Happy Yule!
Welcome to the 28th edition of 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. I’ve
got great plans for this newsletter. Hopefully, as time goes by, it
will only get bigger and better. Without further ado, welcome, and enjoy.
Regards,
Erica (Raven) Branch-Butler,
Editrix
golanv1@yahoo.com
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 everything that you could want
in a Magical Pagan store.
Open 7 days a week, Noon 'till 9pm.
Call: 206-PAN-1999
**
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Edge of the Circle Newsletter is looking for writers and artists! Our
Focus has been on the Pagan community, Sabbatic Witchcraft, Hoodoo,
Western Ceremonial Magic, African Traditional Religions, Asatru and
Heathenry, Wicca, Celtic Paganism and more obscure aspects of the
Occult.
If you have an article or art to share, please email golanv1@yahoo.com with
“Newsletter” in the subject line. Please send only original material.
All Copyrighted material will be honored and credited to/as the
property of the original writer.
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Thanks very much to Leon Reed, for the use of one of his wonderful poems.
**
POETRY
THE COSMOLOGY SERIES:WICCAN POEMS
By Leon Reed
**
SAVE THE WILD THINGS
12/19/85
R.H.U.N.
Turn the force by skill of Art
Rhythm of the drum, measure the dance
Treasure maker, spell shaper
Legend singer, lineage keeper
Lift the veil of obscurity
Open to the day, our art
The children of the glass towers
Need the magic in their lives
Celebrate the seasons turning
One to another in a loving circle
Honor God and Goddess on their days
Moon and Sun weave the years
Be the shape shifter, magic maker
Spirit speaker, shaman of the earthly tribe
Awaken the children of the Earth Mother
Here forests and animals disappear
Help save the wild things
Protect the fierce and free
Trust and Love the natural states
Bless the wonder works, save the dream
Leon Reed is a long-time Elder, Bard and member of the Pagan community
of Seattle, and one of the founding members of the Gorsedd of Caer
Pugetia. He, along with his partner Alan are the proprietors of
Travelers Tea Co, at 5O1 East Pine St, Phone 206.329.6260
**
NEW BOOKS:
DANCING GOD: POETRY OF MYTHS AND MAGICKS
By author Diotima
This collection of poems spans the ages from the timeless sagas of the
ancient gods to the modern commuter train "--it spans the human heart
from the beginnings of love to the depths of grief.
Diotima, author of “Refuge: Tales of Myth and Magick,” and “Banish
with Laughter: Essays of Myth and Magick,” opens her notebooks to
share her poetic musings, her songs of triumph and despair, her life
and loves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Diotima was the teacher who led Socrates to an appreciation of the
nature of love and its relation to philosophy and the world in
general. The current author is not Diotima of Mantinea, but she does
believe firmly that the dichotomy between thought and feeling, between
“mind” and “heart,” has crippled Western society for far too long; she
works in whatever way she can to redress that.
Diotima is, among other things, a mother, a lover, an inhabitant of
bookshops, a teacher, a reader, a worker... (and much less energetic
than this makes her sound!).
List Prics: $15.99
Paperback: 206 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (May 6, 2008)
**
THE GOAT FOOT GOD
by Diotima
BOOK BLURB:
The Goat Food God.... The Lord of the Hunt... Swift footed, keen
eyed... To be approached with laughter and song... God of madness,
dreams and healing... Sending armies mad and persuading young women
to go on living... Beloved of all the gods, yet never resident on
Olympus... Pan presents the modern reader with a series of, if not
contradictions, then puzzles. Who was this deity-- and who was he
thought to be? What were the people who honoured him like, and why
did they seek him out? In The Goat Foot God, Diotima takes a scholarly
yet idiosyncratic look at Pan, as is only befitting the subject. Using
the Homeric Hymn as a base, and moving beyond it, she examines what
the ancients knew and thought about Pan. She moves on to the present
day and finds no less puzzlement, asking how Pan might fit in with the
modern feminist consciousness. There are more questions than answers
herein, but that is entirely in keeping with the eponymous subject....
