there’s a few days left to participate on the next one, so get in touch!

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending September 22, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

And, speaking about upcoming: Equinox is tomorrow! Sun enters 0° Libra on September 23, 2023 at 6:50 UTC.

For my part, I did a bunch of work on Hermeneuticon, added some new Sitting Now podcast episodes, have some news about Magick, Music and Ritual 4, 5 and 18; plus, there’s some new memes! And, all the other things I worked on this week at the library …

Still waiting for a thing that was supposed to arrive for the next mailing to Patron supporters with merch and postal perks. I may have to slip that into the one after instead, and try to get this one out before the end of the month if I can manage it!

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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That’s a deadline to end all deadlines!

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending September 15, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

I mostly had my head down working on the site and things related to it. I’ve been communicating with a couple people about participating on zine and upcoming anthology; and I’m actually in the process of having a conversational interview with R Loftiss (of Hermetic Library Artists The Howling Larsons, The Gray Field Recordings, and The Black Lesbian Fishermen) which I’ll post whenever it it done and ready, but there’s no deadline on that, so …

However, there is a freakin’ deadline on participating on the upcoming anthology, and I’m so close to having enough for a release; but not quite there. I never know if I’ll have enough, and one year I didn’t, but I tend to get more participants contact me on or near the deadline … which is, you know, coming up really quickly! If there’s not enough for a public anthology, there’s still enough for a supporter exclusive issue, either way. But, after more than 10 years now, it still comes down to the wire. Welp. I’ll wait and hope to have a public release to share with everyone!

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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Time to flush.

Welp. Goodbye to Twitter … again. Twitter (or Xitter, where X is pronounced Sh) and that evil assclown that runs it, can suck it. Time to flush. This time I’ve even deleted all of my old content and made the profile private; only squatting on the handle there to stop someone else squatting or, worse, sock puppeting it. Deleting all of my ~35k posts from 10+ years took a while, but I’m done with it, in more ways than one!

I’ve also given up on Threads, after all I couldn’t even get people interested enough to give away a free book, ffs. I think I’ve also given up on Tumblr again too. People on Threads and Tumblr can follow along with the profile I have on Mastodon if those enclosed services ever end up being interoperable with the ‘verse, as they claim they will be, some sunny day. Anyhow, I don’t reach people on either, no matter how few (less than 666 on Threads) or many (supposedly ~13k on Tumblr) followers my profiles have, so no one will probably even notice.

This week I didn’t post any OG at all. I just … burned out on all the social media disappointment. I’ll try and restart that in the coming week. But, I’m weighing in my mind whether to make it blog-only, instead of posting them to social. I could go either way. If you’ve thoughts about that, let me know. But, social media … I just … after 10+ years trying to reach people and encourage them to check out stuff on the blog and library site … it’s just an endless Sisyphean struggle bus. I’ve talked about being disheartened by it all before, especially as I was trying to be only in the ‘verse on the defunct HRMTC I/O instance, and not having people join me there. But, after giving up on that, and trying to be back on the big corporate socials for about a year now almost, and having it all go down the drain, as it ever was but faster, it is really hitting me hard again. So much effort, essentially wasted. Ugh.

I’m also tired of complaining about it. I’m sure you’d rather hear about something else too. The best outcome for everyone is the one where I stop kvetching and whinging about it, amirite?!

But, hey! I’m still here. And, you’re here! That’s a win win! Let’s celebrate that together!

In addition to the usual work on site, blog & c., I’m still waiting for Spotify to get MMR4 in their catalog; when that happens I can flip the switch on MMR5. I’m also waiting for something to come in for the next mailing, and I expected it in the first couple weeks of this month, so that’s not actually late yet … and when that arrives, or I decide I can’t wait any longer, I will get the next merch mailing out to ongoing supporters.

In other news, the first migrating geese started flying overhead on the way south this week, and somehow I had forgotten about them; so the sound of them honking was quite a surprise until I remembered. This is, essentially the signal of a short period between of pleasant weather and wide open windows until ~Nov 1. The library cats are all about binging on Cat TV with Smell-O-Vision™️! It’s nice for me too.

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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Three winners of Tarot: Mirror of the Soul have been selected!

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending September 1, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

The August giveaway to Patrons and Social Media has ended, and three winners of Tarot: Mirror of the Soul have been selected! There were no entries on Thread, so I randomly gave away an extra copy to those who did enter on Patreon and Mastodon. I’ve contacted each of them privately and will get those out to them in the next mailing that goes out this month, or whenever I get all the things sorted. So, huzzah and congrats to the winners! And, especial thanks to Weiser Books for helping me make this happen. Thanks from both Weiser Books and myself for being supporters of Hermetic Library or following along on the socials. (And, there’s actually more, so it’s not over quite yet!)

As an aside, I’ve still got *checks notes* 8 gratis codes for Necrosignals by Orthokeras left to claim, so let me know if you want one!

