Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 98

I honestly believe that Llewellyn publishes some of the most important and valuable books around. The authors you read today may be the Gerald Gardners, Doreen Valientes, Israel Regardies, Aleister Crowleys, and Arthur Avalons of tomorrow.

Which authors today will take their place in that pantheon of names? I don’t know. My guess is that a mixture of good writing and great information, combined with fortunate timing and popular interest will make that choice.

I’d like to see you there.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel all over the U.S. and Europe giving workshops. Everywhere I go I hear the same sort of thing, “I could write a better book!”

Whenever I hear people say that I encourage them! “Please do! We need new books and better books all the time.” Some of the people I’ve encouraged have gone on to write numerous popular books. They had the determination to do the work and see it through to the end. I congratulate them!

Until recently, all I could do was encourage them from the sidelines, with advice and “attaboys.” Recently, however, that has changed. As part of my responsibilities I now have added to my titles, “Acquisitions Editor: Magic(k) and Occult Topics.” If you have written or are writing a book, and if it’s good, I may be able to help you get it published.

As I wrote, lots of people say they can write a book, but completing it is something else. I recently attended the Ninth Annual Conference on Current Pagan Studies. I talked with several of the presenters there about potential books based on the papers they delivered. Several said they were interested. I hope some of them will come through with great books. I believe they all have it in them.

I also believe that many of you reading this have a book within you, too. If so, contact me. You can write to me  here: [email protected] . Tell me about your book and let’s see what we can do.

One Way to Get Started

A lot of people are insecure as to their writing ability. One of the biggest challenges to writers is perfectionism. We feel it’s never good enough or could be better. Sometimes, however, you simply have to do your best and let your literary child go on its own. Write it and let’s see what happens.

However, you might want to try your writing skills by scripting shorter documents, first. Starting your own blog and writing articles is one way to do this. But as we all know, any sort of cr@p stuff appears on the internet. How can you really know if what you’re writing is any good? One possibility is to see if someone else will publish your writing.

As you may know, Hermetic Virtues has an on-line journal. You can get an index of all their articles HERE and you can order back issues and subscriptions HERE. They are now starting something new. They are going to publish a hardbound book entitled The Book of Rituals. They are currently looking for submissions to include in the publication. Rituals or Ceremonies must be original and previously unpublished works. Submissions must be well-written, clear and articulate, and be a maximum of 10,000 words. It is preferred that they be Inner Order/Adept level rituals or ceremonies, although Outer Order ceremonies are acceptable as well. The deadline for submissions is June 1st, 2013. The entire proceeds from the project will be donated to the HOGD Legal Fund.

Here is your chance to get something shorter but meaningful published. For more information, or to make a submission, contact [email protected] .

The Truth

Okay, I take a lot of time considering what I’m going to write for my blog. I hope readers appreciate it. If you have a ritual or ceremony that could become part of HV’s The Book of Rituals, I really do hope you’ll contact them. And if you have something longer, I really hope you’ll contact me!

But the time I’d normally be spending thinking about my blog I’ve been spending getting everything ready for next week’s PantheaCon in San Jose, CA. It’s going to have many workshops with speakers from all over the country, including many Llewellyn authors. Before that:

I’m in the midst of working with three authors who have manuscripts ready
I’m working with several others who are working on their books
I’m finishing my own next book which, I hope, will open of Pagans to the little-known pre-Hindu traditions of India.
AND, I have to finish my slides and handouts for my two workshops.

And there’s less than a week left!

PantheaCon is the biggest and arguably the most important Pagan/Occult/Metaphysical/New Age event on the West Coast. Llewellyn will be there with its largest booth ever. I’ll be helping out at the booth and doing a book signing. I hope to see you all there!

 

The New Moon in Aquarius occurs Sunday morning, February 10 at 2:20 am EST (7:20 am GMT), at 21 degrees. New moons signify a new cycle, new beginnings, and rebirth.

