All of that is about to change. You see, tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7, 2011, will be my last day working here at Llewellyn.

I know what you are thinking, “What? Is she crazy?! How could she quit a dream job working at the coolest publisher, EVER?”

I completely agree and have frequently questioned my sanity in the past weeks since giving notice to my manager. However, I recently turned 40 and for whatever reason it seemed to be an age where it felt like a good time to reflect on my accomplishments, goals, and dreams.

When I looked at my future at Llewellyn and compared it to where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be, I realized I had become very comfortable in my current job. Being comfortable can be dangerous. It allows us to settle in to a day-to-day routine that feels easy and then one day wake up realizing our lives have passed us by. Being comfortable doesn’t challenge us to grow outside of what we are and become what we can be.

As I reflected on the direction I might take next, I decided to make my own way in the world. Yep, I’m goin’ rogue. I am launching my own digital marketing consulting firm and starting a career as an independent Digital Marketing Strategist.

I believe working for myself will provide me with the challenge I am seeking and help me to grow into the woman I am meant to be. It will also give me the freedom to choose my own hours and work from home. I want to be there for my 6 year-old daughter during the summer months and when she gets home after the school.

I grew up reading the Llewellyn books. I always knew the work Llewellyn did was special, but I honestly didn’t know how special until I had the chance to talk with the amazing group of fans who read, live, and breathe these books and topics. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me to have had the opportunity to connect with all of you on Facebook and Twitter. I’ve learned so much and had so much fun. A thousand thank you’s could not express the gratitude I feel for all that you have given me.

Llewellyn is special not only because of its fans, but also because it publishes the work of truly amazing authors, and even more so, because of all the extremely talented people who work here at the offices in Woodbury, Minnesota. I have never worked with a group of more talented and inspiring individuals than those here at Llewellyn.

As, Neil Sedaka said in the song, “Breaking up is hard to do.” Coming in to the office today knowing the end is nigh felt strange for me. I am sure tomorrow will be a very emotional day. It has been a difficult decision, but ultimately the right one for me.

I’ll sign off here on the blog one last time, but I won’t say goodbye because I’ll always be part of the community of Llewellyn fans and readers.

Blessings and light to all of you out there and to all of my friends here at Llewellyn! Blessed be!

On Friday, February 18th at 11:30 AM PST / 1:30 PM CST / 2:30 PM EST we’ll be talking with Jhenah Telyndru author of Avalon Within.

On Friday, February 18th at 3:30 PM PST / 5:30 PM CST / 6:30 PM EST we’ll be talking with Lon Milo DuQuette author of Low Magick.

On Saturday, February 19th at 10:30 AM PST / 12:30 PM CST / 1:30 PM EST we’ll be talking with Deborah Blake author of Circle, Coven and Grove, Everyday Witch A to Z, The Goddess is in the Details, Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook and Witchcraft on a Shoestring.

On Sunday, February 20th at 11:30 AM PST / 1:30 PM CST / 2:30 PM EST we’ll be talking with Tess Whitehurst author of Magical Housekeeping.

For more information and an updated list of scheduled shows this weekend visit our USTREAM.tv channel Llewellyn Author Chat.

All start times on our USTREAM page are Pacific Standard Time, but we’ll be going by “Pagan Standard Time.”

We’ll do our best to stay on schedule, but programs may begin up to 10-15 minutes after the designated start time depending on the availability of our authors during the event.

If we’re running late, we’ll send an update via Facebook or Twitter to keep you posted!

Once again Llewellyn will be representin’ at one of the most popular Pagan gatherings in North America!

Whether you are flying out to San Jose to join us for the West Coast Pagan love fest or aren’t able to attend in person, we have some groovy ways for everyone to participate in all the action at PantheaCon.

