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WELCOME TO THE (NEW) ROARING 20'S!



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.
Call: 206-PAN-1999


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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!



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Prices subject to change without notice.

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VISIONS OF ENCHANTMENT:
OCCULTISM, MAGIC AND VISUAL CULTURE
Edited by Daniel Zamani and Judith Noble
Hardcover: 208 pages, 1000 copies only, colour illustrations, textured tan endpapers; premium tan cloth, dust-jacket blocked gilt
Publisher: Fulgur Press (June 18, 2019)
List Price: $65.00

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

~Intersections of esotericism and visual art from Renaissance alchemy to Derek Jarman

Since Antiquity, the idea of the artist as a magician, trickster and powerful creator of new realities has established itself as a fertile idea in the discussion of image-making. The conjuring of illusions, the inherent link between the material and the spiritual and the wish to make the invisible visible are all part of this wider discourse. Visions of Enchantment looks at the fascinating intersections between esotericism and visual culture through a decidedly cross-cultural lens, with topics ranging from talismanic magic and the Renaissance exploration of alchemy, through to the role of magic in modern art and 20th-century experimental film. 



The essays offered in Visions of Enchantment: Occultism, Magic and Visual Culture have been selected from papers presented at a major international conference at the University of Cambridge in 2014. It includes work by some of the leading scholars in Western Esotericism including Antoine Faivre, M.E. Warlick and Deanna Petherbridge. It attests to the vibrant role that magic and the occult play in cutting-edge research across a wide variety of the arts and humanities today.



CONTENTS


  1. Introduction: The Magic of Art – Judith Noble, Daniel Zamani and Gražina SubelytÄ—
  2. Go Wherever You Wish, for Verily You Are Well Protected’: Seal Designs in Late Ottoman Amulet Scrolls and Prayer Books – Christiane Gruber
  3. Protection against Evil in Byzantium: Magical Amulets and Their Survival from the Early to the Late Byzantine Period – Antje Bosselmann-Ruickbie
  4. Fascinated by Fascination: Female Privacy and the Leipzig Love Magic Panel – D. Lyle Dechant
  5. Leaking, Shrieking and Venomous Bodies: European Witch Imagery in the Sixteenth Century – Deanna Petherbridge
  6. Visual Art in Christian Theosophy: Engravings in Jakob Böhme’s Works (1682) and in the Eighteenth Century – Antoine Faivre
  7. Mercury, Venus and Alchemy in Rudolfian Prague: Bartholomaeus Spranger’s Variations on Correggio’s Education of Eros – Nikola Piperkov
  8. The Alchemical Androgyne: The Rewards and Pitfalls of a Feminist Approach – M. E. Warlick
  9. The Magician, the Mermaid and the Ouroboros: Franz von Stuck and the Iconography of Alchemy – Nathan J. Timpano
  10. The Devil’s Livery: The Role of Nudity in the Depiction of Witchcraft, Wicca and Satanism – Leo Ruickbie
  11. A Witch in Search of Myth: Enchanted Visions of Female Transgression and Empowerment in the Oeuvre of Leonora Carrington – Victoria Ferentinou
  12. The Wedding of Light and Matter: Alchemy and Magic in the Films of Derek Jarman – Judith Noble







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ALEISTER CROWLEY IN INDIA:
The Secret Influence of Eastern Mysticism on Magic and the Occult
by Tobias Churton
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Inner Traditions (December 3, 2019)
List Price: $40.00

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Follow Aleister Crowley through his mystical travels in India, which profoundly influenced his magical system as well as the larger occult world

Shares excerpts from Crowley’s unpublished diaries and details his travels in India, Burma, and Sri Lanka from 1901 to 1906

Reveals how Crowley incorporated what he learned in India--jnana yoga, Vedantist, Tantric, and Buddhist philosophy--into his own school of Magick

Explores the world of Theosophy, yogis, Hindu traditions, and the first Buddhist sangha to the West as well as the first pioneering expeditions to K2 and Kangchenjunga in 1901 and 1905

Early in life, Aleister Crowley’s dissociation from fundamentalist Christianity led him toward esoteric and magical spirituality. In 1901, he made the first of three voyages to the Indian subcontinent, searching for deeper knowledge and experience. His religious and magical system, Thelema, shows clear influence of his thorough experimental absorption in Indian mystical practices.

Sharing excerpts from Crowley’s unpublished diaries, Tobias Churton tells the true story of Crowley’s adventures in India from 1901 to 1906, culminating in his first experience of the supreme trance of jnana (“gnostic”) yoga, Samadhi: divine union. Churton shows how Vedantist and Advaitist philosophies, Hindu religious practices, yoga, and Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism informed Crowley’s spiritual system and reveals how he built on Madame Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott’s prior work in India. Churton illuminates links between these beliefs and ancient Gnostic systems and shows how they informed the O.T.O. system through Franz Hartmann and Theodor Reuss.

