Merry Christmas One and All

I wish everyone the best during this season of love and renewal.  For me, Christmas has always been a time to confirm life by expressing my love to those around me.  And although my surroundings change each Christmas, within me, there is an essential Christmas that I express with love, now, to you. 

Dylan Thomas said it best in the opening paragraphs of A Child's Christmas in Whales:  "One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six.  All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street."

As I diligently work to get through the editing phase of my latest book, I take a deep breath and give a life affirming shout, "Thank you, my friends, and Merry Christmas!"
Artwork:   Alessandro Botticelli, Mystic Nativity

All About Living Serial Posts

After receiving several emails from readers asking about the publication of my next book and its contents, I surrendered to the idea of posting excerpts from it on this blog.  Over the next few months I will post the occasional snippet from All About Living, as this format does not allow whole chapters.  The book itself will be available for purchase around the beginning of the year. This makes it easy for me to post here more often and inspire conversation about my books!  I would like to encourage readers to comment on these bits, and also to continue to pose questions to me that pertain to my work, specifically or on the whole.  I appreciated each contribution and conversation, from the book club conferences and book signings to the blog posts and blog network discussions.  To live a life that provides the technological extensions of self that allow me communion with my readers all over the globe, I am fortunate indeed.   I look forward to more in the upcoming year!                                                                              Artwork: Biomorphic dance by Ron Isom   Many thanks.

The Setting of Emotional Turbulence in Remember Me

Linda said...

In your book Remember Me, the character Mary Margaret goes through alot in her life, and I don't understand why she gives up in the end. It seems like she's smart, but she doesn't "get it." I just wanted to smack her and say, "wake up!"

Thanks for the great question, Linda.  During my own divorce in '95, I watched many families struggle with the family court system.  If people cannot agree, the cases go on and on, family resources are depleted, and when domestic violence is present, it is often exacerbated because the inept system is used as a weapon of abuse.  

In researching for the book, I spent a great deal of time interviewing family members in divorce and family court, and heard countless stories of suicide, hopelessness and despair.  I felt there was an important statement to be made, and that we can do better with our laws and in our courts for families in these situations. I also spent a great deal of time consulting with psychologists and therapists on the subject, and on how to develop a character that would eventually succumb to despair.  

While half way through my second novel, I was inspired to create a trilogy that would resurrect the Mary Margaret character from Remember Me, and redeem her.  I agree with you, she is smart and has many possibilities before her, but in Remember Me she also is trapped in a mindset of worthlessness that family violence reinforces for her.  It seems to me a slap would be just another slap to her, as it is to many men and women caught in the web of domestic abuse that our current societal norms and laws support by inadequate court action and looking the other way.

Your good question, Linda, leads me to one of my own.  At what point in our lives to we begin to examine and understand our emotions, what role they play in our lives, and how they enrich or limit us?

All About Living Is Next in Line

Nick said...

Do you have a date for publishing Shadow Dance? Waiting for that third novel of yours is not easy. Your fan, Nick

Thanks for the question, Nick.  My friend, Nick, and I have been mutual supporters since we were in college together.  It is true that my third novel is taking much longer than expected to publish.  This is because somewhere along the way, my blog readers encouraged me to publish my ideas in some form.  I have been working on this, and am on track to publish the first in a series of books called All About Living by the end of this year.  I settled on the format of Einsteins book "The World As I See It," first published in 1932 in the form that Einstein envisioned it.  It is a very simple compilation of his ideas on spirituality.  (In later editions the publishers took out pieces that Einstein felt important and replaced them with papers that they felt more important, losing the intent and flavor of the book.)

I thought about this wonderful book of Einstein's, and decided that in lieu of journals, diaries or letters, I would simply offer short presentations of my ideas in book form a few at a time, along with original drawings.  The first in the series will include my ideas on ethics, God, being, free will, forgiveness and several others.

I am at the same time writing Shadow Dancing, the third novel in my trilogy.  The novel will be written as a prose poem in the first person, a very different format than the other two.  I chose this form of expression to meet the character's challenges as she comes to fruition in her spiritual journey.  Because this stage includes non dual and more sublime states of consciousness that can be difficult to convey in words, I felt that poetry was my most effective tool.  I hope my readers agree.  This book will be published sometime next year.