This New Moon, along with the Sun (also in Aquarius) will highlight the airy Aquarian qualities of intellect and forward-thinking, as well as eleventh house themes of friendships, social relationships, and the world at large. This New Moon period is the perfect time to examine your friendships and your role in collective society. Do you feel like you need to invest less time and energy in your friendships, or more? Perhaps you’d like to turn your acquaintances into life-long friends. Conversely, you may find yourself wanting to contribute more to society—whether locally or globally—via the volunteering of time or monetary donations. Because Aquarius is also a sign of forward-thinking and being progressive, you may find yourself wanting to shake things up just a bit, adding a little more excitement to your day-to-day life.

Haunted Route 66 author Richard Southall has a guest blog post on The Huffington Post, detailing his new book and the research he conducted while writing it.

The Huffington Post is a Pulitzer Prize-winning news website and blog, offering news and personal views of politics, business, entertainment, environment, technology, popular media, lifestyle, culture, comedy, healthy living, women’s interest, and local news.

Visit The Huffington Post to read the full blog post.

…or will be in a few weeks. Valentine’s day is approaching and love it or hate it, it is a very in-your-face holiday that probably causes you, your friends, or your clients to think about their love lives, or lack thereof.

While of course any deck can be used for readings about love and relationships, sometimes it’s fun to use a deck designed specifically for matters of the heart.

The Heart Tarot

One of my favorites is The Heart Tarot, a charming deck with heart-shaped cards. I wrote about it once HERE.

 

Learn more about it HERE and read a review of it HERE

Eros Oracle

Another deck that brings a more mature playful attitude to the table is the Eros Oracle (see details HERE and the review HERE).

Here’s hoping you always find love in the cards!

 

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Lexa Olick, author of Witchy Crafts.

Incense, candles, and oils are valuable tools in ritual work. Even unscented candles have their own waxy aroma, no matter how slight. Sweet-smelling herbs purify and cleanse our homes and essential oils have the ability to enhance our moods.

This beautiful bouquet of aromas is just a bonus to ritual work. Originally, gods were thought to receive nourishment from the scent of incense and oils. They took in the sweet savor of the scented sacrifices as one would take in food. The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all honored their gods with gifts of fragrances. It illustrates how universal the belief was that gods had very discerning tastes in smells.

However, would any of the gods be impressed by the chemical cocktails that surround us today? There are synthetic scents in air fresheners, laundry detergents, lotions, candles, and essentially any product that is scented. We can try to avoid it, but eventually we are going to out into the world and sit beside that one person who wears the most headachy of perfumes. If you have a hypersensitive nose, you probably avert your eyes or else you would succumb to nausea, headaches, puffy eyes, or any of numerous allergies.

Of course, I must confess that there was a time when I had a tendency to douse myself in fragrances. Lotions, powders, and perfumes are so tempting, but mostly I wear scents to feel good about myself. Coincidentally, I came to realize that the best way to feel good about myself is to wear natural products. They have metaphysical properties, are connected to earth, and don’t disturb those around me. Plus, I find that essential oils are natural mood enhancers and are far greater at invoking memories than their chemical counterparts.

The simplest way to mix essential oils is to dilute it with a carrier oil, such as jojoba or almond. However, I offer another simple process below.

Natural Perfume:

10-40 drops essential oil (combination of your choosing)

2 ½ ounces of vodka

2 tablespoons of distilled water

Pour the vodka into a glass jar. Add the essential oil one drop at a time and stir the mixture slowly. Seal the glass jar and let it sit for 2 days in a place where it’s dark. After it has sat undisturbed for 2 days, slowly stir in the distilled water and let it sit for another 2 days.

The best part about this project is that you can set it aside and forget about it. Many concoctions are time sensitive, but when it comes to mixing your own perfume it becomes more potent the longer it sits.

Our thanks to Lexa for her guest post! For more from Lexa Olick, read her article “A Link Between Power and Image.”

In recent days I’ve been thinking a lot about alternative forms of divination. Most of you reading this are familiar with Tarot and astrology. Some of you may also be familiar with how to use runes, palmistry or ways to “read” a crystal ball. There are, however, some lesser-known forms of divination that are every bit as powerful as the better-known methods.

One form I’ve been looking at has intrigued me since my parents took me to L.A.’s Chinatown when I was a child. It’s a sort of silly, fatalistic game consisting of a bunch of narrow wooden strips each having a number printed on it. These were all kept within in a cylindrical container. You’d think of a question and shake the container until one stick popped out. Then you’d look up the meaning of the number on the stick in a small booklet which had also been crammed into the container.

