Something magical is in our mists, your mists and mine! Enchantment is all around us-even on those bad footing days. We can turn around a bad day into a better day with the click of an outlook and within the touch of a breeze upon our face. Journey with me and stop by now and then. We can share our journeys together! Stop by my book trailer and begin your journey into your own magical realm.
I had a wonderful time as guest with Theresa Chaze on her program yesterday (which can be accessed here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theresachaze We covered a wide range of topics. Even if you missed the live program you can still drop by and listen!
Theresa is a High Priestess, author and publisher (Valkyrie Publishing). Please visit her website at theresachaze.com
Don't forget my book, HER GODMOTHER, can be ordered through barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, through your favorite bookstore and all stores everywhere.
You must stop by the youtube link below and see this wonderful trailer my colleague, Theresa Chaze produced! It is absolutely delightful and will enlighten the spirit.
Here I was again. From the time I was nine each time my mom went to the hospital I would wonder "Is this it?". "Will she survive?".
My mother became disabled from a massive stroke when I was nine and what followed was a life in which she was isolated by the loss of speech which left her uttering only a garbled jumble of words that only I learned to understand. Despite this severe speech limitation and shuffling walk which was also an effect of her massive stroke, she was well liked and respected by all she met.
During our life together there were more trips to the emergency room and subsequent hospitalizations than I can count. Each time I would ask myself--”Is this it?”
During what was to become her last year, I began to look at the very real possibility that I might lose her. I was terrified. A large part of who I was would be gone as well. After all I had been her “translator” and advocate since my childhood. I suddenly realized looking out for my mother was a life purpose. How would I fill that part of me that would be buried with her?
She was admitted and this time, due to high fevers, there were days she not know me or afterwards recall that I had been there everyday for hours to give her full care. Each day that she did not know me I worried if she had had another stroke, would she survive and if she did, would she ever remember me again? I wondered when did she become so fragile? In my mind she had always been and still was a fighter and I wanted “her” back!
But I also finally realized, despite all the coming back from every medical emergency possible, that she was after all mortal. It is so strange when you have indomitable people in your life. Even though you know better it just seems they will always be there. It suddenly dawned on me she could leave at any time. I know this material life is not eternal but I suddenly realized that the question was also not so much would she survive but, how could I if she didn‘t? Our lives had ever been intertwined. From the age of nine I was her link to all things that normalized her life. So much of my life had been wrapped around my mother how would I survive when the need to be, my purpose, would be gone? I then realized my worries were as much about me as about her. Seeing her in a hospital bed yet again pressed that life long question upon me once again. I wondered how much she, a ninety-three year old woman, now totally helpless and dependent on total care, could take. She seemed so small, like a broken doll but unlike a broken doll she had her mental faculties trapped in a body no one but me could understand. No one but me could hear her voice which is why I was always her voice.
I realized that as she continued to become repeatedly ill her last year I evolved from not wanting her to leave me to wanting what was best for her.
I am not a religious person but I am a spiritual one and I realized it was time for me to pray. I prayed for the outcome that would be for her greater good whether I would understand it not, whether I wanted it or not. I prayed with trust that the Creator I believed in would deem what the best was and I especially prayed that I would accept it.
In praying for surviving without mom, I had great cause to think on what I had learned from her. I had learned to laugh no matter what, that the mind is stronger than the body, to live life with faith and never quit.
The next she passed away. She was almost ninety-three. A good long age, many would say but, her life (and mine) was one of harsh battles with her increasing disabilities but you know what? At her passing, she survived seventeen heart attacks and more than twenty strokes and the ravages of Parkinson’s. It was not until she was eighty-eight that she was no longer capable of walking at all. It was not until her final year that she began to need nitroglycerin, oxygen and suffered numerous bouts of aspiration pneumonia. It was one such bout that compromised her heart causing her to “cross” in her sleep.
I realized she was my life model as she never gave up! She loved to laugh with family and friends, take herself to the movies while I was at work and overindulge my daughter with ice cream.
I look back now and how she loved of seizing her freedom, cane and all, to leave the house without a note or a call for as long as she wished. I remember how these antics use to frighten and infuriate me. Yet now I feel a great pride.
But I I hold within me the life spirit she possessed. I honor and remember this for this is her legacy. Ironically I honor the will, strength, determination and stubbornness that used to frustrate me so much because I know she taught me the survival tools I needed and used myself so many times in my own life. She also influenced my career. All the advocating I did for her made me a superb disabilities specialist and advocate. Because I had to be her voice, I became intellectually outspoken at a very early age. The skills I learned as a child as a result of advocating for my mother has made me the effective communicator I am today.
Though she is gone for a while I am still disoriented by her passing. I have not yet gotten accustomed to the fact that there will be no more emergency calls or plans to see her for dinner.
But since I have inherited her stubborn streak single mindedness of purpose when I have to this is when I feel her closest to me--when I am not giving in.
In her own way she was a master magician-defying the diagnosis and prognosis of all doctors until she passed at the age of ninety-three! Magic is a matter of the mind after all...
For a glimpse of the healing of magic view this book trailer:
HER GODMOTHER BOOK TRAILER, Produced by Valkyrie Publishing, thresachaze.com
Available at fine bookstores and barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
In Her Godmother Allie's godmother, Brigid, teaches her about the messages animals can bring and how they enhance everyday life with wonder. To me, this is not fiction.
As if losing a beloved pet is not heartbreaking enough, the thought of never seeing them at all, in whatever afterlife you believe in, can be devastating. Native Medicine teaches the power of animals. Native Americans believe animals and their spirits can be harbingers of learning and bearers of messages if one knows Animal Medicine. I have decided to share my experiences and perhaps you too may be comforted in knowing that animals do have souls!
I am an eclectic Pagan and Witch. From the time I was a child I have loved animals. I love all animals from feathered friend to slithering snake to hair throwing tarantulas. I have loved them all. As I matured, I left the teachings of my childhood religion. I think I was on my way 'out' the day the lecture evolved around animals having no souls. I know our community does not abide by this and I for one have had so many animals, each unique in its own way or "personality" I have never doubted that animals have souls. Where there is intelligence, in my opinion, there must be a soul and just because an animal or insect's intelligence may be labeled instinct, does not mean there is no thinking. It only means we have no means of measuring it. Let me modifythat. People at large have no way of measuring it but I do. I had a cat that actually played hide and seek with me! Every time we played, I picked a different home base and he always knew where it was. When my first dog died, I grieved for her horribly. I felt her crawl under my bed every night and jump on my bed at intervals just as she did when she was alive.
Suddenly a cat showed up on my doorstep. This cat actually left its owners of sixteen years and moved in with us. Now, most have heard how cats do not like moving and yet this cat did. But, it does not end here. After a month and receiving the healing this cat brought me, I was getting a glass of milk from the refrigerator. This cat was sitting on the chair we kept by the telephone in the kitchen. Suddenly I heard a noise. It was the sound of my dog's nails clicking on the linoleum just as they used to when she was alive. I stopped and stared at the spot when the clicking stopped. So did my cat. Then I heard the clicking again that went through our door and down the stairs until it faded away completely. I knew she had decided to move on knowing the cat she had sent was helping me heal. Since then, I have many animals and stories that could fill volumes that are all true. There was the time one of my cats lay dying in the hospital and the cat that had played hide and seek with when he was alive took me on my first astral travel to the animal hospital. I did not remember much but I did see him there and he was ill. The next morning I was awakened early by the telephone the next day. The vet had called to tell me a miracle had happened. My cat had healed.
