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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781496963277 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 01/12/2015 |
| Pages: | 126 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.38(d) |
Read an Excerpt
Legacy of a Free Spirit
By Lisa Allen Thompson
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2015 Lisa Allen ThompsonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4969-6326-0
CHAPTER 1
MERMAID
~ Destiny Sinclair ~
* * *
It was a beautiful night in the waters of Aquidneck. The full moon lit up our home around the Isle of Manisses. The bluffs and shore were magnificently crystalline in twinkling blues, lavenders, pink and white. The granite, white quartz, rose quartz and clay mirrored over the sea like radiant jewels.
Always held under the full moon, are our Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society gatherings. All the area mermaids, from Watch Hill, Mattoonuk Neck, Conanicut Isle, Mystic Shores, and our Isle of Manisses, gather to celebrate in solidarity our sisterhood and enjoy cakes and wine. After much merriment we adjourn with our Mermaid Blessing:
"Send us now to live in peace, Oh, Mother Moon, of earth and seas, In heart and soul, we're love and light, And do what's good and do what's right." ~Bright Blessings~
Mermaids are very whimsical at play and very philosophical in everyday life. We are free spirits and fiercely independent. However, in love, we are the most loyal and equal partners, and as mother's, we are very loving and devoted. And right now, this partner and mother of three needs to get home to her partner, Gus, and three beautiful daughters: Charity, Hope and Grace.
Upon arriving home, I heard the sound of drumming in the air, and saw fire light on the isle. It appears the natives of the land are having a celebration tonight also! The natives of the land hold many of the same beliefs we merfolk do. We are all one in this big circle of life. They believe as we do, every living thing has a spirit, a soul, and a reason for being. The circle takes us from birth, death, and rebirth. In between death and rebirth, we mermaids believe we go to the Summerlands to rest, the natives of the land believe they rest with The Great Spirit. Here, during life, our purpose is to live in harmony and peace, or the circle of life will unravel, and cease to be evermore.
My family are all in slumber as I arrive home and I check on each of them before retiring myself. Gus, my soulmate, is an inspiring musician and prolific songwriter. (I, Destiny, the poet and songwriter, am also passionate about music and song!). Charity is our peacemaker, and already dedicated to preserving harmony with the land and the sea. She has many muses, her favorite are the whales, our record keepers, and a great wealth of knowledge regarding creation and history. Also, the dolphins who are great teachers and communicators, the doves who teach love, forgiveness, and inner peace, the owls provide great wisdom, and the eagles teach about freedom and justice for all. She also is attentive to the teachings of the wolves, who teach finding your own path and loyalty, and the deer, who teach kindness. Gus and I hope we mentor her well also! Hope has an innate way of making one feel better with her mere presence and appears to be a natural healer. She enjoys learning the healing properties of plants. Some of her favorites are: rosemary, lavender, dogwood, heather, hemp and sweet grass. Rosemary, is sometimes called "the dew of the sea" and good for remembrance. Lavender, sometimes called "the elf leaf" promotes calmness and peace. Dogwood is good for granting wishes, (a mermaid trait) and Heather, good luck and protection. Sweet grass is useful for calling up the spirits, and hemp, the most natural medicine of all, heals an assortment of ailments. Grace is our little clairvoyant and very psychic. I believe she has been around the great circle a few times, to the Summerlands, and back again, an old soul! She has alittle mojo bag of crystals, stones, shells and feathers. Her favorite stones are: aquamarine, sacred to the sea goddess, and moonstone, sacred to the moon goddess. Additionally, her very favorite, star sapphire, a very useful stone for psychic work and spiritual understanding.