Llewellyn’s 110th Anniversary Author Fair

To celebrate our 110th year of independent metaphysical publishing, Llewellyn will be hosting a very special author event at PantheaCon this year. Meet Llewellyn authors Mary K. Greer, Amber K, Azrael Arynn K, John Michael Greer, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Tess Whitehurst, Lon Milo DuQuette, Donald Michael Kraig, Deborah Blake, Alaric Albertsson, Melanie Marquis, Ruth Barrett and Jhenah Telyndru as they introduce their latest and forthcoming Llewellyn books. Guests will have the opportunity to share ideas, questions, and suggestions with Llewellyn staff during the celebration. Join us for mini-readings, book signings, light refreshments, prize drawings and more!

We’re Bringing PantheaCon to You

If you aren’t able to attend PantheaCon in person this year you will still be able to share in the festivities because we’re bringing PantheaCon to you!

Facebook / Twitter Contests

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we’ll be will be giving away signed copies of books written by each of the Llewellyn authors attending PantheaCon this year.

To win, you’ll need to be the first person to correctly tweet back or post the answer a trivia question regarding Llewellyn’s 110 year history, our authors, or the specific book we are giving away.

Hint: You’ll be able to get all the answers to our trivia questions by browsing through information easily found on Llewellyn.com.

USTREAM

Exciting news! We’re going live from PantheaCon this year!

USTREAM is a website that utilizes video streaming and social media websites to connect celebrities, musicians, authors, publishers, and individuals via live broadcasts sent out to people all around the world.

Join us LIVE via USTREAM throughout the weekend for “Llewellyn Author Chat” to pose your questions and interact with Llewellyn authors attending PantheaCon.

We are still finalizing all the details for this weekend so be sure to follow us on Twitter as @LlewellynBooks and “Like” us on Facebook to keep up with all the latest Llewellyn and PantheaCon happenings!

The hectic nature of our world takes its toll on each of us in different ways. If you are like me, life in the 21^st century is a flurry of activity with very little time or energy left at the end of each day to balance my checkbook, not to mention my chakras.

This year, why not give a gift that will help your friends and family rise above any situation life may hand them? I’ve put together a list of books that are perfect holiday gifts for people on your “nice” list who want to care for their bodies, harmonize their minds, and nurture their spirits.

For the Body

These books make great gifts for those friends who are wannabe yogis, into herbs, natural medicine, and homeopathic remedies, or just need a good aura cleansing.

Yoga enthusiasts will discover effective tools for creating a life of healthful beauty and inner peace in The Pure Heart of Yoga. Dr.  Robert Butera’s simple ten-step approach invites yoga practitioners of all levels to deepen their understanding of yoga philosophy and work toward health and self-realization.

Entertaining and practical, Essential Herbal Wisdom by Nancy Arrowsmith covers everything from herb gathering prayers and charms to information on the properties and correspondences for fifty different herbs. Illustrated and described in complete detail, each herb entry provides tips on growing, gathering, drying and storing, as well as its culinary, cosmetic, medicinal, veterinary, and household applications.

With more than 200,000 copies sold since it was originally published in 1999, Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith has become the essential guide on the system of chakras, taking the reader through each chakra step-by-step, with each step in the learning process helping to develop inherent skills and abilities to meet the increasing demands of life in our times.

For the Mind

Those who wish to uncover their hidden psychic talents, achieve a sense of inner calmness and well being, or harness the untapped potential of the human mind will find these books, not only fascinating reads, but also fantastic gifts.

In Discover Your Psychic Type, professional psychic and therapist Sherrie Dillard introduces readers to four unique psychic types—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Dillard also teaches readers how to identify their psychic type as well as how to develop their unique psychic abilities through guided meditations and exercises.

There are so many benefits to meditation. It helps to focus your attention, leads to deeper levels of relaxation, enhances the immune system, and can even help to boost self-confidence. Meditation for Beginners provides a step-by-step approach to introduce readers to the endless possibilities of this age-old spiritual practice.