For me, the issue of animals having souls was no longer moot. It was fact. Thirty years ago, I began my independent meditations into alternative belief systems. I was first guided to Native American Animal Medicine. Looking back, it all made sense. Through my meditations and readings, I began to accept that not did animals have souls, they had spirit medicine. They had power. As I began to look into what my totems were I found amazing correlations. I love all animals but there were some with whom I had a natural affinity my whole life: horses, wolves, dolphins and big cats. These are, among others, my totems. Now I knew my spiritual path would lead me increasingly to earth based beliefs. I have called my totems to assist me with finding guidance during hard times, for protection-especially for my daughter. The sudden surge of spirit power within myself that I experience at these times could wake me up from a deep sleep.
Not a day goes by that I do not make note of the first animal I see outside nor am I surprised every spring when ants invade my house and I will not kill them. Every year, they come around, I discovered, to give me a message and until I realize what it is, I am invaded. When I find that 'eureka!" moment, they disappear. Neither my husband nor I will kill spiders. We simply move them outside of the house. As a writer, how could I possible kill the animal that is the essence of creativity? We have bats that live under our roof on our porch. I have affectionately named them Elizabeth-Patrice and Bob. You see we have a large pond by our house and during the West Nile scare a couple of years ago, Elizabeth-Patrice and Bob had nightly feasts and we had absolutely no mosquitoes. We feed the skunks that live under our porch leftovers from dinner and when we have encountered them at night, it is almost like neighbors passing each other and saying 'Hello". Both Bats and skunks are very significant to me personally. Bat medicine is a very challenging one to call to oneself. It will require brutal and painful self-examination and accountability before one can move forward from one phase of life into the next. I have called upon the bat to help me fight my shadow self, my inner demons and depression. A painful process I can assure you yet afterwards I always find a new path to follow with a lighter heart for I always gain self forgiveness. Now skunk medicine can be very funny. It can make you very popular or unpopular. As a solitary eclectic, skunk medicine has literally kept unwanted visitors at bay. I have peace within myself and within my home for only my closest friends and family come by to visit. My teacher in Native ways, Ceremonial Chief WhiteEagle of Narrowsburg, New York has taught me how to free the spirit of a dead bird and how to accept its medicine so that its power on the side continues to grow. Of all these wonderful experiences, I have had some on the astral plane that have amazed even me. Years ago, my husband and I got a puppy. It was his first marriage and my second and we were both animal lovers so we began our joyfully with our combined menageries. We got Sheba so she would the first dog that would be 'ours', not his, not mine. My daughter also dogs and cats of her own. Needless to say, we relocated to a farm so all of our animals could have a wonderful life. Sheba used to play with my daughter's dog Penny. One day, I let out the dogs and hung outside with them as I always do. A sudden storm rolled in. All of the dogs came quickly in except for Penny and Sheba. The lightning and thunder was incredible and along came Penny but with no Sheba. At the time, Sheba was only about five months old. I ran out in the rain calling for her, desperately hoping she was just hiding nearby.
When my husband came home from work, I tearfully told him what had happened. By this time the rain had stopped. I continued walking the woods on foot and the roads while he saddled up and took to the trails where she might be hiding. We could not find her. We hunted for her all the next day into night. I was beside myself. I couldn't sleep from the time she disappeared but finally succumbed that evening when it became too dark and late to look anymore.
Suddenly, I felt wide-awake. I got up from the bed and decided to walk to the window. Sitting outside were three of the biggest hounds I had ever seen in my life. I could hear them speak thought they did not even bark. I knew they were asking for instructions. I instructed them to run and go find Sheba and they ran off, bounding down the road. Not a word was spoken. The words were thought. After that I turned to go back to bed and saw myself lying in bed. I walked over, sat down and reclined into myself. When we woke up, I just told my husband, Ralph, to go out and look for Sheba becuase he would find her "today". I would tell him my dreamtime experience later. A couple of hours later, he returned with a frightened, but happy to be home, puppy. He passed construction workers working on one of the side roads and asked if they had seen a puppy fitting Sheba's description. Indeed they had. As my husband turned to go back to the truck to look in the area, one of the men said, "Hey, there she is!" She was cowering under some fallen branches from a tree. When called her she ran into his arms and came home.
As Sheba grew, she became was such a character! She slept with us on the bed, between us and I would fall asleep rubbing her fur in-between my fingers. But, during the day when the bed was made and the bedspread on the bed, the bedroom was off limits. Sometimes, just for fun I would leave the door open. She would sneak into the bedroom and then shut the door behind her! I would walk in and when she knew I caught she literally would smile- teeth showing from one end of her mouth to the other!
And then, at a young age, Sheba died. I grieved for her everyday. I grieved because she needed emergency surgery and did not survive the night. The guilt I felt that Sheba may have been aware that she was in strange place away from home when she died, tore at my soul. The Irish in me would choke down tears but when Ralph wasn't around the Hispanic in me would sob with sorrow.
It was one of those bitterly cold winter afternoons and the chores outside at the barn had frankly made me very sleepy. I decided to take a nap. It seemed that no sooner had my head hit the pillow that I fell asleep.
Suddenly I did not feel tired anymore. I sat up and turned to get a cigarette. I figured I might as well get up and go into the living room. As I turned, I noticed myself lying there. The hand that rested on the bed was resting on the bed but THROUGH me. I stood up and looked down. My feet were not on the floor at all but about two feet above it. I walked through my bedroom door and into the living room. I saw my husband my husband and Jack (my daughter's boyfriend) watching television but they did not see me. I sat down on a chair and suddenly running toward me, two feet above the floor as I was, was Sheba! She ran into my arms. I cried and hugged her and told her how much I loved her and how sorry I was that she died alone. I told her I missed her and wished she were still with me because I missed her so much. She sat in front of me, wagged her tail, and gave me that smile. Then, she turned and I watched her walk away. I went back into the bedroom, reclined into myself once more and did not wake up for a few hours. When I woke up, I knew she came to me to ease my grief and she did. I have not cried for her since. Most of our animals are rescues. We found them abandoned, starving, freezing to death, or malnourished because the owner could not afford to feed them. Some were almost hit by cars, some were hit by cars and rehabilitated and adopted by great people. Still others were found when only an hour old and so on and so on. We have returned lost pets, adopted lost animals and placed lost pets. It is what we do.
One such animal was Colorado. He was a magnificent red Spanish Mustang. Although his name was Colorado, he has been born in Nevada and almost died when under a year old due to a bad heart. We got him when he was a year and half old. He was truly beautiful. He had a thick, wavy mane and tail and he had the classic "waffling" of the hairs in the front of his legs so typical of Spanish mustangs. He was highly spirited and I loved watching him run around the field, kicking up his legs and galloping around. He did wheeze which is why he was a pasture puff as we horse people call them. However, he was more than that. He was family. When I would go out to pet him, He would gallop full speed toward me and stop on a dime in front of me then lower his head for me to scratch between his eyes. Like all the other horses, at feeding time he had to wait for his grain. (You see all of our horses must get a kiss from us before they eat.)
One winter morning, as usual, my husband went out to feed the horses in the barn. He does that while I walk the dogs, do poop patrol, feed the dogs and make sure the ones on medication get their medicine. I also straighten up the house, clean and start laundry before I go out to help clean stalls. That morning, he came to the back door right away panting. I looked at him. I was terrified of what he had seen.
"He's dead!" He cried, "Colorado's dead!"
"What?" I screamed and ran out only in my bathrobe into the freezing cold.