Merfolk celebrate eight holidays a year which we call "the turn of the wheel". Tonight, we are celebrating Imbolc. The days are starting to grow longer and beginning to grow warmer. The isle is once again thawing and becoming green after a long cold gray season. The merfolk gather around for opening ceremonies:
"Lord and Lady, Thank you for this night, The wheel turns once again, And we are Blessed with love and light." ~ Blessed Be ~
The wee one's ring little bells and sing and dance for us. Gus played his guitar, and we all joined in singing and dancing all evening. Charity, Hope, and Grace love hearing family stories and learning of their heritage, and Imbolc was a favorite. The Goddess Brigit, is honored during this holiday. She is the Goddess of creativity and also of Scottish heritage. The wee one's are of Scottish heritage on my mother's side of the family and we all aspire to be creative, so Brigit is special to us. Brigit can sometimes be seen in the form of a beautiful white swan swimming around the Scottish Isle's. Scottish decent mermaids are known for their love of music and have beautiful singing voices. They are especially known for being kind and granting wishes! There are mermaids who exist who are tricksters, and witches, and sirens. And they do bad things! They are bitter and negative, and are indeed revengeful if crossed. However, most mermaids are peacemakers and very compassionate. We live by a simple set of rules:
"Mind the Threefold Law ye should, three times bad, an' three times good."
"Fairly take and fairly give."
"And it harm none, do what ye will."
Mermaids are also firm believers of karma!
"Oh, my stars!" Another full moon is upon us! Time passes so quickly. It's time again for our Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society gathering. We enjoy our cakes and wine while making our final preparations for the upcoming Ostara concert. Merfolk love our music! We are expecting a big turnout this Ostara, and decided the cummaquid of the isle would serve best. We adjourn with our Mermaid Blessing and then it was merry meet and merry part.
Alas! Ostara! What a beautiful day we have to celebrate! The days and nights are in equal balance at this time, and it's warmer, and the flowers are budding, some in bloom. Excitement is in the air as all the merfolk gather for the concert. We have an exceptional show this Ostara with some known artists! Stephanie is the opening act, the ancient queen of music! The other female performers are, Janis, a real rocker who always leaves us with a piece of her heart, and Bonnie will play that slide guitar and sing with that soulful voice, and Melissa will leave us wanting to come over for more! Some of the male bands came up from the southern shoals. One of Gus's favorites is Duane! Duane is the master of strings and plays many a guitar! Duane is a legend in the guitar world. The Free Birds are here too! Their music and songs remind us to follow your heart and nothing else, and be something you love and understand. The Boys from Beantown Bay, from up northern waters, are playing too! I've loved their music since they began years ago and always will! I don't know where time goes sometimes! It just goes by like dusk to dawn!
After the concert we all tried to wind down and enjoy our cakes and wine, and felt Blessed to have shared an afternoon of music and song, and another turn of the wheel. And now:
"Lord and Lady, Thank you for this night, The wheel turns once again, And we are Blessed with love and light." ~ Blessed Be ~
"Send us now to live in peace, Oh, Mother Moon, of earth and seas, In heart and soul, we're love and light, And do what's good and do what's right." ~ Bright Blessing ~
Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society adjourned. Beltane celebration and ceremony plans in order!
It's a beautiful evening under starry skies. The days have been growing longer and it's balmy. We are celebrating with the natives of the land. They have planted their crops and are calling upon the Great Spirit to help provide sun and rain for a bountiful harvest. And as with every turn of the wheel, we merfolk, will thank Lord and Lady for our many blessings. The isle people, the natives of the land are very respectful of the living circle. They believe every living thing has a spirit, a soul, a reason for being. It is demonstrated in their way of life. If they do sacrifice a living thing, it's for survival. They receive it with blessing and great thanks to the Great Spirit. A white tail deer, a moose, or a bear, will provide clothing, shelter and food. The skins will also provide the skins for drums. Antlers and bones may provide tools. Hoofs make good rattles used for music and ceremonies. A tree, provides shelter, tools, a canoe, and its wood is used in fire for warmth, cooking, and worship ceremonies. Wood is also used for an instrument used by the natives that makes the sound of the whistling wind. Fir branches are very good for bedding. Stones and shells provide tools for work and cooking. Clay from the land is useful for pottery and grasses for baskets. Plants provide food and medicine. The natives of the land also make beautiful jewelry with stones and shells from the sea. Even the feathers of a bird are used for clothing. The natives waste not a blessing given to them from the Great Spirit and they take nothing from the circle of life without giving it honor and thanksgiving. The natives of the land and we merfolk gather together in a circle as the ceremony begins. We provided wreaths of flowers and the natives have made a fire and play beautiful music. The drumming and the wood whistling flute lay peace upon us while the rattles call up the spirits for worship. The natives share with us another ceremonial rite, the passing of the pipe. The stem of the pipe is made of wood and beautifully decorated with a carved stone bowl at the end that hold the leaves from which we smoke. Smoking it in a circle represents the great circle of life. We end the ceremony with the natives giving a Blessing in their Algonquion language to Great Spirit. After a moment of silent meditation we give thanks as always:
"Lord and Lady, Bless us, day and night, And as the wheel turns once again, Keep us in your love and light." ~Blessed Be ~
The natives of the land and we merfolk are happy to share in worship as we all believe it doesn't matter how you worship, as long as you live in harmony with respect and honor of the circle of life.
