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
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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!
Prices subject to change without notice.
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THE LANGUAGE OF THE CORPSE
The Power of the Cadaver in Germanic and Icelandic Sorcery
By Cody Dickerson
Trade Paperback Edition
Publisher: Three Hands Press, August 2016
List Price: $17.50
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Among the ancient Germanic peoples there existed a highly developed stream of magical belief and practice devoted to, and stemming directly from, the dead. While it is difficult for the modern mind to understand these beliefs, it was simply an acknowledged matter of fact that a tremendous wellspring of virtuous power dwelt among the physical remains of the once living, be they man or beast, long after the spirit abandons flesh.
In this short but powerful treatise, the author has gathered together disparate elements of faith, folklore and a multitude of fascinating practices related to the dead. In examining ancient and modern materials among the Teutonic peoples of Europe, we begin to distill an understanding of the powerful significance reserved not only for the revenants of the departed, but their physical remains as well. From the folk charming traditions of the British Isles to the extravagant ritual sacrifices held in medieval Uppsala, Sweden, the book provides the reader a glimpse into to the core strata of the power of the cadaver, and its subsequent role in the sorcerous practices witnessed amongst the European diaspora.
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SYLVAN DREAD
Tales of Pastoral Darkness
By Richard Gavin
Trade Paperback Edition, 192 pages
Publisher: Three Hands Press
List Price: $22.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Those who dwell unseen within the hedge, the grotesques emergent in the weave of tangled roots, the writhing form amid the shadows of the Willow boughs—all are keepers of a rustic and terrible wisdom predating the emergence of mankind. Lurching between disembodiment and wholly manifest flesh, the baleful forces of wasteland and rural barren have long been etched upon the human soul.
From the preeminent author of At Fear’s Altar and The Benighted Path comes Sylvan Dread, Richard Gavin's long-awaited fifth collection of preternatural tales. Bound within are thirteen nightmares exploring the Sinister Pastoral, the dominion prevailing at the intersection of mortal reckoning and the primoridum of daemonic Nature.
As a meditation on the forces of predation and parasitism, monstrous fecundity and decay, and those hidden folk who occupy the spaces between the branches, Sylvan Dread evokes the primeval wood — the place where all dreams and nightmares begin. In this isolate copse we witness the excavation of abominations long earthbound, the twilight of the rational, and the forgotten violence of the Dionysian Rite.
In medieval times scholars spoke of “Natura naturans” --- Nature reveling in her sheer fecundity and pagan vitality. Like Blackwood and Machen before him, Richard Gavin knows the inhuman yet seductive rapture of the deep woods; he has heard the ancient music on the hills. In his stories of “sylvan dread,” his protagonists explore uncanny ravines and hillside clefts, take part in sacrilegious rites, encounter maenads and goatbrides and Lovecraftian horrors. Gavin’s prose is always quietly controlled, carefully crafted, but it inexorably leads his men and women into realms of terrifying otherness, where they are changed, changed utterly.
—Michael Dirda
Pulitzer Prize-winning critic
Author of The Great Age of Storytelling
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IN THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS
The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft
By W. Scott Poole
Paperback, 320 Pages
Publisher: Soft Skull Press, September 13, 2016
List Price: $17.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"Must reading for both loyal Lovecraft fans and biography lovers." —Booklist
In the Mountains of Madness interweaves the biography of the legendary writer with an exploration of Lovecraft as a phenomenon. It aims to explain this reclusive figure while also challenging some of the general views held by Lovecraft devotees, focusing specifically on the large cross-section of horror and science fiction fans who know Lovecraft through films, role-playing games, and video games directly influenced by his work but know little or nothing about him.
From a childhood wracked with fear and intense hallucinations, Lovecraft would eventually embrace the mystical, creating ways in which his unrestrained imaginary life intersected with the world he found so difficult to endure. The monsters of his dreams became his muses. Yet, Poole insists that Lovecraft was not the Victorian prude who wrote “squishy monster stories for boys.” Rather he was a kind of neo-romantic mystic whose love of the 18th century allowed him to bring together a bit of Isaac Newton with a bit of William Blake in a real marriage of heaven and hell.
