It is finally here! NaNoWriMo, that magical month of writing abandon that has haunted and taunted me, always lingering somewhere in the back of my conscious mind, always whispering that it would be here soon and I had better get my affairs in order.
Well, November is here, and I missed the first day. Oh dear!
#NaNoWriMo 2012 Participant LGBT fantasy book writer Catherine Green
NaNoWriMo 2012: Here We Go!
It wasn’t my fault, honest. My best friend procured free tickets to a local theme park, and the season closes this weekend. They had a special Halloween entertainment package, and I hadn’t experienced it since I worked there several years ago. We had to participate. So, I allowed myself one more day off, and today I intend to get stuck in. I will write double the daily quota of words for NaNoWriMo. I will. I definitely will…
So, I have sat down in front of the computer with my daughter safely in bed where she will (hopefully) sleep for another hour. The dog is curled up on the sofa and won’t demand his walk until later in the day. I am distraction-free. The moment has come. I stare at a blank page. The unwritten words taunt me. They whisper to me, but I can’t hear them. Where do I begin? How do I start? I am about to write yet another masterpiece, but I cannot form even the first sentence. This is not looking good.
I will not be defeated
I will not give up. I will not be defeated. I succeeded in NaNoWriMo 2011, and I will damn sure do the same with NaNoWriMo 2012. At least I have a story. Now all I need to do is call on my Muse, tempt her out of hiding, and let my fingers do the talking… See you on the other side folks!
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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Exciting news! I have been invited to do a live radio interview on a special Halloween show at 6 Towns Radio.
The station is based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and covers the Potteries area of the UK.
This is my home city, a place where I grew up, fell in love, got my first jobs and lots of other life experiences.
LGBT fantasy book series set in Cornwall. “Love Hurts (The Redcliffe Novels)” #1 by Catherine Green.
Listen live at 11:00am GMT (6:00am EST) and you can hear about my paranormal romance Redcliffe novels, my experiences as a ghost hunter, and all sorts of weird and wonderful, spooky and supernatural tales and titbits…
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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Phew! I have had a crazy weekend! Just a short post this evening since I am ready for bed and need my sleep before the start of another busy week.
I have just returned from a mind, body and spirit event in Cheshire, where I was selling my Redcliffe novels and doing Tarot and Oracle card readings.
LGBT fantasy book series set in Cornwall. “Love Hurts (The Redcliffe Novels)” #1 by Catherine Green.
Crazy Energy, Fun Times: Halloween and Samhain
What I love about these events is the sense of community. Throughout the past year I have gotten to know a whole new ‘family’ of people that work within the holistic field. I was especially looking forward to this weekend because it was a return visit to a lovely venue, and I really needed to be with ‘my people.’ By this I mean I could speak freely about my energy work, and we could exchange stories about our experiences and lessons during the last few months.
Time to wind down
As we approach the popular festival of Halloween, or Samhain as I prefer to call it, I feel it is a time to wind down. Traditionally this is the time of year when we honour our ancestors by holding memorials to those who have passed. In fact, I have just realised that our national Remembrance Day in the UK is on 11th November. I know the reason for this was the time and date of when the official documents were signed that ended the Great War, but I find it curious that it was this time of year which heralded such a dramatic close…
But I digress. Anyway, I am preparing to honour my ancestors with meditation and ceremony in a quiet space at home. During this weekend I feel I have honoured my friends in the spiritual field by spending time with them and engaging in conversation and general socializing. During the next few weeks I will see various friends and family members for similar activities, and I feel very thankful to have such wonderful people in my life.
Lots of crazy energy
I mentioned crazy energy in my blog title. There is a lot of crazy energy around at the moment, mainly due to the 2012 shift. Today I was able to offer a very powerful healing meditation to a new friend (who perhaps was not so new if you believe in past lives!). Together with my sister and spiritual brother we performed a sound healing exercise which was wonderful and left me filled with a sense of complete fulfillment about my current position and situation in life.
Now, I must take my leave and toddle off to bed, as we say in my part of the world! Sleep well my friends, and remember to honour your own ancestors during the next few days…
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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I have been getting crafty this weekend, and am very pleased with the results! I decided to make a Halloween wreath for my front door, but I wanted it to reflect my pagan values while still being quite fun.
I have ended up with a beautiful creation that has a Gothic feel, honours our ancestors (which is the purpose for Samhain or All Hallows Eve), and includes my favourite horror references.
Creating a Handcrafted Halloween Wreath
Gothic Craft Project: A Haunting Halloween Wreath
I began by making the wreath shape from several lengths of beading wire and multicoloured seed beads. It was sort of like making a rigid necklace, but I used enough wire to give it strength, and the 24 gauge silver thread was pliable so I could ‘mould’ it to fit the other components.
