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.
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.
Edge of the Circle Books strives to be your ideal Magical Pagan store.
Open 7 days a week, Noon 'till 8pm.A
Call: 206-PAN-1999
**
We are also now on Facebook:
Become a Fan; post your event on the discussion page!
Also on Facebook: THE SEATTLE PAGAN, OCCULT AND METAPHYSICAL RESOURCE BOARD has been created in order to facilitate networking throughout the Pacific Northwest. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1000179343332589/
If you have a Magical Group, Ritual Group, Pagan Church or organization, Druid Grove, please feel free to post your events and classes here.
Meetups, talks, book signings, public rituals, etc—all are welcome here.
We'd prefer no advertisements for Professional Readers, Reiki practitioners, etc. However, if you are teaching a class, or giving a workshop or talk, feel free to post your event.
This group is specifically for sharing events of interest to the local community, it is not meant for discussing magical paths and traditions, or asking general questions about magick or paganism. Please remain civil, do disparaging posts about groups or individuals. Off topic posts WILL be moderated.
..and check out the Edge’s new TUMBLR 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!
No charge if your class or event is free!
Prices subject to change without notice.
ISIS:
Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome
By Lesley Jackson
Publisher: Avalonia (December 9, 2016)
Language: English
List Price: $24.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"Isis has the gift of universality. She is neither confined nor contained. Isis can respond to the various demands and expectations of each time and locality and can constantly be reinterpreted whilst retaining her important Egyptian soul and origins. Isis is infinitely adaptable; like a web of energy connecting many nodes she can embrace and encompass all, and each new addition strengthens and expands her web." Lesley Jackson
Isis - the Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome is a thought-provoking study of one of the most enduring and enigmatic ancient goddesses. The Egyptians knew her as Aset and wrote her name with the hieroglyph of a stylised throne, emphasising her association with royalty and kingship. Isis was the wife and sister of Osiris; mother of Horus and sister of the mysterious goddess Nephthys; she was also known as a great magician, healer and associated with events of cosmic significance.
Throughout the millennia of her worship she held many roles, evidenced by the many temples, symbols and writings left behind by her devotees. Her worship spread beyond Egypt, before the Greek conquest, as diplomats, merchants and other travellers who spent time in Egypt spread her cult overseas. From the Isis of Old Kingdom of Egypt through to the All-Goddess of the Greco-Roman period and beyond, the worship of Isis grew in importance and diversified. She gained powers from the strong Greek influence in Egypt but also kept all those she already had, becoming a beneficial Goddess of nature, a Saviour and to many the sole Goddess.
In this extensive work the author Lesley Jackson draws on the primary written sources of information on Isis, being the texts of the Ancient Egyptians and those of the Classical writers, to present the most comprehensive presentation of her worship to date. Her beginnings, her birth, her place of origin, her names, her attributes, her iconography, her relationships, her symbols (including the ankh, tyet, sistrum and situla) and the development of her cult are all carefully considered.
**
SHEELA NA GIG:
The Dark Goddess of Sacred Power
By Starr Goode
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Inner Traditions (December 17, 2016)
List Price: $ 35.00
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Traces the origins of the Sheela na gig from Medieval times to Paleolithic cave art
• Reveals the sacred display of the vulva to be a universal archetype and the most enduring image of creativity throughout the world
• Provides meditations on the Sheelas the author encountered in Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales, allowing readers to commune with the power of these icons
• Includes more than 150 photographs and illustrations from around the world
For millennia, the human imagination has been devoted to the Goddess, so it is hardly a surprise to find images of supernatural females like Sheela na gigs adorning sacred and secular architecture throughout Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland. Appearing on rural churches, castles, bridges, holy wells, tombs, and standing stones, these powerful images of a figure fearlessly displaying her vulva embody the power of the Dark Goddess over the mysteries of sex, life, death, and rebirth.
Exploring the art and myth of the Sheela na gig from Celtic and Classical times back to Paleolithic cave art, Starr Goode shows how the Sheela embraces a conundrum of opposites: she clearly offers up her ripe sex yet emanates a repelling menace from the upper half of her hag-like body. Through more than 150 photographs, the author shows how the Sheela is a goddess with the power to renew, a folk deity used to help women survive childbirth, and, as a guardian of doorways and castle walls, a liminal entity representing the gateway to the divine. She explains how these powerful images survived eradication during the rise of Christianity and retained their preeminent positions on sacred sites, including medieval churches.
The author provides meditations on the individual Sheelas she encountered during her 25 years of research, allowing readers to commune with these icons and feel the power they emanate. Exploring comparable figures such as Baubo, Medusa, the Neolithic Frog Goddess, and vulva depictions in cave art, she reveals the female sacred display to be a universal archetype, the most enduring image of creativity throughout history, and illustrates how cultures from Africa and Ecuador to India and Australia possess similar images depicting goddesses parting their thighs to reveal sacred powers.
Explaining the role of the Sheela na gig in restoring the Divine Feminine, the author shows the Sheela to be an icon that makes visible the cycles of birth, death, and renewal all humans experience and a necessary antidote to centuries of suppression of the primal power of women, of nature, and of the imagination.
