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
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 ANNOUNCEMENT: SEATTLE HAS A NEW
RESOURCE FOR PAGANS!
PSPRG- the Puget Sound Pagan Resource Guide!
"Are you a Pagan in the Puget Sound
area? Find groups, shops, events, classes, makers of thinks, officiates,
healers, readers and more!"
About the Puget Sound Pagan
Resource Guide:
The scope of this project is limited to
doing a few things very well, aimed a connecting the wider Puget Sound Pagan
community. The site will serve two main
functions… first to act as a community calendar, second to act as a pagan
"yellow pages". It is, and
always will be, free to all.
**
Note: all prices are subject to change without notice.
THE SECRET HISTORY OF POLTERGEISTS AND
HAUNTED HOUSES:
From Pagan Folklore to Modern
Manifestations
By Claude Lecouteux
Paperback: 256
pages
Publisher: Inner
Traditions; Original edition (April 26, 2012)
List Price: $18.95
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
What poltergeist
accounts through the ages reveal about our own worldviews:
• Provides a wide array of case studies
from ancient Greece and Rome to medieval Europe to the modern world
• Explores the relationship between
poltergeists and troubled adolescence
• Looks beneath the Christian
adulteration of pagan practices to reveal the hidden ancestral beliefs tied to
poltergeists and haunted houses
Stories of
poltergeists and their mischievous and sometimes violent actions--knocking,
stone or chair throwing, moving objects with invisible hands, and slamming or
opening doors--are a constant through the ages. What changes is how we
interpret this activity. For our pagan ancestors this phenomenon was caused by
helper spirits whose manifestations revealed their unhappiness with a
household. The medieval Christian church demonized these once helpful spirits
and held exorcisms to expel them from the houses they haunted--which proved
effective less than half the time. The Age of Enlightenment cast these
incidents as clever hoaxes, and many still believe this today. But poltergeist
manifestations continue to appear and often defy attempts to debunk them as
pranks. What then is behind this phenomenon?
Exploring
accounts of poltergeists from ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and the
modern world, Claude Lecouteux finds that while our interpretations of
poltergeists may change, the manifestations always follow a similar course and
evolution. He shows how modern scientific studies of poltergeist manifestations
have found a strong tie between these visitations and the presence of a troubled
adolescent in the house. Looking beneath the Christian adulteration of pagan
practices to reveal the hidden ancestral beliefs tied to poltergeists and
haunted houses, the author shows how these unhappy spirits serve as
confirmation of the supernatural beings that share the earth with us and of our
relationship with the natural and unseen world, a relationship we must take
care to keep in balance.
FROM THE BACK
COVER:
Stories of
poltergeists and their mischievous and sometimes violent actions--knocking,
stone or chair throwing, moving objects with invisible hands, and slamming or
opening doors--are a constant through the ages. What changes is how we
interpret this activity. For our pagan ancestors poltergeists were seen as
helper spirits whose negative manifestations revealed their unhappiness with a
household. The medieval Christian church demonized these once helpful spirits
and held exorcisms to expel them from the houses they haunted--which proved
effective less than half the time. The Age of Enlightenment cast these
incidents as clever hoaxes, and many still believe this today. But poltergeist
manifestations continue to appear and often defy attempts to debunk them as
pranks. What then is behind this phenomenon?
Exploring
accounts of poltergeists from ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and the
modern world, Claude Lecouteux finds that while our interpretations of
poltergeists may change, the manifestations always follow a similar course and
evolution. He shows how modern scientific studies of poltergeist manifestations
have found a strong tie between these visitations and the presence of a
troubled adolescent in the house. Looking beneath the Christian adulteration of
pagan practices to reveal the hidden ancestral beliefs tied to poltergeists and
haunted houses, the author shows how these unhappy spirits serve as
confirmation of the supernatural beings that share the earth with us and of our
relationship with the natural and unseen world, a relationship we must take
care to keep in balance.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Claude Lecouteux
is a former professor of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne.
He is the author of numerous books on afterlife beliefs, including The Return
of the Dead and The Secret History of Vampires. He lives in Paris.
**
THE CELTIC GOLDEN DAWN:
An Original & Complete Curriculum
of
Druidical Study
By John Michael Greer
Paperback: 384
pages
Publisher:
Llewellyn Publications (February 8, 2013)
List Price: $19.99
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
A century ago,
Celtic groups descending from the famed Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
pioneered a fascinating form of ceremonial magic invoking Pagan Celtic powers
instead of relying on the more commonly used Judeo-Christian names and symbols.
Those groups disappeared many decades ago, and their teachings were lost. But
today, their legacy has been reborn.
