News

1st Steptember - Incenses Galore
We've been expanding our range of blended incenses, as people have been coming to us more and more for high quality loose, resin-based incense.  The elegant jars of Catamara's Rosarium Blends, with precice instructions and carefully chosen ingredients, have been fantastically popular since we took them on earlier this year. A steady seller is Wood-Moss's Selene incense, made from a 200-year old recipe from the Greek Magical Papyri,  in honour of the moon goddess.  Our newest addition are the blends of Nadine, who visited us in person a couple of weeks ago and was introduced by Dave Lee.  Nadine's careful and exotic blends come in small elegant jars and have the highest quality oils and resins, which results in almost heady, light, aromas. So far, the Cthulhu blend has been particularly popular...  Anyone who is still burning incense in stick form is invited to try converting to loose incense. We've always said that once you do that, you'll never go back. If you don't know how to burn incense on charcoals, you can always pop in and ask for a demonstration at Treadwell's. We'll happily show how easy it is. 

Bank Holiday Weekend
The late August Bank Holiday weekend is the last hurrah of summer before the September chills start in.  Many go away and travel --for those of you who will be in London this weekend, Treadwell's will be open. Here are the opening hours
Friday        12 noon - 7pm
Saturday   12 noon to 7pm
Sunday  12 noon to 6pm
Monday 12 noon to 5pm
 
You are cordially invited to come visit, look at our new books, some unusual rarities in our glass display cases, and say hello -

The Big Issue
Treadwell's appears in next week's The Big Issue,  London's magazine by and for homeless people - 'a hand up, not a hand out' is how they put it.  The founder, John Bird, also  went on to set up a loyalty card scheme, for small independent businesses in London, giving customers discounts for supporting small shops.  We are proud participants in this scheme.  More here. This programme is covered in next week's Big Issue, with a mention of us -- look on Page Four.  

Homelessness is a serious problem in Central London, and the  Bird's initiatives have been profoundly influential. If you can support the work of the Big Issue group, please do.  London is, and needs to be, a community. More on the Big Issue's work  here.

Witch Hunts - Matthew Hopkins Africa
A friend of Treadwell's, Zoe Young, is involved in a documentary about West African 'witch' hunts, and a project of safe haven for accused women and children. We invite you to check it out, lend support if you are drawn to, and well, remember that persecution of the 'other' can happen anywhere. Four hundred years ago it was in England that this was happening, except with no refugee camps as there are today in Ghana.

http://www.indiegogo.com/witch_camp

21 July 2010. Wandering Silversmith Brings Blessings...
Into the shop he came, smiling gently, with something of the free-spirit about him. Silver hair, loose cotton shirt, sandals, a demeanour of happy serenity.  'Hello.' Sweltering afternoon, June, quiet day. 'Hello?'  He was sent by friends, to come by and introduce himself. Just back from India, on the way down to Somerset. Yes, hello. We talk about the powers of pure silver, sacred symbols, old books, Egypt, pentagrams.  He left two hour later, and we had gained a friend.

Thus came Simon Guenier into the Treadwell's two months ago. Silversmith who travels between Varanasi and Wells, wandering, a Fool of the Tarot, with a love of symbols and talismans... and a master's art of silversmithing.  We have learnt about the 92.5 or better percentage of his preferred ingot silver, his commitment to sand casting, the vagaries of his research into outer limits of magical symbols.

And, as of yesterday, we have a selection of his silver jewellery, and it's on display in our cabinets.  Probably the most impressive is the stunning Anubis head, but also from Egypt is a Tet Ankh, an early form of this symbol from ancient Egypt, and an Eye of Horus.  From the Northern Tradition is an unusual Odin pendant (based on a Danish museum original). Simon's magical symbol pendants feature, of course,  a range of pentagrams -- which are, like all his work,  individually hand-cast, not mass produced.  We are pleased to be able to offer them all. 

And Simon, wherever you are wandering till we see you next, hail and farewell, and may the gods of smithcraft bless you.

16 July 2010 - Online Learning Academy in Western Esotericism
From Sasha Chaitow in Greece yesterday, we received notification of an online learning academy in Western Esotericism, taught by scholars both independent and within the academy. This is a welcome development and we're pleased to publicise it -- noting that among the tutors listed so far are a couple of scholars who have been speakers at Treadwell's. 