More than a traditional biography, In the Mountains of Madness will place Lovecraft and his work in a cultural context, as an artist more in tune with our time than his own. Much of the literary work on Lovecraft tries to place him in relation to Poe or M.R. James or Arthur Machen; these ideas have little meaning for most contemporary readers. In his provocative new book, Poole reclaims the true essence of Lovecraft in relation to the comics of Joe Lansdale, the novels of Stephen King, and some of the biggest blockbuster films in contemporary America, proving the undying influence of this rare and significant figure.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
W. Scott Poole, who teaches at the College of Charleston, has written widely about American history, horror, and pop culture. His books include Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror and his award-winning history Monsters in America, which received the John G. Cawelti Prize from the Popular Culture Association and was named among the “Best of the Best” by the AAUP for 2011. Poole is a regular contributor to Popmatters and his work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Religions Dispatches, and Killing the Buddha.
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THE NORSE SHAMAN
Ancient Spiritual Practices of the Northern Tradition
By Evelyn C. Rysdyk
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Destiny Books (August 27, 2016)
List Price: $18.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
An experiential guide to the wisdom preserved in Europe’s far north
• Includes shamanic journeys to connect with deities and your ancestral shamans
• Provides step-by-step instructions to prepare for and conduct a seiðr ceremony
• Draws on archaeological evidence and surviving written records from Iceland
• Reveals the long tradition of female shamans in northern European shamanism
Shamanism is humanity’s oldest spiritual tradition. In much of the Western world, the indigenous pre-Christian spiritual practices have been lost. Yet at the northern fringes of Europe, Christianity did not displace the original shamanic practices until the end of the Viking age. Remnants of Norse shamanic spirituality have survived in myths, folk traditions, and written records from Iceland, providing many clues about the ancient European shaman’s world, especially when examined in conjunction with other shamanic cultures in northern Eurasia, such as the Sami and the tribes of Siberia.
Reconstructing the shamanic practices of the hunter-gatherers of Scandinavia, Evelyn Rysdyk explores the evolution of Norse shamanism from its earliest female roots to the pre-Christian Viking Age. She explains how to enter Yggdrasil, the World Tree, to travel to other realms and provides shamanic journeys to connect with the ancestral shamans of your family tree, including the Norse goddess Freyja, the very first shaman. She offers exercises to connect with the ancient goddesses of fate, the Norns, and introduces the overnight wilderness quest of útiseta for reconnecting with the powers of nature. She explains the key concepts of Ørlög and Wyrd--the two most powerful forces that shape human lives--and provides exercises for letting go of harmful behavior patterns and transforming simple knowledge into profound wisdom by connecting with Óðinn.
Thoroughly examining the shamanic rituals of seiðr, the oracular magic of the Nordic cultures, the author provides step-by-step instructions to prepare for and conduct a seiðr ceremony, including creating your own seiðr staff and hood, and explores the ancestral use of shamanic songs or varðlokur to accompany the ceremony. Woven throughout these exercises, Rysdyk provides archaeological evidence from Neolithic sites supporting the long tradition of venerating wise women, grandmothers, and mothers in ancient cultures and the important role of female shamans at the heart of northern European shamanism. Providing an accessible guide for anyone trying to fulfill their shamanic callings, these powerful rituals can provide personal healing and a clear path for finding our way into a harmonious relationship with the natural world.
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THE SECRET PEOPLE
Parish-Pump Witchcraft, Wise-Women and Cunning Ways
By Melusine Draco
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Moon Books (September 30, 2016)
List Price: $22.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Much of what passes for ‘witchcraft’ today was everyday knowledge to our forebears, especially those who lived and worked in the countryside. Here were to be found practical household hints, remedies and family recipes that had been handed down from generation to generation, some still existing in the form of treasured journals and notebooks. There is, however, nothing fanciful or far-fetched about this information - in fact, The Secret People is a remembrance of times past and a preservation of ‘parish-pump witchcraft, wise-women and cunning ways’ adapted for use in the 21st century.