Welcome our full moon and another gathering of the Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society. Litha is approaching when the sun is at the highest point in the sky and provided us with a warm evening, air and sea. This is also a popular time for two loving hearts to join together in union in a ceremony called hand-fasting. This year two of our Sisters, Luna and Starr, are making that commitment, and tonight we are honoring them during our meeting. We are showering them with love and light, and as usual have plenty of wine and cakes for the celebration. As a gift we have presented them with a conch shell engraved with their names. A conch shell is often associated with the Goddess of Love, Venus. Legend is Venus was created from the union of sea and sky. Venus was born of sea foam and water, and came to the circle of life upon a conch shell. The two mermaids were so happy we thought of this gift to represent their union of hearts. We merfolk believe any two hearts can join in union: mermaid and merman, mermaid and mermaid, or merman and merman. A union, or a family, is love and light, and respect and honor of each other, in any relationship. Merfolk believe in healthy relationships where both partners are equal and always bring out the love and light in each other. One partner never controls or takes power in the relationship! We wish Luna and Starr many happy turns of the wheel together and adjourn our meeting.
"Send us now to live in peace, Oh, Mother Moon, of earth and seas, In heart and soul, we're love and light, And do what's good and do what's right." ~ Bright Blessings ~
I think this turn of the wheel is one of the largest in celebration here at the Isle of Manisses. Merfolk tend to travel more when the days are long and warm and enjoy coming to visit our isle waters. It's wonderful seeing our merfolk neighbors from surrounding areas near and far. Some have come over from Watch Hill, Mattoonuk Neck, Conanicut, and Mystic Shores, and from further up, Georges Bank, Grand Banks, and Flemish Cap! We have family visiting from Sable Isle, Deer Isle, Isles of Shoals, Appledore Isle and Star Isle! Gus and his band are providing the music tonight and there will be much singing and dancing in this lively throng of merfolk! Fruits of the season, blueberries and strawberries, will add extra flavor to our delicious cakes, and some cool sweet mint tea for drink.
The Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society have once again gathered under the full moon, however, it is a quick meeting tonight! Alas! We have two full moons in a short period of time, and the second one is called the Blue Moon! The Blue Moon is a most magickal time for us Mermaids and is celebrated with great honor to divine sisterhood! So, merry meet, and merry part.
