::: New Title from Avalonia Books

Our long awaited “Practical Elemental Magick” by David Rankine and
Sorita d’Este will soon be available. This book, which is the
follow-on to our very popular “Practical Planetary Magick” explores
the magick of the four elements (Air, Fire, Water & Earth). Orders for
Practical Elemental Magick received within the next two weeks will
receive a special discount off the RRP. See:
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk for details

Working magick with the elements helps to connect us to the tangibly
present natural powers in our physical world, whilst at the same time
we are returning to the building blocks of magick by rooting our feet
in the material world. Since Empedocles formalized the system in
ancient Greece in the 5th century BCE, the four elements have become
an integral part of the Western Esoteric Tradition – passing from
ancient Greek magick, through the Qabalah, & Grimoire Traditions into
modern derivative traditions of ceremonial magick and paganism.

In Practical Elemental Magick the authors provide an unprecedented
combination of research and techniques for working the magick of Air,
Fire, Water and Earth, as well as the spiritual creatures associated
with each. The Elemental Gods, Archangels, rulers and other types of
elemental beings (including Sylphs, Salamanders, Undines & Gnomes) are
discussed and explored. Both the spiritual and physical aspects of the
four elements are considered, together with how they interact with
each other and their appropriate use for magickal work.

The creation and use of Elementaries (Elemental Thought Forms);
Elemental Tools, the Elemental Tides and correspondences are all
considered in detail, together with previously unavailable original
ritual & meditative material including the Unification Rite, the Inner
Talisman, the Elemental Pyramids, the Elemental Magick Circle & the
Elemental Temples. In mastering the four elements within & without we
master ourselves, bringing the external forces of the natural world &
the internal forces of our existence into harmony.

For further information see: Practical Elemental Magick by David
Rankine & Sorita d’Este at http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

:::: Special Samhain Offers at Avalonia Books

We also have special Samhain offers on the new edition of “Circle of
Fire” and “Towards the Wiccan Circle”; as well as “Defences Against
the Witches Craft” for the next two weeks. So drop by and grab
yourself a bargain for the Witchy season. Click on “Samhain Offers” on
the website to order or for more information on these titles.

:::: Witchfest International

Sorita and David will both be at Witchfest International (see
http://www.witchfest.net ) this year, so if you want to meet up, have
a book signed or just say “hi” please check the program for their
lectures and workshops, as well as booksignings at the Children of
Artemis stall.

:::: Avalonia Books

We are passionately working to make magick manifest.
Expanding the esoteric horizons.
Towards becoming Magick.

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Dear all,

It seems like just yesterday I sat down to write the last newsletter,
but its been a while! I hope that you all had a wonderful Autumn
Equinox celebrations on the weekend past, certainly the Sun shone
brightly on our part of Wales the entire weekend, so that was a nice
and unexpected blessing!

::::: Mabon or Modron?

Of course there is the great debate about alternative names Mabon and
Modron which are sometimes used by Pagans for the festival they
celebrate at the Autumn Equinox. Now looking at the myths of these
two Welsh deities it is necessary to conclude that for a festival in
the Northern Hemisphere at this time of the year when we are
celebrating the bounty (if its been a good year) of the harvest Modron
would in fact be the better choice.

Mabon (meaning “Son”) is first mentioned in the White Book of
Rhydderch, he is the son of the goddess Modron, but was stolen from
her when he was three days old and is eventually rescued after the
Salmon of Llyn Llyw reveals his location. He appears in a number of
myths, including that of the tale of Killhwch and Olwen. Modron is a
goddess of sovereignty whose name is derived from Matrona, meaning
“Mother”. She is referred to as “Modron the Sincere” in Englynion y
Beddau and is also mentioned in Cad Goddeu. Modron is said to have
been the wife of Urien, with whom she has a son named as Owein best
known for his game of chess with King Arthur in the “Dream of
Rhonabwy”. She also has close associations with the “Washer at the
Ford” making her one of the possible guises assumed by the Morrigan.
It is clear that Mabon is a unsuitable name, unless for some reason
the myth cycle being celebrated includes the “son” at Autumn Equinox �”
which is of course usually a theme associated with Yule or the Winter
Solstice! Personally I prefer simply calling it Autumn Equinox �” its
simple and says what it does. Alternatively, why don’t we all start
calling it The Devil’s Nutting Day?

::::: The Devil’s Nutting Day!
Actually I am serious! The 21st of September is also St Matthew’s Day
and is alternatively known as “The Devil’s Nutting Day” a name which
originates in a story which is recounted in the book “Maypoles,
Martyrs and Mayhem” referring to a mound off the A422:
“Once upon a time the Devil was out gathering nuts in Warwickshire,
this being Devil’s Nutting day. He had gathered a sackful when he ran
smack bang into the Virgin Mary, who commanded him to stand and
deliver. The Devil dropped his load and fled. The resulting
nut-mound soon became a grassy hill, and the story explains why it is
known as the Devil’s Nut Bag, but not why it is also known as the
Devil’s Night-cap, a name which suggests an alternative legend out
there somewhere.”

::::: St Matthew’s Day
But going back to the weather, with it having been rather sunny in our
parts on the weekend it is good news for the vineyards on the hill up
the road from us, because “Matthew’s Day bright and clear, brings good
wine the next year” �” which is a good tip for those of you brewing
your own!

::::: New from Sorita & David
David and I have been very good lately and have been sticking to our
commitment towards completing unfinished projects before moving on to
the many new ones we want to tackle next year! Towards the Wiccan
Circle, a self-study course book based on the homestudy course by the
same name we used to offer on Avalonia.co.uk is now available.
Details can be found at
http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=283 �” this book contains
many new exercises and workings which was not included in the original
homestudy course and has been carefully adapted to suit selfstudy. I
would also like to point out that the cover image used on “Towards a
Wiccan Circle” of “Blodeuwedd” (which I think is stunning), was
painted by the artist Emily Carding. Emily has also just had a very
different Tarot deck published called “The Transparent Tarot” which as
the name suggests, is … well… transparent! Details of this new
Tarot deck and her other work can be found at http://www.childofavalon.com

::::: Review of Wicca Magickal Beginnings & other Book Reviews
“Wicca Magickal Beginnings” our book on the possible historical
origins of Wiccan ritual has just been reviewed by Cardiff Pagan
Society’s Kim Huggens – http://ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews/?p=168 for a
copy of the review. There are quite a few interesting recent reviews
posted there, including another by Kim looking at the Enchanted
Oracle. There are many more reviews due out soon, so if books are your
thing, make sure to bookmark the site!

::::: Forthcoming from Avalonia Books & Golden Hoard Press
There is a list of our forthcoming titles available at
http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=40 which should make the
very curious content for now. Practical Elemental Magick should be
available for pre-order early next week! David has just written a
short update about the Veritable Key of Solomon he is co-producing
with Stephen Skinner as part of the Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic
series for Golden Hoard Press on his website blog �”
http://www.ritualmagick.co.uk �” which is also a good place to visit
for other interesting magickal contemplations.

::::: Through the Worlds: Qabalah Workshop (4th October, London)
Though this is only a couple of weeks away, there are still places
available on this unique workshop. Going beyond the basics of
practical Qabalah, David will introduce, discuss and facilitate
advanced techniques for working with the magickal Qabalah. Details
can be found at http://www.avalonia.co.uk/events/index.htm or you can
contact Atlantis Bookshop directly on 020 7405 2120. Please note that
this is a workshop for people with a prior knowledge of the Qabalah
(though you don’t need to be an expert you will need to know your
Yesod from your Geburah!)

::::: I will leave you with this poem by fellow author and priestess
Yvonne Aburrow:

::::: MABON :::::
By Yvonne Aburrow

A salmon leapt from the river’s dark depths
A bright flash of silver in the sunlight

A hawk wheeled in the eye of the sun
His shadow moved on the ancient green mound

A fox gleamed russet in the margin of the forest
His eyes glinted in the twilight realm

A maiden sitting silent held
Two crossed swords, the equinoctial balance

A man sat musing by a deep pool
His clever fingers plucking the strings of a harp

Chained by one ankle to the rock
Yet he smiled, as one who slips the bonds of time.

http://beautenebreux.blogspot.com/search/label/Mabon (for the
original, included here by kind permission of the author)

:::::: :::::: ::::::

Well, whatever you get up to this Autumn I hope you enjoy! Lets cross
our fingers and hope for a little bit more of an Indian Summer here in
the UK. At least you can rest assured that you have an entire year to
decide what to call the Autumn Equinox when it comes round again next
year �” and maybe we will all be calling it “Devil’s Nutting Day” by
then!

