On the Cusp of Spring!
WELCOME
to the Edge of the Circle Newsletter. This newsletter has come about as an
effort to reach out to the Pagan/ Occult community (particularly in Seattle
where we are based) to inform the community of what events are happening at our
store. Without further ado, welcome, and enjoy.
WHO WE
ARE: Edge of the Circle Books is Seattle's resource for Paganism
& the Occult. This newsletter seeks to provide the Seattle community with a
place to list events, post articles, and do a bit of networking.
We are located at: 701 E. Pike St, corner of Boylston Ave.,
just two blocks west of Broadway, on Capitol Hill.
Edge of the Circle Books strives to be your ideal Magical
Pagan store.
Open 7 days a week, Noon 'till 9pm.
Call: 206-PAN-1999
**
We are
also now on Facebook:
Become a Fan; post your event on the discussion page!
**
REMINDER:
We buy used Occult Books! Our buyer is in
on Wednesdays, Thursdays,
Saturdays,
and Sundays!
CLASSROOM/RITUAL
SPACE IS AVAILABLE-- PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS!
SPECIAL EVENTS:
EDGE OF THE CIRCLE BOOKS IS PROUD TO PRESENT
THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL EVENTS AND CLASSES:
**
OCCULT
LECTURE SERIES BY FRATER OSIRIS
Upcoming lectures:
Practical Egyptian
Theurgy:
Sunday Feb. 23, 3:30-5 PM
Mechanics of Sorcery: Thursday, Feb. 27, 7-8
PM
Golden Dawn System of
Initiation:
Sunday, March 9, 3:30-5 PM
Archangelic Evocation: Thursday, March 13,
7-9 PM
History of the Esoteric
Tarot:
Sunday, March 23, 3:30-5 PM
**
OLOTEAS
PRESENTS:
SKIING THE MAGICKAL BUNNY SLOPE
A
Really, Really Introductory Course on Wicca, Magick and Everything
This five-session class includes instruction, exercises, and
question-and-answer time.
The
dates and times for the Spring 2014 Session of Skiing the Magickal Bunny Slope
are:
Friday, March 28,
2014 7PM – 9PM
Friday, April 4, 2014
7PM – 9PM
Friday, April 11,
2014 7PM – 9PM
Friday, April 18,
2014 7PM – 9PM
Friday, April 25,
2014 7PM - 9PM
Enrollment is open to all, but note that due to the class
structure and content, attendance at the first day’s class is required. If you
can’t make it the first day, please join us when the next series is offered in
Spring 2015. If you’ve taken the class before, you’re welcome to come to any
session you may have missed previously, or re-take any you found particularly
interesting.
This class is completely, absolutely, 100% free of charge!
It is presented once a year as a community service of OLOTEAS, and is supported
by donations from our ritual events. Many thanks to Edge of the Circle Books
for allowing us to use the space at no cost!
These are some of the materials that are given to students
of our Skiing the Magickal Bunny Slope classes:
Here’s
where to go for links to download the materials for the class:
A Brief
Guide to Pagan Etiquette
Some
Tips for Aspiring Herbalists
Magical
Ethics
Basic
Circle Casting
Correspondences
- Key of Solomon
Magickal
Weapons and Tools
Spellcraft
The
Oracle™
The
Tree of Life
Temple
Arrangement
The
Wheel of the Year
Glossary
Recommended
Reading List
Here’s
where to go for links to download the materials for the class:
**
Note:
all prices are subject to change without notice.
AUSTIN
OSMAN SPARE:
The
Occult Life of London's Legendary Artist
By
Phil Baker , Alan Moore (Foreword)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 2 edition (February 4,
2014)
List Price: $18.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Austin Osman Spare is the definitive biography of the
controversial occultist and artist, an enfant terrible of the Edwardian art
world whose work was both hailed as genius and decried as immoral decadence. As
George Bernard Shaw reportedly said, "Spare's medicine is too strong for
the average man."