Cover art by Vivian George.  Many thanks.

The Unexpected Rewards of Being Published

When I decided to publish the script for my play Without A Word in 2007, I asked my friend Robert Parker for the right to use his blue self portrait shown here, for the cover art.  His painting spoke to me, went straight to my heart the first time I saw it.  I knew, it was the right cover for this book.  He enthusiastically said yes and I was deeply grateful.

I could not have anticipated the reader response to this image, and it has been tremendous.  People are drawn to this image, as I was on first seeing it.  If all of my books are displayed, people will first approach this one, often needing to reach out and touch the picture, even if they don't open the book.   Recently, I received a package in the mail, elaborately engineered and masterfully wrapped.  It was this beautiful painting, which now hangs framed in my office directly in front of me, so that I can see it as I work.

Thank you, my friend, for this inspiring gift.  You are an artist of great talent, and I will treasure it always.

Artwork by Robert Parker  Many, many thanks.

Writing Comes Back as Miracles

The online groups where I share my writing have enriched my life over the last couple of years in many ways. One of the most extraordinary ways is with an online friend named eric, who I met in the gaia group ZenChrist. We exchanged many thoughts and ideas and I always look forward to his comments because he has a very deep understanding of the Zen and Buddhist traditions, and a keen insight into the symbolic nature of Christian scripture.

One day I got a post from eric: "the Slips Naturally poem you posted awhile back in that part got me thinking differently about parenthood. I never had any desire to be a father, maybe because mine was not the best example growing up. In many ways I resisted it over the years. But when my wife and I were talking about it, this poem of yours came to mind. I have never really bought into societal norms and have been a bit of a lone wolf and this poem made me realize the duties I may have as a father do not preclude me from slipping naturally into spirit."

A few weeks later, this message: "Arete Metta was born 8-1-09 @ 7:16 a.m weighing 7lb 12oz after 55 hours of labor!! Mom, dad and baby are happy as clams (what does that mean btw)."

My heart goes out to eric and his beautiful family as they begin life as three. It feels good to be a writer today.

Tapestry of Characters in Each Story

e said: Molly is a writer, maybe she can tell us where her characters come from?

Thanks for this great question, e! My characters are drawn from aspects of myself. I spent a good deal of time in research to clarify for myself how to best develop characters with believable motivation and behavior. In other words, based on the belief system of a character, how would that character behave. Each character plays an aspect in the overall development of the main character.

Our Own Asemic Symbolism Leads Our Way

I firmly believe that we each have within us a pattern of archetypes or symbols that lead us in our conscious and unconscious recognition and responses to them. The symbols we see in our dreams over and over are much like the symbols we see in our waking life again and again. Can we pay attention to them differently than we do now, and what would we learn if we do?

One of my favorite contemporary artists, Ronald Isom makes this idea of asemic symbolism integral to his artwork. He sees it like this:

Asemic symbolism has no verbal sense, though it may have a clear contextual sense. Through its design, composition and symbolic content, asemic symbolism may evoke an understanding, meaning or intuition. Through its composition and symbolic content, asemic symbolism may provide an understanding of complex ideas. This form of art depends on the viewers knowledge of philosophy, art history, mathematics, religion, philosophy, physics, sociology, nature and other esoteric subjects for it to make sense, or it can be understood through aesthetic intuition.

Asemic symbolism is truly a product of the Internet. Search engines have made it possible to generate thousands of links for words, and images. It also provides a way to unify esoteric ideas in a spontaneous manner.

The asemic symbolism process has five parts:

1. Creation of a spontaneous drawing (the genesis or nexus of all asemic symbolism; proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint )

2. Manipulation of the drawing through the use of a computer (with image software)

3. Formation of a spontaneous title using Asemic Symbolic Divination a technologically advanced form of scrying.

4. Researching the title on the Internet to provide possible explanations or meanings of the drawing ( link the drawing title to as many sites as possible)

5. Publishing the manipulated drawing, title and links to a web site

The bi-product of this process is an acute awareness that everything in our universe is related. Much like the physics concept of a "theory of everything", asemic symbolism is rooted in the ancient idea of causality. Publishing on the Internet allows the asemic symbolic art work to grow in geometric proportions. Linking is the key to provide a self sustaining life to the art work.

