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