Category Archives: Writing

Trust in a Crab Apple – Divinely guided

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Are we divinely guided? According to Flower Therapy, crab apples mean trust.

I’m always amazed at the synchronicity in life. You know when something just falls into place or you realise a deeper meaning.

When first writing my manuscript Alurea Quest (or The Quest of Jesse Greene) I drew on a childhood memory of playing in the crab apple trees of my auntie’s farmhouse. I remember an early photo of me aged perhaps six or seven, with rosy red cheeks perched high in the tree. The sourness and misshapen wonder of the fruit have stayed a vivid memory to this day.

Doing a rewrite of the story some five years after finishing the first draft, I took a break and picked up the Flower Therapy book by Doreen Virtue and Robert Reeves. I had borrowed from the local library and opened it one night, rather surprised to find Crab Apple among the flower entries.

Reading the descriptions I was even more surprised at the meanings and how fitting they were to both the story and my current situation.

Its energetic properties included: “Trust … following guidance, brainstorming new concepts, and sharing your ideas with the world.”

All these are major themes in Alurea Quest – Heart of the Maya. It is at the crab apple tree that Jesse has to trust Percival Mouse and follow his guidance. This is where he must trust the path ahead of him.

According to Angel Therapy’s Doreen Virtue, Crab Apple is associated with Archangel Gabriel – the Divine messenger and angel of communication. A good companion for any writer.

Flower Therapy continues: “This flower confirms you’re on the right path and encourages you to continue. The main theme of Crab Apple is trust: you are asked to have faith in the guidance that you’ve been given. It won’t be long until your idea is ready to be shared with the world.”

It was the perfect choice for this part in Jesse’s journey. Looking at it now, I believe Gabriel must have had a hand in it. As Doreen writes: “This arch­angel acts like a Heavenly agent and manager who motivates you to polish your skills. Gabriel then opens the door of opportunity for you to work in your chosen career, and gives you a loving push through it if you hesitate.”

Reading Crab Apples message came at just the right time, as I was doing the rewrite under pressure to enter the State Literary Awards:

“Trust in your new idea, as it is no ordinary one; rather, it’s Divine inspiration … I’m here to confirm this for you, and assure you that you’re making the right decision. I’ll guide you as you move forwards with this idea. It may be time to come to fruition, so please be patient. I will bring you the tools, people and money you need… you’re ready to break through your walls. Show the world the beautiful idea you’re bringing into it.” – Flower Therapy

It certainly gave me the inspiration to push through. I’m at the halfway point with less than a week to finish the rewrite.

Wish me luck – and I’m trusting Gabriel has my back.

Engage all your senses

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Life is about living – fully engaging all your senses.

With today’s modern technology so much is done on computers that our sense of sight – vision – is often dominant. It’s not like you can smell what’s on the screen or taste the food (not yet anyway). However there are so many memories and associations that are linked into our other senses – taste, touch, smell, sound and even the sixth sense of “gut feelings” that activate our emotions and enrich our lives.

Thoughts are so powerful, and combined with emotions, can take you almost anywhere. Such is the craft of a storyteller.

This is a memory of my childhood when I would walk up the hill behind our home to relax after school.

Reaching the top of the hill I would sit on the bare dirt and just let the thoughts of the day go – forgetting about anyone and anything that might be bothering me.

Finding an elevated site to sit and relax helps to lift you out of your troubles and gives you a different perspective.

Finding an elevated site to sit and relax helps to lift you out of your troubles and gives you a different perspective.

As the clamour of thoughts started to drift away with the gentle caress of the afternoon breeze, I could hear the distant hum of cars on the highway in the valley behind me and the rustling of the wind in the nearby trees.

Closing my eyes drew my other senses into focus. My skin felt clammy with the high humidity and a pungent, celery-like scent wafted in the air. My mind filled with images of the first time I had encountered the smell. It was when the family moved north to the tropics, taking the Easter school holidays to travel up the coast.

Life was a great adventure then. The week-long drive felt like a month off school. There were so many new, exciting things to discover and places to see. Like the celery-scented vine. We used our noses to sniff out where it was coming from, discovering a vine with weird, tendril-wrapped balloon-like seed pods. And how they were all excited at the first coconut they saw growing. I laugh now remembering how we were amazed at the size of it; not realising there was a thick, fibrous husk around the nut. Even trying to climb the coconut palm was a challenge, and then finding a way to remove the husk once they managed to knock a nut down. Everyone got involved, trying to smash the coconut with a hammer or saw it open, using different tools until someone had the bright idea of stabbing it with a screwdriver and leveraging the husk off.

Coconut palms at Clifton Beach. Councils remove the coconuts for safety reasons but is it taking away one of life's simple joys?

