About TNH.net

Welcome to The Ninth House.net. Go grab a tasty bev and settle in. I’ll wait.

(INSERT “HOLIDAY FOR STRINGS” HERE. FADE OUT.)

And welcome back. Make sure you use a coaster.

The ninth house is the classical astrological home of intellectual, ideological and spiritual pilgrimage. It’s also the house of publishing ventures, and it’s ruled by Sagittarius. I’m a Sagittarian writer with a hankerin’ to do some ideological and spiritual venting. So there you go. Even if you think astrology is crap, the name works out pretty good.

The Ninth House.net is also where you’ll find my novel, Covenant Spring. Self-publishing a book on the Internet is the literary equivalent of singing in the shower – you think you sound pretty good, but the audience is a tich biased. Still, Covenant Spring is the result of a lot of ninth house slogging, and I’m curious to know if your boots are muddy, too. So here it is. Consider it a fictional complement to the rest of what happens here.

You can read Covenant Spring here in serial form, in the Covenant Spring sidebar category. Or you can download it entire as a PDF from the link therein provided. No charge for either. If you like it, spread the word. Link to it. Leave a comment. Like I said, I want to know what you think.

You’ll also find here a miscellany of other stuff I’ve done, some related, some not. Essays, shorts, audio production, spoken word. I’ve gotta have a place to put all this crap so it’s all in one place, and this is it.

Fundamentally, though, The Ninth House.net is an extension of Covenant Spring in that it’s a place for me to pontificate about the same ongoing journey that prompted me to write it. I invite you to contribute to what I hope will become a thriving discussion. Concerning this, some ground rules.

  1. This is neither a democracy nor anarchy. I am your host, and you are my welcome guests, until you demonstrate that you cannot behave, at which time you will be handed your hat and shown the door. We’re all God’s chillun, but I just don’t need the drama. Neither, I suspect, do you.
  2. You are expected at all times to treat one another with courtesy –- at the least, civility. Civility, kindness and compassion require more strength than crudity, cruelty and condemnation. Be strong. There are plenty of other places in which you can act like an anus. Have at them, and leave the adults alone.
  3. Keep profanity to a minimum, and artful in its exercise. The good and venerable Irish-American comic declared that profanity is the spice that flavors the stew of discourse. Fair enough. But any chef will confirm that too much spice obscures the flavor of the meat. So dig in, but kindly watch your language, dammit.
  4. Intolerance will not be, er, tolerated. Disagree all you want. But one word of narrow-minded knee-jerk condemnation, and here’s your hat (see rules one and two).
  5. Think about using your real name when posting. I’m not gonna demand it, but mine’s here, if you look for it. If you have something about which you feel strongly enough to speak up, sign it. Own your words.
  6. Keep comments to the topic(s) at hand, please. Daddy’s got a delete key, and he ain’t afraid to use it.
  7. Your opinion is only that, your religion isn’t the one true religion, and no religion is God. Write-it-down.
  8. Any activity that opens your heart, mind and spirit to the wonder of the universe and moves you to compassion, is religion.
  9. We’re all dreamers in this world. Your dream may intersect with mine, but we’re still only dreaming. You’d think it would be difficult to take offense at someone else’s dream, but it is the curse of flesh to do so. Respect your fellow dreamers.

Thanks for stopping by.

Inquiries: lumpy(at)theninthhouse.net

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