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Before one approaches seriously the study of metaphysics, magick, the occult, or mysticism, it is appropriate that one prepares oneself on all levels: mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

It is of vital importance that the student be psychologically prepared for the reception of Cosmic truths; for without adequate preparation, without the required purity, the right attitude and the right motive, one simply deludes or sidetracks oneself from all that which is essential in occult study to those phenomena and teachings that are unessential, delusive, and misleading; to phenomena that simply strengthen one's hold in a world of illusion, glamour, pride and ego; aside from this, should one attempt occult work without due preparation one exposes oneself to certain dangers which are far-reaching. Without adequate preparation the student would abuse and misuse occult, spiritual teachings and powers.

The karmic consequences of this abuse may stall or cause stagnation in one's
spiritual evolution for countless incarnations. Basically, religion without the theological dogmas, is an appropriate basis for the study of metaphysics. Students of metaphysics are advised to deepen their religious activities by engaging in personal study of their scriptures or holy book without relying on the usual channels or interpreters for clarification. This is to preserve one's bicameral mind from
external influence and dependency on "authority figures" that may be damaging to the psyche in the long run.

Purity, sincerity, humility, and a selfless motive which seeks to serve one's fellow men are qualities to possess or develop when requesting from, or studying the teachings of a spiritual/ metaphysical teacher, or even when embarking on our own by studying books on the occult. These qualities or virtues are our safeguard. They protect us from negative forces which affect our mental and emotional stability.

One of the keys to preparation is to eliminate the false ego from our thinking and centeredness. Think from the Christ level. Think the thoughts of Jesus, Muhammad-the Prophet, Krishna, Lao Tze, or Buddha. What do you think these avatars and prophets of God think constantly of? They think of God, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. Therefore we advise each student to do likewise. Thinking abstract thoughts, divine thoughts, spiritual thoughts, and holy thoughts raises the vibrations of the physical, etheric, astral and mental bodies. This facilitates metaphysical and spiritual development so needed by the human race. It improves the quality of humanity.

One of the problems which poses as an obstacle to occult and metaphysical study is that of the crystallized mind. As a preparation, the first step that has to be undertaken by the student of metaphysics and the occult is to temporary put away all previous concepts and beliefs regarding them. There are many false beliefs and superstition concerning the occult perpetuated by ignorant individuals, by psychics of a low caliber, by secular education, and even by religion, that we have to cast all of those beliefs aside and prepare our minds to really think and use our reason and intuition.

Even if we had learnt metaphysics or branches of it previously from genuine teachers, it is still required of us to shelve them aside when we begin our apprenticeship under a new tutor.  Our minds should be open and receptive to the teachings of the higher worlds, but if our minds are closed and crystallized, we fail to register the truths concealed in occult and metaphysical teachings regarding the laws of the cosmos, the higher worlds, the principles of mind and one's psychic nature.

If the teachings of any metaphysical system or teacher (including this writer) contradict your personal notions and feelings and you have trouble accepting them, simply shelve them aside for the time being and consider them again at a later date when you have acquired more experiences and knowledge. Realize, however, that most of the time opinions and beliefs do not reflect Truth. We teach what we personally know or what others personally know. We do not proselytize or impose our words upon others against their will. We are happy to give to others the teachings of the Spiritual Masters should they be receptive and just as happy not to give should they be non-receptive. We can lead a horse to a drinking trough but we are unable to make it drink.

Granted, that information concerning the occult the tyro or neophyte often has to regard as hypothesis, or working theories, but in time the student is given methods for investigating and proving to himself the verities of metaphysical truths and the realities of the higher worlds. We seek knowledge, wisdom, and experience--not mere beliefs. For the student of Nature's mysteries, beliefs will not do. Beliefs are blatant expressions of one's ignorance, for if one knows, why is there a need for beliefs? If one should say that one believes in the existence of something, one
implies in that statement that one does not really know if that something exists.

Belief and knowledge are poles apart. In spiritual and occult training one invokes intense energies, powers and forces emanating from the spiritual worlds. These energies flow into the whole microcosm even down to the physical level. Should the physical body and its force-field vibrate at a very low level because of the presence of
impurities, toxins, and negative forces, the nervous and energy systems of the physical and etheric bodies would explode and rupture during the influx of those higher energies. This is one reason why one embarks upon the Path of Purification prior to engaging in advance occult work.

The Master's Advice
In days gone by, when a student approached a spiritual or occult master for instructions, the master would say "empty your cup." The master illustrates the purpose of this by pouring fresh tea into a cup already filled to the brim with the liquid. The tea would naturally overflow. "Likewise," the master would say, "will the teachings I fill your mind be rejected by all of your previous thoughts and false
beliefs. Therefore, empty your cup." Which means, in other words, "empty your mind of previous ideas and conceptions." Most people are disinclined to accepting new ideas. They dislike change, and yet we must change towards a positive direction if we are to progress. There is a senseless fear and laziness in most people in operating their brain faculties such as using their mind to reason. Our
minds must be open and flexible, yet putting all new ideas to the test where possible before accepting them. We must strive to see the logic and rationality in concepts, if any, that are new to us. In other words, we must think! It would not hurt to be critical in a positive and constructive sense of novel ideas or even religious ideas if we believe that our criticism is valid. Although the mind is limited, it
has its purpose and we should not shirk from using it.

It is an important requirement for the occult student not to form any false ideas concerning himself and lower his self-esteem. He should not limit his mind and divine expression by saying "I can't do this," "I can't do that." One never knows what one can do until one tries. This applies to all branches of learning and study. Often we hear people say "nobody's perfect," and they use this as an excuse not to improve their morality, their character, their minds or even their social standing. If one approaches the study of metaphysics and the occult in this manner, one is bound to fail. Metaphysics is hard work, and those who are not interested in work should leave metaphysics alone. Metaphysical truths awaken a person from self-complacency and the slumber of mortal errors. The student of metaphysics
should be prepared for this and not rebel when it occurs. When you come to the point where you can think of nothing but metaphysics in your everyday activities, you shall succeed in being a metaphysician. Metaphysics has to be incorporated into one's life 24 hours a day.

Studying the occult and metaphysics requires great perseverance, endurance, patience, and fortitude. It even requires a certain degree of intelligence. Note that we do not say education or intellect, for the educated mind and intellect at times can be more of a hindrance than an asset. Unless our mind is receptive and open to modify previous findings or concepts expounded by science or religion which
from the point of view of metaphysics are erroneous, one would simply fail in metaphysical study and the probing of Nature's higher laws. The intellect, as the result of education is simply the building blocks that we accumulate, whereas intelligence is the conscious directive power that builds an edifice out of those blocks. Being educated implies gathering data and information that may or may
not be true or even relevant to one's life. We should seek the sort of knowledge that is applicable to our everyday lives with its countless challenges and problems.

Overcoming human problems is mastership. Intelligence is a necessary attribute to comprehending metaphysical principles. You need not be concerned of any lack of intelligence, however, for metaphysical practices itself raises one's I.Q., E.Q., and S.Q. Some occultists, metaphysicians, and mystics have declared that it is much easier acquiring an academic degree than getting fruitful results from occult study. This is indeed true, for occult study requires unfolding the inner senses to register higher vibrations and the various phenomena of the higher dimensions, and this takes much time and energy for practice and training. The purpose of metaphysical study is to make each and every one torchbearers of Truth. Work for Truth, live in
Truth, promote Truth and it is guaranteed that you will evolve into God's Light.

However, seek no reward. Metaphysical development requires time, patience, perseverance and great concentration--the type of concentration not normally possessed by the average person. This training of psychic and metaphysical faculties may take a whole life time for its perfect functioning and control. We should
not be daunted by this, however. The Master Jesus said, "In patience possess ye your soul," and this each student of metaphysics must be conscientious of. The student must have patience and possess his or her soul and not allow the Dark forces to possess it. In metaphysics we learn to direct our lower self, if we do not do this, negative beings will. It is expedient that the student remove religious and any form of prejudice from his mind and heart.

At times teachers of metaphysics may refer to the text of one religion in preference to another to illustrate or substantiate certain metaphysical concepts. This they do, not because of their personal background and not because of any animosity toward the other religions, but because of convenience sake. We know that the essence of all religions is Truth itself. Metaphysicians, therefore, teach and refer to the Truth in all religions whenever possible.

This brings up another subject to mind:
fanaticism. Fanaticism is not to be tolerated, not in metaphysics, not in religion, not in any human endeavor whatsoever. Fanaticism simply indicates a blind belief in principles and opinions, most of which may be dubious as to their validity. Fanaticism is separatism, narrow-minded and destructive, and should be avoided. It breaks up unity by creating divisions and schisms. It is the very antithesis
of the spiritual precept: "unity in diversity." The motto of the Dark forces will always be "divide and conquer."

Man is a microcosm of the macrocosm. In religious terms, man is a reflection of God, for he/she was made in God's image. Since God is perfect, man likewise, in a spiritual sense, is perfect. Man carries the seeds of perfection within him. He only needs to unfold this divine seed of perfection lying dormant within him. When this is done all things become possible to man. In order to nurture these divine seeds, one must overcome inertia and work with the evolutionary forces of Nature.

The Motive of Study
One of the first few things that a student of metaphysic has to do is to introspect and analyze as to the motive for approaching metaphysical study. Why does one want to study metaphysics, its branches, and its various arts such as magick, mysticism, esotericism, psychometry, dowsing, or telepathy? For what reason? For what motive? Is it simply to gain advantage over another, for power over others? Or
is it simply to acquire name and fame or the riches that it will produce? Approaching metaphysics with such motives would retard one's spiritual growth and is not condoned by any spiritual teacher of worth. A true and noble motive would be to serve God and humanity in spiritualizing this physical world, in manifesting Heaven on Earth, where Truth, Justice, Righteousness, Love, Peace and Goodwill between men prevails. Should your motive be negative, you are advised to transform it
now. Do not deceive yourself as to your motive. Another thing that we must not do, is to steal the secrets of heaven or gain entry into it by force, meaning that we should not force our occult growth by engaging in dubious exercises obtained through sources with no real integrity or authority to transmitting them and hoping for an instant development with their application. Should occult abilities be "instantly" procured, it would not be permanent and would result in adverse effects in most cases. We all know the low quality of plants cultivated in greenhouses as compared to the cultivation done underneath Nature's roof. It is the same with metaphysical growth. Heaven is not willing to release her secrets to the profane, and if by
chance any of us acquire her secrets and apply them without the proper motive and purity, we unknowingly curse ourselves. The scriptures say that God is not mocked. This is a symbolic way of saying that the Law of Karma is operative and no one is able to avoid its influence.

The student should be aware that there are false Gurus in the metaphysical field. Every student should be wary and cautious in accepting what they have to teach, for though what they teach be sweet to the mouth, their effects may be bitter to the stomach. These Gurus have no sense of responsibility, and they control and manipulate the minds of their followers for their own nefarious reasons. They create
a morbid dependency on the part of the student. Without the adequate and correct preparation through the Path of Purification, although one may unfold in a psychic manner, if accepted and trained by a "Guru," one would limit one's psychic
development and stagnate in one's spiritual evolution. The higher occult and mystical abilities requires that one be spiritually developed, and this cannot be attained without the necessary purification of the microcosm.

Spiritual Masters of the occult and metaphysics are wary and watchful of students with impure motives. It is not unusual for Spiritual Masters to reject applicants for study or to put them through certain tests, or to give them some advise and told to return at a later date, perhaps a week, or a year later. Just because a student is anxious to study the occult does not imply that he is ready for it or that he should be accepted by a Spiritual Master or Adept. Acceptance by a Spiritual Master and the
initiations that he has to offer requires sincerity of motive and more besides. The false Guru may perhaps accept such a student for personal reasons--for fame, name, glory or wealth. The true Guru, however, never consider these things as criteria for accepting students, although he may work in  strange ways that sometimes seem amoral or irrational in order to test candidates. An occult axiom
states that, "When the student is ready, the master appears." The advise here is to make oneself ready through proper preparation and not sit and wait and twiddle one's thumbs. The master in this axiom may refer to a spiritual being, one's personal spiritual guide or guardian, or even to a metaphysical school.

It should be known that the metaphysical path is a strenuous one requiring every minute of the day. One does not engage in metaphysics at certain spare moments available. One must make time for the study and practice of metaphysics. Reduce unnecessary socializing and reduce watching TV and movies to a bare minimum; preferable not at all wasting time on them. This may result in some conflict between your friends and relatives as you settle-in to your new metaphysical routine, but
consider this: what is more important, their egoistic and personal gratification and demands or your study of Truth with its eternal worth and its spiritual application in the affairs of men? It is up to you to decide; however, if results are not forthcoming from your practice because of your lack of application, you have no one to blame but yourself. One piece of advice: you may drop-out from metaphysical study but never drop-out from life, for it may be that your real metaphysical teacher and lesson is life itself. Accept whatever life brings and learn from it; otherwise, seek to change it using your God-given creative powers.

