Month: September 2007

Moon Tides, Soul Passages

by Administrator, posted in Books, Products, Reviews

Originally Published on 4/7/07.

Are you Wiccan?  Are you interested in astrology?  Are you interested in the moon?  Are you interested in mythology? 
 
If you answered yes to any of these questions then you should definitely purchase a copy of “Moon Tides, Soul Passages” by Maria Kay Simms.  It bears the subtitle of “Your Astrological Cycles of Personal and Spiritual Development”, and in those regards boy does this book deliver.  Thanks to the software that comes with the book Simms takes you on a guided tour of your spiritual life through the phases of the moon.  Rich with mythology, filled with beautiful illustrations, “Moon Tides, Soul Passages” is written with a voice of authority that helps the uninitiated, like myself, weave their way through a budding understanding of astrology, the moon, and the women’s mysteries.
 
Although the book doesn’t clearly tell you to, I would highly suggest that once you purchase “Moon Tides, Soul Passages” you skip to Appendix 1 and load the disc into your computer.  With a couple of clicks you can run a detailed chart for yourself that you can reference as you work your way through the text.  Simms’ writing is intimate and personal, but it also resonates with experience and expertise.  There are plenty of personal examples, mythological associations, and celebrity information to help keep you entertained.  Lastly, Simms concludes with numerous well constructed rituals to help you bring the moon into your spiritual life.
 
In short, “Moon Tides, Soul Passages” is an entertaining, informative, and at the list price of $22.95 (including the software!) it’s a steal.  I enjoyed this book greatly and encourage others to give it a try…you won’t be disappointed.

Really? Seriously?

by Administrator, posted in Books, Products, Reviews

It’s hard for me to believe, but it’s true…more people have expressed an interest in me reviewing their books.  It began back in April when Starcrafts Publishing asked if I would like to review Maria Kay Simms book "Moon Tides, Soul Passages".  At the time, we posted it to the Online Extras section of our website because we really had no better home for it.  I had never done a review before, and honestly, we figured the odds of anyone asking me to do it again were pretty slim.

Enter the gigantic publishing juggernaut of Llewellyn.  A few weeks back one of the publicists there wrote me a very nice email and to make a long story short…Rebecca is getting some review copies.  I know!  It’s in the too weird to be true category, except that, well, it’s true!

Suddenly Jim and I needed to figure out how to deal with the fact that there were going to be more reviews in the future.  What you see now, is the end result of that discussion.  We both like this blog format because it gives the reader a chance to offer their own opinion on the book as well.

I can’t say how frequently there will be new stuff here.  A lot of it depends on how frequently I get books to review and how long it takes for me to read them.  I’m a lazy girl, but I refuse to write a review for a book I haven’t read!  Another factor is whether or not I liked the book.  The Magical Buffet isn’t about negativity, we follow the advice our mothers gave us, "If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all."  There will be no venomous reviews here.  Sorry.

So, welcome to The Magical Buffet’s latest experiment!  Just for neatness, I will be posting my review of "Moon Tides, Soul Passages" here, even though it was reviewed months ago.  That way all of my reviews will be together.

Also, if you’re an author of a book and would like me to review you, just send me an email and we’ll talk.

~Rebecca

Today I Prayed For…

by Administrator, posted in Christianity/Catholicism, Television

I was a big fan of the television show “The West Wing”.  I also loved “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (created by the same guy) but it got cancelled and I’m bitter so I would thank you not to bring that up.)  Anyway, there was this amusing little bit in the episode “Debate Camp” that I always liked involving 600,000 Evangelicals praying for C.J. (the White House Press Secretary).  It went like this:
 
BILL STARK
(enters) Excuse me, C.J.

C.J.
Yeah?

BILL STARK
Bill Stark. I’m with "Kingspeak." We’re a magazine that reaches over 600,000
Christians Evangelicals. I’m sorry I missed your first briefing. I heard you did well.

C.J.
I can do better.

BILL
I wanted to tell you that on December 10th, all 600,000 will be praying for you.

C.J.
Really?

BILL
That’s right.

C.J.
I don’t understand.

BILL
Well, once a year, we identify the 365 most influential people in media and we assign each of them a calendar day and we pray for them.

C.J.
I really don’t know what to say in response to that sort of kindness.

Later in the episode it comes up once more with humorous results. 
 
LEO
Not quite. Our report card for our first two weeks in office. The President’s approval has gone from 61% during the transition– when, I suppose, there’s nothing to approve– to 49% once there was. 47% see him as a strong leader– a result of bungling the Rooker nomination–and African-American support, which basically elected him, has gone from 92 to 78. Finally, if the election were held today, the President would be Chairman of the Economics Department at Phillips Andover Academy. Can anyone report anything good?

C.J.
600,000 Evangelicals are praying for me… so… we have that going for us.

LEO
What the hell are you talking about?

C.J.
It’s true– a guy gave me this card: "365 in Media."

SAM
Who are the others?

C.J.
I don’t know, let’s see… "Hugh Hefner, Don Imus, Howard Stern…" all the late-night guys.  This is… one, two, three… this is the Editorial Board of The New York
Times. This isn’t a good list, this is a list of people who are going to hell!

TOBY
Yes.

C.J.
They’re not praying for me because they like me! It’s ’cause I’m doomed to eternal damnation!

SAM
Well, if you weren’t, it’d be a waste of praying.

C.J.
You’re on the list too, pal.

SAM
Can I see that?

LEO
You can all leave.
 
I always found this to be one of those amusing things that seemed real but obviously was not.  Well hold onto your hats because I bring you The Hollywood Prayer Network!  According to their website, “The Hollywood Prayer Network is a non-denominational Christian prayer ministry for the purpose of praying for the people, the projects and the powerful influence of the Entertainment Industry. HPN believes that by mobilizing global prayer we can be a part of God’s miraculous work of changing the spiritual climate of Hollywood, from the inside out.”  Here’s where things get totally fun, if you click on the National Media Prayer Breakfast link on their homepage you get taken to here, and you see this!


 
How awesome is that?  There really is a calendar!  I love it!  They really tell you who to pray for each day!
 
Okay, serious time.  I don’t find this offensive at all.  C.J. was right, they are praying for her because they think she’s going to hell (damn liberals!) but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re praying for her.  It’s not like they’re sitting around praying to God for her untimely demise, essentially they’re praying that she allows God to work through her, blah, blah, blah.  Harmless stuff, and certainly not going to hurt anyone.  And besides, it’s totally fun!
 
I hope one day The Hollywood Prayer Network sets aside a day for people to pray for me!

By the way, today is September 1, 2007.  You should be praying for Christina Norman, President of MTV and MTV, and "cultural influencer" Conan O’Brien.