Showing posts with label children book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children book. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A Wonderful Animated Trailer!


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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oHfXQ1YTRc

Monday, October 13, 2008

Starting Over



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

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Make Your Own Cup!

By Cate Cavanagh

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.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Hope

by Cate Cavanagh

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.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

People Are Talking About Her Godmother!

Average Rating: Customer Rating for this product is 5 out of 5
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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.


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.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

A Must Listen To Podshow!



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

Monday, August 18, 2008

The Magic I couldn't Feel today

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.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Elysian Fields

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!

Book trailer:


The Elements of change

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

A Pocket Full Of Miracles

Are you in a dark place? Are you feeling like a victim to your circumstances? Are you emotionally fumbling? Do you feel your life has nothing miraculous in it? Everyone goes through rough times and everyone has times where they feel abandoned spiritually, losing hope through times of lacking faith. None of us are alone when it comes to experiencing the despair of darkness. Finding hope and faith can be difficult at these times but not impossible to obtain or regain.

I have found counting blessings not at night (as the song goes) but in the morning helps me frame my mental attitude for the day. Another is my mantra "I am blessed." You see over time you will feel blessed. Wish someone a blessed day and you will get a smile. Blessings are easy to give so why not give yourself as many as you can? Before we can see our blessings however, we may have to do some math.

There are 186,000 seconds in a day. This means on a given day if we have food on the table, no matter how meager, we have 186,000 blessings or miracles. Now if you add having a roof over your head your miracles for that day have now doubled to 372,000 miracles. It is all a matter of perspective. If you have active children add 186,000 miracles to each one. Is at least one parent alive? If so add another 186,000 miracles to your day. If you recovering from illness you are fortunate to be around to do so. True there may be really serious problems you are facing but if you are not consumed today by them, you have just found more moments of miracles.

The power to undergo our hardships gracefully is a matter of perspective and having faith and spirituality basically in tact. The next time you feel overwhelmed by your situation stop and do the math. Cate

Please take a moment to watch my book trailer. As Allie begins her journey of healing she encounters miracles of her own...

Monday, July 21, 2008

A Talk With An Old Friend

I had a nice talk with a dear friend of mine today. We go 'way back to our younger days of going to discos and clubs and making candlelit dinners for ourselves just because we deserved it! We dyed each other's hair, made homemade face creams, did facials while listening to music and gossiping. Her apartment was my haven during a time is of severe grief in which I suffered a severe nervous breakdown. The truth is I owe her my life for she was my "mother hen".

She hasn't changed much through the years either. She is as youthful as ever and no, I will NOT say her age other than she is a Michelle Pfeiffer look alike. My daughter and her son are both grown and, true to the type of mothers we were (for better or worse), they each as the saying goes march to their own drums. In my daughter's case, she makes her own drums!

Life gave each of us hardships that we wondered how we endured, we each lost beloveds and today, as in my younger days, I listened to her wisdom. We were talking about the whys of life. Why does one person suffer recurring bouts of cancer while another cannot survive one. Why do some people's lives seem only peppered with sorrow while others meet sorrow on their journey over and over again.

She said, "We will go crazy if we analyze why this and why that. Sometimes we have to accept that this is how life is." (She is a hospice Christian Chaplain and sees death and dying everyday) Recently she helped an elderly friend get into a nursing home near her home so she can look over her. She, like I, wonder (or perhaps fear) what our old age will be like. "I look at Betty (our friend) and realize that time is too short to waste on worrying. This is the time for laughter and to not let anything bother you. We each have to find a way to just accept and not waste our lives in worry and fear and death will come for all of us anyway. I want to just live my life to the fullest.

I, like so many other people, sometimes languish in the shadow of past memories. Beyond nostalgia, it is a place of loss and missed opportunities. Recently I went through a period of mourning my losses over the years and those who have read my writings know they have been many. The hardest part of moving forward from personal loss is the guilt of moving forward. It is as if moving forward is somehow a betrayal, somehow we feel deep down inside that it is wrong to stop grieving. But we never stop grieving. It just takes on a different persona in the guise of "adjusting". There is nothing wrong with moments of sadness for what was or what wasn't. The problem becomes how can we move forward joyfully?

I began to work myself through this period by getting up very early every morning and having my coffee and barn chores done early. I began exercising more and redecorated the living room with my husband. These are all steps to moving forward when stuck in a mental space we want to get out of.