In addition to the usual work on the site, blog, and so on, which I get to, I’ve been pulling together the next mailing to supporters with merch or postal perks. I’ll get that in the mail as soon as I can, but plan on that getting out this month.

I mentioned that I got Magick, Music and Ritual 4 into all the digital shops and streaming services. Most should have it already, but I’m still waiting for Spotify to get their act together. Once MMR4 shows up there, I’ll make a more formal announcement about availability when I can. And, after that I will be able to push the button on adding MMR5, which is all but ready to go. I had wanted to get all these out to all the places on their 10 year anniversaries, but I wasn’t able to do that. But, if I can get MMR5 through MMR10 done before the end of next year, I’ll have caught up. After MMR9, I moved to an annual release, except for the one year I didn’t get enough submissions, so it will be easier to get them out on schedule after that. If I get MMR10, which released on September 23, 2014, out in time for September 2024, it will be right on track again. I’ll keep working through them and we’ll see!

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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Whee! Such payout! So money! *cough*

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending August 25, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

Today is supposed to be the last day of a weeklong extreme heat event here at the library. The cats and I have been okay, but it’s been kinda like hiding in a dark cave from a deadly predator around here this week. Hope you all are either not in something similar or are surviving well through yours!

In addition to the usual work on the site, blog, and so on, which I get to, I backfilled the Newsletter archives from March 2021. So many left to add. Such a pain, but it is what it is, when services and platforms die; and I don’t live my own advice to not rely on them. ::sad trombone:: I also worked on setting up digital distribution for Magick, Music and Ritual 4, which is in the final flight checks before going to all the places. I’m also opening up a previously supporter-exclusive offer to you, as a reader of this newsletter, so check the details below.

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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In memoriam Bill Heidrick

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending August 18, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

This week, in sad news, Bill Heidrick, long time guest and Fellow of Hermetic Library, has passed away. I posted a brief in memoriam on the blog, with more about that, which you can read there. He lived a long, storied, and impactful life on earth, but his powerful idealism will be missed. What is remembered lives, and unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills.

I also reached a couple milestones for the library’s new profile in the ‘verse and on the now venerable-in-Internet-years blog.

In addition to the ongoing social media and Patron giveaway for copies of Tarot: Mirror of the Soul, I also this week posted a special offer for Patrons on Patreon, Members on Ko-Fi, and Subscribers on Bandcamp, with 10 gratis download codes for Hermetic Library Anthology Artist Mr Zoth and the Werespider’s collab Necrosignals by Orthokeras. So, if you’re one of those in those places, check that out. And, after about a week, if I have any left, I’ll open that up to others in some fashion. I’ll have details in next week’s newsletter if that happens.

In addition to the usual work on the site, blog, and so on, which I detail below the fold, I did a bunch of backfilling the Zine archives for the two issues this year. That’s in preparation for creating the digital publications gratis for Patrons and for a buck to the public. I’m still working toward those, and it’s taken a long time; much longer that I had hoped. But, I’m making progress!

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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I’ve got to come up with something else!

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending August 11, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do for the next merch mailing, which goes out to every supporter on Patreon and Ko-Fi with a merch perk and after that what to do for the next postal perk. I’ve got a few ideas in mind, but the merch I thought about doing might not be possible right now. I’ve got to come up with something else! Hopefully I’ll get that sorted soon so I can get it out … next month? Did I just jinx it? Well, whenever I do I’ll talk about it on Patreon and Ko-Fi, at least. Which, you know, might serve as a reminder for supporters to double check their mailing address is current, and for people that want to join in to become supporters with merch or postal perks, first, and then check their mailing address is current.

Don’t forget that I’m doing the social media and Patron giveaway this month. Head to the blog or the posts on Patreon, Threads, and Mastodon for more. Currently, no one has entered by doing the things on Threads, so the first person to do so there will have, at least until (if!) someone else does all the things, a 100% chance of winning a copy, just sayin’.

Of course, this week I created a new piece of propaganda, continued to work on the site and blog and so on, and various other things I’ll try to mention.

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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I’ve somehow managed to make more work for myself again tending someone else’s farm

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending August 4, 2023 and reminders about some things upcoming!

I posted a social media and Patron giveaway for this month with three chances to win a copy of the new edition of Tarot: Mirror of the Soul: A Handbook for the Thoth Tarot by Gerd Ziegler! More details below the fold, so check those out.

Behind the scenes, much to my chagrin after failing to generate meaningful following for yet another attempt at self-hosting a social layer for Hermetic Library last year, I’ve started to take the new library accounts at Threads and at Mastodon more seriously, and I guess I’m posting in those places regularly now? IDEK. It’s all up in the air right in social media land. Anyhow, what it boils down to is that I’ve somehow managed to make more work for myself again tending someone else’s farm, hoping I might manage to secretly pocket enough engagement for myself to eat. It’s exhausting, if I’m honest. But, it is what it is. I broke down and also added myself to the waitlist for Bluesky. Why there’s 5 big brand social media sites run by three rich white dudes, about whom there are various moral and ethical issues as people and as brands, that everyone is clinging to, I don’t know; and I wish it were different. At least there’s still scrappy Tumblr, run by Automattic (the people behind WordPress), and the truly decentralized ActivityPub, typified by Mastodon, with which most of the others may at some point interoperate, maybe?