Many Blessings
Sorita d’Este

::::: Expanding the Esoteric Horizon
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk
::::: Let Your Imagination Roam Free
http://www.avalonia.co.uk

Dear All,

I have been enjoying a huge collection of little sample oils from conjureoils.com for the last few days. It took ages to arrive from the USA, and I very much expected it to not be all that great, but they are absolutely amazing. Incenses and oils are of course very much a part of this d’Este/Rankine household! Incenses and oils were in fact the first thing we talked about when we met each other for the first time in Atlantis Bookshop many years back – and it continues to be a topic of discussion today! From the practice of aromatic smokes rising to the heavens as an offering to the Gods and Spirits, or as propitiation, protection or purification – incenses and oils do play an important part in magical and spiritual practices today as they did throughout history in every culture, on all the inhabited continents of the Earth. Amongst the most famous is probably frankincense and myrrh, two of the three gifts which were given to the Christ child by the three Magi, both also ingredients which were extensively used by the Ancient Egyptians. In fact it could be said that the Egyptians perfected the art of aromatics. Some of the perfumes s they made have retained their fragrance for more than 3000 years! One such famous example being an aromatic ointment which was discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 and which is believed to have been made around 1350BCE ! It contained both frankincense and balsam amongst its ingredients. Cleopatra was famous for her love of aromatics and it is said that when Mark Antony first encountered the barge on which Cleopatra was travelling “The winds were love-sick when from the barge, a strange invisible perfume hits the sense of the adjacent wharfs…” (Plutarch).

Here in Wales, David and I are working at getting Practical Elemental Magick completed for release in the next couple of weeks. Its all on schedule for a change, so that is good! There is so much material we are including from work we have done together over the last few years that we hope that it will be something which will open up the field of elemental work to further study and experimentations in the coming years – like planetary magick, it is a subject which is much neglected and often misunderstood.

I am also very pleased to say that Horns of Power (Manifestations of the Horned God - see http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=59 for details ) the anthology containing essays by scholars and mystics writing about different Horned Gods and their experiences of working with or encounters with the Horned God, being received with great excitement by those who have read it to date. This is great news as I am planning another anthology at the moment with essays by Priestesses from all over the world, working in different traditions, and their experiences of trance work, mediumship, possession and “drawing down the Moon” and I am very excited about the submissions I have received to date as each contains something so thoroughly unique and beautiful that it will greatly enhance the experiences, techniques and understanding of these workings which are so rarely spoken about.

I hope that this finds you well, whoever you may be and wherever you find yourself,

Blessings

Sorita d’Este

Ps. According to my copy of Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac 2008 the fragrance for 3 Sept. Is Honeysuckle, and 4 Sept. Nutmeg, followed by Thyme on the 5^th. Why this would be I haven’t a clue, but I thought it was interesting enough to include!

http://www.avalonia.co.uk

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

————–)O(—————
Avalonia Newsletter: 3 September 2008

Table of Contents

1 * Special Offers on Books
2 * Incense & Oil Supplies
3 * Wicca Magickal Beginnings
4 * The Esoteric Book Review~
5 * Root Magic
6 * Forthcoming Events

————–)O(—————
1/ Special Offers on Books

Our current Avalonia Books special offer is on the new edition of Circle of Fire and Wicca Magickal Beginnings.

Buy two of our most popular books together and save £5.50!  Both books will provide individuals wishing to deepen their understanding of the Wiccan Tradition with plenty of material to do so.  Circle of Fire is provides practitioners with a solid foundation of symbolism and practice from where to build their knowledge and understanding of the practices of the tradition; Wicca Magickal Beginnings provides insights into the historical origins of the tradition which sets aside the endless debates about lineage in favour of looking at where the practices may originate from prior to being popularised by Gerald Gardner in 1950’s England.  This illustrates how the majority of practices and beliefs dates back decades and in some instances many thousands of years prior to his influence and hints that Gardner may have been telling the truth when he claimed he was initiated into the New Forest Coven in the late 1930’s.

If bought together you will save yourself £5.50 (with free P&P) – but only if bought from our “offers” page – http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=47 between now and the 21^st of September 2008.

————–)O(—————
2/ Incense & Oil Supplies

But back to fragrant smokes and oils, if you are interested in exploring these more in the coming months, the following suppliers might provide a good starting point for you providing between them ready blended incenses and oils, as well as the ingredients you will need to make your own:

Amphora Aromatics – www.amphora-retail.com

Baldwins – www.baldwins.co.uk

Conjure Oils – www.conjureoils.com

PeacockAngel – www.peacockangel.com

StarChild – www.starchild.co.uk

————–)O(—————
3/ Wicca Magickal Beginnings

It seems that our work is currently really getting around and creating a buzz in different circles. A good example of this is Wicca Magickal Beginnings, which explores the history of the practices and beliefs of the Wiccan Tradition in the context of magickal practices spanning thousands of years. This week it has created quite an interesting discussion on the LiveJournal of author and rock star Rodney Orpheus (him of the “Cassandra Complex”), if you are interested in Thelema and Wicca, you may find the discussion there of interest, see: http://rodneyorpheus.livejournal.com/546888.html for details. Also to see what Pagan Dawn; Mike Howard at the Cauldron and others think of Wicca Magickal Beginnings see: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=61 (scroll down to the bottom of the page)

Wicca Magickal Beginnings forms part of our current special offer, if purchased with a copy of Circle of Fire – see http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=47 for details.

————–)O(—————
4/ The Esoteric Review

Remember that new book reviews are also frequently being added by our team of reviewers to the Esoteric Book Review – http://reviews.ritualmagick.co.uk/ recent reviews include a number of titles related to Fallen Angels, The Book of Enoch and a couple of books by fantasy writer Storm Constantine. There is a pile of books which are all making their way to reviewers at the moment, so we hope to be adding more reviews very soon.

————–)O(—————

5/ Root Magic

John Canard whose first book “Defences of the Witches’ Craft” was also released last month is so pleased with the response he has received so far to this book that he has decided to give in to my pleas to write the first substantial book on the history and practices of English Root Magic. He is collating his notes now and will be adding advice and guidance for those wishing to explore English Root Magic and the seven year cycle of training which he followed with his own mentor some decades ago. Defences of the Witches’ Craft’s first review has also just been published on Amazon.com and is available along with information on the book at http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=89 - a great little book for anyone who is interested in curses and counter magics as used in England today and in the last few hundred years. (Whether out of curiosity or out of need for such charms)

John also asked me to mention that he has set up a group on Facebook for people interested in discussing Root Magic – it is called “Root Magicians – Worldwide” and can be found by searching for “Root magic” on Facebook or going straight to http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=74865125064

————–)O(—————

6/ Forthcoming Events

6 September 2008 ** This Saturday – The Colours of Chaos ***
-see http://chaotopia.co.uk/coloursofchaos.html for more information. Tickets WILL be available on the door. Speakers include: Julian Vayne, Dave Lee, Soror Res, Susan Leybourne etc. Conway Hall, London.

4 October 2008 *** The Thelemic Symposium ***
See http://www.dowhatthouwilt.com/symposium/ for details. A whole bunch of speakers on Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, The OTO etc. Oxford, England. TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT, but worth checking out as there might be a waitinglist.

4 October 2008 *** Qabalah Through the Worlds – Workshop by David Rankine ***
Some details at http://www.ritualmagick.co.uk or http://www.avalonia.co.uk/events This is an advanced workshop on Qabalah and Magic(k) exploring practical techniques. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, Museum Street, London.

18 October 2008 *** The Halloween Festival – London ***
This yearly festival is usually quite a bit of fun, lots of dressing up, music, stalls and talks – see www.paganfestivals.com for details.

8 November 2008 *** Witchfest International, Croydon , Surrey / London ***
Speakers this year include Prof. Ronald Hutton, Sorita d’Este, David Rankine, Rufus Harrington, Cassandra Eason, Kate West, James Bennett, Ralph Harvey, Teresa Moorey, Rhys Chisnall , Tam Campbell & many more. See www.witchfest.net for more details and booking information.

————–)O(—————

“Working Towards Expanding the Esoteric Horizons”

http://www.avalonia.co.uk

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

————–)O(—————

]]> http://avalonianews.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/cleopatra-smells-conjurations/feed/ 0 Avalonia LuxNox http://avalonianews.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/lughnasadh-the-avalonia-newsletter-30th-june-2008/ http://avalonianews.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/lughnasadh-the-avalonia-newsletter-30th-june-2008/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:59:53 +0000 Avalonia LuxNox http://avalonianews.wordpress.com/?p=11 ]]>

Dear all,

On the 1^st of August it is Lammastide, or Lughnasadh, the harvest festival or Minden Day. Of course this is a time of celebration, especially if it is a plentiful harvest year. However, no matter how plentiful the harvest might have been that year, on 31^st of July in 1713 two lovers, Sarah and John, who had obtained permission from their parents that very day to finally get married, were struck dead simultaneously by lightning during the harvest. Their fate was recorded by the poet Alexander Pope thus:

“When eastern lovers feed the funeral fire,
On the same pile the faithful pair expire:
Here pitying heav’n, that virtue mutual found,
And blasted both, that it might neither wound.
Hearts so sincere th’ Almighty saw well pleased,
Sent his own lightning, and the victims seized.”

