PUBLICATIONS

SPIRITUAL ARTS & CRAFTS PUBLISHING

We live in a culture where mass-production by energy-using machines dominates every aspect of human life, industrial products upon which all of us are now dependent. However, this seemingly limitless quantity of products is an unsustainable state of the world which has serious implications for what is to come. Our everyday environment is made somewhere else, where precisely, and by whom, we cannot tell; stewardship of the Earth has no meaning to the technocrats and accountants whose only aim is to increase commercial production and hence profit. The globalized industrial world has no human scale, for its corporate-political monoculture only preaches "one size fits all", even when it is clear that actually it does not fit many and in addition is actvely destroying the environment of the planet upon which we all depend for life. When all life is treated as commerce, then people are regarded as merchandise. This pitiless view of humanity is the opposite of all humane spiritual understandings of the purpose of existence and what it means to be human.
Spiritual Arts and Crafts Publishing was set up to encourage discussion on this crucial matter of present times, the spiritual gulf between the predominant mechanistic world-view that human beings are no more than units of production and consumption, defined only by abstract mathematical figures and valued only in monetary terms, against the spirit of humanity that lives in human dignity, valuing the intrinsic worth of individuals, promoting eternal values that cannot be traded, bought and sold. The Spiritual Arts and Crafts seek to realize spiritual ideals materially through a process that is itself the craftsperson's own spiritual journey. The Spiritual Arts and Crafts are a viable radical traditionalist alternative to the destructive ways of being that are followed by increasing numbers of people today. The current predominant way of being has led inevitably to the present ecological and social crises and the continuing degradation of both the Earth's environment and what it means to be human.


The Spiritual Arts and Crafts
The spiritual arts and crafts seek to realize spiritual ideals materially through a process that itself is the craftsperson's own spiritual journey. The spiritual arts and crafts emerge from the substance of creation, drawing upon the divine source through the human imagination and as an experienced understanding of the spiritual nature of materials. In this book, Nigel Pennick explores vitally-important philosophical and spiritual themes that are relevant to creating and living a life according to the true principles of human dignity, showing respect for our heritage and stewardship of our environment. The Spiritual Arts and Crafts is a radical traditionalist look at the way that making things relates not only to the material outer world, but  also the inward spiritual realms. Illustrated with Nigel Pennick's own craftworks from the workshop of Runestaff Crafts and his stained glass. ISBN 0-9551184-1-7. £10.00 + carriage.

Primal Signs
Pirmal Signs is a richly-illustrated exploration of symbols, sigil, signs and magical glyphs in the European Tradition. Ranging from ancient cave paintings and rock art to contemporary uses, signs have denoted particular things, ideas and concepts. Among the numerous topics in this book are the sun and sunwheel; the Akhet and the Twin Towers; the crescent Moon; stars and comets; the Tree of Life; te Cosmic Egg; the rose; runes; the swastika; the Omphalos; the cross; the horsehoe; spiritual tools; pentagram and hexagram; binding-knots; witch-posts; house- and craftsmen's maks and much else. Illustrtade with over 320 woodcuts, drawings and photographs, Primal Signs is essential reading for anyone interested in esoteric signs and their meaning. ISBN: 978-0-951184-3-2. £11.00 + carriage.

The Sacred Art of Geometry: Temples of the Phoenix
The churchse built in London after the Great Fire of 1666 were made as a conscious renewal of classical antquity. Sir Christopher Wren and his followers, all masters of sacred geometry, studied the temples of ancient times and used that regained knowledge in the designs of these new churches. This book explores the spiritual continuity of ancient tradition through the sacred art of geometry, proportion and the symmetry of order. The churches embody much from Pythagorean thought, alchemy, and the emblematiic world-view current at the time. Hear are some of Lodon's best-loved churches: St Paul's, St Mary-le-Bow; St Bride's; St Stephen's Walbrook; the Bloomsbury Wonder, St George's Bloomsbury; St Mary Woolnoth; St Martin-in-the-Fields and Christchurch Spitalfields. 94 illustrations, photograophs and drawings. ISBN: 0-951184-0-9. £10.00 + carriahe

Folk-Lore of East Anglia and Adjoining Counties
East Anglia, the most easterly part  of Great Britain,has its own particular essence, expressed through its landscape and its local customs and traditions. This book celebrates the unique cultural identity of this region which once was a kingdom in its own right. Here are the cycles of the seasons; the feasts, fairs, food and festivities (many authentic East Anglian food recipes); traditional crafts and construction; the 'nameless art' of  the cunning men, wise women, toadsmen and horse whisperers; signs and symbols, amulets, talsimans and charms from traditional folk magic. Illustrated with Nigel Pennick's own photographs, including rare artefacts shown nowhere else, historic and archive pictures, engravings and drawings. ISBN: 0-9551184-2-5. £12.00 + carriage


For further details, please email: keepinguptheday@live.co.uk
physical mail: Spiritual Arts & Crafts Publishing, PO Box 530, Cambridge CB23 8FS, U.K.