Academy of Omniosophical Arts & Sciences

Gnusletter for early October 2024

Spooky season 2024 offers a cauldron full of activities and delights!

The KINDNESS CAMPAIGN runs through Nov 8
Let's show our young ones how to treat each other, even when we disagree

(with a story full of exciting characters to dress up as for your next costume party!)

Courses

We Ride at Midnight!

BROOM DRIVER'S LICENSE class now available for just $9.99

the perfect spooky season gift for yourself or the witch in your life

(Broom insurance available for the prudent rider!)

Events

Haunted Hollywood Tea & Tour

with historian Charles Spratley

Phantom Phantasy

Phestive Phundraiser & MusicaliTea performance

Books

A Season of Possibilities

Growth, Stress Management, Letting Go and Moving On—that's what you can expect in A Season of Possibilities, the anthology that combines podcasting and journaling to spark personal transformation in 91 days. Building on the 11:11 podcast's signature tagline “whimsical ways to make life wonderful with small actions that lead to grand rewards," A Season of Possibilities offers an actionable exploration of self-discovery through weekly themes and daily topics.

Each chapter culminates in an inspiring interview with an individual who embodies the weekly theme's central message. This takes the anthology beyond motivation, enabling it to function as a practical guide to personal growth. The workbook companion, Your Season of Possibilities, goes even further with prompts, reflective questions, and action steps. It's the perfect resource for anyone seeking to:

Discover practical tools for balance and healthy relationships
Take small steps daily that lead to long-term progress
Embrace a more positive and fulfilled life
Connect with a diverse community of uplifting individuals
Learn from inspiring experts and trailblazers

The Mark of X

After an accident that put her in a back brace and gave her a stutter, an average schoolgirl finds herself a target for bullying. While struggling to overcome her fears and unfair treatment, she learns she’s not the only one, and that there is much more to bullying than she realized. What’s more, she discovers fighting fire with fire just leads to more devastation.

This 20K-word novella is the basis of the better-than-bullying movement, intended to model to all members of the family how to treat one another. It’s all part of the 2024 Kindness Campaign created to offer an alternative to the name calling and spiteful behavior that so often characterize political campaigns, influencing the nation from the top down. Join Xerena for a swashbuckling adventure full of hope and perspective for readers of every age. Swish!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Our family is casting its vote for the Kindness Campaign! Xerena’s story has resonated with all of us for different reasons and inspired us to take note as well as take action. We are better citizens because of the experience.” N. Falkner

Recipe

Warm Autumn Salad

from FoodTalkDaily

Zorro-inspired Kindness Campaign aims to set good example during election season

For those of us in the USA, we are entering what is known as "election season." Historically, political campaigns have been known to bring out the worst in people—name-calling, mud-raking, humiliation, and so on. In essence, the behavior exhibited by leaders of the country supports the idea that the way to succeed is by tearing down others, especially those with whom we disagree. This has left us asking, "What sort of example does this set for voters, let alone children?!"

At the same time, bullying has reached epidemic proportions as borne out by staggering statistics.

To combat this, our Whimsicalitea nonprofit is launching a Better than Bullying initiative, beginning with the Kindness Campaign. This no-cost interactive family activity runs September 20 - November 08 and has, as its basis, a story called The Mark of X.

We chose a fictional story (written specifically for the program) because we, as humans, learn best through stories. The protagonist (as the reader will learn) tries everything to stop bullying at her school, but nothing works ... until she watches a Zorro film that sparks an idea that proves to be just what is needed, benefitting everyone in the process. Here's an excerpt from the book blurb:

After an accident that put her in a back brace and gave her a stutter, an average schoolgirl finds herself a target for bullying.
While struggling to overcome her fears and unfair treatment, she learns she’s not the only one, and that there is much more to bullying than she realized. What’s more, she discovers fighting fire with fire just leads to more devastation.

Join Xerena for a swashbuckling adventure full of hope and perspective, growth and redemption for readers of every age. Swish!