Trained as a draughtsman, Spare enjoyed early acclaim when,
at the age of seventeen, his work was shown at the Royal Academy in London. But
his star soon declined; Spare went underground, falling out of the gallery
system to live in poverty and obscurity. After a brief association with
Aleister Crowley, he became absorbed in occultism and sorcery, voyaging into
inner dimensions, while developing his own magical philosophy of pleasure,
obsession, and the subjective nature of reality. All the while, Spare continued
to produce extraordinary art, and held his exhibitions outside of the
conventional art world, in London pubs.
Today Spare is both forgotten and famous, a cult figure
whose modest life has been much mythologised since his death; the world's
largest Spare collection is held by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Biographer Phil
Baker separates fact from myth, providing wide-ranging insights into Spare's
art and mind, reconnecting him with the art community that ignored him and
exploring the rich tapestry of the culture that surrounded him, interweaving
the birth of psychoanalysis, the historiography of the occult, and the British
class system. This richly readable and illuminating biography, containing 50
black and white and 8 color photographs of Spare's art, takes us deep into the
strange inner world of this enigmatic artist.
**
DRAGON BONES:
Ritual,
Myth and Oracle in Shang Period China
By
Jan Fries
Paperback: 838 pages
Publisher: Avalonia (September 1, 2013)
List Price: $49.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"Those who do not forget the past are the masters of
the future" Sima Qian, Historian, 1st century BCE Dragon Bones is a
masterly and insightful exploration of ritual, myth and oracles in Shang Period
China (16th-11th century BCE). Combining wide-ranging scholarship with
pragmatic practicality, the author shines a light on one of the most obscure
and least-known areas of ritual practice in the ancient world, demonstrating its
value and connection to the development of magical practices in China over a
period of many centuries. Combining historical accounts, myths, practical
meditation and the oracle bone inscriptions themselves, Dragon Bones elucidates
an arcane system of divination and offers its wisdom to the modern world.
To provide a relevant context for the dragon bone oracle,
the reader is guided through a wealth of material by Chinese philosophers
including Kongzi (Confucius) and Laozi, exploring philosophies such as Daoism
and its cosmology. The offerings, sacrifices and rituals which form the
mystical matrix from which Chinese magic developed are considered with an
elegant perspective which explores both the practices and their use and
relevance, considering their development from early shamanic practices into
more stylised forms of social and cultural ceremonies which contributed to the
evolution of formal rites to serve communities. As well as its detailed
discussion of the historical and mythical figures, gods, spirits, ancestors,
mountains, rivers, animals, types of weather and implements which provide the
context and provenance of the development of the dragon bone oracle, Dragon
Bones includes a dictionary of over three thousand inscriptions, the most
comprehensive of its kind created. As the earliest recorded Chinese texts, the
dragon bones reveal unique glimpses of a period where history and myth merge,
shaped by philosophy, political power and magic, and whose lessons are as
relevant today as they have ever been.
**
THE
WIZARD AND THE WITCH:
Seven
Decades of Counterculture, Magick & Paganism
By
Carl Llewellyn Weschcke , John C. Sulak ,
Oberon and Morning Glory Zell
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2014)
List Price: $24.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
This is the stranger-than-fiction story of two soul mates
who rejected the status quo and embraced higher ideals . . . and had a whole
lot of fun while they were at it. Reclaiming Pagan as a spiritual identity—and
living in an open marriage for over four decades—Oberon and Morning Glory Zell
truly embody the freedom to think, to love, and to live.
Telling the stories of their singular lives in this unique
oral history, Oberon and Morning Glory—together with a colorful tribe of
friends, lovers, musicians, homesteaders, researchers, and ritualists—reveal
how they established the Church of All Worlds, revitalized Goddess worship,
discovered the Gaea Thesis, raised real Unicorns, connected a worldwide
community through Green Egg magazine, searched for mermaids in the South
Pacific, and founded the influential Grey School of Wizardry.
Join Morning Glory and Oberon as they share the highs and
lows of their extraordinary lives, and explore the role they played in shaping
the community of Witches and Pagans that thrives in the world today.
