Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Conversations Across The Veil - Justice




All Hallows’ Eve is the time of year when the veil is the thinnest between the spiritual and the physical worlds. I want to thank my friend Heather Mendel for the idea for this particular blog/story. Enjoy!

Angie sat there, quietly gazing into the flame of the lit candle. She had called in the seven directions, and asked that her guides and the archetype Justice be present. The year 2018 has been an exhausting year – personal success (with a few trials), combined with gut wrenching actions on the political front. So much injustice within her own country – she felt like she was seeing it dissolve before her eyes. It made her physically ill.

She placed the Tarot card Justice on a small rack in front of her, so that she could focus on it. A female figure was seated on a throne, an upright sword held in her right hand, a set of scales in her left hand. Taking a deep breath, Angie closed her eyes and stepped into the card.

She found herself in a modern office, with a desk and computer, bookcases, and a separate seating area. A dark haired, smiling woman in a smart business suit was walking towards her, her hand extended. She introduced herself as Anne Rogers, and indicated that they should move over to the seating area. Both women took seats in comfortable chairs that were facing each other. On the table between them was a carafe of coffee, with two delicate, floral patterned coffee cups, and two crystal glasses of ice water.

Anne Rogers began. “I see that you are a little shocked. You came in through the world of Tarot, yes”?

Angie responded: “Yes, I used the Tarot card of Justice to access your energy. I really didn’t expect this!”

Anne replied: “As archetypes, we appear to people in a way that we feel they can accept, and be comfortable with. You probably would have accepted the woman with the sword and scales, but it might have been harder to connect. I decided to create a modern law office, since the law is what Justice is all about. Besides, she said smiling, I like my coffee!”

Angie smiled, as she sipped her own coffee. “I do too!”

Anne let her gaze fall over Angie, reading her aura. “Let me tell you a little bit about the archetype of Justice. It is all about laws – creating them, and enforcing them. The scales of Justice indicate a need for fairness and equality, while the sword of Justice is double edged – it cuts both ways. We need to take into account karma, and how karmic laws manifest into this world. We are held responsible for our actions – we learn by facing the consequences of our actions. We can view this as individuals, or through the larger lens of our collective selves, whether we define that a specific group of people, a city, state, country, or mankind in general. With this in mind, how can I help you?”

Anne seemed to be shimmering before Angie’s eyes. Angie had accessed archetypes before, and had experienced this with them also, so she was not surprised.

“I don’t know where to start. In my country, a new government is in office. I am not the only person that has been physically ill since this happened. What we are seeing is that a whole group of people that have been both in the shadows and in positions of power are now banded together, and their goal seems to be to take my country apart. They are against women’s rights, against our government being supportive of its people, against separation of church and state – they really seem to be against anything that will not make them rich and powerful.”

Anne: “Why do you think these actions are taking place? Is it only in your country? Could people have seen this coming?”   

“In my country, we have had stability for many years. We really felt that we had come a long way, and we knew that we were respected in the eyes of the world. We lost all of that in just over a year. Worldwide, as well as in our own country, things happening that mankind as a whole should have paid more attention to.”

“How have the people of your country responded to this?” Anne asked.

“There has been an amazing drawing together of groups of women, and the men that are supportive of them. There have been marches on a massive scale, lawsuits being filed over things like sexual harassment, and a huge movement to support those in our government that support us. On women’s issues, this is actually happening worldwide.” Angie replied.

“How do you feel about all of this?” Anne asked. “Do you feel that the things that are happening are unfair? Do you literally feel a lack of justice around you?”

Angie replied in an angry tone: “I absolutely feel that there is injustice in my country, and around the world. I feel the effects, of course, more in my own country. The individuals that have taken office have been put there to take down the foundation of that office, and reshape it in a very ugly manner that benefits only the rich. Individuals that have worked in certain departments for years, through many different administrations, are being forced out! This is not justice!”

“Let’s go back for a minute and talk about what justice really is. Think about the laws of karma, about consequences for actions taken. At this time in human history this needs to be viewed on a collective, as opposed to an individual, scale. How have the actions of mankind affected both the world that they live in, and the literal land, water and air that they need for survival? How is this reflected in your environment?”

“I am starting to see justice as a privilege, and not a right. Mankind has been harsh in interacting with the land, water, and air that is needed for their survival. One of the biggest battles right now is climate change, and whether it really exists. Can people actually not see the visible changes around them? Do they not care?” Angie was clearly agitated.

