illustrator. Few historians would be confident enough to interpret the symbology of the mid-15th century armorial, Les Noms, Armes, et Blazons des Chevalliers et Compaignons de la Table Ronde ‒ all 175 of them! Many of the illustrations within the book are by the author. John is still working on getting Helmut’s own Arthurian Armorial into print. 200 paintings were completed by the an artist as the Society of Heralds, and we are still working with a publisher to bring this great text to print. Both these titles will be an important contribution to the Arthurian canon ‒ and a tribute to a great scholar and artist from his friends and fellow researchers. The Miscellany is Due on the 15th February from Amberley. £23.00

John’s VOYAGES WITH THE CELTIC SAINTS: Stories and Wisdom for Travellers in search of Truth by John Matthews, a forward by David Spangler and with 14 new images of the Saints by Joe Machine.

Since ancient times the Celts have followed a path of total involvement with the natural world - a love of the earth, the patterns of seasons, and the magical presence of animals. Their quest for truth and sense of wonder in the beauty and power of the landscape, expressed today in immensely popular Celtic music and poetry, is deeply rooted in their early spiritual practises. Many of their journeys were expressed as mystical voyages to strange places where vision was paramount. In Voyages with the Celtic Saints John recreates the mystical journeys of 14 Celtic Saints, capturing the wisdom and insight of these extraordinary men and women who lived from the 3rd to the 7th century, and Including two additional female saints not included in the original edition - Saints Samthann and Trephine. In carrying the face of Christianity to the people of Britain and Ireland, they adapted the much earlier wisdom of the Druids and other Celtic Mystics. The result is a rare combination of Christianity and paganism that has left a powerful legacy which lasts to this day. The resulting book builds bridges between the two faiths. Joe Machine (Beowulf Oracle) has been commissioned by the Vatican to do a series of paintings on the Celtic Saints. Available, 28 Feb 2025

THE SHERWOOD ORACLE by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert.

Maid Marion, from Sherwood Oracle.

Following on from the worldwide success of The Wildwood Tarot, the creators of this best-selling deck have come together to create a new divinatory system. The Sherwood Oracle, set in and around the famous home of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, and the Merry Men, as well as otherworld beings such as the Green Lady, Herne the Hunter, and others, will share the wisdom of the ancient world with today’s seekers.

The myths behind the figure Robin Hood are universal and amongst the oldest in the world. Although the stories and ballads are medieval, they contain material from a much earlier time, including the ancient myths of the vegetation gods and the Green Man, combined with ideas of the Wildman and the almost mythic status accorded to outlaws in the Middle Ages. The world of the greenwood is a stage upon which virtually every aspect of human experience is to be found. The adventures and heroic deeds of the outlaw band, bound together in eternal fellowship, along with the adversaries they encounter, both human and magical, make their paths one that speaks to everyone who encounters them. The new deck, illustrated by premier artist Yvonne Gilbert, captures the myth and mystery of the Wildwood for all.

THE FOOL’S NEW JOURNEY TAROT by John & Charles Newington

In 2020 the world changed. The arrival of a world-wide pandemic ensured it could never be quite the same again. In the same way, facing new issues at every level of life, it is time for tarot to change. The Fool must begin a new journey. Since the origins of Tarot in the 15^th century, decks have remained largely unchanged. At the height of the global pandemic, John began to consider if the tarot archetypes were really set in stone. Could the basic meanings and applications of the cards, as well as the whole underlying structure, change? The answer was, yes! It was time for the Fool to journey by previously untrodden paths to being us the answers we sought. Here we have returned to a new simplicity of imagery, not requiring a knowledge of esoteric symbolism. The images make it immediately understandable to all readers. The Fool’s New Journey Tarot represents recognizable aspects of the human condition without losing the deeper resonance of the traditional deck. The art, too, is very different from that of earlier times – simpler,more direct and personal than the standard tarot.

The Fool from The Fool’s New Journey Tarot.

