soul

Epiphany-Estelle-by-Heidi-9940116853_76481a2af4_o.jpg

Of Ambivalence, Epiphanies, and Sonnets of Compassion …

Despite all that I endured with my mother under her care, or lack of it, I was never ambivalent about my ability to love.

Even in the worst of times during my childhood, and while undergoing the nightmare of relationship with my mother, it has always seemed the easiest thing to love, the hardest to mistreat and push away, speak harshly to.

I cannot imagine being to my children as my

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Arsenale and 'Common Ground' by angelo greco 8058488386_ed2fc8e230_o.jpg

Of Well-Developed Protagonists, Common Ground and Destiny …

Some months back I held a giveaway. For each person who completes the sentence, If you could ask your mother one question, it would be … I will forward a free pdf of my novel, Seasons in Purdah. For the twenty or more who have responded, I have also included a free pdf version of my latest novel, When the Drum Major Died.

The major characters, women, in my stories, face, as any well-developed

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Wisdom Cards - Affirmations - Louise Hay by JCT(Loves)Streisand*--3317908434_77de0e3c14_o.jpg

Of Settling, Silent Passion and the Sacred Canyon of Our Hearts …

So many women, and men, have been bred by our parents to accept what is given us. “Don’t be greedy. Take what life gives you. Don’t be so uppity. Give thanks, and be happy.”

I find it quite intriguing that the people who so often recite these mantras never do what they advocate. Moreover they do not appear to be content with their lives.

As mothers, and of daughters we must remain vigilant that we do not overtly and covertly, in speech and in silence, urge our daughters to settle.

Much is said about women making sure we do not

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Of Mothers, Sons and Actions that Leave Us Eternally Changed…

Grace…., a photo by Acoustic Soul on Flickr. It always happens this way. A shooting takes place in our nation. A person and/or others are killed while going about their day. Voices cry out, those of the bereaved family members and others in shock and anger. Stories of the incident make a virulent trek across

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Of Mothers, Daughters and Pomegranate Seeds…

The Greek myth of Persephone centers on the relationship between Persephone and her mother, Demeter.

Demeter loved her daughter, Persephone very much. 

The story goes that the Greek God, Apollo, fathered Persephone by Demeter, Apollo’s sister.

When Persephone goes missing Demeter, quite distraught, searches every hill and valley to find her daughter and only child.

One can only imagine the multitude of emotions that flowed through Demeter.

The goddess of harvest and motherhood, marriage and the crone stage of female wisdom that comes with aging, Demeter led a life of holding her own amid her brothers Apollo (Zeus), Poseidon (Neptune), and Hades (Pluto).

Both Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, stand at the center of the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Initiation into the cult of Demeter and Persephone was said to prepare the participant to receive goodness and bounty in the afterlife that followed death.

Other beliefs held that those who underwent initiation would

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Of Relationships, Dharma and That Mirror of Mirrors Which Sits At Our Core…

The decisive question for man is:
Is he related to something infinite or not?
That is the telling question of his life.

In the final analysis, we count for something only because of the essential we embody, and if we do not embody that, life is wasted.

In our relationships to other men, too, the crucial question is whether an element of boundlessness is expressed in the relationship.

–Carl Gustav Jung on Jung in “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” by Carl Jung

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I recently heard a podcast, Relationship Revelation, given by Deborah and Lyle Dukes on Chocolate Pages hosted by Pam Perry.

During the interview Deborah Dukes addressed the importance of relationships and how our interactions reveal not only who we are at the core and the essence of our personality, but also how we interact with God.

“You will [discover] what is inside you… [whether] you [have the capacity to] love… when relating to others. …Your relationships with others mirror your relationship with God. The way we treat other people is an indicator, is a guide, [to the nature of] our relationship how with God. [God said,] ‘It is not good for [an individual] to be alone.'”

We need others.

Man cannot live on bread alone. Nor can woman.

Much of what Deborah and Lyle discuss forms the cornerstone of Deborah’s assertions in her book,

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