Includes a 16-page color photo insert.
**
A
WITCH'S WORLD OF MAGICK:
Expanding
Your Practice with Techniques & Traditions from Diverse Cultures
By Melanie
Marquis
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2014)
List Price: $16.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Magickal
Inspiration from the World’s Great Traditions…
Join Melanie Marquis as she explores an amazing assortment
of magickal techniques gathered from the annals of world folk magick. Discover
traditional practices from Zulu herbal medicine to the enchanted ovens of
Polynesia; from Germanic fertility dances to the love potions of Papua New
Guinea; from Greco-Roman bloodletting ceremonies to Malay word charms . . . and
many more!
Providing instructions on how to unite classic beliefs with
modern practice, A Witch’s World of Magick uncovers the universal principles
that underlie decoy magick, curse breaking, potion making, number magick, and
an abundance of other techniques. With these new perspectives on the common
threads that weave throughout our magickal world, you will achieve higher
levels of insight and success.
Praise:
“An
invaluable resource for gleaning the many modes of magic that will be useful to
the new and experienced witch alike.”—Orion Foxwood, author of The Tree of
Enchantment-
**
THE
COMPLETE GRIMOIRE OF POPE HONORIUS
By
David Rankine and Paul Harry Barron
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Avalonia (August 7, 2013)
List Price: $32.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"I
conjure thee, Oh BOOK to be useful and profitable unto all those who shall read
thee for success in their affairs."
~
Conjuration for the Book, Grimoire of Pope Honorius
The Grimoire of Pope Honorius is the first and most
important of the French 'black magic' grimoires which proliferated across
Europe in the 17th-19th centuries.
Combining a grimoire of conjurations to demons of the four
directions and seven days of the week with a Book of Secrets full of simple
charms, the Grimoire of Pope Honorius was second only to the Key of Solomon in
the influence it exerted on magicians, charmers and cunning-folk in both rural
and urban France. This grimoire also played a role in social events which
rocked France, being used in the Affair of the Poisons which scandalised the
French royal court in 1679, and by the young priest who assassinated the
archbishop of Paris in 1857.
The Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius contains material
translated from all four of the different French editions of the Grimoire of
Pope Honorius, including the complete text of one manuscript version never
before seen in English (Wellcome 4666), and a new translation of the later
corrupted German version of 1845. All of the material and its variations found
in the five different editions of the Grimoire of Pope Honorius is contained in
this work, presenting the entire corpus of this grimoire in print for the first
time. In addition to tracing much of the material to sources such as the
Heptameron, the works of Agrippa and earlier religious texts for the first
time, the derivation of much of the material into later grimoires including the
Grimorium Verum, the Grand Grimoire/Red Dragon and the Black Dragon is clearly
demonstrated.
As well as charms for health, wealth, sex and protection,
the Grimoire of Pope Honorius also contains a substantial number of agrarian
charms by the Norman magician Guidon for protecting livestock, emphasising the
popular rural use of such charms until at least the 19th century. The corpus of
charms comes from diverse sources, including Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft
(1584), and some like the Letter of St Anthony can be dated back to at least
the 13th century. Including numerous illustrations, and tables tracing the
derivation of the material through the different editions and into other
grimoires, the Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius demonstrates the versatility
and significance of this grimoire, cutting past outdated misperceptions to a
viewpoint which reflects more accurately the position of the Grimoire of Pope
Honorius in the development of magic since the seventeenth century.
**
DIONYSOS:
Exciter
to Frenzy
By
Vikki Bramshaw
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Avalonia; First edition (December 6, 2013)
List Price: $24.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"There
was 'no god more present' than Dionysos: that is, out of all the ancient gods
Dionysos was one of the few who people felt that they could reach out and
touch" ~ Chapter 4: A God of Many Forms
Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy is a phenomenal scholarly
exploration of one of the most complex, liminal and paradoxical gods of the
ancient world. In this journey through the realms of Dionysos, the author Vikki
Bramshaw guides the reader through the mysterious world of the multifaceted
Dionysos, revealing his hidden faces and forms, demonstrating his presence in
different cultures, the growth cycles of nature, the establishment of theatre
and even the ancient Greek calendar. The roots of the wine god Dionysos, like
his vines, spread throughout the ancient world. From the Cretan Zagreus, to the
Thracian Sabazios and the Egyptian Iachen, his stories permeated the myths and
traditions of both the untamed wilderness and the culture of cities such as
Athens.