Since that time I’ve discovered that depending upon the set you obtained (and price you paid), there would be between about 40 and 100 sticks. The system has been in use in temples in China for at least 500 years, although earlier methods including the casting of lots and the I Ching are clearly ancestors of this system. It’s gone under a variety of names, but in the West it is most commonly known as “Chinese Fortune Sticks.” I’ve been interested because it’s similar to a system from India that I’ve not had much luck tracing down.

However that’s not what I want to share. The system I want to discuss today is particularly Western and is known as geomancy.

Geomancy

There are actually three things described as geomancy today. The first is a way of working with Chinese Feng Shui. The second is the study of energy paths running through the Earth. The paths are called Ley Lines, and it is said that most sacred sites are built on those lines, and the most sacred sites are where multiple lines cross.

However the form of geomancy I’m describing here is a divinatory system. I was taught that originally, people would make a series of marks in the soil (the source of the “geo-” in geomancy). You would then count the number of marks and make a single dot or two dots depending upon whether the number was odd or even.

This process was repeated four times, giving you a figure such as the ones shown on the shield above. These were than placed on an early astrological chart (this style is still popular in parts of India). You can see an example of this in the figure below:

From The Essential Golden Dawn by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero

You would then consult a book giving the meanings of the geomantic figures where they appear on the chart. Figures were then combined and interpreted in a different way, the interpretations also being culled from a book. This would lead to a final combination with still further combined figures, also interpreted with the book. It was simple and direct.

I hated it.

It seemed so mechanical. You push the stick into the ground at random, and from then on it’s just counting and looking things up in a book. There was no use of imagination. There was no elegance. There was no room for creativity in interpretation.

I have to admit, though, that because it’s so simple and direct, it’s very easy to learn. If you have never tried a divinatory system and want to learn one, or if you want to add to the divination techniques you already know, you could get Richard Webster’s Geomancy for Beginners.

There is a small booklet on the subject written by Aleister Crowley, but it is nowhere near as thorough as Webster’s guide. You can also find information in various places including Agrippa and The Golden Dawn. However geomancy is only a small part of these books and they don’t go into real depth.

This all changed with Stephen Skinner’s amazing book, Geomancy in Theory & Practice. This is a book that will last well past your lifetime. It’s large (7″ x 10″) and beautifully hardbound, with a full-color dust jacket on the outside and an insert of seventeen black and white or color plates as well as more than fifty illustrations within. If you just want to learn the system, get Webster. If you want to know everything possible about geomancy, get Skinner.

Skinner reveals the ancient roots of this system, tracing it to origins in Africa, Madagascar and the Middle East. He traces it through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and finally into modern times. The he gives the precise methods of performing geomancy with examples, and shows how it relates to astrology. Finally, here is what I had missed: alternatives! With this book geomancy achieves a level of divinatory quality that makes this a very practical modern divinatory tool.

Unlike other divinatory systems that seem more oriented toward being of the Water or Earth elements, geomancy is definitely grounded in the Earth. These books by Webster and Skinner will not only make you a practical user of this system, they can make you an expert.

For today’s post I have three items of interest…

Item 1
The Contest is Running!

—Win a Free Tarot Deck—

The winner of the best prediction of the year contest will get a free Tarot deck of their choice. Are you good at making predictions? Here’s your chance to show everyone how good you are! See my post at this LINK and make your prediction in a comment to that post!

Make your best prediction and win a Tarot deck!

Item 2
The Truth About “Bricks and Mortar” Bookstores

In a recent article on The Bookseller, the CEO of a small chain of independent U.K.’s bookstores, Foyles, called for an increasing discount from publishers and book distributors. Otherwise, says Sam Husain, they won’t be able to compete. He claims that in the last five years 1,000 independent bookstores have closed.

I don’t know if that number is accurate, but I do know many independent bookstores have closed. Even larger chain bookstores have closed or are planning to close many of their individual stores, or have gone completely out of business. The concept of the quiet bookstore where people will go to spend an hour or two, look around, and buy books at full retail price, or even at a discount, is dying.