Sarah and John might not have had much to celebrate that Lughnasadh, but by meeting their end thus, they did ensure their own immortality in the chronicles of history! Which is romantic in its own way!

Lugh, after whom the festival of Lughnasadh is named, is the son of Ethne (the daughter of Balar) and Cian (the son of Dian Cecht). His name is taken to mean ‘shining one’. Lugh was foestered with the smith god Goibniu who taught him all the crafts and he also gained the name ‘Lugh Lamfada’ (Lugh of the Long Arm). As the god of all crafts, he was challenged at the gates of Tara and replied that he was a builder, a smith, a champion, a harper, a warrior, a poet, a historian, a sorceror, a physician, a cupbearer and a brazier! It is clear from this why Caesar equated Lugh with the Roman god Mercury! The spear of Lugh was one of the four treasures of the Tuatha de Danann and ensured that no battle was ever won against who ever held it in their hand and both Lugh and his spear played a key role in many of the prophesies. His stories, myths, legends and worship is primarily tied to Ireland, but also appears in other parts of the British Isles – where he is also usually identified as both a solar and otherworldly god, sometimes in association with the Gallic Goddess Rosmerta. If you are going to celebrate Lughnasadh this year, make sure to make an offering into the Earth from your cup for Lugh! After all, it is HIS festival!

Here in Monmouthshire, David and I have been working to finish off some of the projects we have been working on for a while.

HORNS OF POWER: Manifestations of the Horned God is due out soon. Pre-orders open today and books will be dispatched on the release date (7^th August). All orders placed on or before the release date will receive a 25% discount, so make sure to place your order now: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=59 This unique anthology brings together essays by a number of modern day scholars, priests and mystics, exploring the many facets of horned gods – from Cernunnos and Pan, to Veles, Khnum and Unicorns, there is something for everyone interested in the Horned God (or Goddess!). More information can be found by visiting http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

David has been putting the finishing touches to THE VERITABLE KEY OF SOLOMON, which he is co-authoring with Stephen Skinner. A limited edition of 25 copies full leather edition and a 350 copy half-leather edition will be available in full colour directly from http://www.goldenhoard.co.uk before the black & white hardback edition which will be available from Llewellyn in 2009. Interest in this project is phenomenal and those interested in finding out more are advised to visit http://www.goldenhoard.co.uk now and register their interest in the limited editions by emailing admin@goldenhoard.co.uk to be placed on the mailing list. Pre-orders will open later this week!

We hope that you and yours are well and, if like us you live in the UK, that you are enjoying the rare spell of warmer weather and sunshine we seem to be experiencing between the thunderstorms at the moment!

Blessings

Sorita d’Este

http://www.avalonia.co.uk

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

ps. Check out David Rankine’s new blog at www.ritualmagick.co.uk for interesting articles on magick, grimoires and other related fields!

————***———–

CONTENTS:

1/ AVALONIA OFFERS – SAVE 25% on Climbing the Tree of Life & WIZARDRY!

2/ HORNS OF POWER, edited by Sorita d’Este

3/ DEFENCES OF THE WITCHES’ CRAFT by John Canard

4/ NEW BOOK REVIEWS (The Esoteric Book Review)

5/ QABALAH THROUGH THE WORLDS – Workshop by David Rankine

6/ REVIEWS OF WICCA MAGICKAL BEGINNINGS

7/ WICCA in the NEWS

8/ THE COMPLETE MAGICIAN’S TABLES – SPECIAL OFFER save 33%!

————***———–

1/ AVALONIA BOOK OFFERS

*Special offers for the whole month of August on*

*Climbing the Tree of Life*

RRP £18.00, order now for just £13.50

- This book by David Rankine provides the reader with a practical manual of practical Qabalah as worked in the Western Esoteric Traditions

*Wizardry for the Uninitiated*

RRP £8.99, order now for just £6.99

- This book by Thea Faye provides the reader with practical insights from a modern day Wizard on the practices, philosophies and beliefs of a Wizard!

For more information on these book offers, see: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=47

————***———–

2/ HORNS OF POWER, edited by Sorita d’Este

The raw, ancient and primordial force symbolised by horns has long had associations with mystery, magick and power. Our ancestors often envisaged their gods as anthropomorphic beings who encapsulated this wild essence. Today the gods of the bull, the ram, goat and stag still hold tremendous power and are invoked at rituals by a new priesthood who continue to seek the wildness of nature and the inspiration that it holds. These deities transcend the safe and known boundaries of human structure, sometimes even luring us across the threshold of the known into the unknown worlds.

This unique anthology brings together the work of more than twenty dedicated scholars with that of modern day mystics. Through their written and artistic contributions they illustrate just some of the many manifestations of the Horned God.

A true cornucopia of both insightful and well researched essays takes us from the well known Celtic Cernunnos and the legend of Herne the Hunter, to the goat-footed Greek Pan, the lesser known Slavic Veles and Egyptian Khnum. Horned serpents, unicorns, the tale of the Battle of the Bulls in the Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Welsh Gwyn Ap Nudd and the faery Puck are all also considered.

Then a wild hunt as we journey with the mystics who share their own experiences of the gods of the wildwood and untamed beasts. Each story is as different as the person who experienced it – and each illustrating in its own unique way a Horned God who is wild, unpredictable, loving – and at heart a trickster. For those who wish to dare a bit more than others, visionary meditation journeys to explore the mysteries of Cernunnos and Gwyn Ap Nudd are included.

Horns of power would of course be nothing without the horns of beauty of the feminine divine, and in the final section of this anthology the reader is presented with essays exploring horned goddesses.

Whether through the mysteries of their existence, the vast scope of their influence or the endurance of their survival through to the modern day, each contributor provides a window into the wonders and magick of the enduring Horned God.

Pre-orders can now be place at: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=59 – if placed before or on the 7^th of August you will receive a 25% discount! (Free P&P on all orders, worldwide!).

————***———–

3/ DEFENCES OF THE WITCHES’ CRAFT by John Canard

Have you been cursed?  How would you know beyond your gut feeling and everything in your life seemingly falling apart?  Exploring the traditional witchcraft of our ancestors, root magician John Canard explains how to detect and reflect curses, and work out who is the most likely person cursing you.
He details how curses can be fought using a range of tried and trusted old charms like witch bottles, witch balls, rowan and red thread, magick squares, and medieval charms, and how you can enlist supernatural help from beings like angels and church grims.  He also describes how to make holy water for purifying your home, how to set wards, and protect your home from all negative influences.

Discover how to use the witches’ own weapons against them, with poppets, herbs, and stones.  By taking the initiative and not being a victim you can ensure that your life is unaffected by the malefic intent of others, and turn the tables on cursers so that they receive the negativity back that was aimed at you. John Canard gives clear and concise explanations of the practices and the underlying magickal principles, making this work an invaluable manual of protection that will dispel the negativity of cursers and cursing from your life.

This book will soon be available for ordering from http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=89

————***———–

4/ NEW BOOK REVIEWS on the ESOTERIC BOOK REVIEW

Recent reviews include the WITCH SCHOOL first, second and third degree books by Rev. Donald Lewis-Highcorrell; Qabalah of the 50 Gates by Steven Ashe, Priestess of the Forest by Ellen Evert Hopman; and the GODS WITHIN by Jean Williams and Zachary Cox. For details see: http://www.ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews

————***———–

5/ QABALAH THROUGH THE WORLDS – Workshop by David Rankine

The Qabalah underlies the magickal systems of the Western Mystery Tradition. Yet many of its most effective practices have been ignored or forgotten in recent centuries. This workshop will focus on exploring techniques which can be applied to creating magickal change, such as the development of Ruach ha-Qadosh, the power of prophecy referred to in the Old Testament.

