The Treasure of Words at the end of August
Mary Shelley and Jimmy Buffett, The Fool's Calling Tarot Course, Writing Updates, & so much more!
Do you, like me, treasure language? Are you awestruck by how words evoke powerful emotions, memories, hopes, and promises? One word, one phrase, or one sentence, transports us to a cherished time, place, or person.
For example: “Mother, Mother ocean, I have heard you call…” and I am sobbing, overcome with memories and grief as we commemorate the anniversary of Jimmy Buffett’s death last year on September 1.
“She’s all yours!” A friend said those words as he offered me the wheel of his 36-foot boat as we sailed just off the coast of my favorite island on a different September afternoon. I can still hear the rush of the wind against the sails and feel the boat slicing through waves as I stood at the helm.
Over the past week or so, I’ve heard words I cherish, words I haven’t pondered in a long while. These words are finding their way into new work I’m currently writing.
Here’s a short list:
* Joy * Hope * Community * Laughter * Grace * Freedom *
* Unity * Dignity * Possibilities * Courage * Peace * Truth *
* Cherish * Compassion * Honor * Love * Connection *
I’m so happy to connect with you and I’m grateful that you have taken a course with me and subscribe to this newsletter! If you missed my last newsletter, you can read it here.
Pauses, Butterflies, and Music- mid August 2024
Happy Birthday Mary Shelley and My Writing Projects
“Don’t wait,” commands Mary Shelley, my writing muse, every time I hesitate to submit work to a publication, every time I question an idea for a new course or a new project. Do you have a muse who guides you? What advice does your muse give you?
In my November 2023 newsletter, I wrote how Mary came to be my muse, and below is an excerpt. You can read the entire entry here: https://debbowen.substack.com/p/help-from-mary-shelley-november-2023.
[In a dream] “I sat in a wood-paneled library before an ornate eighteenth-century desk. On the other side of the desk sat a sharp-nosed woman, dark hair pulled severely away from her face, wearing a rich gown, her shoulders bare. I asked her name. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of the Gothic novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, which she wrote at age 18. She said, “The time is now.”
Today, we see Shelley’s book as the foundation of the science fiction genre. When she wrote it, she intended the novel as a warning about the ills of the looming industrial revolution. She also was a strong advocate of what today is termed vegetarianism.
I think my subconscious mind sent Mary Shelley to be my muse. She reminds me that it is imperative that I write what my heart tells me to write. While she used the Greek myth of Prometheus as a vehicle to promote vegetarianism (he stole fire from the gods so that meat could be cooked), we can glean additional meaning from the myth. Like Prometheus, I must roll my rock uphill repeatedly in dedication to ecological consciousness every day.”
Friday, August 30, is Mary Shelley’s birthday. She was born 227 years ago, in 1797.
To date, eight pieces of my work – short stories, essays, creative nonfiction, and poetry – have been published in Salvation South https://www.salvationsouth.com/. I am honored that my work is included in this great publication and I hope you’ll join the growing family of readers that supports its mission. Editor Chuck Reece says, “We launched this publication for every writer and reader who wants to celebrate the culture of the American South and to see beyond its historical baggage and current divisions.” You can find links to my work at the bottom of this newsletter.
Newsletter Recommendations
“Wordworking,” Alix E. Harrow calls the writing arts in The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and it is indeed work! While wordworking is mostly a solitary endeavor, I believe we need each other now more than ever. When writers and readers support each other, we build a better world, and I’m happy to recommend two newsletters to you. Tony’s newsletter is new, so get in on the ground floor with his wonderful writings. I’ve just learned about Katharine’s work, and it will spur you to action!
Survey Update
Many thanks to those who responded to my very informal survey in my last newsletter. Your thoughtful responses are helping me formulate a more comprehensive survey, so watch for it soon. If you missed the last edition of my newsletter, click here: https://debbowen.substack.com/p/pauses-butterflies-and-music-mid
New Course Update
I’m still “being” with the content for new metaphysical course I promised for September, and I’m not ready to release the course yet, but it is coming soon! I’ll post information here when registration is open.
