Cat's Rants - Confessions of an Occult Mastermind

*Happy Dance*

Hey Occulties,

I have some exciting news. 

So for a long, long, long time, I have wanted to create a very, very, very large book. I wanted to write a book of such giganticism that the publishers of the Oxford Dictionary were mildly peeved at my creation being so huge. Of course, I don't think I have 4000 pages worth of work, so maybe to say that is exaggerating...a bit. I had initially intended to have this book trail Pactum by maybe 2 years (because publishing takes longer, even when the manuscript has gone to the proofreader and they are typesetting and all that jazz, so legitimately, if I had handed my publisher a completed manuscript the day my publisher released Pactum, it could take anywhere from a handful of months to like almost 2 years.) Unfortunately, a swirling shitstorm was upon the horizon, and while my intentions were good, I just didn't have the time to compose everything into a form in which I was like "OK, I can give this to my publisher." Thinking I was putting this off for mere months, I soon realized that no, I still didn't have time. There was even that stint last spring where I looked like Sloth from the Goonies thanks to cellulitis, and yet I didn't have time off (I legitimately worked while on a possible death bed, and I'm actually proud of that.)

This means I put off making this book for...oh, 2-3 years...somewhere in that range. 

It wasn't because I didn't want to make the book. I was (and to some degree still am) supporting my household. Like anyone who supports their household and needs to do things like pay bills and stuff, taking time off from a job when you are budgeting very closely already to make a gigantic book that will give payment to oneself LATER (and occult authors are not rich, kids,) is like telling a starving street person if they take that $20 you just gave them and invest it, some time next year it will be $200, so don't waste that money on food, just starve some more...cuz it will pay off in a year. 

In laymen's terms, we couldn't afford for me to take time off. I've been over this, but my job has a huge overhead, and a lot of the hours I work are not paid. Just to make things a little more exciting, I got to spend 2 days in the hospital uninsured last year, which obviously did not help with that whole "running on a tight budget" issue. Then Mr NinjaCat couldn't work and I was the sole earner. The idea of taking time off to write a book was not in any way an idea I was even considering at that point.

Finally, things began to stabilize, and also Rufus Opus (author of The Seven Spheres,) reminded me that books are a thing I can write, which also can provide a nice little bonus income and stuff. I considered this and presented my idea to my publisher who, despite having heard this idea before (because I suggested it to the publisher after Pactum,) reaffirmed that this was of great interest to my publishing house. 

Now, this will seem premature to some of you, because again, the publishing process can get weird. That may be my own bad understanding of it since my former co-author really dealt with that aspect of the process before and so I admit some ignorance there, but its' quite possible that even if I turned in a full manuscript today (it isn't ready today,) we could easily not see it's release until 2020. ;) Yes, of course I am super excited about writing a gigantic spell book, and even more so when I got a brilliant idea of putting it in more than one volume, and I'm even more excited to do that with the publishing house I use, because they do such fine, gorgeous bindings. I'm beyond thrilled that what has been a dream I have had FOR YEARS is finally rolling into fruition. I had to share this with you.

AND there is a strong chance that when the book is published I can finally, at last, get what I have also wanted for years. A VACATION!!! I can't remember the last time I had a legitimate full vacation where I wasn't working while vacationing. I mean, I even did a smidge of work while in the hospital last year, lol. Imagine. A full week with no work. Maybe even 2 weeks. After 2 weeks I will be so bored I'd want to die, but like...a whole week where the only problems I deal with are like do I want another strawberry daquarri. Wow.

So get excited kiddos. Tentative date is in 2020 for publication, but there is a new book en route to you. And it's going to be big. And beautiful. And amazing. And you'll love it.

Best,

~Cat

Image is from the Goonies. I in no way claim ownership. If you are the owner of the image, and you are mad it's here, by all means contact me and let me know to take it down. 

Finally - the Book - Pactum, by myself and Frater MC

I snagged these images off of Frater MC's facebook, but look - it's THE LONG AWAITED BOOK! 

COMING SOON (as in DAYS) to Nephilim Press. Please check back for a link so that you can purchase! :) 

 

Update on the Book

As many of you know, myself and Mike Cecchetelli are coming out with a book...any day now. I know it's coming soon because we discussed things like end papers and whatnot like ten days or so ago...and yet I still don't have a solid release date other than "any day now." 

