Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: pure

  • Pure Spirit

    Pure Spirit

    Following on from her first book Spirit Writer comes Pure Spirit, in which Wendy Sheffield goes into far more detail as she sets down the purpose behind being a Spirit Writer, recounts a little of her personal journey and reaches out with love, to offer the words of the various Guides or Spirit to all who are in need of guidance through their words.

    The Preface sets out a little of Wendy’s journey but also contains a considerable amount of information about the ‘Spirit’ within us all; we are born with it but over the years of our lives we lose the ability, or rather hide the ability, to be able to listen to that still quiet voice and understand what we are being told.

    Each of the chapters is set out with a small introduction which leads to the words of Spirit in relation to the subject matter. The first two chapters are dedicated to her Father and then her Mother after their passing. These are beautifully worded and for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, the graceful words in chapter 4; Spirit wants to speak to you, are perfect, offering love and comfort in a very gentle manner.

    The Personal Responsibility of Words is a chapter which resonates and is one that should be read carefully, as it sets down the personal responsibility we all have for our words; spoken or written. Spirit says that it is up to all of us to teach our children wisely and well, as words are powerful, they can make or break people, portray love or hate, happiness or cruelty and so much more. Spirit offers and leaves behind much ‘food for thought’.

    A quirky chapter is Time, especially in today’s world where we never seem to have enough of it, as it ‘aims to help people appreciate and value time’ (sic). Very salutary! Whereas one of the gentlest of pieces is Through the eyes of a wolf which captures perfectly so much we have forgotten or overlooked.

    As each of the chapters unfurl, the words flow as if a balm is being poured over the soul, full of comfort and explanation, that this gift of listening to Spirit can be once again heard and understood though various events in our everyday world.

    Pure Spirit is divinely driven, and once read through, it is the perfect book to keep with you to use whenever life gets difficult, a simple but clear understanding of emotions is required, or perhaps a distinct feeling that a ‘message’ is there, but needs translation.

    Pure Spirit makes the perfect companion to Spiritwriter

  • Fearless

    Fearless

    The pure tones of Cecile in her debut album, Fearless, are a true delight as she  sings about life, living and love, with a firm belief that letting go of whatever is holding you back, is the way forward. Tango the first track is about loving but never being able to move, walk, waltz to the same beat in life and being able to let go, to move on to a new beginning, lessons learnt, facing the fear and yet looking to the future.

    Her music is gentle, welcoming and above all else totally enjoyable. Her life experiences as a musician, singer and medical professional have allowed a depth of feeling to be absorbed into each of the tracks penned from personal feeling as and experience.

    Several of the songs were penned when Cecilie lived in the north of Norway, a beautiful part of the world, a place where she was made to feel welcome, leading to the gentle piece Home, written in tribute to the wonderful people she met that made settling into a new environment a warm and positive experience. The dark northern winters, laced with the majesty of the northern lights inspired Winter Night.

    Heartache, something we can all relate to, inspired the reflective piece My Heart Has Loved were she looks for solace and also the chance or possibility of sometime in the future a new love. On the other side of heartache is the bliss and happiness that comes from a new love, the magic of being so in love that all you need, require,  long for, is to be able to Run Away, to be together in that special coming together.

    A lovely, lively up tempo piece with a Celtic flavour is The Spell, once again reflecting on love and the magic of being enthralled, as if addicted, is a most enjoyable, salutary little piece.

    The final piece and the title track Fearless is rich in memory, underpinning her philosophy of ‘being true to yourself and not letting fear hold you back; it is about learning to listen to the world about you until you own personal direction is discovered’. (sic)

    Each of the pieces is enjoyable as a stand-alone song and when collectively presented creates a wonderfully rich album which could certainly be considered as ‘soul food’.

    “You will always remember that life can’t surrender to darkness. Be fearless…….fearless”

  • The White Book

    The White Book

    Stark and pristine in its beauty, the words are there to be devoured, to be revered, to enjoy, allowed to envelop the mind, the very soul of the reader, as Han Kang creates, with her succinct use of language, a time and place in the here and now.

    Describing all the many fascinating things in life to her older sister, born only to live a very short time, the many aspects of a life pristine in its perfection, a blank sheet of pure white still to be written upon, is  almost a meditation, a form of deep grieving for a soul unknown and yet loved as a family member.

    She describes her reason for commencing this book in the spring: the list she wrote and the process that would be cathartic, transformative and in so being, become a thing of pure beauty.

    Moving to a new city, a place of strange shapes and different language, the colours of the morning and the night has been described so well the vision is created, as if painted on a canvas: a sofa bed made up in the corner of the room is evocative of settling for the night; allowing a time of reflection of the day, the time passed.

    Located on page 83, in the second section of this three section work, there is a delicate passage titled ‘handkerchief’ inspired by the simple task of a woman hanging out her washing in the afternoon light: perfection. Sand is a piece which could, as could many others pieces, stand alone as a delicately encapsulated moment to capture a scene, a thought;  to simply sit and consider, to meditate upon; to spend time with each word used so delicately, so descriptively. These are only two of the many pieces which reach out to tell with pure simplicity of the city which is discovered through fresh eyes.

    There are longer passages. Some in a the form of a letter, others, thoughts written down, considerations of subject, time and place to be reflected over, to be discussed mentally, to be shared with her vision of siblings, always to remain unmet.

    In the telling of her families’ loss and final acceptance of the fragility of life, easily given and equally easily taken away on what would almost appear to be a whim, the last segment completes the circle of life in stunning simplicity

    Profound, deeply haunting and beautiful The White Book, the words broken only with the occasional black and white photograph, is a masterpiece in its simplicity, its beauty, is poignant style and the absolute beauty described that is and can be found everywhere we choose to look.

    South Korean master Han Kang’s previous book The Vegetarian  won  the 2016 Man Booker International Prize.