The Contemplation of Life and Death
Perhaps one of the things that a novice of metaphysics is told to do at the very outset by a true metaphysical or spiritual teacher is to contemplate the meaning of death and the opportunity that life offers. This dual theme is a healthy, sane, and balanced contemplation that when analyzed individually tends to produce an unhealthy pessimistic or overly hopeful attitude. How does one begin this contemplation? By reflecting on the following: first of all realize that we are all heading toward physical death, This might seem discouraging nevertheless is a true statement that cannot be contradicted. With every second, with every breath that we take we approach closer to our grave. Nature guarantees us nothing in life but our coming demise. This is her promise. We do not know when we will leave the physical body permanently. It may be the next hour, today or tomorrow, but leave it we shall. From these musings questions would arise: "What then is the meaning of life?" What is the purpose of life?" Shall we say as the materialists would say, "let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die"? What sort of a philosophy is that when our query remains unanswered? It would be preferable to say "let us study the purpose and meaning of life for we know not when we will pass away and God's purpose for us here may not be carried-out if we spend our time on frivolous matters." Contemplating further, we will realize one major thing, and that life here is an opportunity. Opportunity for what? An opportunity to grow, to become, and to be.

Heraclitus, the philosopher of ancient Greece said that everything is becoming. This is the Law of Change. From our metaphysical point of view, we understand that he was referring to the Law of Evolution. If we think about it we will realize that we are unable to take anything material with us to the higher worlds when we pass on. We are unable to take along with us our house, our money, our possessions, our titles, etc. What we do take along are things that are immaterial--our knowledge, our memories, our karma, our habits, our character, our spiritual and psychic development, our aspirations and desires. We can see from this that our purpose in this world, in this physical plane is in connection with those immaterial things mentioned above, and if--and metaphysics declare it to be so--evolution
is a law of Nature, a Cosmic law, then our true purpose is to evolve, to improve and to purify those immaterial things. Our greatest opportunity in this world is the correct use of time. Use this gift of God searching for Truth and not wasting it on non-essentials.

Perhaps after being a little pessimistic about reflecting death just awhile ago we may now be cheerful and be optimistic about life and to carry-out the main purpose of physical existence instead of wasting our precious time, energy and resources on immoderate and excessive entertainment: too much watching TV, too much sex, the taking of drugs, and indulgence in other material devices invented and designed by the Dark forces to sidetrack and make us forget our divine heritage, purpose of being and our mission here on Earth. This is the nature of evil: it diverts us from
experiencing our true soul-purpose and need. Anything that distracts us from improving our soul nature, our character, our morals, or acquiring metaphysical knowledge of Cosmic laws and truths, is to be considered as an evil mechanism and an intruder to our microcosmic system. These evil intruders sometimes work in such a subtle manner at times that even disciples of metaphysics are sometimes caught off-guard.

The Pure Life
A metaphysical life entails living a life of purity. Even before approaching a Master for
apprenticeship, a pure, spiritual, constructive life should be lived as best as one is able to. The degree of purity within us can be seen and felt by the Spiritual Masters and Adepts of metaphysics and the occult. They know our spiritual state and status by the colors and the luminosity of our aura, by our facial expression, by the quality of the emanations of our eyes, and by the way we think, speak and act.
By the above we do not imply that one has to be a saint in order to be a worthy student of the occult or metaphysics. What we are saying is that purity is a necessary quality to possess and to develop when one becomes a serious student of the occult. It is an indispensable quality for it prepares our psycho-biological system, our nervous systems to withstand intense energies that we invoke from the
higher worlds through our occult and metaphysical studies. We often hear of people going insane because of their involvement with the occult or metaphysics. This is because of their lack of purity. Their nervous systems were not able to sustain the spiritual vibrations coursing through them. When this occurs, as mentioned before, the nervous system ruptures, certain brain cells and nerve centers are destroyed, and the etheric webs protecting the student from overexposure to impressions of higher frequencies coming from the other dimensions, are shattered. One is then unable to shift focus from one reality to another but is opened to both. This causes too much strain. Insanity is the sad result. Spiritual energy invoked through mystical practices also evokes the undesirable elements lying within us. If these elements are not cleared by a process of purification, they would cause us trouble. This is not to say that metaphysics or the occult is an unsafe study. There is danger in  everything. One simply needs the right information and common sense, and take precautionary measures when delving into any study, especially metaphysics and the occult.

Purification is a multi-level process. It should occur on all levels of the microcosm. For instance, our physical body, our blood-stream, our energy-structures, our emotions, our minds, our aura, and chakras, all need to undergo purification. The Path of Purification is a basic step in any system of occult, metaphysical, and spiritual study. To neglect this essential step is to open-up ourselves to spiritual dangers. Any Guru neglecting the Path of Purification in his or her metaphysical system is a false teacher working against the evolutionary tide and spiritual current. It is not beyond the means of any average person to become pure and holy. The difficulty is that people do not see purity or holiness for what it is. They have many erroneous concepts regarding it. For instance, some of us believe that to be holy one has to seclude oneself from society, be celibate, or wear white robes or
even tattered clothing. They believe that to be holy one must dress oneself in some special way or wear a certain hairstyle or do strange things, or act a little mad. These are all fallacies. We should all  strive for holiness by being what we truly are, and not be what we think ourselves to be. In the name of Light, Life and Love, we appeal to all students to be pure and holy.

A Balanced Approach Towards Metaphysics
In metaphysics or in the occult, the student is requested to take a balanced approach. There are three factors that students have to consider:
1) Knowledge of metaphysical laws, principles, and cosmic truths.
2) Unfoldment of spiritual and psychic senses, faculties, and abilities.
3) Acceleration of one's spiritual development, of one's soul evolution.
The pursuit of these three together in a harmonious way is necessary in
developing a well-rounded attainment. When one is over-emphasized and the
others compromised as to their importance, then trouble results for the
metaphysical student. For instance, too much knowledge without spiritual
abilities and a spiritual development results in a poor instrument, one ineffective
in the service of men, and one filled with pride and vanity. Psychic abilities
without knowledge and a degree of spiritual advancement causes similar
symptoms as the above--pride and vanity, together with a poor understanding of
what one registers through the psychic centers. Though one be "spiritual,"
without metaphysical knowledge and understanding one is often deluded and
misled by psychic forces. One falls into the trap of glamour and illusion.
To be spiritually developed without adequate knowledge and psychic ability results in one's ineffectiveness in serving humanity. We can see from this that the problem facing the metaphysical
student is the correct pursuit and development of those three factors simultaneously. The unfoldment of these three factors causes that Divine Spark (Spirit), the Soul-Flame within us to grow in strength and magnitude. This Spark is threefold. There is a will-power aspect (blue), a love-wisdom aspect (pink) and an intelligence-understanding aspect (yellow). This divine flame, metaphysically, has its location within our physical heart and is about 2 cm in size. It is representative of the Higher Soul within the microcosm which is likewise threefold in nature. Esoteric students of Theosophy, for instance, call these components of the threefold Soul, atma, buddhi, and manas.

Too often metaphysical, occult, or so-called spiritual Gurus teach on the basis of a single approach. This does much harm to the student and to society in the long run, or in the very least, it does no lasting good. Advanced teachers, or true Spiritual Masters would synthesize the above three factors. Their approach as a synthesis of those triune factors, would be practical, instructive, and informative. Let us look again at those three factors. What do we mean by occult and metaphysical knowledge?

By such knowledge we mean of the following :
Knowledge concerning, the origin of Spirit-Man; the origin of human beings; the origin of the solar system; civilizations of unrecorded history; the real history of man; man's purpose of being; the progression and the transmission of the ageless teachings throughout the centuries; the origin of religion; the Mystery Schools; the occult anatomy of man; man's latent powers and faculties; the secret teachings and oral tradition of the prophets; the nature and laws governing the higher worlds and man; the application of Cosmic laws; the hidden laws of this three-dimensional world; the principles of counseling and healing; the nature of man, etc.
Now what do we mean by the unfoldment of psychic and spiritual abilities? What are they? Here are just a few: the ability to register spiritual impulses emanating from the Soul, the Spirit, the Spiritual Hierarchy, one's spiritual group, and Master; telepathy; the ability to direct the elements and forces of Nature; spiritual vision; etheric vision; the ability to function consciously in the higher worlds; the
ability to attune with the Divine Cosmic Mind; the ability to know the past, present and future; the ability to heal body, mind and soul; the power to create; etc.
And lastly, what do we mean by spiritual development? We means expanding one's consciousness; opening up the intuitive channels; the transcendence of the false ego; the expression of one's divinity; oneness with Nature, God and one's fellow men; the purification of one's thoughts, words, and actions; the realization and awareness of one's true identity, and the unfoldment of all spiritual virtues
and attitudes such as sacrifice, renunciation, detachment, steadfastness, endurance, strength, self-control, patience, magnanimity, purity, heroism, truthfulness, generosity, compassion, understanding, love, affection, serenity, faithfulness, altruism, tolerance, reason, devotion, adaptability, sincerity,
joy, discernment between the real and the unreal, service, balance, beauty, harmony, creativity, confidence, perception, reverence, sympathy, punctuality, love, tenderness, gratitude, gentleness, harmlessness, inclusiveness, desirelessness, forgiveness, trust, self-discipline, etc. 

So far we have used the words occult, metaphysics, and spirituality interchangeably. At this time this suits our purpose, but we have to realize that these terms are not synonymous and each have a specific definition of their own. To these terms we may include mysticism, magick, parapsychology, parapsychic science, and esotericism as each having a definite meaning and yet still connected with
metaphysics in general. In the course of one's metaphysical study one would gradually come to realize the fundamental difference. Humility and Fearlessness
So far, we have already dealt at some length with the qualities that the candidate of metaphysical studies has to possess, such as purity and an open mind. Other important qualities are those of humility and fearlessness.

Humility is the quality of acknowledging the greatness of God as expressing throughout Nature. It is the realization that no matter what one attains or what one becomes there is always room for further growth. Thus, one never view oneself as representing a final attainment such as being the smartest kid in school, for one knows that there are still others much more smarter than oneself. There is
always room for improvement. We should not just look down before us, look upwards as well and see that there are others far above us. Reaching one peak allows us to see a higher summit. There is pride in thinking of being wise or in being stupid. There is also pride in thinking of being rich or in being poor. The writer has often heard people lamenting on how poor they are, and they enjoy saying this and proving it. They would take quite a lot of trouble to prove that they are poor and
that none are in as much a need as themselves. This is pride expressing itself, for they fail to see that they possess many of God's precious gifts to them, such as their senses to register impressions, their minds to think, their will to act, and their hands and feet to carry-out their desire; in short, all that is required to manifesting prosperity. Such people are ungrateful beings. In this they show their lack of
humility.

When approaching an Occult Master in an egoistic manner, he would most certainly reprimand us verbally . . . or in silence. Such applicants for the teachings are quickly shown the exit. Demanding to be taught indicates one's unreadiness for occultism and metaphysics. Instead of requesting from the Guru the higher teachings, one should come to realize that one still requires the lower teachings and
disciplines from the many challenges that life has to offer and instruct us. All of these challenges are simply for the purpose of taming the human ego. The ego when unbridled, is an unfit vessel for metaphysical and spiritual teachings. Where the ego strives, there humility dies. Fear is one of the obstacles to metaphysical understanding and awareness. Approaching and advancing on the occult path entails facing many enemies and frightening phenomena, the worst of
these is our own lower self with its many subconscious projections which in occult circles is called the Dweller on the Threshold. If we wish to pursue occult studies, fearlessness is a paramount virtue to possess, for in truth nothing can hurt us unless we give it the power to do so. One of the maxims of the Great White Brotherhood is to know, to dare, to do, and to be silent. Make this maxim a part of
yourself.

In the maxim above the student is advised to be silent. It is disrespectful to the teacher and to the Cosmic to reveal secret and esoteric matters to those unprepared for it. Be ever watchful of your mouth, for as the Master Jesus said: "Do not cast pearls before swines." Silence is a protective quality. It protects the person who keeps silent on sacred matters as well as others who may be inclined to misuse the information. Assume silence when you should be silent and only speak when others are not courageous enough to defend Truth. Silence is golden at the right place and at the right time, and on sacred matters. Students will progress more rapidly should silence be a part of their being. Do not draw attention to yourself. Do not speak of your occult experiences to those unsympathetic to metaphysics, for this would simply provide them with offensive weapons.
In metaphysics too often than not, one may encounter contradictions. These contradictions may just be apparent and not real. Truth is like a cut diamond with its many facets. Keep in mind that what is relatively true is synonymous to being relatively false. However, in cases of contradictions, adopt that which seems more logical to you.

This is an important article and the student is advised to consider it wisely. It is hoped that the student be sincere and apply these teachings that he or she may acquire the virtues that we have referred to. In the days of Atlantis, men misused and abused occult and metaphysical teachings. This was one of the direct reasons why the continent submerged and leaving very few traces as to its geographical
location, its place in the memory of men, or in our history books. Many civilizations ended drastically because of the misuse and exploitation of knowledge for selfish ends. People mistakenly believe that the ends justify the means. This is false. The means determines the end. Let us not repeat our ancient mistakes, as it interrupts the evolutionary process and cause the holy ones to weep.

