Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: Divine

  • The Divine Feline A chic cat lady’s guide to woman’s best friend

    The Divine Feline A chic cat lady’s guide to woman’s best friend

    Cats; mysterious, captivating, charming, deadly when it suites them, loving, selective and snooty as well, whenever the mood strikes; a furry, purry bundle of love and joy that we can co-habitate with that has hidden talents, a long, rich history and in many ancient cultures, much folkloric surrounds them.

    Belinda Alexandra spent some time researching and creating The Divine Feline after a conversation with a feline specialist vet, about the link associated with cats and misogyny; a fascinating and what turned out to intriguing journey, saw Alexandra following  the link that men who dislike cats, tend to oppress women, an interesting deduction and one she developed further.

    But getting back to the book, Alexandra has created The Divine Feline in the form of a ‘girls own’ Compendium of fact and fiction about our beloved felines that is pure entertainment from beginning to end.  Commencing with an Introduction from Belinda Alexandra this leads into Dear Pebbles, which is an absolutely charming cameo of an agony aunt column through the eyes of Pebbles the Cat, who of course has her own take on Humans, which is most enlightening. At strategic points throughout the balance of the book Pebbles appears to impart pearls of timeless wisdom.

    Cat History follows which has some charming stories from a many of the famous people whose cats were a very important component of their lives: Winston Churchill’s beloved marmalade cat Jock, a feisty feline resided, as did Churchill at number 10 Downing Street, for many years. Emily Bronte always had her cat Tiger with her, allowing it to sleep on her feet at night; she claimed cats were much like humans in their ways, particularly when they used their charm to get their own way! She wrote the essay ‘Cats’ on the subject, inspired no doubt by her and her sisters Charlotte and Anne’s love of cats.

    Fairy Cat Mothers is full of fascinating insights into the joy and friendship that can be found when becoming a volunteer to help rescue abandoned cats. At the end of this section are many tips and helpful pointers on how best to care for your cat or cats and what not to do, such as having too many cats, which can become seriously problematic.

    The beautiful Cat Magic is just that; full of charm folkloric and indeed magic that has a long and interesting association with Cats, going as far back as Egypt when Bastet, one of the many cat goddesses, was associated with women’s matters such as childbirth, fertility, health and beauty.  Witches have their place, as well as healers who preferred to live alone with a cat for company, as well as being useful for keeping the vermin away from the drying herbs, harvested to make their healing tonics and balms.

    Cats are great communicators, and yes, they do indeed have a conversation with you, letting you know just what is what in their world, as many cat lovers will endorse, but just in case you are unsure of what your perfect feline is letting you know, this chapter will dispel any doubts.

    There is so much fascinating information captured between the velvet trimmed covers of The Divine Feline that you will be captivated and entranced for many hours as you enjoy a very charming, elegant and chic, naturally, ‘cat ladies guide to woman’s best friend’, which just happens to be perfect for indulging in over the summer season with your feline curled up with you making sure you get it right!

    Oh yes, and perfect for giving, naturally. Oh, and one more thing, do you think that wonderful illustrator Neryl Walker portrayed us Cats very well, we certainly do!

  • High Love – Still Connected

    High Love – Still Connected

    When Andrew Bentley lost the love of his life, Winnie in 2013, he felt he had been torn in half. They were the other half of each other, and truly and irrevocably and believed this had been the case over many, many lifetimes. That she could be taken due to an inoperable brain tumour was shattering, not just for Andrew but for the many people who had come of love, cherish and enjoy her warmth, caring and love.

    Winnie was a highly-respected woman who was a perfectionist in all she undertook, whether it was her work, her family or her friends. She set high standards for herself, living them on a daily basis.

    Her love for Andrew was what she considered her love of a lifetime and was there for ever. But what happens when one side of such a love is taken away: what happens to the one left and how do they learn to rebuild in a completely different world to the one before.

    This was the dilemma faced by Andrew, as it is with many in similar circumstances, but in Andrews’s life, a range of every simply little message began to appear to him, his daughters and mother –in-law in the most unexpected places and always at the most appropriate times.

    The first little ‘message’ appeared when Andrew was looking at some of Winnies’ books on the Afterlife and Spirituality. In a sketch book he came across a drawing done by her of a heart and her name. He placed this in the kitchen in an appropriate place; the next little message was a heart shaped tag that had been attached to her keyring, appearing on the floor by the cat flap.

    This was just the beginning of many instances of heart shapes appearing in many different places.

    After seeking advice from a well-respected Medium he realised that this was something very special, this was Winnie reaching out to say ‘I love you’, and always will.

    Andrews’ journey has been written in order to reach out to offer comfort, hope and strength to people who have faced the loss of a loved one and to reflect, as many do and will, that their loved ones are still a part of their lives; that often when unexpected things occur it is your loved one reassuring you their spirit is still living on.