Coconut palms at Clifton Beach. Councils remove the coconuts for safety reasons but is it taking away one of life’s simple joys?

As we get older and caught up in the worries of the mind we tend to forget to find the fun in life’s simple pleasures. Councils decide to cut down coconut palms because the nuts become a hazard in cyclones or may drop on some unwitting person’s head.

Are we taking the joy out of life for future generations, so intent on staying indoors that they miss the incredible sensory input nature is constantly giving us?

What memories will they treasure do you think?

Starry, starry reflection – a poem

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Reclining in the cold dark night, alert for sons of Perseids

Flashes of light – a brief instant in time

I await each arrival, shivering,

Unwilling to miss a single one

Doggedly scanning for the next flash – a searing trail of space dust.

While the world around me sleeps

I breathe in the quiet

Relax in the dark

And listen.

Listen

For the whispers of the Inner Self,

Reflected in the expansiveness of the silent night

Billions upon billions of stars,

Reflecting our eternal light.

A warm breeze caresses my cheek,

How strange amid temperatures so bleak.

It should be coldest before the dawn.

Answers evade me, time to sleep.

Good night good night,

My thanks for your restoring light.

– by SM Scott

The Quest of Jesse Greene – Heart of the Maya

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A powerful Mayan artifact catapults Jesse into a strange wilderness where he must face his darkest fears with only his wits to survive. Guided by the wisdom of animals he encounters along the way, he finds courage to meet the Gatekeeper’s challenge – but will he find his way home?

Keep updated on all the characters and story developments with a new Quest of Jesse Greene category on my blog site as I bring this multidimensional story into our reality.

Join me for a journey through time and space. It’s exciting and inspirational!

– SM Scott

Live fearlessly!

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“Go back and live your life fearlessly!”

 - Anita Moorjani from Dying To Be Me

These simple words formed a mantra that kept Anita on track for what was important in her life after a near death experience. Thankfully we don’t need to share the experience of death to gain the wisdom of her words. Just let go of our fear! ….and taking baby steps is fine – one fear at a time. It’s liberating when you can do it. And it’s amazing how they dissolve when you trust the universe is there to support you – we just have to listen to our inner voice (the one that is loving and only whats the best for you).

Integrity breeds trust – writing with discernment

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We are bombarded with so many ideas these days that sometimes you don’t know what to think. We live in a time when choice is rampant. Enthusiasm can sometimes override common sense as marketing gurus and politicians know just the right buttons to push.
We are told sometimes you have to believe before you can see: “Beliefs are limiting”. In the face of quantum theory it seems almost anything is possible and time-honoured ideas are being challenged. The food pyramid has been turned on its head. Economic models need re-modelling to consider factors such as air and water quality, lifestyle and mental health impacts, which had previously been left out of the equation.
Statistics can be made to say different things depending on your perspective. So who’s words can you trust?
Conversely, in this age of instant communication, are you sharing with integrity? Can your words be trusted? What is your goal as a writer?

Writing consistently with integrity, sharing ideas of what is true for you breeds a sense of authenticity, trust and respect among your readers.
In the age of political correctness no one whats to be seen as judgmental. But there is a serious need for discernment, while also not taking oneself too seriously. Our truths can change.

“How does it FEEL”

Some years ago when I was editing a spiritual magazine I was caught up in the dilemma of what to publish and what not to. Some of the articles that came across my desk got me so worked up – but being “judgmental” was the big evil of the day. I sought advice from a source I trusted, one that I felt had great integrity.
The response was: “Go with the truth as you feel it. To be judgmental is simply to say ‘this is right and this is wrong’. To be discerning is to say, ‘well this is really a lot of nonsense, but that is alright because it is someone else’s sovereign right to be really stupid if they want’.”
I asked: “How do you KNOW what’s the truth?”
“How does it FEEL,” he replied.
I thought of one contributor with a bit of a following who had some ‘out-there’ ideas, “It doesn’t feel good,” I admitted.
“So go with the feeling, and if it does not feel good then leave it alone. Alright? You know, there is a lot of stupidity about. And you know all of this New Age business, all of this great race for enlightenment, is all very well – but you know, it is about being sensible too. Again one does not preclude the other, you see,” he explained.
“But how do I know I’m right?” I pleaded.
“Go with the feeling. It is people’s own learning to read and judge for themselves. You do what you want. You do not have to pander to other people’s stupidity. And being stupid is alright. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with it,” he said.
“If it is that you only produce that which ‘feels’ like wisdom then you are being of benefit to people. If your truth changes tomorrow, that is alright. Then tomorrow you do it different.”
“Is that not forcing your truth on others?” I asked.
“They do not have to read your magazine!” was the hearty reply.
I laughed. It was so true. We all have the choice of what to “put in our pie” as Esther Hicks’ Abraham would say.