Please join us we model for our families and communities how to treat others, from the top down. There is no charge for the book or interactive activities, although donations to our nonprofit are always appreciated.

Looking forward to working together to support the most important campaign running—the Kindness Campaign.

Gnusletter for late June 2024

New opportunities are sprouting up this summer. And an interactive book for young readers will debut at a certain piratical event. If you've ever wanted to teach an online course, now's your chance through the Ocademy Annex

WIKI! WIKI!

Be published!

Teach a course!!

email Joy via OmniosophicalAcademy at gmail for the particulars

🍍

REMAINING IN-PERSON SUMMER EVENTS

(For Tea Treks & more, see the Tea Travellers' Festiviteas page)

Thursday July 11 - Quiche L'Arraigned — Solve a Cold Case over a Hot Cuppa at Pamela's Tea Room, Huntington Beach CA

Saturday July 20 - Shared Treasure Hunt Christmas in July Beach Partea at Mother's Beach, Long Beach CA

Friday July 26 - Dreamy Crafternoon Tea at Dream Come True, Long Beach CA

Sunday August 4 - Baskets of Dreams tea & auction gifts assembly, private residence in Irvine, CA

Thursday August 8 - Earl Graves — Solve a Cold Case over a Hot Cuppa at Pamela's Tea Room, Huntington Beach CA

Saturday August 17 - An 1881 Midsummer Night's Dream fundraiser

+ optional train trip

& optional walking tour with historian Charles Spratley

at the Tea House on Los Rios, San Juan Capistrano CA

PODCAST MINIS

Current & upcoming themes over the next 2 weeks:

Imagination

Dreams Come True

Independence

FEATURED PROGRAM

Scribblers Pen Pal Club

The Scribblers is comprised of young scribes ages 7-17 who are interested in making new friends from far away. Having a pen pal is a delightful way to improve literacy skills and penmanship while learning about different cultures, locales, and lifestyles.

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
(that won't last much longer)

VOLUNTEER at our Shared Treasure Hunt Christmas in July beach party & earn Omni Plunder ducats

😎 Be on the cover of a magazine or published in it! 🏖️

Omnifête
Seeking ARTISTS & CRAFTERS for our September 28 ART & CRAFT FAIR with a spooky flair in SoCal. Don't live local? Simply ship your goods & a volunteer will run your table to sell your things for you!

Click here for Vendor info

RECIPE

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

from Sally's Baking Addiction

Gnusletter - mid June, 2024

Summer is around the corner! And so are fun times and new opportunities ... starting with your chance to be on (or in) a magazine!

WIKI! WIKI!

Cover Model needed

for la Vie Sirene magazine's one-off end-of-summer issue

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Seeking bathing beauties (male or female) dressed circa 1900-1960

email CestLaVieSirene@gmail.com for details

🍍

IN-PERSON SUMMER EVENTS

(For Tea Treks & more, see the Tea Travellers' Festiviteas page)

JUST A FEW SPOTS LEFT

Friday June 21 - Crafty Pirate hat-decorating tea at McKenna's Tea Cottage in Seal Beach CA

Thursday July 11 - Quiche L'Arraigned — Solve a Cold Case over a Hot Cuppa at Pamela's Tea Room, Huntington Beach CA

Saturday July 20 - Shared Treasure Hunt Christmas in July Beach Partea at Mother's Beach, Long Beach CA

Friday July 26 - Dreamy Crafternoon Tea at Dream Come True, Long Beach CA

Sunday August 4 - Baskets of Dreams tea & auction gifts assembly, private residence in Irvine, CA

Thursday August 8 - Earl Graves — Solve a Cold Case over a Hot Cuppa at Pamela's Tea Room, Huntington Beach CA

Saturday August 17 - An 1881 Midsummer Night's Dream fundraiser

+ optional train trip

& optional walking tour with historian Charles Spratley

at the Tea House on Los Rios, San Juan Capistrano CA

BOOKS

These books about a certain secret society book are the basis of our August 1881 fundraiser

[click on book for more info]

COURSES

Shared Treasure Hunt's 21-lesson Scallywag Enrichment Program is now underway with 3 lessons each week

🔦SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

with Shared Treasure Hunt Sponsor DJ Piper

DJ, where do you live?
I live in Southern California. But I think you meant to ask where I want to live. That’s easy – the lush Pacific Northwest. Towering evergreen trees everywhere! Cooler temps and rain in every season. I was born there, and whenever I visit, I feel a sense of connectedness, of being home.