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What is metaphysics, and why should we bother studying it? What benefits does it have for humanity? What is its purpose? How will its teachings help advance society? How will it assist our civilization and culture to progress? How will our lives be re-created individually and collectively with the application of metaphysical principles?

Questions abound concerning metaphysics, for people intuitively feel that it may have something precious to offer in terms of facilitating personal growth and self-empowerment. Among those spiritually inclined, it has become a "prime directive" to understanding their lives in terms of metaphysical principles and concepts such as multi-dimensional realities, the Higher Self, love, karma, reincarnation, etheric
energies, psychicism, oneness with all, cosmic beings, the ascension, etc., and some of the causes of this higher thinking and awareness is the thinning of the cosmic veil between dimensions; the increased contact with invisible forces; the influence of intense electromagnetic cosmic energies bombarding upon our planet and solar system at this time; the influx of higher spiritual beings incarnating in the physical realm; the discoveries of many ancient secrets left hidden in monumental structures and time capsules; scientific developments in hyper-space technologies,
and shifts in its paradigms, etc. All of these are occurring on a global  scale, in every nation of this planet, and it is affecting every human being. So it would seem that  humanity is awakening from its long sleep of forgetfulness and ignorance.

The Tree of Life of immortality, enlightenment, and illumination will be found hidden in the seeds of the Tree of metaphysical knowledge--using the word "metaphysics" in its most spiritual, Gnostic sense.

For thousands of years we have sought for truth, and most of the time from  the wrong persons and in the wrong places--what we received were man-made opinions and beliefs which were forced upon our minds to be accepted as the "word of God," or the way that Nature had decreed, and that there is nothing that anyone can do to change it. While in our infancy, physically and spiritually speaking, we accepted everything told to us by organized religion, elders, and
pedagogues as gospel and truth and we based our philosophy of life on the indoctrination imposed upon us and which subsequently formed our false sense of "conscience," and a poor understanding of spiritual values. This caused us great soulful sufferings and torment in succeeding years in our everyday life--an intense sense of shame, guilt, fear, and sin whenever we "violated" any so-called law of God formulated by theology; and it never occurred to us to
question the systems, the mechanisms, and their origins that brought about our morbid condition. This naturally lowered our self-esteem. Conscience is not similar to the concept of the "still, small voice." The latter is the silent voice of the Spirit, whereas conscience in part, is simply the engrams or programs imprinted upon the subconscious mind. Conscience is also partially our memory of the negative consequences of our past actions impinging upon our conscious mind
whenever we are about to act in a negative way resembling that of the past.

But to return from our digression: in past centuries we were told lies by false prophets and the ministers of religions that mediators between God and men were necessary; that theirs was the only way to God; that their race or sect were the chosen one of God; that everything that God would reveal to humanity lies in a single book; that God punishes us for sinning and perhaps in the afterlife casts us into hell; that illness, old-age, and death were a natural part of life; that one no longer receives any new revelation from God, etc. We were told to fear God, to see
everything as separated from us, to believe that we were born in sin, that  the sexual act is shameful, that we were simply mortals subjected to the whims of God for the determination of our fate, that we were inherently bad--and even more--that the world was flat! While at the same time heinous crimes against the Holy Human Spirit were being committed by those very same representatives of religions such as the crimes of persecution, torture, and murder of innocent human beings who simply were more spiritually and psychically inclined or conceived the universe from a different viewpoint--and all these atrocious acts were carried-out in the name of
Religion, Love and God. The Crusades and the Inquisition are dark chapters in the history of man.

One of the points that we wish to put forth here is that since time began  the dark, retrogressive forces have infiltrated or have tried infiltrating every institution that have sought to improve the condition of the soul, and the expression of the human spirit in our mundane lives. They have always opposed and attacked the true representatives of God and steered seekers of truth away from them. Their purpose is to stall human evolution and progression indefinitely, that human beings cringe and cower under their manipulative control, that humans be made into slaves and
automatons answering to their every whim. They work openly and subtly, physically and psychically. They make us believe that we need them--their services and wares--and we are psychologically controlled to be dependent upon them and return to them again and again for their assistance--usually for a large fee or with some loss on our part.

We will not be too specific here, we simply caution our readers to "be wary, be very, very wary!"

Treading the spiritual metaphysical path will assist one to be more discerning as to the understanding of what is True and what is false, what is Real and what is illusory. Generally speaking, a portion of humanity is now more experienced in the ways of men and the world than in bygone days, and they seek for that which will release them from all their mortal limitations and errors, from that Gorgon we  call "the human ego," from concepts that bind one to personal illusions and glamour, and from that state of human mortality.

Many of us are beginning to realize the existence of different dimensions and multifold realities. We seek ways for improving the human condition, for perfecting human expression, and the generation of a new type of Homo sapiens whose intelligence and heart matches those of the immortal gods. Human beings are basically seekers. Some of us thirst for that which we know not what. The
"curiosity instinct" impels every one of us to learn everything we can of  our environment, of ourselves, of the universe, of Nature, and of God. What fascinates and intrigues us most are the phenomena caused by forces and powers that transcends the perceptual capacity of the physical senses and the apprehension of the human mind. Humanity is intensely interested in the Intelligence that shapes human destiny--whether this "Intelligence" be considered as a being, a force, a Universal Mind, an omnipresent energy, or a collective consciousness. People are
seeking explanations to their "inexplicable" experiences in the field of  psychicism and the paranormal. Such occurrences as coincidences or "synchronicity" also baffles the mind as it begs for enlightenment. Those of elderly years wonder what lies for them in the "after-life," as the youthful ones wonder of their place in this world. A questioning being is a thinking being and it denotes, whether consciously realized or not, as a desire to seek, to know, and to be aware of Truth. The curiosity instinct mentioned above could well be the primitive stirrings of the divine will of the highest aspect of Man seeking to be aware of Its essential nature. The teachings of the Ageless Wisdom as taught in metaphysical, esoteric, occult and arcane schools are filled with principles that would help us understand ourselves and our  omniverse.

Humanity as a whole, is jaded and sickened by the constant wars and conflicts; with the materialistic and hedonistic life that do not offer any permanent peace and happiness or solutions to the various problems facing us as we approach a new millenium with its tremendous supernal and mundane challenges. Many seek for a more profound meaning in life, for they see through their mundane activities as a brittle illusory facade presenting itself as reality. We often ask "why am I here?" "why do I exist?" "where will I go from here?" Our present systems of religion, philosophy, and science offer no real solution, consolation, solace or comfort to our hearts and
soul-search, instead they tend to mislead, confine, and circumscribe the soul and mind to a certain area of life; to a limited way of living and thinking; to a sense of separatism; to a dualistic judgmental attitude; to a sense of fear and helplessness; and to a state of external dependency-it especially confines man to a mortal sense of existence--and we say this not from a sense of judgment but from an  observational standpoint. Conversely, metaphysics as a repository of "New-Age" concepts, the Ageless Wisdom, divine energies, power-centers, and angelic and cosmic support, seek to liberate us from self-imposed limitations as it offers answers to questions that troubles the human soul. The soul loves freedom
for freedom is ingrained in the soul. God gave man the liberty to choose,  and this privilege should not be taken away from man by any being for it is a violation of the natural order of things. Freedom may be considered as an instinct for it is to be found in animals as well. No creature enjoys being confined in a cage. Every creature love to be free and to express the genetic joy programmed in its DNA. Nature has granted all creatures their freedom of expression but some
of us would impose our will upon Divine Will by creating cages of man-made laws and regulations that do not reflect the laws of Heaven. Man-made laws may easily be manipulated by the unscrupulous for their own heinous purposes. Crimes may be committed that are "lawful," that goes undisciplined in our courts of judgment. In the laws of our society, the innocents are often made to pay for the crimes of another. Where is the love (religion), and rationality (science), and justice (philosophy) in that?

We are writing intuitively here and our statements may be interpreted and applied in various ways. In fact, statements in our literary works may seem to lack any logical structure or sequence. They may appear to be non sequitur. Logic may appeal to the thinking mind, however it is more than conceptual reasoning that we have to develop. There are higher faculties of the soul that should be cultivated and made used of, such as intuition. The cliché "reading between the lines" may seem irrational to the scientific type and yet it is this particular mode of perception that has to be practiced as a spiritual stimulus to the Soul. There are many scholarly definitions of metaphysics and they are all valid; however, for our purpose, without explaining metaphysics in an overly-academic way, let us say that metaphysics
in its more modern connotation, deals with cosmic laws and principles, with unseen forces and powers influencing ourselves and the circumstances and conditions of our daily lives, and how we may take advantage of those laws and principles by re-directing them so as to improve our holistic lives for the better. Metaphysics teaches us how to harness and apply the cosmic power lying latent within us. In its most profound spiritual aspect metaphysics teaches us the nature of
Reality and how we and Nature relate to it. Metaphysics instructs us how to harmonize ourselves with the Divine Plan of God, and it reveals the true purpose of life.

Metaphysics, therefore, has a dual function: it helps us to improve our lives secularly now in this physical dimension, and it also prepares us for a glorious life in the higher cosmic realms. Actually, as seen from a spiritual perspective, life has no divisions: life is one, as it is continuous. There is no death only a constant change.

The application of certain metaphysical principles assists the acceleration of one's evolution and the quantum leap to a higher level of intelligence and spiritual awareness. We emphasize the word "application," for knowledge of principles or techniques alone is of no value. Knowledge of itself is not power, it is the application of knowledge that empowers one. Spiritually, it is not what we know or the psychic powers that we possess that counts, it is what we are. We know
many people possessing a little knowledge or power feel themselves highly superior to their fellow men. This is arrogance and carries the seeds of peril. The saying that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" is literally and evidently true; we can well understand how insufficient knowledge and a disregard for life may result in catastrophes. It was the cause of destruction of previous high-tech civilizations, historically unrecorded, as it is the cause of our present social, political, and ecological unrest.

To understand the above concept of incomplete knowledge, consider for instance the knowledge that we have to construct nuclear weapons--how much do we really know of the impact that it will have upon us and the universe should we choose to detonate one? We may presently believe that the effects of a nuclear blast be localized causing the exploded area to be radioactive for centuries to come. This is an obvious effect, but what about the not-so-obvious rippling, chain- reaction that it would cause in the physical and not-physical universes to the very end of our
galaxy? Basically, arrogance is an inferior attitude masking as superiority.  Inferiority or superiority complexes are both egoic expressions. The human ego often wishes the Self to appear what it is not. Even if we knew a lot, if we have read a thousand books, studied under countless Gurus, have permanent contact with a Cosmic Master, experienced a 1001 delights and terrors, meditate constantly, possess the world, or are powerful in some psychic way, it still does not give us a reason to egoically compare others with ourselves, or to judge them--by seeing others as inferior to us, by labeling them as bad, low, and vile. Many so-called spiritual teachers still do this. They criticize and condemn others without realizing that, spiritually speaking, there is no separation between others and themselves. What we see in others also lies below the conscious threshold within ourselves; what we do to others, we also do to ourselves, what we think of others, we also think of ourselves. What another is doing in the present we may well have done so ourselves in the past or perhaps will do so in the future. There is no need for judgment but a lot of need of mercy, understanding, and tolerance. Essentially, a spiritual being will not indulge in the judgment of dualistic concepts and the relativistic opposites such as good and bad, right and wrong, rich and poor, strong and weak, etc. These things are reconciled or transcended by the mage. St. Paul once said that if we owned the world and all powers and gifts of the spirit but lack
love we were nothing. This is felt by all true spiritual teachers and practitioners.
Metaphysics should not be confused with the paranormal nor with parapsychology. The paranormal and parapsychology are simply aspects of metaphysics--using the term in its broadest sense..In regards to metaphysical experiences we should keep in mind that metaphysics encompasses the two basic divisions of psychicism and mysticism, thaumaturgy and theurgy. Experiences in both fields may be  considered "metaphysical," however, a psychic experience is dissimilar to a
mystical one, and vice versa. One relates to the perception of events occurring in the lower planes or dimensions, the other to spiritual Self-awareness and the expansion of the consciousness encompassing the Whole.

As can be understood from the above, metaphysics has a transcendent value. It caters to both the physical and spiritual aspects of man. Metaphysics begins where traditional psychology leaves off, it goes where dogmatic religion is afraid to go, it extents further than mainstream science is able to reach with its laboratory equipment--although we must admit that many technological advances have been made in this direction, most of which have not yet been made available to
the general public for reasons of censure. The release of such technology would dethrone the powers that seek to enslave the world and the Dark forces are trying very hard to prevent humanity from being empowered.

