Stepping outside the comfort zone

At our last staff meeting in my office we were asked to think of things we do (or could do) to step outside of our comfort zones. We all get accustomed to certain routines, people, and places that allow us to stay in that zone of safety. But to do this day after day can lead to quite a boring existence. I have a list of things I've done in the past. Travel is up there at the top of my list, and I mean traveling anywhere (by myself). I get panicky thinking about having to drive somewhere I'm not familiar with, or traveling to other states/countries. But then I think, if I allow my fear and anxiety to rule me and keep me in my comfort zone, I'll never see the world. So, I travel every chance I get. I've traveled to the UK and Ireland alone, and I spent last Samhain (Halloween) in Salem, MA. These were the best times of my life, even though I was scared to do it. This summer my son and I are driving to Williams, AZ where we will take the train to the Grand Canyon. This will be my first trip with my 4 year old son; this should be an adventure, and it scares me to death. But I'm going to do it, and we're going to have a great time!

Another biggy on the out of my comfort zone list is writing. I'm an aspiring writer, I haven't had any professional training, but I think I have some really interesting book ideas; so I'm trying to write my first novel and keep up on my blog. And the scariest part...is letting the world see what I have to say. I've recently started producing my office's monthly newsletter, and I've had a handful of articles published. Sending my writing to our media/pr director for editing nearly sent me into an anxiety attack. But she was immensely supportive and continues to push me to keep writing.

I think I'm scared of someone saying "you're wrong, that's not right, you're writing sucks". Some will probably think that, but I'm hoping that some will want to hear what I have to say. I think I'm a pretty creative person, but I worry that I'm just not good enough and by making my writing public I'm setting myself up for ridicule and rejection.

So I think back at the other things I've done in my life that I've initially felt the same way about and ask myself, was it worth it? And my answer, absolutely! When I feel that anxiety in the pit of my stomach when I'm presented with something new I know that if I decide to go for it, I'll never regret it. And if it doesn't work out, who cares, everything in life is a lesson. I take that fear as a good thing...to me, it means something amazing is just around the corner.

Think about what takes you out of your comfort zone. Has it ever held you back from something you really wish you'd done? If so, why not just take the chance and go for it?

Living with genius and adversity

Today was the annual University Career Women's conference. I had the honor of attending and having the oppurtunity to hear Lucy Hawking speak. Many probably think of her father, Stephen Hawking, the famous theoretical physicist. Lucy's keynote speach was inspirational. Here is a woman who is the middle child of the most famous theoretical physicsit in the world, and the mother of a son with autism. She grew up with a severely disabled father, has traveled the world, authored numerous books, and is currenly finishing her year as writer-in-residence for the ASU Origins Project, which is only the start of her multitude of accomplishements.

Her list of roles and titles is staggering, but she's just like every other woman who juggles career and family. And as she neared her 40th birthday, she, like so many other women in this world felt that she had hit a dead end. So, she travelled 6000 miles to Arizona. Apparently her family and friends waited a month after she arrived to tell her they thought she was crazy, but that didn't stop her.

She has lived with the stares and curiosity of those who don't understand her father's disability and need for autonomy, survived an all girl's boarding school, moved to Russia just as communism fell, got strandad in Syberia, has reported in some of the more dangerous countries, and is raising her autistic son. Her life has been an adventure; not always one of her choosing, but an adventure non the less. And through all of it, she has shown strength and grace. Her experiences have not been easy or even fair, but it's clear her joy for life has never diminished. I can only hope that I can live my life with the same level of grace and joy as she has.

A Cast-Off Coven - Witchy Mystery Gone Bad

When I saw this little book sitting on the book shelf I thought "oh, a cute witchy mystery, this should be a good read", but I'm not so sure now. I confess, I've only read the first 4 chapters, but there have been a number of sections in the book thus far that, to me at least, seem to cross a line that should never be crossed by anyone who writes about modern day Witches.
The author, Juliet Blackwell (pseudonym for Julie Goodson-Lawes) is an anthropologist, artist, renovator and best-selling author. I haven't read her other mystery books, but they involve art and renovation which are talents she possesses herself. She is not, a Witch and her writing reflects that fact. Now, I'll read the rest of the book and hope that she redeems herself, but I'm skeptical. In her authors notes at the end of the book she states that the spells in the book were collected from practicing Witches, but the author appears to only be interested in the spells and mystical, and not the life of a Witch.
Modern day Witches have fought long and hard to rid the general public of the false ideas of what a Witch is, from how dangerous we supposedly are, to whether we force our wills and desires on unsuspecting victims. Let me be very clear, Witches are NOT dangerous because they are Witches, and we NEVER force our wills on anyone or thing. Harm none is our law.
On page 42 the author writes that her main character is creating a mythical being (house elf) for another Witch, which will probably be sold off to the highest bidder. The main character doesn't agree with it, but is doing it anyway because she "owes" the other Witch. Are you kidding me? No self-respecting Witch would sell off a being from this dimension or another to anyone for any reason. That's slavery, and the last time I checked, slavery was abolished...correct? To imply that a modern day Witch would do this is reprehensible.

