Contents List of Figures xix Acknowledgments xxi Foreword by Gareth Knight xxiii Introduction: Journeying with Arthur 1 Answering the Call of Arthur 1 The Arthuriad 4 Schools of Arthurian Magic 5 Note 10 How to Work with This Book 11 The Art of Meditation 12 Mediation and Ritual 13 Part 1 . VISIONS: THE KNOWLEDGE PAPERS 15 1: The King and the Mage 17 The Oldest Arthur 17 The Greatest Mage 18 Merlin and the Dragons 21 The Life of Merlin 22 The Triple Death 23 Merlin in the House of Stars 24 Merlin''s Esplumoir 26 The Nest of Vision 29 The Withdrawn King 32 Merlin''s Mysteries 33 The Begetting of Arthur 34 The Sword in the Stone 35 The Round Table 37 Merlin''s Wonders 38 Practice 39 2: The Table of the Stars 41 The Bear of Heaven 41 Arthur and Arcturus: The Crown of Stars 45 The Starry King 48 The Raid on the Otherworld 49 Practice 52 3: Arthur and the Grail 53 The King and the Cup 53 The Other Church 56 The Good Men of Albi 59 The New Knighthood 61 The Five Changes 65 The Grail Today 69 Practice 70 4: Temples of the Grail 71 The Quest 71 The Shape of the Temple 75 Solomon''s Temple 77 The Plan of the City 81 Solomon''s Ship 83 The Temple of Man 85 Completing the Temple 86 Guardians of the Temple 89 Practice 92 5: The Mysteries of Avalon 93 The Isle of Apples 93 Merlin and Nimue 98 Daughter of Diana 99 Initiating Goddesses 101 The Flower Bride and the Dark Goddess 105 Other Initiators 106 A Break Between Worlds 108 Practice 112 6: The Rose, the Vault, and the Wisdom of the Grail 113 The Grail and the Virgin 113 The Secret Vault 117 Temples of Light 120 The Castle of the Rose 123 The Sovereign Power 125 The Fair and the Foul 128 The Exiled Wanderer 132 Practice 139 7: The Wounded Kings 141 The Grail as Transformative Vessel 141 The Healing Story 144 The Dry Wells 151 Practice 156 8: Arthurian Chivalry 157 The Fellowship Begins 157 The Three Who Achieved 160 The Two Who Failed 165 The Woman of the Grail 168 The Quest 169 The Three Tables 170 The Mysteries of the Sword 172 The Crafting of Excalibur 175 The Power of the Smith 177 Practice 178 Part 2 . A YEAR IN CAMELOT 179 9: Opening the Ways 181 Introduction 181 The Mysteries 182 Creating an Arthurian Altar and Temple 185 Companions of the Way: Working with the Archetypes 192 The Meditation of the Ring 194 10: A Seat at the Table 197 Welcome to the Table 197 The Hall of the Round Table 198 The Oath of the Round Table 200 11: The Challengers 203 Challenges of the Otherworld 203 The Tapestry of Winter 204 Meditation 1: The Challenge of the Green Knight 207 Meditation 2: The Castle of Lord and Lady Bercilak 211 Meditation 3: The Green Chapel 215 Meditation 4: The Return to Arthur''s Court 217 Gawain and Ragnall: A Celebration 219 The Challenge of the Green Knight Ritual 225 12: Entering the Starry Realms 245 Merlin''s Tower of the Stars 245 Merlin''s Observatory: A Meditation 250 The Starry King 251 The Grail in the Vault of Stars 252 The Ritual of Merlin''s Enclosure 256 13: The Magic of the Lake 273 The Initiations of the Lake 273 The Vision of the Nine 274 The Tower of Glass: A Meditation 282 The Wells of Life 284 The Initiation of Taliesin 286 The Wisdom of the Sword 289 Meditation 1: The Sword in Winter 290 Meditation 2: The Sword Awakens 291 Meditation 3: The Sword Unfinished 293 Meditation 4: The Sword in Summer 297 Meditation 5: The Harvest Sword 299 Sacred Sword-Awakening Ritual 301 The Wisdom of the Spear 304 Meditation 1: The Sleeping Spear 305 Meditation 2: The First Blessings 307 Meditation 3: The Wounded King Lies Sleeping 309 The Sleepers 311 The Ritual of the Sleepers 313 14: Companions of the Quest 341 Blaise 342 Prester John 343 Sophia Aeternitas 346 The Family of the Grail: A Ritual Meditation 348 The Healing of the Grail 359 Healing the Wounded King 361 15: The Grail, the Tarot, and the Tree 367 Greater and Lesser Powers 367 The Tarot of Arthur 368 The Major Arcana and the Arthuriad 369 The Greater Powers 371 The Lesser Powers 372 The Tarot of the Grail 374 The Grail and the Tree 377 The Arthurian Cosmos: The Tarot and the Tree 381 Tarot Triads 383 Working with Images and Archetypes 387 16: The Hallows 391 A Visualization of the Hallows 392 Visions of the Hallows 396 The Quest for the Treasures of Ireland 403 The Setting of the Hallows in the Crown of Stars Ritual 415 17: The Road to Sarras 427 The Quest 427 The Three Caves 431 The Changes of the Grail 432 Boarding the Ship 448 The Ship of Solomon 449 Restoring the Courts of Joy 475 A Blessing of the Grail 501 Part 3 . THE LIBRARY 503 1: Archetypal Characters 505 2: Sites 515 Glastonbury, Somerset 516 St. Govan''s Chapel, Dyfed, Wales 517 Dinas Bran, Glamorgan, Wales 518 St. Michael''s Mount, Cornwall 518 St. Nectan''s Keive, Cornwall 518 Tintagel, Cornwall 519 Merlin''s Cave, Cornwall 519 Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, North Wales 519 Dinas Emrys, Gwynedd, North Wales 520 Stonehenge, Wiltshire 520 Alderley Edge, Cheshire 521 Hart Fell, Dumfries and Galloway 521 Pendragon Castle, Cumbria 521 Cadbury Castle, Somerset 522 Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland 522 Alnwick Castle, Northumberland 523 Wetton Mill, Staffordshire 523 Arthur''s Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland 524 Badbury Rings, Dorset 524 Dozemary Pool, Cornwall 524 Lyonesse, Cornwall 525 3: Sacred Oils and Incense 527 Grail Oil and Incense 527 Arthurian Yuletide Oil 528 Frosted Holly Oil 528 Green Chapel Oil 528 Arthur''s Mighty Ones Incense 529 Bircilak Castle Incense 529 Gawain and Ragnall''s Wedding Oil and Incense 529 Merlin''s Tower Oil 529 4: Heraldry 531 5: Songs 537 Blessings of Avalon 537 Song of the Grailless Lands 538 Merlin''s Song of the Stones 539 6: Blessings 543 My Knights and My Sergeants 543 A Vision of the Fellowship 544 7: Invocations and Farewells 545 Opening Rite of the Hallows 545 Closing Rite of the Hallows 547 8: Readings 549 1: The Wisdom of Merlin 549 2: The Round Table 552 3: The Love of Fair Women 553 4: Wisdom of the Grail 555 9: Seasons and Festivals 565 Arthur Through the Year 565 January 565 February 566 March 566 April 566 May 567 June 567 July 568 August 568 September 569 October 569 November 570 December 570 A Spring Equinox Ritual at the Court of Arthur 571 10: Arthur Machen and the Secret School of the Grail 579 Envoi 582 Notes 583 Further Reading 599.