Prague and Magic
One might think the Czech Republic would be teeming with occultists, mystics, and magicians. After all, at one point in history it was the center of the Universe for alchemy and magic and even John Dee spent time here along with Edward Kelley. The Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, was extremely interested in the occult and gathered many alchemists and occultists in Prague in the 16th Century. Apparently, however, Dee and Kelley didn’t impress the Emperor and instead found favor with a Bohemian Count instead. Rudolf patronized natural philosophers including the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. He was also the earliest recorded owner of the mysterious Voynich manuscript. Rudolf even performed his own alchemical experiments in a private laboratory. According to Wikipedia, when Rudolf was a prince, Nostradamus prepared
Read More »European Football Trip
I awoke yesterday morning with just a twinge of rising excitement. Later in the day, we would be off on a 200km road trip to watch Hull City in their European debut. Sometimes, you do get the feeling that events conspire against you though on days like this one and yesterday turned out to be challenging….. At around noon, as we made final preparations to leave, the skies opened. It rained so hard, Brno streets flooded within 30 minutes. Really, I have never seen so much rain here in the 7-years I have lived in the Czech Republic. If it was raining like this in Zilina there would be no game at all we thought. A check of the internet held out hope. The rain was more or less north-south
Read More »Faces
We live in a beautiful street just outside the city center of Brno in the Czech Republic. Its beautiful because it comprises of houses built in and around 1900 at a time when the Czech Republic was an industrial powerhouse in central Europe. The families that built these homes were wealthy and it shows in the art nouveaux decorations, construction materials and size of the homes. Designed for a well to do family and their servants, most now are apartment buildings with 3-5 families per building. I have always been intrigued by the motifs on the buildings down the street and I am reproducing some of them below. There is one building I am saving for later and will write a separate blog article on it….. If anyone can cast
Read More »Moon Whispers Debuts as Fourth Poetry Collection from Author Dr. G. Michael Vasey
Brno, Czech Republic, May 17th, 2014. Moon whispers, a new collection of 30 poems from Dr. G. Michael Vasey, is released and is now available on Amazon and other book sites in paperback and Kindle formats. Moon whispers is the fourth poetry collection by this critically acclaimed author. “This continually fascinating and ever-maturing writer has succeeded in assembling a cornucopia of new ideas, visions, and comments on his personal universe and the world ‘out there’,” said fellow author Gordon Strong. “Besides his poetry collections, Vasey’s other forays into authorship, ‘The Mystical Hexagram’ and his splendid novel ‘The Last Observer’ shows a varied dimension of thought and an endless imagination.” Vasey was also recently featured in Chat Its Fate magazine (June 2014 issue) in an article featuring his early life experiences
Read More »Moon Whispers Debuts as Fourth Poetry Collection from Author Dr. G. Michael Vasey
Brno, Czech Republic, May 17th, 2014. Moon whispers, a new collection of 30 poems from Dr. G. Michael Vasey, is released and is now available on Amazon and other book sites in paperback and Kindle formats. Moon whispers is the fourth poetry collection by this critically acclaimed author. “This continually fascinating and ever-maturing writer has succeeded in assembling a cornucopia of new ideas, visions, and comments on his personal universe and the world ‘out there’,” said fellow author Gordon Strong. “Besides his poetry collections, Vasey’s other forays into authorship, ‘The Mystical Hexagram’ and his splendid novel ‘The Last Observer’ shows a varied dimension of thought and an endless imagination.” Vasey was also recently featured in Chat Its Fate magazine (June 2014 issue) in an article featuring his early life experiences
Read More »The Check (or Cheque)
I went to my bank this lunchtime here in Brno in the Czech Republic with something I haven’t seen in quite a while – a paper cheque. Actually, it was a paper check as it originated in the good old US of A. I took it to the cashier and she took it and looked at it carefully. “What is it?” she asked. “A check,” said I, with a smile. I was asked to take my check and take a seat. About five minutes later, one of the ladies from the back office came looking for the ‘American with the paper check’. I’m unsure as to which was more unusual – the American (naturalized) or the paper check! We sat down at her desk and she pulled out a huge manual.
Read More »Life’s Junk
Just over 7-years ago, I arrived in the Czech Republic with one suitcase. Later, I shipped one box to myself. It wasn’t a large box. I left a large house stuffed to the brim with stuff and do you know what, I didn’t really miss any of it. Anything I did miss turned out to have a connection to someone in my life. I did miss being able to look at certain photographs of my family, my boys, my parents, my college days. I did miss the framed picture bought for me as a gift by my Aunt in New Orleans as it reminded me of my Uncle who died too young. I missed a few items – trinkets mainly – given to me by my father and by my
Read More »Finding an Audience
How do you find an audience? Some people manage it. Others don’t. Is it luck? I don’t think it is necessarily talent – although my perceptions of talent my not be your view. I have blogged and written pretty much twice or more a week on this and other blogs since about 2004 or around 10-years. I don’t have much of an audience. My books don’t sell well. I have failed to find an audience. The hint though on how to build an audience was always right there. My single blog post about sex in the Czech Republic still gets more traffic than all my other writings put together. Is that a sad indictment of me or just a sad indictment full stop? Maybe I should give up? When I
Read More »Banks – The Thieves and Crooks of the 21st Century
Have you ever tried to wire money from one country to another? If you live overseas like me then you can add this issue to the long list of difficulties you will face as an ExPat. Let me explain. Wiring money overseas via a bank is an archaic process so far as I can figure. It takes 24-48 hours to perform this transaction in the days of instant email communication. Why? Next, you will pay the originating bank a fee – usually a fixed fee but it can also be a percentage of the amount being wired up to some maximum (meaning – its NOT cheap). You can set up the transaction to pay the fees on one side or split them between the originator and receiver in most instances.
Read More »Press Announcement – The Last Observer: A Magical Battle for Reality by Dr. G. Michael Vasey now Available for Pre-Order
Prague, May 23rd, 2013, The Last Observer: A Magical Battle for Reality is Dr. Vasey’s ninth book and first fantasy thriller novel. Due to be published by Roundfire Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing on August 30th, 2013, it is now available to pre-order at amazon.com and other online booksellers. It features a foreword by Anthony Peake, an author of several best-selling books that focus on near-death experience, deja vu and the nature of reality. The Last Observer is a compelling tale of magic, alternative realities, murder and conflict. An ordinary man is abruptly dragged into the middle of a violent struggle between black and white magicians who both desireto use his extraordinary powers of imagination and observation. He soon learns that reality is not at all what it
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