WELCOME
to the 61st 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
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:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Edge-of-the-Circle-Books-Events/106285532728383
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!
CHILDREN OF CAIN
By Michael Howard
344 pages, illustrated throughout, many
in colour
Standard hardcover with dust jacket.
Three Hands Press
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The mid-twentieth century witnessed the
birth of popular occultism in the West, including an interest in
witchcraft. At the forefront of popular witchcraft was Wicca, a
recension of ceremonial magic and nature worship advanced by Gerald
Gardner and Alex Sanders, now widely regarded as a religion. However,
lesser-known streams of the witch-current thrived the shadows, having
older historical roots, and linked to an ancient body of practice –
witch-bottles, knotted cord spells, curses, exorcisms, sexual magic,
and charms ranging from the conjuration of angels to protection of
livestock and hearth.
This was Traditional Witchcraft, whose
origin in part lies with the sorcery of the cunning-folk of Britain
and Colonial America. Though largely avoiding the popular occult
limelight, from 1970 onward, elements of Traditional Witchcraft
experienced a partial emergence into the public through such
publications as Paul Huson’s Mastering Witchcraft, the writings of
Robert Cochrane and Evan John Jones, and Andrew Chumbley’s Azoëtia:
A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft.
Based on over forty years of research
and private collaboration with practitioners, Michael Howard’s
Children of Cain is the definitive history of Traditional Witchcraft
and its key operatives in Britain and the United States. Supplemented
with diverse photographs and illustrations, many appearing for the
first time, the book artfully encompasses the unique legacy of
Traditional Witchcraft - those who bear the Mark of the Exile as a
sign of hidden power: the Children of Cain.
**
ALEISTER CROWLEY: THE BIOGRAPHY:
SPIRITUAL REVOLUTIONARY, ROMANTIC
EXPLORER,
OCCULT MASTER AND SPY
By Tobias Churton
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Watkins (September 6, 2011)
List Price: $29.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
In early 20th-century England, Aleister
Crowley (1875-1947) was considered “the wickedest man in the
world.” Today he's seen as a prophet, a master of the occult, and a
spiritual pioneer--and his reputation just keeps on growing. This new
biography, written with the cooperation of leading Crowley scholars
and including new revelations from Crowley's grandson, displays the
full scope of the man's many achievements as poet, explorer,
spiritualist, wartime spy, and a thinker as significant as Jung,
Freud, or Einstein.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tobias Churton is a world authority on
Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Hermeticism and Gnosticism. Holding a
Masters degree in Theology from Brasenose College, Oxford, Tobias is
an Honorary Fellow of Exeter University and Faculty Lecturer in
Western Esotericism. An accomplished filmmaker and composer and the
writer of the award-winning drama documentary series The Gnostics,
for the UK's Channel 4, Tobias has also written a now standard
biography on Elias Ashmole (1617-92). Please consult
www.tobiaschurton.com for more information.
**
A DICTIONARY OF WESTERN ALCHEMY
Jordan Stratford, Jeffrey S.
Kupperman (Foreword)
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Quest Books (November 1,
2011)
List Price: $17.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
From Arabic al-kimia (of Egypt) and old
Egyptian keme (black, fertile soil), alchemy is the ancient science
of elements and interactions in both the natural and the spiritual
realms. Spanning 2,500 years and informed by Hermetic and
Neoplatonist influences, it has been practiced in the classical
Greco-Roman world, medieval Europe and the medieval Middle East and
Orient, and up to the present in esoteric circles. Alchemists have
three main pursuits:
- The transmutation of base metals into gold by means of the lapis philosophorum, the philosopher's stone;
- The concoction of the elixir of life, a universal medicine; and
- The reconciliation between spirit and matter and direct knowledge of the divine.
This concise dictionary of alchemy
provides clear access to one of the major roots of Western esoteric
thought. Subjects include alchemical processes and procedures, the
natural elements and apparatus used, major practitioners and
philosophers, and concepts and beliefs. Distinguishing this guide
from similar ones is the addition of etymology, connecting the
language of alchemy to its Latin, Greek, and Arabic sources. Symbolic
pictographs accompany half of the over four hundred entries, and a
fascinating illustration from the long tradition of alchemical art
introduces each letter of the alphabet.
Most important is the author Jordan
Stratford’s unique perspective as both a modern Gnostic priest and
a Freemason. He also brings to bear extensive knowledge of the depth
psychology of C. G. Jung, who based his key concept of individuation
on the premise that what the ancient alchemists truly sought was
inner transformation.
FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK:
The fascinations and wonders of
alchemy have been with us for a long time. Jordan Stratford’s fine
encyclopedic work on this subject is precisely what has been missing
on the shelf of every student of the “great art.” Its content is
accurate, insightful and accessible!
--Stephan A. Hoeller, author of
Alchemy for a Volunteer Society, The Gnostic Jung and the Seven
Sermons to the Dead and other works
A useful glossary of metals and
minerals; black, red and green lions; alchemists; mythical beasts and
mysterious processes. Discover the keys to the salt, sulphur and
mercury of alchemy in this succinct dictionary.
--Andrew Phillip Smith, author of A
Dictionary of Gnosticism
Stratford presents more than just a
dictionary, but an impressive collection of concepts and ideas; a
vocabulary for a living language. He often details his entries with
notes from primary sources and biographical details of important
contributors to the tradition, much to my delight. This book bids
well to become a standard and a classic in the field.
--Brendan Myers, author of The Other
Side of Virtue and Loneliness and Revelation
Read this dictionary! Doing so will
allow you to see the world with new eyes.
--from the foreword by Jeffrey S.
Kupperman, Ph.D.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jordan Stratford, author of Living
Gnosticism, regularly contributes to blogs on Gnosticism, esoteric
Christianity. Paganism, and the Independent Sacramental Movement.
**
PHANTOM ARMIES OF THE NIGHT:
THE WILD HUNT AND THE GHOSTLY
PROCESSIONS OF THE UNDEAD
By Claude Lecouteux
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Inner Traditions (August 16,
2011)
List Price: $18.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
An exploration of the many forms of the
ancient myth of the Wild Hunt and its influence in pagan and early
Christian Europe
• Recounts the myriad variations of
this legend, from the Cursed Huntsman and King Herla to phantom
armies and vast processions of sinners and demons
• Explains how this belief was an
integral part of the pagan worldview and was thus employed by the
church to spread Christian doctrine
• Reveals how the secret societies of
medieval Europe reenacted these ghostly processions for soul travel
and prophecies of impending death
Once upon a time a phenomenon existed
in medieval Europe that continuously fueled local lore: during the
long winter nights a strange and unknown troop could be heard passing
outside over the land or through the air. Anyone caught by surprise
in the open fields or depths of the woods would see a bizarre
procession of demons, giants, hounds, ladies of the night, soldiers,
and knights, some covered in blood and others carrying their heads
beneath their arms. This was the Wild or Infernal Hunt, the host of
the damned, the phantom army of the night--a theme that still
inspires poets, writers, and painters to this day. Millennia older
than Christianity, this pagan belief was employed by the church to
spread their doctrine, with the shapeshifters' and giants of the
pagan nightly processions becoming sinners led by demons seeking out
unwary souls to add to their retinues. Myth or legend, it represents
a belief that has deep roots in Europe, particularly Celtic and
Scandinavian countries.
The first scholar to fully examine this
myth in each of its myriad forms, Claude Lecouteux strips away the
Christian gloss and shows how the Wild Hunt was an integral part of
the pagan worldview and the structure of their societies.
Additionally, he looks at how secret societies of medieval Europe
reenacted these ghostly processions through cult rituals culminating
in masquerades and carnival-like cavalcades often associated with
astral doubles, visions of the afterlife, belief in multiple souls,
and prophecies of impending death. He reveals how the nearly infinite
variations of this myth are a still living, evolving tradition that
offers us a window into the world in which our ancestors lived.
FROM THE BACK COVER
“Claude Lecouteux marshals what must
be a virtually complete recounting of stories from throughout Europe
involving nocturnal sightings of the Army of the Dead, also known as
the Wild Hunt, and traces their thematic origins from pre-Christian
times through the filter of the medieval church.”
--James E. Cathey, professor of German
and Scandinavian studies, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Once upon a time a phenomenon existed
in medieval Europe that continuously fueled local lore: during the
long winter nights a strange and unknown troop could be heard passing
outside over the land or through the air. Anyone caught by surprise
in the open fields or depths of the woods would see a bizarre
procession of demons, giants, hounds, ladies of the night, soldiers,
and knights, some covered in blood and others carrying their heads
beneath their arms. This was the Wild or Infernal Hunt, the host of
the damned, the phantom army of the night--a theme that still
inspires poets, writers, and painters to this day. Millennia older
than Christianity, this pagan belief was employed by the church to
spread their doctrine, with the shapeshifters and giants of the pagan
nightly processions becoming sinners led by demons seeking out unwary
souls to add to their retinues. Myth or legend, it represents a
belief that has deep roots in Europe, particularly Celtic and
Scandinavian countries.
