Mini Book Review #2: ‘Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom’

Review: Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

On a scale of ‘Buy it, Borrow It or Burn it.’ I recommend: Buy It. This is the only book you’ll ever need for tarot. Well, maybe one of two.

Divination is not the only reason to read tarot cards. It helps me avoid writer’s block. Reading the cards is essentially telling a story; a story that at one time had an oral tradition. Tarot is an illustrated version of the ‘hero’s journey.’ Rachel Pollack’s book discusses useful interpretations of the cards. It’s not a bullet list posted on social media that allow the querent the ability to choose the one description they like best. Her explanations detail the meaning of the cards based on history, imagery, and symbolism.

My preferred method for reading the cards is a three card layout. Three cards in a row – the ‘first’ is the past, the ‘second’ is the present, and the ‘third’ is the future. If one is reading the cards truthfully, they will recognize their past and their present. The future outcome, if one remains on their current path, should be apparent. After I read the individual cards, I look at them as a whole like a panoramic view. I look for the similarities in the cards, which may allude to a larger meaning.

The world is full of symbols and messages, and our ancestors knew how to read them. You may want to pause and take a look.

October 16, 2018 0

Mini Book Review #1: Spiritual Cleansing

Mini Book Review #1: Spiritual Cleansing – A Handbook of Psychic Protection by Draja Mickaharic.

On a scale of ‘Buy it, Borrow It or Burn it’. I recommend: Buy it. The book is a classic and informative. It’s not the ‘cut and paste’ advice posted on random websites.

It’s important to know how to cleanse your body, your spirit, and your surroundings. Most people know how to bathe their body and de-clutter their homes, but they neglect the spirit. The cures in this book are easy to do. The supplies are inexpensive and can be purchased at any supermarket or drugstore. It works, but your intent must be strong. The beer bath rid me of the evil eye. My dull and constant headache finally disappeared.

And if you dabble (or hunt for ghosts this month), read this book first. Better yet, don’t go looking for trouble because trouble will find you.

October 11, 2018 0

My birthday

Today is my birthday. This past year, I have learned that…

September 14, 2018 0

The Immortals*

“If you could live forever, would you love forever?”

I put the cup to my lips and took a sip filling my mouth with hot coffee so I wouldn’t have to answer him. I hated the necessity of lying.

“Do you mean would I love you forever?” I asked. The tried and true way to avoid answering a question is to ask another.

“Forever is a very long time but I’d like you to try,” he teased.

I smiled and looked into blue eyes that would fade. Dark hair that would gray then perhaps, fall out. Maybe senility would set in, but physically and emotionally, I would remain the same.

“Then I will try with all my heart,” I reassured him. He held onto my hand as if I would bolt from the cafe.

Sometimes, a small lie is quicker and kinder than the truth. Besides by the time I tire of him, he’ll be dead. Over the centuries, I’ve sat in the same spot by the window trying to explain my condition to other partners who could only comprehend that life leads to death.

I wish for death but to obtain it I would have to fall in love.

*Concept for an upcoming novella.

September 6, 2018 0

Moving Day

You move into a newly constructed home, and an elderly gentleman is living upstairs in one of the bedrooms. The bedroom is full of a lifetime of belongings, and it is obvious by the cobwebs and dust that he’s been there a long time.

You don’t recall seeing him or the room during the walk-through. He’s not a ghost; he’s flesh and blood. And he doesn’t intend on leaving because this is his house, not yours. You want to call your lawyer. The kids want to call him ‘Grandpa.’

What to do?

August 30, 2018 0

In My Dreams

August 29, 2018 0

A Moment on the Lips

Every Christmas at my old job, the vendors would send gifts of expensive candy to the staff. Bound with red bows, the ornate gold boxes were visually tempting. The office manager would open a box, and we would admire the abundance of chocolate artfully arranged inside.

I have a dirty little secret. I hate chocolate, especially dark chocolate. But unable to resist, I’d pop a piece into my mouth and hoped that it would be the one to convert me into a lover. Once more, I was disappointed as I tasted the processed cocoa.

“I hate chocolate,” I said to my co-worker as I chewed.

“So stop wasting it,” she replied.

*Image of Ava Gardner from HollywoodTarot.com

August 23, 2018 0

Mini-review of ‘A Ghost Story’

Another film to hate or love. “A Ghost Story” (2017) is streaming on Amazon Prime this month. It received mixed reviews on IMDB. This is not a horror film. The director demonstrates the passage of time in a series of mundane scenes about everyday life as witnessed by a ghost. One reviewer summed it up as “imagine a joke that takes 90 minutes to tell.” The ending is oddly satisfying, but this film is slow.

Having lost family members, I understood the expressions of grief as depicted by Rooney Mara. She is a talented actress that conveys strong emotion with small actions, but time is the star of this film. It dominates every scene. The trouble is time doesn’t have any lines. The dialogue (in English) is almost nonexistent except for one passionate monologue about the insignificance of man in the universe. Well, we’ve heard that before, dude.

The deceased husband (played by Casey Affleck) was a composer of electronic music. Too bad his music and time weren’t coupled throughout the film. I kept thinking about ambient videos, which I enjoy, and how the film could have experimented with that concept. Literally, it could have been a soundtrack of life. It’s a shame. The theme song is worth listening even if you skip the film (see below).

The film is shot from the perspective of the ghost and it offers one interpretation of the afterlife. I’ve often wondered what happens to a loved one after death. I’ve heard that sometimes, a ghost will remain when there’s unfinished business. Does the same thing happen when a film doesn’t quite reach its promise?

August 23, 2018 0

The Wife you know

The dog spoke to me for the first time today as I sat down to breakfast.

“I don’t often speak,” he said. “But the nice lady is trying to poison you.”

My jaw hung open as my wife hurried into the kitchen.

“Don’t eat that,” she grabbed my plate. “I forgot the syrup.”

My wife saturated my pancakes with a thick gooey liquid and plopped the plate down in front of me. Tenderly, she kissed my forehead then sat down to eat her omelet. The dog winked at me.

I don’t know which was more disturbing; the dog or my wife.