He lay like a deer, legs folded under him, nose resting on the ground in front of him. I walked over to him as if not to wake him from his sleep and fell to my knees patting and hugging his majestic neck. I stroked the mane that only yesterday flew in the wind but his might gave way to the weakness that had always been his heart.
We somberly and tearfully took care of the other six horses. My husband cried as I did. Wordless, we knew we had our other horses who needed their routine also. After they were fed, watered and hayed I went into the house and called Chief WhiteEagle to let him know what happened. Within an hour, he was there and his wife, Cathy, hugged me and cried also. What followed was an amazing gift from the heart of this spiritual leader of twelve nations. He did a special ceremony for Colorado in his stall to honor him because horses are sacred to Native people. First, he put feathers in his mane. Then my husband put his hand in fine cornmeal to place his mark upon Colorado so he would be known on the other side as ours. He then did a ceremony and the mares started whinnying. He explained that the mares are the first to acknowledge a passing spirit. Shortly after the stallions joined then. He further said that now, he spirit has left this plane completely. (When the stallions join in, the work is complete.)
We had never lost a horse before and I personally have known them to live to fifty so here I was with a beloved stallion dead at the age of seven. We were again in a sorrow so deep we were speechless. That night I took Colorado's picture into my spirit room where I have all of my altars and placed it on my animal altar. I lit a candle for him and cried until my whole body hurt. I went to bed, crying silently as we Irish often do.
I have learned one thing from all of my astral travels. There are many places and many realms and no two are alike (so far). Sometimes the experience can get lost in the memory in transit back into the body so sometimes there are very odd things within the realm as if to help. Things that I can program myself to remember when I wake up which, in turn, triggers the memory of the experience notice.
It was twilight. It was not day and it was not night. I was walking along a dirt road. I really did not know why I was there. Suddenly, coming up the road toward me was an Indian. He was rather old and dressed in brown. This was not unusual to me. I have seen amazing things in my travels but what was odd was the fact that he was driving a Jeep! I thought to myself, why would anyone need a jeep over here? Why would an Indian be driving a jeep? I then said to myself. This does not belong. It is a trigger factor that I must remember. Remember the Indian in the Jeep; remember the Indian in the Jeep. I repeated this to myself over and over again. As he drove closer, he smiled. I smiled back and nodded my head. Then he pointed toward the road he had just come from and I knew he was telling me whatever it was I was there for was in that direction. I began walking. I did not walk far when there he was! Colorado stood in the middle of the road. "Colorado!" I gasped which I thought must have been a scream but as, usual, there was no sound. He stood in his former majesty, neck arched, head proud, mane and tail as it had always been. He walked toward me. I saw the feathers in his mane and then the handprint on his chest, where my husband had placed his hand. He stopped in front of me and put his head on my shoulder. He then pulled me gently toward him until my shoulder was under his throat with his head and jaw on my shoulder blade. I put my arms around him and I could feel the power of muscle.
He was whole and powerful and more alive than he could ever have been if he lived. As it always is with these travels, I awoke the next morning in my bed. The first thought that came into my mind was an Indian driving a Jeep. And then, I remembered....
When one loves animals as we do, their passing is losing family. We have had dogs and cats that have lived to twenty! We have others that died prematurely. Each one is a painful loss but is our beliefs that get us through. Native Americans call all things "people". There are rock people, plant and tree people and animal people. They all have spirit. I felt the power of our Mother Earth's people as well but those experiences are for another time but even for Mother's people there is life after life. We observe this with each turn of the wheel with every change of season, don't we? As for my animal people, they have souls. They have 'told' me so.
HER GODMOTHER BOOK TRAILER, Produced by Valkyrie Publishing, thresachaze.com
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In my book, HER GODMOTHER, Allie is on a journey to starting over. Everyone finds themselves in the position of having to start over at some point in their life. It could be starting over from a divorce, starting over after the death of a spouse or relocating. Starting over is never easy and often painful. Yet, it is sometimes necessary to start over and all we can do is go about it as graciously as we can.
How can we ease our transition in starting over? Sometimes it is the little things that can help. Light a candle for yourself for a change. Pick a color that reflects your area of need: blue for mental tranquility, white for purpose, yellow for courage and so on. Pray for yourself and ask others to pray for you. Prayers work and a little prayer in the morning and one at night can go a long way and the benefits can be immediate. You can immediately feel more in control of your circumstances by doing just a couple supplications a day.
Pamper yourself. When life is challenging it becomes very easy to let ourselves fall by the wayside. Don't become an unwise spendthrift but buy something you really want or save for it but do treat yourself to something special. Don't isolate yourself. This also can become an easy thing to do as we muddle through uncomfortable changes. Call a good friend and simply tell them what you are going through. I have called my best friend and honestly shared that I was in a bad space and was self isolating and that I called to snap out of it. There is nothing wrong with getting some help or a good laugh from a friend. I was faced with starting over when, at the age of thirty-two, I was widowed with a five year old daughter. I often called a close cousin who had an outrageous sense of humor and who could make me laugh no matter what. You see sometimes we simply have to want out of the discomfort or pain instead of chaining ourselves to it. Develop your spirituality. It can be a security blanket during uncertain times. Spirituality cannot be defined as religion for it also encompasses acquiring valid coping skills that can include meditation and emotional time outs.
Starting over is not always adventurous and fun. If faced with it later in life it can be extremely unsettling. Sometimes starting over as a result of painful life experiences can leave us feeling lost and unable to gain our equilibrium. This can result in times feeling hellish but remember that whereas "religion is for those that believe in Hell spirituality is for those that have been there." (Author unknown)
HER GODMOTHER BOOK TRAILER, Produced by Valkyrie Publishing, thresachaze.com
Most of us have heard the old adage of how some people see the cup half full and others, half-empty. I have taken it a step further: some of us have to make our own cup. There is a way to look at life or how life treats you. One person's life has treated them well or at least fairly. Then there are others that life seems to have passed by or worse yet, dumped on. There are some people who, other than the grief from the inevitable loss of a loved one, live uncompromised lives. Yet, we all know people who, no matter how hard they try, have a rough ride just getting through life with their heads held high. For these people, life is difficult indeed.
Some people seem to gain opportunity just by being in the right place at the right time. Others must work hard, plan strategic moves and learn to know when to take that leap, leave the familiar and expand into a new area. The problem is, we often fall short somewhere between planning and knowing when to take that ‘leap’. Most of us prefer the comfortable. The comfortable is not always pleasant. It is what is known and familiar. Why else is it so hard for people to decide to move or relocate for a job? It is because change is difficult and frightening.
It is when life holds nothing exciting or enchanting, when we are in a rut we cannot climb out of that it becomes time to make a new cup. Making a new cup is not easy. We only know the cup we had and what was or wasn't in it. If we truly do not like the old cup or what we were drinking from it, we have to look at ourselves and see how did we brew that drink that made it so bitter? We need to think about the kind of cup we want now. What kind of new drink could we possibly make and how the heck do we start making a cup? Do we pour out the old drink altogether, do we throw out the cup? They both had their purpose for a long time but do we want to really part with them?
These may all seem like rhetorical questions but they are not. You see to bring about change takes conscious effort. After all, we lived in our rut, with our rut and perpetuated our rut probably for a long time. We probably had all the reason in world to be in our rut to begin with. Our life path may have been extremely difficult or deprived, giving us every reason to be justified in having the fears we have and remaining with the familiar, even if it is uncomfortable. But, you know what? Changing is even more uncomfortable, especially if you begin from the standing point of no faith or trust. If you are starting at this standing point, you have to decide whether or not you are going to take a "leap" of the faith you do not yet have. You’re not sure what you believe in anymore; you just hope there is something to believe in because you surely do not believe in yourself. You reflect on your life and decide you really cannot stand another year, week or day of the same old routine so, you decide to work on changing. The beauty of this first decision is that you do not have to change anything about your environment. You don’t have to quit your job, you don’t have to relocate. You simply have to begin with your own package. You are the cup that is to be. You are going to fashion it and decide the stuff that will go into this new vessel.
