Nigel Pennick

From ancient rock and cave art to the contemporary brand logos of politics and business, human beings have always created symbols to denote specific ideas, groups or important objects as well as to convey deeper information than can be communicated in words. Many glyphs have retained their meanings over millennia whereas some have modern meanings vastly different from the original connotation. In this study of symbols, Nigel Pennick explores glyphs as agents of higher consciousness and ports of access to the collective unconscious, acknowledging the continuity of tradition, both deliberate and not, as well as how interpretations of some symbols, such as the swastika, have changed dramatically. With more than 300 unique woodcuts, drawings, calligraphy and photographs - many never before reproduced - Pennick examines ancient and enduring glyphs in detail, such as the circle, cross, eye, pentagram, fleur de lis, tree of life and horseshoe, as well as several families of symbols, such as craftsmen's marks, runes, symbolic beasts, human heads and skulls and the sigils of Mammon. The author explains the multiple forms and uses of each from ancient times to the present day, reflecting their roots in the Western Mystery tradition. He explores the symbols of high magic such as the glyph of John Dee's monad, those of folk magic such as the traditional cock on the weather vane and the creation of modern glyphs such as the peace sign and the anarchy symbol. Contrasting the hi-jacked use of power symbols in modern advertising with the vital role of symbols in traditional arts and crafts, Pennick reveals how symbols link the cosmic with the terrestrial and allow us to infuse the mundane with the numinous. · Explains the multiple forms and uses of symbols from ancient times to the present day, reflecting their roots in folk magic and the Western Mystery tradition · Examines more than 40 glyphs, such as the cross, fleur de lis and pentagram, as well as several families of symbols, such as craftsmen's marks and runes · Includes more than 300 unique woodcuts, drawings, calligraphy and photographs - many never before reproduced

In the early Anglo-Saxon period, the region of Great Britain known as Northumbria was a kingdom in its own right. These lands, in what is now northern England and southeast Scotland, were the targets of the first Viking raids on Britain. This violent influx brought the runes to the region, where they intermingled with local magical traditions and legends, resulting in the development of a practical runic wisdom entirely unique to Northumbria. In this guide to the Wyrdstaves, or runic practices, of Old Northumbria, Nigel Pennick examines the thirty-three runes of the Anglo-Saxon Futhark and how they were used in Old England for weaving the web of Wyrd. Sharing runic lore and legends from the area, he explains how the Northumbrian runes are unique because they contain elements from all the cultures of the region, including the Picts, Britons, Romans, Angles, Scots and Norse. He illustrates how each rune in this tradition is a storehouse of ancient knowledge, detailing the meanings, historical uses, symbolism and related tree and plant spirits for each of the thirty-three runes. The author describes the Northumbrian use of runes in magic and encryption and explores geomancy divination practices, the role of sacred numbers and the power of the eight airts or directions. He, also, shows how the Northumbrian runes have a close relationship with Ogam, the tree alphabet of the ancient Celts. Providing a magical history of Northumbria, as well as a look at the otherworldly beings who call these lands home, including boggarts, brownies and dragons, Pennick explains how traditional spirituality is intimately tied to the landscape and the cycle of the seasons. He reveals how the runic tradition is still vibrantly alive in this area and ready for us to reawaken to it.

Our ancestors were deeply aware of the magical power of their local landscape, no matter where they lived. Every interaction with their environment from building to farming to the layout of ancient cities took into account terrestrial energies, ancestral memory and the many seen and unseen presences in Nature. They developed sophisticated procedures for orienting their living spaces and respectfully working with the magic of the landscape. Yet, much of the art of geomancy and of working with the forces of Nature has been forgotten by modern builders, architects, foresters, gardeners and homeowners. The treatment of land as mere property has led to a loss of its meaning for those who dwell upon it. Our landscape has become disenchanted. In this book, geomancy expert and scholar, Nigel Pennick, details the ancient and sacred practices of geomancy and Earth magic and reveals how we can reenchant and reconnect to the sacred landscape that surrounds us, whether you live rurally, in the suburbs or in cities. Pennick begins with a vivid look at our modern "wasteland" and what he calls "the ensouled world," with specific examples from Britain and Iceland of our ancestors' way of perceiving the world they lived in. Exploring the art of geomancy, he examines how its techniques work with ley lines, astrology and the old understanding of the four directions and the eight winds to honour a space and make it a place of power. He looks at the power of boundaries and magic circles, including laying ghosts and dismissing spirits, as well as the proper "feng shui" for cemeteries and graveyards. The author then takes the reader back into the traditional landscape to discuss magically powerful places, such as crossroads, the occult nature of the "fairground" and the mystic triangles found in what are popularly known as "no-man's lands." Revealing how the landscape can be reenchanted, Pennick shows how the magic of place is a living system with which each of us can interact.