One of the misconceptions regarding metaphysics is that it is unscientific and based upon superstitious ideas. This is not in our experience. Metaphysics is scientific, rational, empirical and pragmatic, or it could indeed well e "superstitious" depending on one's attitude, beliefs, and manner of approach, or how one would like it to be. This might seem as a paradox and yet it may be reconciled. We liberate our minds or impose limitations upon it by our beliefs and attitudes, and by those limitations we circumscribe our mental and spiritual growth.

Our beliefs and attitudes form our basic interpretation of Reality. If a thing is of value, because of prejudice we will not see it. We will see what we want to see, and refuse to see what we refuse to see. Metaphysics may be approached in various ways. If one has a background in mathematics, one's approach would be mathematical. If one has a psychological background one would naturally approach it from a psychological standpoint. And if one simply believes or disbelieves in
metaphysical principles then the result would be in accordance to that  mental condition. For instance, if we disbelieve that man may go to the moon we would not exert effort to putting him there. If we believe that we are doomed to failure we would never motivate ourselves to work for success. This concept relates to how we form our own personal experiences in life, our own personal reality. Intrinsically, however, personal opinions do not affect the natural laws operating in our universe. We may discount the reality of gravity, for instance, and yet the law still functions in our everyday experience. The same goes with the other natural laws like karma and
reincarnation. Belief or disbelief in them will not affect their existence and operation. Just because these laws are not mentioned by prophets and written about in Holy Scriptures do not nullify their activity. Come to think of it, many scientific natural laws are not mentioned in Holy Writ, does this prove their non-existence?

Though certain aspects of metaphysics may be considered to be speculative, as it deals with the Ultimate Reality, the First Cause, creation, and ontology or the nature of being--what interests us is the application of its principles and direction of Cosmic laws in everyday life. The worth of a science lies in its value, relevancy, and applicability in everyday living. If it is inefficient in aiding humanity to create abundance, peace, health, etc., then it is impractical and worthless. Some people have this kind of misconception concerning metaphysics, they believe that
metaphysics is impractical, too abstract, or that it violates natural law  and hence, religion; however, the opposite is true. Metaphysics and its principles work in  harmony with Cosmic laws and is extremely practical. Applied Metaphysics, as differentiated from Speculative Metaphysics, is wholly practical and essential to daily life. It empowers us with the tools and knowledge necessary to achieve a successful and fulfilled life. Though the art and science of metaphysics is still in its infancy compared to what lies ahead, there is enough teachings, techniques and systems to assist us live a fruitful, productive and creative life in accord with the Divine Will. The more we know and understand, the more wisdom we possess, the more motivated, focused and confident we are--the more chances we have of fulfilling our mission in life.

There is an on-going electromagnetic regeneration occurring in our solar system in our present "time-period." The present interaction and interfacing of energy fields in the part of our galaxy that our solar system is entering are causing the transformation of worlds and all beings connected to them in an evolutionary manner. Electromagnetic energies radiating from power centers in multi-dimensional universes are affecting and transforming everything in its path or
field of influence. These energies induce and impel all beings to rise in  their awareness level. They stimulate Man and Nature to form a new relationship based on trust and healthy cooperation. St Francis of Assisi was a pioneer and a model for us in this regard. This friar considered all beings--trees and animals, included--as his brothers and sisters. The transformations that are currently occurring politically and socially in the world are just a few of the physical effects of the cosmic bombardment of these energy rays. Changes will occur at every level lifting humanity to a new state of being, to a higher level of divine expression. The
transmutational process currently operating is represented by the Water Bearer-the sign of Aquarius, and the Aquarian Age. The water flowing from the vessel represents the energies flowing from the Mental, Buddhic and Atmic realms. These are just some of the higher dimensions operating above the personality level. Collectively, these three dimensions are represented by the pail held by the Water Bearer from whence these energies flow, and the Water Bearer as the Higher Christ Self within each individual.

The New Age or the Aquarian Age can be interpreted as the "second-coming" of Christ, for His sign (Aquarius) shall appear or is appearing in the sky in an astronomical sense; he "appears" in the clouds or energies of the New Age, and every eye shall "see" him—that is, feel his influence. How can we appreciate the value of metaphysics? It takes careful study and analysis with a non-prejudicial mind before a true evaluation can be made of any science or thing. Metaphysics is of
no exception. The problem is that too many people have preconceived the nature of metaphysics without having investigated the matter. Some consider it as the science of Lucifer or other such nonsense. All knowledge is essentially neutral in nature. Nothing is good or bad in itself. We attribute a thing as good or bad, right or wrong from the standpoint of our own moral standards or preference and this is constantly changing in consonance with the level of our spiritual awareness.
Metaphysical teachings help us in various ways. It teaches us the  existence of the many Cosmic laws operating in the universe and how these laws function in the world of beings. If understanding just a simple Cosmic law like karma helps one to correct misconceptions and alleviate our struggles, and relieve certain  psychological pain, can you imagine how the awareness and understanding of a dozen Cosmic laws would help improve the quality and value of one's life? It should be realized that if a person were to cry out in pain to God for an explanation to all of her problems and excruciating experiences, and that if she were confused and at a loss of knowing how to react or respond to certain situations, then it should be known that there are possible errors in that person's philosophy of life, in that person's understanding of the functions and laws of the universe, and the purpose of life, or of the person's personal mission. Since one's philosophy of life is associated with one's cultural and religious beliefs, then those beliefs should be looked into for possible false notions and dogmatic errors that do not reflect the workings of Nature.

True religion brings joy, bliss, understanding and wisdom to the heart, and is scientifically inclined. If it does not do so, and if it simply causes one to believe a thing without offering personal determination of its truth through experience,  knowledge and  understanding then it may be seen as a diversion from the true spiritual path. We state emphatically here that to be religious is not synonymous to being spiritual. A spiritual person may be religious, but a religious person  is not always spiritual. A spiritual person knows whereas a religious person simply possesses faith, which at times may be expressed blindly in the condition called fanaticism.

In metaphysics we develop power, intelligence and wisdom. Wisdom is a blend of knowledge, understanding, and experience directed by the buddhic principle of love--unconditional love. It is thinking with the heart and feeling with the mind. This distinguishes the higher metaphysical development of spirituality from the lower metaphysical unfoldment of psychicism. In a lower metaphysical development we may solely possess psychic ability or power but no wisdom and understanding to use it. We unfold in an unbalanced way. When power exceeds the wisdom to
apply it, the seeds of self-destruction is inherent and might be the  probable outcome. Advanced metaphysicians have all three aspects of divinity in full development or unfolding in a balanced and harmonious way, these three are: the aspects of love/wisdom, power/will, and intelligence/activity. The more Cosmic laws and truths we apprehend with our souls and apply in our every day lives, the more spiritual, divine, and powerful we become. The more we purify ourselves from all the
dross and toxins in our energy-structures, and the more we liberate ourselves from preconceived human mortal limitations, the more we are able to access divine energies and express our divinity, or our divine attributes. We are able to manifest our Christ Self. The term "Christ Self" should be understood as a component within the microcosm, or Man--both visible and invisible, and as the True Self functioning at a certain consciousness level beyond personality functions and expressions. In metaphysics Christ is not conceived as a historical person but rather understood from a mystical and mythical standpoint. Christ is often apprehended as a state of
awareness of man functioning at a spiritual level. This is real power: the  power derived from one's own spiritual knowing, awareness and being. Most of the so-called powers claimed by some psychics are borrowed from disembodied entities and are basically illusory and impermanent. Such temporal and borrowed powers in the end may seek to control and obsess the person using them. This is one reason that one should be aware of the dangers in psychicism before embarking upon its development. It is always safer to first develop true spirituality and
the taming of the false ego. The injunction is to first seek the kingdom  of God that all things shall be added unto us. In metaphysics we come to learn of many teachings of Cosmic laws and principles that aid us to deal with life, to master our lower self and express all that is divine in us. This is true mastery. The word Master does not mean being able to control Nature or others, it is the ability to effectively work in cooperation with Her and with our fellow man in creating harmony, peace,
and abundance in our world, in our shared reality, in our conjoined dream.  Real Masters are those who have mastered the animalistic and humanistic elements of their being and are now expressing their god-hood. Cosmic or Ascended Masters do not generally consider themselves as Masters for they realize that they themselves are in a state of learning.

Such is their humility.

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Happy paperback book birthday to my YA thriller, THE LAKE HOUSE!!! It's about three girls stranded in the woods in Maine. No food, no water, no shelter, and someone -- or something -- is hunting them. Paperback edition out today from HarperTeen! 

I was so excited when Jamey Stegmaier’s Plans and Ploys  expansion for Tapestry  (published by Stonemaier Games) showed up in the mail. I’d  played a lot of Tapestry games with my social isolation pod (see my review for Tapestry  here) over the summer and I was eager to explore the new Tapestry cards and civilizations promised in the expansion. Beyond these updates, the Plans and Ploys expansion also includes a new game element (Landmark cards), new space tiles, a handy bag for drawing exploration tiles, and landmark place marker tokens which offer an easy way to identify which landmarks have already been claimed just by looking at the central board.

As soon as we unboxed Plans and Ploys, we invited a few of our friends over to give it a go. Our previous social isolation pod had disbanded with the spike in new COVID cases in our state (Iowa: ground zero for the pandemic once the fall semester of school started) and none of the members of our newly formed pod had ever played the base game before. So we weren’t sure whether we should play the base game without the expansion first or if the expansion was straightforward enough to merge into the base game in a way that didn’t prove too complicated for new players to understand. We spent a bit of time going over the base game rules with our friends and then read the rules addendum for the expansion together and decided to jump straight into playing with the expansion. It was a good decision. Everyone got into the flow of the game without any difficulty.

I played the Advisors civilization. This is a new civ from the expansion and I wasn’t sure if I was in love with its special abilities as compared to the other new civs I’d peeked at before we shuffled all the civs and randomly drew for each player.  One point per Tapestry card didn’t seem to amount to much, and at first I didn’t see the power in forcing others to take my Tapestry cards instead of drawing from the deck. But as the game unfolded, I quickly realized that I could use the giveaway power to purge less helpful Tapestry cards from my hand and churn through the Tapestry deck much quicker in search of the really powerful cards. Plus, I could influence my opponents’ behavior by giving them Tapestry cards that would encourage them to favor certain actions over others and then use the knowledge of what they were likely going to do for my benefit. For example, I might give someone a Tapestry card that strongly encouraged military track advancement and then play a Tapestry card myself that allowed me to pick an opponent and a track and copy the opponents movement on that track. Knowing that a specific opponent would likely play heavy on the military track for their next several turns allowed me to be more confident in my bet on that player and that track in conjunction with the track+opponent copy power of my Tapestry card.  Overall, the Advisors are well balanced and constructed civilization, as are all the others from the expansion that I’ve studied closely.

At the beginning of the game, each player was given a Landmark card and building. These are personal goals that allow a player to place a building on their Capital city map once the goal is met. All of the goals are fairly straightforward, but as with other games that feature personal player goals, players have to be careful not to become overly focused on their goal at the expense of general game strategy.

All of the new components packaged with the Plans and Ploys  expansion feature the same artwork style and the same quality of construction as those of the base game. The additions integrate very well in terms of gameplay and strategy too. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Stonemaier revealed Jamey had done a Peter Jackson: Lord of the Rings  move with this game, designing everything all at once and just releasing it in separate parts as the base game and an expansion. I especially appreciated the new landmark tokens that saved me from that grumpy feeling that wells up inside of me when I realize someone else has already taken a track landmark I was eyeing. Now as soon as they claim a landmark from one of the tracks, the landmark token is removed, signaling its unavailability. Nice. 

Our game was really close in score as far as everyone could tell for most of its duration. I wasn’t sure I was going to win, but I was having a hell of good time playing the six, count them, SIX, civilizations I’d managed to acquire in the game due to some crafty manipulation of my technology cards in conjunction with track actions. I felt powerful. Very powerful. 

In the end, my husband Christopher won (but not by much) and I came in second. Our newbie players did pretty well at final scoring, especially considering they’d never played before and were playing against veterans.

I loved everything about this expansion. If you haven’t picked up the base game yet, call/email your local game store to reserve a copy (or order online from Stonemaier) and add Tapestry Plans and Ploys  to your order at the same time. You’ll want them both. And if you already own Tapestry, this expansion is calling your name. There’s still time for you to add it to your Christmas wishlist and if no one gifts it to you, you can give yourself a copy (you deserve it after surviving 2020!) when the new year rolls around.

-------------------------------------------------

Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Players: 1-5 (We played with 4)
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): About 3 hours per game
Game type: tile placement, hand management, dice rolling, area control
Retail Price: $27 direct from the publisher https://store.stonemaiergames.com/collections/tapestry/products/tapestry-plans-ploys

Rating:

Jenni’s rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.

The good folks at Stonemaier Games sent us a review copy of the newest expansion for Tapestry recently. We have the base game and the previous expansion, Plans and Ploys, in our game library. Arts & Architecture is designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Mike Young, with artwork by Andrew Bosley and landmark sculptures by Rom Brown. The expansion adds more of the familiar components: five new civilizations, six new capital city mats, 5 new landmark cards with landmarks, twenty new tapestry cards, and eleven new tech cards. Arts & Architecture also adds completely new features to the game, including an arts track with accompanying landmarks, twenty masterpiece cards, twenty inspiration tiles, and an upgraded science die to include iconography referencing the arts track.