Respected occult
author and Grand Archdruid John Michael Greer has re-created a complete magical
system based on the Celtic Golden Dawn traditions. This new book provides
students with a complete curriculum of Druidical magic and occult wisdom,
including training in ceremonial magic, meditation, pathworking, divination,
geomancy, and herbal alchemy, allowing self-initiation into the three degrees
of Ovate, Bard, and Druid. Structured to resemble a long-lost correspondence
course, The Celtic Golden Dawn presents a series of knowledge lectures,
meditations, and rituals leading to mastery of the most important magical
techniques.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
John Michael
Greer (Western Maryland) has been a student of occult traditions and the
unexplained for more than thirty years. A Freemason, a student of geomancy and
sacred geometry, and a widely read blogger, he is also the author of numerous
books, including Monsters, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult and Secrets of
the Lost Symbol, and currently serves as the Grand Archdruid of the Ancient
Order of Druids in America (AODA), a contemporary school of Druid nature
spirituality. Greer has contributed articles to Renaissance Magazine, Golden
Dawn Journal, Mezlim, New Moon Rising, Gnosis, and Alexandria.
**
THE KABBALAH & MAGIC OF ANGELS
By Migene González-Wippler
Paperback: 288
pages
Publisher:
Llewellyn Publications (March 8, 2013)
List Price:$17.99
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
Using the
powerful insights of the Kabbalah, we can bridge the unfathomable distances
between our material world and the divine realms where angels dwell. In The
Kabbalah & Magic of Angels, celebrated author Migene González-Wippler
presents an in-depth look at angels in the context of the Kabbalah, the
comprehensive system underlying Western religion and spirituality. Providing a
complete introduction to Kabbalistic concepts, Migene shows how to apply them to
our relationships with numerous angels. Included are ways to contact angels and
work with them, from simple spells and magical rituals to full Kabbalistic
evocations. You’ll discover how to see angels operating in your life and how to
visualize them. Numerous angels are named and fully described so readers will
know exactly which angel to work with for any purpose or desire. Ideal for
students of Kabbalah and lovers of
angels.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Migene
Gonzalez-Wippler was born in Puerto Rico and has degrees in psychology and
anthropology from the University of Puerto Rico and from Colombia
University. She has worked as a science
editor for the Interscience Division of
John Wiley, the American Institute of Physics, and the American Museum of
Natural History, and as an English editor for the United Nations in Vienna,
where she lived for many years. She is a
cultural anthropologist and lectures frequently at universities and other
educational institutions.
**
AWAKENING SPIRIT:
WISE Seminary, First Year Certification
for Wiccan Clergy
By Belladonna LaVeau
Trafford
Publishing ; 10/28/2003
Format: Perfect
Bound Softcover(B/W) 338 pages; Size: 8.5x11
List Price: $32.00
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
Awakening Spirit
- WISE Seminary First Year Certification Course for Wiccan Clergy illuminates
the shadowy corners of the Wiccan Circle, and awakens the reader to the natural
spiritual connectedness that resides within us all. Finally this long awaited,
transformational journey of awakening is available to individual seekers and
formal students alike, combining a deeply empowering personal experience with a
formal curriculum that is balanced, comprehensive and challenging. Belladonna
combines her knowledge of metaphysics, astrology, and the healing therapies
with her natural talent as a teacher to present the information in a way that
speaks to your soul.
It is evident that her goal is to empower the reader to
progress upon their spiritual path, which makes this exciting book a very
valuable tool, which:
·
Activates the power centers in your body,
giving you the awareness of how to truly generate power, connect with Deity,
and work in concert with divine will.
·
Teaches powerful energetic exercises that
train your energy field to react with automatic and immediate magical
responses.
·
Reveals the keys to understanding, and using
the ancient incantations of circle casting and shares the mystery of magical
tools, how they work, how to use them, and what working with them can teach the
magical practitioner.
·
Brings awareness of God & Goddess,
magic, and sacredness into your everyday reality.
The real magic
of Awakening Spirit is in the way that Spirit transforms the reader's reality,
in concert with the information given. The color, symbols, meditations,
exercises and information presented, all work together to appeal to your individual
learning style bringing awareness of the spiritual realm into your active
consciousness. Anyone who reads this book will feel the energy of Spirit
pulsating through it. This is a truly inspired work that enables each seeker to
awaken to the presence of Deity in his or her life.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Belladonna
LaVeau, High Priestess of the Covenant of WISE, Church of Wicca, and author of
Awakening Spirit has been an initiate of Wicca and a devoted Priestess of the
Goddess since 1989. She is a talented healer, Reiki Master, ordained minister
of the Wiccan faith, Navy Veteran and sponsor of WISE Kids, SpiralScouts Circle
#56, Peach Tribe.