Learn how to use the principles and practices of natural magic for personal development and spiritual empowerment <br/><br/>- Offers detailed descriptions of the magical properties of minerals, animals, plants, and the earth's cycles and how to use them in your own practice <br/><br/>- Explores the magical laws of nature and how to guide your inner energy to work in concert with cosmic energies <br/><br/>- Details how to design your own ceremonies, practice elemental meditations, and craft your own magical talismans, wands, and divining rods <br/><br/>An expert on European rural folk magic traditions, author Nigel Pennick presents a comprehensive introduction to the principles, rituals, practices, and magical tools required to draw on the magic inherent in the natural world. He explains how people throughout the centuries have built a relationship with the elemental energies around them using simple, everyday practices in order to attune themselves to nature, the seasons, and the cosmos for magical purposes. <br/><br/>The author explores earth, mineral, and plant magic as well as the magical properties of the earth's cycles and concentrated places of power within the landscape. He examines magical workings with animals, drawing on authentic traditions such as the Toadsmen or Toadswomen, whose power is given by toads, and the Berserker qualities conferred by magical bondings with wild animals like bears and wolves. He explains how to craft your own magical talismans, wands, and divining rods; design your own ceremonies; practice elemental meditations; fortify your health with herbs and crystals; and set an altar with the right food and drink for your intention. <br/><br/>Pennick also describes how the practical techniques of natural elemental magic work through interactions between the inner world of the mind and spirit, the outer world, and the otherworldly. He shows that having a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all things and the inner power of these magical elements strengthens the practitioner's harmony with nature, and thus their power. By harnessing the elemental energies around us, we can work with nature for personal development, spiritual empowerment, and the successful achievement of our desires

There is a spiritual power in masks that transports one into realms unseen and gives voice to things unspoken. Within the context of ritual, putting on a mask places the wearer at the intersection between the present and the past, the living and the dead, this world and the Otherworld. Masks make it possible to activate ancient archetypes, with the mask wearer reanimating or personifying an ancestral presence or spirit, a deity or power, an animal or a being of the eldritch world. In this illustrated study, Nigel Pennick explores the magical and spiritual aspects of mask wearing from ancient times to the present. He examines the many mask traditions around Europe, including morris dancers and mummers in the UK, Krampuslauf and Perchtenlauf in Germanic areas, the Gorgon myths of Greece, and Norse Berserker rituals. He explains how, in the Black Forest region, there's an annual rite in springtime called "Awakening the Masks," and he looks at the origins of the Italian Commedia dell'Arte Harlequin character often seen in carnival celebrations. The author shows how mask rituals are similar to shamanic journeying and near-death experiences and can induce ecstatic states that allow the power signified by the mask to take possession of the individual wearing it. He looks at the practice of dressing up as sacred animals such as a horse or a dragon and the ancient practice of hunters wearing animal skins to signify success and prowess. He also looks at mask-wearing as it relates to ostenta, events that occur suddenly and without warning that are considered a token or sign from the Otherworld. Unveiling the sacred power of masks, the author shows how masks allow us to outwardly reflect our inner spiritual reality, embody ancestors and otherworldly entities, and connect with traditions that stretch back to time immemorial.

Some believe that our future is predetermined, while others assert that we have free will and our future can take many different courses depending on our actions. In ancient times, it was believed that the will of the gods determined people's lives, and divination or sacrifices to the gods could change or improve one's future. Of the deities devoted to luck and the future, the Roman goddess Fortuna is most famous, having two shrines in Italy where divination was conducted under her guardianship. Tracing the history of the culture of good fortune from sacred divination to profane gambling, Nigel Pennick explores the many ways people through the centuries have sought to divine the future, ensure protection, and draw the full benefits from days of good omen. He shows how dice were originally considered sacred objects of divination and reveals the divinatory geomancy techniques and meanings of a dice oracle. In addition to dice, he looks at how cowrie shells, bones, coins, cards, sticks, and stones can be used to form meaningful patterns for interpretation and how these cultural divination practices were often accompanied by texts or oral traditions that explained the meanings of the patterns, such as the Chinese I Ching and the West African verses of the Sixteen Cowries. He also looks at medieval grimoires for fortune-telling, lottery books, and dice books. Exploring how dice became a means of gaming and gambling, the author details the forms of trickery and "crooked dice" used in games of craps by cheating gamblers and the Dream Books or Policy Books that served as oracles for those who played the "Numbers Racket." He examines how gambling gave rise to specialized lucky charms, luck-ensuring rituals, and even mascots. He also explores the emergence of ideas of randomness as they relate to divination and magic. Revealing how divination and gambling are two sides of the same coin, the author shows how, whether you are a gambler relying on Lady Luck or a diviner querying the gods, we're all looking to Fortuna in the quest for a better, richer life.

Centuries ago the remote, marshy plains of East Anglia - the Fens - were drained to create agricultural land. However, the Fens remained isolated up until the nineteenth century and it was this very isolation that helped preserve the ancient traditions of this area, traditions ruthlessly eradicated elsewhere in the British Isles. These magical folk traditions, also, owe their survival to secret rural societies, from craft guilds and trade unions to Morris dancers and village bands. Exploring the folk customs and magical traditions of guilds and rural fraternities such as the Shoemakers and Horsemen and the secrets guarded by the Free Gardeners, Witches, Toadmen and Bonesmen, Nigel Pennick shows how the common working people of the Fens belonged to secret societies based on their specific trade. He describes the hidden aspects of rural life that most historians ignore - the magical current that flowed through the lives of working people - and gives details of the secret rites, ceremonies, oaths and initiation rituals of the guilds and fraternities to which the folk belonged. Drawing not only on scholarly research, but, also, his personal contacts within these still living traditions, Pennick explains their use of masks, black face and other disguises to avoid persecution and describes how wise woman healers and witches in rural villages were sought-after for their remedies. He shares the secrets of the toad-bone rite, which gave the Toadman control over animals and members of the opposite sex and explores the guardian spirits thought to inhabit the Fens, including those of the Wild Hunt. Providing insight into a world that has largely disappeared, one whose magic still echoes in lore and legend, Pennick shows that the rites, customs and ceremonies of guilds and rural fraternities connect individuals to a wider community and, through collective action, to the power of Nature and the Cosmos.