Be-happy-signI have several authors in whom I have faith to give me direction when I am feeling confused. The book Seth Speaks – The Eternal Validity of the Soul by Jane Roberts is one such book. In fact I have the whole Seth collection; as well as Conversations with Seth by Susan M. Watkins, who was among the ESP group who met to hear Seth’s words in the early 1970s.

So who do you turn to when facing the tough questions?

 

The Winds of Change – a poem

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As I carried my cup of tea onto the terrace this morning I was greeted by a brown hawk in flight, barely three metres away from me at eye level. My heart lifted, I called out to others to come and see. No one came.
It circled around a nearby tree and came back for another pass, wingtips rippling in the strong easterly wind. Elation flooded me. What a gift – so close. It circled one more time and disappeared over the treetops into the east. Spirit has sent me a message – it’s time to listen and look for clues.
Sitting there thinking how lucky I was I remembered a poem I wrote in 1994:

The Winds of Change
The winds of change blow strong
Stirring your emotions
One moment calm, yet stifling and hot
You are in the depths of despair and exhaustion;
Nothing is fun.
Next they whip up fiercely
Blowing away the cobwebs;
Invigorating, sweeping your emotions along with them.
In the cool of night they blow strongest
Voicing their mighty power.
Yet you are safe inside – calm within the storm.
To stand outside is inspiring;
The wintry winds hold promise of a fruitful spring.
Speak to me, oh wind, of what is my destiny!
– SM Scott

Spirit encounters or just plain spooky

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Spirit encounter at Bakerville café?? Or just a speedy waitress. Picture credit: Sheree Scott

Spirit encounter at Bakerville café?? Or just a speedy waitress. Picture credit: Sheree Scott

Halloween is nearly upon us.

It is that time of the year when the veils between the realms of spirit and matter are thought to be at their thinnest – the time different cultures have determined when wandering spirits more easily make themselves known to the living and seek to leave the Earthly plane for the next stage in their evolution.

It has been my experience that spirits (be that ghosts/entities/energy imprints or thoughts forms) don’t just wait for Halloween (also called All Hallows Eve). They can make themselves known at just about any time. It may be they’re curious, ready for a change or just find someone they resonate with.

The truth is there are subtle vibrations coming to us all the time from the unknown or unseen reality, what people might consider the world of spirit. I’ve been on organised ghost tours of The Rocks in Sydney and Port Arthur in Tasmania – which certainly have their challenges for the “energy sensitive” but I’ve had far more spirit encounters in other “ordinary” places too numerous to mention.

One recent place I visited – whole-heartedly expecting to sense spirits – was Herberton Historical Village, about 90 minutes’ drive inland from Cairns in North Queensland. There are so many buildings and artefacts here from the 1800s onwards that you would well expect to sense a few echoes from the past. Well they were more like shouts. I did make the mistake of entering an old police lock-up building and tuning into the energy first up, followed by the adjoining gun display. The small 2x3m timber structure would have been a hell-hole in the tropical heat and the guns were certainly charged with emotion considering the lawless pioneering and gold mining days.  I couldn’t get out quick enough.

What ensued was an increasingly oppressive heaviness around my head which developed into a shocking headache, aided probably by dehydration as I continued exploring the extensive outdoor museum.

DonThe mechanical shoemaker is creepy.’t be put off, this is a great collection of everyday memorabilia and a wonderful time capsule of the 1900s, back into the 1800s. Just make sure you’re prepared – and don’t visit the jail lock-up first. There’s plenty of good vibes: an old movie projector from 1929; Daisy the 1923 T-Model Ford; a working steam engine built in 1886 from the Ravenshoe Saw Mill; a miner’s cottage, pharmacy, fire engine, sewing machines and radio/music room, the Tin Pannikin Pub and real classrooms from the former Herberton School.

At the other end of the  village museum is a café set out in the original Bakerville Hotel. My timing was perfect here to snap a “ghostly encounter” photo (top photo) – the woman in the picture wasn’t a real ghost, just a very quick waitress who glided into the picture at just the right time. I thought it was impressive.

Piano in the Bakerville café has character

Piano in the Bakerville café has character

They do have a piano here that does play itself which is rather spooky – it’s called the Pianola.

Bushie tends the camp fire at Herberton Historical Village.

Across a swing bridge is a truck and tractor graveyard which is a work in progress, and a place to sit and relax – the Bushie’s Pioneer Camp where you can get billy tea and damper or camp oven stew straight off the fire.

