Cynthea Masson's Blog

Moments ago, as I typed the title of this blog post, I simultaneously noted the twinkle in my eye. That’s not a corny metaphor. It was the start of a migraine. I paused to take mitigating meds. Even so, the migraine’s kaleidoscopic aura currently and persistently makes its way across my left eye. Still, I am here.

You may recall that I live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Wild fires raged across our province this summer. Smoke continues to linger alongside the provinci...

“Chalk it up to a Covid casualty,” I was told when the television option for The Alchemists’ Council was not renewed in 2021. I had already read (and adored) the pilot screenplay. Then, in that instant, my dream was vanquished, the manuscript of the screenplay presumably shelved among myriad others of its ilk, like a neglected alchemical manuscript housed in a distant corner of Council dimension’s North Library. Perhaps a curious Initiate will unearth it someday. Or perhaps an Azoth has alchemic...

As many of you know, I live in British Columbia, Canada. A few days before Christmas, I had commented to my aunt and uncle (who see eagles daily in Haida Gwaii) that I hadn’t seen an eagle for months in Nanaimo. Then, on Christmas Eve, one landed atop a nearby tree. I stood outside watching it for several minutes. To me, in light of the trying circumstances of 2020, the eagle’s reappearance after an extended absence in my life represented an inspirational omen: return and renewal.

New...

Hello Fellow Alchemists!

Today I offer you two alchemy-related videos for your viewing pleasure during the new world order.

First, given current self-isolation protocols, Ive opted to make a short video in lieu of a face-to-face book launch for next weeks official publication of The Amber Garden. If you would like a preview of the book via my reading of two brief passages, click here.

Second, yesterday I uploaded an online lecture (for my Medieval Literature course at Vancouver Island...

Happy New Year!

For my first blog entry of the new year—and for the first time ever on News from Council Dimension—I’ve recorded a video rather than writing a post. In this twenty-minute segment, I introduce the concept of the alchemical text asthe philosopher’s stone. Then, via quotations from The Amber Garden (Book Three of The Alchemists’ Council series), I discuss the interrelated concepts of language, narration, and writing or rewriting your story as a means to transform both the...

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Last weekend, The Amber Garden took its first road trip. Thanks to the generosity of ECW Press (specifically David Caron, Jennifer Albert, and Jessica Albert), I made my way with the Advance Reading Copy of Book Three of The Alchemists’ Council from Nanaimo to Los Angeles to attend World Fantasy Convention 2019. En route, while reviewing passages from the new book for my scheduled reading, I had the opportunity to sample a selection of wines at YVR’s Vino Volo—the bo...of The

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TREES AS “NEW THINGS”:  Over the past few months while finishing edits on The Amber Garden (Book Three of The Alchemists’ Council), I’ve embraced the philosophy of trying new things. One such “new thing” has been jigsaw puzzling. And one of my favourite puzzles so far has been the Pomegranate Artpiece version of Paul Heussenstamm’s Mandala Fruit Tree. When finished, I adored this tree image so much that I framed it to display in my living room.

[image error]Before long, as exemplified by the flowering tr...

[image error]With classes completed and other university commitments slowed to a reasonable pace for the next few months, today I finally have the chance to update News From Council Dimension for the first time in 2019.

Happy New Year!

Since last we met, I’ve noticed that the only post from 2018 which continues to receive multiple daily hits is my brief article on The Rebis or Alchemical Hermaphrodite. My goal for summer 2019, therefore, is to compose a few additional posts focusing on other alchemical co...

Hello again Alchemists, Rebels, and Readers! Today’s post comprises brief news items, which I’m uploading between marking sets of university midterms.

Thanks to Sarah at , my keys are now sporting an Alchemists’ Council library catalogue key chain, which I custom ordered from her shop on Etsy. My correspondence with Sarah, the artist and shop owner, was delightful. The key chain’s quality and functionality is excellent, with the clip having proven repeatedly useful.

BytheBoo...

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Here we are once again–the summer almost over, and the new semester about to begin. As of next week, I will return to full-time teaching (and all related activities) at VIU. But, today, I will take the opportunity to update readers on book-related summer news!

My primary focus over the past few months has been the completion of the manuscript for THE AMBER GARDEN (Book Three of The Alchemists’ Council). Since this volume represents the final installment of the trilogy, its construction has p...