**
THE HORNED ALTAR:
Rediscovering & Rekindling Canaanite
Magic
By Tess Dawson
Paperback: 336
pages
Publisher:
Llewellyn Publications (April 8, 2013)
List Price: $22.99
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
Raw. Real. Ancient. And
nearly forgotten.
To practice
Canaanite magic is to honor a spiritual ancestry that, until now, was beyond
our understanding. Reawakening the beliefs of an ancient religion, The Horned
Altar reveals how to transform the Canaanites’ rich culture of myth and ritual
into a modern magical practice.
Explore
Canaanite secrets that were recorded on cuneiform tablets over three thousand
years ago. Discover how to forge relationships with deities and how to
revitalize your passions. Learn the truth about a civilization unfairly
portrayed as the blood-soaked villains of the Bible. Contemplate the deities of
Canaan and the alphabets of the era; make a Babylonian demon protection bowl;
and cast spells for healing, love, and protection. Feel the call of the ancient
deities and connect to a spiritual ancestry that is older and deeper than
anything you’ve ever experienced.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Tess Dawson (New
England) is one of the foremost authorities in the field of Canaanite mysticism
and spiritual practices. A devotee as well as scholar of the tradition, Dawson
leads the largest online Canaanite polytheist group, teaches workshops on the
topic, and serves as a leader in the Near and Middle Eastern polytheist
communities. She has written for Witches & Pagans, PanGaia, SageWoman,
Circle, Pentacle, The Beltane Papers, and a few anthologies. Visit her online
at http://canaanitepath.com/ .
**
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TALKING TO THE SPIRITS:
Personal Gnosis in Pagan Religion
By Kenaz Filan and Raven
Kaldera
Paperback: 320
pages
Publisher:
Destiny Books; Original edition (February 23, 2013)
List Price: $18.95
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
A guide to direct
communication with the spirits and the Gods-
• Offers practices for seekers and groups
to learn to hear and respond to the spirits and the Gods as well as what to do
(and not do) if you receive a message
• Explains how to authenticate spiritual
messages with divination
• Discusses how to avoid theological
conflicts when someone’s personal gnosis differs from that of their Pagan group
For our
ancestors the whole world was alive with spirits. The Gods bubbled forth from
rivers and springs and whispered in the breezes that rustled through cities and
farms. The ground underfoot, the stones, the fire that cooked the food and
drove off the darkness, these all had spirits--not just spirits in some other
dimension, but spirits in them who could be spoken to and allied with. In
today’s world we are led to believe that the spirits long ago went silent and
that spiritual wisdom can only be gained through established religious
doctrine.
Providing a
guide for opening two-way conversation with the spirits of daily life as well
as direct communication with the Gods, Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera explore
how to enrich your spiritual path with personal gnosis--asking your Guides for
assistance or teachings and receiving a response. They explain how to develop
your sensitivity to the voices of the Divine, discern genuine spiritual
messages from the projection of internal psychodrama, and what to do (and not
do) with the messages you receive. Confirming their own personal gnosis with
Northern Tradition Pagan beliefs and Greco-Roman, Celtic, Egyptian, and
indigenous hunter-gatherer lore, the authors discuss how to avoid theological
conflicts when someone’s personal gnosis differs from that of their Pagan group
as well as how to authenticate messages with individual and group divination.
Offering practices and principles for seekers and groups, they reveal that the
spirits never went silent, we simply forgot how to hear them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kenaz Filan
(Houngan Coquille du Mer) was initiated in Société la Belle Venus in March 2003
after 10 years of solitary service to the lwa. Filan is the author of several
books, including The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook, and coauthor with Raven
Kaldera of Drawing Down the Spirits. Filan lives in Short Hills, New Jersey.
Raven Kaldera is a Northern Tradition Pagan shaman who has been a practicing
astrologer since 1984 and a Pagan since 1986. The author of many books,
including Moon Phase Astrology, and coauthor of Neolithic Shamanism, Kaldera lives
in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.
**
PAGAN PORTALS - KITCHEN WITCHCRAFT:
Crafts of a Kitchen Witch
By Rachel Patterson
Paperback: 96
pages
Publisher: Moon
Books (February 16, 2013)
Price: $9.95
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
Pull up a chair,
have a cup of tea, sit back and take a glimpse into the world of Kitchen
Witchcraft. This little book will give you an insight into what a Kitchen Witch
is, what they do and how they do it. It gives an overview of the Sabbats, working
with the Moon, the elements and candle magic. Packed full of ideas for crafting
such as washes and smudges for your home and your body, witch bottles, incense,
medicine bags, magic powders and offerings. Take a stroll through a Kitchen
Witch's garden and discover what you will find there and finish up with some
lovely meditations. Follow the heart of a Kitchen Witch...