The new arts development track is quite useful and thematically blends well with the overall concept of the game.

It gives you the opportunity to place more of your income buildings, score victory points for tech cards and exploration tiles, acquire masterpiece cards which provide benefits during income turns, and place inspiration tiles on your income mat over existing income tracks to improve the rewards gained during income turns. In the first few games I played (2 player), I concentrated heavily on the arts track, progressing to the end of it easily before game end, all the while also making steady progress on two of the base development tracks.

In the most recent game (4 player), I didn’t use the arts track much at all, which was a huge mistake, landing me in third place while the frontrunners leaned on the arts track significantly. I’ve previously noted in my review of Tapestry (https://www.thatswhatjennisaid.com/2020/07/board-game-review-tapestry.html) and Tapestry Plans and Ploys (https://www.thatswhatjennisaid.com/2020/12/board-game-review-tapestry-plans-and.html) that to win the game, you must diversify and progress on at least two tracks simultaneously, but to be careful trying to do much more than that or you’ll spread yourself too thin. With this expansion, I’ll amend that to note you’re unlikely to win the game unless you focus on the arts track as well as two of the base development tracks, as the arts track is really an enhancer for all the other tracks. It will be interesting to see how development track focus will need to be adapted when Stonemaier releases additional expansions for the game (anticipating a religion track at minimum; every civilization has its religious scholars).

The additions to the tapestry deck include a new ability type - continuous. These abilities begin when played and continue for the duration of the game instead of just the current era. There are also new tapestry cards that allow you to place landmarks on them for scoring as an alternative to placing the landmarks on the capital city (or on the map as some civ powers allow you to do). I did not have a chance to play any of the continuous tapestry cards during my recent games (although they look useful), and I passed over playing any of the landmark tapestry cards I acquired as they did not seem as beneficial as the other tapestry cards I had in my hand.  I don’t think I’m a big fan of any of the cards that let you place landmarks on the for points (including the new tech cards with this feature); I prefer to prioritize my city map for landmark placement first. Maybe I’m just doing it wrong, but I haven’t made use of my landmark cards at all, even in the games where I won by a large margin. They seem to be an entirely optional aspect of the game and not necessary for a win.

One more change with the Arts & Architecture expansion is another refinement of the civilization adjustments first introduced in the Plans and Ploys expansion. This fine tuning of civilization powers comes as a result of extensive real-world player testing and aims to rebalance the game for greater fairness. I think it might need further refinements because my husband Chris played the Architects civilization in our last game and the adjustment afforded him 30 VPs at the start of the game as some sort of handicap to balance out perceived weakness, but his city mat was so perfectly attuned to his civilization (the mesa) that he won in a landslide (80 points above the second place player).

Overall, I think that the Arts & Architecture expansion is a great addition to the Tapestry portfolio. It adds more variety, layers in additional ways to strategize and score, and provides some new opportunities for player interaction on the map, without causing any additional complexity. While it’s not a must have for the base game, it’s certainly a nice-to-have addition that I’m happy to recommend.

Beyond the details of the new expansion, I did want to take this opportunity to mention that with repeated plays of the base game as well as across the expansions, I’ve noticed that 4 player games are much more competitive than two player games (at least in our household). There isn’t a single time Chris and I have played the game by ourselves that I haven’t walloped him by 100+ points, yet when we play at 4 players, he has won twice or been neck in neck with the winner, whereas my scores are significantly lower. That’s got to be tied to the dynamics of how this game plays at higher player counts because it doesn’t make any sense that all on my own I could go from being a genius at 2 player to just average at 4 player.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Players: 1-5 (We played with 2 and 4)
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): About 3 hours per game
Game type: tile placement, hand management, dice rolling, area control
Retail Price: $45 direct from the publisher https://store.stonemaiergames.com/products/tapestry-arts-architecture

Rating:

Jenni’s rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.

1) Order the fish in a restaurant on a Monday. It'll be three days old. 

2) Base-jumping. He just doesn't see the appeal.

3) Cheat on his wife. Sandra is his world. 

4) Open a new battlefront without adequately securing supply lines first. This one probably won't come up. But still, he'd never do it. Look at Napoleon. 

5) That. He'll do anything for love. But. 

Edit: For some reason, a lot of people seem to be complaining that none of these have anything to do with dishwashers. Why should they? Our dishwasher expert knows a lot about dishwashers, sure, but they're not his whole life. Get some perspective, people.

Wildfire [UK/Ireland, Cathy Brady, 3.5] After going missing for a year, a bipolar woman (Nika McGuigan) drops in on her sister (Nora-Jane Noone), opening the wounds of shared tragedy. Raw, unsubtle family drama against the backdrop of Northern Irish politics as Brexit threatens a fragile peace.

The film is dedicated to the memory of lead actor McGuigan, who died of cancer last year.

40 Years a Prisoner [US, Tommy Oliver, 4] Documentary recounts the 1978 standoff between members of radical Black back-to-nature organization MOVE and Philadelphia police through the efforts of the son of two of the group members to secure their parole. A strong emotional hook greatly assists in telling a tenaciously complicated story.

I would like to have seen more on the genesis of the group and the first stages of their conflict with the mayor and police. So much needs to be unwound in the 1978 standoff that the even more astonishing story of a 1985 confrontation, which resulted in Philadelphia authorities dropping a satchel bomb from a helicopter, killing 11 and burning down 65 houses, goes unmentioned here. Another doc I haven’t seen, Let the Fire Burn, focuses on that part of the story.

True Mothers [Japan, Naomi Kawase, 4.5] Parents of a kindergartner react with dismay when a woman contacts them claiming to be his birth mother. Luminous, delicate drama of shifting perspectives.

Limbo [UK, Ben Sharrock, 4] Syrian oud player grapples with guilt over family left behind as he cools his heels with other refugee claimants at a center in the bleak and isolated Outer Hebrides. Moments of deadpan humor and stark landscapes layer this exploration of displacement.

The final day of TIFF 2020 has come and gone and below are my final capsule reviews. I’ll post a full capsule roundup on Monday.

Fauna [Mexico/Canada, Nicolás Pereda, 3.5] Narratives nest within narratives when an actor visits his girlfriend’s family in a sleepy small town. Comic misunderstandings, naturalistic locations and twisting meta-story may remind seasoned festival-goers of the works of Hong Sang-soo, with Coronas instead of soju.

Preparations to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time [Hungary, Lili Horvát, 4] Top neurologist questions the accuracy of her recollections when she moves back home from the US to Budapest for a romantic rendezvous, only to find that the object of her affections professes not to remember her. Quietly suspenseful drama of psychological uncertainty.

The Truffle Hunters [Italy, Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw, 4] An aging generation of Piedmontese truffle hunters carries on the search for the elusive delicacy, fearing the poison bait left for their beloved dogs by ruthless newcomers to the trade. A documentary balm for lovers of food and canines luxuriates in the presence of sumptuously photographed forest eccentrics and their very, very good dogs.

Bandar Band [Iran/Germany, Manijeh Hekmat, 3] A pregnant singer, her husband and their guitarist try to get their van through a floodstruck region to attend a contest gig in Tehran. Neorealist drama where the obstacles in the characters’ path are literal.

The Water Man [US, David Oyelowo, 3.5] Imaginative kid (Lonnie Chavis) heads into the Northwestern forest in search of a legendary immortal, thinking he holds the secret to curing his mom (Rosario Dawson) of leukemia. One of the more successful of a recent wave of films that put a somber sin on 80s kids adventure, thanks to a well-constructed script and Oyelowo’s sure control of tone.

Among the differences of this digital-only fest was that it removed the flexibility to choose between multiple screening dates. In a regular year I program the last days and work backward to end on some combination of stronger and/or lighter selections. Here programmers assigned a 24 hour window for each film. These last movies weren’t what I would have picked as closers in ordinary times. To compensate for this Valerie and I are running a day of fake TIFF programming to simulate the funner final Sunday we usually shoot for. They consist of one film that played at TIFF 2019 and three others from previously-appearing directors. Play along at home by streaming The Vast of Night, The Forest of Love*, Mr. & Mrs. Adelman, and Ace Attorney.

*Update: Turns out this one is ultra-disturbing and in no way fun or light. Going into something with mistaken tonal expectations—just like the real TIFF!

COVID has put the kibosh on much this year, but it can’t stop the capsule TIFF reviews. From the plague-ready, off-model edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, here’s my annual collection of mini-reviews.

The greatly cut-down slate included only slivers of the festival I’d program for myself in a regular year: four to five from international auteurs and a couple examples of global genre cinema. The missing items either are waiting in limbo as sales agents the world over hope that theatrical exhibition will return, or didn’t even get shot.

This list features more Canadian films and documentaries than I’d see at the fest (as opposed to catching them later.) Festivals tend toward the dour and downbeat but that was doubly true this time out. If we’re still trapped in our homes next year, I’ll likely be more vigilant about sorting through the slim pickings, supplementing our streaming experience with titles already available on other platforms.

That said, the overall hit rate was probably as strong as any other recent year. The average score on my numerical ratings would be higher, actually. It’s just that I saw the same festival everyone else did, starting with the film that garnered nearly universal acclaim, nabbed the People’s Choice Award, and will surely be part of the Oscars race—whatever the heck that will look like.

Films are listed in order of preference. Within categories that doesn’t mean much and entails a lot of apples-to-oranges comparisons. A festival near you, or not so near you but within your territory for geolocking purposes, may be virtually screening some of these soon.

The Pinnacle

Nomadland [US, Chloé Zhao, 5] When her town closes down in the wake of its gypsum mine’s closure, a self-reliant widow (Frances McDormand) moves into her van and joins the ranks of the nomad subculture, people who rove the US, taking whatever hard work they can get and living out of their vehicles. Rooted in social realist cinema, marked by a triad of transcendent qualities: poetic visual beauty, an indelible central performance and a deep love for the characters from the writer/director.

Recommended

Another Round [Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg, 4.5] Burned out high school teacher (Mads Mikkelsen) embarks with three colleagues on an experiment to enhance their performance by maintaining a blood alcohol level of 0.5% throughout their days at work. Not only an original booze movie, but a big one, full of turns and ambiguities, and an utterly masterful performance from Mikkelsen.

City Hall [US, Frederick Wiseman, 4] The latest of Wiseman’s distinctive epic-length observational documentaries studies the quotidian, procedural and human moments of human life as seen through the processes of municipal government in Boston, as held together by the thoughtful charisma of Mayor Martin Walsh. Improbably absorbing as always, this institutional cross-section offers a beguiling vision of an oasis of good government in the USA.

True Mothers [Japan, Naomi Kawase, 4.5] Parents of a kindergartner react with dismay when a woman contacts them claiming to be his birth mother. Luminous, delicate drama of shifting perspectives.

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds [US, Werner Herzog & Clive Oppenheimer] Documentary explores the science and mythology of meteor, from Chicxulub to ʻOumuamua. The intersection between scientific discovery and religious awe, central to all of Herzog’s beautiful and delightful nature docs, rises from subtext to text through the intercession of traditional elders, joyful researchers, and the Jesuit scholar of the Vatican’s heaven stone collection.

David Byrne’s American Utopia [US, Spike Lee, 4] Filmed version of the Broadway version of David Byrne’s recent tour features joyous choreography, simple but arresting stagecraft, and songs from his Talking Heads and solo eras. When you shoot a concert film featuring David Byrne, you have to bring it, and Lee does that ably, finding countlesss different ways to shoot within a proscenium.

The Father [UK, Florian Zeller, 4] Retired engineer (Anthony Hopkins) struggles to piece together the confusing reality of his living circumstances as his daughter (Olivia Colman) copes with his progressing dementia. Impeccably performed stage play adaptation puts the viewer inside the contradictory shifts of the protagonist’s subjective viewpoint.

Night of the Kings [Côte d'Ivoire/France , Philippe Lacôte, 4] When the red moon rises over MACA, the Ivory Coast’s toughest prison, its inmate boss appoints the new arrival as storyteller—a post that results in death if the tale ends before sundown. Prison drama with compelling narrative hook widens out to encompass ancient warfare, contemporary politics, and even a wizard duel.

Summer of 85 [France, Francois Ozon, 4] Love between two young men in a French beach town leads to a bizarre crime. Teen emotions run high in a sunlit melodrama of Eros and Thanatos.

Spring Blossom [France, Suzanne Lindon, 4] Bored with her classmates, an awkward 16 year old (played by the writer-director) pursues her attraction for a ruggedly handsome stage actor (Arnaud Valois.) Character drama sets aside the sexual aspect of this staple French cinema situation to focus on the emotion, periodically breaking from naturalism to have its characters express their feelings through dance.

