The origins of the Christmas Tree

God bless!

Some people are mad at the exorcists for saying Reiki is a big no-no. (video title)

Final three... Forgotten Worlds

Last time I posted about the status of the series, I quoted Ivanova from Babylon 5. If you know the show, you know what that meant.

Today, I feel more confident in sharing news.

This third to the last book (Book 23) of Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds has been a special kind of challenge. I've rewritten the first three chapters three or four times before figuring out what the setup for the latest world is.

Then, in chapter four, I got stuck again on the plot. I finally prayed for help. 

The Lord provided.

The answer came to me of what the main plot would be. I realized it's a twist I hadn't used yet in the series, and I still get to keep the initial expectation of introducing a different effect of the Starfire on making Keepers. I wanted to keep the basic idea of Nya and the others finding the final shards, and this does.

It's been a special challenge writing this book because it's the final adventure before the closing. Yes, it will be two books to close the series. The finale is going to be more than one battle. There's much more than one book can contain. And even then, I suspect the final book may be a long one.

So, to summarize, Book 23 is taking longer than expected, but it's been a bigger challenge than expected. It's at 11K words, only a quarter complete, but that's after writing a full book worth of words in all the rewrites.

I'm also rereading the previous books in the series and am up to Book 19, which has become my personal favorite so far. Once I finish rereading Book 20, I'll set up the print book for books 16-20.

That's the status of the series. It should go better now on Book 23, but we'll see. I'm at the stage of preparing to wrap up a HUGE story. I knew it would be difficult, but I am determined to finish this.

Thanks for reading.

Book sale! Limited time - Now through Tuesday

https://basedbooksale.substack.com/p/the-2025-black-fridaycyber-monday

Happy Thanksgiving - the true story... a day late

Heaven's Message About the End Times (video title)

Music's Incredible Control Over Us: How can St. Cecilia Help? (video)

An explanation of the song "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel, can be found here: https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-possible-catholic-meaning-of-cecilia-by-simon-and-garfunkel/

When God Becomes Real: Deeper Prayer & Divine Intimacy with Father Wayne Sattler (video title)

Fr. Sattler is from my neck of the woods, at least from my diocese. He was just a guest priest and gave some talks this past weekend based on his books for the 40-hours Eucharistic devotion hosted at my parish. This video is from four weeks ago.

Pre-Flood Civilization, the Occult, and Antichrist (video)

Every Scientifically Proven Eucharistic Miracle (video title)

ps--ONLY in the Catholic church, the original church founded by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

What do you think? Was this criminal possessed by a demon? (video title)

I can't say anything

Every time I post an update on Book 23, the action crashes and I end up starting over. So, I'm not saying anything. I'm saying nothing or I'll jinx myself again.

Absolutely nothing happened in Sector 83 by 9 by 12 today. I repeat, nothing happened in Sector 83 by 9 by 12.

IFYKYK

Satan's media strategy: Anime has EVERYTHING the exorcists warn us about! (video title)

Follow up video 12/3/25

I harp enough on sex scenes being the product of demonic influence and try to include occult warnings too, but this makes a case for other forms of entertainment. Any "mysticism" beyond that of Christianity comes from demons blurring the lines. (Just a small note--not all anime, like most genres, is necessarily evil. There are actually Christian anime series, as there are Christian stories in SFF.)

Exorcists actually caution against anything that allows "good" magic, because ALL magic is from Satan. Obsession with anything other than the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit/Ghost) takes us away from God and distorts our sense of reality. It promotes trying to become god versus depending on the living God, the creator of all of time and space and everything in it. The former is disobedience. As any parent knows, it's aggravating when your children disobey; imagine what Our Father in Heaven feels when we disobey. The occult and any religion outside of Christianity is a rejection of the first commandment of God, which is the worst of mortal/deadly sins (why it's the first). And many of the other pieces in the stories we look to for entertainment are also mortal sins. Yes, there may be positive aspects, but more often than not, the sinful parts of the stories are never revealed as being the damage to one's soul that they are in reality, which is why they should be avoided altogether.

My personal change and why some books are no longer available

My faith journey is at a point that I now avoid just about all non-Christian entertainment, even the anime that I once enjoyed. I have no desire to be exposed to sex scenes (or even "fan service", which is bad enough), cursing, using the Lord's name in vain, magic/occult propaganda, and unnecessary violence. Demons can use those to blur the lines between pleasing God and sinning, in which they move the goalposts from lesser sins to progress into mortal/deadly sins. This is why I've unpublished my fantasy books--they don't reflect my faith in the one true God but use magic as good and have fornication as acceptable. The Starfire Angels series, however, is actually a Christian allegory, even more so than I had planned when I started it (before my faith deepened and I was still steeped in the lies of modernism and its entertainment and the mortal sins it promotes). I wrote it so that it would be fun for anyone, Christian or not, but safe for those with a proper morality.

