Priestesses Pythonesses & Sibyls

Not long now before Priestesses Pythonesses & Sibyls will open for pre-orders over at avalonia books.

There is a lot of excitement about this project – and rightly so, its a very exciting project!!  So as a teaser for those waiting for more information, here’s the general information.  Pre-orders will open on the 21st of November and books will be ready to ship to those who pre-order on the 31st of November, which means that it will (well should, postal services allowing!) get to you in time for the Yule holidays, regardless of where in the world you are.

PRIESTESSES PYTHONESSES & SIBYLS (edited by Sorita d’Este)
Published by Avalonia – www.avaloniabooks.co.uk

Priestesses Pythonesses Sibyls lifts a veil to reveal the mystery of trance as experienced by female magickal practitioners today. Through happiness and sorrow, myth and legend, art and poetry, through ritual and dance each woman expresses her own unique and personal transformative experiences of trance. Whether through trance possession, mediumship, Drawing Down the Moon,  oracular or mantic states, dance, dreams or formal ceremony the experiences and knowledge gained during trance states can bring dramatic changes to one’s life. The practices represented in this volume are drawn from the experiences and research of more than twenty women from around the world, each providing a unique vision of their own experiences of the Divine. 

The book begins with “Ecstatic Histories” a section of three scholarly essays. The first, Mantic Voices by Sorita d’Este provides an overview of the role of mantic priestesses in the major oracles of the ancient world, with a consideration of the resurgence of the role of the priestess in the modern Western magickal traditions.  This is followed by Caroline Tully’s The Pythia exploring the history and role of the Oracle at Delphi and Kim Huggens’ Silent Priestesses which looks at female priests and prophetesses in early Christianity.

Then in “Sacred Utterances”, the second part of this anthology, eighteen modern day Priestesses,  Pythonesses and Sibyls share their own personal experiences, wisdom and research on the practice of trance.  These women come from a wide spectrum of magickal and pagan traditions, including Goddess Spirituality, the  Western Mystery Tradition, Thelema, Wicca, Candomble,  Voudou and Seidr.  Sharing, sometimes for the first time, deep spiritual experiences and insights gained through the work they have performed as  Priestesses serving  in their own unique way, they provide the reader with insights into their practices which could not be found anywhere else.  This section includes essays by authors such as Janet Farrar, Naomi Ozaniec and Vivienne O’Regan, Wiccan Priestesses Galatea, Diane Champigny, Yvonne Aburrow, Emily Ounsted and Sorrell Cochrane, and Priestess of Avalon Jacqui Woodward-Smith. It also includes  Seidr practitioner  Katie Gerrard, Priestess of Apollo Bolina Oceanus, Cathryn Orchard a Priestess of the Gnostic Catholic Church, Voudou hounsi bossal Sophia Fisher, Orixa devotee Andrea Salgado-Reyes, Teacher and Priestess Connia Silver, and dancers Mariëlle Holman and Nina Falaise.

Unique, powerful and insightful, this book expresses the liminal world of trance  in an accessible way for the first time.

Ludlow Esoteric & Occult Book Fair 2009

I have just been sent information on next years’ Ludlow Esoteric & Occult Book Fair which is organised by Verdelet Magazine.  The 2009 lineup includes myself, which I am rather excited about, whilst at the same time rather nervous about as this has always been my favourite conference each year and 2009 will be the first time I will be speaking at it.  Though my lecture will be looking deep into the origins of what is now referred to as the Wiccan Book of Shadows and into its roots in the Grimoires, Christianity and Traditional Folk magic, based in part on the research David and I did for our book Wicca Magickal Beginnings, combined with new research and ideas we have developed since then.

The program includes:

1. Nigel Pennick… Runes & Magick
2. Sorita D’Este… Gerald Gardner & the Book of Shadows
3. David Rankine… Demonology & the Grimiore Tradition
4. Geraldine Beskin (of Atlantis Books)… Progradier & the Beast
5. Philip Heselton… Mothers of the Wicca

Tickets £15 each (cheques payable to Verdelet)
PO Box 82,
Craven Arms,
Shropshire,
SY7 8WG

This is not an overly commercial event, so don’t expect to be able to get tickets on the internet at the last minute, it has often been sold out well in advance too – so you may want to keep that in mind and book your tickets early.   I believe that more information can be obtained by emailing keltsrus@hotmail.com otherwise feel free to get in touch with myself and I will try and answer questions the best I can or find out for you.

It really is a great event, small enough for good conversation too – and a great selection of secondhand bookstalls, as well as new and rare books, on offer on the day!

Hail Friday! All Hail Venus!

Beautiful heavenly laughing-loving queen,
Your radiance always the first and last to be seen
Source of persuasian secret favouring queen
Illustrious born apparent and unseen,
Desiring, most desired, harsh and kind,
To thee are men and women all inclined,
With magick chains you bind through love’s fair grace
To chance a single glance of your heavenly face
The strongest power in your girdle rests
That frees us through the fires of your tests,
Choirs of nymphs sing praises to your name
Not even Gods can ever hope your heart to tame
Come most beautiful to my prayer inclined
To thee I call with holy love and praise in mind….

Taken from “Practical Planetary Magick” by Sorita d’Este & David Rankine (Avalonia, 2006)

Today is Friday, dedicated to the Roman goddess of love and gardening, who became in time associated with the Greek goddess of Love, Aphrodite – whose love can be taken to mean “love” or “sexual desire” amongst other things!  The Sumerian goddess Ishtar, the Egyptian Hathor, Assyrian Astarte are all seen in the same role and can therefore also be said to have Friday as their special day in the modern calendar.

Venus is a fascinating Goddess, and though her myths and worship became merged with that of Goddesses such as Aphrodite, it is important to sometimes look at her myths in isolation to fully appreciate her, there is nothing like a “simple and straightforward Goddess” and Venus is not just a Goddess of Love.  Her titles include Amica (Friend); Aurea (Golden), Caelestis (Celestial), Felix (Lucky) and Genetrix (Mother).  So from these alone there are plenty of reasons to see why Friday’s should be celebrated!

One of the seven classical “wandering stars” or “planets” were named after this Goddess and believed to be this Goddess.  Venus is the first and the last of the stars visible in the night and morning sky, often referred to as the Morning and Evening stars.  The influence of the seven wandering stars is one of the central mysteries of spiritual traditions since the people of the city states of the first civilisations of Sumeria gazed at the heavens around them about 7,000 years ago.  Their astrologers, artisans and priests created the first known alphabet (cuneiform) alongside arithmetic and astronomy, and it is also from this cradle of human civilisation that the first known calender emerged.  The Sumerians identified five of the seven stars that wandered through the nigh sky – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – with the Sun and the Moon as luminaries.  They equated these stars to some of their most important deities and from there on forth humanity continued to do that.  Look closely and it is clear that most religious systems, even the fairly modern ones seem to do the same.

Well, whatever you get up to today.  Remember its Friday!  Day of love, friendship, beauty and if you want it to be, gardening!  So have fun and make today a beautiful day to remember.

Blessings

Sorita d’Este