Details of this advanced and practical workshop by David Rankine on the 4^th of October in London’s ATLANTIS BOOKSHOP can be found at:

http://ritualmagick.co.uk/121/?page_id=72

————***———–

6/ REVIEWS OF WICCA MAGICKAL BEGINNINGS

This book by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine which explores the magickal roots of the practices found in modern day Wicca is causing quite a bit of debate amongst readers already. Good or bad, we are always interested in the opinions of our readers, so make sure that if you reviewed this book you let us know, likewise you are welcome to contact us directly! This is what the author Michael Howard wrote about Wicca Magickal Beginnings in THE CAULDRON Magazine:

“WICCA: Magickal Beginnings … . This is a very interesting study of the possible historical origins of the ritual and practices in modern neo-pagan witchcraft or Wicca. The authors begin by examining the word “Wicca”, the various attempts pre-Gerald Gardner to revive witchcraft by occultists such as Aleister Crowley and his American disciple Jack Parsons, and the influence on the modern revival of the seminal works of Jules Michelet, Charles Godfrey Leland, Sir James Frazer, Dr Margaret Murray and Dion Fortune. They then go on to postulate the origins for the Book of Shadows, scourging, the three-degree initiation, the Wiccan Rede, skyclad rituals, the athame, the magickal circle, Drawing Down the Moon, the Charge of the Goddess, the Great Rite, Sabbats, the pentagram, the Mighty Ones, Cakes and Wine, the four quarters, Cernunnos as the Wiccan name for the witch god, chants, the elements and the Theban magickal alphabet, and their possible historical antecedents. From their extensive research they conclude that Wicca is a continuation of the medieval tradition of grimoire magic, supplemented with material from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the OTO either by persons unknown before Gardner’s initiation into the New Forest Coven in 1939 or later by Gardner and his associates. They claim that when the GD and Crowley material is removed from modern Wiccan rituals what is actually left is ‘a bedrock of grimoire materials with fragments of folk practices which would fit in with the idea of the continuation of a genuine tradition…’ This claim is of course, based on the assumption that the New Forest coven, which some die-hard skeptics refuse to believe ever existed, was not a figment of Gardner’s imagination and that he did not just cobble together the rites of Wicca from books. Personally, I would go along with d’Este and Rankine. Highly recommended”

(Michael Howard, Cauldron Magazine, #129, August 2008)

If you are interested in finding out what Pagan Dawn Magazine and other reviewers thought of Wicca Magickal Beginnings, for more information on this book, or if you would like to order a signed copy now, go to: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=61

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7/ WICCA IN THE NEWS

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3dTVsWRFU2tnqfw7_D3C8W4ALywD9234IU80

“Woman runs sword into foot during Wiccan ceremony” reads the headline of this short news report of a woman who accidentally stabbed herself in the foot with her sword during a good luck ritual in a cemetery, and somehow escaped with just a warning from the police!

————***———–

8/ THE COMPLETE MAGICIAN’S TABLES – SPECIAL OFFER save 33%!

This book which is being described as the definitive tables of correspondences produced to date, replacing the outdated book 777 by Aleister Crowley in leaps and bounds, is available at a 33% discount for the entire month of August to UK buyers who click on this link.

RRP £30.00, OFFER PRICE £20.00 with FREE Postage & Packaging (UK). Shoppers from outside the UK can still order this book, but due to a significant increase in postage charges (this is a heavy, hardback book), prices vary. Check out this link for details.

http://goldenhoard.co.uk/2/?page_id=45

The Complete Magician’s Tables These more than 888 magical tables are the most complete set of tabular correspondences covering magic, astrology, divination, Tarot, I Ching, Kabbalah, gematria, angels, demons, pagan pantheons, religious and mystical correspondences ever printed. They are more than four times larger and more wide ranging than Crowley’s Liber 777.

The source of the data in these tables ranges from unpublished manuscript mediaeval grimoires and Kabbalistic works, Peter de Abano, Abbott Trithemius, Albertus Magnus, Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Dr John Dee, Dr Thomas Rudd, Tycho Brahe, MacGregor Mathers, (and the editors of Mathers’ work, Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie), to the most modern theories of prime numbers and atomic weights. The sources include many key grimoires such the Sworn Book, Liber Juratus, the Lemegeton (Goetia, Theurgia-Goetia, Almadel, Pauline Art), Abramelin, and in the 20th century the grimoire of Franz Bardon.

All this material has been grouped and presented in a consistent and logical way covering the whole Western Mystery Tradition and some relevant parts of the Eastern tradition.

To order a copy of The Complete Magician’s Tables now at the special price of just £20.00 go to:

http://goldenhoard.co.uk/2/?page_id=45

————***———–

We are passionately working to make magick manifest.
Expanding the esoteric horizons.
Towards becoming Magick.

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Dear all,

There are few things in the world which can rival the British obsession with the weather. However, it must be said that there is reason to be obsessed with the weather nowadays, things just don’t seem right. Or maybe we have come to believe that there is an utopia which never really was or is. Midsummer’s day this year was a wash-out of rain and stormy weather here in South Wales, regardless I have spent this week trying to remove the amazing collection of weeds growing in our small garden. (unsuccessfully, but I have managed to at least transplant some of the flowering seedlings into their respective places with hope of enough sunshine to allow them to bloom and thrive in the coming months! For those of you who want to do some magick to ensure a good crop of apples later this year, you may want to remember that if it rains on the 15^th of July, your apple crop will be amazing – where as if it doesn’t they are likely to be worthless! So that is a day you want it to rain, if you love apples! But enough about the weather and gardening.

Tomorrow is the Ludlow Esoteric Bookfair, which is held annually in Ludlow, Shropshire and I am very much looking forward to it. Then the weekend after, we will be attending the pagan camp in the Gower Peninsula, on the Welsh coast. That should be interesting, though with a six month old baby we have decided to only attend the Sunday – when we David and I will also both be presenting workshops. Details of these forthcoming events can be found at: http://www.avalonia.co.uk/events

I am gave just finished my first reading of “The Wiccan Mystic” by Ben Gruagach – which surprised me in many pleasant ways. I am writing a review of that soon for the ‘Esoteric Book Review’ – http://www.ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews Other books which are sitting on the ‘to do’ pile for reviews include “The Weiser Concise Guide to Herbal Magick” by Judith Hawkins-Tillerson, and “The Gods Within” by Jean Williams and Zachary Cox. New reviews by our review team are now being added on a more regular basis than before – so worth keeping an eye on it, either by bookmarking or RSS. Speaking of reviews, we have started to gather together some of the many reviews which have been published in the last few years of books published by Avalonia, though not yet complete you can read the reviews here: http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=48 You can help us by letting us know of other online reviews of our books by emailing avalonia93@gmail.com and we will include links to it, and likewise of printed reviews in magazines and periodicals as we may be unaware of them! Its always useful to know what other people are thinking!

David’s book “Climbing the Tree of Life” has been very successful since its release a few years ago and is now one of the books which is usually recommended for people wishing to explore the Western Esoteric or ‘Magickal’ Qabalah. The ‘Towards the Qabalistic Tree of Life’ homestudy course which is suitable for complete newcomers to the Qabalah and through which students are mentored by David on a course of seven lessons, has also been tremendously popular and students from all over the world have successfully completed it. A limited number of places will be made available during July and August for new students who are interested in this structured course of study – if you are interested, please email drankine@gmail.com for further information. Likewise for those who have expressed an interest in an advanced course of study, David is facilitating ‘Through the Worlds’ a master class in advanced practices and concepts for working with the Tree Of Life at the Atlantis Bookshop (London), on Saturday 4^th of October. More details on the workshop and how to book can be found at http://www.avalonia.co.uk/events

As June draws to an end, I should also remind you all that there is still time to order a copy of Frederic Lamond’s book “The Divine Struggle” at a special price. This book by Frederic Lamond, well known for his lectures on modern Witchcraft or ‘Wicca’ provides the reader with Inspired & Channelled writings with a challenging interpretation of human history as the product of the ‘Divine Struggle’. This book is available at just £8.99 until the end of June (a saving of £4, on the usual RRP of £12.99 – including free P&P to anywhere in the world) Full details of this book can be found at http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?p=29

For those of you who enjoyed our new book ‘Wicca Magickal Beginnings’, you may also find ‘From Pyramids to Circles” interesting. This article was written some time ago by David for ‘Witchcraft and Wicca’ Magazine (The Children of Artemis http://www.witchcraft.org ) and can now be found online at http://www.avalonia.co.uk/wicca/pyramids_wicca.htm It explores the similarities between some of the ancient Egyptian magickal practices and that found in modern Wicca.

I am in the process of putting together a little ‘guide’ for Avalonia.co.uk for visitors to the UK who wants to visit spiritual and magickal places whilst they are in the UK. This will include shops, museums – as well as some of the ancient monuments which specifically are of interest and high on the ‘have to be visited’ list. I would love this to be as complete as is possible – so to this end I would like to ask readers to submit by email (to avalonia93@gmail.com please) details of places they most enjoy visiting and would recommend to visitors. Please remember to include as much detail as possible, including addresses and/or URL’s if available. As an incentive I will be offering the reader who sends the most useful email, every month between now and the end of October, their choice of a complimentary book from the Avalonia Books catalogue.