It takes courage to decide to change because when you decide to work on change, you embark on an unsure majickal journey of thought transformation. In order to begin it is important that you do not want to harm anyone as you strive to meet goals. It is also important to accept you are a work in progress and will battle old habits along the way. It doesn't matter how graciously you begin your change. The important thing is a commitment to it for patience and time will bring changes in your life and in all things around you.
Enter basic majickal thought 101 upon which I base my school, Quantum spirituality, The Science of Change. The beauty of this is that you do not have to be a Wiccan or Witch. You can use the thought principles that go into praying, positive thinking and casting spells and apply them to yourself on a very personal level. As you think, see what it is you want, taste what it is you want and wait. Some people sit quietly and imagine VIVIDLY their desire. Others people will write it down and send their dreams or sorrows into the fire by burning the paper because it is an effective way to send energies into the Universe! But, there’s more. The flame of the match creates energy, the burning of the paper and the subsequent smoke is all energy. This practice is so successful, anonymous groups use this exercise very successfully to purge anger, rage or sorrow. But, you can use this tool to create change by writing down the things you need, want or desire without belonging to a coven or anonymous group. You can use this tool as a solitary worker working on self improvement. Acceptance is very important. A lot of New Age people believe in Karma. We must be willing however not to use Karma as a crutch and to accept that not all difficulties are karmic. It is thinking inside of an empowerment arena within which you envision yourself the winner in your bout with the nemesis, disenchantment, that you begin to be a champion. Since I do not believe all things are fixed I see no reason why timetables can't be pushed up once we decide what we need and want to change. Since we do not know, for the most part, what is and is not fixed, why sit on the sidelines deciding this is karma and that is karma? Too many people fritter precious time away contemplating what is karma and forget that regardless of our "Karma" we make and even change it with the right mind set.
The next time you go to a party and look around. Invariably the person having the most fun will be the person who is dressed neatly, appears to have made an effort in the area of grooming, smiles easily and in general emits an openness to meeting people. Now look for the ‘wallflower’. Wallflowers are not born. They are made. The wallflower will stand to the side and appears to not expect a good time. This goes for men or women. Does a wallflower seem approachable? Probably not. Insecurity is projected as loudly as a scream. So wallflowers in actuality bring about their own anticipated outcome. When it comes to your life are you still wallowing? Are you the wallflower at the your own party?
Jewish wisdom teaches that each life is a blank slate, that no soul has a recollection of its previous knowledge. I say we must allow ourselves to be touched by our own spirit power that is programmed within us rather than rationalizing such effort away. We can gain or regain previous spirit knowledge provided we are open minded enough to watch, listen and feel!
Keep in mind that meeting the challenge of redefining ourselves as wonderful, loving, courageous and deserving of joy, can bring about change. How quickly something is achieved depends not only on our focusing skills but also on how many years we contributed to the circumstance we wish to change. We may have to unravel our own psychological problems first but we must decide we want to change ourselves. How many times and for how long did telling ourselves it could not be done close ourselves off to opportunities by not just being blind to them but actually preventing them from coming our way because we fed our own negativity. So the next step is wanting to change. More to the point is are you ready to change?
HER GODMOTHER BOOK TRAILER, Produced by Valkyrie Publishing, thresachaze.com
Available at fine bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and other online stores.
Links to childhood come from the oddest places. There are some foods that bring back a childhood memory, or a song or a word or a movie.
I was talking with a friend last night who mused about how she watched the old Haley Mills/Rosalind Russell movie, The Trouble With Angles. We are both Pagans so it is interesting how we will watch religious themed movies reminiscent of the faith of our youth even though we have walked from it.
We were both raised Catholic. There is nothing wrong with anyone who practices this faith. It is just that for us, our spiritual path took us elsewhere yet, I admitted to her how I love this movie too despite being as far away from the tenets of Catholicism.
She shared that at the end of the movie she felt foolish to admit she cried! I shared that I get misty eyed when I watch that movie too. So, the question for these two Pagans was why? Why would we cry? Why would we get misty eyed? It is very simple.
This is symbolic of a childhood lost during the process called life. It is also symbolic of so many things that happen in life that, as children, we could have never envisioned: the experience of the death of a dearly beloved, the disability of a parent, alcoholism in the family and so on.
Many of us seek this reinstatement of the self through business and others, like myself seek spirituality first as the springboard of coping with past hurts and toward evolving into a mentally healthy person that can see and grasp success.
Regardless of what we may have achieved in our personal goals, there will be that word, song, movie and memory that can make us cry, make us grieve for what we perceived as lost forever. But reactions such as these can also mirror the work we have yet to do on ourselves as we travel the path to meeting our personal best.
Tears are healthy. They release toxicity from the body, mind and spirit so a few tears now and then regardless of the why is actually healthy and, in terms of self inventory tears can help us take the next step to personal healing.
I guess if we ever feel blocked in anyway watching a movie we know will stir our emotions just might help us discover what we need to work on in order to remove a temporary block.
In short the trouble was not with “Angles”, as far as my friend and I were concerned, perhaps the trouble was temporarily with us.
In HER GODMOTHER the troubled little girl that is the main character comes to terms with her heartache...
HER GODMOTHER BOOK TRAILER, produced by Valkyrie Publishing, theresachaze.com
As parts of the northeast face downpours of rain I empathize. In 2006 our area was devastated with a major flood and repairs in my county will never be completed in truth. Consequently, we watch weather very carefully here in upstate New York. As luck would have it I was in NYC when the flood hit and my husband was alone to face raging waters, the inability to get to the barn to check on the horses, then tracking them when they got out because the fence line broke and so on and so on. It was so bad there was no way to get home for over a week! As I write this Maine is getting ten inches of rain and I pray they will not suffer the several feet of water we all suffered that year of that flood.
Today I walked around the pond with my elder mare who I have been rehabilitating for some time now. Fear of losing her for quite a few years left me grateful that she is sound and out of her full retirement. She and I make a good pair...both arthritic going through our paces of being just plain strong and able to be come back queens. The rain drizzled on us at first and then came down heavier but that was no problem as I have always enjoyed a walk in the rain. She, on the other hand, made faces at me as if to say "Are we done yet?" It was one of those times when the elements allow you to take stock of the moment and magically the moment is suspended as you watch not just a rain of water but a rain of autumn leaves falling as the wind loosens them from the trees. It is a suspended moment when everything just feels the way it is supposed to feel: right. It is a time to reflect that there should be no reason not to feel this mental calm all the time other than because...just because we let life get in the way.
Like so many, life has gotten in my way many times and frankly, there was nothing, absolutely nothing that could be done. Do not get me wrong I am a believer in reinvention. I have done it many times myself-recovering from illnesses and disabilities that would have just plain put others away for good. Over the years as I was forced to remake myself mentally, physically and creatively. As a result I developed Quantum Spirituality, The Science of Change. (You can find the link on my page.)
So, I believe in overcoming but I also know what being in an iron box is like too. Today, there were no iron boxes other than the current preoccupation that had plagued me all week and I allowed it to take over for a bit--far longer than I should have for sure. But, isn't that always the case? After all we are human. We will have those triggers that challenge the space we have worked so hard to create. But in this walk in the rain preoccupation was washed away and replaced with gratitude for where I really am--in the self manifested little farm that was first created with the daydreams of a little girl growing up in a poor ghetto long, long ago.