Blue Moon! The most magickal moon! The mojo bag of nights! Tonight the Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society celebrate our divine sisterhood and solidarity. This is a special occasion celebrated by all ages, Maiden, Mother, and Crone. My family is hosting the Blue Moon celebration and we have chosen Beavertail Rock at Conanicut Isle for the ceremony. We are all dressed in our best white attire. Always white for Blue Moon celebrations! And all adorned with our favorite shawls, flowers in our hair, and our favorite stone. My favorite as always, my star-sapphire necklace and rings, and silver hoop earrings. Charity chose aquamarine, Hope amethyst, and little Grace chose moonstone. Great Grammie Orpha, and Grandmother Elizabeth have not arrived yet but we are waiting in anxious excitement. We have a Grandmother Betty also, who is Grandmother Elizabeth's mother, but, she won't be joining us this celebration. She is a good grandmother, however, she is also the quintessential gypsy soul and is always traveling! The Blue Moon hung so low in the sky it appeared to be dancing on the waves of the sea as we begin the ceremony. Great Grammie Orpha opened the gathering with a few words of wisdom and this song:
"Be king to auld grannie, for noo she is frail, As a time shatter'd tree bending low in the gale. When ye were bairnies tott, totting about, I watch'd ye when in, and I watch'd ye when out ..."
My heart filled with love and light listening to her sing! An old Scottish song, so fitting for our family, and this ceremony, as she represented the Crone stage of life. She will soon be called back to the Summerlands, and I so cherish every minute I get to spend with her and will carry her memories when she is not in my sight, until we meet again!
"... When the gloaming o' life comes like mist o'er the glen, Then be kind to auld grannie, for noo she is frail, As a time shatter'd tree bending low in the gale." -Archibald Mackay
Grandmother Elizabeth and myself represent the Mother stage of life. And we have chosen music and song for celebration. First a dance, as we all gather in a circle, Maiden, Mother and Crone. First we danced deosil, and circled about, then widdershins, and circle back again. And then in song:
"... And when your time with me is spent, If I have done nothing else at all, I'll be content, If I have only done two things, Given you roots, given you wings ..." -Ellen Cannon Reed
The teen Maidens performed a play about the Goddess Gwenhywfar. Gwenhywfar is the mermaid goddess! She represents the strenghth to make good choices in our life. Not to be led by emotion or ruled by reason, but to live in harmony, in a happy balance.
Next the wee ones, also Maidens. They have chosen to do a play about Goddess Diana! Diana, is the divine feminist!
After cakes and wine and much merriment with our Sisterhood of Mermaids, it was merry meet and merry part.
"Send us now to live in peace, Oh, Mother Moon, of earth and seas, In heart and soul, we're love and light, And do what's good and do what's right". ~ Bright Blessings ~
As the wheel turns again, it is now Lughnasadh, and the days are growing shorter and it is cooler at night. It is the beginning of the harvest season and we celebrate with a shared meal in the merfolk community. It is very foggy for our celebration tonight and a cool mist is hanging over the sea, but it doesn't dampen our spirits. We are warmed with the love and light of our unity and the warmth of a bonfire. However, our celebration is shortened by the flash of light in the sky and the rumbling sound also coming from up above.
"Lord and Lady, Bless us day and night, And as the wheel turns once again, Keep us in your love and light". ~ Blessed Be ~
The Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society are gathered tonight many leagues under the sea in the waters of Aquidneck. It is a full moon but not visible to the eye. Another storm appears to be about the isle and this one is fierce! It has lit up the skies with flashes of light and sending bolts of light down to the sea and land. The wind is tossing the sea about and sending waves crashing to the Isle of Manisses, pounding the shore and the bluffs. Also pounding and crashing is the sound from the sky. Tonight, the Sovereign Sisters of the Sea Society have no time for cakes, wine or merriment! We have gathered together to summon up all our magickal powers if needed during this storm. Mermaids, have always been known for their great service to those in need, and we are prepared. "In heart and soul, we're love and light, And do what's good and do what's right".
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Legacy of a Free Spirit by Lisa Allen Thompson. Copyright © 2015 Lisa Allen Thompson. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Acknowledgements, vii,MERMAID ~ Destiny Sinclair ~, 1,
PILGRIM ~ Rebecca Allen ~, 17,
LIBERAL ~ Harmony Waddell ~, 39,
HUMANITARIAN ~ Lizzie Appleby ~, 55,
MERMAID, PILGRIM, LIBERAL, HUMANATARIAN, FREE SPIRIT ~ Lisa Allen Thompson ~, 77,
About The Author, 113,