Month: March 2020

What Writing and Publishing a Novel Means to Me + Asian American Kid Problems =)

On By benebellIn book writing, personal5 Comments

Sigh. I’m querying a novel that concludes in the time period of the bubonic plague. During the Covid-19 outbreak and global quarantine. And lots of literary agents on social media are posting about how this is really not the time to be sending apocalyptic novels to them because they just want to read something light, fun, and heart-warming.

Like most of you, I’ve been sheltering in place for several weeks now and figured why not document the thoughts that have had quite a bit of time and space to magnify in my head around the trajectory of my novel writing journey.

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The Oracle of Human Destiny: Cartomancy + Bibliomancy Reading Method

On By benebellIn cartomancy, divination, free download, holistic horoscopes, oracle deck5 Comments

This is fun! A delightful soul and kindred spirit gifted me with the above book, which you can download a pdf of at the Internet Archive, since it’s in the public domain. The Oracle of Human Destiny (1825) is credited to someone going by the pen name “Madame Victorine Le Normand” and is written in first person, with references to doing divinatory readings for Napoleon.

You’ll need a standard deck of 52 playing cards. I opted for the pips, pages (knaves), queens, and kings from a Tarot de Marseilles deck. Works just as well.

From the below charts, decide which of these 12 questions (along the right side of the page spreads) best expresses what you want to ask the oracle. Then note the corresponding zodiac sign on the left side of the page spread.

Table of the Celestial Signs with Corresponding Questions, Part 1 of 2

For example, say I want to ask about financial stability to come, business opportunities, or employment. I might opt for Libra and the question I’ll be asking will be, “Inform me whether I shall ever be Promoted, Wealthy, or Fortunate?”

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Novel Writing Adventures & New Vlog Series

On By benebellIn book writing, personal13 Comments

So I did a Thing. I completed a novel. I say “completed” instead of “wrote” because I’ve written many incomplete novels over the decades. This is the first one I pushed over the finish line. Yay.

For those interested in following the journey of my novel manuscript, I’ll be sharing the experience by way of a vlog series on my YouTube channel.

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The Fives: Tarot Card Meanings

On By benebellIn Learn the Tarot, Spirit Keeper's Tarot, tarot, tarot card meanings, tarot community, tarot symbolism4 Comments

New to this video lecture series?

Start Here

The above-linked Introduction page will give you an overview of what this series is about and provide a course contents listing.

The Fives is the seventh of seventeen videos in this series, “Tarot Card Meanings with Benebell.”

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The Little Work: Magic to Transform Your Everyday Life by Durgadas A. Duriel

On By benebellIn book review, Magical in the Mundane1 Comment

The Little Work: Magic to Transform Your Everyday Life (Llewellyn, 2020) by Durgadas Allon Duriel is exactly the kind of book I want to see more of. A fresh, modern take on inner alchemical work, this primer text will help you weave magic into the mundane. On that count, Duriel begins by reminding us that there is no such thing as the mundane. Rather, it’s about seeing the magic in what we otherwise have always perceived as the mundane.

Well-researched, thorough, and the kind of beginner text on contemporary magic that we should be sharing with those new to the craft, The Little Work builds confidence, knowledge, practical experience, and gives you the tools to approach the craft with intelligence, discipline, and also compassion. Duriel also inspires you to trust your intuition and lean in to your very personal, unique connection with Spirit.

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