**
PANDEMONIUM:
A Discordant Concordance of Diverse Spirit Catalogues
By Jake Stratton-Kent
Publisher: Hadean Press (December 6, 2016)
Hardback edition: $34.95
Paperback edition: $23.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
PANDEMONIUM is truly a first of its kind, and a necessity for the further development of traditional magic in a modern context. While not intended to be the last word, it opens up territory that demands further examination. It starts with the first English translation of a major spirit catalogue and ends with an appendix redefining 'traditional' grimoirists. Sandwiched between these is a comparative survey of several important spirit catalogues, which is much more than 'a dictionary of demons'. Totally geared to emergent practice, leading us away from the prevalent focus on 'tools and rules', authors and manuscripts, towards a developing relationship with the dramatis personae essential to the whole tradition.
**
ARS ALCHEMICA - FOUNDATIONS OF PRACTICAL ALCHEMY:
Being a Prima in the Paracelsian Arte of Solve Et Coagula
By Gary St Michael Nottingham
Paperback: 132 pages
Publisher: Avalonia (October 31, 2016)
List Price: $21.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
To be an alchemist, traditionally one must gain access to the Philosophers' Garden - but to advance into the garden one must be an alchemist. ARS ALCHEMICA: Foundations of Practical Alchemy provides essential instruction to assist the student to gain ingress into this sacred realm.
This work teaches the practical laboratory alchemy of the past masters and for the first time reveals many of their secrets, including the volatilization of the salts and the mysteries of the sal ammoniac salts. These are a major key to many operations of the arte without which the student fails in their operations.
The author, Gary St. M. Nottingham, additionally explores various alchemical formulae, and shares for the first time clear and detailed instructions omitted in other modern alchemical works. This enables the student to perform both simple and complex operations of the arte.
The correct mindset of the alchemist, often overlooked, is also considered. Alchemy deliberates that all life is one - as such the alchemist is influenced by the work as much as the work is influenced by the alchemist.
About the Author: Gary St. M. Nottingham~
The author first came across alchemy when he was fifteen through reading the popular early 1970's occult magazine 'Man, Myth & Magic.'
This encouraged him to find out further about the arte and to study Israel Regardie's 'The Philosopher's Stone'; this in turn led to the works of Hollandus, Paracelsus and eventually Junius. However, it was his involvement with a group of alchemical practitioners that opened many of the doors for him and much that he had learnt finally began to make sense. Subsequently, he has taught and written extensively on the alchemical arte, running several one-day workshops and weekends on practical laboratory alchemy.
His other areas of occult study are astrology, grimoires, and the Kabbalah, all of which are expressed as part of his alchemical work.
**
NJORD AND SKADI:
A Myth Explored
By Sheena McGrath
Paperback: 270 pages
Publisher: Avalonia (November 4, 2016)
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Njord and Skadi: A Myth Explored delves into the story of the Norse giantess Skadi and her unhappy marriage to the sea-god Njord. As compensation, after the gods killed her father, Skadi is given a choice of husbands from among the gods, but she has to choose by looking at just their feet. She chooses the finest-looking feet, believing them to belong to Baldr, but finds to her dismay that she chose the Vanir god Njord instead. Not surprisingly, the marriage does not work out, and they each return to their respective domains, with Skadi keeping her status as a goddess.
The author, Sheena McGrath, presents this book as a series of questions, using the story to open up the world of Norse myth and culture. She goes beyond the bare narrative by providing a wide perspective both on how myths work and some of the interesting theoretical questions raised in the study of mythology. Even simple questions, like why Skadi had to choose her husband by his feet alone, are shown to open up all sorts of mythological perspectives from Cinderella to medieval penitents to interpretations of myth in the 19th century.
Drawing on her extensive study of mythology the author also addresses many other important questions, including:
Asgard, Jotunheim, Midgard: Where Are They?
Are there any stories similar to this myth?
Why do the Gods and Giants Interact at all?
Who are the Vanir?
Why is Njord so passive?
Why is Loki so vulgar?
Influenced by the work of the scholar Margaret Clunies-Ross, who views the conflict between the gods and giants anthropologically, as a battle over resources, access to women, and power, this book does not start from the assumption that the giants are evil or stupid but treats them every bit as seriously as the gods. In this ground-breaking study, McGrath encourages the reader to question received wisdom, explore Norse mythology and its goddesses, and deepen their understanding of the 'how and why' of myth.
About the author:
Sheena McGrath lives in northern Canada. She has a degree in medieval studies, and is the author of four other books: The Sun Goddess, Asyniur, Sun, Moon and Stars, and Brigantia. To catch up with what she's doing now, check out her blog, We Are Star Stuff.
