Travels of a Wizard—Part 6

A Day at Llewellyn

Wednesday was my day at home offices of Llewellyn. This was a fantastic day. I got to see many long-time friends and make a few new ones.

Llewellyn is not Hogwarts. It doesn’t have people floating through the air. It is, in every sense, a real business. It’s filled with employees in offices or cubicles doing their work. What is magick is the way they’re able to turn out so many books and products that are valuable to so many people. Even more magickal is the way so many people can work together to produce amazing things.

I got a chance to talk over business items and the future directions of Llewellyn. What will become apparent to you, the reader, will be two things.

1. More products you can use. This will include more books intended for beginning, intermediate, and advanced practitioners in all fields. Some people make posts about how Llewellyn only publishes lightweight material. This has never been true. However, because far more people obtain and read beginning books, it sometimes appears that that this is so. As a result, I’ll be reviewing some more books in this blog and identifying them by level so you may be better able to choose what you need to move further on your path. The Tarot has also become an even bigger part of Llewellyn. We make or distribute some of the world’s most astoundingly beautiful and symbolically meaningful Tarot decks. You’ll see more decks in the coming weeks and months, decks that will blow you away.
2. More advances to this website. At INATS we just won the award for best website from the Coalition Of Visionary Resources (COVR). I’m very proud to be a part of this. I can’t tell you what the changes will be yet (they haven’t been finalized) or when they’ll be implemented, but I know you’re going to love it.

I can say you’re going to see some good things concerning the on-line Encyclopedia. Already, it is one of the largest metaphysical/occult/new age encyclopedias on the net, and it is 100% free. If you need to look up a word, you might check us out first.

If there is a word that needs more information, or if there is a word that isn’t included, please let us know! If your information is added you will be listed as the source and be known all over the internet. Please send your information to me (I’m the Encyclopedia’s editor). I’m at DonK@llewellyn.com .

I gave a brief talk and did another book signing, this time for the Llewellyn employees. I had a chance to talk about some of the changes to the new edition of Modern Magick for those who didn’t know. If you’d like to know more about the changes, see this LINK. I also talked about Modern Sex Magick and Tarot & Magic.

A Simple Question

Later, one person wrote me an email:

Say… I have a question that I didn’t ask earlier…this afternoon.  I felt embarrassed asking because it’s probably one of those things that everyone knows but me.  Okay, here it goes:

What is the difference between spelling Magic with a “c” or Magick with a “k” at the end?

I asked [Name Deleted] over in [Department Deleted] once, but all he said was that it was a “secret handshake,” whatever that meant, and then he changed the subject.  I even saw a graphic in our Llewellyn History section on our website that said “Magick with a K” but then it didn’t say anything about it.  sigh.

The reason I’m sharing this email is to show that Llewellyn is an amazing amalgamation of people on a wide variety of paths. Some are not familiar with with all aspects of the occult. That’s why we have people who are experts in different fields and blogs by several of those experts (plus occasional guests).

For those of you who don’t know the answer, here is my response:

That’s actually a very good question and there are two answers.

The simplest answer is that it merely differentiates between stage performers, sleight of hand artists, etc. (Penn & Teller, Criss Angel, Houdini, etc.) and people who work at mastering the mystical arts of causing change to occur in their lives. Put another way, magick=the real thing; magic=a simulation of the real thing for entertainment.

Part 2 is a little-known answer. For some practitioners  who are “in the know,” it adds a “k” which stands for “kteis,” an archaic word indicating the female genitalia. Therefore, for some people it specifically relates to sex magick. However, this position is not popularly used and for most people the upper definition is the one that matters.

2 Questions for You

I also volunteered to add a new aspect to my blog: beginning instructions in magick.

So let me ask you these questions:

What books would you like me to review?

Would you like beginning instructions in magick here? What specifically would you like to learn?

In the evening, I had a chance to spend some time with Carl and Sandra Weschcke. Not talking to them regularly is one of the few things I miss by not being in Minnesota.

The Mundane: Simple Movie Reviews

Later, I went to a movie. The Hangover 2. Horrible. Just horrible. Worse than horrible, it was unfunny and boring.

Today, Thursday, I had the day off. I was going to spend time with my other publisher, Galde Press, but their air conditioning broke down and today is going to be so hot that a “heat warning” was issued. I’ll see them later, for dinner.

So i went to see another movie. Super 8. Fantastic. One of the best films I’ve seen this year. It’s like one of those 1950’s science fiction films using modern FX. Combine that with a good plot and one major difference: it’s the 13-year-olds who save the day instead of the 18-year-olds. Exciting, fun, and worth seeing.

Friday & Saturday I’ll be at
Magus Books In Minneapolis

Tomorrow (Friday July 1) I’ll check out from this hotel and move to one closer to Magus book. I’m giving a book signing (yes, another one) there tomorrow night, so if you’re in the twin-cities area, come on by. It’s free. Saturday morning I’ll be giving a workshop there.