AVALONIA NEWSLETTER ~~~ OCTOBER 2011
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Dear Readers
Well we are now well and truly ensconced in Glastonbury, so after years in London and the Welsh Borders, Avalonia has returned to reside in Avalon!
Glastonbury is a unique melting pot of diverse spiritual cultures and identities, set in the heart of the county of Somerset, which has fascinated and drawn people into its enchanting realm for many centuries, from John Dee to William Blake, Dion Fortune to Frederick Bligh Bond. The spiritual history of Glastonbury is a unique one, steeped in Christian mysticism and magic in a sacred landscape which dates back to at least Neolithic times, reflected in its unique centre based around the high street today with magical and spiritual shops of every possible description!
Here in the office its 100% back to the grindstone this week, October is a busy month as we start moving from Autumn to Winter, with Halloween lurking, pumpkins and turnips needing carving and celebrations of our ancestors forthcoming later this month at Samhain – the colder months also mean that more of our readers want to curl up with an interesting read, so we are trying our best to ensure some new offerings before the year is out. We have a number of projects which we are putting the finishing touches to at the moment, all of which will be published this winter…
The first of these is the excellent THE RAVENER AND OTHERS, an attention-gripping collection of occult mystery short stories by Donald Tyson, set in the late sixteenth century with Dr John Dee and his skryer Edward Kelley as the mystery-solving heroes. Donald Tyson is best known for his work on Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy, his writings on the runes, and on the occult author H.P. Lovecraft and the mythos he created. THE RAVENER AND OTHERS, will appeal not only to Donald’s non-fiction readers, and those with a passion for John Dee, but also to everyone who enjoy good occult fiction to stimulate the senses. Pre-orders available soon!
Then for all our readers who share our passion for the ancient Egyptian gods, their religion and myths, we are moving into the final stages of preparation the book THOTH by author Lesley Jackson, an outstanding study of the Egyptian god of writing, beer and bread. This is Lesley’s first book, and we are delighted to be able to work with her towards bringing this well-researched study of one of the most important of the Egyptian gods into the hands of our readers. This excellent work reveals the unseen depth and significance of a god who is finally getting the attention he deserves – THOTH should be available from November 2012.
Then for ye lovers of the grimoires… an exciting snippet!
David Rankine is currently collaborating again with linguist and author Paul Harry Barron to make exciting previously unavailable work into print. As I am writing this, the authors are putting the finishing touches to their latest project THE COMPLEAT GRIMOIRE OF POPE HONORIUS. In it they present a newly translated manuscript, together with previously unavailable in English material, providing the most complete version of this French ‘black-magic’ grimoire available to date. Pope Honorius is one of the first of the so-called French ‘black magic’ grimoires, whose previously ignored influence on Wicca was discussed in some in detail by David Rankine in Wicca Magickal Beginnings (co-authored with Sorita d’Este, 2005/8)
A new anthology on the goddess Anahita is also reaching completion, edited by Payam Nabarz, who is well known for his works on Mithras, and of course his book Stellar Magic (Avalonia, 2009). With numerous contributions combining artwork, poetry and essays brimming with the latest research, Anahita will bring this complex Persian and Zoroastrian goddess to a whole new audience.
As we near the universal festival, best known as being associated with the spirits of the dearly departed, we would like to invite those of you who happen to find yourselves in or near Glastonbury at the end of the month, to come and visit us at the DAY OF THE DEAD CONFERENCE in the Grail Centre on the 29th of October. Details can be found at http://theoccultconsultancy.com/day-of-the-dead-conference-2/ – at the time of writing, I believe there are only a couple of tickets left, so you will need to book asap to avoid disappointment.
We hope to return to more regular newsletters again now that we have a functioning desk and chair in the office following our move!
Best wishes to you all!
Avalonia
Expanding the Esoteric Horizons
www.avaloniabooks.co.uk