Thoughts, words, and deeds

We sin in our thoughts, not just words and deeds, so be careful what you feed your mind. Exorcists warn that demons can't enter our thoughts but can prod our memories to make us think of things again and get us stewing on them, which can produce sinful thoughts. Jesus said that a man who looks at a women with lust in his heart has already sinned. This is true of any thoughts; he simply used this as an example. Purify your thoughts and purge them of any sin.

Making the transition

It takes a while to reform our ways of thinking. Like going on a special food diet, there's a period of withdrawal. However, once you've purged your mind/body of the offending material and feed it healthy materials, you'll begin to no longer desire the unhealthy materials. You'll lose the attraction for the unhealthy, although the temptations to cheat will still be there. That's where the will must be strong. Pray for the strength to resist. Demons will always tempt us until we die. They're miserable and want to take souls from God to torment them into eternity. And they'll even tempt people with fame and fortune (why romance books and magic books sell so well--they want people to be attracted to the promise of $$ to continue to promote their sin through scandal.)

We have intercessors to assist us

Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, never sinned and is the greatest saint in heaven, even confirmed by demons in exorcisms as the saint they hate most. She and all of the saints are ready to assist us through God's grace. We honor God by honoring those who have reached perfection to be in His presence for eternity. Each saint had their vice that they had to overcome to turn into the corresponding virtue and can help us in overcoming those vices that afflict us. We only need to reach out to them. Through God, they hear us, and they assist as part of their eternal service and honor to God because of their great love for Him.

Final thoughts

Whatever your feelings on the video above, changing what your take in for entertainment is a key to growing in faith -- no more sex scenes, no more occult propaganda/promotion, no more gore, no more horror (demons feed on fear, which is the opposite of faith in God), and MORE entertainment that promotes virtues, faith, and truth about God and the damage of vice.

And, always, more prayer. Talk to God and listen to him. Learn to discern His voice from the noise of the demons around you. Demons will always tell you to do what feels good. Vice is easy and focuses on making the most of this world, but the pleasure is fleeting. Virtue is difficult, but it's infinitely more beautiful and fulfilling eternally.

Once you begin to see the beauty of Christ, all this other entertainment will be ugly by comparison.

God bless!

ps - on my Faith Resources tab are books, websites, and videos to help you grow in your faith.

And for something more positive:

And for a discussion on entertainment and the values and vices portrayed:

Casting Out Mental Torments

Northern Lights - day 2

This time, I set up a tripod and let my iPhone take some time-lapse video, and the stills are beautiful too. It's done for now, but it often comes back later. I expect more later in the night, but I may be in bed by then, so... enjoy:

Northern Lights Show

These pictures were last night, 11/11/25. 

My brother, having once monitored the sky, looked at the numbers from NOAA of the solar activity causing this and said it doesn't happen often. The results were spectacular colors.

A friend said it looked like the Divine Mercy rays:

Do I Cause SCANDAL?

This is a homily based on today's gospel reading.

He said to his disciples, “Things that cause scandals (sin)* will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 

- Luke 17:1-2

* denotes translation difference. The original Douay-Rheims translation uses scandal, which is the original translation, while newer translations use the word "sin" here.

Encouraging sin or contributing to it willingly are the sin of scandal.

Scandal is the reason sex scenes are grave sins in writing or visual media--they invite lust, a mortal sin. The state of the characters' relationships doesn't matter--married or not--because it invites lustful feelings in the audience. The same goes for foul, lewd, and vulgar language and dressing immodestly, by women and men, promoting witchcraft as innocent and/or good or light. And on and on.

We must be prudent about our behavior and words. The word "prude" comes from prudent, which is basically to be wise and careful. There's a reason the word "prude" has become a slur--because demons don't want you to be wise and careful, which are gifts of the Holy Spirit. "Do whatever feels good" is what Satan uses to destroy souls.

This is why I pray for all writers, actors, and anyone else involved in producing entertainment including sex scenes or even the foreplay, and a list of other number of sins darkening modern entertainment. I don't engage in it anymore and my life is far more peaceful--because I've repented, confessed it, and avoid it and the demons it invites into one's life.

Romance books may sell well, but demons are pushing that. They love it when you lust, because it separates you from God, so they encourage it and make it desirable, even if it's so-called "Christian" romance including sex scenes. Demons love to twist things to make you think you can have your cake and eat it too, but they LIE. To love God is to follow His law and resist temptations of this world.

Obeying God is difficult; it takes an act of the will. However, it doesn't mean to avoid entertainment. It just means to avoid those things that scandalize, whether consuming or producing content. The more you give into sin, the easier it is; the more you seek to align your will with God's, the easier that becomes yet it's not as easy as it is to sin. Demons will always try to make it difficult to do what is right by God. They're like toddlers--always pestering--while God allows free will and never imposes Himself; you're free to love him by doing all you can for Him or not. It sometimes takes an immense act of will to resist temptation, and the battle will continue until death. This whole life is a struggle, a test to prove our true love for God and how deserving we are of eternity with Him.