Co-authored by Llewellyn’s own Carl Llewellyn Weschcke and Joe H. Slate, Ph.D., author of Psychic Vampires and Beyond Reincarnation, Psychic Empowerment for Everyone is a comprehensive guide to the psychic realm that blends compelling theory with practical techniques for accessing the limitless wellspring of psychic power within us all.

For the Spirit

The people on your gift list who long to understand their true purpose, transform their lives by realizing goals and dreams, or create a deeper connection with their spiritual source will find these gifts enlightening reads.

Soul Visioning is a groundbreaking book that teaches how to create a life of passion and purpose by following your soul’s wisdom. Susan Wisehart shares practical step-by-step techniques to heal the unconscious beliefs that block our connection with our spiritual source and our life’s purpose.

Refreshingly simple and unique, Your Dreams takes a new approach to dream exploration based on the premise that dreams reflect the inner wisdom that lies within us all. The easy-to-use tools Ana Lora Garrard shares in this book help readers to interpret the messages their souls are communicating every night in their dreams by engaging the heart, mind, and body.

The art of prayer is explored in Prayer for Beginners, a one-of-a-kind guidebook by award-winning author Richard Webster. Whether we long to connect with God, the universe, or our Higher Self, prayer provides us with a uniquely human bridge to the divine. The simple act of lighting a candle and saying a prayer can give us the strength to get through tough times, help us find answers to life’s questions, create a deeper connection with our spiritual source, and provide us with solace and comfort during dark days.

One last book…

By Candlelight is one of my very favorite books because it contains so many beautiful rituals and prayers wrapped around the lighting of candles. I absolutely love candles. Candles literally and spiritually bring us out of darkness and into the light. We use them to create a sacred space, illuminate our celebrations, and provide comfort during times of loss.

I’ve selected only a few titles out of hundreds of possible books for the body, mind, and spirit published by Llewellyn. If you didn’t find what you were looking for in this post, click here for a few additional ideas.

Of course, the best possible gift you can give anyone is you. Yes, you. Give of yourself. Be fully present this holiday season. Open your heart to family and friends. Share your love and your light with the special people in your life because it is probably what they want more than anything else you could give them.

Who knows? The gift you give this year might just change someone’s life.

The episode of House, “Knight Fall,” featuring two titles by Llewellyn’s very own Raven Digitalis aired this week! If you look closely in the images below you’ll notice the distinct covers of Goth Craft and Shadow Magick Compendium in these screen shots from the episode.

Goth Craft by Raven Digitalis used as prop on House.

Shadow Magick Compendium by Raven Digitalis used as prop on House.

9.7 million people watched the episode that aired last Monday, April 19, 2010. The show is also in syndicated reruns on multiple cable networks.

Congratulations, Raven!

Join the conversation here and follow us on Twitter as @LlewellynBooks.

Question #1: Did you buy your 1st #tarot deck or was it a gift?

GreenTrinity @LlewellynBooks Gift..then I got rid of that and got what i wanted lol

ellyKat @LlewellynBooks I got a “novelty deck” as a gift which piqued my interest, then I later bought my own. I feel connected to both equally.

byteofreality @LlewellynBooks Bought my first #tarot deck, but my preferred deck was happened upon by chance as an shipping error from Italy

korbeau @LlewellynBooks I was never sure if i decide to brought my first #tarot deck or is my tarot deck decide to be brought by me.

Maelbrigda @LlewellynBooks i bought mine – the mythic tarot.  second deck, hanson-roberts was a gift, subsequent decks i have bought

AsWithin @LlewellynBooks Mine was a gift, but I have never felt attuned to it.

ladywildcat13 @LlewellynBooks I bought my first deck when I was 15, still have them J

Jeweldspear @LlewellynBooks Gift,,, I had always heard that #tarot decks are best when they are received as gifts.

ElvenJedi @LlewellynBooks Very first was a gift, but I couldn’t read it and bought a simpler one that I use more.

Chorazin @LlewellynBooks Bought it!