Rain is good. Rain is my friend.
Rain plays a pivotal role for the main character in my book, HER GODMOTHER. See the trailer:
In Her Godmother, Allie learns to see the everyday magic around her on her path to healing. But there is also such a thing as magic everyday, any day. Magic is just the word I use to describe a miracle and, as I have written many times in the past, each day is filled with miracles. 186,000 to be exact. How do I come up with this number? Well, of course there will be concerns, worries, grief, loss and all those stressful things we experience as a matter of life but even though these things may be happening to us and I have had more than my share of all of these and more there are still "happenings" that are blessings or miracles or magical if you will.
For any given sorrow, there is a blessing. I have experienced the loss of many beloved people in a short period of time and grief was overwhelming but, I received so much love, companionship, counsel and wisdom from each and everyone of them that these things are the miracles I carry with me everyday. I have had near death experiences that left me blessed with a further understanding of life after life. I have suffered illnesses that were truly serious and debilitating and have overcome them all. As I write this I continue to heal myself from a serious central nervous system disease called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) that left me in agony for over seven years unable to dress myself without my husband's help. I was unable to write or type. An expert horsewoman, I had to give up my love which I have now regained!
Even during these times I would think of the miracles of each day. I often gave thanks for my daughter who is my life and best friend. I decided that each second of every day that she was okay that was my blessing,my miracle, my magic. There are 186,000 seconds in a day so just this one blessing gave me 186,000 blessings each day. Do you see where I am going with this? If you look at each and every thing that is going well in a day and count the seconds you will find you have much more than 186,000 each day! This is the magic of everyday that I choose to focus on.
If you have followed my blog you might remember reading my comments on my horse, Sassy. She had years of serious illnesses and at one point I thought I would have to put her down. She made it and I retired her. This year she started to show signs of her old self. I began a slow reconditioning program with her--my goal to just bareback her for long walks. This has been a slow process. After all she is, as of today, 29 years old and has been very arthritic.
Today is Labor Day and since I bought her on Labor Day I usually call this day her birthday. Today I took her out for one of our bareback rides and chose a different path that went up a gently sloping hill. Not sure how she would take this I was prepared to turn her around and just walk on the flats if necessary. Well, not only did she do this with ease when we got to the flats she began trotting! She hasn't been this energetic for years and she even wanted to run!
That she gave me this gift on her "birthday" did not escape me. You see I believe in messages, signals that come my way to keep me in faith and trust. And today was one of those times when I was told what you think may not be possible does not have to be the case. I know this from my mother who with over 17 heart attacks and even more strokes and Parkinson's lived to 93. Her whole life she never said never, that she was limited and although disabled she continued to walk, get herself to bingo and in general enjoy gossiping and causing me great worry when she would not call to let me know where she was...Each day of my mother's life was a testimony to miracles, to the magic of perseverance, of the will.
I struggle with bipolar disorder and there are days when it takes every fiber of my mind to make me determined not to give in. I also suffer from severe reactive hypoglycemia so there are days I fight overwhelming exhaustion as I try to balance my blood sugar levels. This morning was one of those mornings. Knowing how Sassy looks forward to going out I determined we would go out and if I felt too tired after a short bit we would come but I would give in.
Well, those few minutes became a magical ride with her the likes of which she and I have not experienced for years. Imagine if I had given in to my exhaustion this morning. Imagine the miracle I would have missed!
Today I had magic like I had not had with her in a long, long time. If there is magic once, there is magic always.
What would make you feel as if you tapped into magic? Think about it and just do it!
Her Godmother Book Trailer: Her Godmother--a tale of magic and miracles!
Have you lost hope? Of all spiritual states of mind, hope is that quick silver quality that steadies us through the various circumstances of our lives with no discernable guarantee of the outcome we desire. So, what is hope?
We all say things like "I hope my headache goes away, I hope my daughter passes the finals, I hope I get a raise" so "hope" must be important to us all but, how does it operate in our lives?
People pray when they are hoping for something whether minor or important. Sometimes people pray over and over again for a particular thing like a child clutching at its mother's skirt. This is not hope. This is desperation for the energies spent pleading with the universe could be better spent being proactive for what you are hoping for. Hope is developed as a result of seeing positive outcomes. Over time, it fills the void of insecurity that would torment us with doubt, fear and despair. Hope is holding within the soul the belief in possibilities and potential and that anything can be done. Without hope, we might choose not to do anything positive to create change. It would all seem fruitless. I have been where the fear of failure or lack of hope immobilized me. I did not trust in the Divine Plan and much less myself yet, I desperately wanted to hope, to believe that positivity could enter my life. I began each day with a prayer for hope which had become so alien to me. We need hope to have goals but goals do not invent themselves. People invent goals. It is a horrible thing to live in fear and this is the nightmarish outcome of the absence of hope.
Hope is not holding the Divine or yourself to a time frame. It would be great if outcomes were immediate. Instead it is a state of being that is patient and, while we are productive, it also enables us to enjoy the little things that bless our average day. Although I used to be a "Good God, Morning! Ugh!" person who, upon awakening, had to outline reasons for getting up, I am now a person who wants to get up and get the most out of my day. Who knows what blessing I might experience?
If nothing tragic has happened in my personal world since the day before, that is a major blessing. So automatically there is at least one with which to start my day. Remember the popular Rosemary Clooney song "Counting My Blessings" in which she sang of counting blessings when she went to sleep? I count my blessings when I wake up to keep hope going.
Even spiritual people reach crossroads. Whether it is disability, certain health conditions or personal loss spiritual people are not immune to the turmoil these circumstances create. Spiritual people also have personal lives that can become dysfunctional or worrisome. Sometimes our dysfunctional childhood experiences catch up with us leaving to wonder where we are on our path in life. It is at these times that we need hope.
It doesn't matter what we have faith in or believe in, or what name we call our god(s) or deities. Faith is a very important component to recovering from being "lost". Faith is not blind. If you are like me, you have seen miracles. You may have seen only everyday wonders but, these ARE miracles. Recall big and small miracles that have occurred to reaffirm your faith. Meditate, light a candle for you and only you. Listen to calming music and decide to have faith. You have a choice here. You can talk yourself into it or out of it. Having been in both places, I can personally vouch on the side of faith.
We have to work on hope for although it is there for us to hold within, the distractions of life can make it elusive. Hope occurs when we have achieved gratitude for that which we have received. With hope, we can not only see what we have received but we can be open to receiving more and more.
In Her Godmother Allie feels despair over the breakup of her parents. When a parent is an alcoholic a child experiences grief over the loss of normalcy in his or her life. To experience the loss of hope at such a young age is tragic but with help, Allie begins to heal and find hope.
Find out how...
Take a moment to watch the book trailer below which was produce by VALKYRIE PUBLISHING (theresachaze.com)
Available at fine bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and other online stores.
Yes, I too have bad days. Sometimes, as with most people, you hit a time when the stress and worry about money, health or loved ones build up. Over time, stress racks the nerves and mental constitution of the best of us. A few years back I was in such a cycle. I lost a number of loved one in a brief period of time and was worried about other family members that were in poor health. Forget about waiting "for the other shoe to drop", I was waiting nonstop for the third shoe! Because I was also in grieving I got hit with the anger stage of grief so, you can imagine anger and rage for a multiple of deceased people happening all at the same time and the effect it had on me. Psychics are human too after all and can fall victim to harsh times, grief and anger. The difference can be the power of the mind and how intensely you feel your pain.