    A beautiful paragraph by Andrew makes a fitting conclusion when he says:

    ‘Recognising that we all endure both light and darkness in our lives, it’s so important to cherish all we have, to live in the moment, to rise in the sunshine, to strengthen us for the times of shadows.”

     

    All personal proceeds of this book will be donated to charity.

     

  • If Truth Be Told A Monk’s Memoir

    If Truth Be Told A Monk’s Memoir

    What is it that drives a person to give up all they have worked for to take up the life of a monk, to step away from all they love and hold dear, to become one with not just themselves, earth and nature, but with God?

    In this honest, enjoyable and intriguing memoir told by On Swami, he explains why and what it was that encouraged him to do just that; to set a pathway through his life that was to be ultimately undeniable; something that all his life, in an almost subliminal way, he knew he would do; undertake the life lived by a monk.

    Approaching his 3oth birthday, he began seriously to consider becoming a monk; casting off his worldly goods to follow a desire which was getting stronger, more insistent every day; a desire to follow what he truly believed was his life purpose.

    Planning his way towards what he considered his destiny was done with the precision to be expected from a businessman of his ability and standing. On the chosen day he walked into an internet café, emailed his family and business associates, letting them know he was going away, destroyed his SIM card, deleted his email account and set out with a feeling of immense vulnerably, to discover the way forward to a ‘new inner life’.

    As his story unfolds, it is very easy to walk with him as he discovers the pathway to becoming a monk is not all he has thought, or even dreamed, it would be. He discovers several of the personages he has read about and respected from afar, are perhaps not the best role models, but the humble people who help out when needed, devote their time and effort to helping him survive and walk with him on his journey, often come with many lessons he needed to learn.

    Today, Om Swami is a very different man to the young child growing up in India: he is a man who followed his calling, suffered as he sought the Divine, learned his lessons, often the hard way, discovering once he finally reached enlightenment, that there is one truth, that of the eternal truth; which is to have the right to live your life to the fullest.

    Written in a manner to be enjoyed, the words come from a very personal and truthful place: that of a man facing often terrifying options, in the firm and unshakeable belief that no matter what the world and the elements choose to test him with, he would eventually see God, see the ultimate, and by doing so would become a far, far better person.

    His conclusion to his time of renouncement is not what would logically be expected. Once again it is befitting of a man who had to take it to the limit, no matter what, to discover the ultimate truth.

     

     

  • Dying to Wake Up

    Dying to Wake Up

    A Near Death Experience is life transforming event, seldom truly believed by the listener, but totally believed by the person who underwent the experience.

    When a medical man, an anaesthetist, faces his own morality as he about to undergo surgery for severe abdominal infection, he realises the end result may not be a good one, but places his faith in the team about to undertake the surgery.

    During the surgery, Rajiv Parti found himself floating above the medical team, listening to an off-coloured joke being told by the Anaesthetist, then realising that was him, lying there on the table.

    He found himself beginning to move through space but felt strangely very comfortable with the situation he found himself having to cope with: that of being somewhere else, somewhere very different to the operating room. He was then taken on a journey where he was shown both heaven and hell, meeting up with the Archangel’s Michael and Raphael, being re-united with his father, as he looked into what could only have been Hell. Then when things could not get any more amazing or astonishing, he was introduced to a Being of Light, a being so powerful that this encounter would change the rest of his life.

    While he was on this journey he was given very clear instructions as to his future, and how he was to go about making the changes in his life required to undertake the tasks he had been handed, that of creating a clinic based on conscious-based healing, to go out and help to spread the word about universal love, Christ-consciousness, through this healing process.

    Learning to accept what the Divine ones had told him, ‘If you keep your consciousness clear and be truthful to yourself, the Universe and the Divine will take care of you,’ was a giant leap of faith and one that he was to question often in the weeks and months to come.

    This is a powerful memoir of life and death, of what comes next in life and the effect it can have on changing life direction.

    Raj Parti has told his story from a basis of complete truth as he has examined his previous lifestyle, struggled to understand the generational violence and high expectation he had placed on him and then he placed on his son in turn. He struggled to let go of the lifestyle, the house, the cars, and the location, he and his wife had created.

    Moving into Divine consciousness to this extent is not for all who experience a Near Death Experience, but reading this beautifully told story of one man’s experience, how it changed not just his life, but those around him is inspirational, thought provoking and encourages considering changes in your own life in order to live a better and more fulfilling life.

    What comes after this is a very personal journey, yet to be discovered, but it is also an understated note to self to make the very best of the time and life you are given, to set about spreading the universal love that is Christ-consciousness.