On page 43 her heroine and the male Witch she is creating the house elf for are discussing how she should cast a love spell on her current beau because "natural love" is just going to be too difficult for her. What!? I didn't realize that there was anything other than "natural" love. And to cast a love spell on a specific individual to compel them is one of the worst offenses. Any Witch worth his or her alter would show you the door if you suggested compelling another being to do what you want (after giving you a firm lecture on why you NEVER do that).
Then we move on to page 53 where the author writes of a discussion that makes the main character angry, and how she has to reign in her anger before she ends up hurting someone. Excuse me? Is she implying that if a Witch gets angry we are more likely to cause physical harm on another?
And the kicker that really got my panties in a bunch is on page 36 where the author describes the traits of a Witch. We can blush, so that myth has been proven false, but we can't cry, and we apparently float on water. Now doesn't that just take us back to the good old Inquisition and Witch Trials!
Witches have fought to dispel these false character descriptions for years. We mourn the deaths of those falsely accused and executed for Witchcraft by those who knew absolutely nothing of what a Witch truly was and is. Writers have a responsibility to do the research regarding their characters and insure that there is a certain level of accuracy and respect given to their characters and to the audience who will read your books. I feel this is missing.
Our law is to harm none. We do not create beings to see them sold off, we do not condone compulsion of others for any reason, we do not harm anyone or thing with our magic, ever! And most importantly, if you are going to write about modern day Witches, there is an appropriateness that must be adhered to. To imply that any of the supposed character traits that were used to imprison, torture, and execute innocent people under the name of Witchcraft is true, is to disrespect every Witch who has ever lived.
A note to all authors, write what you know. Do the research, and be respectful of those you write about.

Is god a bigot?

I've studied different religions for years and one belief always confounds me, regardless of the specific faith, that god has only one "true" path. I don't personally understand it. Individuals have been recorded in history as having enlightened religious experiences from literally every faith in existence; whether it appeared as a dream, vision, near death experience, the voice of "God", you name it, someone has claimed to have experienced it. So how can there be only one way, one path, one face, one gender, one name when so many from so many belief systems have had such life changing experiences?

I look at the words used to describe "God" and can only think that this isn't a god I want anything to do with. Jealous, vengeful, but also loving and kind? If I were to describe a human being like that they'd be considered abusive and in need of serious psychological evaluation and treatment. And where do we get this character description? From religious texts written by other human beings long since dead, and hundreds of years after supposed events occurred.

We have learned that any text that has survived throughout history was written by the "winners". We never get to hear the stories of those who didn't win the war. So why is it that so many people can take the words written in religious texts as absolute truth? We know nothing about these individuals except what we've found. I'm certainly not saying that the authors of religious texts are all lying, but we need to realize that regardless of the intention all humans have individual feelings, opinions, and personal agendas which are always reflected in our writing. It makes no difference if the words are in a blog or religious book, they are only an individuals interpretation and personal beliefs.

I can't believe for a second that the amount of death and destruction that has been wrought by human beings in their attempt to forcibly convince the world that there way is the only way is what any Divine creator would want. We always hear the phrase "look at the larger picture", well, religion needs to do the same. Is it so inconceivable that god foresaw that humans would be amazingly diverse? That we would have so many beautiful and varied cultures and beliefs that one faith simply won't fit everyone? And that god created all religions, so that in our diversity we could find the path that truly spoke to our individual hearts and souls?

All belief systems hold a set of basic beliefs and "rules" to live by, and if one looks closely we will see that they all say the same things; treat others as you would be treated. This sentiment is put in numerous ways, but it really all comes down to this. Over the years humans have added some more colorful and unusual rules like what kind of food to eat/drink, type of clothes to wear, how and where to communicate with god and so on, but I believe all of these where just others who wanted to force their own opinions over those of their faith. We see it all the time, power hungry individuals who will say or do anything to get others to do as they say. It happens today, and it happened hundreds of years ago.

We all need to stop viewing religion as a one way street, but a beautiful map with numerous paths all leading us to our creator. Forcing your personal beliefs down the throats of others will never work, and trying to convince the world that "God" can only by found one way only shows that we have a long way to go to overcome such religious bigotry. Humans can be racist and a bigot, but god never was and never will be.