Get the Hell Out [Taiwan, I-Fan Wang, 4] Taiwan’s notoriously pugilistic parliament tips into arterial spray when the effluent of a controversial chemical plant triggers a zombie epidemic. Zombie comedy features an eye-searing palette and an onslaught of optical overlays, and is paced like a quarter kilo of crushed Adderall.

Preparations to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time [Hungary, Lili Horvát, 4] Top neurologist questions the accuracy of her recollections when she moves back home from the US to Budapest for a romantic rendezvous, only to find that the object of her affections professes not to remember her. Quietly suspenseful drama of psychological uncertainty.

Shiva Baby [US, Emma Seligman, 4] The ambient social pressures of a post-funeral gathering skyrocket for a directionless college student (Rachel Sennott) when attendees include not only the expected ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) but also the sex work client she’s caught feelings for. Knife-edge comedy of emotional suffocation uses a plucky suspense score for that extra frisson of social anxiety.

Under the Open Sky [Japan, Miwa Nishikawa, 4] Out of prison after a long sentence, an aging yakuza (Koji Yakusho) struggles with his volcanic temper as he attempts to go straight. Bittersweet drama anchored by a lead performance from Yakusho, a mainstay of contemporary Japanese cinema.

New Order [Mexico, Michel Franco, 4] A wedding thrown by a wealthy family during a growing insurrection suffers a murderous attack by protestors and the kidnapping of the bride. Wildly disturbing vision of political violence and degradation takes its time unreeling its allegorical purpose.

Limbo [UK, Ben Sharrock, 4] Syrian oud player grapples with guilt over family left behind as he cools his heels with other refugee claimants at a center in the bleak and isolated Outer Hebrides. Moments of deadpan humor and stark landscapes layer this exploration of displacement.

Violation [Canada, Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli, 4] Woman (Madeleine Sims-Fewer) exacts meticulous revenge after her brother-in-law rapes her. Although this jarring, meditative drama includes gruesome imagery and horror-exploitation motifs, it’s closer in spirit to Michael Haneke than Dario Argento or Wes Craven.

Shadow in the Cloud [New Zealand, Roseanne Liang, 4] When an WWII RAF Flight Officer (Chloe Grace Moretz) boards a Samoa-bound cargo plane bearing a mysterious package, a monstrous gremlin on board is just one of the surprises. Enclosed space horror-action thriller tips an 80s-style hat to Carpenter and Cameron.

Beans [Canada, Tracey Deer, 4] As the 1990 Oka standoff envelops her Mohawk community, a shy tween achiever (Kiawentiio) decides to toughen up by ingratiating herself to the tough kids. Mixing the docudrama and coming-of-age structures offsets the inherent trickiness of both, but it wouldn’t work without an appealing and touching performance from its charismatic young lead.

Akilla’s Escape [Canada, Charles Officer, 4] Weed dealer hoping to leave the business (Saul Wiliiams) tries to recover his boss’ ripped-off cash and product without sacrificing a young gang member who reminds him of his younger self. Moody, laconic crime drama contextualized by the political history of Jamaican gangsterism.

Enemies of the State [US, Sonia Kennebeck] Documentary pulls apart a labyrinth of contradictory evidence around Matthew DeHart, an Indiana man who was framed for child pornography by the FBI as part of a Wikleaks espionage case, or created a story of secret files to shield himself either cooked up a Wikileaks-related espionage smokescreen to mask his sex crimes. Invites the viewer to join a filmmaking team as it goes ever deeper down a rabbit hole.

The Inconvenient Indian [Canada, Michelle Latimer, 4] Essay-format documentary examines the Indigenous struggle for sovereignty and cultural reclamation in North America, as hosted by novelist Thomas King and inspired by his nonfiction book of the same name. Makes its case through cinematic language, pushing the archival footage and talking heads format to the background.

Beginning [Georgia, Dea Kulumbegashvili, 4] Depressed wife of a pastor bears the brunt of a persecution campaign from a local man hostile to their minority Baptist faith. The camera acts as a pitiless eye in this harsh, austere drama of pervasive male oppression.

The Truffle Hunters [Italy, Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw, 4] An aging generation of Piedmontese truffle hunters carries on the search for the elusive delicacy, fearing the poison bait left for their beloved dogs by ruthless newcomers to the trade. A documentary balm for lovers of food and canines luxuriates in the presence of sumptuously photographed forest eccentrics and their very, very good dogs.

Lift Like a Girl [Egypt, Mayye Zayed, 4] From ages 13 to 18, under the tutelage of a volcanic, motormouth coach, with a rubble-strewn lot on a busy Alexandria street, weightlifter Zebiba trains to be a champion. Fly-on-the-wall documentary inhabits a hardscrabble community powered by loving verbal abuse.

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel [Canada, Joel Bakan & Jennifer Abbott, 4] Polemical documentary deploys narration, stock footage and talking heads (some appearing via lockdown video conference) to survey corporate capitalism and the struggle against it from Reaganomics to COVID and the George Floyd protests. Comprehensive primer for the prospective young progressives includes a call to continued electoral action.

40 Years a Prisoner [US, Tommy Oliver, 4] Documentary recounts the 1978 standoff between members of radical Black back-to-nature organization MOVE and Philadelphia police through the efforts of the son of two of the group members to secure their parole. A strong emotional hook greatly assists in telling a tenaciously complicated story.

Good

Pieces of a Woman [US, Kornél Mundruczó, 3.5] Grief tears a couple (Vanessa KIrby, Shia LaBeouf) apart after the death of their baby in childbirth, abetted by the insistence of her domineering mother (Ellen Burstyn) that they pursue legal action against their midwife (Molly Parker.) Wrenching drama marked by deep performances and key long take scenes. An otherwise masterful script reaches for the conventional when it hits its climax.

Wildfire [UK/Ireland, Cathy Brady, 3.5] After going missing for a year, a bipolar woman (Nika McGuigan) drops in on her sister (Nora-Jane Noone), opening the wounds of shared tragedy. Raw, unsubtle family drama against the backdrop of Northern Irish politics as Brexit threatens a fragile peace.

Fauna [Mexico/Canada, Nicolás Pereda, 3.5] Narratives nest within narratives when an actor visits his girlfriend’s family in a sleepy small town. Comic misunderstandings, naturalistic locations and twisting meta-story may remind seasoned festival-goers of the works of Hong Sang-soo, with Coronas instead of soju.

The Water Man [US, David Oyelowo, 3.5] Imaginative kid (Lonnie Chavis) heads into the Northwestern forest in search of a legendary immortal, thinking he holds the secret to curing his mom (Rosario Dawson) of leukemia. One of the more successful of a recent wave of films that put a somber sin on 80s kids adventure, thanks to a well-constructed script and Oyelowo’s sure control of tone.

The Way I See It [US, Dawn Porter, 3.5] Documentary profile of Obama-era Official White House photographer traces his arc from work for the Reagan administration to anti-Trump social media firebrand. Whether American viewers consider this slickly fashioned film heartfelt or sentimental will depend on party registration. It’s certainly explicitly designed to fire up Ds to get out there to de-elect the current president.

Okay

Bandar Band [Iran/Germany, Manijeh Hekmat, 3] A pregnant singer, her husband and their guitarist try to get their van through a floodstruck region to attend a contest gig in Tehran. Neorealist drama where the obstacles in the characters’ path are literal.

Penguin Bloom [Australia, Glendyn Ivin, 3] A former surfer left paralyzed from the chest down by a freak accident reluctantly bonds with a magpie chick named Penguin, which one of her young sons has rescued. Sun-dappled animal-related family drama about the depression and anger that can accompany a life-changing injury.

Falling [US, Viggo Mortensen, 3] Pathologically forbearing airline pilot (Mortensen) attempts to find a new situation for his lifelong miserable prick of a father (Lance Henriksen) as his dementia worsens. With one character incapable of change and another not needing to change, almost all of the scenes repeat the same dynamic.

Gaza Mon Amor [Palestine/France, Tarzan & Arab Nasser, 3] Middle-aged fisherman discovers a Greek statue and courts a wary dress shop clerk. Deliberately paced dramedy of life under oppression.

Concrete Cowboy [US, Ricky Staub, 3] After yet another expulsion from school, a troubled teen (Caleb McLaughlin) gets dumped for the summer with his father (Idris Elba), who belongs to Philadelphia’s threatened culture of inner city horse owners. A rich social milieu is the star of the show in this affirming drama, which could do with a stronger drive to activate its protagonist.

I Care a Lot [UK, J Blakeson, 3] Corrupt legal guardian (Rosamund Pike) who slaps unsuspecting seniors into care facilities to bleed them dry triggers a cat-and-mouse game when her latest prey (Dianne Wiest) turns out to be the mother of a wealthy gangster (Peter Dinklage.) Engaging thriller— until it betrays the contract it has established with the audience.

Not Recommended

Memory House [Brazil, João Paulo Miranda Maria, 1] Racist harassment from German co-workers drives dairy worker to vengeance. Blunts the political anger of its subject matter with enervating pacing.

In the latest episode of their dark and stormy podcast, Ken and Robin talk Gothic F20, Elon Musk's pig brain implants, and a contactless edition of Ken's Bookshelf.

For years TIFF has been intentionally or otherwise making it incrementally more difficult to do the event diehard style, as we have always done. Often it announces changes that blindside longtime loyalists—sometimes, as this year, after they’ve purchased their expensive memberships and ticket packages. This time around they surprised us by taking a tier of titles that any other year would be available through the package we purchased and moving them into a premium package previously reserved for the most publicized Gala films. For good measure, they threw in a couple of other medium-sized irritants.

To recreate something closer to our usual experience, we programmed another 25 titles already available on streaming platforms. Some actually played TIFF in the past; others were the types of movies that could have played the fest but didn’t.

I’m glad that we did, because the TIFF titles we were allowed to choose from included all of the duds of a normal year and none of the surprise masterpieces. Granted, it was a miracle that any films got made this year, and those that did tended toward the sorts of modest chamber pieces that could be produced under COVID protocol conditions.

This year crystallized a gradually growing realization we’ve been trying to suppress. So much has changed in the world of international cinema, from the festival’s position in their life cycle, to their subsequent availability, and even the style of the movies themselves, has completely changed since we started doing this in the mid 80s.

We have always gone to the fest for great films that we could otherwise never see, and started doing it in the VHS era. We don’t care about seeing things before anyone else does, or seeing the stars wave at us from the stage beforehand, or hearing audience members ask directors rambling questions afterwards. Even the virtues of a big screen experience are blunted by a dirty secret — a packed TIFF venue is not actually an ideal place to see a movie. Talkers and smartphone screens abound in every screening, and the bigger venues they convert into movie theaters for ten days are universally terrible.

You’d think that programming films from existing streaming platforms eliminates the other key part of fest-going, the surprise from out of nowhere. Except we got more of those with our alternate schedule than we did with the official titles this year.

In other words, after 36 years we are retiring from our vacation. Next year we’ll be doing a fully alternate replica of TIFF as we think of it from the past. The old rodeo is dead. Long live the new rodeo.

Here then is my final set of Toronto International Film Festival capsule reviews.

(Capsules for the 2021 Robin and Valerie International Film Festival will drop over time in Ken and Robin Consume Media.)

Recommended

Murina (Croatia, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović) Teen (Gracija Filipovic) chafes at the agitated authority of her command-barking father (Leon Lucev) as he hosts a rich, glamorous old friend (Cliff Curtis) to try to sell him on a resort proposal. Taut, superbly acted family drama set against the stunning yet slightly sinister beauty of the rocky Croatian coastline.

Saloum (Senegal, Jean Luc Herbulot) Three gunslingers—the mastermind, the hard case, and the magic user—take an unscheduled pit stop at an eccentric communal resort, which harbors horrible secrets of both the man-made and supernatural varieties. Gorgeously shot, tightly edited contemporary horror western with political resonance and cool monster design.

Compartment No. 6 (Finland, Juho Kuosmanen) Traveling alone on a trip she was supposed to take with her Muscovite professor girlfriend, a Finnish archaeology student finds herself sharing a compartment on the train to Murmansk with a loutish miner. Naturalistic light romantic drama of human connection overcoming barriers of class and personality.

OUT OF SYNC (Spain, Juanjo Giménez Peña) Isolated sound mixer (Marta Nieto) is unnerved to suffer a strange delay in her hearing, which becomes all the more inexplicable as it worsens. Realist weird tale makes smart use of cinema’s relationship between sight and sound. 

Zalava (Iran, Arsalan Amiri) In pre-Revolutionary Iranian Kurdistan, a pig-headed police sergeant interferes with a djinn exorcism, sparking village hysteria. Tale of communal terror and its hazards generates suspense by skillfully modulating its pace.

Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (Indonesia, Edwin) After meeting cute by beating the crap out of each other at a construction site, two lovers navigate the vicissitudes of fidelity, vengeance, and impotence. A martial arts flick that isn’t an action movie, but rather an allegorical romantic drama with elements of satire and magic realism to go with its bruising 70s style fights.