As a Taurus, my home is my haven. It is where I want to be and I just love nestling in for quiet times at the end of the day. But, I had reached a point where I was angry in my home and at my home. Despite a reasonable amount of time passing during which I should have managed my grief related anger, my anger kept surfacing over and over again--huge waves of it would engulf me and I was lost.
I so enraged I had a long period of time in which I was in a "duh?" state of mind. One day I woke up with a realization. I realized that I had become toxic to myself. I had experienced such violent grief and anger that I infected my home with emotions so strong, the energy was lingering and reinfecting me! As you can imagine I was stunned for I, of all people, should have picked up on this phenomenon but simply didn't. It was then I realized I had to spiritually cleanse my home of my own negative energies that were so powerful as to cripple me.
Are you or have you gone through a prolonged period of stress, upset and anger? It could be your own emotions, sent out into you home in the form of negative energies, are still lingering in your environment. You could be reinfecting yourself with your own negative emotions. You could be toxic to yourself too!
How do you cleanse your home of malingering negativity? You can "smoke" your house. Tis is done by opening your windows and burning sage, fanning ti with your hand throughout your whole home. You will immediately feel the environment lighten. Another thing to do is to sprinkle salt all over your house, especially the corners where energies get trapped, and leaving it down fo twenty-four hours. It is also good practice to do a home cleansing once a week for maintenance so to speak to prevent you from continuing to reinfect yourself.
See what Allie is learning and watch the trailer.
Produced by VALKYRIE PUBLISHING. Visit theresachaze.com
Average Rating: Customer Rating for this product is 5 out of 5 Write a Review Showing 1-4 Possibly the best book I've read this year, and I read a lot. Florence Splitt, A reviewer, 08/25/2008: It's rare to be able to say a book about magic is true to life, and even rarer to say that one can inspire you, one that makes you feel you're connected with everything around you when you go for a walk, and see the world in a different light. This book does that, while telling a story that so many can relate to. Many think of witches as either insane, evil, a mix of those two- or one who molds the universe with the flick of her wand and some choice words. Different, interesting, fun most of the time, with moments of seriousness thrown in, mind altering- I highly recommend the read. I've also read 'Gifts of the Spirit' by the same author, completely different kind of book, but she's proving herself to be a quality writer in my opinion.
Also recommended: Gifts of the Spirit, The Tao of Pooh, The Tao of Eqqus, Long Way Down, The Stand 'Exteneded', Sphere, Island, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hamlet, Macbeth, Madness and Civilization, Eyes of the Dragon, Brave New World Revisited, A Child Called It
Customer Rating for this product is 5 out of 5 A reviewer Flo, A reviewer, 05/22/2008: For anyone who has suffered loss of any kind this book helps us see that healing is all around us. Allie, who is heartbroken about her father's alcoholism goes to stay with her godmother for while and boy, could we all use a godmother like hers! This book is poignant, funny and a wonderful read for juveniles and adults alike.
Customer Rating for this product is 5 out of 5 YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!! Annie, A reviewer, 05/21/2008: Join Allie on her journey to healing. Her Godmother teaches Allie and the reader to discover the magic of every day enchantment. Through Allies eyes I learned how to look at life as a series of wonder.
Customer Rating for this product is 5 out of 5 A reviewer 01/18/2008: This book is sensitively written to help children whose families face challenges to heal. No flying broomstick here just down to earth real magic. In this case it is healing from the heartache of having a parent that is an alcoholic. Don't we all wish we had a godmother to make things right? Allie goes to stay with her godmother and begins to heal and nothing will be the same again!
Also recommended: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings etc.
Author and publisher Theresa Chaze has written a thought provoking article on the subject of religious freedom. This article makes one stop and think about what is religious freedom and the law that separates church from state, especially as it applies to the public school system. Her article can be found here: http://theresachaze.blogspot.com/
My comment on this topic varies from some and it is simply that I do not believe one set of religious principles should be emboldened as primary within any governmentally funded program or institution. I do, however, find nothing wrong with anyplace, including a school giving a few moments for students to commune with their God, Goddess or any other deity for guidance or reflection.
To carry this further I feel very strongly that Pagans, especially students, should be able to wear their pentacle without fear of reprisal which has sadly happened to students in schools in a number of districts. After all, it is no different than a Star of David or a cross from a spiritual point of view. On the other hand I feel Christian students who choose to meet during lunch to do Bible study should be able to do so and that Muslim students should be able to bow to Mecca during school if it is the time to do so. If students during a free period choose to read religious materials or other spiritual literature, they should be able to do so.
Frankly I believe the law of the land is largely influenced by the Ten Commandments and honestly have no objection to it being displayed in a courthouse or any other public building alongside with the Code of Hammurabi which was the very first code of laws from which all others sprang. In other words, there are many inspired sources that have dictated what is just and fair and they too should be acknowledged.
When one group insists that their way is the only way there will always be problems with mutual respect and acceptance. As I see it, the focus of religious freedom has been on how it affects Christians but the truth of the matter it is a matter of religious "expression" concerning all belief systems. There are a diverse number of belief systems in this country and until all of them can become somewhat familiar to all of us, fear will continue to pervade and invade our society.
I am so very pleased today to introduce Rose Ann Schwab to everyone today! She is an Award Winning World Renowned Clairvoyant Psychic Medium & Professional Business Consultant based in Minneapolis, MN. Rose has an accuracy rate of 95-100%, extensive experience and is a truly inspired psychic.
As if she is not busy enough, she offers an absolutely fabulous podcast program which is a great spiritual service to everyone. These programs are uplifting and spiritually guided. You can listen to her programs at her website www.angelicinspirationsradio.com
I am so please to pass Rose and her website on to you all. These programs are uplifting, enlightened with the gift of offering guidance to everyone.
As for Rose Ann herself, she offers a diverse range of spiritual and channeling services to meet anyone's needs. Take an moment and visit her at www.angelicinspirationsradio.com
Today was one of "those" days-still not quite over my bout with bronchitis and the effect of strong antibiotics left me hung over with a blue kind of feeling. The sun was shining, it was a perfect day but the only thing that gave me heart was that I was at least up to my morning cleaning routine which was a major sign that indeed I was getting better!
Still I felt out of sync with myself and my surroundings. I have had some unpleasantness the last several weeks. I am hypoglycemic and on occasion prone to weird acute attacks of low glucose drops that seem incapable of stabilizing. I went through this for several weeks and all my activities simply stopped as I fought waking myself up from horrible stupors and in general feeling dizzy, weak and tired when I was awake. My routines of getting up early, cleaning, romping with the dogs, doing stalls and riding my horse suddenly stopped. Then I contracted bronchitis which sidelined me even longer. Between cabin fever and a sudden decrease in what are usually physically active days frankly just got to me. And today, I felt as if the magic around me was simply gone. I didn't even have the desire to jump start myself.
Usually I ride my mare in the mornings but today at about 2pm I decided that since I was feeling better a nice bareback in the woods might make me feel better. I went out to the field and asked Sassy if she wanted to go out. She lifted her head and perked up her ears. She waited as I approached with her bridle.
Sassy has a story of her own. She is twenty eight and I got her when she was four years old and totally, as we call them, green broke. In other words she was just this side of wild! It took time but ultimately I worked with her and we became great partners and friends. In recent years she had some really serious health problems. She had bouts of pneumonia, went blind in one eye, got Lyme disease which affected her immune system, had become horribly epileptic, foundered (a horrible acute crippling ailment) and was lame from arthritis in her knees. Some years back I called in a vet to put her down and thankfully this old timer said "not today." She began to come back but I retired her.