It may also go a long way in helping those present-generation pagans in search of an identity and answer the questions: Who ... what am I?
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A MYSTIC GUIDE TO CLEANSING & CLEARING
By David Salisbury
Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: Moon Books (September 30, 2016)
List Price: $15.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
A Mystic Guide to Cleansing & Clearing takes a new approach to the practice of cleansing our lives. Using energetic methods from a variety of traditions and philosophies yet geared for the pagan mind, you will uncover energetic burdens and learn how to transform and clear them from your life. These teachings from the Western magickal traditions will arm you with the tools necessary to clear your space, cleanse your body, cast out negative entities, and clear the slate for a fresh start.
Review
A jewel for those who are looking for a direct answer in times when energy may not be at its best, this book has no problem talking about ancestral curses or entities. Salisbury is a real witch who blends the old and the new in a way that makes this work a true triumph of the modern arts.
~ Devin Hunter, author of The Witch's Book of Power
A solid, well-written little manual on the arcane arts of clearing and purification. From making a wand, broom, or talisman, to cleansing your body, aura and home, this book is presented in a practical style that makes it easy to master.
~ Ellen Evert Hopman, author of A Legacy of Druids
A Mystic Guide to Cleansing and Clearing is full of common sense insight and offers great techniques for ridding your life of energies that don't serve you. I love that this book speaks to magic users in a non tradition-specific voice making the ideas in this book easy to adapt to your own path. I found myself working with some of David Salisbury's techniques before I was even halfway through reading it. This is the kind of book that you'll come back to again and again when the chips are down and you need some thoughtful advice to keep the energies in your life running smoothly.
~ Mickie Mueller, Illustrator, author of Voice of the Trees & The Witch's Mirror
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David Salisbury is Wiccan clergy within Coven of the Spiral Moon, a coven based in Washington DC. He is author of various book on witchcraft and mysticism and co-organizes The Firefly House, one of the largest witchcraft traditions in the mid-Atlantic region of the United states.
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Pagan Portals~
CANDLE MAGIC:
A Witch's Guide to Spells and Rituals Paperback – February 26, 2016
By Lucya Starza
Series: Pagan Portals
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Moon Books (February 26, 2016)
List Price: $9.95
List Price: $9.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Candle magic is something almost everyone has tried, even as a child - who hasn’t made a wish over a birthday cake? Candle spells are among the easiest yet also the most effective to perform. They are perfect for anyone who wants to have a go at casting a spell for the first time and for the solitary witch with a busy life. Yet candles are also an important part of modern pagan witchcraft rituals. They are used to mark the quarters of the circle, placed on the altar and can represent the changing seasons of the year. This book is aimed at all who want to use candle magic, from beginners to those experienced in the craft; with everything from simple castings to elaborate and beautiful ceremonies. It offers a background to candle magic as well as spells, rituals, divination techniques, meditations, a guide to making your own candles and more.
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CALIFORNIA INFERNAL
Anton LaVey & Jayne Mansfield, as portrayed by Walter Fischer
By Walter Fischer
Hardcover Standard edition, limited to 400 copies.
Publisher: Edda Publishing/Trapart
Published in May 2016, 144 pages, more than 100 unseen and rare photographs of Anton LaVey and Jayne Mansfield, size 21 x 25 cm, hardbound with dust jacket.
List Price: $59.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Movie star Jayne Mansfield and notorious Satanist Anton LaVey met in 1966. Both were publicity conscious and made the most of the meetings, which evolved into friendship. Almost always present was German paparazzo Walter Fischer, stationed in Hollywood and catering to image- and scandal-hungry photo magazines all over the world.
Fischer’s unique collection of photos takes us straight into the ritual chamber of the Church of Satan in LaVey’s infamous “black house” in San Francisco, as well as into Mansfield’s Hollywood “pink palace”. We also get to follow LaVey on excursions to his friend Forrest “Famous Monsters of Filmland” Ackerman, to Marilyn Monroe’s grave, to TV studios and back to Satanic weddings and Zeena's baptism at the Church of Satan HQ.