Churton explores Crowley’s early breakthrough in consciousness research with a Dhyana trance in Sri Lanka, becoming a devotee of Shiva and Bhavani, fierce avatar of the goddess Parvati. Recounting Crowley’s travels to the temples of Madurai, Anuradhapura, and Benares, Churton looks at the gurus of yoga and astrology Crowley met while revealing his adventures with British architect, Edward Thornton. Churton also details Crowley’s mountaineering feats in India, including the record-breaking attempt on Chogo Ri (K2) in 1902 and the Kangchenjunga disaster of 1905.

Revealing how Crowley incorporated what he learned in India into his own school of Magick, including an extensive look at his theory of correspondences, the symbology of 777, and the Thelemic synthesis, Churton sheds light on one of the most profoundly mystical periods in Crowley’s life as well as how it influenced the larger occult world.






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THE SACRED ALIGNMENTS AND SIGILS:
Angelic Magick, Renaissance Thought, and Modern Methods of Sigilization
by Robert Podgurski, Charles Stein (Foreword)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books (October 29, 2019)
List Price: $26.95

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
~A breakthrough in occult studies that combines modern sigil techniques with traditional Enochian Magick and appeals to all levels of ritual magick practitioners, explorers of consciousness, scholars, dowsers, and tantric yoga practitioners...

Author and magick practitioner Robert Podgurski shares his discovery and development of the Grid Sigil--a tool for exploring the mysteries of embodiment and unity that bridges Enochian Magick with Sparean sigilization. Properly constructed, it emanates the root energies of the four elements bound by spirit in the space/time continuum. This text offers readers a variety of techniques for using the Grid Sigil and is an essential guidebook for understanding the connection between Enochian Magick, geomagnetism, shamanism, and other facets of Eastern and Western esotericism. Close attention is paid to critical metaphysical thought through in-depth analysis based in science, metaphysics, philosophical speculation, and illustrations.




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OUTSIDE THE CHARMED CIRCLE:
Exploring Gender & Sexuality in Magical Practice
by Misha Magdalene, Michelle Belanger (Foreword)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 8, 2020)
List Price: $17.99

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The intention of Outside the Charmed Circle is to help readers live as the truest expression of their gendered, sexual, spiritual self. It is designed to support you as you awaken to who you are, deepen your magical practice, and walk through the Pagan world. Author Misha Magdalene provides hands-on meditations, prompts, and magical workings to help you explore your identity as it intersects with your spiritual practice. With thoughtful insights on embodiment, consent, and Eros, as well as explorations of self-esteem, ability, disability, and your feelings about your body, this book helps those in the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies engage with a wide range of identities in a magical setting.

"Every once in a while, a book comes along that is so essential and insightful you actually resent it just a little for not having been there for you at an earlier point in your development. Outside the Charmed Circle is such a book—at least for me."

Michelle Belanger, foreword to Outside the Charmed Circle

Outside the Charmed Circle is a guide to negotiating gender identity and sexuality within Pagan and magical religious communities. It is designed to support you as you awaken to who you are, deepen your magical practice, and walk through the Pagan world successfully in an authentic way.

Author Misha Magdalene provides simple hands-on meditations, prompts, and magical workings to help you explore your identity. Whether you are straight or gay, cis or trans, witch or magician or devotee—you can use this book to develop and deepen your own magical or witchcraft practice.

Reviews:
"Outside the Charmed Circle can guide you outwards and inwards to expand your experience of yourself and your understanding of others. The ideas, viewpoints and practices are offered with a proper balance of challenge and reassurance that truly engage contemplation and action. This book is for anyone who dares to know themselves and to walk the ever-growing edges of awareness."―Ivo Dominguez Jr., author of Keys to Perception

"Outside the Charmed Circle is a page-turning, thought-provoking delight from start to finish. Misha Magdalene has written a '101 and beyond' user-friendly handbook for magical and social change. As a sexologist, it's now one of my top ten gender education books. As a polytheist pagan, one of my top five magical treatises. I won't leave home without it."―Amy Marsh, EdD, DHS, CH, CI.

