Tag Archives: three hands press

By Moonlight and Spirit Flight

By Moonlight and Spirit Flight: The Praxis of the Otherworldly Journey to the Witches’ Sabbat by Michael Howard is Three Hands Press Occult Monograph No. 4 and has recently been released, and is also available from Weiser Antiquarian Books.

“The Devil read out a roster of those present from a black book. A fire was then lit and the Horned One sat on a throne to receive the worship of his followers. At his side was the leading female witch, a woman known as the Queen of the Sabbath. The witches saluted the Devil by means of the osculum infame or ‘obscene kiss’, which was given under the tail…

As has been established by historians such as Dr. Carlo Ginzburg and Éva Pócs, the topological elements of the medieval Witches’ Sabbat – the ecstatic nocturnalia of the lamiae — carry relics of the ancient spirit-cults and localized folk-beliefs of Europe. Elements haunting witchcraft-practices included the night-roving denizens of the Wild Hunt, the exteriorised or shapeshifted spirit-double, and the profaned sacraments of Christianity itself. Of particular interest in the present essay is the phenomenon of nocturnal spirit-travel and its connections to present-day occult practice as manifested within the Sabbatic Cultus of traditional witchcraft.

In this fourth book in the Three Hands Press Occult Monograph Series, British folklorist Michael Howard casts an eye over such elements as the ancestral horde, the flight of the Furious Host, and the entheogenic Witches Salve, each of which played a unique role in the Sabbat of the Witches. The mythos of the Sabbatic conclave, containing infernal and diabolical elements, is taken beyond its Christian pathology to connect it with actual practices in folk-magic.” [via]

Occlith 0

Occlith 0: Omniform by Joseph Uccello is a new release from The Viatorium Press and Three Hands Press, available from Weiser Antiquarian Books.

“Since 1992, Xoanon and its sister publishing house Three Hands Press have pioneered the art of occult publishing, their practice driven by the philosophy that a truly magical book transcends the medium of its material embodiment. In part, this has been achieved through sublime qualities of exceptional content and artistry: original text, image, and type design which are undeniably possessed by the inspiring spirits which animate the volume. In the most potent of instances, the book coalesces by a hidden and vital anatomy, whose heart pulsates with life. Historically, the phenomenon of the magical book has appeared at the confluence of magic, mysticism, artistic inspiration and high craftsmanship. Nowhere is this as evident or beguiling as in the corpus of European alchemical texts, created in the ascendancy of movable type, where individual spiritual revelation came to inform both how the Royal Art of Alchemy was understood, and how books were made.

In collaboration with The Viatorium Press, and in the spirit of furthering the modern tradition of the Magical Book, we are pleased to announce Occlith Omniform 0 from award-winning artist, typographer and printer Joseph Uccello. Containing essential texts of the Paracelsian School of Alchemy, the whole serves as an animated sourcebook of essential Hermetic philosophy and Natural Magic, vivified through the letterpress-inspired type design and Uccello’s masterful ink and brush drawings. In addition to the lavishly-illustrated alchemical texts, Omniform includes an essential lexicon of alchemical terms, and an original Introduction by Uccello serves as the portal of ingress into this Corporeal Book.” [via]

Arcanum Bestiarum

“Arcanum Bestiarum” is a video promo from Three Hands Press for the book Arcanum Bestiarum: Of the Subtil and Occult Virtues of Divers Beasts by Robert Fitzgerald, illustrated by Liv Rainey-Smith.

“Three Hands Press film short for the new book ARCANUM BESTIARUM by Robert Fitzgerald, featuring the woodcuts of Liv Rainey-Smith and the calligraphy of Gail Coppock. Participating in the graphic-literary traditions of the medieval Bestiaries, this work explores the magical attributes of animals, and their atavistic resonances with humanity. The book was released March 1, 2013. The soundtrack is “Adjustments of the Magnestic Corpse” by Arktau Eos.” [via]

CLAVIS journal issue one launch party

You may be interested in the upcoming launch party for the first issue of CLAVIS, Journal of the Art Magical, on Mar 26th, 2013 in Seattle, WA

“CLAVIS Editions will be launching the Primer Issue of CLAVIS Journal in Seattle, Washington 26 March 2013. The publishers and some of the contributors will participate in the event.