Asemic symbolism is not an art movement. Movements have almost entirely disappeared in contemporary art where individualism and diversity prevail. It is however a creative process that utilizes the manipulation of materials to find or define unity in the known or unknown universe.

Asemic symbolic predation is an organic metaphor that describes an
interaction where a predator design feeds on another design or visual source known as the prey

An example of an asemic symbolic listing on the internet: http://metrogadfly.blogspot.com/

Artwork also by Ron Isom Many thanks.

My Apologies to Sarah Palin and Her Family

I recently submitted an article to Subversify Magazine at the advice of an associate. The magazine states it "provides alternative perspectives to mainstream media. Our content features commentary, fiction, reviews, cynicism and just about anything else that disturbs the mainstream population." Unfortunately, I found out the hard way just what was meant by "disturb" when my article appeared in an issue that also featured an article titled, "...should Sarah Palin and her daughters be sterilized?"

I find this idea so absolutely abhorrent and reprehensible that I immediately notified the editors that I will no longer be associated with the publication. The fact that a publication would entertain the notion of sterilizing children because of their parent's celebrity is hateful. I apologize to the Palin family, and especially Governor Palin's daughters for my name being in any way related to this article. I am sorry for having an article in the same magazine as this one. No one in the world should diminish this family in this way for any reason. Please forgive me.

Sincerely,
Molly Brogan

Love as Becoming

Anonymous said...
A beautiful expression of love as emanation.

I would like to thank this anonymous viewer for this comment on my poem. It got me to thinking about emanation, or the unfolding principle, the outflowing from the source of creation. To me, this statement speaks to love as becoming in ways that completely connect us to all of creation. How wonderful.

The expression of primal urge into an emanation is also conveyed in one of my favorite James Russell Lowell poems, The Vision of Sir Launfall:

“And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries Earth if she be in tune,

And over her softly her warm ear lays:

Whether we look or whether we listen,

Every clod feels a stir of might,

An instinct within it that reaches and towers,

And groping blindly above it for light,

Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers.”

We Share Together

Jim said..

I was surprised to find that your poem, We Share Together, was not included in A Blaze of Light. I saw it here on the blog and am wondering if it is another of your books.

Thanks for asking, Jim. This poem is not included any of my published books. It may be included in my next book of poems, now that I know you like it.

I have posted it again here for your enjoyment. I try to change the poems on this blog from time to time to freshen the landscape. I will be glad to discuss the poem further here or elsewhere, if you are so inclined. Molly Brogan

Beauty as the Path to Inspiration

Sioban said...
This is an interesting post. In your books, do you connect beauty and inspiration?

Thank you, for the wonderful question, Sioban. I do think that when we allow ourselves to contemplate the beautiful, we are taking ourselves to the state of connection with spirit. This is a sure and easy path to allow ourselves to feel connected to everything and all that is, which is our God nature. Sustaining this state of awareness puts us in a place to receive inspiration, starts the creative juices flowing. When we are connected to all of creation, we become creation and are moved to express creatively.

I think that usually my poems express a state where everything is coming together into such a flow. My trilogy of novels also, follows the main character as she is able to appreciate and express this more and more until finally, she is living from it. Byron’s “she walks in beauty like the night” is the perfect example of a character that learns to live as the creative force, in a state of inspiration. My third novel, Shadow Dancing, portrays the main character moving beyond her own shadow to fully embrace her own beauty and live from it. Seen from the broad pallet of the trilogy of novels, this character has come a long way from allowing life to happen to her, to creating a life expressed as her own highest potential.

Bright Zellner

My friend, Peggy Zellner, ND, PhD, passed away suddenly on my birthday last Saturday. I discovered Peggy (or should I say, she discovered me) shortly after moving to Las Vegas at and IONS meeting. She was giving the crowd a hands on presentation of Kinesiology, a method used in her practice as a Naturopath, and I fell in love with her on the spot. She invited me to a "group meditation," held every Tuesday evening at her office. I was skeptical, and immediately pictured craziness and woo woo. She put me at ease and I was there the next Tuesday, and every Tuesday that I was in Las Vegas afterward.