List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 114 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (June 18, 2008)
**
MAGICK WORKS: STORIES OF OCCULTISM IN THEORY AND PRACTICE
by Julian Vayne
BOOK BLURB:
Enter the world of the occultist: where the spirits of the dead dwell
amongst us,where the politics of ecstasy are played out, and where
magick spills into every aspect of life.
It’s all right here; sex, drugs, witchcraft and gardening.
From academic papers, through to first person accounts of high-octane
rituals.
In Magick Works you will find cutting edge essays from the path of
Pleasure, Freedom and Power.
In this seminal collection Julian Vayne explores:
The Tantric use of Ketamine.
Social Justice, Green Politics and Druidry
English Witchcraft and Macum
The Magickal use of Space
Cognitive Liberty and the Occult.
Psychogeography & Chaos Magick
Tai Chi and Apocalyptic Paranoia
Self-identity, Extropianism and the Abyss
Parenthood as Spiritual Practice
Aleister Crowley as Shaman ...and much more!
List Price: $22.00
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Mandrake (August 8, 2008)
**
THE APOPHENION: A CHAOS MAGICK PARADIGM
by Peter J Carroll
BOOK BLURB:
Apophenion attacks most of the great questions of being, free will,
consciousness, meaning, the nature of mind, and humanity’s place in
the cosmos, from a magical perspective. Some of the conclusions seem
to challenge many of the deeply held assumptions that our culture has
taught us, so brace yourself for the paradigm crash and look for the
jewels revealed in the wreckage. This book contains something to
offend everyone; enough science to upset the magicians, enough magic
to upset the scientists, and enough blasphemy to upset most
trancendentalists.
List Price: $22.00
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Mandrake (August 8, 2008)
**
WICCA MAGICKAL BEGINNINGS -
A STUDY OF THE POSSIBLE ORIGINS OF THE RITUALS AND PRACTICES
FOUND IN THIS MODERN TRADITION OF PAGAN WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK
by Sorita d’Este , David Rankine
BOOK BLURB:
The origins of the Wiccan Tradition have long been a subject of debate
amongst practitioners and scholars alike. Did Gerald Gardner invent the tradition?
Is Wicca a survival of a British folk magick system?
Could it be a continuation of a European tradition of Pagan Witchcraft?
Might it be that it evolved from Victorian ceremonial magick, or
perhaps it is the modern manifestation of the medieval Grimoire
Tradition?
In this book the authors explore the possible beginnings of the
tradition by examining the practices in the context of magickal and
spiritual thought spanning thousands of years. Through setting aside
the endless debates about initiatory lineages, they look beyond the
personalities of the people and instead focus on what they consider to
be at the heart of the tradition -- the practices.
Evidence from many previously uncredited and unconsidered sources is
examined.
This clearly shows how all the significant component parts of Wiccan
ritual and practice have roots reaching back, in some instances
thousands of years, before its public emergence at the hands of
Gerald Gardner in 1950’s England. They explore the sometimes
surprising antecedents for key practices such as initiation, magick
circles, ritual tools, the invocation of the Guardians of the
Watchtowers, Drawing Down the Moon and The Great Rite.
The precedents for the Book of Shadows, Wiccan Rede and Charge of the
Goddess are alsoconsidered as part of this groundbreaking work. Wicca
Magickal Beginnings may well answer as many questions as it creates
about the true origins and nature of what is probably the most
influential of the Western Esoteric Traditions today.
Through combining scholarly research with practical knowledge, the
authors clearly illustrate that the future of the tradition lies in
utilising the rich diversity of its past, through the appreciation of
its magickal origins and the untapped potential inherent in it. This
book will be invaluable to anyone with an interest in the history,
practices and beliefs of the Wiccan Tradition -- and its links to
Paganism, Witchcraft, the British Folk Traditions and Ceremonial Magick.