CLAVIS is a journal of the advanced occult disciplines, produced by esoteric publishers Ouroboros Press and Three Hands Press. Born of the desire to serve an increasingly sophisticated esoteric community, its pages wed the dual arenas of scholar and practitioner, our aim to serve as a magical resource for years to come. In accord with the Emblem of our work, the journal provides unique access to magical strata and currents of esoteric thought not found elsewhere. Our pages feature Magical Theory and Practice, Hermetic Studies, Comparative and Esoteric Religion, History of Magic, Folklore and newly-emergent fields of syncretic occult praxis.

Our editorship and peer review panel is uniquely suited for the advancement of this work, drawing from its specialist areas of Hermeticism, Witchcraft, Grimoria, Thelema, and Natural Magic. With solid reputations for inventive book design and editorial acumen, we look forward to serving the magical adept with content worthy of the concealed beauty and mystery of the word occult.

EVENT PROGRAM:
Standard and Deluxe copies of the journal will be available.

CLAVIS Editors;
Daniel Schulke & William Kiesel
Three Hands Press | Ouroboros Press

Artist
Joseph Uccello
Viatorium Press” [via]

Clavis Journal No 1

Clavis Journal No 1 has been announced for pre-order availability. This is the inaugural issue for the new Clavis: Journal of the Art Magical, a collaboration between Ouroboros Press and Three Hands Press.

“CLAVIS is a journal of the advanced occult disciplines, produced by esoteric publishers Ouroboros Press and Three Hands Press. Born of the desire to serve an increasingly sophisticated esoteric community, its pages wed the dual arenas of scholar and practitioner, our aim to serve as a magical resource for years to come. In accord with the Emblem of our work, the journal provides unique access to magical strata and currents of esoteric thought not found elsewhere. Our pages feature Magical Theory and Practice, Hermetic Studies, Comparative and Esoteric Religion, History of Magic, Folklore and newly-emergent fields of syncretic occult praxis.” [via]

“Clavis Journal announces its debut issue, now available for pre-order. Our inceptive ‘Journal of the Art Magical’ contains both modern, innovative occult content and scintillant magical artifacts of centuries past. We are proud to feature the work of Johnny Jakobsson, that being “Nebiros et Ars Necomantica” an extended investigation and reverie on the grimoire-patrons of the corpse and burial ground. Martin Duffy examines the gnosis of Judas Iscariot and his place as a witch’s Saint of Opposition in “One Beyond Twelve: The Thirteenth Spirit, Judas and the Opposer”. Craig Williams issues an important magical caveat emptor for the would-be cartographers of the qliphotic wastes in “Daath Gnosis”. A lunar-qabbalistic magical operation entitled ‘Shaddai’s Gate’ is presented by the pseudonomous Frater AI. The mysterious Grosvenor manuscript is examined by Ben Fernee in “The Commonplace Book of Grosvenor”. Daniel Schulke’s ‘Diablo Stigmata’ examines the perpetuity of the Devil’s Mark as an accursed brand, setting the flesh of the witch apart from mankind. Also featured are alchemical writings by Edward Kelley and George Ripley, and illustrations by Tomasz Allen Kopera, Rima Staines, Joseph Uccello, Tom Allen, Sasan Saidi, Hagen Von Tulien, Johnny Jakobsson, and more.

Standard Edition
80 pages, Softcover, heavy stock, with black and white and full colour illustrations. Limited to 1,300 copies.
The standard edition will begin shipping on February 1st, 2013.
$49

Deluxe Edition
Bound in full goat with marbled endpapers, the deluxe edition features a limited edition two-colour letterpress print of Joseph Uccello’s illustrated text of the alchemist Sir George Ripley’s Vision of the Toad. Limited to 125 copies only.
The standard edition will begin shipping on February 15th, 2013.
$260 Limit one copy per subscriber.” [via]

Veneficium: Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path

You may be interested in Daniel A Schulke’s Veneficium: Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path available through Three Hands Press.

“Veneficium concerns the intersection of magic and poison, originating in remotest antiquity and reaching into the present day. Beyond their functions as agents of bodily harm, poisons have also served as gateways of religious ecstasy, occult knowledge, and sensorial aberration, as well as the basis of cures.

