Gawain and the Grail Quest

Healing the Waste Land in our Time

Jeffrey John Dixon

Availability:
Out of print

Quick Look

  • An in-depth look at the themes of the Grail Quest and Sir Gawain, the enduring Grail Hero
  • This challenging and enlightening book will fascinate those with an interest in ancient wisdom
  • A unique exploration of the complex figure of Sir Gawain, who holds opposites in balance

An in-depth look at the themes of the Grail Quest, and at Gawain, a complex figure who holds opposites in balance.

Format:
paperback
Size:
234 x 156 mm
Publisher:
Floris Books
Subject:
Philosophy of Human Life; Mind, Body, Spirit
Extent:
240 pages
ISBN:
9780863158742
Publication date:
26 Apr 2012

Description

Grail and Arthurian legends continue to fascinate readers today as much as they did when they first appeared in the twelfth century. Why do these medieval stories still resonate so powerfully in our imagination? Could they hold a key to transforming our world, and ourselves?

This unique book takes an in-depth look at the themes of the Grail Quest, and at an enduring Grail Hero for our time: Sir Gawain, an all too human and complex figure who bridges earth and heaven and holds opposites in balance: paganism and Christianity, masculine and feminine aspects of the divine, faith and gnosis.

Jeffrey Dixon argues powerfully that restoring the healing power that Gawain represents may be essential to our survival in the 21st century, as we face religious fundamentalism and ecological catastrophe.

This is a challenging and enlightening book for those interested in the wisdom of the past, and those looking for inspirational ways forward for our world.

Reviews

'An in-depth look at the Grail Quest in the Arthurian mythos … Recommended.'
-- BM Cauldron.

'you'll keep on turning the pages towards a suprising…conclusion. And, actually, this is a very, very good book.'
-- Northern Earth

'This is a fairly specialist book with wider implications … There are patterns to the Grail Quest which resonate in every generation, and this book focuses particularly on Sir Gawain insofar as he represents a harmony of opposites between paganism and Christianity, masculine and feminine, faith and gnosis … The book explains new symbolism of the Grail and Sir Gawain as a healer of our inner wasteland and one who brings back the lost knowledge of paganism, Gnosticism and the Divine feminine.'
-- Scientific Medical Network Review

'It will be seen that there is much matter for reflection in this passionate, insightful book: Dixon has found in the Grail stories a symbolic narrative to illuminate the metaphysical underpinnings of the world’s predicament. I
think that his is a vision from which benefit can be drawn.'
-- Temenos Review

Author

Jeffrey John Dixon was brought up in a part of London where the streets are named after Arthurian characters, leading to a life-long fascination with the legends. He studied at Sussex University. He travelled widely and now lives in Powys in mid-Wales where he works for a local charity. Gawain and the Grail Quest is the fruit of decades of private research into the esoteric origins of the Grail myth.

Links

Also available, Arthurian stories for children:
Legends of King Arthur by Isabel Wyatt

A classroom reader for Waldorf schools:
Parsifal and the Search for the Grail by Charles Kovacs

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