Anne poured them more coffee. “We have talked about women marching, and I know there is a massive effort for voter registration, and getting the vote out. This is all good, but it has to come from the right place. The balance needed for life must come from within. Each individual must decide what is right not only for them, but for those around them. People need to take action as an individuals, as well as being part of a group effort, to bring about peace – which is essentially what a balanced life is – a peaceful life. Answers are to be found within, not outside of yourselves.”

Anne continued. “We also need to remember that Justice is considered to be a Cardinal Virtue. It is essentially the median point between selfishness and selflessness. Between having too little, and having too much. The path to Justice is a path of caring and reconciling.”

“Thank you for sharing your wisdom” Angie replied. “I have experienced much of this process within myself since this administration came to office. At first I felt a helpless rage. I cried for months. Then I started to realize that I needed to take any and all actions that I could take to bring about justice – political, social, and personal. I needed to take a step back, and find my own center. I am still not happy, but I think there is a light out there that will help bring about needed change. Lies are lies, and they will be shown to be so. Perhaps this touch of insanity was needed for those of us that want a just and fair world to take a stand. Placing blame helps no one. Standing up and taking action does. I am seeing small but steady changes, and I am sure that this will continue. Thank you for helping me reach my own sense of peace.”

Having said that, Angie stood, shook Anne’s hand, turned, and walked out the door. She gradually came back into the sense of the room that she was seated in, and the candle in front of her, illuminating the Tarot card of Justice. She felt a sense of peace that she had not felt in a long time. The world around her had some very deep shadows, but she was certain that she would find her way with ease.

Anne smiled, as she dissolved the room, and transformed back into a pure energy state. There was chaos on earth, but there was also hope. Her job was to help keep the balance between the two.

© October 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.



Monday, October 29, 2018

All Hallows' Eve Reading


I keep this blog as my writer's blog, and generally do not post here on topics outside of writing. However, this blog needs to reflect who I am, and I do have a deep interest in the metaphysical world. All Hallows' Eve is coming up on October 31st. This is the time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is at its thinnest. 

I generally do at least one reading during this time. This year I am going to do two readings - one with my father, who died when I was thirteen, and one with the Tarot archetype The Hermit, which is one of my birth cards. I will do one earlier in the evening, and one later in the night. Not that I am crowding a deadline here, but I still have to define both readings! I am going to do e-files of both readings, because my experience is that I tend to forget details over time. I am really looking forward to this, as it is my way of marking this holiday.

I will also be posting an "op-ed" conversation with another of the Tarot archetypes, It should be an interesting blog, and I will post that on November 1st (All Saints Day). 

I hope that each of you will be honoring All Hallows' Eve in a manner that connects your ancestors, and with the spirit world as you see it.

(c) October 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Monday, October 22, 2018

It's All About Editing


Editing is one of my least favorite activities. As closely as I edit, errors still fall through the cracks. Sometimes these are blatant errors that take on a life of their own. One thing that I do before I edit is to decide what I wish to accomplish. Am I looking for errors in grammar? Am I looking for continuity in my writing? Am I checking each scene to make sure that it flows, that it is believable, and that my characters are retaining the qualities that make them who they are?

My first edit usually focuses on grammar, the need for rephrasing, and blatent errors in background. My next edit focuses on the characters themselves, and whether they are staying true to who they are. My next edit focuses on the storyline, how well it flows, and if I need to take things out, or move things around.

Give yourself some time between when you are done writing, and when you start editing. You want to have fresh eyes, and a fresh perspective. I prefer to edit digitally, but you do gain a better perspective if you print your work out, and edited the print copy. Just a thought! 

Whether we do our own editing, or pay to have our work edited, we need to know what we are editing for, and what we hope to gain. Editing for grammar and punctuation is the first baby step into bringing our work, however long or short it is, into some semblance of order.

(c) October 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.


Monday, October 15, 2018

All Hallows Eve


Where do we get ideas for blogs? We can get them from our day to day life, from books that we read, from the Internet - the list is endless. They can be stories (I love authors that write about their pets - or in the voice of their pets), educational (such as sharing resource material), or even holiday themed. We have an incredible holiday coming up ... All Hallows Eve (Halloween). There are so many ways that we can write about this night, the night when the veil is the thinnest between the physical and spiritual worlds.