Here John and Charles have returned to a new simplicity of imagery, not requiring a knowledge of esoteric symbolism. The images make it immediately understandable to all readers. The Fool’s New Journey Tarot represents recognizable aspects of the human condition without losing the deeper resonance of the traditional deck. The art, too, is very different from that of earlier times – simpler,more direct and personal than the antique style of older traditions, which does not always speak to us as we need when seeking answers to contemporary issues. A new look tarot emerges here, stripped of much of the ancient symbology and re-setting the style and purpose of the deck back to zero - then taking it to places it has never been before. With beautiful new art by Charles Newington the Fool’s new journey takes him through new dimensions and by new roads.

ORDERING BOOKS FROM US

All the books mentioned above will be available from us when we receive stock throughout the year. All of them are commercially published and thus available through the usual channels, but we can sign your copies if you let us know to whom you wish any personalized inscription. Our website is www.hallowquest.org.uk and the books are found in the third window under these llve-link headings which will take you to our shop.

> Arthurian, Grail, Merlin & Taliesin book titles
Grail lore and Arthurian legend

> Celtic wisdom Celtic shamanism, traditions, meditations and background

> E-books, ready for download. Includes One Hundred Steps to the Grail

> Oracles, card systems & Tarot Tarots and Mythic Oracles.

> Fiction and Biography Including Caitlín’s Soul Doctor series of novels.

> Children's stories Folk tales.

> Seasonal, shamanic, & natural wisdom book titles, Psychic protection, green nature and the seasons, and the faeries.

> Western mysteries, magic & ritual book titles Sophia, Gnosticism, Western esoteric tradition.

> Recordings and music CDs Meditations, Shamanic drumming, and songs.

> DVDs Tuition and divination

Each book has five different prices – please sdo elect the correct postal zone: UK is UK only, Europe includes Europe, N. Asia, & Greenland, World 1 includes Canada. S. America, SE Asia, Japan, India and Africa, World 2 includes Australasia, World 3 is USA & its territories.

NEWS OF FORTHCOMING BOOKS & REPRINTS

As ever, John’s forthcoming books have all caught up with one another, with several arriving together this year, such are the accidents and delays of publishing!

John’s The Realms of Arthur is the second volume of the titanic series of retellings of Arthurian tales from the Middle Ages - not found in Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte d'Arthur. Like volume one, The Great Book of King Arthur and his Knights, (Harper 2022) it is illustrated by premier artist John Howe - of Lord of the Rings and now Power of the Rings fame. The film-maker Sir John Boorman has written a foreword, which is most exciting. This will present another 30 unknown stories of the Round Table.

Advance praise from Sir John Boorman: ‘In my researches for the film Excalibur, I kept colliding with John Matthews. From his great knowledge of the Arthurian legends he gave me notable advice as I researched my story. His writing about the Arthurian legend is enjoyable as well as authentic and this book of new stories is as surprising and enthralling as you would expect.’ Due 22 May 2025, hardback, £30.00

Attached to this book is an event you are welcome to join us for:

Wednesday, May 28 2025. John Matthews speaks on REALMS OF THE ROUND TABLE

John will be introducing his new fully illustrated collection of rare and previously unpublished tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table at Blackwells Bookshop in Oxford, so please join us!

This book comes with an introduction by celebrated filmmaker, Sir John Boorman, creator of Excalibur, and illustrated with paintings and drawings by Tolkien artist, John Howe.

Here also is a heady mixture of magic, faery lore, wisdom and mystery – capturing extraordinary tales of Camelot’s greatest knights, such as Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain, and others less well known, and soaring from high adventure to mystical accounts of the Grail. These age-old stories, companions to those collected in the sister-volume, The Great Book of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, honour the work of Thomas Malory in his legendary Le Morte D’Arthur. They are dramatically brought to life by the luminous paintings and drawings of internationally acclaimed Tolkien artist, John Howe, to present a glorious reimagining of the most influential work of English fantasy ever written.