These were wild and narcissistic times in America. Few understood the power of media exposure better than Jayne Mansfield and Anton LaVey. Captured alone or together by master paparazzo Walter Fischer, this devilishly handsome couple made headlines that still resonate today.
The book also contains an introduction by legendary filmmaker Kenneth Anger, and forewords by writer Carl Abrahamsson and collector Alf Wahlgren.
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THE LEGEND OF ALEISTER CROWLEY
The Legend of Aleister Crowley
By Dr. Israel Regardie , Lon Milo DuQuette , P.R. Stephenson
Perfect Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: New Falcon Publications; 1st edition (October 15, 2015)
List Price: $21.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
The Legend of Aleister Crowley Exposes the vicious media campaign of vilification pursued against the Magus of the New Aeon. You will find the Truth behind the Big Lie.
The reader may thus approach Crowley himself either as Ipsissimus, the incarnation of the Logos of the New Aeon, or as a human enigma. The Times Literary Supplement ...the final, occult, unmentionable and esoteric secret of the rascal masters is simple: Follow nature and do just what you feel like doing without hesitation, guilt or regret.
-Alan Watts
"It was in the Spring of the year 1929 that the Surete Generale sprung a surprise on the unsuspecting Crowley menage.... We were all handed expulsion papers. Leave with twenty-four hours!"
-Israel Regardie, from the Introduction
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THE ENGLISH MAGIC TAROT
Illustrated by Rex Van Ryn, Colorist, Stephen Dooley,
Written by Andy Letcher, Foreword by Philip Carr-Gomm
78 full color illustrated card deck and 160 page Book Kit
Publisher: Weiser Books, October 1, 2016
List Price: $24.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
"Here, with this deck and book, you have the chance to explore the world of English magic directly, engaging with its peculiar charms and eccentricities. And with what excellent guides!" --Philip Carr-Gomm, author of The Book of English Magic
"Here, with this deck and book, you have the chance to explore the world of English magic directly, engaging with its peculiar charms and eccentricities. And with what excellent guides!" --Philip Carr-Gomm, author of The Book of English Magic
"What we have here is the auspicious release of a new deck of tarot cards based in the mysticism, mysteries, rituals, and lore of Elizabethan-era England, perhaps history’s most fervent period and place for the magic arts. Think knights and fools, monarchs and highwaymen, in the animate land of Stonehenge and druids. These are tarot cards with the dynamism of a graphic novel. Not the stuff of mere fortune telling, they hint at a world rife with forces and cause-and-effect connections, where “change occurs in accordance with will.”" --Foreword Reviews, Fall 2017
This captivating new tarot deck draws us into the vibrant but often hidden world of English magic, evoking a golden age of mysticism when John Dee was Queen Elizabeth’s Court Astrologer, antiquarian John Aubrey rediscovered ancient sacred sites, and the great physicist Isaac Newton studied alchemy.
The English Magic Tarot places the cards in the colorful yet turbulent period of English history that stretches from the time of Henry VIII to the Restoration. During this time of upheaval archetypal forces were very much at play, making this a perfect setting for the cards. Brought to you by renowned artist Rex Van Ryn, colorist Stephen Dooley, and writer Andy Letcher, this deck has a dynamic, graphic style. There are unique twists to some of the traditional images, with riddles, references, and lore buried within them that will draw users ever deeper into the mystery and meaning of the cards.
The first deck of its kind to draw explicitly on the English magical tradition, The English Magic Tarot opens up a rich new pathway into the cards that will delight novice and experienced tarot users alike.
ABOUT THE CREATORS:
Rex Van Ryn is a comic book artist who has worked for Marvel and IPC, producing strips for 2000AD and Scorer, amongst others. He has worked as a storyboard artist for numerous films and TV shows.