List Price: $24.99
Paperback: 284 pages
Publisher: Avalonia; 2 edition (May 1, 2008)
*
A HERETIC'S GUIDE TO THELEMA
by Gerald del Campo
BOOK BLURB:
The Heretic's Guide to Thelema provides a fresh, alternative
perspective of Thelema and its evolution as a magical and
philosophical system. Whether or not you consider yourself a
Thelemite, practitioners of traditions, orders, covens, groves,
solitudes, etc. anyone can benefit from Gerald's profound, penetrating
and practical wisdom. He writes with an entertaining sanity,
clarifying mysteries with a greater mystery, promoting personal
evolution and deeper comprehension of the High Art.
It pays to have a trustworthy adviser in and beyond the halls of
Chapel Perilous.
List Price: $22.99
Paperback: 444 pages
Publisher: Megalithica Books (June 7, 2008)
*
TANTRA SADHANA: A PRACTICAL INTRODUCTION TO KAULA MAGICK
by Mogg Morgan
BOOK BLURB:
A 'Sädhana' is an instrument that leads to a particular goal.
In Tantra, it is a technical term denoting worship or spiritual
practice. Tantra Sädhana is a collection of related instructional
papers designed to aid the aspirant through a foundation Sädhana.
Some say effective Sädhana requires an initiation (dékshé) from a qualified
guru. This book is designed to act as a taster and to provide a short
body of work suitable for the period of about one lunar month. In
addition, the author had added several useful appendices - including
the previously unpublished Tantrik Knuckle Bone Oracle.
List Price: $20.00
Paperback: 180 pages
Publisher: Mandrake (May 1, 2008)
**
BRIGHT FROM THE WELL: NORTHERN TALES IN THE MODERN WORLD
by Dave Lee
BOOK BLURB:
'Bright From the Well' consists of five stories plus five essays and a
rune-poem. The stories revolve around themes from Norse myth - the
marriage of Frey and Gerd, the story of how Gullveig-Heidh reveals her
powers to the gods, a modern take on the social-origins myth Rig's
Tale, Loki attending a pagan pub moot and the Ragnarok seen through
the eyes of an ancient shaman. The essays include examination of the
Norse creation or origins story, of the magician in or against the
world and a chaoist's magical experiences looked at from the
standpoint of Northern magic.' Dave Lee coaches breathwork, writes
fictionand non-fiction, blends incenses and oils, creates music and
collage.
List Price: $23.00
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Mandrake (September 21, 2008)
*
GODS AND MORTALS: NEW STORIES OF HELLENIC POLYTHEISM
by H. Jeremiah Lewis
BOOK BLURB:
The gods are still around: that's the refrain that sounds throughout
each of these stories. Although the roots of the faith stretch back to
ancient Greece, Hellenismos continues to grow and adapt, offering
inspiration and answers to the perplexing questions of life's
mysteries for many individuals today. And that is what these stories
are about - what it's like to practice Hellenismos today. What it
feels like to recognize the presence of the gods around you. To
discover the mystery of the divine, the power of love, the joy of
life, the pangs of grief, the struggle with doubt, the loneliness that
comes with belonging to a minority faith. You can read all about
ancient Greek religion in hundreds of academic tomes - but none of
them will tell you what it's really like, from the inside. The only
way to do that is to hear our stories, in our own words. Stories of
gods and mortals.
List Price: $15.99
Paperback: 154 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (June 3, 2008)
*
CONJUNCTIO - A GRAPHIC GRIMMOIRE
by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule
Conjunctio presents mirrored pairs of Sacred Twins and Divine Lovers
from various cultural pantheons coupled on facing pages. They are
aligned in such a way that when the pages are turned the figures are
United in holy conjunction by the alchemical reader. Different
reflective relationships --alchymic opposites and complementaries --
are explored b e t w e e n the pages.