However with that in mind, I'll probably have A LOT of business when this comes out, and that might be difficult. With my current work load and so many people acting ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY INSANE (clients, client's targets, just people in general) in the last few weeks, I've been considering downsizing how many people I take on as clients after January 2017. I have other obligations (a class, I want to write another book, I have a personal life - you know, the basics,) and I'd like to have the time to enjoy/engage in those obligations. So, part of that will involve me taking on less client work for awhile. I'm not totally ready to downsize my client-work-load yet, but in the next few weeks I will be. 

So, an advisory....if you're really invested in having me work for you, read for you, or engage my services, NOW is the time to ask. When I start getting slammed with work because of the book's release, I'm going to start reducing how many people I will accept for new work. 

As far as the book, I will definitely let ALL OF YOU KNOW the moment it is released. Mike's been hyping it, I've been hyping it - it's basically all you ever wanted to know about love and seduction spells, especially in the Hoodoo tradition. I know it will be popular. :) And again, release date? Any day now. 

Best,

~Cat

Love Spell Course Is On Its Way to the Publisher

Hey everyone,

Because I've had a few requests, just to let everyone know, I'm no longer offering my love spell course. It is off to the publisher, and hopefully I will be able to offer a purchase link to everyone in a few months. :)

~Cat

Help Cat Write a Book

Hey everyone,

A few friends of mine suggested I write up a campaign to get enough for me to be able to write a book. While it might just be a lark, I do hope everyone can help out. If you CAN, then I can finally publish that book I've been promising for...oh, ten-ish years now. If you can't? Well, check it out, share amongst your buddies, make fun of my picture, etc. ;)

Here's the link - TypePad won't embed normally because it's tons of fun like that. :P

~Cat

PS- If I get no backers within 3 days of starting the campaign, I solemnly swear to just keep the book unto myself forever and ever (or at least until the executors of my estate publish it. :) Why? Because hells bells, I get $5 and $10 here and there for support on my blog - I can only assume that many people want me to make a stinkin' book too. ;)

Book Review - Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus

Hey Occulties,+

As promised, here is my book review of Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus

Five-stars*, highly-recommended! A useful primer not only for the Hermetic magician, but for any student of the occult.

Written in an affable and perspicacious tone, Seven Spheres adeptly describes the influence of the seven traditional "planets" of the occult (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn,) and how, through ritual and practice, the student can use each to positively impact their own lives. The rituals are easy enough for the beginner to use, while being powerful enough for even the most practiced magician to find useful as well. The final chapter on talisman creation and maintenance gives invaluable information not only for those who would create a talisman but for those who have purchased such an item (and who often are unaware of the proper protocol for using such items.)

Hermetics can be, in my opinion, a confusing paradigm for many beginners - it's hard to know where to start, and many of the traditional grimoiric texts are medieval or ancient and difficult for a modern audience to digest. While there are a few books out there which offer a very thorough description for the modern reader, they are perhaps too thorough or too traditional, and might "turn off," a contemporary seeker. Instead of suggesting 200 pages of diagrams, months of tool-creation, or weeks of fasting and prayer, Rufus Opus gives his readers instant access to starting full initiation into the seven spheres (planetary influences) of the Hermetic and magical world.

As a long time fan of RO's blog,** I had high expectations of this book, and was not disappointed. I recommend this book to all. :)

~Cat

+Still adding my 2014 posts. Sorry. December was overwhelmingly busy – I was working 14+ hour days at the job, which wasn't leaving much time for writing. :(

*RO should have written this with ink made from the blood of the "legs" of Abrasax, so I should technically remove 2 stars for him using normal ink and shit. I also asked him to rub my copy on his mystical chest hairs but he didn't. I did not subtract a star for that, either, because apparently I'm a nice person sometimes. Also, if you're incapable of understanding this asterisked paragraph is humor, go punch yourself in the crotch for lacking a sense of humor.

**Rufus Opus has a blog which you can access here.

Free on Kindle

As Man Thinketh by James Allen is free on Kindle. It might not be up everyone's alley but I know more than one of my readers has enjoyed this classic inspirational book. It's pretty short, it's free, and if you hate it, just delete it off your kindle or kindle app! :)