Stephen Dooley has worked extensively in Britain and Europe painting murals and trompe l’oeil frescoes. He recently co-produced the Wind in the Willows app for the iPad.
Andy Letcher is the author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom (Faber & Faber, 2006, UK; Harper, 2008, US) and numerous scholarly articles on paganism, shamanism, and folklore. He has been a practicing Druid for 20 years and gave his first tarot reading at age 11. Visit his blog at: www.andyletcher.co.uk
Philip Carr-Gomm is Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and the author of a number of works on Druidry.
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MODERN SPELLCASTER'S TAROTBy Melanie Marquis , Scott Murphy (Illustrator)
Boxed Kit , 264 page book, 78 card Tarot deck | 5 x 8 x 2 IN
Boxed Kit , 264 page book, 78 card Tarot deck | 5 x 8 x 2 IN
Publisher: Llewellyn, September 2016
List Price: $29.99
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Achieve Powerful and Diverse Spellwork through the Timeless Wisdom of Tarot~
Rich in classic symbolism and alive with marvelous detail and color, Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot is the perfect choice for improving your divinatory and magick practices. Scott Murphy’s stunning artwork showcases the familiar elements of the Rider-Waite in a bold new style featuring ancient Pagan mythos, diverse ethnicities, and practical spellwork.
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Meditate on the cards for heightened spiritual awareness. Cast a tarot spell for greater prosperity. Connect with the elements for increased personal power. Designed for beginners and advanced practitioners alike, this versatile deck will help you create a dynamic union between traditional symbols and today’s human experience.
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FAIRY TALE LENORMAND
By Arwen Lynch, Illustration by Lisa Hunt
Publisher: US Games Systems
120 page booklet, 38 card Lenormand deck set.
List Price: $19.95
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Fairy Tales have been teaching us timeless life lessons for centuries. Lisa Hunt’s enchanting artwork draws us into the magical world of peasants and princesses, dragons and daring deeds. By weaving imaginative myths into the Lenormand structure, Fairy Tale Lenormand helps readers connect with the cards in meaningful and memorable ways. The 38-card multicultural deck, presented in a treasure chest tin, includes extra Gentleman and Lady cards for personalized readings.
Fairy Tales have been teaching us timeless life lessons for centuries. Lisa Hunt’s enchanting artwork draws us into the magical world of peasants and princesses, dragons and daring deeds. By weaving imaginative myths into the Lenormand structure, Fairy Tale Lenormand helps readers connect with the cards in meaningful and memorable ways. The 38-card multicultural deck, presented in a treasure chest tin, includes extra Gentleman and Lady cards for personalized readings.
Arwen Lynch’s delightful 120-page booklet, with foreword by Lenormand expert Donnaleigh de LaRose, cleverly relates familiar fairy tales to the Lenormand meanings. Booklet includes illustrated instructions for reading with Crossroads Spreads, Tower Spreads, and Happily Ever Afters.
Are you ready to peer into your own life fairy tale through the reflective eyes of the Fairy Tale Lenormand? Artist Lisa Hunt has prepared an oracle that will show you the storybook images parallel in your own life as told through the mirrors of familiar childhood fairy tales. You are about to experience a deck holding the perfect fusion between theme and functionality. The Fairy Tale Lenormand flows with the imaginative spark and ethereal feel of entering far-away lands. Yet, while this oracle taps into the magical metaphors of stories, it remains true to the key traditional features required of this oracle system, allowing this to be a hard-working deck.
—Donnaleigh de LaRose, from Fairy Tale Lenormand, foreword
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!
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TAROT READINGS / SPIRITUAL ADVICE
UNCOMMONSENSE TAROT
Tarot, Pendulum, Norse Elder Futhark Runes and 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, SATURDAYS, AND SUNDAYS from 2:00-8.00PM.
Sundays 2:00-8:00 PM
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WE HAVE NEW READERS! STAY TUNED FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT LATER THIS MONTH.
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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 November 1st, 2016
Raven, Editrix, Edge of the Circle Books Newsletter
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