So if you want to go hunting spooks for Halloween – put Herberton Historical Village on your to-do list. You won’t be disappointed.

Can’t get to my spooky stomping ground in North Queensland? I know one book that might get you looking closer to home. In Where Spirits Dwell, real-life spooks in suburbia become almost second nature.

Book Review: Where Spirits Dwell by Karina Machado (publisher Hachette Australia) Where Spirits Dwell

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, journalist Karina Machado has gathered enough anecdotal evidence to show unexplained or paranormal events can happen to the most normal of people. I find something irresistible about a good ghost story and Where Spirits Dwell has them popping up all over the place. Definitely one to read in daylight hours, there’s the spine-tingling cases of a dark presence in the bedroom, where even a dog is scratching to get out of the house, to a dead girl who ate ant poison haunting a young family in Normanton in Australia’s remote north – possibly to stop history repeating.  There are infamous Australian haunted houses like The Abbey in Sydney, that stay in the dreams of past inhabitants, and cases of a loving mother on the other side who just want to care for someone else’s youngsters. Behind the facade of many Sydney homes, Machado finds tales of the bizarre and touching, weaving a descriptive tale of various experiences for a broad introduction to what might well happen to you. There is an intimacy created by snippets of Machado’s own experiences and general musings, which are more for believers and the curious than rigid sceptics.

Prepare to believe. And give yourself a salt scrub under the shower if it all gets too much, and leave a small tray of rock salt beside your bed for the night (remember to flush it down the toilet the next day).

It works for me.

Dolphin wisdom to release stress

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ImageImage

Dolphins to me are the epitome of playfulness and with so many people apparently struggling with different situations in their life at the moment (Danni Minogue on X-Factor re: death of a loved one) I thought it might be timely to share some of the lessons Onni the Dolphin shares in The Quest of Jesse Greene.

Read on to find out how Onni tells Jesse how to breathe and flow with his emotional stress. 

Excerpt:

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Jesse was startled as a fin sliced through the water towards him. He scrambled to his feet, desperate to get out of the water and beyond the reach of any hungry jaws. His heart was racing as he back-peddled up the beach – not taking his eyes off the ominous fin carving through the turquoise calm. The silent menace moved ever closer on the rolling swell. A larger wave picked up speed and sent the creature streaking straight towards Jesse, the dark shape beneath the water turning side-on in the shallows as it stopped before him, a beady eye turned up to the surface.

Instead of the jaws of death, Jesse was facing the toothy grin of a bottle-nosed dolphin accompanied by a cheerful burst of clicks and whistles. The dolphin was laughing at him.

“Hee, hee, hee, I had you going there,” the dolphin joked, in an excited, high-pitched voice. “You need to learn to breathe more. Breathe like Dolphin and you won’t be so easily scared.”

… “Breathe like Dolphin,” he said, rolling over slightly to show Jesse the small hole on the top of his head. It opened and closed with each breath in an effortless, calm rhythm – te puuhhh kihh, te puuhhh kihh, te puuhhh kihh – even the sound was relaxing.

 “Take deep breaths and hold. Then let it out in a burst,” Onni continued. This time the air rushed out all at once, making Jesse jump in surprise. Onni let out another burst of infectious dolphin laughter.

“The air brings life-force to your cells. Hold your breath to allow it to absorb into your body, then exhale in a burst, like you are spitting out the old stuff – you can even spit out the tiredness in your body, any thoughts and fears that are worrying you.”

Jesse gave it a go. There had been so much to worry about recently that it wasn’t hard to find those thoughts that he wanted to let go of…  His chest felt ready to burst, there were so many thoughts to gather up. Finally he could hold it no longer and it all came out with a massive PUUHHHH. His head was spinning.

“Not so much at once,” Onni laughed. “You looked ready to burst.”

… “You’ve got to learn to enjoy life, have fun and play,” Onni encouraged. Dolphins are well known for having fun – surfing on the bow waves of ships, leaping out of the water and somersaulting for no apparent reason other than the joy of it. Onni swam a few circles around Jesse and lifted his sleek grey body vertically out of the water using his powerful tail, giving a few cheeky clicks at the same time.

The dolphin’s playful attitude was infectious and Jesse laughed along with him.

“To feel the water flow over your body is to feel alive,” the dolphin said, rolling a few times in the waves. “You know, water is like your emotions. You need to let them wash over you rather than knock you around. Whether they are stormy seas or a period of calm, do not be afraid. Just do what is needed at the time. It is all good fun in the end. Learn to swim in the emotions of it all – and remember to breathe when it all gets too much.”

(Copyright – From The Quest of Jesse Greene by SM Scott.)