Talking to old friends who knew you way back when one week you were a blond, the next a red head helps too. Remembering the fun reignites the feeling and the brain cannot tell a real experience from a remembered or imagined one so recalling laughter uplifts in the present which is another step in moving forward.

We had our conversation much earlier in the day and when I hung up I had no idea our heart to heart would become my blog today. Writers are funny that way. It can be a picture or a song or a cow that brings forth some tidbit of writing but today it was reconnecting with a dear friend.

We spoke of getting together with the gaggle of gals we used to hang out with in a hotel room with booze, pajamas and food and just laughing about the old days. Oh, and we won't cook our meal. We've earned the right to be served!

Moving forward is what I wrote about today. You have read the blog already. In Her Godmother, the main character struggles to move forward while having to face her father's alcoholism. Her Godmother shows how there is everyday magic that can heal. Life is the same way. Sometimes the magic in a talk with an old friend...



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Friday, July 11, 2008

Mirror, Mirror



We in spiritual circles sometimes talk about "mirroring". What we mean by this is that someone or circumstances reflect who we really are by how we react to these situations. If, for example, we are impatient with someone who has a short temper there is a strong possibility that we, ourselves, may tend to have short fuses. In other words we experience irritation at the very trait we have in which case this "mirror" enables us to look at ourselves.

Mirrors such as these take all forms. This past 4th of July weekend I became really angry at a neighbor across the road. Mind you in all the years that we have been neighbors we have only ever exchanged a hello when we see each other. I am a funny person this way. If I feel cool toward someone when I meet them I listen to my intuition. My choosing not be friendly is usually just a preference to not allow someone in to my personal space and life. But I wander...

In actuality I have never been annoyed with these neighbors until this past 4th. I happened to look across my driveway to see that there, in view of the road was the Confederate flag. I became furious! How dare they put up that flag instead of the US flag! I know my history and intellectually know that today, many New Southerners consider this flag a symbol of a failed attempted to become their own nation. Sound familiar? But to me this more prominently represents a time in which people were considered property with no rights and who often suffered horrible abuses. I am of mixed heritage. My father was Irish-English but my mother was Puerto Rican of Taino, Spanish and African heritage. In fact, my own great grandmother had been taken from her African homeland by a Spaniard and brought to Puerto Rico against her will so the issue of slavery is one that is in my family history.

I fumed! I was trying to think of something I could put up on my lawn to infuriate him in return. As a Pagan, I know the inequities suffered for these beliefs as well. But, the truth of the matter is I, as a Pagan, am judged by people of extreme persuasions and the violent hatred expressed towards Pagans is documented historically and still happens today. But, I am out of the broom closet so to speak and have blatant and ornate altars on my front porch which is visible to the road all year around. I am sure this irritates and even infuriates some people but I am expressing myself on my private property and this "self" expression is a right.

As a writer, no matter how loathsome someone may be, such as a Clan leader, I must respect his right to his opinion and to state it. For if one person loses the right of freedom of expression it is only a matter of time before we all do. So, here I was flaming mad about my neighbor forgetting at the time that he was expressing himself just as much as I do by my front porch altar displays.

My anger was my mirror in that I became acutely aware that weekend of exactly how sensitive I really am about certain philosophies, about the suffering the ancestor I never knew went through as a Black and as a woman. All of this came ripping up to the surface the moment I saw that flag. So, the real issue here is not political from a spiritual point of view although it certainly was part of it. The real issue is what I am angry about.

The purpose of a mirror is not to so much outwardly act as much as it is to become inwardly aware of powerful reactions and examine the usefulness of the emotions. The anger I felt was useless. It was not going to change his hanging his flag. As an artist I cannot refute his right to freedom of expression for here, at least for the time being, we are free to express ourselves as we please. The useful thing to do was the simplest of outcomes: realize there is anger under my cool surface and to work it out in time. Realization is the first step for if we are honest with ourselves, we are probably angry about a lot of things we simply have not looked at for a long,long time.

So, my "reflection" was of a side of my persona I needed to rediscover and come to terms with.

As for my neighbor--may he live in peace--until Halloween when my displays will be grander than ever before!!!!!



How about taking a journey where enchantment balms a hurting soul? Her Godmother is rich with everyday enchantments that heals the heart....

Click here to see the book trailer:

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Am I Really Here?