Book on the link below, as there are no tickets on the door. At 5.30-6.30pm at Blackwell's Bookshop, Broad Street, Oxford. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/john-matthews-realms-of-the-round-table-tickets-1152234938719?aff=oddtdtcreator

The first volume of John’s beautiful THE GREAT BOOK OF KING ARTHUR is a continuation of Malory’s Morte D’Arthur, telling the stories that Malory left out – all drawn from texts that he couldn’t have had recourse to. The book is illustrated by John Howe (of Lord of the Rings fame), and has a foreword by Neil Gaiman. Most stories will be unfamiliar. If you want to find out what happened to Arthur after he was taken to Avalon at the end of his life, that story is retold here. Many others, featuring favourite knights such as Gawain, Lancelot, and Perceval, along with less well-known characters such as Sone de Nansay, Sir Marrok, and the female knight, Avenable. The text is splendidly designed with rubrics for headings, and is full of colour, as well as black and white images, making this a book to rejoice in. A paperback edition is coming in May and is being co-promoted with J.R.R Tolkien’s Arthurian writings. It is coming in paperback later this year.

THE PROPHECIES OF MERLIN: A Chronicle of Forgotten Prophecies, Including a First English Translation, with extended commentary, of The Prophecies of Merlin from 1498, by Maarten Haverkamp, and John Matthews. Foreword by R.J. Stewart. Inner Traditions, Spring, 2025. Discovering a hitherto lost or forgotten book about Merlin and King Arthur is a rare event these days. Yet here we present a previously almost unknown and completely untranslated book, which includes much that is new – and exciting – about the legendary king and his magical advisor. It enables us to hear again the authentic voice of Merlin from long ago.

Throughout the Middle Ages a number of volumes were produced said to be the Prophecies of Merlin. Most of these prophecies were written retrospectively, and are of little interest. However, within several of these volumes were hidden a series of clues that lead to the heart of the Arthurian mysteries - secrets long hidden behind the obscure language of the prophetic utterances. One volume in particular, entitled The Prophecies of Merlin, printed in 1498, preserved much of this early lore, hidden within the collections of prophetic verbiage. John and the translator Martin Haverkamp have unravelled these lost stories and laid them out for all to see and understand. Here you will find the story of Merlin's birth, of his first adventures, his affair with the Lady of the Lake, and much more.

In 2017 Maarten Haverkamp acquired a 15th century incunabula, an early printed book which contained a text originally written in the 13th century and printed in 1498. The Prophecies of Merlin purported to be actual prophecies given by the great Arthurian magician who, though fictitious in this later incarnations, was based on a much older historical figure from the 6th or 7th centuries AD. This book s in fact a compilation of several older documents, first collected by an unknown monk living in Venice in the 13th century. In 2118 Haverkamp contacted John and now, five years on, he has completed the first English translation of the book from medieval French, which both he and John Matthews have studied for context and significance and provided a detailed commentary. For students and lovers of Arthurian literature this is a uniquely important manuscript, which adds significantly to our knowledge of the myths and legends of Europe’s most popular subject matter. This extraordinary discovery is a must have for everyone interested in the Arthurian stories. The hardback book is due out on 17 June in UK and 31 July in US. £28.

Caitlín’s THE MAGIC LANTERN VERA SIBILLA has been on the road for eight years now! With new cards by Anastasia Kashian it is the first book and deck set in the English language to teach how to read Vera Sibilla, the Italian small-card oracle which impudently speaks to the unasked question in your head. Similar to Petit Lenormand and Kipper, Vera Sibilla is read very differently, though still in a cartomantic way, whereby the meanings are linguistic rather than visual. The comprehensive book enables readers to learn the system over the course of a year by studying and using the cards practically until proficiency is gained. The new cards by Anastasia Kashian – all drawn and painted by hand - will serve new generations of Vera Sibilla users for years to come. It comes with a 384pp book and 52 cards. Available 23 June, £36.

*’In this must-have set for both beginners and seasoned practitioners, Caitlin Matthews brilliantly unlocks the door to the captivating world of La Vera Sibilla fortune-telling cards. With Anastasia Kashian’s attractive art, it gives the reader a powerful and masterful guide to the Magic Lantern Sibilla.’

- Jozefa Seaqueen, author of the classic cartomancy blog, Ask my Cards

THE ORIGINAL PETIT ETTEILLA Cartomancer’s Guide to Divination by Caitlín Matthews with Cards & Illustrations by Rebecca Birrell. In this book and 33 card set, you can learn foundational methods of divination from the Father of Cartomancy. Etteilla’s 1770 method set the standard for most cartomantic divination throughout Europe, influencing the development of both cartomancy and tarot into the 20th century. This book offer the first English edition of Etteilla’s seminal text, an Etteilla deck, and a tutorial on how to make your own deck It comes with eight main spreads along with variations, devised by Etteilla, and accompanying commentary and case studies. Etteilla was the pseudonym of Jean Baptiste Alliette, known to divination devotees as ‘the Father of Cartomancy.’ His 1770 manual, La Seule Manière de Tirer Les Cartes, was the first on how to interpret cards, and it remains the basis for nearly all divination decks today. The text in this book derives from his revised reprint of 1773.