And, you know, it’s astronomical Lughnasadh this week! I mean, unless you’re someone who uses a lunar calculation for those cross quarter days. I really should make note of that as some people do it on my Hermeneuticon pages for them, shouldn’t I? Hope you’ve been enjoying this period of time between the observed and astronomical dates for t in some way that leaves you with a good story to tell! For my part, it’s been a week of national weather warnings about extreme thunderstorms, areal flooding, and flash flooding here at World Headquarters. In fact, I woke up one morning this week to four whole alerts about those things.

Of course, this week I continued to work on the site and blog and so on, posted some memes, and various other things I’ll try to mention.

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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this newsletter might be late, but I’m still early for Lughnasadh!

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending July 28, 2023!

Technically, the 29th, because I’m a day late; but, you know … Actually, I don’t know. I hit some kind of wall this week, and hit it hard. I’ve been exhausted all week. When I got back from my trip out of town, I waited a few days and then did a rapid PCR test, which came back negative; but, they’ve all been negative, and, moreover, the ones I have on hand are now expired anyway. But, I don’t really have other symptoms. Could be the week of extreme weather, could be changes in my daily routine, could be something I caught out of town … or something else. But, I’ve been bone tired all week long, like not really even sleepy tired, just feeling worn out. So, IDEK. But, that’s been my week.

Even still, I got a few things done on the site, as one does, and got a couple things in the mail that I’ve posted about, and will post about in the coming week or so also, including, I think, a giveaway … but I’m thinking about how I want to do that. I may do something on social media, in the verse at my Mastodon profile and on Threads, you know, to try to encourage people to follow the new library profiles in those places.

And, it’s already time this coming week for Lughnasadh, Lammas, or soever, observed August 1, but astronomically it will be the following week when Sun is at 15° Leo on August 7, 2023 at 18:23 UTC. So, hope you have a great feast, festival, ritual, or however you mark these milestones on our continuing journey through the universe.

So, this newsletter might be late, but I’m still early for Lughnasadh!

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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I have the satisfaction of not paying that money to highway robbers, at least?

Howdy everyone! Here’s a public summary of my activity this week ending July 21, 2023!

This week I officially welcomed Sitting Now’s flagship podcast Right Where You Are Sitting Now, which I unofficially mentioned last week. And there’s even a brand new episode this week to check out.

I lost an entire day of my life this week having to travel to another city in order to get my eyes checked, and update my 10+ year old prescription. I got it done, and there’s zero indication of any issues, like my late grandmother’s macular degeneration, which I admit I was a little worried about. But, I had to head to another city because the only optometrist in town that would even tell me how much they charge (all the others are so addicted to sweet, sweet insurance money that they would only offer that the exam would “cost whatever it cost based on what the Doctor found” and wouldn’t even agree to ask for consent before adding elements to the procedure that incurred additional charges … how is any of that an acceptable business practice?!) didn’t have any appointments until August. So, I gave up and gave in to expanding the search elsewhere, and a while ago I finally found a place that had an appointment that was sooner than months out I could schedule and that would tell me their charges. That scheduled appointment was yesterday. By the by, the actual exam was even way cheaper than anything in my own small town, in fact; but after all I spent whilst traveling, for a full day there and back, it probably came out the same or more. However, I have the satisfaction of not paying that money to highway robbers, at least?

Apropos of nothing, you know what is probably going to finally kill off the small independent web? All the privacy policy, cookie consent, and other legal hoops that only sites run by companies with lawyers can manage to figure out how to comply with. I’m one guy working alone running some popular but not profit focused websites that naturally collect data, as all websites do, in the same way that all websites do; but, I also rely on a couple of ad networks to help pay the bills and use affiliate links with vanishingly small relevance. It all adds (ads?!) up to a mess of BS I will probably need to account for since people come to website and blog from anywhere in the world. If I had, maybe, at least, 3 times as many Patrons I could get rid of ads completely, but I’ve never yet reached a point where the expense and effort of running the site pays for itself. Being of service running the site and blog has always been more of a burden than it has been self-supporting. Complying with every requirement around the world is a level of complexity that a single person running a couple of sites, like myself, cannot reasonably be expected to manage. That complexity is going to suck the air out of the room, or fracture the web into regional services, between completely personal pages and big corporate sites where people like me try to survive.

Welp, I still did get some other work on the site and blog done, even with travel and recovery from all the “fun” in the sun this week. So, read on and enjoy!

Thank you for visiting and being a guest of Hermetic Library. You help me be of service and make the work of the library meaningful. Especial thanks to each and every ongoing Patron on Patreon, Subscriber at Bandcamp, and Member on Ko-Fi for making the work of the library possible!

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