Allied with Samael, the Edenic serpent of first transgression whose name in some interpretations is ‘Venom of God’, this facet of magic wends through the rites of ancient Sumer and Egypt, through European Necromancy, Alchemy, the arcane the rites of the Witches’ Sabbath, and modern-day folk magic.

Of particular note to this study are the herbs of the so-called ‘Devil’s Garden’, bearing relation to the witchcraft concepts of the Graal of Midnight, the Witches’ Supper, and the Unguentum Sabbati, the flying ointment of the witches which has exerted fascination over scholar, historians, and practitioners alike.

Beyond consideration of the toxicological dimensions of magical power, the concurrent thread of astral and philosophical poisons are also examined, and their resonance and dissonance with magical practice explored. Veneficium will be of interest to students of magic, witchcraft, alchemy, botanical folklore, medicine, and occult pharmacology.” [via]

Magic Circles in the Grimoire Tradition

Magic Circles in the Grimoire Tradition [also] by William Kiesel, published by Three Hands Press, is available now for pre-order and due to release in late June.

“Magic Circles have been depicted in popular expressions of magic and witchcraft as well as detailed with full rubrics in traditional manuals of magic such as the Clavicula Solomonis or Liber Juratus. Using narrative, visual and textual material available from European grimoires and manuscripts, the author discusses the various forms and functions of this important piece of apparatus employed by magicians in the Western Esoteric Tradition, including their role in providing authority and protection to the operator, as well as examples of their use in divination and treasure finding. Additionally, contemporary examples of the magic circle at work in modern esoteric praxis are provided and discussed in light of the traditional approaches they exhibit. This monograph serves to explicate this important tool of ceremonial magic and is valuable to practitioners of the art magical with its technical data, while also providing context in historical settings for the merely curious reader of occult subjects. Illustrated throughout.” [via]

Arcanum Bestiarum: Of the Subtil and Occult Virtues of Divers Beasts

Three Hands Press just announced Robert Fitzgerald’s Arcanum Bestiarum is available for pre-order.

“Robert Fitzgerald’s long-awaited new work Arcanum Bestiarum has just been announced for pre-order. Written in the tradition of the medieval bestiaries, but re-imagined for the modern magical practitioner, the 272-page volume examines the occult virtues and totemic majesties of fifty animals. Correspondences with deific powers, atavistic wisdom, and mythopoetic emanation are examined, especially in light of the sapient powers of tutelage all animals possess. Special attention is given to the zoomorphic aspects of alchemy, which historically used the bestial emblemata as veils of the stages of the Great Work, as well as shamanism and witchcraft, bodies of knowledge which are particularly rich in the lore of animals as spirit-helpers. The text is graced with over fifty original woodcut illustrations by Liv Rainey-Smith, prepared especially for this title in close collaboration with the author. Original woodblock prints from this book will be available this year at the Esoteric Book Conference in Seattle, in conjunction with the book’s publication.” [via]

Clavis Journal of the Occult Arts

You may be interested in Clavis Journal of the Occult Arts, a new annual for advanced occult arts and letters produced by a collaboration between Ouroboros Press and Three Hands Press.

“CLAVIS is a premier journal featuring the arts and letters of the advanced occult disciplines. Born of the desire to serve an increasingly sophisticated esoteric community, it seeks a marriage of the theoretical and practical, learned and artistic. We are particularly concerned with manifesting text and image from a diverse spectrum of practitioners, scholars, and artists treating occult subject matter. Born of the work and vision of the past decade, Clavis Journal is a collaborative project of Ouroboros Press and Three Hands Press.

Clavis draws upon a diverse historical strata of occult tradition while carrying forward that legacy for magical futurity. Our pages feature Magical Theory and Practice, Hermetic Studies, Comparative and Esoteric Religion, History of Magic, Folklore and newly-emergent fields of syncretic occult praxis. In both design and purview, we entreat the fascination which mutually empowers both the artist and the magical art.

Produced annually, the debut issue of Clavis will be August 1, 2012. The journal is lavishly produced, issued in both a full color softcover and an Edition Deluxe.” [via]

The Hermetic Library Blog

Faint gibbering heard from somewhere near the restricted stacks