"The depth and heart that Misha Magdalene has put into this work is a triumph for this topic. This is a voice and perspective that's not only sorely needed but proves once and for all that the circle is truly big enough for all of us."―David Salisbury, author of Witchcraft Activism

"Absolutely filling the void, Outside the Charmed Circle is a much-needed, magical exploration into gender and sexuality that is quintessential for the times we live in. Beautifully balanced and thorough research combines with accessible exercises and rituals that are suitable for a wide variety of humans―engaging body, brain, and spirit throughout. From diving into queerness, tackling consent, and addressing body awareness to demystifying sex magic and adjusting traditions, this book smoothly tackles many complicated issues that newcomers and experienced practitioners alike will appreciate and learn from."―Laura Tempest Zakroff, author of Weave the Liminal: Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft


About the Author:
Misha Magdalene (they/them) is a multidisciplinary, multi-classed, multiqueer witch. They are an initiate of three lineages of traditional witchcraft: Anderson Feri, Gardnerian Wicca, and Central Valley Wicca. They hold a degree in gender, women, and sexuality studies from the University of Washington. Misha is the recipient of the Leslie Ashbaught Feminist Praxis in Education Award. They live near Seattle, Washington.






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TRUE MAGIC:
Unleashing Your Inner Witch
by Cyndi Brannen
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Moon Books (November 1, 2019)
List Price: $18.95

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch goes beyond everything you've ever tried before. Combining traditional magic and modern strategies, you will transform your life through spells, practices, rituals, and journeys, unlocking the power of your true self. True Magic takes the best parts of witchcraft, shamanism, occult and mystical paths from the ancient to the contemporary so that you can wield their wisdom. You will learn how to use plant magick, animal spirits, words of power, alchemy, ancient philosophy, the chakras and more to unleash your Inner Witch. Revealing the secrets of healing, great relationships, personal power, maximizing your potential and connecting to the universal energy flows, True Magic gives you the tools you need to achieve abundance and wholeness using the energies of the moon, the elements, and the three worlds. Are you ready for True Magic?

About the Author:
Dr. Cyndi Brannen is an outlaw witch devoted to Hekate and witchcraft. She teaches The Sacred Seven: A Course in Applied Modern Witchcraft. Cyndi has enjoyed a varied life as a psychologist, spiritual teacher and healer, social justice advocate, policy consultant, relentless outdoor adventurer and incurable optimist. Her blog, Keeping Her Keys, is a mixture of all these things with an emphasis on personal growth through Hekate and witchcraft, and it is this blog that inspired her new book of the same name. Cyndi lives in Nova Scotia, Canada.







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THE GREAT WHEEL:
Living the Pagan Cycles of Our Lives & Times
by Jo Graham
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 8, 2020)
List Price: $17.99

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
~Open a Road Map to the Future By Embracing the Cycles of Life and Time...

Take your Pagan practice into exciting new territory through an exploration of circular time and the cycles of life that are woven into it. The Great Wheel incorporates meditations, rituals, and exercises that align you with the patterns of time expressed in the ancient Etruscan concept known as the saeculum, or great year. Connecting to the saeculum helps you prepare for and prevent tragedies, navigate life's challenges, and change the world for the better.

Jo Graham first guides you through the Wheel of the Year and the Wheel of Life, including the eight phases in a person's life span. Then she reveals how the Great Wheel has influenced past events and what that means for the future. Using these ideas together will help you live more fully, find peace, and uncover powerful ways to benefit both yourself and the generations to come.


About the Author:
Jo Graham (Durham, NC) has practiced in Pagan and Hermetic traditions for more than thirty years. She has studied Classical traditions, Celtic reconstruction, and Wicca, and she is the co-founder of the Cult of Isis.





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THE TAO OF CRAFT:
Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition
by Benebell Wen
Paperback: 616 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books (September 27, 2016)
List Price: $29.95

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
For the first time in English, Benebell Wen reveals the rich history and theoretical principles underlying the ancient practice of crafting Fu talismans, or magical sigils, in the Chinese Taoist tradition and gives detailed instructions for modern practitioners who would like to craft their own Fu. Fu talismans are ideograms and writings typically rendered on paper and empowered by means of invocations, ritual, and transferences of energy, or Qi. Talismans can be used for many purposes, such as strengthening or weakening personality characteristics, finding love, earning more money, or easing emotional tensions in the home. The Tao of Craft shows how metaphysical energy can be harnessed to amplify, strengthen, weaken, dispel, or block other metaphysical energy and to rectify perceived imbalances in the material plane. Supported by an abundance of detailed charts and images, this book serves as a step-by-step handbook that gives readers the knowledge and confidence to craft their own Fu talismans for personal empowerment.
Wen, author of Holistic Tarot, delves into historic and cultural contexts of the Fu, from the neolithic period of Chinese history to contemporary practices of esoteric Taoism. Providing a solid foundation in the principles of Eastern spellcrafting, she highlights the blending of Taoist metaphysical practices with Western approaches to magic by pointing out eclectic, integrating, and harmonizing facets from other cultures and religions.
Historically, Fu talismans were used by medieval Chinese for alleviating illness; averting misfortune, magical attacks, and curses; defending against assaults; and avoiding poverty. This book shows Western practitioners that the skill and knowledge to develop an interactive relationship with spirit realms are still available to them today and serves as a practical handbook for accumulating Qi energy from sources in the environment and channeling it in concentrated form into their own Fu talismans.