On that note, whatever you get up to, make this weekend a special and lovely one,

Blessings

Sorita d’Este

http://www.avalonia.co.uk

http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Dear all,

Today, the 4th of June, is St Petroc’s Day. St Petroc was the 6th
century bloke who founded the monasteries at Padstow and Little
Petherick in Cornwall – he also did a lot of other saintly things. It
is also a lovely day of sunshine and blue skies here in Monmouthshire
(Wales, UK) which always makes for celebration. I am planning a
picnic for myself, David and our baby boy down by the mouth of the
river Gavenny a little later this afternoon.

June is filled with saint days and magickal days, St Boniface who
chopped down oak trees which he believed to be sacred to pagan deities
is celebrated tomorrow (5th June) – so if you are a rebel, make sure
to plant at least one oak tree every year on this day, or if you don’t
have the facilities to plant an oak… why not go up to any Oak tree
you can find, and declare it sacred to any God or Goddess which comes
to mind. I suggest Black Annis, the amazing English and Scottish Hag
who might be a survival of the Cailleach Bheur, for any oak trees near
to caves, esp. if they are in the Dane hills of Leicestershire. Any
and all Oak trees in Windsor Great Park, or indeed why not just in any
part of Berkshire or any of the royal estates, could be declared
sacred to Herne, the antlered hunter God. And if any other Oak tree
presents itself to you, then why not declare it sacred to Thunor?
This God, whose name means ‘thunder’, was worshipped throughout
Southern England and is equated to Thor. He was the Saxon god of
thunder and fertility, son of Woden and Frigg. He was sometimes known
as the Lord of the Blasted Oak and replaced Tiw as the god of troth,
so oaths were sworn to him on a hammer. He gave his name to Thursday,
Thundersfield, Thunorslege (Sussex), Thundridge (Hertfordshire),
Thunoreshlaw (Kent), Thunresfeld (Wiltshire), Thundersley (Thunor’s
Sacred Grove, in Essex).

As the month progress there are many saint days, including that of St
Nectan on the 17th of June, with its tradition of children carrying
foxgloves during the procession because of the association that
foxgloves sprang forth wherever his blood fell after this death. He is
also associated with bells, including the silver bell of his chapel
which he threw into the waterfall at St Nectan’s glen which apparently
will only reappear once all the pagan taints had been removed from
christianity. It hasn’t and in a twist of irony, the ceremonies held
over the years in his honour is probably exactly the type of thing he
was trying to preach against! Never mind. Midsummer, later in June,
also has its fair share of myth and legend, much of it associated with
the faery folk. More about that nearer the time!

For now, here are some updates about what we are up to and a couple of
forthcoming events…

Blessings
Sorita d’Este

http://www.avalonia.co.uk
June 2008, Avalonia Newsletter

———————————–
JUNE NEWSLETTER: Contents

~ 1 ~ The Esoteric Book Review
~ 2 ~ Reviews of WICCA Magickal Beginnings
~ 3 ~ The Veritable Key of Solomon by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine
~ 4 ~ WITCHFEST Wales
~ 5 ~ Guide to the Feng Shui Compass or lo p’an by Stephen Skinner
~ 6 ~ The Divine Struggle by Frederic Lamond
————————————

~ 1 ~ The Esoteric Book Review

See: http://ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews/
This is the new home of what previously was the Avalonia Esoteric Book
Reviews (first started in 2001). This new format allows for many
changes, and a better format for reviewers to contribute. It is also
a syndicated news site now, which means that reviews posted are
distributed to dozens of websites in a matter of hours. Recent reviews
include: Grimorium Verum by Joseph Peterson, reviewed by David Rankine
(Starsorceror) and WITCH SCHOOL, First Degree by Lewis Highcorrell
reviewed by John Canard (canard). The review of the latter has caused
quite a lot of response from within the Correllian tradition and
students at Witch School who felt that John was being unfair in his
assessment of the book. Have a look and add your voice to it if you
wish. See: http://ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews/

————————————

~ 2 ~ Reviews of WICCA Magickal Beginnings

So whilst we are on the topic of book reviews, those of you who are
interested in such things might find the following reviews of my new
book, co-written with my partner David Rankine, interesting:

Review by Stephen Blake: http://ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews/?p=122 (for
The Esoteric Book Review, but also on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
Likewise, this review by Yvonne Aburrow:
http://vogelbeere.livejournal.com/31807.html

We are always interested in hearing about reviews of our books you
have written, good / bad or indifferent – it is good to know what you
think and likewise to know how we can improve things in future. So
let us know if you find a review of our work, or wrote one you would
like us to know about.
Information on this title, which is now back in print, can be found at:
http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?p=43

————————————

~ 3 ~ The Veritable Key of Solomon

Later this year we will be releasing the Veritable Key of Solomon by
Stephen Skinner and David Rankine as a limited edition, beautifully
bound in leather, full colour, edition through Golden Hoard Press.
This is the first Key of Solomon to be made available since Mathers’
edition more than a hundred years ago, so it is exciting news for all
of you interested in Solomonic Magic. This book will contain
translations of two previously unpublished MSS. which represents an
amazing corpus of solomonic material which will be invaluable for
practitioners and scholars of the tradition alike. If you have not
done so already, please join the Avalonia Newsletter mailinglist
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/avalonia_news )to be kept informed of
progress on this title. You can also email admin@… to
be added to our mailinglist. If you would like us to reserve a copy
of the limited edition for you, please email us to say so.

————————————

~ 4 ~ WITCHFEST Wales

This event will be taking place on Midsummer’s day in Cardiff, Wales
(UK) this year. Please see http://www.witchfest.net for full details
and to reserve a ticket for this years event.

————————————
~ 5 ~ Guide to the Feng Shui Compass or lo p’an by Stephen Skinner

This new book by Stephen Skinner is a virtually a Complete compendium
of Classical feng shui. Material never before available in
English…and difficult to find even in Chinese How to read the San He
and San Yuan lo p’an, with an explanation of each ring in detail, the
history and background of feng shui and the lo p’an (luo pan).

This large book is 448 pages in size, and packed with information
which is very clearly explained, so that after reading it anyone
should be comfortable using even the most complex lo p’an. This book
is the result of 30 years of research and practice. More than 50 rings
are illustrated, tabulated, and classified by Plate and School, with
their use and history. Anyone reading the book can go from being a
complete novice to complete familiarity with any lo p’an, ancient or
modern that they may pick up. It clearly explains for the first time
in English how feng shui developed and the relationship between San He
and San Yuan. There are over 65 Tables, more than 174 illustrations,
and 32 full colour plates. These include rare pictures and analyses of
Ming and Ch’ing dynasty lo p’ans. Every technical term, book title or
person’s name is carefully footnoted in traditional Chinese characters
with supporting pinyin and Wade-Giles transliterations. There is a
also a detailed feng shui time line.

For details of this book, which is available from July 2008, see
Stephen Skinner’s website: http://sskinner.com/books.htm

————————————

~ 6 ~ The Divine Struggle by Frederic Lamond *Special Offer*

This book by Frederic Lamond, well known for his lectures on modern
Witchcraft or ‘Wicca’ provides the reader with Inspired & Channelled
writings with a challenging interpretation of human history as the
product of the ‘Divine Struggle’. For the entire month of June, you
can order this book at the special price of just £8.99 (including P&P
to any part of the world) if you order it directly from Avalonia.
This is a saving of £4.00 off the usual RRP of £12.99. Full details
of this book can be found at http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?p=29

——————————————————

Black Annis, Herne, Thunor and Blasted Oak Trees! (June 2008 Newsletter)
www.avalonia.co.uk
www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Dear all,

For those of us in the UK, the last few days have brought a promise of
Summer, which for some of us who have been having sunshine cravings
since last year, when the year seemingly skipped Summer, is of course
good news. This however still doesn’t mean that the seasons are back
on track, its May the 8th today and the ancient Hawthorn tree at the
back of our garden is still showing no signs of blossoming!

Today is also the `Furry Day’ and St Indract’s Day. The St Indract
story is quite a gory one – maybe this explains why St Indract is not
all that popular as a saint! Furry day on the other hand is a day of
festivities and fun, much more in the spirit of the pagan soul! It
has a history firmly rooted in Helston, Cornwall and is believed by
some to be a folk memory of an earlier festival based on the Roman
Floralia, honouring the goddess Flora. Furry dancing, is a joyous
affair, with greenery adorning the buildings and people. There are of
course different accounts of why it is held, and those who want to
find out more should have a look at:
http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/history/helston.shtml

For those of you who missed out on celebrating Beltane on the 1st of
May, you have a second chance. On the 11th of May (Sunday) it is Old
May Eve! (or some would say the `proper’ May Eve!) It is a day steeped
in folklore and magic, prophecy and all kinds. All the same kind of
customs associated with the eve of Beltane, holy wells, greenery and
flowers … You should however avoid picking blackthorn and bringing
that into the home on Old May Eve, as it is said that a very
unpleasant and unpredictable faery tribe, the Lunantishee, who guard
the blackthorn can be especially highly strung on this night.
Katherine Briggs explains in her `Dictionary of Fairies”:

“the Lunantishee are the tribe that guards the blackthorn bushes, and
will allow not a stick to be cut on 11 November (originally Hallows
Day) or on 11 May (originally May Day). If you cut blackthorn on
those days, some misfortune will befall you…”

Enjoy whatever you get up to!