The first scholar to fully examine this
myth in each of its myriad forms, Claude Lecouteux strips away the
Christian gloss and shows how the Wild Hunt was an integral part of
the pagan worldview and the structure of their societies.
Additionally, he looks at how secret societies of medieval Europe
reenacted these ghostly processions through cult rituals culminating
in masquerades and carnival-like cavalcades often associated with
astral doubles, visions of the afterlife, belief in multiple souls,
and prophecies of impending death. He reveals how the nearly infinite
variations of this myth are a still living, evolving tradition that
offers us a window into the world in which our ancestors lived.
CLAUDE LECOUTEUX is a former professor
of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne. He is the
author of numerous books on medieval and pagan afterlife beliefs,
including The Return of the Dead, The Secret History of Vampires, and
Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies. He lives in Paris.
**
INVOKING THE EGYPTIAN GODS
By Judith Page and Ken Biles
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications;
Original edition (December 8, 2011)
List Price: $19.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Delve into the powerful undercurrents
of Egyptian magick and be forever changed. This book presents
authentic rituals to invoke the gods. Step into their hidden realm,
where true gnosis and healing are found.
A deeply spiritual experience unfolds
as you begin to invoke the deities of ancient Egypt. Discover your
true magickal name, create a doorway into other dimensions, receive
messages from the Neteru, and become one with the gods once again.
—Call upon Isis for boundless love
—Invoke the warrior goddess Sekhmet
for protection
—Summon Nut to unleash your
creativity
—Reconnect with Hathor, Osiris, and
many other gods and goddesses
Combining elegant rites with an
evocative description of each deity’s myths, this book invites you
to begin a soul-level transformation and awaken to your own strength,
power, and divinity.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Judith Page is a well known artist
specializing in representations of Egyptian pantheon groups with a
strong emphasis on astronomy. Her work has been featured on the
covers of numerous magazines and books. Visit her online at
www.judith-page.com.
Ken Biles (Wheat Ridge, CO) is a writer
and High Priest who has been practicing Witchcraft for nearly
twenty-five years. Biles was co-host of Full Circle, the first Pagan
radio show, for ten years. He now teaches the Craft both in person
and online.
**
SEASONS OF THE WITCH:
Poetry & Songs To The Goddess
(includes double CD)
by Patricia Monaghan
Revised 3rd Edition
Publisher: Creatrix Books, Llc
List Price: $23.75
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
From maidenly spring through abundant
summer, then to blazing autumn and visionary winter, these poems
trace the connections between the seasons of the earth and those of
women's lives. The poems are often used in women's spirituality, as
meditations and as songs. The book comes complete with a CD of the
poems set to music in styles ranging from folk to jazz.
Widely recognized as an important
spiritual teaching and ceremonial tool, Patricia Monaghan’s
classic, Seasons of the Witch, is back in print. Seasons is filled
with exquisitely fun, lusty and life-filled poems that teach both the
cycles of the year and of women’s lives. This third edition adds a
thematic table of contents to easily find whatever poem is desired, a
double CD of gorgeous music by Arctic Siren, and intricate artwork by
Goddesswoman Sid Reger. Seasons is a powerful resource of readings,
poems and songs that will aid anyone who leads ritual, teaches
classes, or simply desires to contribute meaningfully to spiritual
gatherings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Patricia Monaghan, Ph.D. is a resident
faculty member of DePaul University’s School for New Learning.
**
TANTRIC TEMPLES:
EROS AND MAGIC IN JAVA
By Peter Levenda
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Ibis Press (November 1,
2011)
List Price: $65.00
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Tantra is one of the most misunderstood
of the esoteric disciplines. In order to get a clear idea as to the
nature of Tantric ritual and belief it is necessary to go where
Tantra is still practiced and from where important Tantric teachings
originated a thousand years ago: the island of Java in present-day
Indonesia.
This book illustrates the history of
Tantrism in Java with more than a hundred photographs of temples,
statues and iconography dedicated to the system -- some rarely seen
before, including the recently-excavated "white temple" of
Yogyakarta -- and accounts of contemporary practices in the shrines,
cemeteries and secret schools of Java
It is this Tantra -- the Tantra of Java
-- that has influenced secret societies, mystics, alchemists,
Kabbalists and magicians for hundreds if not thousands of years. This
book tells the story of how human sexuality became a metaphor and a
template for both spiritual transformation and the manipulation of
reality; of how various sexual acts and psycho-biological states
became the basis for a comprehensive cosmology that incorporates
every aspect of human experience.