Joined by slaves and rulers, wild flesh-ripping Maenads and
vegetarian Orphics, wine-makers and hunters, the thrice-born Dionysos danced
his way through the challenges of rebirth and initiation, with the liberating
ecstasy of trance and possession. The god Dionysos unites opposites, he is
many-formed, dying yet eternal, chthonian and heavenly. His ancient myths,
mystical symbols, pagan rites and incarnations represent a uniquely detailed
and relevant perspective of the transformation he brings through prophecy and
personal liberation which is still relevant today.
**
VAMPIRES
ARE US:
Understanding
Our Love Affair with the Immortal Dark Side
By
Margot Adler
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Weiser Books (March 1, 2014)
List Price: $18.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"Vampires. Why do we care? In these pages you will find
what is very simply, the most literate, imaginative, and just plain fascinating
answer to that question ever written." ─Whitley Strieber
In a culture that does not do death particularly well, we
are obsessed with mortality. Margot Adler writes, "Vampires let us play
with death and the issue of mortality. They let us ponder what it would mean to
be truly long lived. Would the long view allow us to see the world differently,
imagine social structures differently? Would it increase or decrease our reverence
for the planet? Vampires allow us to ask questions we usually bury."
As Adler, a longtime NPR correspondent and question asker,
sat vigil at her dying husband's bedside, she found herself newly drawn to
vampire novels and their explorations of mortality. Over the next four
years--by now she has read more than 270 vampire novels, from teen to adult,
from gothic to modern, from detective to comic--she began to see just how each
era creates the vampires it needs. Dracula, an Eastern European monster, was the
perfect vehicle for 19th-century England's fear of outsiders and of disease
seeping in through its large ports. In 1960s America, Dark Shadows gave us the
morally conflicted vampire struggling against his own predatory nature, who
still enthralls us today. Think Spike and Angel, Stefan and Damon, Bill and
Eric, the Cullens.
Vampires Are Us explores the issues of power, politics,
morality, identity, and even the fate of the planet that show up in vampire
novels today. Perhaps, Adler suggests, our blood is oil, perhaps our prey is
the planet. Perhaps vampires are us.
**
GRAIL
ALCHEMY:
Initiation
in the Celtic Mystery Tradition
By
Mara Freeman
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Destiny Books; Original edition (January 24,
2014)
List Price: $19.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
An experiential guide to the spiritual path of the Holy
Grail
• Traces the evolution of the Holy Grail from the sacred
vessel of the Celtic goddess to the Cup of Christ and how it represents the
longing for the divine feminine
• Provides exercises, meditations, and rituals to connect
you with the powers of the Cauldron of Rebirth, the Chalice of Healing, the
Sword of Light, and the Holy Grail
• Explains how attaining the Grail brings full consciousness
of the soul and Divine influence for the healing of self and others
The primary myth of Western culture, the quest for the Holy
Grail persists through the centuries like a recurring dream, embodying the
longing for the divine feminine suppressed for more than two thousand years.
The Holy Grail emerged not only as a symbol of the feminine but also as a
symbol of the soul, for hidden within the sacred Grail legends lies an
initiatory path that leads to the highest realms of consciousness and spiritual
illumination. By working with the symbols of the Grail tradition we can gaze
into our own hidden depths and heal the separation between masculine and
feminine, Spirit and Matter, and Heaven and Earth.