Blessings
Sorita d’Este
www.avalonia.co.uk
8th May 2008 – Avalonia Newsletter

———————————–
~ 1 ~ Wicca Magickal Beginnings (New Book!)
~ 2 ~ Witchfest England
~ 3 ~ Esoteric Book Review Website
~ 4 ~ Closure of the Avalonia Community Forums
~ 5 ~ Offers from Avalonia Books
~ 6 ~ Other upcoming events! (UK)

————————————

~ 1 ~ Wicca Magickal Beginnings by Sorita d’Este & David Rankine –
www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

As per my email earlier this week, our new book `Wicca Magickal
Beginnings’ is now finally available for pre-order. The interest in
this title has been phenomenal and we have just ordered a second print
run to cope with demand! We will have copies available at Witchfest
England this coming Saturday – both on the Avalonia Books stall, and
on the CoA’s stall, however, we only have limited stock available at
this time, so if you want a copy now you should make sure to either
email us to reserve a copy, or to order one through the website.
Details can be found at www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

——————————–

~ 2 ~ Witchfest England – www.witchfest.net

Witchfest England is this coming Saturday, 10th of May. I am assured
that there will be tickets available on the door, so if you have left
it till the last moment, then there is no reason for despair. David
will be giving his first lecture of the day at 11:45am entitled
`Magick Outside the Circle’ – which will be interesting for those of
you interested in different ways of performing magick. My lecture is
at 13:45 and is entitled `Wicca The Untold Practical History’ – which
will be exactly as the title suggest! I will be drawing from some of
the research David and I have been doing for our new book, and looking
at the origins for practices generally considered as `Wiccan’ today in
the magickal grimoires and folk magic of the centuries preceding the
public emergence of it in the 1950’s. There will be a second lecture
/ workshop by David in the afternoon on `Planetary Magick’. Other
speakers which have been confirmed include James Bennett, Katie &
Gareth Gerard, Tam Campbell, Teresa Moorey, Kate West, Rufus &
Mellissa Harrington and Rhys Chisnall. Entertainment include Inkubus
Sukkubus, Kitty Hudson and Hunter’s Moon. It should be an interesting
day and if you are coming you better come and say hi!
www.witchfest.net for info.

——————————–

~ 3~ Esoteric Book Review Website

The Book Review section of Avalonia was first created in 2001 and has
since grown into one of the most popular sections of the Avalonia
website. The decision to create a separate website for the book
reviews was made at Beltane 2008 as part of a program of restructuring
the various associated websites into a more manageable format. This
new system (which is a `blog style’ site) allows the book review team
to upload and edit their own reviews and as such means that reviews
can be added more promptly and in a easier to use format than before.
This has obvious benefits to both the visitors who read and enjoy
these reviews, as well as the reviewers (who don’t have to wait for
Sorita to update the website to see their reviews online!).

At the moment we are still working on adding all the archived reviews
from the last few years to it, as well as the various author
interviews which were previously featured on Avalonia – there are
already more than a 100 entries and more being added as we get the
time. New book reviews will soon be added too – so worth checking it
out if you are a bookworm like us, you may find some interesting books
by searching through the archives. We are also looking for
contributors – see the website for more information. You can find the
Esoteric Book Review by going to http://www.ritualmagick.co.uk/reviews

——————————–

~ 4 ~ Closure of the Avalonia Community Discussion Forums

As will be clear to regular visitors, we are in the process of doing a
complete make-over for Avalonia.co.uk. This was originally planned for
October last year when Avalonia celebrated 10 years since its first
‘incarnation’ – and will now be going ahead on the 14th of May. The
closure of the forums was not an easy decision for us, but we simply
no longer have the time we once had to devote the discussions there
and maintaining the associated administration. If you wish to say
your goodbyes you can still do so over the next few days:
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/forum

You will find a listing of alternative forums, facilitated by members
who were active on the Avalonia forums (and its predecessors) over the
years here:
http://www.avalonia.co.uk/forums/index.htm

——————————–

~ 5 ~ Offers – www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Avalonia Books has also been given a make-over. As part of this we
now have a dedicated page for special offers which will list our
seasonal book offers and pre-order offers. We are currently offering
our new book Wicca Magickal Beginnings at 20% discount for all orders
received before or on the 13th of May (£12.00 instead of £14.99) and
there is 25% off The Isles of the Many Gods (£13.50 instead of £17.99)
for the entire month of May!

As our catalogue will be expanding significantly over the coming
months, it might be worth checking it out on a regular basis – we will
of course also be including details of offers in this newsletter!
See http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalog/?page_id=47 for offer details.

——————————–

~ 6 ~ Other Upcoming Events (UK)

The next few months is an exciting time for anyone looking for a
magickal or pagan event to attend. They seem to be everywhere – here
are just a few of the interesting sounding ones:

* Beltane Bash, 25 & 26th May (bank holiday weekend) –
www.paganfestivals.com

* Witchfest Cardiff – 21st June, Cardiff – www.witchfest.net

* Ludlow Esoteric Bookfair and Conference – 28th June, Ludlow

* Myddle Earth Pagan Camp, w/e 4-6 July, Gower, Wales -
http://www.myddle-earth.co.uk/events.htm

* Artemis Gathering (Camp), w/e 8-10 August, Oxfordshire –
www.witchfest.net

* Gaia Fortuna Convention, 27th of September, London. Contact
info@… for info.

* Nu Thelemic Symposium – 4th of October, Oxford. See
http://www.compulink.co.uk/~mandrake/ogdos.htm for details.

——————————–

Promise of Summer (May Newsletter)
www.avalonia.co.uk
www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Dear all,

Finally, after months of “finishing it today” David and I completed
our book ‘WICCA Magickal Beginnings’ last week and it is now with the
printers. (lots of hoorays!) It will be available for pre-order from
our website early next week, so keep an eye out for that if you are
interested. We think that this book brings a unique and challenging
perspective to the study of the history of the modern Wiccan
tradition in relation to its early magickal roots – we focused on the
actual practices, rather than the somewhat tedious debates about
personalities and speculation of initiations, lineages etc. It will
interest those of you who have an interest in the origins of the
practices found in the tradition today, so for example we looked
carefully at the precedents for the use of a black handled knife for
casting magick circles, and at other antecedents for the way in which
the magick circle is cast in the Wiccan tradition, finding examples
going back several thousand years in some instances. Some of the
evidence we presented seems to support the claim by Gerald Gardner
that he simply added to an existing tradition, rather than the modern
conclusions that he somehow ‘made it all up’ himself. Anyway, enough
about that, it will be out soon enough for you all to make up your
own minds about the veracity of the material we included…

Well we drove through some of the Brecon Beacons this morning and the
cattle all seemed to be up on the hills, this is of course an old
portent for good weather:

“When cattle remain on hill-tops, fine weather to come;
When cattle lie down in the open during light rain, it will soon pass,
When cows slap their sides (or a hedge) with their tails, it is a
sign of rain…”
( from “Folklore Guide to the Weather, by David Bowen, 1953)

Tomorrow is St George’s Day (23rd April) which is a good day to
celebrate if you have a dislike of dragons, because of course St
George liked killing these beautiful fiery creatures. Usually there
were some sacrificial virgins involved, probably stereotypically
dressed in white and screaming shrilly for St George to rescue her,
and then only if everyone promised that they would adhere to the new
religion (ie. Christianity). Oh well, interestingly 1700 years after
his death in the 4th century it would seem that those promises were
hollow as there are still many heathens, pagans and adherents of
dozens of other religions alive and well in these green isles of
Britain. So maybe the Christians should celebrate the life and work
of St George and the rest of us, can celebrate the survival of a few
Dragons who escaped this Christian knight!

If you find yourself in Lincolnshire, near Willoughton on St Mark’s
Eve (24th April) then you may be interested that there are ways you
will actually be able to see the Devil himself if you know how. All
you need to do is hide in the stable and wait for the horses to go
down on their knees and begin talking, the horses will swap stories
about future events and whilst this is going on the Devil will ride
in on the back of a black pig. Of course this is the night that the
Devil is meant to be out blessing the Fern (or Devil’s Harvest) to
ensure their yearly blossoming and seeding. So you could go around
trying to catch fern seeds between two pewter plates if you wish to
become as wise as the Devil himself – and you don’t have to be in
Lincolnshire for this either.