This deck and guidebook gives readers a set of Petit Etteilla cards and a fully revised translation of his text. This book explores how Ettellia’s deck and interpretive methods serve as the foundation for decks to follow, including the Lenormand and Rider-Waite-Smith decks. Readers will learn each card’s meaning (both upright and reversed) and the significance of each card’s placement in a spread. In this system, each card’s meaning and associated words are printed on the card, allowing readers the freedom to use intuition instead of memorizing the meaning of each card. The result is an innovative system that offers a highly personalized method for readings. Readers will learn how to make decks to further personalize one’s connection with the cards. The book offers eight spreads devised by Etteilla, with variations of each, along with commentary and case studies to enrich your understanding. Due later in 2025.

The John Dee Oracle By John M, with cards drawn by Wil Kinghan. Dr John Dee was the court magician and astrologer to Elizabeth I, as well being as the deviser of the Enochian Alphabet, though which he was able to converse with angels. Alchemy, dreams, mathematics, geography and astrology were central to his occult knowledge, and he often assisted the great explorers of the time with maps and prognostications. Straddling the worlds of science and magic just as they were becoming distinguishable, he immersed himself in the worlds of magic, astrology and Hermetic Philosophy. Dee did not draw distinctions between his mathematical research and his investigations into Hermetic magic, angel summoning and divination. Instead, he considered all of his activities to constitute different facets of the same quest: the search for a transcendent understanding of the divine forms which he saw as underlying the visible world, and which showed themselves as oracles – words of wisdom from angelic sources. This is a new and extended edition of The Oracle of John Dee with 31 cards and book. Now coming in Autumn 2025.

John’s SLEEPING BEAUTY ORACLE with art by the fabulous Yvonne Gilbert The idea behind this Oracle is not about sleep - it is about waking up. It assumes that, on some level, we are all sleeping, lost in dreams of what could be, what is not, and what never was or will be.

This version of reality is all that most of us know; but much more is possible. We can look beyond our dream-state to other realities, where all things are possible, and where we can discover things about ourselves we never knew, as well as options that stretch us to a new and exciting future. Working with the archetypes in the Sleeping Beauty Oracle we can discover within us the infinite possibilities, numberless opportunities, countless choices available, if we only look beyond the everyday circuit of life. This new deck offers ways to meet and come to terms with some of the hardest lessons of life: love, loss, betrayal and failure, and to replace these with joy, freedom, and self-awareness in a fast-changing world. (forthcoming, Autumn 2025).

John, with Linda Malcor, has written THE SWORD IN THE STONE A 4000 Year Story Written in the Stars, which studies the worldwide appearance of the Sword in the Stone tradition, from the familiar story of King Arthur proving himself the rightful ruler of Britain. Linda Malcor and John also collaborated on Artorius: The Real King Arthur - a study of the Lucius Artorius Castus, available from us now. The new book will be published by Amberley in late Autumn of this year.

ARTORIUS: THE REAL KING ARTHUR John with Linda Malcor. The search for the historical figure behind what is arguably the most famous cycle of legends ever has been relentless over the centuries. In this book we argue that the man whose story started the traditions of Arthur was a soldier name Lucius Artorius Castus who lived at the end of the second century A.D. Artorius’ extraordinary career took him from one end of the Roman Empire to the other, bringing him into contact with tribespeople amongst the Steppe nomads – in particular the Sarmatians. For several decades the Sarmatians have been thought to be the inspiration behind Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, among other British tales. We focus on Castus’s career, not only commenting on the parallels with the Arthurian tradition but also providing details about the Roman Empire of the second century A.D.

