Sunday, June 25, 2017

A peak at the new book in the works...


original photo-Annie Russell. Private Garden.


~Good Morning and 'Happy Summer 2017'!~

Below is a short excerpt from the new book I'm working on - 
Soul Garden. My goal is to have this completed for an October release but as this one will incorporate many original artistic details that is a very rough time slot. As I get closer-usually at the third edit- I will release pre-sale information. For now please follow this blog for excerpts. If you've not read my first book yet it is available on my etsy store, website and at amazon. 




Introduction

 ‘Psychic’; the word conjures so many different feelings, scenarios, and judgments- some accurate, some not – from both people with advanced Abilities and those who have just an inkling of Intuition. The recent glut of television shows portray Psychics as both victims of their own gift as well as outsiders who act and dress outrageously. Is this a true representation? Yes and No. Psychics are, after all, people and people present themselves in all types of ways. However, if one were only to watch the TV shows – not to mention the big screen movies- it would seem that a person with Psychic Abilities could be spotted a mile away; they are the ones dressed in a flowing cape with an abundance of esoteric jewelry and a gloomy disposition darting furtive looks left and right - always on the look-out for malevolent spirits lurking in bushes and behind doorways. You might be surprised to know that the woman serving you coffee every morning with a cheery smile has amazing Psychic Abilities or the gentleman who jogs by your home in the evening with a wave as he passes is an accomplished Tarot Card Reader. My examples here are not designed to judge clothing styles or jobs and activities but rather to demonstrate that there is no ‘right’ way to be Psychic just as there is no ‘right’ way to be blonde or tall, blue-eyed or brown. That being said what I would like to address – and do in this workbook – is the idea that a Psychic is a victim of their own talents and abilities. While this may make for good TV and dramatic entertainment it is not a necessary way to live your life if you have Abilities. There is nothing wrong with living life as a Happy Psychic- well-adjusted even! Unlike the innate ability to create music or paint, this particular gift does have a tendency to overwhelm and take over one’s life BUT it doesn’t have to be that way. Being victimized and scared is not a prerequisite to being a Psychic. In fact, living in such a manner can not only reduce the accuracy and accountability of your Readings and communications but will curtail your basic happiness and joy with your life in general.
  In this workbook I have chosen the visual of a garden – a Soul Garden – as the vehicle in which we will work towards living joyfully as a Psychic or Sensitive. You do not have to be a professional Psychic to enjoy this workbook. It is my opinion that every human has innate Abilities to one degree or another. Some consciously develop latent talents in order to more accurately use them and some people are born with full-fledged highly tuned Psychic Minds. Most people fall somewhere in between those two extremes. In this workbook we will work together towards harmonizing the unique energetic tides that a Psychic will encounter on a daily-if not hourly!- basis. We will explore exercises designed to balance and stabilize our own energy and how to regulate our emotions in the face of outside emotional storms so that we feel safe. The energies and Spirits that dwell within certain flowers and plants will be used and visually ‘planted’ within our personal Soul Garden so that later when a particular plant’s help is needed we can quickly and safely ‘go within’, find that plant and open to its energies thereby gaining the wisdom and gifts that that flower is known for. As we plant our own garden we leave behind the inclination of victim hood and move more fully into self-assurance and enjoying our gifts and Abilities. Our Psychic Minds will develop and fine-tune and the waves and tides of energies from outside and inside ourselves will begin to diminish. All of that being said, this workbook will be FUN! It is my deepest desire to show you that the gifts you have are joyous! Even when some situations get scary- and they can- remember that you are living an amazing life that most people only watch on TV or read about in books. That alone should make you smile.

  If you’re ready to hone your Psychic Mind, remind yourself to live joyfully and spend some time cultivating your own Soul Garden come along with me as we start down an amazing garden path.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Soul Gardens and Dream Spaces -- or how to cultivate a healthy relationship with the news if you're a Sensitive

Red Dahlia by Jennie Marie Schell 

 There are days, no WEEKS, that I just cannot stomach the news. I try to stay informed but the constant barrage of dead children, abused animals, apartment fires, blown up kindergartens (this morning from China), and our own government continually working against 'we the people' feels like the death of a thousand cuts to my soul.
  I sit at 'my spot' at the dining room table, coffee in hand, and try to be an 'adult'; I catch up on emails (70% of which are spam), return those that need my attention, check my digital and paper calendar, pay what bills I can and attempt to stay informed but what I really want to do is lay on my back in the tall grass of a secluded meadow and watch clouds float by over head. And as I mentally add lemonade and a nice blanket to this internal dream space  the next news story is about ticks and lyme disease.

*sigh*

I add a spray can of poisonous Deet to the image and move along to updating business pages.....

  I am seriously considering hacking away at my on line preferences to show ONLY happily adopted children and animals, couples celebrating 75 years of a joyous marriage or relationship, what colors to paint a room, decorating journals, and food porn. I just don't know if 'staying informed' is healthy any more... at the same time I wonder if running from the on-going insanity is giving up and allowing it all to continue.
  Should I be a warrior or an escapist? Is there a way to be both???
I mean, can I work in my soul- garden cultivating beautiful flowers AND be strong enough to weather the constant stream of hurtful insanity that seems to flow from every direction? Can I use that garden to filter the stream so that only those insane items I MUST deal with can come through? And how do I determine what those are???

  These words float to the top of my consciousness as I ponder that question :

~Ritual

~Guides

~Meditation

~Yoga

~Art

~Goddess

~Strength

~The Color Red

~Breath

~ Ground, Center, Shield


Time to work on my Soul Garden. How about you? What will you plant in your's?

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

....and there's a book!! A real, live book! Available Now! (oh-- and more in the works LOL)

Good morning!

Divine Interference - Living with Angels, Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts


Here's your publishing update- Its done!! Yay!! The book Divine Interference-Living with Angels, Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts is now available in 2 forms- Kindle and Paperback through Amazon and a signed paperback edition through my etsy store. Go HERE and HERE for each venue. I've sent out the batch of pre-orders yesterday and am anxiously awaiting the responses.
 In the meantime....

There are more! Seriously -- about three more books (with one being a full length YA novel) flitting around in my head so this blog will probably get pretty busy over the summer as I use it for notes and ideas and you all get to wander through the process with me! Isn't that cool? What you can look for are notes and excerpts from 3 books --



*A Handbook/Workbook of sorts
*A book dealing only with my experiences in New Orleans
* A full length YA novel about magic and witchcraft...


original painting of a New Orleans Creole-style Cottage in The Treme

A unifying visual theme of anything I write and/or publish will be the inclusion of my personal artwork and photography which means I need to up my game on creating my own covers. Totally worth it because you all know that we DO judge a books by its cover, right? :-)

So please stay with me on this blog- it will be worth it! If you're inclined to share it I would be very honored - the more the merrier! And if you haven't read the final product of Divine Interference  please consider it. If you have and would like to comment here, on etsy, my website and of course- Amazon - that would be beyond wonderful!

Happy Reading!

PS-
I saw a dead man in an orange shirt at the baseball field yesterday - he seemed so sad but would not talk with me. After all these years it still taken me by surprise when I have an unexpected encounter..