Then just before the end of the month it is time for Floralia, that
old Roman festival in honour of that lovely Roman goddess of fruit,
flowers and vegetables lora (not to be confused with the margarine!),
followed sharply by Mayday celebrations, usually involving dancing
around a pole with lots of ribbons, lots of green things and if the
weather is good, staying out in the woods all night a-conjuring
Summer in…

But for now, here are a few exciting things you may want to know
about!

Blessings
Sorita d’Este

www.avalonia.co.uk

In this Newsletter:

1\ Alex Sanders Memorial
2\ Forthcoming from Sorita & David
3\ Pagan Dawn Magazine
4\ Walkers on the Wild Side (Chiswick, London)
5\ Ludlow Esoteric Conference (Ludlow, Shropshire)
6\ Pagan Camp on the Gower (Wales)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1\ Alex Sanders Memorial

Being organized by that occult establishment of London, The Atlantis
Bookshop, this event is a celebration of the life of Alex Sanders.
Here are the details:

“Alex died twenty years ago on Beltane Eve 1988. To celebrate his
life, there will be a commemorative meeting on Sunday April 27th from
Noon till 6pm at “The Studio”, Browning Street, off Walworth Road,
London SE17.

This is a ticketed event; tickets are £10.00 and must be bought in
advance. For further details, please contact the Atlantis Bookshop
via email or telephone 0207 405 2120. Please feel free to bring a
robe if you wish, otherwise come as you are. Food and Drink will be
provided…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2\ Forthcoming from Sorita & David

We’ve been asked several times recently whether we are planning any
events, books etc for the coming year. Well, the answer is yes, but
we are still focusing our time and energy on private projects and of
course our baby boy in the coming months. However, for those of you
who are interested, we will both be speaking at Witchfest England and
Witchfest Wales (www.witchfest.net) in the coming months, and will
be joining up with PF Wales organisors for a summer camp on the Gower
coast on the weekend of 4-6 July. Neither of us are speaking at the
Ludlow bookfair this year, though if you just want to catch up for a
chat, we will of course be attending this excellent event on Saturday
28th of June in Shropshire. Details of all these events can be
found in the “Events” section of the Avalonia Forums –
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/forum

Many of the Lapis Companions `regulars’ have been asking if we plan
on holding a reunion event of some description this year, as it will
be two years since we dissolved this group this Summer. Well, if
there are enough of you interested, maybe we can organize a gathering
later in the year, August or September maybe? Let me know what you
think, with suggestions of what, when and where and I will see what
can be done. Our own micro-conference with informal talks, rituals
and workshops? A picnic? A camp? A seasonal ritual? Something more
formal? Suggestions by email to avalonia93@gmail.com for
consideration. No promises though! I will be hosting
another “Hekate Day” again this year, probably a bit more organized
that the one I did last year when I was 7 months pregnant! If you
are interested, please email me to be put on the mailing list for
details when they are confirmed.

In May our book “Wicca Magickal Beginnings” will finally be
available, followed by a second edition of “Circle of Fire” (our book
on Wiccan practice); Later in the year David’s next project with
Stephen Skinner should also be in print, being a very exciting new
Greater Key of Solomon, the first in a hundred years. More about all
these and our other projects in due course, just be patient!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3\ Pagan Dawn Magazine

For those of you who haven’t looked at the magazine of the Pagan
Federation in recent times, you might find yourselves pleasantly
surprised by the new format it is now presented in by its new
editor. The Beltane issue is now available, details can be found
at: http://www.paganfed.org/pdawn.php . Apparently there is a
really cool pull-out on the subject of pagan handfasting in it, so
worth checking out if this is something you are considering sometime
in the not too distant future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4\ Walkers on the Wild Side (Chiswick, London, W4)

If you live in or frequent the lovely town of Chiswick in West
London, then you will know it is a great place. Well it also has
many links to the historical world of magick, and this is the latest
offering. Walkers on the Wild Side is hosted by experienced people
in a private home within walking distance from Turnham Green and
Stamford Brook stations on the first Thursday of the month. It comes
in the form of a lecture / study group and is well worth checking
out – no prior knowledge/experience required! For more information
get in touch with Shah by ringing 07796268516 and tell him that you
found out about it here in the Avalonia Newsletter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5\ Ludlow Esoteric Bookfair and Conference (Ludlow, Shropshire)
This annual event is great if you, like me, love interesting books –
mostly secondhand books, but also some new books – with lectures
throughout the day. This year the speakers include Julia Phillips,
Robin Cousins and Ken Rees. Full details of this great event
organized by the people behind Verdelet magazine, and held in this
lovely market town can be found on the Avalonia Forums:
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3168

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6\ Pagan Camp on the Gower (Wales)

Talks, rituals and workshops by facilitators from Wales, on a wide
variety of topics in what sounds like a wonderful location. Details
of this event can be found on the Avalonia Forums:
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3260

Or by visiting the Middle Earth website: http://www.myddle-
earth.co.uk/events.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.avalonia.co.uk
www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

“Let your imagination roam free…”

Dear All,

So its nearly Easter weekend, which coincides with the Spring Equinox
this year, which is rather nice for those of you who want a bit longer
to celebrate and recover from the celebrations!

Of course with Easter there is all the chocolate bunnies and eggs to
consider into the equation too, face it, if you like chocolate then
any excuse will do, regardless of the religion attached to it. Many
people will of course be telling that unsubstantiated tale of how the
Goddess Eostra walked the fields one morning and how she found a
near-to-death lapwing, unable to heal it as it was, she instead
transformed the bird into a hare. Hence we have egg bearing bunnies
at Easter. Whilst David and I were researching our book “The Isles of
the Many Gods” we found evidence of the goddess Eostra (or Eostre,
both are correct) as being the Saxon goddess of the dawn. Her name is
thought to mean “East” or “Shining” and she may have been derived from
the Germanic goddess Ostara. Bede recorded that the first month of
Spring “Eostre-monath” was named after her, and of course this
survives today as the origins of the Christian festival of Easter. If
there is anyone out there with supporting evidence for the Eostra-Egg
legend, please come and tell us about it on the Avalonia Forums.

Which reminds me. Those of you who haven’t yet visited the shiny new
Avalonia Community Discussions Forums, make sure to do so soon as
there is plenty of exciting activity going on with current discussions
including “Familiars”, “Magickal Make-up”, “To Dare and its
consequences”, “The Grigori” “Blasting Rods & Curses” and “Norse
Witches” – with lots more. So something for everyone really. Come
have a look see at: http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/forum

However, I thought I would return to the subject of eggs, as they are
likely to be on many peoples minds as they break into those luscious
but fragile sweet shells this weekend. Though it has nothing to do
with the Spring Equinox I thought that some of you might be interested
to know about the little known goddess Cuda who has close associations
with Gloucestershire, which is where her name was found on a sculpture
in Cirencester, the old capital of the Dobunni tribe. Cuda is shown
bearing an object on her lap, which might be an egg, thus suggesting
fertility – she is also accompanied by three Genii Cucullati.
Likewise another sculpture which was found in Daglingworth nearby
shows another grouping of figures which may also represent Cuda – her
name is thought to originate from the word “cudd” meaning “prosperity”
or “well-being”. Ok, so Cuda hasn’t got anything to do with Spring
Equinox, but I thought it was a nice story to throw in because of the
egg connection and also because it might be nice for people reading
this who find themselves in Gloucestershire to sometimes remember
their local deities! ~Hail Cuda! ~

So lets return to the matter of food for a moment. Apart from
chocolate eggs the other popular foodgroup this coming weekend will be
hot cross buns. Whilst I seriously doubt that these yummy cakes have
any “ancient pagan roots” those with magickal leanings and who happen
to like them, should eat them with the idea that an equal armed cross
is also a very ancient symbol of the Sun in mind. Maybe if everyone
did that we could encourage a warmer summer this year in the UK where
it is desperately needed after last years persistant rain and
flooding? As an aside, if weather magick is something that interest
you, you may find the discussion and poll on Weather Magick in the
“Wicca and Witchcraft” section of the Avalonia forums interesting –
http://avaloniabooks.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2002
For those of you looking for interesting things to do in the coming
months, make sure to check out the various events listed below –
including an exciting new conference in Brighton at which David and
myself will be speaking in April.

I hope that this newsletter finds you well.