Sometimes the secrets are buried where
you least expect to find them. Sometimes they are hidden in plain
sight. Sometimes... they are both. In the largest Muslim country in
the world we will discover a path of Tantra so unique, yet so vibrant
and alive, that we will be astonished that no one had heard of it
until now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Peter Levenda is a well-known author of
many published works on esoteric subjects incuding: Unholy Alliance:
A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult, Stairway to Heaven:
Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists and the Art of Spiritual
Transformation, The Secret Temple: Masons, Mysteries and the Founding
of America and Sinister Forces: A Grimoire of American Political
Witchcraft. He has appeared numerous times in documentaries for The
History Channel, The Discovery Channel, the National Geographic
Channel, and in TNT's documentary "The Faces of Evil." He
has also appeared many times on podcasts and on Coast-to-Coast AM
radio with George Noory and Ian Punett.
NEW CALENDARS AND
PLANNERS
They're Heeeeeere.......
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| Click to Enlarge |
JIM MAYNARD ASTROLOGICAL 2012
CALENDARS AND PLANNERS!
CELESTIAL INFLUENCES 2012 PACIFIC WALL
CALENDAR: List Price: $12.95
Celestial Influences® is an essential
astrological reference. It’s the calendar to hang on your wall,
opening to 12” x 18”. Each day gives lunar ingresses, lunar
phases, void-of-course moon, planetary stations and ingresses,
aspects, holidays, and celebrity birthdays. Celestial Influences®
includes an ephemeris, an asteroid ephemeris, explanatory text, and
sunrise/sunset times. The zodiac months are highlighted with a
colored tint and the zodiac illustrations are in full color. Pacific time, 12" x 9", 48
pages, color cover, color illustrations.
ASTROLOGER'S DATEBOOK® 2012
Astrologer's Datebook® is another
astrological, week-at-a-glance, engagement calendar. It has exactly
the same information and design as the Celestial Guide® -- just in a
smaller size. Just as in Celestial Influences and the Pocket
Astrologer, each day gives lunar ingresses, lunar phases,
void-of-course moon, planetary stations and ingresses, aspects,
holidays, and celebrity birthdays. It also includes an ephemeris,
explanatory text, an asteroid ephemeris, sunrise/sunset tables, table
of ascendants, chart blanks, address book with space for birth dates
and signs, and daily information for both Eastern and Pacific Time.
Astrologer's Datebook® now has the most durable, flexible binding
available. Pages are sewn together with a glued-on cover. It can be
opened flat and pages will not fall out. Includes Eastern and Pacific
times, 4-1/4" x 6-3/4", 176 pages, black & white
illustrations, full-color cover.
POCKET ASTROLOGER 2012
List Price: $6.95
Pocket Astrologer is a small,
easy-to-carry, pocket or purse-sized version of the Celestial
Influences. It includes an introduction to astrology, the 2012
calendar, an ephemeris, an asteroid ephemeris, a table of sunrises
and sunsets, a blank chart form.
Pacific time , 4-1/4" x 5-1/2",
64 pages, full-color illustrations and cover.
CELESTIAL GUIDE 2012
List Price: $11.95
Celestial Guide® 2012 is an
astrological week-at-a-glance engagement calendar. It has plenty of
room next to the daily astrological data for your daily notes,
reminders, and appointments. Just as in Celestial Influences and the
Pocket Astrologer, each day gives lunar ingresses, lunar phases,
void-of-course moon, planetary stations and ingresses, aspects,
holidays, and celebrity birthdays. Celestial Guide® includes an
ephemeris, an asteroid ephemeris, explanatory text, table of
ascendants, sunrise and sunset tables, chart blanks, and an address
book with space for birth dates and signs. Includes Eastern and
Pacific times, 5-3/8" x 8-1/2", 176 pages, black &
white illustrations, full-color cover, plastic-spiral binding.
DECEMBER
ONGOING AT EDGE OF THE
CIRCLE BOOKS
MONDAY, DECEMBER 4th
(Every 1st Monday of each month)
CELTIC RECONSTRUCTIONIST GROUP 7-9PM
For More Information:
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 (hence the name)
and are geared toward helping the client
circumvent the often self-imposed
obstacles in their lives, 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
**
KELLY MARJORIE KELLEHER
Daughter of the Ancients
Psychic, Healer, Muse...
Thursdays at Edge of the Circle Books
2-8:30pm
This
concludes our Newsletter for this month.
Look for us again JANUARY 1st ,
2012!
Raven
Editrix, Edge of the Circle Books
Newsletter
golanv1@yahoo.com
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