be the change - tread the path

Today is a very special day as I am handing ‘be the change – tread the path’ over to ‘The Goddess’, or to be more correct my new friend, Anita Ryan-Revel creatrix of http://www.goddess.com.au/ – a wonderfully vibrant site that playfully encourages you to ‘release the Goddess within’ but for the more seasoned researcher the site is also crammed full with knowledge relating to the Goddess in all her forms and incantations as she appears throughout the myriad of Religions, Folklore and Cultures throughout our World.Anita is a best-selling author and prolific columnist for United Press International, she has incorporated her passion into various books, magazines and hundreds of articles that can be found sprinkled across the internet. Anita lives in sunny Western Australia with her man, her son and her dog (also a male!) Her son made for an excellent guinea pig in writing this book.

Anita has taken the whole of June to conduct a ‘virtual tour’ promoting her latest book which is called Selena’s Crystal Balls, A Magical Journey
Through the Chakras (available from Amazon.com) – the book is proving a hit with children, parents, teachers and caregivers. The beautiful illustrations and enticing story-line make for a magical world of dialogue between children and their adult guardians.

Anita has come here from the Inner Goddess Forum (June 4th) a forum where you can join author, Anita Ryan-Revel, and thousands of other modern goddess gals as they weave a merry dance back to a world-wild state of “goddess-ness”!

What impresses me most, as a father of four inquisitive minds, is that this book embraces Spirit and alternative thinking and offers it in an easily accessible format that every parent can use as a basis to invoke the magic, encourage the quest and support their children’s journey as they begin to develop their true selves. Selena skilfully interlaces many subjects close to my own heart and offers them in a bright and refreshing format – the whole essence of Chakras, Crystal Balls and Colour therapy are explored, blended into a lovingly created book that every child will love and treasure.

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this book by Anita as a gift for my own children (Many Thanks Anita) and I thought it fitting that they should be the ones to review it. Hayden (11), Gillian (8), Ethan (5) and Mason (2) have all had the chance to have a look at the book either on their own or sharing ‘special time’ with Mum and Dad.

Hayden – enjoyed the story and was enthralled with the more detailed information at the back of the book. This section is meant for Parents and Guardians to help expand the discovery beyond the initial story but Hayden has shown that it can be useful for older children too. Hayden also related the Chakras with his growing Crystal collection and this initiated further discussion amongst the family – a very welcome side effect of sharing Selena’s journey.

Gillian – equally enjoyed the concept, the narrative and the illustrations. She feels it is equally suitable for both boys and girls. Gillian’s favourite Crystal Ball is the Purple page (finally a move away from constant Pink! – thank you Anita) which represents the Crown Chakra – this is SO appropriate for Gillian as she is often ‘away with the fairies’. She LOVES the Angels pictured on this page and has expressed an interest to learn more about Angels and the Celestial Realm. Is that a tip for Anita, maybe that could be the next subject for Selena to present?

Ethan – enjoyed developing the pictures in each Crystal Ball into his own story, finding details in the illustrations that I hadn’t noticed previously. His favourite Crystal Ball is the Yellow one, representative of the Solar-plexus Chakra. This is mainly due to one of the characters in the illustration that depicts a child wearing a Lion playsuit which instantly invoked memories of Narnia.

Mason – this is now known in our house as ‘Mason’s Book’ as he won’t let the others have it if he’s around. He loves looking at each of the full page illustrations which are lovingly created as if looking into a crystal ball. Mason particularly enjoys the Red page with the Big Red Fire-engine, which represents the Base Chakra – strange, as he is constantly climbing – his feet are never on the floor, never Grounded (unlike Hayden who is ALWAYS Grounded – but that’s another story – LOL).

That clearly shows that this would be a very welcome addition to any child’s bookshelf and it has certainly become a firm favourite in my house (Anita – can you send another Three – LOL). The kids easily identified with the character and loved the magic the story invoked. The artwork is bright and colourful and I’m already being pestered for information on Selena’s next story and when they will be sent more books from Dad’s friend in Australia.

As many of you know Crystal Balls are used to ‘scry’ the future so as a special treat, and keeping with the theme of divination for this event, I’m offering a free e-mail Tarot Reading by ‘yours truly’ as a prize for the most creative comment on the subject of ‘Divination’ left on this article before the end of June 2007. So good luck and get writing – a few minutes adding a comment and you could win personal guidance in return.

Please note that my Tarot readings are meant for ‘Healing’ and are focused on highlighting issues that are currently influencing your life – how you interpret the reading is down to you and I cannot be held responsible for any choices you make as a result of the reading.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Anita for her continued help and guidance and to wish her success with her new book and much abundance in her life in general. This article has been added to my Guest Author Series and please take some time to view all the other work donated by my friends to ‘Be the change – tread the path’ – together we are a wonderful and supportive Community promoting Development of the Self, the evolution of all and by BEing the Change – promoting positivity and healing in the world.

Continue following Anita’s (and Selena’s) tour tomorrow (June 6th) at The Feminine Path ‘Empowering Women with information’ where you could win one of five ‘Moon Rites’ books. The details of the full Virtual Book Tour are available here.

Take care,

Damian