Firemau RT @LlewellynBooks: Did you buy your 1st #tarot deck or was it a gift?I had someone give me one and have been hooked. http://myloc.me/44DE9

deborahblake @LlewellynBooks I bought my first deck and I’m still using it, all these years later (I read professionally)

ArtemisIII @LlewellynBooks My first one was a gift from my youngest brother. But I pretty much pointed it out to him and said “this!” LOL

topazcat11 @LlewellynBooks Did you buy your 1st #tarot deck or was it a gift?< Bought 31 yrs ago. Never rec’d one as a gift. Deck should speak to you.

xSanctusAnimus @LlewellynBooks 1st was a gift from my(now x) boss. The one I have now is just as insightful, if not more, so I think it’s the Universe, not me

FPW_Consulting @LlewellynBooks my first deck was a Christmas present for my brother, but wound up in my pile of gifts, I was 15.

Question #2: Is this true? What do you think?RT @Jeweldspear: Gift… I had always heard that #tarot decks are best when they are received as gifts.

Rowan366 @LlewellynBooks I too heard it was better for Tarot cards to be a gift. My mother gave me my first set.

sarahdiemer Yes! RT @LlewellynBooks What do you think? RT @Jeweldspear: I had always heard that #tarot decks are best when they are received as gifts

staceyigraham @LlewellynBooks I bought my first deck over twenty years ago and use it as my “working deck” for clients. Love it!

calicocado @LlewellynBooks  I bought it myself, and now have several

Miss__Tina @LlewellynBooks Yes, purchasedfor me by my father in SF in 1966.

Miss__Tina @LlewellynBooks The deck cost about $3, as I recall.

korbeau @LlewellynBooks @Jeweldspear The best tarot deck is the one that inspire your very soul.

WickedlyLuvly @LlewellynBooks that’s what I’ve heard also.

PsychicBarbP @LlewellynBooks not necessarily…I believe a deck should ‘talk’ to you & choose you

megan23451 @LlewellynBooks My ex-girlfriend bought me my first deck, the Dragon Tarot. It’s still around – but she’s not!

ElvenJedi @LlewellynBooks I have heard that too, but I also think it’s as much about what you put in them as it is what you get out of them.

mikelking RT they are best when you make your own @LlewellynBooks What do you think? @Jeweldspear: Gift #tarot decks are best when received as gifts.

robinivy @LlewellynBooks I bought all of mine Mythic, Ryder, and Morgan Greer but I have bought some as gifts for others

Question #3: Any1 else have UR 1st deck? RT @deborahblake: I bought my first deck and I’m still using it, all these years later (I read professionally)

TAROTGUILD @LlewellynBooks I still have my first deck,an original WS.  I don’t read with, it’s kept safe.  I got the Universal Waite #Tarot (cont….)

TAROTGUILD @LlewellynBooks …shortly after and unsed that same deck until I got the Llewellyn Deck.  I use the LL and now also the Legacy deck now.

OnyxWolf @LlewellynBooks I felt no connection to my first deck. A little bit of a bummer, I wanted to have an instant connection :-/

XMiSSJeSSecAX @LlewellynBooks lol I keep giving mine away… Have started working on making my own deck

Kyttin @LlewellynBooks the deck I consider my “1st” I got myself n I still have it n I’m still “young” in readings n such that I still need my bk

Kyttin @LlewellynBooks cont. Which I don’t have ne more

plaidearthworm @LlewellynBooks I think my first Tarot deck hated me! Always received negative spreads. My new one from a friend is much better.

plaidearthworm @LlewellynBooks Although not Tarot, I still adore my Medicine Card deck, have used it for many, many years.

During our last giveaway, you had the chance to win your own little piece of happily ever after; this time you’ll have the opportunity to win a treasure from a lost world. That’s right! We’re giving away nine uncut, press sheets from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot signed by award-winning digital artist Ciro Marchetti!

Now that we have your attention, please read on for all the details on how to win.

