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Friday 25 April 2014

Write Then, It's Time to Write Again.

                                        image Susan Smith


There's been a writing hiatus here lately. Events have unfolded in the past month that have kept me away from "Staying Strong" but which have required me to do just that. I'm now chomping at the bit to continue with my memoir, and have had a brilliant idea about another ebook on my "to write" list.

It's on the healing benefits of crystals, but with a clever twist, which I'm not about to reveal, of course.

Many years ago I was a practicing Crystal Healer, along with other natural therapies, and I still use crystals daily. My post from February 2 talks about crystals; Now for Something Entirely Different: Crystals.and my Crystal Healing board on Pinterest, (see it also on the sidebar), has the most re-Pins of all of my boards, making it the most popular. So why not put this book at the top of the list I thought to myself?

Now crystals don't appeal to everyone, I understand that, but I'm not a mainstream sort of person either. I circulate to the left of centre, therefore my interests lie there and so does what comes into and out of me.

Being left of centre also means I'm more likely to to do things my way, rather than follow the crowd, sometimes to my detriment, eg, when I want to make myself known in the literary world but write obscure books on crystals. However, and oh well, at least I write what I love and maybe one day I'll be famous ( laughing happily).

We're told these days to do what makes us happy, write? Do what you love then you'll love what you do.

The same goes for the details. I love writing. At the moment romance fiction is hot, hot, HOT. There's money to be made if you can make it writing in this genre, but I don't think I can. I have to admit I haven't tried and maybe I will down the track, no doubt when it's all over red rover.

I like creative non-fiction where I can tell a true story and dress it up with all the sights and sounds of fiction, that way I don't have to start from scratch with plots and characters and all that. I've already got half the book in my head if I'm writing something from personal experience. Much easier.

So whatever comes out of me will always be different and unusual to some degree.

"Staying Strong" is that. It is a difficult book for me, its finishing point, like many goal posts, keeps moving. I expect it will be finished one day soon.

'Till then, I'll write when I can on "Staying Strong" and get started on the crystal mystery.

Cheers everyone,

Leonie






Saturday 19 April 2014

E is for Eostre, Eastre, Easter, even Ostara. What..?


Goddess Eostre


Wherever you are in the world you may be celebrating Easter, you may be celebrating spring, or you may be in the southern hemisphere like me where it is autumn. All the same, you're probably feeling the vibe.

I'm not celebrating per se. Although I was brought up Catholic, I chose to leave religion behind in my late teens, many, many years ago. As for eggs and bunnies, well, having children and grandchildren means they're still part of my cultural experience.

Many Christian festivals are said to have deep roots in ancient indigenous, traditional, seasonal festivities some people refer to as pagan rituals. Christmas and Easter are obvious and easy examples. There are many cultures globally which have variations on numerous festival themes and a quick internet search on any of them brings up enough results to keep anyone happy.

Back to Easter, and I did just that as I'm interested in the deep roots and origins of things rather than what's put in front of my face. It's a simple assumption that Easter was adopted by Christianity from earlier festivals celebrating the return of the sun: i.e spring, after a long, cold, barren winter, and further to add a young woman (goddess) to the festival. At this time of year birds lay their eggs, soon the chicks are born along with many young animals, flowers bloom, days lengthen, the cycle of life begins again etc.

Yet there's no hard evidence to suggest that there was a goddess associated with an Easter-like festival, and that her name was Eostre/ Eastre/Ostara. Easter Goddess? Have some of us been trying too hard to create something from nothing?

I'm of the opinion that Christianity pinched most of its festivals from older traditions. I hold those traditions in higher regard because they follow natural rhythms and cycles, and incorporate both the feminine and the masculine. In ancient times spring festivals occurred in March around the vernal equinox for you northern hemispherians, as Easter does in some years, but as you can see from the above article, the goddess worshipped at spring time was probably not Eostre/Eastre/Ostara. So where does that leave todays Easter?

Maybe it's a Christian festival after all and maybe it's not linked to earlier, ancient spring celebrations? I'd like to think it's not. I'd like to think they're separate and autonomous, and have their own meaning, symbolism and story.

I like to keep an open mind about, well, everything. That way, life's exciting. That way, I can suddenly be off and running on some never explored subject of extreme interest and fascination, just like this one.

   And that way, maybe myth, magic and imagination can be kept alive and real.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE.

Thursday 10 April 2014

Daughter, Sister, Mother, Wife.


Image: Wikipedia

DAUGHTER, SISTER, MOTHER, WIFE

Once, a lady shared my life,
She was daughter, sister, mother, wife.
Far away she came to be,
And traveled long across the sea.

From family strong and loving, kind,
A different life she had to find.
With her husband, soon a child,
She settled in a country mild.

Four years on came baby two,
Her life was full with much to do.
Supremely caring, ever loving,
She gave her all, willingly, smiling.

Patience and kindness were her style,
Never was anything a trial.
Friends and gardens a joy for her,
And creatures great and small with fur.

Love and grace in full she had,
Strength to endure when life was sad.
She the determined and forthright one,
At times was I at odds with mum.

When twilight years came along,
Her man and son had already gone.
The women continued to carry life,
Mother, daughter, sister, wife.

Mother and daughter, four to two,
Family re-shaped, changed, new.
Now mother passed, back to one,
Rust zacht, I love you mum.


My mum passed recently, hence no post last week. I am happy for her, she is finally with my dad and my brother.