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Rachel Patterson
is High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven, Team Leadership member of the
Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft, Green/Kitchen Witch with an added
dash of hedgewitch and hoodoo. She lives in the UK.
**
PAGAN PORTALS - GRIMALKYN: THE WITCH'S
CAT:
Power Animals in Traditional Magic
By Martha Gray
Paperback: 86
pages
Publisher: Moon
Books (March 16, 2013)
Price: $9.95
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
There is no
middle ground with cats – we either love them or loathe them – but the cat
adopted as a power animal represents independence, cunning, dexterity, agility,
sensuality, inscrutability and ferocity. And whether the great wild hunter of
forests, deserts or grasslands, or an ordinary domestic tabby, they are
beautiful creatures. Some would dismiss them as merely killing machines, but we
only have to look at the history of their evolution alongside mankind to
realise there is nothing on this planet quite like them.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Martha Gray
lives in Derbyshire with her husband, children and felines.
Is a
practitioner of traditional witchcraft and a senior tutor of the Coven of the
Scales, and trained in the Egyptian magical tradition of the Temple of Khem.
**
STALKING THE GODDESS
By Mark Carter
Paperback: 384
pages
Publisher: Moon
Books (June 16, 2012)
List Price: $26.95
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
In 1948 Robert
Graves published The White Goddess. His study of poetic mysticism and goddess
worship has since become a founding text of Western paganism. As Wicca emerged
from what Graves called, a few hopeful young people in California, to over two
million strong, The White Goddess has achieved near liturgical status. This
rising appreciation brings all the problems of liturgical texts. Many pagans
consider Graves’ work like the goddess herself; awe inspiring but impenetrable.
Stalking The Goddess is the first extensive examination of this enigmatic text
to come from the pagan community and guides readers through bewildering forests
of historical sources, poems, and Graves’ biography to reveal his unorthodox
claims and entrancing creative process. Relentlessly perusing each path, it explores
the uncharted woods and reveals the hidden signposts Graves has posted. The
hunt for the goddess spans battlefields, ancient manuscripts, the British
museum, and Stonehenge. En route we encounter not only the goddess herself but
her three sacred animals; dog, roebuck, and lapwing. Perhaps the muse cannot be
captured on her own grounds, but now at least there is a map.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Mark Carter
lives, works and writes in his home town of Bloomington, Illinois. He's
contributed articles to The Druid Missal-Any, Body Modification Ezine and
Examiner.com. An avid music collector, his reviews have appeared in Subnormal
Magazine and various music blogs.
**
NEW TAROT BOOKS
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE RIDER WAITE
TAROT
By Johannes Fiebig and
Evelin Burger
Paperback: 216
pages
Publisher:
Llewellyn Publications (April 8, 2013)
List Price: $18.99
FROM THE
PUBLISHER:
Discover
everything you ever wanted to know about the world's most popular tarot deck.
The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot details the ten most important
symbols on each and every card in the deck complete with hundreds of
illustrations for easy use.
In addition to an explanation of the symbols, each
card is given a brief interpretation by topic:
• Primary meaning
• Prognosis or tendency
• Spiritual meaning
• Love and relationship meaning
• Daily meaning
• Success and happiness meaning
Writing in a
convenient format designed for quick reference, European tarot authorities
Johannes Fiebig and Evelin Bürger also provide tips, hints, facts, and lore to
improve your reading right away. Within these pages, you will find the top ten
most important:
• Ways of using a single card
• Tips and rules for interpretation
• Facts about the tarot
• Interpretations for each suit
• Spread layout techniques
CLASSES/WORKSHOPS:
CONTINUING FROM MARCH:
OLOTEAS ANNUALLY 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 remaining dates and times for the
Spring 2013 Session of Bunnyslopes are:
Friday,
April 5, 2013 7PM – 9PM
Friday, April 12, 2013 7PM – 9PM
Friday, April 19, 2013 7PM - PM
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 2014. 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:
·
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
To download
these materials, Click here : http://www.oloteas.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bunnyslope.pdf
When we hold
classes, we do request an RSVP to (gasbarri@comcast.net)
to let us know that you’re
planning to
attend (so we have some idea how many chairs to put out and handouts to make!).
Our Lady of the
Earth and Sky
12345 Lake City
Way NE, Box 195
Seattle, WA
98125-5401
Email: oloteas@oloteas.org
ONGOING AT EDGE OF THE CIRCLE BOOKS
EVERY WEDNESDAY: IRISH LANGUAGE DROP IN
CLASS-7-9PM
SUN, April 7th , (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.
MON, April 1st , (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 more than 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 May 1st, 2013!
Raven, Editrix,
Edge of the Circle Books Newsletter
**
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