The Roundup March 4, 2024
Welcome to the first roundup at DianaRajchel.com. Here’s where you can check in and find a collection of recent articles posted, what I’m reading, what I’m ruminating on, and projects I’m attempting whether book-based, herbal, artistic, or activist. Yes, I have a few affiliate links in the mix - mostly Amazon.
Remember, writing can’t happen in a vacuum.As anyone who has watched Short Circuit knows, Input is Required.
Wednesday March 13th, ONLINE, 9 pm EST/6 pm PST.
Tarot cards change meaning in context to the person you read for, and from there, the context of the cards are changed by one another. In a kink context, the Devil and Emperor together might be just what you need, and three of swords can at times be good news. Tickets are sliding scale, and yes, you CAN catch the replay.
Book Progress
I’m putting together the final bits on a book proposal, and I’m hoping I have news for you soon!
What (Else) I’m Writing
We live in a content creator world, so here’s some content created for you - and occasionally, me.
Over at Medium.com, I’m experimenting with the overlap between memoir and current events, reflecting on my place in history and on the impact of current dialogues on my communities and myself. We’ve got a little bit of a backlog, so the follwing are the posts you might want to explore.
Disclosure: I do get a few pennies for eyeballs on articles from the Medium partner program.
Why Elon Musk is What Twitter Deserves (11/15/22)
The Mass Shooter That Wasn’t (11/26/22)
Threads Will Break My Heart (07/14/23)
All the Tarot Readers are Talking about Twin Flame Universe and Why We Hate Them (1/5/2024)
My Humbling Journey with the Devil’s Cards (1/8/2024)
At Golden Apple Metaphysical, I have a Deep Beginning Witchcraft series. I’m answering those tough questions that people struggle with when they’re stepping into a world of spirits and magick:
Witchcraft and Social Rejection
Could Witchcraft Be a Delusion? Facing Uncomfortable Truths
Witchcraft is an inside-out practice and process, so we’re doing what we can to help our incomers answer these questions so they can choose the right path for themselves.
What I’m Listening to
My partner at Golden Apple has launched her paranormal and magickal podcast - talking about trouble she and I have gotten into in the past, and her efforts at finding and building community outside the lines of witchcraft tradition and ritual order.
The Financial Feminist Podcast
Despite the name, everyone could benefit from what Tori Dunham is putting out there - from understanding that you can negotiate your credit card rates to identifying financial red flags in relationships, she is giving people realistic ways to shore up finances without screwing over renters (unlike certain extraodinarily fortunate Boomers.)
Also, your money magick works better if you understand money, and in the United States it has been made painfully esoteric for toxic reasons.
I’m always behind on these things, but…WOW.
What I’m Watching
The lead is Wash from Firefly, that’s enough for me. The indigenous representation, alient plotline, and depth about the human condition is a significant bonus.
Worth watching for Gina Rodriquez and Tom Ellis, and Damon Wayans as the long-suffering best friend is one of his best performances yet.
I am doing a bit by bit rewatch of the first season, because I somehow missed the next two seasons coming out. I wasn’t raised Catholic, so my paradigm for the paranormal doesn’t align with the show’s representations or rules set based on authentic Catholic doctrine. The nature of evil, and its origins, and Kristin Bouchard’s slow corruption with the morally grey choices she herself makes creates layers for discussion of what is evil, and what is grace?
While I wish sitcom writers could find a career for women that isn’t teaching, some aspect of publishing, police, or sex work, the show still gives a fun ghost story premise. Obituary writer Nell is haunted by her subjects until she completes their final stories; sometimes they guide her well. Worth watching for the surprisingly deep storylines meditating on life, timelines, and lost opportunities delivered by a cast of outstanding comic actors, including great cameos.
What I’m Reading
Delinquent: Inside America’s Debt Machine
Credit cards and American banking is the Goetia of the financial world. Reading this is like a horror novel if it were semi-personal nonfiction. It is worth reading, it confirms everything you’ve ever suspected about banks very deliberately robbing the poor through fees and constant moving goalposts, and yes, it is scary.
Yes, I’m middle aged. But also, the information is extremely handy in buying things that I then don’t have to buy again for a very long time, and I find out about useful tools like the Flashfood and Flipp apps.
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
30-something witch Mariel Spark just isn’t good at the kind of magic her family wants her to be good at, and in her efforts to practice, she inadvertently summons a sexy, grumpy demon who has some political issues of his own. As Mariel fights to save the wild parts of Glimmer Falls, she battles a world of narcissistic mothers, demon politics, and her own unique temptations. Folks, this read is so fun!