Many spring blessings,

Sorita d’Este
www.avalonia.co.uk
www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

CONTENTS
1. All Fools Gathering (DERBY)
2. Brighton Conference
3. Witchfest England
4. Howlings (New Book from Scarlet Imprint)
5. Forthcoming from Avalonia Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ )0( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. All Fools Gathering

Saturday 29th March 2008
9am – 6pm
http://www.paganfedeastmids.co.uk/paganfed/fools/

Speakers include Rae Beth, Anna Franklin, Pete Jennings, Glennie
Kindred and many more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ )0( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Brighton Conference : BELENUS FESTIVAL
Saturday April 12th Central Brighton
This is a one day festival in the heart of Brighton, walking distance
from the train station (so no excuses). David and I will be speaking,
as will a number of other interesting speakers, including Peter Grey
(author of Red Goddess) as well as Katie and Gareth Gerard.

For more info its best to go and have a look at their website for full
info and ticket details:
http://www.pfse.org.uk/ASPPFSE/PFSEConference.aspx

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ )0( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Witchfest England
10 May 2008
After missing out on Witchfest England and International in London
last year due to being pregnant with our lovely baby boy, both David
and myself are looking forward to being back and presenting lectures
at Witchfest England this year again. Other speakers include Kate
West, Rufus and Melissa Harrington, Teresa Moorey – and Inkubus
Sukkubus will be performing in the evening, something I know many will
be excited about.
For full information see their website: http://www.witchfest.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ )0( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. HOWLINGS (New Book from Scarlet Imprint)
I haven’t yet been able to read this beautifully produced new tome
from the people at Scarlet Imprint, but it arrived this week looking
so beautiful and promising so much that I thought I would give it a
mention so that those of you who have an interest in the Grimoire
Tradition may have a chance to obtaining one of this new limited
edition. Contributors include David Rankine, Donald Tyson, Peter
Grey, Stafford Stone, Aleq Grai, David Beth, Thea Faye and many other
practitioners of the Art Magickal on topics including the Picatrix,
The Goetia, Liber 231 …
See for yourself by visiting:
http://www.scarletimprint.com/howlings.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ )0( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. Forthcoming from Avalonia Books
After some months of silence whilst we focused ourselves on being
first time parents, we are pleased to announce that there will be
number of new releases from Avalonia Books in the coming months. The
first of these will be our long promised volume on the history of the
practices and beliefs commonly found in the Wiccan Tradition today.
“WICCA Magickal Beginnings” is due out on May 1st this year from
Avalonia Books. Details of how you will be able to pre-order this
book will be emailed to subscribers of this newsletter in April, so
keep an eye out for it if its something that interests you.

In July this year we will also be releasing a number of other
interesting titles, including the follow-up to our very popular
“Practical Planetary Magick” which will focus on working with the four
elements and will bear the not surprising title of “Practical
Elemental Magick~ Working the magick of the four elements and their
spiritual creatures in the Western Mystery Tradition”. Additionally,
“Horns of Power” should also make its debut around then, being a
collection of essays on the Horned Gods of classical and modern
Paganism and Witchcraft, again a unique and exciting project which has
been keeping me rather busy! In addition to this we will be joined by
two new authors whose work we are very proud to be publishing as it is
completely original. More about that soon…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ )0( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring Equinox Newsletter : Avalonia 2008
http://www.avalonia.co.uk

Dear All,

There is an old saying that goes “In beginning or in end, March its
gifts will send” a reference to the idea that March is a month of
many weathers. Its around this time of the year that the blackthorn
decides to produce an abundance of blossoms, fooling many into
thinking that the chill of winter is over and done with. Sadly, we
still have to wait a few weeks for the daylight to be greater than
the darkness in the days here in the UK. But not too long before
those Spring Equinox celebrations where we can all proclaim “thus we
banish winter, thus we welcome Spring…” and hopefully this year,
with more gusto than last year to ensure that there will be no repeat
of all the flooding and misery that it caused in 2007!

I am obviously still getting used to being a mum and being distracted
by all that goes with it. Today is Mothering Sunday, a day which
according to some have been celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent
for many centuries as a time when children, sometimes as young as 8
or 9, working away from home would be able to return to their homes
for a weekend before the busy Easter period. This was before the
days of public transport and the children would often walk back home,
picking wildflowers for their mothers as they did so, and sometimes
with gifts from the people they worked for to take home to their own
families. Thus a tradition was started and continued to this day,
long before the days of tacky commercial cards and chemically treated
flowers flown in from the other side of the planet where they are
often tended by child labourers! (at least the latter
is “traditional”, sadly so)

Yesterday here in Wales, people celebrated St David’s day, a day all
about that wonderful allium the leek which was the favourite
vegetable of St David commemorating his death in 589 CE. Whilst he
went about his own life causing wells to spring up everywhere, he
also lived as a strict vegetarian in Glyn Rhosyn, which is now the
smallest city in the UK aptly named “St David” on the west coast of
Wales.

For those of you who have, with the recent campaigns raising
awareness of the way chicken farming is done, decided to raise your
own chickens in your backyard (and apparently there are around
300,000 homes in the UK doing this now) March is a great month. This
is because chickens hatched in March have long been considered to be
luckier, healthier and also more fertile than those hatched in the
rest of the year – so a great reason to get that chicken run sorted
out asap if you were considering it before. (and if not, why not -
unless of course like me, you are a vegetarian because of chickens
your parents kept in their backgarden when you were young!!!)

Members of the Avalonia Discussion Forums who tried logging in this
evening will have noticed that the forums are currently disabled.
This is because we are upgrading the forums at the moment. We hope
that things will be back up and running by tomorrow (Monday) evening,
and ask that members bear with us whilst we sort out any growing
pains. All current user accounts and threads should still be active
when all is done. I apologise for the downtime, hopefully it will
give you all a chance to think of new and exciting topics for
discussion when we get back online! Confirmations will be sent to
all members when the forums go live again.

Blessings & LVX
Sorita d’Este
http://www.avalonia.co.uk
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

———————————
MARCH NEWSLETTER 2008
———————————
CONTENTS

1. New Book Reviews
2. Pagan Federation Brighton Conference
3. London Event / Pagan Circle: “Some Secret Place”
————– )0( —————

1. New Book Reviews (February)

A little late this time, the February book reviews have finally been
added to Avalonia.co.uk. A complete list of the reviews for the
month of February can be found at:
http://www.avalonia.co.uk/books/review_books

These include: NeoPagan Rites by Isaac Bonewits; The Circle of Life
Tarot; Freemasonry : The Reality by Tobias Churlton; Nobly Born by
Stephen Dafoe; The Temple of High Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak
and The Thoth Companion by Michael Osiris Snuffin.

Of course the reviews of previous months can also be found here, so
make sure to have a look if you haven’t done so already.

————– )0( —————
2. Pagan Federation Brighton Conference
————– )0( —————
The Pagan Federation South East is organising their first conference
in Brighton this April. It will be held at the Unitarian Hall,
Brighton. BN1 1UF & The Great Hall, King and Queen Public House,
13 Marlborough Place, Brighton. BN1 1UB on April 12th 2008.

Full details can be found at:
http://www.pfse.org.uk/ASPPFSE/PFSEConference.aspx
For speakers and performers see:
http://www.pfse.org.uk/ASPPFSE/PFSEConferenceList.aspx

————– )0( —————
3. London Event: Some Secret Place

When Peter asked me to list this group on Avalonia I said yes without
hesitation. Peter used to be a regular at some of the earlier Lapis
Companions meetings David and I used to run in London and we both
remember him as a thoroughly lovely guy. He is now running a monthly
pagan circle called “Some Secret Place” in London. Full details of
this meeting circle follow for those of you who are interested in
finding out more:

“Some Secret Place is a monthly ritual evening focused on deepening
one’s personal relationship with the pagan gods. The focus is
experiential — concentrating on spiritual devotion and development,
with activities including discussion, meditation, and participation
in ceremony. It is aimed at people seeking an introspective and self-
reflexive environment, who have done some reading on witchcraft,
Wicca and/or paganism, and are familiar with its general theological
tenets. Group size is kept deliberately limited to enhance the
personal experience — maximum 17 places per session. Booking in
advance is required. The event is held in Treadwell’s Bookshop in
Covent Garden — they also take bookings for the circle (their phone
number is listed below.)”

When: The second Friday of each month
Event Location: 34 Tavistock St., Covent Garden, London
Event TIME Details: 7.15 for 7.30pm start
Phone (for booking): (020) 7240 8906
Email (for information): peter@somesecretplace.co.uk

————– )0( —————

Look out for our next newsletter, later this month, which will be
filled with more news, more events, more book reviews and an extra
special offer on books too.

http://www.avalonia.co.uk
http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

“Above, the gemmed azure is
The naked splendour of Nuit;
She bends in ecstasy to kiss
The secret ardours of Hadit”
The Book of the Law, Aleister Crowley