Okay. I have determined that I am a fluke of the Universe. I am a specter with some kind of supernatural yearning to be real. I do not exist. The Cyber universe tells me so. Please bear with me as this evidently nonexistent person, author, daughter, wife, and mother comes to this conclusion. Everything and everyone is on the web. Cate Cavanagh is all over web, all over google and just about every search engine there is. Cate Cavanagh has been an NPR radio affiliate broadcaster and podcaster. Cate Cavanagh is listed on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com as well as other online book stores. Cate Cavanagh has books in bookstores, including Barnes and Noble. Cate Cavanagh has a laudable professional and creative resume but, am I really here or a spectral- lurker who is simply just too stupid to know that I am not her or she is not me?

During the last several years I have had three myspace pages. They have all been lost. When "I" inquired myspace told me I did not exist. I have in the last week rejoined and did three more pages only to have them blip off. Once again myspace told me I do not exist.

I began this blog and, low and behold, my "appearance" here seems like something out of the Twilight Zone where a specter fades in and then out...Will I be here when I complete this blog? My blog is here one minute and then gone the next. I do not know but then I do not really know if I exist anyway.

I have had websites-zip-gone-never was.

So, I decided not to be deterred and go the new big connection website-facebook. Well, I have signed on twice as I write this and my password is said to be wrong. I reset the password and although I get signed in, it is not the "right" password for going further than that.

So, I have this little dilemma that vexes me greatly- Do I really know we exist? It seems I don't. I find myself having bizarre musings. For example, in science it is said that something blue is not blue at all. It's just everything else that is not blue. An orange is not orange but rather every other color is absorbed EXCEPT orange which is what we see. I look in the mirror and therefore must conclude that the image I see is merely a rejected range of colors that make up my green eyes, freckled face and red hair so, with scientific fact in hand I look at myself and realize that who I see is not really there at all so the me I see simply does not exist.

Apparently cyperspace has come to the same conclusion so the question becomes if I am not Cate, then who am I am? Will the real Cate please stand up and finish rewriting the books I still have lurking in the back of my mind? Will the real Cate clean my house and do the luandry and cooking for me? I am apparently living your life...enough already! Live Your own.

But, if you must insist I live your life will you please take over my life and replace it with heavenly spas, swimming pool, a huge boat, an estate stable, landscapers and room service?

Do this person-whose existence is questionable- a favor. Please go to you tube and view the book trailer for the book some other Cate wrote. Thanks.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Enchantments are all around us!



To watch video click here:

Find out what everyone is talking about!

Allie begins her magical adventure as her mother takes her to her Godmother while she works out the issues in her life. Surrounded by woods, Allie finds new adventures and a path to healing as Aunt Bridget shows her how to find the magic not only in herself but miracles in the world around her. Harry Potter was taken to a world separate from the mundane; Allie learns that magic is not only real, but is part of every day life.

An uplifiting novel of healing and enchantment...



Available at fine bookstores, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com
Be sure to view the book trailer above and find out what everyone is talking about!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

For The Greater Good

“And it harm none” is the common mantra of Pagans during ritual and prayer and just as often “for the greater good” is another.
As a Witch and Pagan with a strong Wicca background philosophically, these are safety tenets that prevent all of us from manipulating circumstances, even subconsciously, that might incur a karmic debt to ourselves or inadvertently manipulate another person.

I was raised Catholic and, truth be told, I even wanted to be a nun in my youth. As a Catholic, the safeguard against to “Hell” was confession. If one died without confession or last rites then the “karmic debt” was be Purgatory-that in between place where one would remain until debts were paid after which point entrance to “Heaven” would be granted.

I bring this up because in all of the religions and nontraditional beliefs I have studied, this is a common feature: in Buddhism, “purgatory” amounts to Bordo land for example, there is the fire and brimstone teachings we are all aware of but there are also beliefs that teach the soul will “sleep” until ready to awaken and begin anew.

So what does all of this have to with work for the “greater good?” I call myself Witch but I am also (what I coined) a quantum metaphysician. On my journey of evolving into this I evaluated “and it harm none”, “for the greater good”, karmic debt and other similar beliefs extensively. (My book, GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, studies karma in great detail. Please note this book is no longer available by my choice.

Simply put, Karma is payment for past errors or noble work. Most people have come to associate the word with bad luck. Karma, despite what many may think, is not random. Somewhere along the line we put an ‘effort’ into our own Karma. I write extensively on the topic of energy conversion, which is the foundation of my spiritual school, QUANTUM SPIRITUALITY, The Science of Change. In my work, I ask readers to look at how we affect such conversion and subsequent outcomes by our deeds, our thoughts, our words or CHOICES. Our deeds are what we actively do. Lying and then being discovered for our lies is a basic example of how karma can play out for who would trust a known liar ever again?