Reviews:

Benebell Wen has gifted us with an amazingly rich resource for a life of magic and fulfillment, revealing the sacred and empowering why behind the ancient Taoist art and practice of talisman crafting. Read and remember where you are and why you are here.”
Phyllis Curott, priestess, attorney, and author of Book of Shadows, WitchCrafting, and the Love Spell
The publication of any book in English on the creation and use of Fu talismans—among the most useful and accessible parts of the rich heritage of Chinese magic—is welcome, but when that book turns out to be readable, thoughtful, and eminently practical, that’s cause for celebration. Benebell Wen’s The Tao of Craft is all that and more, and deserves the attention of any reader interested in the theory and practice of operative magic.”
John Michael Greer, author of The New Encyclopedia of the Occult and The Celtic Golden Dawn

About the Author:
Benebell Wen is a practitioner of various metaphysical arts. She studies Tarot, Feng Shui, the I Ching, Numerology, and both Chinese and Hellenistic Astrology. Wen is the author of Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth (North Atlantic Books, 2015). When not lecturing, teaching, or writing on metaphysics, Wen practices law in California and New York. She is of Taiwanese descent and currently lives in Northern California with her husband, James, and their beloved cat.





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WIENER SECESSION DECK:
Series: Anima Antiqua Cards
by Lo Scarabeo /Llewellyn Publications
Pub Date: December 2019
Boxed Deck.
List Price: $34.95


FROM THE PUBLISHER:
A premium, limited-edition deck lovingly recreated from originals found in the greatest tarot collections in the world. Printed on premium-quality card stock.







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TAROT DE MARSEILLE:
Anima Antiqua Cards
by Nicolas Conver
Lo Scarabeo/Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2020)
78 cards, 62x120 mm.
Numbered edition, limited to 2999 copies.
Instructions. Multilingual edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The fifth in our Anima Antiqua series (Ancient Soul), this deck features wonderful cardstock and packaging. The deck is a philological reproduction of Nicolas Conver’s 1760 celebrated Tarot of Marseille. Don’t hesitate because this is a limited edition and each deck is numbered. A must-have for Marseille lovers and tarot collectors.





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MYSTIC MONDAYS TAROT:
A Deck for the Modern Mystic
by Grace Duong
78 cards with hardcover guidebook
Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 23, 2018)
List Price: $24.95

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Mystic Mondays provides you with a stunning tarot deck that is vibrant, beautifully illustrated, and ready to help you connect to your intuition.

Includes 78 brightly designed cards with hardcover guidebook: This deluxe tarot deck offers fresh interpretations of each of the major and minor arcana in a standard tarot deck. Mystic Mondays is full of positive vibes that invite you to start fresh any day of the week and helps you connect to your intuition.
This vibrant tarot deck features bright artwork, holographic card edges, and foil exterior to help you create an experience that is visually appealing and all your own.
A full color guidebook that describes the symbolism of each card is also included.
Mystic Mondays was created by Grace Duong who is a multidisciplinary artist and visual designer.

This tarot card set features the strikingly perfect balance of vibrancy and minimalism and is perfect to use however you see fit.

Cards are large enough to appreciate the lively images, but still easy to shuffle and work with.

Makes a delightful and mystical gift for any tarot card and arcana fan.





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OLD STYLE LENORMAND FORTUNE-TELLING CARDS
by Alexander Ray
38 card deck with 92-page illustrated booklet.
Box measures: 2.6" x 4", cards measure: 2.5"x 3.75"
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems Inc., (August 7, 2019)


FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Old Style Lenormand brings charming, vintage-looking illustrations to a modern Lenormand audience. The simple and concise imagery provides highly specific answers to your questions. Playing card insets increase the divination power of the cards. Old Style Lenormand is comprised of 38 cards (including two Man and two Lady cards). A 92-page illustrated booklet accompanies the deck.

About the author/artist:
Alexander Ray is a popular Russian psychologist, writer and illustrator who creates divinatory tools that help people find their place in life.





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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!

We have Seattle best Psychic Readers, in house, 7 days a week, from 2pm—8pm.

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This concludes our Newsletter for this month.
Look for us again FEBRUARY 1st, 2020
Erica (Raven) Branch-Butler, Editrix, Edge of the Circle Books Newsletter






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