What can you tell us about your books?

My books have been a learning process, and with each book, I see my writing skills improve. The idea for my first book, “The Disappearance of Millicent Hart,” was inspired on a whim. I’d never considered writing fiction before, but I discovered I really enjoyed creating characters and developing the mystery plot. It took work to finish the first draft and get through the editing and revision phase, but I stuck with it. The book was published in 2018 by E. Gads Hill Press, Whimsicalitea’s indie-publishing service. Having a printed book gave me great pleasure, and I gave signed copies to all my friends and family.

Since then, I published a second Detective Scott McGregor mystery and a children’s book. A third McGregor mystery has been waiting for me to finish the editing and revision phase, and a second children’s book is waiting for the artwork. A cozy mystery has been plotted and partially written. I’m pleased that my writing has improved and continues to give me joy through the years.

What made you want to become a Shared Treasure Hunt sponsor?

Shared Treasure Hunt fills a need. Society doesn’t always display the best qualities humanity has to offer. But by working with children, teaching them to be kind to others, to help others, and to share, I believe they can mature into empathetic, compassionate, and altruistic adults.

Which of Whimsi's upcoming activities & events interest you most?
The train ride to San Juan Capistrano and the Tea House On Los Rios tick multiple boxes on my ‘love to do’ list. I’m looking forward to the Phantom of the Opera event, and I can’t wait for this year’s Omnifete.

What do you do for fun?
Procrastinate. Plot stories that I never get around to writing. Listen to live music. Play with my dogs. Go to tea or dinner with friends. Draw floor plans for a house set in the trees in the Pacific Northwest. Travel. Ride trains. Watch British mystery shows. Weed the artificial turf in my front yard. (Okay, that last one isn’t fun, just necessary. Who knew?)

Tell us about what you're working on now/next:
I’m not currently writing, but when I get enough of the project I’m working on under control, I’ll get back to it. The cozy mystery, which is set in a living history museum, calls to me, and portions of scenes spontaneously write themselves in my head. But the unedited third McGregor mystery screams at me. It’s way past time that story, set in Washington state’s glorious Puget Sound, was in print.

What do you hope people get out of their involvement with Whimsicalitea?

An outlet for their creativity. New and deepened friendships. Opportunities to travel, learn, and help others. Greater satisfaction with, and acceptance of, themselves.

You can meet DJ Piper at a variety of upcoming Whimsi events, and she’ll be hosting the E. Gads Hill Press table at Omnifête.

PODCAST MINIS

Current & upcoming themes over the next 2 weeks:

Fatherhood

Dreams Come True

Imagination

FEATURED PROGRAM

Whimbassadors

WHO'S READY FOR CAPERS + COMPENSATION?!

Omni's Whimbassadors program enables folks across the task spectrum (ranging from "What's in it for me?" to "How can I help?") to do a little good and be rewarded.

Our monthly Play & Plunder activity calendar supplies ideas and incentives for volunteer Whimbassadors to help our fledgling academy and Whimsicalitea arts nonprofit grow, all while earning Omni Plunder ducats.

Activities include commenting on videos you like, sharing upcoming programs and events that resonate with you, and basically acting as a cheerleader for the stuff we're doing that you believe in. Ready to grab those pom pons and earn some ducats? Click here to sign up!

Take a gander our most recent calendar below by clicking image. Note, daily posts are not viewable until 7am Pacific time on the date listed. (If you click too early, you'll get an ugly notification)