Subscribe to Llewellyn’s Tarot Update

The easiest way to win is to subscribe to Llewellyn’s Tarot Update.

Three lucky Tarot Update subscribers will be randomly selected to each receive one signed, uncut press sheet from the Legacy of the Divine.

If you are already subscribed to the Tarot Update, you’ve automatically been entered for a chance to win one of these heavenly pieces of art.

Not a subscriber? No worries! Sign up for Llewellyn’s Tarot Update and other monthly e-newsletters here.

Join the Discussion on Facebook

Every Tuesday for the next three weeks we’ll post a question related to the Legacy of the Divine Tarot on the discussion board of the Facebook Fan Page for Llewellyn.

All you have to do is post your response to our Legacy of the Divine question 4PM CST the following Tuesday and you might be the fortunate Facebook fan who wins!

You can join our growing community of Llewellyn enthusiasts by becoming a fan on Facebook here.

Twitter, Tweet, Retweet

We’ll tweet a link to a card image from the Legacy of the Divine deck every Tuesday at 4:00 PM CST for the next three weeks and ask our Twitter followers to retweet the card image.

Now, here’s the tricky part. You will have to pay attention and have impeccable timing for this one because the Twitter winner will be the pre-determined number retweet noted in the tweet (as in the 4th, 12th, 18th, etc. person to retweet the card image).

Hint: The pre-determined retweet will be associated with the card that is tweeted. For example, if we tweet the card image for the nine of cups, the ninth person to retweet the card image will be the winner.

It’s OK if you edit of our pre-formatted message, but you do need to include a link to the card image and “@LlewellynBooks” in the tweet. Only the first retweet will count as an entry in the giveaway.

You can follow us as @LlewellynBooks on Twitter here.

What’s the catch? Well, there are a few contest rules…

To keep things fair each person can only win one signed, uncut press sheet. So, if you are one of the divine devotees on Facebook selected as a winner, you won’t be eligible to win by being randomly selected from our list of Tarot Update subscribers or through our contest on Twitter.

Tarot Update winners will be notified by email, Twitter winners will be tweeted, and Facebook winners will be announced on the Fan Page for Llewellyn.

All winners must provide with their name, phone number, and mailing address with one week of being notified or we’ll have to pick someone else to receive the prize.

The contest starts today, Tuesday, November 17th! Good luck!!

Now it is all up to you! Cast a vote for your favorite poem by entering the number next to the poem’s title in the comments field of this blog post. One vote/comment per person.

Please submit your vote no later than Thursday, October 29, 2009, at 4PM CST. The winner will be announced on Friday, October 30, 2009, at 12PM.

#1 – “The Banshee” by Anya Elude

She is lifted up in Moon’s bright light
To fly above the little lives below
To watch the unsuspecting soul
Who ventures into the night

De-sending fast through inky dark
To hunt her prey’s beating heart
And find they have wandered off the path
And take from them that precious spark …

#2 – “They Come” by Andrew Brett

Shadowy figures walk the streets each night,
I see them everywhere,
muffling the embers of their candle light,
stumbling in there own despair,
murmuring in there hollow step,
an ancient tongue of speech,
of life that none of each have kept,
a life just out of reach.

Purposeful and blind
they knock.
Reaching out
the faceless mock.
In the darkness of a moonless night,
walking fearless of there misdirection,
hungry for their own insight,
inward turning,
burning
for their own complexion.

Wicked little shadows walking,
I see them everywhere,
and every night their voiceless talking
fills me with despair.
And I know if I look to see that face
that I’ll know what I’ve always known,
in the blackness of there eyeless place
I’ll find myself alone,
scared, afraid and lonely,
my candle’s light my only
light to show my faceless face.
So here I lie awake
each night, I’ve never slept
a trace.

The lonely shadows never sleep,
they walk the streets each night,
they only sing their dirge and weep
until the mornings light.