Other books by this author:
The Sun Goddess: Myth, Legend, and History (Cassell: 1997)
Asyniur: Women's Mysteries of the North (Capall Bann: 1997)
Sun, Moon and Stars (Capall Bann: 2006)
**
SPIRIT CONJURING FOR WITCHES:
Magical Evocation Simplified
By Frater Barrabbas
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2017)
List Price: $17.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The greatest Witches of folklore practiced their craft by conjuring spirits and employing a familiar spirit. Now, centuries later, these arts―supposedly the domain of ceremonial magicians only―can be perfected by modern Witches. In this groundbreaking book, Witch and ritual magician Frater Barrabbas shares a system of Witchcraft-based magic developed for safely performing invocations and evocations, handling fallen spirits and Goetic demons, traveling in the spirit world, creating a spirit pact, and constructing your own rituals for spirit conjuring.
To help you get to know the full breadth of the spirit world, Spirit Conjuring for Witches includes a unique list of spirits as well as techniques for working with sigils and recommendations for classical grimoires. Exploring history, folktales, and personal experiences, this book shows how to magically develop relationships with spirits and ultimately master both the spirit and material worlds.
**
THE LITTLE BIG BOOK OF WHITE SPELLS
By Ileana Abrev
Hardcover: 408 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 8, 2017)
List Price $14.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Includes more than 200 quick spells for love, money, protection, and happiness!
Simple actions, creative rhymes, and sincere intentions can bring you your heart’s deepest desires. Whether you want to create transformation in your relationships or you want to make the world a better place, The Little Big Book of White Spells includes the spells that you need. Find love, remove a curse, and bring the passion back into a relationship. Banish depression, protect yourself from negative energy, or make a business more profitable. With more than 200 spells, this book opens a whole universe of potential for making positive changes for yourself, your loved ones, and your community.
**
THE WITCH'S BOOK OF SHADOWS:
The Craft, Lore & Magick of the Witch's Grimoire
By Jason Mankey
Series: The Witch's Tools Series (Book 5)
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2017)
List Price: $15.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Discover the fascinating history, tradition, and modern uses of the Book of Shadows. This fun and easy-to-use guide provides essential information on creating and consecrating a Book of Shadows, as well as how to make it a part of your practice.
Learn about the various types of Books of Shadows, their roles throughout history, and how they differ from regular spellbooks. Enjoy advice and excerpts from the grimoires of well-known modern and historical Witches. Explore a wide variety of ideas for what to include in your own Book of Shadows. Like a magical chart showing where you’ve been and where you’re going, this wonderful tool is your personal guide to Witchcraft.
**
EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT
By Deborah Blake and Elisabeth Alba
Deck and 264 page Guidebook Boxed Set
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; (January 8, 2017)
List Price: 29.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Black cats, pointed hats, and magic brooms, too!
Favorable Fortunes for Curious Witches
A fun, practical, easy-to-use tarot kit for every witch. Charming images pair with simple explanations to make this the go-to deck for anyone seeking to learn or practice the tarot. Based on the classic Rider-Waite deck but updated for the busy modern witch, this tarot has a whimsical air while still being dedicated to the serious job of providing answers to life’s tough questions. Author Deborah Blake brings her friendly, approachable style to a tarot experience that’s focused on the positive.
Includes a deck with brilliant art and a full-color guidebook.
**
THE CATHAR TAROT
By John Matthews
Deck and 112 page Guidebook Boxed Set
Publisher: Watkins Publishing; Box Tcr Cr edition (December 20, 2016)
List Price: $19.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The Cathar Tarot is a living Book of Images. It takes as its starting point the beliefs of the Cathars, which were in turn founded on the ancient belief system known as Gnosticism. Building on this, and drawing on a wide knowledge of Grail symbolism, the successful team of author John Matthews and artist Wil Kinghan have created a unique system that reflects the personal journey of the Seeker from that of Believer (Postulant) to Parfait (Perfected One) through his or her encounter with the archetypes whose mysterious presences lay behind the spiritual beliefs of the Cathar order. Though the pack follows the basic outlines of the traditional Tarot, many of the original archetypes have been replaced with those drawn from Cathar belief. The Cathars saw all life as initiatic journey and for the modern user this pack uniquely outlines such a journey - upon which all are engaged - which takes us from the depths to the heights of personal spirituality, via a range of human experiences with which we can all resonate. Included in the accompanying book is a brief overview of Cathar history, doctrine and belief, background information on the archetypal imagery of the cards, and three new spreads: The Cathar Cross, The Quadriga and The Consolomentum, each of which draws on Cathar tradition and reflects the underlying spiritual truth of the group.
**
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, Pendulum, Goddess Amulet Oracle readings by Erica (Raven) Branch-Butler~
"I’ve been reading Tarot for more than thirty years and reading professionally at Seattle’s Edge of the Circle Books for more than 15 years. 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 commonsensical, geared toward helping the client deal with issues and obstacles to wholeness in a way that brings a sense of self-empowerment.
Please inquire about Tarot Parties, classes and other events.
Available FRIDAYS after 4pm, SUNDAYS from 2:00-8.00PM.
Sundays 2:00-8:00 PM
**
**
DON'T FORGET THAT WE HAVE MOVED!!!!
We are NOW located at: 1307 NE 45th St., between Brooklyn Ave NE and University Way NE, next to the Neptune Theatre, in the University District.
This concludes our Newsletter for this month.
Look for us again March 1st, 2017
Raven, Editrix, Edge of the Circle Books Newsletter
**
Comments