I am a huge fan of independent bookstores. I want them to do more than just survive, I want them to thrive and grow. When I give workshops I will often encourage people to buy from and support their local independent stores.

But if bookstores think they can survive just as bookstores, they are like dinosaurs looking at a comet smashing into the earth and thinking, “Great light show! I wonder if my descendants will get a show as excellent?” The result of the comet, however, seems to have been their mass destruction.

In my opinion bookstores will have to evolve into independent community centers where people can converge for meetings, classes, workshops, and just to be with friends. They should offer movie nights using large TVs, discussion groups, and perhaps offer a wide selection of coffee and teas. Right now, it’s easier for people to go online and buy books from home. If you give people enough reason to make your store a second home, they’ll get their books and other products from you.

So bookstore owners, if you want to survive and thrive, I would urge you to start thinking about how you can become a community center. And if you’re a consumer at bookstores, tell the owners what you’d like to see added.

In my opinion we need community meeting places

and we need bricks-and-mortar independent bookstores.

Together, they can be the best of both worlds.

Item 3
The Fate of the Writer

As a writer, it’s almost inevitable that some people will quote me. As long as they quote accurately (and not so much that they’re simply plagiarizing my writing), I don’t mind. In fact, if they source their quotes to me, my books, or my blog, I thank them for it!

However, some people draw conclusions that are not, shall we say, precise. For example, if you read something and agree with what I wrote, it means that you concur or agree with me. It does not mean that I agree with you. I might. I might not. I would have to see everything that you believe and have written before I give my endorsement. Saying that I agree with you just from what I’ve written would require you to read my mind and determine my thoughts. You have no evidence that I in any way agree with you, concur with you, or endorse you. The only accurate thing you can say is that you agree with me.

So if you read somewhere that I agree or concur with someone, unless you see that I have explicitly written that I agree with this person or that group, the claim is not accurate. If they say they agree with me on a point, because they know their own thinking, they would be correct.

If you have any question as to whether I agree with or concur with an individual or group, I invite you to email me in the comments section below (I see them before they’re published) or through my email address: [email protected]. I will gladly let you know if someone’s claim that I agree with them is true. Otherwise, let me make very clear:

Unless you see,

in writing that is published under my name,

that I agree with, support or concur with an individual or group,

I neither support nor do not support them.

 

The Star card from the Book of Shadows Tarot (more info HERE and HERE)

I’ve been acquiring new tarot books and decks for Llewellyn for over 10 years. It is rare that I’m impressed with the utter uniqueness of something. I remember the day that Tierney Sadler made an appointment to meet with me via phone in May 2011. She also send a Powerpoint presentation with strict instructions to not open it until we were on the phone. I was floored by her idea and her proposal presentation. You can see more of her work on her BLOG.

Now, almost two years later (and how the time has flown!), the idea will be published and available soon (March). You can pre-order now HERE.

What is the Deck of 1000 Spreads?

It is a deck of 59 oversized cards (plus 6 blank cards) with the names of spread positions at the top and the description/meaning of the position in the middle of the card. The cards are color-coded and divided into categories: influence, timing, topic, outcome, and character.

Use the cards to recreate your favorite spread or create your own spread. Then shuffle your tarot deck and lay out the cards on top of the 1000 Spreads cards. Now you can easily see the positions, without having to refer back to a book or piece of paper.

I have an advance copy and have found that using them in my professional email readings is very helpful because I take a picture of the spread and send it to the client. Now they can easily see what card is in what position.

NOTE: this kit contains only the 1000 Spreads cards and book…tarot deck sold separately.

Here is an example of a reading I did recently using the 1000 Spreads cards (along with my Steampunk Tarot):

 

 

As the 2 of Swords indicates, sometimes it is hard to make a decision because sometimes part of us wants something, part of us wants something else.

This simple spread helps you identify the concerns and/or desires of your various aspects. Looking at them clearly, individually and collectively, might help you to make a decision with more confidence.

1. What your mind wants

2. What your heart wants

3. What your body wants

4. What your spirit wants

To modify this spread, you can select a card from the deck that represents the decision you are facing and see how each of the other cards interacts with that card.

Card image from Ciro Marchetti’s Legacy of the Divine Tarot