Peggy had a method of meditation that, I quickly discovered, allowed us to witness the formation of group soul. I was blown away by the process and the potential. I will never forget the beautiful feeling that was shared each week by the participants (often different). Because the participants were different, each experience was different. Peggy guided us as we each described the images that came up for us in the meditative state. As the 90 minutes unfolded, these images revealed to us, without fail, how we connect at the soul level; how the group soul forms into a cohesive connection; how we are all and each left more than before. I was fascinated and devoted to this process. I now wonder if I will ever see anything like it again.

The genius of Dr. Peggy Zellner shed a light on this world that will never be dimmed. Why she made her sudden, final exit is one of life's mysteries. Somewhere, I suspect, she is smiling. At least, I hope so. I will continue to smile whenever I think of Peggy.

Arms of Mary

The Map of Beauty Translates

The Semanticist S.I. Hayakawa believed this about general semantics: “The end product of education, yours and mine and everybody’s, is the total pattern of reactions and possible reactions we have inside ourselves. If you did not have within you at this moment the pattern of reactions that we call “the ability to read” you would see here only meaningless black marks on paper. Because of the trained patterns of response, you are (or are not) stirred to patriotism by martial music, your feelings of reverence are aroused by symbols of your religion, you listen more respectfully to the health advise of someone who has ‘MD’ after his name than to that of someone who hasn’t. What I call here is a ‘pattern of reactions,’ then, is the sum total of the ways we act in response to events, to words, and to symbols, signs and symbol systems. Our reaction patterns or our semantic habits, are the internal and most important residue of whatever years of education or miseducation we may have received.”

As I view the artwork of Ronald Isom, these feeling responses for my deepest archetypal signs and symbols well within me. I am inexplicably moved and left with mystical feelings better left unspoken.

To a person who asked for a definition of jazz, Louis Armstrong is said to have replied, “Man, when you got to ask what it is, you’ll never get to know,” proving to be an intuitive semanticist as well as a great trumpet player.

To give the artwork of Ronald Isom an intuitive semantic response is not to ask for a definition, but to know our own intrinsic value, as we are led right to our core with each view.

PW Bridgman, Nobel Prize winner and physicist, once wrote, “The true meaning of a term is to be found by observing what a man does with it, not by what he says about it.”

Ronald illustrates his intuitive semantic reactions to his symbol systems. His paintings and drawings are kinetic in ways that allow us to FEEL what he feels. Organic in inspiration, his artwork brings us to our own symbolic systems, as they emerge and fly free, allowing us to see and know our own semantic responses.

In this way that the symbols of Ronald’s artwork brings us to ourselves and allows us to feel, I aspire, as a writer, to bring my readers into their intuitive core, and allow them to explore the possibilities of their lives, through the eyes of my characters.

Artwork: Spiritual Growth Form by Ronald Isom

Keep Up The Good Work

I recently received the following mail from a site visitor: "You're obsessed ... It's not healthy ... Get a life."

Which I took to mean: you're doing a great job. Keep up the good work!

Our Own Wonderful Infinite Nature

Ronald D. Isom said...

Great response to the question! The Goethe quotation is outstanding. Artist absorb what they see, hear, taste etc. and it emerges as new thoughts and idea. We must continue to absorb the world around us and keep the internal silo filled with fodder for new idea and creative thought.

Thank you, Ronald. Your artwork is an excellent example of just that. For any of you who have not seen his artwork, I heartily recommend checking out Ronald's blog through the link on his name. Like Dr. Carl Jung before him, Ronald has given life to the symbols of his unconsciousness and mapped the archetypes of his soul in his marvelous artwork. In Jung's memoirs, he recounts the three years that he spent documenting and categorizing the symbols of his dreams and fantasies, leading to his theories of the unconscious and archetype.

I know that developing this kind of intimacy with my own infinite nature allows me a clear path to my creativity. I am most inspired when I allow spirit to speak to me in this way, and all ways.

Artwork by Paul Klee