This last year I decided to begin walking her as she was not really active in the pasture anymore and as we walked, over time, her gait got faster and strong. Out of retirement, I decided and since she had not had a seizure for a long time I decided it was worth the risk of riding her. Of course she cannot trot and run like she used to in her day but to just be able to ride her through the woods, which she always enjoyed is a miracle to me.
Now don't think that because she is a senior citizen with some leg problems that she hasn't given me flack and "argued" with me on the rides at times. I have to admit I just love it when she is cranky enough to speak her mind. So, today, wondering if I were well enough to keep my balance on her bareback I decided we both needed to see the woods. The ride could not have been more perfect. I talked to her and cooed her the whole time and she decided it was nice being out and did not debate what turns to take when as she sometimes does.
After a bit we came back and we both felt happier. My funk of the morning had lifted and I realized that when I decided to ride her today, I touched magic. She was my magic. In everyday life we can never know where the magic comes from....
Of Course Allie learns all about everyday magic in my book, Her Godmother-
See the trailer:
Available at fine bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and other online stores.
Right now I am not quite myself. You see I have bronchitis and am on antibiotics which always throw me off kilter. Being inactive as I must be these days sends my mind wandering to places--some places I do not like and others where flights of fancy occur.
I was talking with a good friend today. Of course very important topics come up in such conversations. For example I simply HAD to talk about the movie, The Age of Innocence with Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day Lewis. Now this movie has got to be the most boring, self important feeling movies next to Dangerous Liaisons. Yet, I was compelled to watch it after only seeing it once several years ago.
The story is very soap opera-ish and Michelle and Daniel painfully walk around being tormented about their privileged although society-controlled lives. I think I just like the movie because it is a beautiful photo essay about that period of time in New York although strictly about the wealthy class.
I pointed out that perhaps I would have liked to have lived during that time although I was sure my life would have been on the under belly of society with a job most probably plucking chickens. So we began to talk about what lives we might have liked to have lived if those lives did not have sorrows. She said she would have loved the 20's-minus the depression. I said I thought I would have loved the Gay Nineties-a backlash to the Victorian Era but my deepest fantasy would be living in old Vienna during the time of great composers draped in a magnificent gown dancing the Viennese Waltz in a marbled palace. In my fantasy, this goes on forever, much like the joys of the Grecian Elysian Fields.
Escapism is part of the human psyche from time to time, especially when one is under the weather and the aimless mind becomes aimless. For example, I had another conversation with my husband today about the meaning of life. Bless his soul he is very optimistic so his interpretation of the question described the purpose of life which to him is to love, be lucky enough to be loved and to help people that need help.
In my antibiotic state I commented what if life has no purpose at all? What if we are reincarnated for different reasons? Reason one could be we chose to come back to master a lesson (which is the usual case). Reason two could be a good life as a reward for good deeds in another life. Of course if suffering, this life could be a punishment for evil deeds of the past. Then again it could simply be that we don't know enough to leave well enough alone and to simply choose to not come back!
An undisciplined day leaves me with an undisciplined and aimless mind-from meanderings about the purpose of life to Elysian Fields. Ah, the antibiotics are making me tired again so perhaps I will withdraw and daydream about Vienna Waltzes. Even good witches have days when they only see the twisters...
HER GODMOTHER BOOK TRAILER
Available at fine bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and other online stores.
Friday, August 8, 2008
What's Your Trigger? By Cate Cavanagh
Everyone has a sore spot, an Achilles' Heal if you will. Sometimes it's something such as hearing screeching tires that our nerves like chalk squeaking on a blackboard. Sometimes it's Aunt Tilly's gaggling laugh. But when it comes to spiritual balance it is something else altogether.
Many of us have been looking at our self definitions and how we see ourselves. We have been exploring why we have these self definitions and have been working to redefine ourselves truthfully instead of painfully. We have also been working on our self image by dressing nicely even if we don't want to or putting on make up even if we do not like what we see in the mirror. In short, we have working on self transformation. But sometimes, no matter how much hard work we put into transforming ourselves we have a set back. So I will now ask you, what is your trigger? What is it that shakes you to the bottom of your soul to the point of losing ground,losing your inner balance?
For one it could be a birthday. Birthdays signal turning points and it is natural to reflect on our lives. Unfortunately, birthdays make us look at what we may have dreamed and not yet obtained. Another is a major holiday. It is not surprising that major holidays earmark horrible depression and high suicide rates. If divorced going to that cousin's wedding can also be a trigger to any number of issues we have not yet settled within ourselves. If watching our weight (if we have an eating disorder) that one piece of wedding cake could cause us to suddenly binge eat or purge. It is all about painful memories and issues that are triggered by what should be a fun event.
Sometimes, as with my case in particular, it is being around people who are drunk. You see my dad was an alcoholic and being around someone who is drunk brings back a flood of sad, childhood memories. For someone with a physical disability it could be hearing about someone's son making a college team. If you were never able to get a college education, running into a friend who did and who is "successful" can bring about feelings of failure.
All of the above are about "things". That's the bottom line here and these "things" tap into our fears: fear of failing, being too fat or too thin, fear of being continually disabled or of feeling inadequate. Does this all mean our working at self transformation is to no avail? On the contrary! It only means we have triggers reminding us of where we came from, not where we are going! On days were we have a setback we need to remember that is who we were, not who are or who we are becoming. If we can remember this we can ride through the rough spots and see that we are champions over our past.
Of course the best tool is, and it is hard, learning to live in the present. In HER GODMOTHER, Allie learns to be alive in the magical moment of now!
The young character in my book, HER GODMOTHER, is blessed with having the opportunity to begin learning how to think and react in a healthy way with regard to her special challenges. Most of us are not as fortunate and only after years of carrying burdens well into our adulthood do we reach a point of wanting to experience major changes in our lives.
Most of us have heard the old adage of how some people see the cup half full and others, half-empty. I have taken it a step further: some of us have to make our own cup. There is a way to look at life or how life treats you. One person can be an optimist- life has treated them well or at least fairly. Then there are others (pessimists) that life seems to have passed by or worse yet, dumped on. There are some people who, other than the grief from the inevitable loss of a loved one, live uncompromised lives. Yet, we all know people who, no matter how hard they try, have a rough ride just getting through life with their heads held high. For these people, life is difficult indeed.
Some people seem to gain opportunity just by being in the right place at the right time. Others must work hard, plan strategic moves and learn to know when to take that leap, leave the familiar and expand into a new area. The problem is, we often fall short somewhere between planning and knowing when to take that ‘leap’. Most of us prefer the comfortable. The comfortable does not have to be pleasant. It is what is known and familiar. Why else is it so hard for people to decide to move or relocate for a job? It is because change is difficult and frightening.
It is when life holds nothing exciting or enchanting, when we are in a rut we cannot climb out of that it becomes time to make a new cup. Making a new cup is not easy. We only know the cup we had and what was in it. If we truly do not like the old cup or what we were drinking from it, we have to look at ourselves and see how did we brew that drink that made it so bitter? We need to think about the kind of cup do we want now? What kind of new drink could we possibly make and how the heck do we start making a cup? Do we pour out the old drink altogether, do we throw out the cup? They both had their purpose for a long time. Do we want to really part with them?
