It was the Celtic bards who laid down the foundation of inner wisdom that has come down to us as Arthurian legend, passing their traditions to the Arthurian romancers of the 12th and 13th centuries. Thus the Celts provide an immediate bridge that leads to a very ancient world. Focusing on the Brythonic Celtic material and the "Taliesin" cult whose lineage preserved the mysteries through the Mabinogion and other texts, Awen: the Quest of the Celtic Mysteries reveals the sources of the British sacred tradition right back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, and, as some believe, further back still to even more ancient sources.

Awen is a Welsh word often translated as "inspiration". However, in its fullness it has a much deeper meaning, an irradiation of the soul from paradisal origins. In the context of the Celtic folk-soul it casts the paradisal pattern by which the people and the land were harmonised. Through the aligned symbolism of the goddess, the sacred king and the stars, a compelling picture is built of a thriving mystery tradition which marries the constellations to the landscape, exploring as an example the interwoven five-fold and seven-fold stellar geometry of Moel ty Uchaf stone circle in North Wales, and the stellar alignments on the landscape of Cadair Idris.

Mike Harris is a well-established authority on the Welsh mystery traditions, having lived for many years in the area of Gwynedd where the Mabinogi and Taliesin myths arose, where he developed an acute sense of the Celtic and pre-Celtic mystery cults and their relationship with the landscape. He is the author of Merlin’s Chess, co-author of Polarity Magic, and founder of the Company of Avalon.

ISBN: 978-1-908011-36-7
Copyright: Mike Harris
Language: English
Pages: 266  
Binding: perfect-bound paperback
Interior print: black & white, with illustrations
Dimensions: 15.2cm wide × 22.9cm tall (6 x 9 in)

Published November 30th 2011

£13.99

$21.99

Amazon review:
"The amount of information regarding the Celtic Tradition is enormous. It spans the subject from actual historical facts of early cultural influences within the land through to the less known Atlantean influences which lie at the base of the Druidic Tradition. It covers such interesting subjects as Divine Kingship; the Templars and Gnosticism; Arthurian Legends encompassing Merlin and the Grail Myths; the bards and their important function of carrying on the stories and atmospheres of old; and even approaches the subjects of Qabalah and the Temple of Jerusalem. The Glossary alone is worth purchasing the book! I think anyone who is interested in the Celtic Tradition of faeries, gods and goddesses; or simply, if they are a history buff with interests in Celtic racial lines of development, they will find that this book is a must. It is both informative and well written."