Healing Power of Cats

 I posted in November that our eighteen year old cat Mango has passed on. 

Two  weeks ago we adopted two cats. We didn't have any intention of getting two cats, but after visiting with a few cats at the animal shelter, we found this bonded pair (had to be adopted together) and we just fell in love. 

They are four years old. When we brought them home they immediately adjusted to their new environment. They behaved as if they've always lived here. Amazing.

Both cats are extremely affectionate. They sleep with me when I'm having an off day due to chemo. They sense my physical condition and it is very healing to have them with me.

Nicco

Nicco, and Loki. (we changed Loki's name to Loki, originally it was Dexter. He is much more of a Loki.) I call Nicco The Emperor, I don't know why but he reminds me of an ancient Japanese ruler, a very regal personage.

 Loki

Cats, of course, have long been associated with magick and mystery, witches and healers. Easy to see why. 

Dreams, Synchronicity, Hoodoo

 Dreams and Synchronicity

Both my spouse and I were close friends with someone I'll call Joe.  A falling out, and hadn't had contact for a few years. This morning I told Jim: "I had a dream about 'Joe' last night." And Jim said: "That's odd, so did I."

Odd. We hadn't been talking about Joe, nothing would have triggered our dreaming minds. Well, something did obviously, but nothing conscious. 

So I look up Joe on Facebook, and see that he's now a grandfather. We were also close with his children, knowing them from when they were little, to adulthood. The grandchild's name is the same name -- an unusual name -- that Jim and I were going to name our child decades ago. (I miscarried.) Another weird little oddity.

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Conjure

A new book arrived today. Hoodoo Sen Moise's Working Conjure: A Guide to Hoodoo Folk Magic.

Just barely into it and I am finding it very interesting.

Army Psyops

 Scary stuff, and not weird in the sense that it's weirdness seems exactly like what you'd expect: from Boing Boing, this link to a video with a clown (KoKo) and a whole lot of we're not even trying to be covert creepy magick occult propaganda. 

Women, Octopi, A Rainy Town

 Books I'm reading, all at once. Not literally all at once, but these four books are on my pile here and I take turns reading bits of all of them all the day long.

First off, Emma Woods. Yes, Emma! She has written a book about her life long experiences: Glimpses of Magonia. Each chapter has a poetic word gift from Alfred Lehmberg. I've just started reading the book, so can't give a review. Not that none is necessary, since, when it comes to a person's experiences, who am I to say?

Another book by an experiencer of the other world realm: Cosmic Witch; Magic, Witchcraft, and the Supernatural, by Susan Demeter. Just started reading it. Again, another woman who has experienced the "other" since childhood. 

 

On a different not, or maybe not so much, given the alien like qualities -- almost magical -- of octopi and celphapods: Other Minds: The Octopus, The Sea, and The Deep Origins of Consciousness, by Peter Godfrey-Smith. Just a bit into it but I love this book. It's science, sure, but written so that the layperson can easily understand the concepts here. It is a philosophy book, not a strict hard science book. And as someone who love octopi, this book is definitely a joy. 

Lastly, there's a vintage paperback I found while going through my "room of doom" (now renamed "Room of Opportunity" thanks to Karyn Dolan's suggestion) of books. 1955; A Town is Drowning, by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth. Both were science fiction writers, the two were collaborators on this non-sci-fi novel about a town suddenly deluged -- literally -- and relationships among the townsfolk. So far it has a slight if Koontz Met King vibe. (I like Koontz -- love his Frankenstein series! -- but much prefer King. Mainly, on a personal values/political values sensibility.)  Not too far into it but I am enjoying the writing. Love the pulp cover art.