Hold Your Fire (US, Stefan Forbes) Documentary recreates the 1973 robbery-turned-hostage incident in which a group of young black Sunni men hoped to steal guns from a sporting goods shop to protect themselves from the Nation of Islam, in which the beginnings of hostage negotiation techniques were created and implemented on the fly. Archival footage and compelling retrospective interviews illuminate a complicated narrative with resonances into the present day.

A Banquet (UK, Ruth Paxton) After her husband’s death, a brittle woman (Sienna Guillory) struggles with her eldest daughter’s (Jessica Alexander) visionary transformation, which has taken away her need to eat. Slow burn realist cosmic horror filters eating disorders, emotional control and female rage.

Kicking Blood (Canada, Blaine Thurier) Vampire (Alanna Bale) connects with a detoxing alcoholic, prompting her to reconsider preying on humans. Frosty supernatural indie drama extends the vampire-as-addiction metaphor.

Yuni (Indonesia, Kamila Andini) High schooler with a yen for purple chafes at the narrow expectations her religious school, family and village have for her.  Observational social drama enlivened by a vivid color palette.

Good

The Daughter (Spain, Manuel Martín Cuenca) Teacher at a juvenile detention center helps a pregnant 14-year old escape so she can live secretly with him and his wife at their mountain home and give them the baby when it is born. Ultra-restrained domestic thriller could stand a notch or two less restraint.

Dug Dug (India, Ritwik Pareek)  A local saint cult springs up when a motorbike keeps mysteriously returning to the site of its owner’s death. Gentle satire of faith and religious merchandising shows the sort of color and verve that raises hopes for a fresh wave of Indian art cinema.

Tug of War (Tanzania, Amil Shivji) A callow Marxist subversive falls for an Indian girl who has escaped her arranged marriage in British-controlled 1950s Zanzibar. Political romantic drama adopts the language of classic Hollywood glamor, albeit without the magnetic movie star performances the style depends on. Based on a classic Tanzanian novel.

Okay

Earwig (France, Lucile Hadžihalilović) In a creepy manor, an anxious loner (Paul Hilton) looks after a girl with teeth made of ice, at the behest of mysterious masters. The director’s first English language film pushes her dream narratives of childhood transformation into the far fringes of austerity.

Not Recommended

You Are Not My Mother (Ireland, Kate Dolan) A withdrawn teen’s depressed mother briefly disappears, prefiguring the revelation of a supernatural family secret. Contemporary folk horror with stronger direction than script, with extensive foreshadowing genre fans will be well ahead of and an inactive menace that doesn’t do enough to propel the story.

Snakehead (US, Evan Jackson Leong) Smuggled immigrant (Shuya Chang) works off her debt by acting as the right hand to the matriarch (Jade Wu) of an NYC Chinatown crime family. Socially conscious gangland drama features the bane of longtime documentarians turning their hand to fiction:  awkward, exposition-heavy scripting.

Arthur Rambo (France, Laurent Cantet) Rising literary star (Rabah Nait Oufella) plummets when the hate-filled tweets of his old alter ego resurface. Refined, uncinematic debate film presents thesis, antithesis, and credits.

Medusa (Brazil, Anita Rocha da Silveira) Member of AN ultra-right Christian school’s violent, pallid-masked theocratic girl gang  goes undercover at a coma ward in search of a disfigured model. Overlong, unfocused political allegory references the horror genre, chiefly by adopting Dario Argento’s color palette.

After Blue (Dirty Paradise) (France, Bertrand Mandico) On a psychedelic alien world, a young outcast (Paula Luna) frees the statuesque, wish-granting death-dealer Kate Bush and she must accompany her hairdresser mother (Elina Löwensohn) on a quest to hunt her down. Invokes the spirits of Jodorowsky and Barbarella for a sleepwalk trudge through an arbitrary sequence of dream-logic events. Like its influences it is perhaps intended for a chemically altered audience.

La Soga 2 (US, Manny Perez) Dominican hitman (Perez) has gotten out and is living with a devoted new girlfriend, until a corrupt CIA officer pulls him back in. Scrappy microbudget crime flick is Dominican. 

Show your love for Mother Earth this Earth Day! For the month of April, take 20% off our entire line of World maps. All proceeds from the sale will go to support the Society’s many worldly causes. Use code EARTHLOVE09.

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National Geographic’s Maps Division and Center for Sustainable Destinations teamed up to produce the first NG-developed Online Geotourism MapGuide to support sustainable tourism across the Greater Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

The site, http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org/, which launched on March 31st, is open to anyone to discover and share information about unique features, tours, and businesses that best represent and sustain the natural and cultural character of the region. Visitors can also request a free print MapGuide.

Geotourism is the kind of travel that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Online Geotourism MapGuides are web versions of the print maps that National Geographic has developed for a number of regions around the world, including Crown of the Continent, Baja California, and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom to name a few.

In addition to producing print and/or web maps, these projects bring together diverse representatives from the local communities to collectively define what makes their region special and how best to communicate it to the rest of the world. NG Maps is excited to participate in these projects that help travelers and local communities discover and preserve special places around the world. Anyone interested in developing a Geotourism MapGuide for their region, or simply becoming a “Geotraveler” should visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/.

As college campuses across the country close for summer recess, we know of a few students heading home that are perhaps a little happier because their maps earned awards. National Geographic sponsors several map awards
(see http://natgeomaps.com/mapawards) to reward student innovation—so far six students have won this year:

Ben Coakley, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Scheduled Service on Small Airlines in Canada, Summer 2008.
Daniel Huffman, University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Rising Skyline: The Tallest Buildings in Europe, 1875-2007.

Mathieu Noble, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), King of Coal.




Wes Jones, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens.
Cindy Prostak, Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is "one gift I will definitely keep," President Obama said when he was presented with a National Geographic Society map cabinet at the White House.

Visit the NATGEO NEWS WATCH Blog by News Editor David Braun for the full story: http://tinyurl.com/ncmdqy












Photos courtesy of The White House

Since our inception as a division of the National Geographic Society in 1915, National Geographic Maps (originally the Cartographic Division) has routinely published maps that illustrate the news of the world. Our first supplement map, which appeared in the May 1918 issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, titled the Western Theatre of War, served as a useful reference for overseas military personnel and soldier's families alike. Similarly our February 1967 map of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and recently, our Iraq and the Heart of the Middle East titles filled similar roles.

Maps are an excellent tool for the newshound, providing an accurate sense of place to issues local and abroad. To assist those that are interested in further understanding global news stories through good maps - we're pleased to announce a new monthly feature here on Contours that will highlight maps pertinent to today's news stories.

:: December 2009, Maps of the News ::

Afghanistan and Pakistan. Revised in Fall of 2009, this political map of the region contains thousands of place names, ideal for following news stories and deployed family members. Like all National Geographic cartography, our new Afghanistan and Pakistan map was carefully researched and edited and contains thousands of place names.

Iraq, Iran and the Middle East. This region dominates daily news stories. Our Middle East wall map covers over 18 nations in the region including: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and more.

Philippines. Follow the recent eruption of the Mayon volcano in the Philippines, with our Asia classic and executive style wall maps for the continent.

Vancouver and the Winter Olympics. A detailed city guide, perfect for global travelers attending the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Now Available!

Easy-to-use, feature packed, and containing the world’s best maps, the National Geographic World Atlas enables you to browse, search, and zoom detailed maps of the globe.

Unlike other atlas applications, the National Geographic World Atlas utilizes our highest resolution, “press-ready” images, providing you the same rich detail, accuracy, and artistic beauty found in our award-winning wall maps and bound atlases.

The National Geographic World Atlas contains 7 different levels of National Geographic cartography, plus through our unique partnership with Microsoft, 7 bonus levels of Microsoft Bing maps enabling you to zoom in close enough to see your home! Learn more...

Now available in the iTunes App Store! Click here to buy now...

January has been a big month for global news. From the devastating earthquake in Haiti to the damaging storms throughout the US which brought mudslides to California and snow to Florida.

On a more positive side, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver start in just 16 days, with opening ceremonies taking place on February 12th.

To illustrate these stories and more - here are this month's suggested National Geographic Maps:

Haiti::
West Indies Two-Sided Wall Map:: Has a political map of the Caribbean, including Haiti. For a historical perspective on the region, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC published three different supplement maps in 1913, 1922, and 1947 which specifically detailed the Caribbean region. These maps are available via our NG Map Collection Website - simply search for "caribbean".

US Weather::
National Geographic has a wide variety of US wall maps. Our most popular two titles are our US Clasic and US Executive editions. Both maps come in a variety of sizes and formats including enlarged and laminated. Additionally we started publishing a new series of State specific wall maps last year, and have released 8 States so far, including California.

Winter Olympics::
For those lucky enough to be heading to Vancouver to attend the 2010 Winter Olympics, be sure to carry along our Destination Vancouver city travel map. Updated in 2009, the Vancouver city map contains a detailed and easy to read street map with the locations of points of interest, hotels, public transportation and more.

Check back in a few weeks for our February installment of "Maps of the News". Additionally, we love your questions and comments. If you have a place or news story that you're looking for a map of, feel free to post a comment below, or connect with us on twitter @NatGeoMaps.

For those actively following the World's news, here is our monthly quick reference to National Geographic maps which add perspective to today's news stories.

WORLD

The 8.8 Magnitude earthquake in Chile, has left substantial devastation to the port town on Concepcion and left thousands homeless in the Capital city of Santiago. Our recently updated South America Wall Map contains place names for most major and secondary cities, plus physical features, and major transportation networks.



When I first heard about the Tsunami threat for the Hawaiian Islands, Australia, Japan and the islands of the Pacific on Saturday, I turned to our World Pacific Centered wall map. Unlike the wall map you likely had hanging in your classroom, which was Atlantic Ocean centered, our Pacific Centered edition provides a seamless view of the entire Ocean. This different perspective made it easier to understand the path of the Tsunami waves and helped clarify why places such as the California, Oregon and Washington coasts were under the warning as well.

Beyond the Chilean earthquake, this winter seems especially harsh, and on Sunday, France and four other countries were battered by a deadly storm named "Xynthia". In its wake the storm left 51 dead, millions without power, and generated extensive property damage throughout the region. Winds in excess of 130MPH were recorded over the Pyrenees with 100 MPH gusts along the Atlantic coast. National Geographic has a collection of up-to-date reference maps for most of the countries in Europe including: France, Belgium & The Netherlands, Spain & Portugal, and Germany. Additionally we recently revised our Europe wall map, which is available in several styles.


US

Here on the home front, winter weather continued to make headlines last week with the Northeast receiving another record breaking snowfall. National Geographic publishes a wide variety of United States Wall Maps, varying in style, size, and format that will assist with following nearly any US based news story.

The Tsunami warning for the Hawaiian Islands last Saturday had me turning to one of our most beautiful wall maps, The Hawaiian Islands, which exposes the dramatic terrain of the ocean floor around the island chain.




SPORTS

Now that the Winter Olympics have concluded, it's time to turn our eyes south to Arizona and Florida as MLB Spring Training kicks off today. If you're heading to watch any of the games, we have two useful maps for your glovebox, the Florida State Guide Map and the Arizona State Guide Map. Both maps have up-to-date road networks for the State, plus detailed inset maps for the major cities, like the Spring Training hubs of Tampa, Ft. Myers, Scottsdale and Tucson. While I'm a big fan of GPS for turn-by-turn directions, sometimes its just a little faster to use a real map, and you certainly get a better perspective of what's ahead when on a road trip.



As always - we love to hear your comments, questions and ideas for future posts.

Five new National Geographic maps complete coverage of Washington Cascades

Published: Tuesday, September 07, 2010, 3:15 AM
Terry Richard, The Oregonian
Washington's Cacades are covered.

With the release of five new maps this summer by National Geographic, the rugged mountains of Washington are covered from the British Columbia border to Oregon.

The maps are sold under the Trails Illustrated brand.

New titles this year area Mount St. Helens/Mount Adams, Goat Rocks/Norse Peak/William O. Douglas Wilderness Areas, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Glacier Peak Wilderness and Mount Baker/Boulder River Wilderness Areas.

They go along with several other titles already in print to complete the coverage: North Cascades National Park, Mount Rainier National Park and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

The full-color maps are printed on hefty water-proof, tear resistant paper. National Geographic is one of the best mapmakers in the business, so the maps meet the highest standards.

The maps are topographical, but they cover such a large area that the contour interval is 50 feet. This is a little too big for serious off-trail mountain navigation, but National Geographic also sells state map series on CD Roms under the Topo brand with 20-foot contour intervals.

The new printed maps maps are excellent for hiking and driving. They show most of the trails and most of the roadside amenities, in easy-to-read formats.

Your map files may already contain U.S. Forest Service maps of the areas, but these maps often go 15 years or more between updates. The new Nat Geo maps are the best new maps at this time for the areas they cover.

Look for them at stores that sell maps, though getting this many new titles in any particular store may be difficult.

One place that does have them all is the Nature of the Northwest in Portland, at 800 N.E. Oregon St., Suite 965. Phone number is 971-673-2331.