I then decided to make leaves which would act as a frame and provide the seasonal reference and pagan feel to my wreath. I used an old sheet of wrapping paper which is flocked, and I stuck the leaves back-to-back in order to strengthen them, and to give a professional finish if the wreath were to be hung in an open doorway. I glued the leaves onto a length of green woollen ribbon, and threaded it through the wreath, securing it with glue at regular intervals and tying it off at the ends.
Now to embellish my wreath
That was the fiddly part. Then came the fun! I set to with the embellishing, choosing some craft feathers that I had been hoarding for a few years, and a sheet of designs purchased from Crafts U Print. I knew there was a reason I had been keeping all this stuff! I also raided my rather large ribbon stash, and used up some scraps of card for backing to strengthen and support the printed motifs.
While working on this project, I took advantage of a free first month trial on Netflix, and oh how I love that website! I watched a program called Wolfpack of Reseda which seemed to be a random pilot that was never continued, and it was pretty cool. Then I got very excited when I discovered the 1979 version of Dracula starring Frank Langella. That is my favourite of all the Dracula versions, and I hadn’t watched it for years since my rare DVD was stolen during a burglary some 6 or so years ago. Finally I finished with another classic favourite, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!
And here is my finished project, a beautiful, Gothic Halloween wreath:
Handcrafted Halloween Wreath
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During the last week there have been some wild storms across the UK. In parts of North East England we saw floods from rivers that hadn’t burst their banks in 30 years.
It caused chaos on the roads, as our British weather always does, and people are now dealing with the clean-up operation and trying to prevent further damage as more rain is forecast.
#WitchyWednesday Flooded river Weaver in Middlewich
Rain and Floods
In my part of the country, East Cheshire, we also had heavy rain and flooding in rural areas. I live in a canal town with a river running through, but there has been no significant flooding that I’m aware of. What I did notice is how brightly coloured all the plant life suddenly is. Our trees and plants are revelling in the excess rainfall, and are making good on its nurturing qualities.
Here are some photos I took of my garden plants earlier this week:
Wet Green Leaves after a Summer StormWet Purple Lavender Flowers after a Summer StormWet Green Holly Leaves after a Summer Storm
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This year is progressing very quickly and very dramatically. We are already in September, and if you believe the Mayan prophecies of the apocalypse, the world as we know it will end on December 21st.
I do not believe that the world will simply cease to exist, nor that it will somehow explode or disappear. What I do believe is that there are lots of changes occurring, and they have been building into a crescendo for many years.
Affirmation from Louise Hay for motivation and wellbeing
Law of Attraction in Action
People who practise spirituality, those who work with nature energies, spirits, ghosts, and religious organizations, will understand what I am talking about. Society has evolved over many millions of years into the technologically advanced whirlwind of activity and crazy world that we now live in. Technology is wonderful, and goes to prove the extent of the human mind and what it is capable of creating. Everything began with a thought. We then used our hands and our intellect to create it in the physical.
Therein lies the key. We can create whatever we imagine. Indeed, everything already exists. We simply bring it into our conscious awareness when we decide to manifest our intentions. Have you heard of the Law of Attraction? Whatever you want in life, you can create. I understand that many people reading this might scoff at my words. How do we explain all the famine, the economic crisis, the cancers of our world? Simple. We stop focusing on all the negative things.
If we all refused to fight, if we stopped always resorting to violence and physical action, and simply replaced our intentions with those of love and healing, you would be amazed at what might happen. I know this sounds crazy to a lot of people, but I totally believe in it. I will admit it took a while for me to begin to understand how to actually use the Law of Attraction in my own world. I am still learning to work with it. This is a process that is so simple, and yet so difficult to achieve, because of our cultural climate.
What you think about is what you receive
Think about it. When you have a good day, everything runs smoothly and you feel happy and positive about your life. When something bad happens, you dwell on it, and then something else crops up. Before you know it, you are in a cycle of negativity and if you can’t see the good side of a situation, you will struggle to move on from it. I know all this from experience. I am still learning, but my life has improved immensely since I began using Law of Attraction.
2012 is a case in point. This year I have taken huge leaps in my spiritual development. I have reconnected with my angel guides and rediscovered my relationship with some of them. I am learning about my history as a shaman in previous lifetimes, and my connection to elemental energies which include mermaids and faeries. My favourite quote of the moment is “We are infinite souls having a human experience” which I believe was said by Dr Wayne Dyer.
As we hurtle towards the end of the Mayan calendar, and we continue to see huge changes in society and within ourselves, let us not fight against it. Take a step back. Open your mind, and open your heart to the truth that you know. It is not simply your imagination. What you are perceiving is your own individual reality. Embrace that. Enjoy it. See you on the other side!
