Nigel Pennick is an authority on ancient belief systems, folk traditions, spiritual art, runes and other ancient alphabets, labyrinths, and geomancy. He has traveled and lectured extensively in Europe and the United States. He is the author and illustrator of more than 60 books, including The Pagan Book of Days, The Book of Primal Signs, Magic in the Landscape, and The Ancestral Power of Amulets, Talismans, and Mascots. Founder of the Institute of Geomantic Research, his artwork has been exhibited in Great Britain and the United States. He lives in Cambridgeshire, England.

Preface to the New Edition

Introduction

CHAPTER 1
Patterns of Existence
Consciousness, the Gods, and the Stars

CHAPTER 2Ceremonial Beginnings
Finding and Marking the Place

CHAPTER 3
Foundation
Offerings, Sacrifices, and Relics

CHAPTER 4
Consecration, Evocatio, and Blessings
The Sacred and the Profane

CHAPTER 5
Symbolic Foundation
Laying and Consecrating the First Stone

CHAPTER 6
At the Center of the World
The Earth’s Navel, the Cosmic Column, and the World Tree

CHAPTER 7
Space, Time, and Ceremony
The Eightfold Division of the World and the Eight Winds

CHAPTER 8 The Meaning of the Directions
Symbolism and Nature of the Winds

CHAPTER 9
Natural Measure
Dimensions Emergent from Nature and the Land

CHAPTER 10 Traditional Time-Telling
Sunlight and Shadow

CHAPTER 11
Orientation
Facing in the Best Direction

CHAPTER 12The City of the Omphalos
Cosmic Centers and Symbolic Street Plans

CHAPTER 13
At the Right Time
Favorable Days in the Calendar

CHAPTER 14 Principles of Electional Astrology
Choosing the Correct Time for Rites and Ceremonies

APPENDIX 1
Zodiac Signs and Associates

APPENDIX 2
The Egyptian Calendar

APPENDIX 3
Ruling Signs of Cities

Glossary

Bibliography and Sources for Further Reading

Index