But, as a Quantum Metaphysician, I concluded life can be a matter of the choices we make: who did we decide to marry? Who did we decided to leave? Did we relocate? What did we choose as our livelihood? Why did we make these choices? The result of these choices is karma.

What if, when we were still spirit-fluff, we decided we needed to learn a new experience as a challenge to our soul’s muscle? What if at that time, we realized we may not have been good people in our past lives and chose to pay our debt? What if we decided to pay that debt in the NEXT LIFETIME rather than wait until further down the line? We have then selected a life theme. (We could have also chosen success because we want a ‘vacation’ from spiritual growth or a reward for much spirituality learned.) But, let’s stay with paying our painful “debt”. We may have chosen illness, poverty or an untimely death. Why would we choose this painful purpose in a next lifetime? Perhaps in our spiritual evolution we opted to learn how fixed and resolved our true souls can be in unknowing lifetimes and to determine whether or not we have learned enough over many reincarnations to master our spirit power.

Many people believe that the goal of the soul is to join the godhead (the universe, the Creator, Heaven). This theme is in Hinduism, Buddhism and others. What would be the purpose of this joining? To be part of the “Creator”, Divine healing and nurturing, the power of the divine and possibly even creation itself. If we look at the perfection of the earth, mankind’s interference aside, it is perfect. It functions on it own, heals itself and regenerates itself. Even climatic cataclysms are all part of healing. As its children, might we not also have all these inherent entitlements? The same can be said for the Universe. Therefore, must not we, as spiritual forces, aim to perfect energy management in the form of spirit power as we strive for the ultimate goal of joining The Divine to better perpetuate this power? Cannot mastering the molding of a lifetime be worth the pain in the infinite run? So, although we all may have a karmic debt, what part of our lives is truly karma?

I have seen many use karma as a “crutch”. From people believing “It is the will of God” to “For the good of all” sometimes it is overlooked that yes, we make our own karma- by our wishes, deeds and also by our lack of doing anything! We may all reach an awareness as to what our karma is supposed to be but can we know every instance? Does living in hardship mean this is our real karma for the rest of our lives? What if the real karma comes in as a result of what we choose to do about our hardships? What if, it is karmically within our power to change our lives for the better, insofar as karmic commitment is not concreted in our present existence? Don’t we, as beings with untapped spirit power, have even a responsibility for mastering whatever can be mastered in our lifetime and changing our circumstances? Is this not also a karma that can impact on the next life as well?

What if the real “test” for our souls and spirit power is whether or not we recognize the goal of mastering and creating or recreating a preferred reality? What if our karmic entitlement is actualizing a life’s potential?
Can this be done without “harming none” and “for the greater good?”

Having the eclectic background that I do, I believe firmly in maintaining a belief system. We must all have some moral compass or even the science of reinvention will fall into the realm of Chaos and that is a dangerous place. But if, as I teach, there is science in all things majickal we can begin to look at entitlements in life as a matter of quantum physics that does not have to take from someone else at all in order for us to improve ourselves and our lives.

We all know we can harm with majick but, where does it say helping others or ourselves for that matter is unethical?

For every instance that we use the karmic crutch for a reason to not act in our own best interests, or the interests of someone in need of help and healing, are we not also incurring a karmic debt for not honoring ourselves enough or for not applying the gift of healing we have been given?

How does healing come into this? As with anything karmic, death can be or not be a matter of a lifetime’s run. But, can any of us really know? I myself have had several near death experiences for example and although they were what I call optional exit points, I chose for them not to be. Working to heal someone of a terminal disease is not against the greater good for as our Deities determine we cannot work against anyway. But, what if we and the person we are working on to heal are to be messengers of hope and living proof of spirit power? Is it not also true then that by not acting to create a change, we are also toying with karma and the debt we could incur by allowing our fear to prevent us from bringing light to someone, anyone?

There are some Pagans who, because of concerns about karma, live their beliefs with as much grace as possible. Not all are meant to be “movers and shakers” and this is a blessing for those who walk the neutral, peaceful path are as important to the whole as those of us called to more dynamic forms of service. But, fear of repercussions or karma need not be part of resisting one’s potential majickally for in the end, “the will of God” and “the greater good” will win out.

You can read more about Quantum Spirituality on my website, quantumspirituality.tripod.com

Don't forget to scroll down and view the book trailer for my new book, Her Godmother!

Blessings!