Selene and I were actually just having this conversation recently: if I were ever living in another country, what sorts of things would make me feel nostalgic for the USA? Music? Food, perhaps? We were rewatching For All Mankind—which, if you haven't seen it, is a pretty damn good show. It takes place in a reimagined world where Russia was first to the Moon, igniting a new space race that ultimately led to faster advancements in technology and the colonization of Mars.

Most of my writing (well, most of my life these days, actually) takes place on a laptop at the dining room table. So far it's been working out pretty well for me. But you know what? I'd like to try a typewriter one day. I don't know how effective that would be since I usually have about 50 references open in tabs as I write.

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The concept of giving gifts is as old as humanity itself. It started in prehistory, continued through ancient civilizations, and has finally culminated in unimaginable ways in modern society. What drives this universal human obsession with giving, especially around the holidays?

I've been to many cities within the US. Some of them I'd visit again and some of them... well, I'd rather pass—or I suppose, pass through! But my current list of wishful destinations weighs more heavily on the side of locations that fall outside of our boarders... I'm thinking like... Giza Tokyo London Rome Dublin I'm not sure that will work out for a road trip, though...

The Moon plays a vital role in magickal timing, influencing everything from the tides to our emotions, but its cycle from dark to light can help guide the type of magickal work that we do. Let's take a closer look at the Moon phases and see what's indicated at every step of the way.

What could I do less of? Hmm. The first thing that comes to mind is "overthink." And actually, that was probably one of the biggest distractors when I was learning how to be effective at any form of divination—runes, tarot, anything. It makes us question what we're doing. Once you overthink, you lose the intuitive flow. Sometimes it hits me when I'm writing, too.

Craig Spencer is a Lancashire-born Anglo-Italian witch and the author of the book Witchcraft Unchained. In this episode, we explore some of the history of the craft, examining some differences in practice between the US and UK, plus we uncover some interesting misconceptions.

The topic of eating meat is a loaded question -- one which I am not prepared to fully address in this short discussion. I will say that, for a variety of reasons, I sometimes opt to not eat red meat. On the other hand, I also ate the majority of a very sketchy hotdog at the movies yesterday. It was supposed to be beef, but who's to say for certain?

Gratitude is one of the most potent metaphysical catalysts that we have access to. It can transform the outcome of any spell, rite, or working. It has some pretty drastic implications when it comes to our inner state of being. Oh, and it's endless -- it can never run out of stock. And yet... we don't always take full advantage of it.

Over the last few days, my lovely wife worked on hand-writing the grocery list for our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Here's what's on the menu: Turkey Ham Mashed Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Mac N Cheese Stuffing Collard Greens Apple Pie We traded pumpkin pie for apple pie this year. But don't worry, in order to maintain balance within the universe, we grabbed a pumpkin cheesecake from Trader Joe's.

Cool places to go and good food to eat in New York City -- a photo journal from our recent trip. Highlights include The MET Museum, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Empire State Building, Pasta Eater, Liberty Bagel, Central Park, Serendipity, and Shirokuro.

Today's prompt question asks for my favorite place in our city... and I'm just reminded of all the things that this city actually lacks. There's no music venues. There's no art. There's really no culture of any kind. And if those things did exist here, they would probably be "taxed" by setting fees so high that most people wouldn't be able to enjoy them anyway.

You died, but luckily you woke up in the afterlife with a trusty papyrus scroll rolled up next to you. The Egyptian Book of the Dead wasn't actually a book, but it was a collection of spells, prayers, and hymns that you'd need on your journey to the New World.

I can tell you one thing for certain -- I have never been as comfy as our cats. I envy them on a daily basis. Daily writing prompt What is good about having a pet? View all responses Good morning and happy Monday, friends. New Post: Paying the Piper We're in New York. So check this out -- the price of panettone has SKYROCKETED because of the tariffs.

We can trace the phrase "paying the piper" all the way back to a 13-century German legend, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, but has anyone ever figured out what kind of instrument the piper played?

When I was a kid in school, I think I pretty much had an equal distaste for most of my classes. Trying to pick a favorite is, as usual, a very difficult thing for me to do. I mean, I had a Computer Science class where we basically played games 90% of the time. Does that count? But electives aside, I can tell you one thing I…

Erich and Alannah Brown are the founders of the Temple of Limitless Light and the authors of the book Modern Hermeticism: A Beginners Guide to Ceremonial Magick. In this episode, we dive into their fascinating journey, exploring the worlds of both Hermeticism and Enochian magick, and discuss how they blend ancient practices with modern insight and witchcraft.

How many tabs do you have open right in your browser? That's a real question. I'm not being rhetorical. I'm genuinely curious. I just counted mine. I have 398 tabs open across 10 different windows of Google Chrome. That's just from one profile, though. I'm not including tabs from the other 3 email accounts I'm currently logged into (which have their own, slightly lesser numbers of tabs).

Planetary timing is a system where each of the seven classical planets is given rulership over a particular day and certain hours within each day. This can be a simple way to focus specific types of energy into your spellwork.

Although I haven't made one in quite a long while, I'm pretty good at baking cheesecakes. And cheesecake also happens to be one of my favorite desserts. My question to you today is this: if you had to pick one flavor of cheesecake to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? Personally, I'm usually happy with something fruity.

One of the classic models for Alchemy follows a map of four distinct stages: Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo. They're as much psychological processes as much as they are physical indicators. And yes, they have something to do with your perception.

It's hard to balance rest with productivity. Never fear, for I have a very simple solution for you! If you schedule rest, then you will have accomplished something by resting. Daily writing prompt Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive? View all responses Good morning and happy Monday, friends! New Post: Not Every Piece is a Masterpiece I know it's just in my head, but for most of this week, it…

Most artists don't have their first painting hanging in a museum. Most musicians didn't get a billboard hit with their first song. Have you ever wondered exactly how much work it takes to produce a masterpiece?