On-Going Self-Paced Course!
It’s not too late to join! Thank you so much for the overwhelmingly positive feedback I’ve gotten from people enrolled in this course! I’m honored to know that the information touches you in many ways - it is a joy to write these weekly lessons for you. In every course I teach, I promise students only one thing: I, too, will learn something new. In writing the material for this course, I am indeed gaining new insights about Tarot, and most important, about myself. If you seek to understand yourself and the world around you in new ways from ancient esoteric knowledge, this course is for you!
The Fool's Calling:
Your Personal Myths and Archetypes in Arcane Symbols
A Self-Paced Tarot Course About YOU and Archetypes!
THIS is the in-depth, self-paced Tarot course you requested me to create!
It’s not too late to enroll! You can join this course anytime you like. The first lesson is sent to you on the Monday after you register. I hope YOU will join us on this quest! DEEP gratitude to the many of you who are already enrolled!
https://debbowen.com/product/the-fools-calling-your-personal-myths-and-archetypes-in-arcane-symbols/
For hundreds of years, Tarot symbols have been a gathering place for world beliefs, and a source through which we can discover common ground among us and within aspects of ourselves. Tarot offers an exploration of myths and legends, and of cultures and beliefs, that are as old as time and as modern as this moment. For many years, the symbols of Tarot have guided my travel to the world around me, and to myself. Tarot can guide you too on your journey to self.
Venture deeply with me into the myths, legends, beliefs, and cultures of Tarot in this exciting self-paced 38-week course! Tarot wisdom guides your path to your deepest self, while this esoteric knowledge hides in plain sight on the 78 keys of traditional Tarot.
NEW to Tarot? No problem! This course lays the foundation for a deep exploration of the knowledge that supports the meaning of Tarot. This course is not a course in divination or using intuitive skills, but rather grounds you in the underpinnings of the time-honored meanings of the keys.
Writing Update
Click on the links below to read my most recent works in Salvation South:
“Let No One Turn You Around” – NEW!
https://www.salvationsouth.com/let-no-one-turn-you-around-joan-baez-essay-deb-bowen/
“Sunday Fatback”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/sunday-fatback-essay-deb-bowen/
“The Coyote’s Journey”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/the-coyotes-journey-nature-essay-deb-bowen/
“Takin’ Up a Poundin’”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/takin-up-a-poundin-christmas-story-deb-bowen/
“Tidal Wave Terror”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/ground-truth-from-the-climate-reckoning-janisse-ray/
“Where I’m From: Seven Decades in Seven Scenes”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/where-im-from-seven-decades-in-seven-scenes-deb-bowen-poem/
“Mending Nets”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/mending-nets-north-carolina-barrier-island/?mc_cid=c4bb217ffc&mc_eid=fae2a9a622
“A Talisman for Poseidon”
https://www.salvationsouth.com/a-talisman-from-poseidon-hurricane-donna-1960/
Podcast
Deb’s Facebook Pages
Another way you and I can connect is through my Facebook pages. I’d be honored if you’d follow my pages. They are a great way to see up-to-the-minute news! I so hope you’ll LIKE and FOLLOW and feel free to comment and share posts!
Deb Bowen, Author
PsychicTeachers
Please note: I will never send friend requests or offer services through Facebook comments on any of my Facebook pages. If you have any questions regarding our communications, please contact me through my email. deb.bowen.crone@gmail.com
Just One More Thing Before You Go
“Bubbles up
They will point you towards home
No matter how deep or how far you roam
They will show you the surface
The plot and the purpose
So, when the journey gets long
Just know that you are loved
There is light up above
And joy, there is always enough
Bubbles up”
- Jimmy Buffett, Bubbles Up
Thank you!
Wordworking! How have I never heard that. It's just perfect.