John has also finishing a revised, extended and updated edition of THE CAMELOT ORACLE with original art by Will Worthington, including an alternative Merlin, new writing by John, and four new cards designed by Wil Kinghan. This will be published in Spring 2026 – sorry that’s a long time to wait. Watch this space for more

SEASONAL SHRINE MEDITATION

INFLUENCES THAT PAVED THE WAY by Caitlín Matthews

When we are young, the smallest and meanest of things can open windows into other worlds for us, because they communicate strongly, awakening and engaging the imagination. I remember a comic book which a school friend lent to me where a Rider-Haggard She-type character lived for years uncounted; I was struck how a person from modern times encountering her abode for the first time was stricken dumb by the realization that the worn-down stairs of her cave had been trodden only by this long-lived character’s footsteps. That made an immense impact upon me, as I had a first glimpse of immortality. Likewise, when 7-8 years old, while lying in a hospital bed for a childhood operation, I was reading a book from the hospital trolley by Lobsang Rampa where the lama visited a Tibetan monastery and was shown into a hall where rows of mummified lamas of previous ages had achieved the ‘rainbow-body’: it is here that Lobsang Rampa sees his own previous incarnation’s mummy. That also stopped me in my tracks, as I had never come across the concept of reincarnation before. Both these things revealed something very important for me.

Today, I would rate the comic as low-trash indeed, and as for Lobsang Rampa! This prolific author who wrote as a purported Tibetan Lama escaped from Tibet, was actually an English plumber from Devon called Cyril Hoskins, who had never left this country in his life. His writings were works of fiction. He wrote 18 books in all, from the mid 50s onwards. They were in every library and probably every second-hand bookshop throughout the 60s and 70s, and I doubt I could get through one now without hearty guffaws.

However, in the late 1980s, at an audience with the Dali Lama - which I attended along with 1500 other people – questions from the audience were brought up and sorted ready for his Holiness to answer. One final question was ‘what does his Holiness think of Lobsang Rampa?’ When it was read out to him, his Holiness responded with a great laugh, ‘HAH, very good thing for Tibet!’ was his response. For most British people, those books were the first thing they had ever read about Tibet – books which moved them to discover Buddhism, and possibly later to help Tibetan refugees. I loved this response, because it was it affirmed the conductive nature of the imagination which leads us to greater things by the path of smaller, disregarded things.

In my youth, I particularly rejoiced in books that drew upon archaeology and anthropology – even those ones that we would hardly rate today, in the wake of further, more informed research. Books like H.J. Massingham’s 1926 Downland Man, especially the very evocative images of prehistoric sites. I learned recently that Massingham was himself inspired by the 18^th century naturalist Gilbert White, which utterly delights me, as we have all have a wonderful heritage of inspirational forebears who read, meditated and researched before us, and it is good to acknowledge that lineage behind us which helped each of us to be here as we are. But, looking at this book one hundred years on, there are colonial attitudes and other aspects of Downland Man (quite apart from its title) from which I would distance myself today, although I still heartily endorse Massingham’s enthusiastic love of the chalk downland where I grew up. Whenever we were born, we are unconsciously marinaded in the opinions and beliefs of our times and country, and I daresay that those who read my books in times to come will find fault with my work just because of when I lived. But this and other volumes, gave me a grounding in ancestral belonging and a respect for their achievements which has never left me. It still forms the core of most of my work.

We who seek to follow a magical or spiritual path, stand on many stepping stones which lead to finally to some deeper and more considered teachings. The things that I have mentioned above prepared my consciousness to understand important teachings about the nature of universal concepts of everlastingness, about the companionship through time of those who walked these ways before me, about the ancestral heritage and the abiding wisdom of esoteric work – these were things that had never been shown to me so graphically in any religious education class, nor in any church. These humble beginnings opened the doors of my imagination and have led me to be more discerning in my deepening pursuit of the soul’s life. I am grateful that I came through these narrow doors to stand where I am now, where my faculty of understanding can fully appreciate the great richness of our shared tradition. These humble stepping stones were also important, even though I didn’t see where they were leading at the time.

* What were the door-opening inspirations that invited you in?

* Who and what were the unheeded influences and encouragers of your imagination?

* What were those early teachings showing you at heart?

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Thank you for looking over our offerings for the year. We will be doing fewer books as we return to the field of fiction over this year, and write what we have always wanted to write. Until next time!