I have decided to take my readers on a small journey across the veil for this night. We can choose to talk to family or friends that have crossed over, to famous people, even to fictional characters.  This year I have decided to take the journey across the veil and talk to an archetype. No, I am not going to tell you which archetype until we take the journey! 

What made me decide to chat with an archetype? The fact that our world is in such chaos right now, and it doesn't look to be improving any time soon. It is through the archetypes that we live our lives, that we define who we are, and that we navigate each lifetime. Who better to chat with!

I hope that you join me on this journey!

(c) October 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author. 

Monday, October 8, 2018

Using The Seasons As Writing Themes


Seasonal themes can be used across all genres. All a writer needs to do is take the basics, and apply them to their genre and audience. Halloween/All Hallows Eve is a wonderful example of seasonal focus. We have the season of autumn/fall, with the focus on a specific event - Halloween/All Hallows Eve.

Things to be taken into consideration include:

Colors: black and orange, for Halloween itself, and shades of yellow, orange, and red, to represent the season of autumn/fall.

Physical Environment: graveyards, backyards, school parties, private parties, masked balls, seances, pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, haunted houses

Symbols: leaves in fall colors, skeletons, ghosts, goblins, pumpkins, spiders, bats, black cats, witches, cauldrens, broomsticks, skulls, scarecrows, candy corn, cobwebs, mummies, caskets, camp fires

Food: cakes & cupcakes frosted with Halloween symbols, apple cider, carmel apples, popcorn balls, pumpkin bread, spice cookies

Themes: costumes, disembodied voices, haunted houses, trick-or-treating, seances (one of my favorites!), cemeteries ... the list is endless!  

Add a character or three ... and you have a story!

Here are a few stories that you might want to check out: 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Washington Irving), The Cask of Amontillado (Edgar Allen Poe), The Judges House (Bram Stoker), The Black Cat (Edgar Allen Poe), and A Ghost Story (Mark Twain). One must not forget the poem The  Raven (by Edgar Allen Poe)! 

(c) October 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

WordPress Plugins - Where Do We Start!

Plugins - what on earth are they, and why do we need them? When I first started working on my sites, these were overwhelming questions for me. I have to admit, I just added plugins a bit randomly, not knowing what I was doing, or why. I have progressed (a bit), and now make better decisions (I hope!). My sites are all WordPress - one paid for, the rest free. This happens to be a platform that works well for me. The plugins that I am going to look at here are some of the most important ones, IMHO, to consider for WordPress.

When setting up a site (especially if you are a novice, which is how I still see myself) we are faced with so many questions! (Some of which we are not even aware of until we are in the middle of getting things done.) We are looking at things like: 

  1. How can I get my site to load faster?
  2. How do I handle spam in my comments section? (This is a very serious concern for me.)
  3. How can I protect myself from hackers?
  4. What is malware, and how do I protect myself from it?
  5. And the ultimate question - How do I get my site in a decent position in the Google rankings?
Plugins are the apps that help us accomplish our goal of having a site that represents us well, holds the interest of site visitors, and meeting the intention of the site (which for me is to sell books). Akismet is one of the first plugins that I worked with. It performs the all important goal of keeping your comment section spam free. A great site will fail miserably if the quality of the comments section is not up to par with the quality of the site. Love this app!

Yost SEO is the next plugin that is going to be added to my site. I put my head in the sand if I even hear someone whisper "SEO", because while I know what SEO means (Search Engine Optimization), but I do not understand what I need to do about it. What this app will do is send visitors your way (from Google, Bing, and social media) and increase the engagement from your readers. The biggie here is that the little spidies (search engine spiders) have a site map created by this app that makes it easier for them to index your site. You can download a free version of Yost SEO, or purchase a premium version for a reasonable amount per year. A bonus, from my POV, is that this app also computes an on-site SEO score for you.

We all want our sites to load faster. Site visitors won't put up with a site that loads slowly. W3 Total Cache creates a cached version of your website on your visitor's browser. When they return to your site (which is what we want them to do!) the browser loads the local files from their previous visit, which helps your site load faster - very user friendly!

These are just a few plugins that can make life a whole lot easier! (And they are easy to use.)

(c) October 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Long Chapters Or Short Chapters - What Is Your Preference?

Does it make a difference to a reader whether the chapters in a book are long or short? It does to me. I like shorter chapters, as they feed...