Then they put their masks all back
and hide their candle’s light,
shield the world from what they lack
and fear the coming night,
when their little lies are broken
and the moonless night returns;
their sorrow is their only token
to fuel the light that burns.

I’m afraid of them, at least I think,
scared of what they mean.
So every night in bed I shrink
and sleepless lie serene;
lying every night in bed
but not one ounce of sleep,
lying in my secret dread
to lie awake and weep.

Wicked little shadows walking,
I see them everywhere
and every night their voiceless talking
fills me with despair.
The darkness of the light they carry
and the truth they hide behind,
the vagueness of their face is scary,
what they see coz they are blind,
how they knew you in your swaddling clothes,
how they watch you even now,
how you know their hunger for you grows,
though not quite sure just how.

Oh, how they yearn for you, poor child,
like they yearned for me,
how the scent of you has made them wild
as crazed as they can be.
And even though you know they’re blind
as they lash about at night,
you know one day they’ll surely find
you in pit of fright,
and you’ll be theirs as I am,
the time is drawing near
when night will hold you in its grasp
and all will be quite clear.

Sleepless child in your bed
hide away from fright,
and not a one knows that he’s dead
as shadows come at night.
Wicked little shadows walking,
I see them everywhere,
and every night their voiceless talking
fills me with despair.

#3 – The Scariest Halloween by L.B. Ricks

Boil and Bubble, Toil and Trouble
Leaves to Gold from Green

Incantations, transformations
Happy Halloween!

Fangs of wax, black witches’ hats
Careworn adults become mischievous brats!

Indulgent surrender of sweets into bags
Smiles on the faces of ghosts, ghouls and hags!

Doorbells in darkness, a burnt autumn smell
Year after year, it’s cavity hell!

Hello neighbour, Trick or Treat
Give me something good to eat

Please no poison or razor blades
On this, our night of masquerades

As kids, we ran wild those Halloween nights
Filling our minds with cheap delights

The homes in which people had died
Always thrilled and mystified

Each Halloween, outside every abode,
Jack o lanterns grinned and glowed

And soon enough I was full grown
Awaiting young monsters of my own

Staring, zombie-like, one Halloween
Watching war on a flickering screen

I wondered how people who lived side by side
Could turn on each other in genocide

Then, one eerie night, I tried to change
Some plans with a friend who’d been acting strange

I phoned her to discuss it – when
Came a fright that I’ve re-lived again and again

This woman, seemingly decent and good
Lashed out- cutting me just as deep as she could

What great horror filled me, when someone I knew
Threw off her smiling mask and said “Boo.”

Shellout, Shellout! The witches are out!
Evil is close, near, and about:

Bacteria thriving on sweet saliva!
Tooth decay as young children play,

Smiles that cover a secret loathing
Perverts and rejects and wolves in sheep’s clothing,

A flash of contempt in a stranger’s face
An expression so dark it can’t be seen,

A friend who turns in the full moonlight
Howling your name on Halloween.

#4 – “Chamber of Foreboding” by Faolchú Ghealaí

The haunted halls moan
Forlornly in my ear.

Spirits waste not
The hunger of
Ghost hunters

Who seek souls lost
In a sea of wretchedness.

Local haunts consume the
Interminable and
The interminable consume

The yearnings that superficially
Fill my voids from within.

They make me pitiable in the shadows
Of loves long lost
That make way down the

Darkened hallways of my desolate
Prison.

#5 – One Who is Three by Payam Nabarz

Morrigan
Goddess of War,
bestower and reaper of life
Phantom Queen.

Black-feathered, spear in hand
naked breasts heavy with blood and milk,
standing across the river of life.

Your beloved die in your arms,
your foes die at your feet.
Dark mother, luscious Crone, Goddess of death

as a battle rages,
your are there, graceful Raven
tearing flesh from bone.

As the moon wanes
we become closer, and closer
at the dark moon;
we dance in your cave.
Great Queen, Morrigan.