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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I recently attended a spiritual retreat for a weekend on which I was introduced to the ways of our Shaman ancestors, and I was shown how sound therapy is a powerful tool in healing ourselves both physically, mentally and emotionally.
Paranormal Author Catherine Green
Sound Therapy and the Shaman Path
We all acknowledge how music and song can affect humans in different ways. We all remember favourite songs; those that trigger happy memories, sad memories, or even those memories that formed part of our growth into adulthood and other experiences. Sound therapy is an extension of that. It helps us on a spiritual level, calling to our souls, helping us to step beyond the physical boundaries of daily human life.
My first introduction was to the sacred shaman drum. My sister already has her drum, and she is very attached to it. She has previously offered me the chance to use it myself, to try it out. I declined because it never felt right to do so. The drum is made from deer skin, and I was under the misguided illusion that as a vegetarian, I should not associate with anything that is made from animals. I soon learned the error of my assumptions. The drums used by Spirit Visions are made in great reverence, with total respect to the animals. No animal is killed specifically for that purpose. Their skins are used after their death, as a way of harnessing their spirit, their essence, and connecting with the land and with nature.
So, on my first proper drum session, I had an amazing experience. We were ushered into the course room, one at a time, and were initiated in a scared way. Nothing scary, it simply involved the use of incense, smudge sticks and rattles to clear our energy field and prepare us for our circle work. Some people already had their own drums, left out in preparation. I picked up a drum from Spirit Visions. It was quite a simple instrument, and I must admit I didn’t fully connect with it. I am not sure what skin it was made from. On the next drum session I used a deer skin drum very similar to the one owned by my sister. I really connected with that one, and indeed I may find myself acquiring it at some point in the future…
Experiencing a Gong Bath
Aside from the drums, we were shown how to use gongs, and we experienced a gong bath. This requires a separate post or two, because the experience is almost indescribable! We were shown how gong therapy works to heal the body and the mind, and we were also introduced to conch shells, the didgeridoo, the Native American flute, rattles and Tibetan singing bowls.
Our facilitators demonstrated a singing bowl healing session while we sat in a circle in the course room. As I sat quietly watching, I began to feel an incredibly strong urge to jump up and take over with the therapy. I was literally itching to join in and use the singing bowls myself! My spirit guides and my own instincts knew what these bowls were, and I knew how to use them. My urges were so strong that I know I will use singing bowls in the future. I simply have to wait until I find the right ones.
I also discovered a strange kinship with the didgeridoo. This is an instrument that I have always admired but never felt particularly drawn to use. However, on this weekend, I found myself in a small group of people, receiving a lesson from our resident didgeridoo master. He showed us how to make different sounds with the didgeridoo, and he demonstrated how it is used for sound healing purposes. I have now decided that this is my first instrument of choice, so watch this space!
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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I recently decided to celebrate the pagan festival of Lammas. It is traditional to offer libations to the gods and goddesses of the harvest in the form of home-made bread, cakes, biscuits or whatever you choose to provide.
This year I tried something completely new, and I baked some bread rolls. They were actually a huge success!
Paranormal Author Catherine Green
My First Attempt at Baking Bread
Not content with doing thing by halves, I flicked through two of my cookery books and found two recipes I wanted to try. The first was a simple method for making flour rolls. They looked nice and easy, so I bookmarked that one. Then I found a recipe for sweet potato and honey bread rolls. These looked far more suitable for Lammas, so I added them to my plan.
My flour rolls were surprisingly easy to make. I was very happy with the results. Here are some photos of my baking process:
Potato Bread Gloop!Flour Bread Rising
Thick, gloopy mess
The sweet potato and honey rolls caused a little more stress. I ended up with a thick, gloopy mess that refused to mould into a ball of dough.
Not one to be deterred, I thumped and kneaded, added more flour, cursed a lot, and finally produced this:
Flour Bread Rolls to celebrate Lammas pagan festival
Baked to perfection
Both batches of rolls were very tasty and baked to perfection, although I have to admit I wasn’t so keen on the taste of the sweet potato and honey bread. I will definitely bake the flour rolls again sometime, but the whole experience left me feeling very grateful for the convenience of supermarkets and local bakers. I could not go through this process every day of the week, it takes far too much time and effort. Huge respect to you, bakers of the world!
Potato Honey Bread to celebrate Lammas pagan festival
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I have finally experienced my first proper vision quest.
Let us return to a peaceful hillside in the rural Peak District in England, and I will share my fire vision quest shamanic experience.
Paranormal Author Catherine Green
My Fire Vision Quest Continues in Quiet Contemplation
As the night wore on I found myself sitting cross-legged staring down the hillside, feeling the chill creep in to my body. I was wrapped in my big purple furry blanket, with a poncho and an insulated waterproof jacket, thick jeans and walking boots. I began to feel restless and bored. I wanted to get up and walk about, but I was confined to my sacred space of 6 feet square until dawn. I was determined to finish my vision quest.