Love is not a feeling, but lust is. Love is willing the good of another, no matter what you may have to sacrifice--Jesus, the word of God made flesh, loved us so much that he became human just to suffer and die as the final offering (the spotless Lamb of God) so that we could know salvation and reunite with God, our creator. He showed us how to love and love greatly, no matter the cost.

We should never cause scandal in our words or deeds--these only add to the suffering of Christ in His passion. Never take God's mercy for granted.

So decide who you serve while producing your content or consuming it and what you want for your soul and the souls of others.

Deus Ex Machina

God is definitely in the machine, but he is the author of life, the universe, and everything. If one were to make their life a story, God is there, always, and He can pull some pretty amazing miracles in your circumstances, a real life Deus ex machina, if 1) you recognize His omnipotence, 2) learn to see the graces He's granting you (whether they're what you want or not), and 3) accept His will over your own. He always has a better plan; although it may not be what you want in your earthly life, it will always be better for your soul for eternity. Don't wait to see no way; just accept His way. He knows everything. Trust Him. Quit trying to be your own god.

On a side note related to that truth a.k.a. faith, suffering purifies us and, when aligned with the suffering of Christ on the cross, is an act of of reparation for our sins to relieve Our Lord of His suffering. His passion and death was for all sins from the beginning to the end of time, even those we all commit or will possibly commit and the sins that those who come after us will commit. Consider now what He experienced during His passion and the incredible love of his forgiveness when we sin against him--the whips, the beatings, the nails, the thorns, etc. This is why we "give it up" to Him--to console Him.

That got a little sidetracked. Now, to get back on the point I wanted to make...

Twice in recent weeks during my adoration hour, my holy hour in front of the blessed sacrament (the Eucharist) exposed in the monstrance in the adoration chapel, I've sat with my mind on needing help with this story. Each time, I received a surge of ideas. However, it doesn't seem right that I'd be going into a creative mode while in the presence of God in this earthly state when there are so many more noble purposes for being there. That seems like it's taking me away from Him. That seems like it's putting earthly concerns before Our Lord. On the other hand, I've gone into adoration and received such unearthly insights that I learned to keep a journal and write them down. I refer back when I need to and am in awe of what was revealed to me. So, it's not like I haven't been given knowledge, but that can also happen during mass, which is super incredible to be given insights about the mass. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I'm left so humbled and awed that when I go through a period of dryness and distractions, I don't worry.

During my weekly holy hour, in which I unintentionally asked for guidance on what the Lord wanted of me since the story was falling flat, I had an explosion of ideas for this book that came despite being in a bit of a brain fog (perimenopausal fun *sigh*). It came so clearly amid the fog. While the devil can put thoughts in our heads, this did not involve scenes with any sin (sex/lust, blasphemy, heresy, etc.) but another good action story for the series to achieve what I want with all the hooks and mystery needed to keep a reader turning pages. I couldn't help but wonder if the devil was trying to distract me from being in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but then I just made my notes and prayed that this was God's will, not mine. I don't want to offend Him by rejecting the grace of help with the story.

However, one has to discern carefully the source of anything. As long as it's not promoting lust, greed, pride, envy, murder, cheating, etc. or breaking any commandment, I'll accept it. As long as I can honor God by promoting virtues in an entertaining way, I will. God is with us and will always answer our prayers; those answers may not be what we want, but He always knows what's best for our souls. I'm grateful that I can continue with this series and finish it. I've had several "answers" to my prayers that seem to point to that, but I try to remain vigilant to the wrong influences. I didn't used to do that, but my intention in writing has developed with my increasing devotion to my faith.

Starfire Angels: Forgotten Worlds will remain an adventurous and clean space opera that anyone can enjoy... and I WILL finish it, by the grace of God!

Thanks for reading!

Witchcraft & The Occult Dangers

All Hallow's Eve may be past, but the ongoing problem it promotes in a twisted non-Christian way doesn't disappear...

Print omnibus editions now available

The first three collections of STARFIRE ANGELS: FORGOTTEN WORLDS are now all live on Amazon.

I decided to not remake the hardcover books on BN. They take far too long and the setup is a headache. Time allowed me to forget those troubles, but getting back to it was enough to say "Nope!"

So, it will just be paperback omnibus editions on Amazon, along with the ebook omnibus editions. Collection 1 (Books 1-6) is live, Collection 2 (Books 6-10) should be live tomorrow, and I'll work on getting Collection 3 (Books 11-15) live in a couple of days. 

Collection 4 (Books 16-20) will likely be after the holidays. I just finished reading through HOMECOMING today and uploaded fixes to some errors I found. That leaves books 18-20 to read through yet. I want to fix anything lurking in those that were missed in the numerous editing rounds initially. I'll do the same for the final five in Collection 5 once they're done too--read through them all before formatting omnibus ebook and print book editions.

For now, you can find these on Amazon through my author page or the main page for the collections: 

ps--I fixed a couple issues with the text on the covers too, but that was so minor it's hardly noticeable.

Hallowtide Day 2 - All Saints' Day