Mara Freeman traces the evolution of the Grail from the
sacred vessel of the Celtic goddess to the Cup of Christ, revealing a spiritual
path rooted in the mysteries of the Goddess, the Grail, and the Sword. She
explains how the Sword has dominated over the Goddess and the Grail for far too
long, leading to a spiritual wasteland as foretold in the Grail stories. She
provides a practical workbook of exercises, visualizations, and magical rituals
to restore the power of the divine feminine through spiritually transformative
experiences with the Cauldron of Rebirth, the Chalice of Healing, the Sword of
Light, and the Holy Grail itself.
Drawing on folk traditions and medieval Arthurian romances
as well as alchemy and the wisdom of the mystics of Glastonbury, Freeman
reveals the ancient Celtic teachings of the Western Mystery tradition. She shows
that attaining the Grail involves achieving full consciousness of the soul.
Then, as a Grail-bearer, you can bring the light of the Grail into the world
for the healing of self and others.
**
NEW DIVINATION DECKS
WITCHLINGS
Deck
& Book Set
By
Paulina Cassidy
Hardcover: 204 pages, 40 Card set
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems Inc.; Crds/Pap edition
(January 10, 2014)
List Price: $21.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Paulina Cassidy introduces her 40 wonderful Witchlings in
this enchanting new deck and book set. The Witchlings share their easy and uplifting
spells to help you access your own powerful energy and natural abilities. The 200-page
illustrated guidebook includes clear instructions for more than 150 spells with
tips and insights from each individual Witchling. Whether used for incantation
or inspiration, Witchlings will help you reach your positive goals.
**
MYSTICAL
KIPPER DECK
By
Regula Elizabeth Fiechter (Author) , Urban Trosch (Illustrator)
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems Inc.; Crds/Pap edition
(February 2, 2014)
36 cards
Card language: English
Instruction booklet: English
List Price: $14.00
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The German system of fortune telling, which dates back over
100 years, has been given a vibrant new look. Key words on the cards and an
informative 52-page booklet make the Mystical Kipper method easy to learn.
The traditional Kipper cards gleam in a new mystical splendor.
After the Mystical Lenormand, Regula Elizabeth Fiechter introduces us to her
new Mystic Kipper deck, another treasure for those interested in divination.
Urban Trösch painted the 36 cards in the classical egg tempera technique. The
result is a work of art with great luminous power and exactitude.
ONGOING AT EDGE OF THE CIRCLE BOOKS
·
EVERY WEDNESDAY:
IRISH LANGUAGE DROP IN CLASS-7-9PM
·
Every first Sunday of each month--SEATTLE
CHAOS MAGIC
We
meet at 3:33 pm. on the first Sunday of each month, at Edge of the Circle
Books, 701 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122.
Anyone practicing, curious about, or otherwise interested in Chaos magic
is welcome to attend.
·
Every 1st Monday of each month CELTIC
RECONSTRUCTIONIST GROUP 7-9PM
SERVICES AVAILABLE AT EDGE OF THE CIRCLE BOOKS
REMINDER:
We buy used Occult Books! Our buyer is in on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays,
and Sundays!
We
also have classroom/ritual space-- please call for details.
Need
Spell advice? Just ask!
*
TAROT
READINGS / SPIRITUAL ADVICE
UNCOMMONSENSE
TAROT
Tarot
readings by Erica (Raven) Branch-Butler
"I've been reading Tarot for more than thirty years,
and reading professionally at the Edge for a decade. My belief is that Tarot is
best used for putting you in touch with your own subconscious, allowing you to
make healthy decisions that can change your life for the better. My readings
tend to be rather commonsensical. They are often geared toward helping the
client deal with the often self-imposed obstacles in their lives in a healthy,
self –affirming way, so that they can achieve their goals and fully enjoy the
fruits that life has to bring."
Please inquire about Tarot Parties, classes and other
events.
Available every day except THURSDAYS-- 12:30-8.30PM.
Sundays 12:30-8:30 PM
This
concludes our Newsletter for this month.
Look
for us again April 1st, 2014!
Raven,
Editrix, Edge of the Circle Books Newsletter
**
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