You can also order them from National Geographic. Cover price is $11.95. For more information visit Trails Illustrated Washington maps.

-- Terry Richard

National Geographic Maps & Satmap Systems

Announce Alliance to Deliver Digital Mapping for Handheld Sports GPS

For the first time, National Geographic’s suite of Trails Illustrated, TOPO! and Adventure maps are made available on a handheld GPS; Satmap Active 10 TREK Launches in the U.S. this week.

November 17, 2010 - London, England... National Geographic Maps and Satmap Systems today announced the integration of the best-selling National Geographic outdoor recreation maps into the award-winning Satmap Active 10 handheld GPS. This integration is the result of a new product development alliance between the two organizations, both of which will launch the Active 10 TREK for sale in the United States this week.

The content offered on Satmap devices will include the complete line of National Geographic outdoor recreation maps, including the TOPO! USGS topographic map series, the AdventureMap series of international adventure travel maps, and, for the first time on any GPS, National Geographic’s premier Trails Illustrated series of maps for national parks, national forests and many popular recreation areas. National Geographic maps will be available via SD-Cards, which will plug-and-play into the Active 10 TREK handheld GPS.

The alliance brings together the mapping excellence of National Geographic with the engineering expertise of Satmap Systems Ltd., and the result is a product that meets the needs of outdoor enthusiasts. The Active 10 TREK will suit users of all skill levels in all weather conditions throughout the year. It has gained wide acceptance in Europe with outdoor professionals and consumers engaged in various activities such as mountain rescue, hiking, mountain biking, hunting and geocaching.

Charlie Regan, general manager and vice president, National Geographic Maps, said: “National Geographic prides itself on publishing the best maps, whether for outdoor recreation, education, travel or reference. We are pleased to announce this alliance with Satmap and are eager to see outdoor enthusiasts and professionals begin using the Active 10 TREK to guide them on their adventures. Satmap’s sterling reputation and the critical acclaim that their Active 10 has garnered in Europe made the decision to partner, as they expand into the U.S. market, an easy one.”

Richard Calthrop-Owen, managing director of Satmap Systems, commented: “We are really excited about launching into the U.S., especially with such a globally respected brand as National Geographic. This alliance is good news for everyone who spends time in the great outdoors, and this is a major product first. The Active 10 TREK, combined with the superb National Geographic map data, gives users the freedom to focus on the enjoyment of their sport rather than worrying about location. Accurate navigation is an essential part of enjoying the outdoors, and this quality of map detail will help users to keep on track and stay safe.”

Fourteen TOPO! USGS-based SD Map Cards will be available at launch, covering many popular outdoor recreation states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, the Mid-Atlantic region, Montana, Nevada, New England, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. SD Map Cards for the remaining states and regions will be released in the first quarter of 2011. Three additional Trails Illustrated SD Map Cards also will be part of the initial offering, covering California’s Sierra Nevada, the Southern Appalachians and America’s “Greatest National Parks.” New Trails Illustrated Map Cards featuring some of the most important recreational areas in the country will be available in the coming months.

In addition to recreation users, Satmap Systems Ltd. supplies GPS handsets to search and rescue teams, police, military and other professionals in Europe, giving the company a unique insight into and understanding of the needs of outdoor users. Central to this is the need to see the best quality mapping possible on a large screen in a handheld device that is rugged and user friendly.

The Active 10 TREK

The Active 10 TREK comes pre-loaded with World and USA Base Maps. Customers can then buy the National Geographic SD Map Cards that slot into the GPS, making map reading fast and easy. The map is displayed on a large 3.5” screen in full color suitable for day and night use, including a red backlight option to help protect night vision.

The Active 10 TREK is priced at $369.99, and the National Geographic SD Map Cards cost $99.99 each. Customers also can purchase topographical mapping for most countries in Western Europe, making the GPS useful for home and when travelling abroad. There is a range of high-quality accessories such as Bike Mount, Vehicle Mount and a Deluxe Carry Case, which retail from $14.99.

The Active 10 TREK and National Geographic SD Map Cards will be sold online at www.shopng.com, www.satmap.com, www.topo.com, and www.amazon.com and will be available at premier outdoor retailers nationwide in the upcoming months.

Frank Biasi, Director, Conservation and Special Projects
National Geographic Maps

We all know (or should know!) that geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. This breadth of fascinating subjects is what led me to become a geographer 25 years ago. The sub-discipline of cartography allowed me to combine my earlier interest in visual art with my newfound passion for geography. I was lucky to come of age early in the growth of computer mapping technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Seeing the potential of GIS to make a difference in the world and to build a career, I quickly jumped on that bandwagon.

I first used GIS to do maps and analysis for geography courses, and to inventory property parcels around my campus as part of an internship. After graduation, I worked for a regional planning agency to help design transportation corridors that maximize business opportunities and minimize environmental impacts. I went on to work for a state environmental agency where I helped to map all of the wetlands in Massachusetts to aid in the permitting of development and construction projects.

I further developed my geographic thinking and skills working for The Nature Conservancy, where I used GIS to help conservation planners and preserve managers map biodiversity and design and execute ways to save it. I realized that conservation, as with many other fields, deals with a wide variety of systems operating across the landscape, including biological, geological, hydrological, climatological, political, transportation, and economic systems. GIS provides a powerful platform to create and combine data layers representing each of these systems in order to make maps and answer questions about the world. Seeing these maps and answering these questions helps organizations across all sectors make informed decisions about what to do and where to do it.

Recently, we as individuals have begun using simple GIS tools on our PCs and mobile phones to make maps and answer spatial questions to help us decide where to eat, shop, travel, and invest. The growing phenomena of geo-browsing and geo-searching are enabled by interactive mapping services by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, MapQuest, and others. These services are becoming increasingly personalized through GPS-enabled mobile phones and apps that tell us who and what is near us, wherever we are. The initial applications of these services have been for commercial and social uses. However, they can also help us discover and decide how we can make a positive difference in the world.

Many people are unaware of the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of dedicated nonprofit organizations working around the world to reduce human suffering, protect wildlife and ecosystems, preserve cultures, and advance scientific knowledge. These heroic people and organizations are stepping in to fill critical gaps that governments and businesses are unable or unwilling to fill. Most of the organizations have very limited financial and human resources to accomplish their objectives, yet they still manage to make an enormous difference in the lives of people, animals, and society at large.

At National Geographic, we have begun an initiative called the Global Action Atlas to highlight the work of these heroic nonprofits, and to give our audience tangible opportunities to discover and get involved in this work by donating, volunteering, advocating, visiting, and sharing with their social networks. Although it is still a beta site, ActionAtlas.org has over 400 on-the-ground projects by more than 100 reputable nonprofits around the world. Users can browse projects on an interactive global map or by themes including Conservation, Humanitarian, Cultures, Exploration, Climate Change, and Energy. They can also enter keywords to get a list of relevant projects in the U.S and around the world.
Every project has an interactive profile where the organization summarizes the issues the project is working to address, their goals, and the progress being made. They also include photos, videos, documents, blogs, maps, links to more information, and lists of similar and nearby projects. Once a user has found a project that interests them, they can become a fan or comment on the project, as well as donate, volunteer, visit, or share the project with their Facebook friends. Users can build up a portfolio of their favorite projects to follow and interact with over time, thus establishing their own “Geography of Action.” We plan to add thematic layers to the map viewer such as infant mortality, biodiversity, and cultural hotspots to help people decide where they should invest their time and resources in making a difference.

We hope that the Global Action Atlas provides the public a useful and trusted service that advances National Geographic’s mission of “inspiring people to care about the planet,” by enabling them to turn inspiration into action. Over the past century National Geographic’s writers, photographers, and filmmakers have richly documented places and cultures and the challenges facing communities and the planet. Our Mission Programs have funded thousands of field-based projects to understand and conserve wildlife and cultures and advance the frontiers of science. The Global Action Atlas is the beginning of a new effort to deeply engage our audience in this wonderful, but challenged world, and to help them become active participants in making it more wonderful.

As a result of the devastating earthquake in Japan early this morning, National Geographic has received requests for maps that show the impacted region. Below is a complete list of titles that are currently available:

1. Japan and Korea Wall Map

2. World Ocean Floor Wall Map

3. Hawaii State Wall Map

4. Alaska State Wall Map

4. World Classic Pacific Centered

5. Oregon State Wall Map

6. California State Wall Map

7. Washington State Wall Map

As this event further unfolds, we shall update the map resources list accordingly.

New and Complete Map of Cuba, supplement to National Geographic magazine, October 1906; NG Maps.

Since our first post, this blog has addressed the history of cartography at National Geographic, geographic names (toponyms), and even the cartographic exploits of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the American artist best known for the painting "Whistler's Mother." I hope that these topics have proven of interest to some if not all of you. But what we have not addressed is the personal more intimate side of cartography here at the Society.

Unquestionably, National Geographic is the place to be if you love the science as well as the art of mapmaking. Our production schedules are full of stimulating and challenging projects that often test our knowledge of the cartographic profession. Once in a while, we will be assigned a project so close and near to our hearts that it becomes an overriding passion. Several months ago, I was given such an assignment—a large format (36" x 24") political map of Cuba.

The last time the Society published such a map was in October 1906! Those of you in the exiled Cuban community, both in the U.S. and abroad, know the significance of this map. Anyone who has visited Miami's Little Havana, Tampa's Ybor City, or even Union City, New Jersey, can't avoid seeing maps of Cuba painted on walls, plastered on windows, or even printed on the sides of grocery bags.

Read more:

I have been assigned the task of researching and compiling our forthcoming map of Cuba. During the early stages of my research, I hit the cartographic jackpot—the possibility of two new provinces forming in 2011. Not only were we going to be publishing a map of Cuba for the first time since 1906, we were also going to be among the first to showcase its new administrative structure. This is considered an exciting event for cartographers here at the National Geographic. Why? Because before any element is mapped, we need to assure that it portrays the most up-to-date information.

My first stop was Cuba’s official government website. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to navigate, especially since the English version of the site was “under construction.” My next stop was the Cuban Embassy—well, not exactly since Cuba and the U.S. have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1961. But there is the Cuban Interests Section embedded within the Embassy of Switzerland here in Washington. It was there that I was able to obtain the official document (Gaceta Oficial de la Republica de Cuba, No. 023) spelling out the upcoming changes to Cuba’s new administrative divisions—Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces.

As Cuba is organized administratively by province and municipality, we were able to delineate the new provincial boundaries pretty easily by using a map of municipalities contained in the most recent Nuevo Atlas Nacional de Cuba. In the latter stages of my research I was able to reconfirm the delineation of these boundaries with the Cuban statistics office, La Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas, as they were now providing statistics for these two new provinces.

Now I have to keep abreast of the deepwater oil exploration off the northern coast of Cuba. If possible, we would like our map to also showcase the location of such prospective oil fields.

—Julie A. Ibinson
Map Researcher & Editor
National Geographic Maps

Japanese encephalitis virus activity in the Kimberley  Government of Western Australia Department of Health

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Now and then I hit a wall with my calling. That's when its time to hit the bookstore. Two of my recent purchases are: "The 7 Seven Triggers To Yes" (The New Science Behind Influencing People's Decisions),by Russell H. Granger, and Perfect Phrases For The Sales Call" by William T. Brooks.

I'll write a short review of each in another post; its enough to say now that each of these books affirmed my experience as a fundraiser. phone donors give to people who can quickly establish rapport and credibility with them and, if time is short, then by all means choose rapport only.

So how does a Fundraiser build rapport in the first ten seconds of a call and secure a donation by the third minute? Here are my thoughts.


10) Speak with people, not at them. Telling strangers what they should do hardly ever works.

9) Allow the donor to speak. Don't interrupt or override, especially if a person is initially hostile. become a sounding board and allow the donor to vent long enough for you to understand their mindset. understanding and confirming a persons concerns is the quickest way to alleiviate those concerns.

In the case of repeat donors, you're allowing a person who has committed themself to a cause having little to no input over how their chosen organization carries out its work. A Fundraiser is often the only point of contact with an organization that a donor will ever have.


8) Know your cause. inside and out. study the issues and be prepared to be questioned on them. Memorizing a script isn't enough. internalizing key points won't allow you to speak with the authenticity of someone who knows a cause. In the first minute of a call many donors can tell the difference between a fundraiser who has memorized talking points and one who is a kindred spirit.

More to come...

As most fundraisers know, building rapport with donors keeps them on the phone and listening to your request. Rapport isn't a clever trick; it is a means of showing donors that you are interested in them and that you have at least some small things in common. We build rapport in almost every conversation we have whether on or off of the phone. Building rapport with someone you've just called for the first time can be a little harder, but it is certainly possible.

One simple technique for rapport building is knowing the state nicknames or motto's of the states that you're dialing into. Asking a donor how things are going in the Equality State rather than simply how things are going, makes your question more intimate. Donors really do open up when you take a personal interest in them. Listed below are the state nicknames.