I focused again on the oak tree and the plants around me, conversing silently with each of them. Their voices returned, as they told me about their place in the world. I was struck by the importance of simply ‘being’ as opposed to ‘doing’ all the time. We humans have become arrogant, self-centred creatures. We create these games in which we must always strive to better ourselves in some way. But that’s all they are; games. Ultimately, we return to the land from where we came, and we continue the cycle of life.
I conversed with the Mother oak tree at my side, and the tall, proud thistle standing in front of me. I spoke to the animals that were hidden in the undergrowth. We were all connected, and I could feel the energy like a shimmering web of silver threads, joining each and every one of us in an elaborate family tree. The plants and animals reaffirmed my place among them, and my feeling of peace and contentment grew stronger.
There was a spirit person beside me
I became aware of a spirit person sitting beside me. I felt a comforting hand on my left shoulder, as I sat with my knees drawn up under my chin and my arms clasped around them. I knew the spirit person was a man but I didn’t turn my head to see. He was my guardian, my great-grandfather. I will know more about him when I am ready to search.
Earlier in the evening I had been aware of my animal guides joining me in my sacred space. There are lots of dogs in my family, pets from our childhood who have returned as guides from spirit. My two closest ones are an Alsatian crossbreed called Lucky and a Yorkshire terrier called Toby. Lucky was my grandparents’ dog when my sister was a baby, and the two were inseparable as Emily grew up. Toby was our family dog, and he came to us as a puppy when I was thirteen. Subsequently he became my baby, and eventually lived with my husband and me shortly before he died.
Spirits and animal guides
Lucky arrived with Toby, left him with me and then trotted down the hillside to sit with Emily as she experienced her own vision quest. My horse spirit guides, Drummerboy and Star, lay quietly beside me, as did Bobby, my little blue-skinned Chupacabra spirit. He is a cute little creature, vaguely resembling a gargoyle, and he is always cheerful and playful. He makes me giggle with his antics. They stayed with me all night, as I sat for six long hours beneath the stars on a hillside in Derbyshire. It was beautiful, intense, exciting and peaceful all at the same time.
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
I have finally experienced my first proper vision quest.
Let us return to a peaceful hillside in the rural Peak District in England, and I will share my fire vision quest shamanic experience.
Paranormal Author Catherine Green
My Fire Vision Quest Experience
As my fire vision quest continued through the night, I learned a lot about my place in the land around me. Rather than feeling detached, unsettled and confused, I am now completely aware of why I am here and what I am here to do. All my life I have wandered aimlessly, trying to fit in to a society that for the most part I struggled to understand. At school I was ‘the geek,’ the awkward teenager, the unpopular one who was bullied and shy and completely lacking in confidence. As I grew older I became the quiet, polite young woman. But I was never satisfied. And now I am finally beginning to understand why.
Back to the dark hillside in rural Derbyshire. I had been listening to the steady beating of drums all around me. I had slept in the embrace of our Great Mother, and woke feeling happy and at peace. I spoke to the grand old oak tree under which I sat. I spoke to a tall, proud thistle that stood just in front of my sacred space. I was aware of small wild animals snuffling around behind me, but none approached. I was aware of my fellow spiritual travellers each sitting in their own sacred spaces up and down the hill, but I couldn’t see any of them.
I heard Native American flute
At some point in the night I heard the sound of a Native American flute being played. The sound drifted up the hill, and I thought it came from a point lower down around where my sister and spiritual brother were sitting. I knew that neither of them had their flutes with them, but I clearly heard the soft, melodic, peaceful sound. Later in the night I heard voices chanting, like a sacred choir. Turning my head towards the empty field to my right, I saw no shadows and was not aware of any human presence. I knew the chanting wasn’t coming from our fire below, because everyone was in silence all night. It seemed that a spiritual choir had joined us, and their sound was beautiful. I was not the only person who heard it that night.
I slept again, this time curled on my side with my nose buried in the grass. I inhaled the fresh, clean smell of earth, and revelled in the freedom to partake of this sacred ceremony. Normally I would be afraid of touching a snail or a slug, or having a spider crawl over me, but tonight none of that mattered. Another time I lay flat on my back staring up at the stars after the clouds broke up. I saw my first shooting star, which was a very exciting moment. I saw the constellations, a rare treat nowadays. I don’t know their names, or which ones I saw, but I intend to further study the night sky in all its glory. I felt the energy of the Moon, although I couldn’t see it because the branches of the oak tree obscured it. I slept again.
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
SpookyMrsGreen 