Sequences of symbols and images interweave in a complex
multi-directional pictorial and textual tapestry, as Gods, Goddesses
and pantheons converge, paradigms coalesce and different magickal
currents cross-pollinate in an orgiastic ancient and post-modern
multicultural Sabbat of new Becomings…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Orryelle draws upon a rich mythoscape of cross-cultural threads
between different ancient traditions, interweaving them in hir
work/play. Based in Melbourne Australia where he began the
ever-expansive Metamorphic Ritual Theatre Company, he has in recent
years performed also in Europe and the UK; while travels to India and
Egypt have furthered his spiritual explorations which fuel and inspire
his transformative and often ecstatic drawings, sculpture, ritual
theatre and magickal music (violin and voice). He is also a ritual
tattooist, seeing the body as the mutable temple of the mutable soul.
A prolific sonic and visual artist, Orryelle also runs iNSPiRALink.
Multimedia Press, which publishes DVDs of his Metamorphic Ritual
Theatre, SilKMilK Magizain --a sampler of art, text and music from
various members of the international HermAphroditic ChAOrder of the
Silver Dusk which he began --and his Book of Kaos Tarot Deck.
Deluxe issue:
Limited to 640 hand numbered copies, 210mm x 266mm, 80 pages,
double-page graphic title, 53 full page monochrome plates,
illustrations, descriptive text, red cloth, dust-jacket stamped in
gilt and silver.
List Price: $50.00
*
NECRONOMICON: 31ST ANNIVERSARY EDITION
by Simon (Editor)
BOOK BLURB:
In the past 31 years, there has been a lot of ink - actual and virtual
- spilled on the subject of the Necronomicon. Some have derided it as
a clumsy hoax; others have praised it as a powerful grimoire. As the
decades have passed, more information has come to light both on the
book's origins and discovery, and on the information contained within
its pages. The Necronomicon has been found to contain formula for
spiritual trans-formation, consistent with some of the most ancient
mystical processes in the world, processes that were not public
knowledge when the book was first published, processes that involve
communion with the stars.
In spite of all the controversy, the first edition sold out before
it was published. And it has never been out of print since then.
This year, the original designer of the 1977 edition and the original
editor have joined forces to present a new, deluxe hardcover edition
of the most feared, most reviled, and most desired occult book on the
planet.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Simon is a student of magic, occultism, and religion since the
mid-1960s and the editor of the Necronomicon. Speaking on topics as
diverse as religion and politics, occultism and fascism, ceremonial
magic, demonolatry, the Tarot, the Qabala, and Asian occult systems,
Simon was a frequent lecturer for the famed Warlock Shop in Brooklyn
and the Magickal Childe Bookstore in Manhattan.
The media events he organized in the 1970s and 1980s - with rock
bands, ritual performances, and celebrity appearances - helped to
promote the occult renaissance in New York City. For undisclosed
reasons his whereabouts have been unknown since 1984.
List Price: $125.00
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Ibis Press; 31st Anniversary edition (December 1, 2008)
*
HORNS OF POWER: MANIFESTATIONS OF THE HORNED GOD
by Sorita d'Este (Editor), David Rankine (Editor),
Huggens Kim (Editor)
BOOK BLURB:
The raw, ancient and primordial force symbolised by horns has long had
associations with mystery, magick and power. Our ancestors often
envisaged their gods as anthropomorphic beings who encapsulated this
wild essence. Today the gods of the bull, the ram, the goat and the
stag still hold tremendous power and are invoked at rituals by a new
priesthood who continue to seek the wildness of nature and the
inspiration that it holds. These deities transcend the safe and known
boundaries of human structure, sometimes even luring us across the
threshold of the known into the unknown worlds beyond. This unique
anthology brings together the work of more than twenty people,
including that of dedicated scholars and modern day mystics.
Through their written and artistic contributions they illustrate
some of the many manifestations of the Horned God. A true cornucopia
of both insightful and well researched essays takes us from the well
known Celtic Cernunnos and the legend of Herne the Hunter, to the
goat-footed Greek Pan, the lesser known Slavic Veles and Egyptian
Khnum. Horned serpents, unicorns, the tale of the Battle of the Bulls
in the Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Welsh Gwyn Ap Nudd and the faery
Puck are all also considered. Then a wild hunt as we journey with the
mystics who share their own experiences of the gods of the wildwood
and untamed beasts. Each story is as different as the person who
experienced it - and each illustrating in its own unique way a Horned
God who is wild, unpredictable, loving - and at heart a trickster.