Here's their description:

Phoenix Rising Academy of Esoteric Studies and Creative Arts (www.phoenixrising.org.gr) it is a new, independent, distance-learning academic initiative based in Athens and London. We are preparing to launch our courses in the autumn-winter of 2010. Our aim is to provide a flexible and holistic approach to the study of topics in Western Esotericism and the Liberal Arts - remaining academic while allowing space for a number of perspectives for which there is little space even in existing academic fora for the study of Western Esotericism. We will be covering a wide range of topics within the Western Esoteric corpus, also extending into Philosophy and the Arts, seeking to create a truly cross-disciplinary curriculum which we hope will ultimately allow for cross-disciplinary research projects within the Academy. Our faculty (the list is not yet complete) comprises several EXESESO graduates, as well as more senior scholars including Amy Hale, Angela Voss and Hereward Tilton, and  others from around the world.

 http://www.phoenixrising.org.gr/

SilkMilk Journal of Orryelle Defenestrate Bascule
Just arrived - Silkmilk, the latest issue of Orryelle's Wild mad journal/ publication - this one is a beauty and has about 175 pages, many full colour. Comes with CD and poster insert. Limited to 1000 copies. This is a Treadwell's Special import, 9 copies in stock. £25 each. No reserving copies without payment, but we are open till 7pm, and can take payment for later collection or posting. £3 postage in UK, £6 EU, £8 elsewhere abroad. What's it like? Click here.

Acid Psychelica & English Folk Custom Event
Tickets at Treadwell's!

A celebration of the psychedelic with reference  to England’s ancient magical heritage. Circulus take us to a ‘future  medieval’ world, weaving beautiful acid folk ballads and   instrumentals, whilst Bridget Hayden leads us into transcendence by  fusing evocative imagery with experimental and improvised music.  The  Spiral Tribe Dance Company perform dances inspired by ancient  ritualistic dance and Paganism. A selection of Ben Van Meter’s rare  psychedelic films from the 1960s will be screened throughout. Peter  Sundae sets the scene with a ‘far out’ DJ set comprising wyrd,  psychedelic and acid folk vinyl gems. The event is hosted within The  Bedford’s circular ‘Globe Theatre’, lit by the Bardo Light Show’s  hand-manipulated oils, chemical slides, films and video effects. Sunday 29th August, 3pm – 12am, Globe Theatre at The Bedford, 77   Bedford Hill, Balham SW12 9HD, Tel. 0208 682 8940.   Train/tube: Balham.   Tickets: £8 available at Treadwell’s Bookshop (Covent Garden), Sister  Ray (Soho). Surplus tickets will be sold on the door.

Picatrix, Jung's Red Book, Dee and Spare
From America, at long last, we have in stock the Picatrix in English (from the Latin version) produced by Renaissance Astrology Publishing. We have paperack version in now, and hardbacks on their way in a fortnight. For price and details see Featured Books

In other news, the Austin Osman Spare documentary is proceeding apace, and we'll provide updates as it gets closer towards completion -- in the interim, collectors of Spare, or people who have an insider's knowledge of his life and work, are invited to come forward to participate - write in the first instance to Treadwell's and we'll gladly put you in touch with the makers. By the way, we've a folio of Inferno to Zos, for you Spare collectors. Enochian fanatics might want to view our True and Faithful Relation -- all these in our Rare Books.

Jung's huge amazing volume, The Red Book, is back in stock. We have four copies of this extraordinary illuminated volume from Jung's most extremely occult dimension. We have a display copy open for everyone who wants to come by and have a gawp.  In-shop purchase only for this volume .

Esoteric London in the Sixties and Seventies
Well, yesterday was a day for wonderful surprises. We received a visit from Francesca Rossetti who, under the name Francoise Strachan, wrote a number of the classic books and guides to paganism and the occult in the 1960s and 1970s.  She regaled us with tales of the drama of getting published her famed Aquarian Guide to Occult, Mystical, Religious and Magical London in 1970, and promised us stories of what it was like working for Mr Watkins (of the famed Watkins Bookshop) in those days.  With her sunny and perky personality, she enchanted us. On the spot, we invited her to be featured in our Interviews series this autumn, and she kindly agreed.  If you're interested in hearing about what occult London was like forty years ago, keep alert for the announcement.

Tarot is on our minds, as it seems to be all of this year. Diana Taylor, one of our two house readers, has a new personal website.  She's also teaching a foundation course this summer (and one this autumn) so you can read all about her readings and courses there as well as here.