These may all seem like rhetorical questions but they are not. You see to bring about change takes conscious effort. After all, we lived in our rut, with our rut and perpetuated our rut probably for a long time. We probably had all the reason in world to be in our rut to begin with. Our life path may have been extremely difficult or deprived, giving us every reason to be justified in having the fears we have and remaining with the familiar, even if it is uncomfortable. But, you know what? Changing is even more uncomfortable, especially if you begin from the standing point of no faith or trust. If you are starting at this standing point, you have to decide whether or not you are going to take a "leap" of the faith you do not yet have. You’re not sure what you believe in anymore, you just hope there is something to believe in because you surely do not believe in yourself. You reflect on your life and decide you really cannot stand another year, week or day of the same old routine so, you decide to work on changing. The beauty of this first decision is that you do not have to change anything about your environment. You don’t have to quit your job, you don’t have to relocate. You simply have to begin with your own package. You are the cup that is to be. You are going to fashion it and decide the stuff that will go into this new vessel.
It takes courage to decide to change because when you decide to work on change, you embark on an unsure majickal journey of thought transformation. In order to begin it is important that you do not want to harm anyone as you strive to meet goals. It is also important to accept you are a work in progress and will battle old habits along the way. It doesn't matter how graciously you begin your change. The important thing is a commitment to it for patience and time will bring changes in your life and in all things around you.
Enter basic majickal thought 101 upon which I base my school, Quantum spirituality, The Science of Change. The beauty of this is that you do not have to be a Wiccan or Witch. You can use the thought principles that go into casting spells and apply them to yourself on a very personal level. As you think, see what it is you want, taste what it is you want and wait. Some people sit quietly and imagine VIVIDLY their desire. Others people will write it down and send their dreams into the fire by burning the paper because it is an effective way to send energies into the Universe! But, there’s more. The flame of the match creates energy, the burning of the paper and the subsequent smoke is all energy. This practice is so successful, anonymous groups use this exercise very successfully to purge anger, rage or sorrow. But, you can use this tool to create change by writing down the things you need, want or desire without belonging to a coven or annonymous group. You can use this tool as a solitary worker working on self improvement. Acceptance is very important. We must all be willing to accept that not all difficulties are karmic. It is thinking inside of an empowerment arena within which you envision yourself the winner in your bout with the by nemesis, disenchantment. Since I do believe all things are fixed I see no reason why timetables can't be pushed up either once we decide we need and want change more quickly. Since we do not know, for the most part, what is and is not fixed, should we sit on the sidelines deciding this is karma and that is karma? Too many people fritter precious away contemplating what is karma and forget that can make and even change our karma with the right mind set.
The next time you go to a party and look around. Invariably the person having the most fun will be the person who is dressed neatly, appears to have made an effort in the area of grooming, smiles easily and in general emits an openness to meeting people. Now look for the ‘wallflower’. Wallflowers are not born. They are made. The wallflower will stand to the side and appear as if, not expecting to have a good time, no effort was made into appearance. This goes for men or women. Does a wallflower seem approachable? Probably not. Insecurity is projected as loudly as a scream. So wallflowers in actuality, bring about their own anticipated outcome. When it comes to your life are you still wallowing? Are you the wallflower at the your own party?
Jewish wisdom teaches that each life is a blank slate, that no soul has a recollection of its previous knowledge. I say if we allow ourselves to be touched by our own spirit power that is programmed to get us going rather than rationalizing such effort away. We can gain or regain previous knowledge provided we are open minded enough to watch, listen and feel!
Keep in mind that meeting the challenge of redefining ourselves as wonderful, loving, courageous and deserving of joy, can bring about change. How quickly something is achieved depends on our focusing skills but also on how many years we contributed to the circumstance we wish to change. We may have to unravel our own psychological problems first but we must decide we want to change ourselves. How many times and for how long did we tell ourselves it could not be done, hence closing ourselves off to opportunities by not just being blind to them but actually preventing them from coming our way because we fed our negativity. So the next step is wanting to change. More to the point are you ready to change?
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Books that are about magic (CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY and HARRY POTTER) continue to elicit rising interest in the magical genre and this book will have appeal to children and adults alike. Unlike Harry Potter books, Her Godmother is a true depiction of magic as practiced in the magical/Wiccan community. Her Godmother also addresses the disease of alcoholism and shows it is not influenced by income nor ethnicity. The AA program is introduced as are some of the steps as tools for healing the wounds children and adult children of alcoholics carry within. As an adult child of an alcoholic this is a situation I have personally experienced. HER GODMOTHER educates about this disease and provides insight into the healing process while creating an imaginative and enchanting novel.
About the book:
Allie is experiencing a family breakup. Her father is an alcoholic. Her mother decides to have Allie stay with her godmother in upstate rural New York while she makes plans to start life over and relocate so although magic is a large part of this story, HER GODMOTHER is a creative tale of coping and rethinking how to heal by discovering joy in a mundane yet disappointing world.
While upstate Allie learns about the the wonder of wildlife. Adding to the fun mix of delightful events is Jasper, the squirrel that taps on her godmother's window, Sally the rotund cat who is a magical character with a story of her own, the family of skunks that live under the house, the bats that live in the roof and Jupiter the nonmagical, mischievous huge mutt. Allie is having a wonderful time until one night, when awakened by a thunderstorm, she peeks out of her window to see her godmother dancing on the lawn in the rain. Who is this woman her mother sent her to stay with? What Allie is about to discover is that her godmother is rather "colorful" or should we say...
It is important to note that although HER GODMOTHER is mystical no one is changed into cats nor does anyone fly on broomsticks. Readers venture with Allie on the Wiccan path to healing and discover with her that ordinary life is really a series of enchantments that will capture the hearts of both children and adults.
Witches are among us and like Brigid (the godmother) live quietly in every community. HER GODMOTHER dispels erroneous thinking about the gentle, caring belief of Wicca which is authentic on its depiction. As a adult child of an alcoholic, Cate weaves the complexity of tis controversy while fostering a deeper understanding of alcoholism and its impact on families, especially children.
The back drop of this book is Livingston Manor, the town in which Cate lives. As the denizens of this town know the weather is rather quirky. This book is authentic in bringing this town to life so the reader can be entertained with the charm and weather unpredictability of this area in Sullivan County, New York.
HER GODMOTHER has a writing style that is easy for children to read while not "writing down" so that the story and style alike will also attract adult readers. The beauty of this book is that it cannot be put into a box that limits readership. It will be appealing to adults, children, those interested in magic as well as those familiar with the heartache of alcoholism.
About Cate: She is a practicing Witch whose my first book, GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, continues to receive rave reviews. she is also a published poet whose work has appeared in poetry anthologies. I am also a published print columnist, had a political program on WJJ, an NPR affiliate, as well as a podcast political commentator on Internet Radio Voices. Her work has also appeared in Lightsouce, SelfGrowth and Espirit. She is frequent contributor to Witchvox. She was asked toto write the forward for widely known metaphysician within the spiritual community, Myriam Maytorena. Her book, LIFE WITH MOTHER, is a touching story of care giving for her mother during the end stages of her life.
Combining the elements of magic, the profundity of alcoholism and fun HER GODMOTHER will be the next feel good book of the year.
Popular author Janet Elaine Smith wrote the forward and excerpted part of this forward as an endorsement on the back cover. Known Wiccan author, Theresa Chaze also wrote a review for the back cover as well.
HER GODMOTHER is available through Barnes and noble, other fine bookstores, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com
I am an eclectic Witch and founder of Quantum spirituality, The Science of Change as well as author of Gifts Of The Spirit and Her Godmother. I am a widely published columnist and have been a political radio commentator in New York as well as a political podcaster. My husband and I share our lives with four horses, five cats, two dogs and a tempermental parrot! Please visit my website at
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