For those who wish to dare a bit more than others, visionary
meditation journeys to explore the mysteries of Cernunnos and Gwyn
Ap Nudd are included. Horns of power would of course be nothing
without the horns of beauty of the feminine divine, and in the final
section of this anthology the reader is presented with works exploring
horned goddesses, such as the lunar horned Hekate, Selene and Artemis
and the antlered Elen. Whether through the mysteries of their
existence, the vast scope of their influence or the endurance of their
survival through to the modern day, each contribution provides a
window into the wonders and mystery of the enduring
magick of the horned gods.
List Price: $24.99
Paperback: 204 pages
Publisher: Avalonia (July 15, 2008)
*
FINDING MERLIN
by Adam Ardrey
BOOK BLURB:
Merlin: the very name summons up images ofthe wizard of
Camelot--magician, prophet, and counselor to Arthur. The legend is
famous but the truth is less well known: Merlin was a real historical
figure, a champion of the old way of the Druids, a British man who
hailed not from England or Wales, as traditional wisdom would have it,
but from Scotland.
Adam Ardrey, who stumbled upon some of the hidden sources of Merlin's
life while researching the history of a Scottish clan, offers
compelling evidence that links a very real Merlin figure into the
histories of other real and prominent sixth century figures. From
the time of his death to the present day, historical records relating
to Merlin have been suppressed or altered by Christian writers, his
true provenance and importance obscured, and his real power and
influence undermined by slurs that he was a madman.
Finding Merlin uncovers new evidence and reexamines the old. The
places where Merlin was born, lived, died, and was buried are
identified, as are the people surrounding him--his nemesis, the
fanatic Mungo, and his friend, the hero Arthur. In this impressively
researched and accessibly written book, Merlin leaps from the pages of
legend into history.
List Price: $24.95
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (September 4, 2008)
*
CALENDAR: DECEMBER
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8th , 7-9PM
CELTIC RECONSTRUCTIONIST GROUP
For More Information:
http://www.seanet.com/~inisglas/
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14th 1-4PM
RUNE MAGIC IN THE EDDAS AND SAGAS
Elder and Younger Futharks, Rune magic in Sigdrifumal,
Rune magic in Egil's Saga,Odin's Initiation.
Level: Beginner through Advanced
$5.00 at the door.
Contact irisgateley@vib.org for reservations or further inquiries.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21st , 7PM,
AQUARIAN TABERNACLE CHURCH PRESENTS: YULE
Open Circle, Free
**
ONGOING:
HOLY WELL CIRCLE
http://www.holywellseattle.org/
Open Circle, Wiccan
Meets at the Edge every Sunday from 5PM -8PM
cybra@earthlink.net
Subject Line: Holy Well
**
SERVICES AVAILABLE AT EDGE OF THE CIRCLE BOOKS
TAROT READINGS /SPIRITUAL ADVICE
UnCommonSense Tarot
Tarot readings by
Erica (Raven) Branch-Butler
Please inquire about Tarot Parties, classes and other events.
Available every day except Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-8.30PM.
*
Kelly Marjorie Kelleher
Daughter of the Ancients
Psychic, Healer, Muse...
Thursdays at Edge of the Circle Books
**
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Edge of the Circle Newsletter is looking for writers and artists! Our
Focus has been on the Pagan community, Sabbatic Witchcraft, Hoodoo,
Western Ceremonial Magic, African Traditional Religions, Asatru and
Heathenry, Wicca, Celtic Paganism and more obscure aspects of the
Occult. If you have an article or art to share, please email
golanv1@yahoo.com with “Newsletter” in the subject line.
Please send only original material.
All Copyrighted material will be honored and credited to/as the property of the original writer.
**
This concludes our Newsletter for this month. Look for us again on the
first of January. Have a Great Yule, and Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Raven
Editrix, Edge of the Circle Books Newsletter
golanv1@yahoo.com
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