Pam Bustin
creator, editor, story tender
Women Who Kick #3: Kate Daniels (Magic Burns)
“When not sure where to go, barrel forward on pure determination.” -Kate Daniels
One more tasty tasty treat for the 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge hosted by Sara over at The Hiding Spot to finish off my January reads. Fun fun fun.
We have another winner!!!
A sword wielding Mercenary who cleans up after magical messes and has a soft spot for homeless waifs… my kind of gal.
Continuing on my binge of battling babes in fantasy lands, I read this one on a recommend from Ms Zoë Marriott.
She is wise this Mz Marriott…wise wise wise… I tell ya.
What I like best in this one is that…
Kate would totally be my friend if we lived in the same world. Seriously. I can tell.
It’s mostly her sense of humour. And her pop references are all… incredibly familiar. In fact, they are totally things that might, in fact, pop out of my mouth if I found myself caught in similar situations. Totally.
Heyyyyy….. have you ever seen the two of us in the same room? Maybe I am a sarcastic sword wielding merc who has a soft spot for…
oh wait…
I don’t believe I’m near as HOT as Kate Daniels.
Ah well… Maybe she can just be my imaginary bff for a while.
Now, I do understand that just because a gal can kick some butt, doesn’t necessarily make her a feminist… Kate has the added bonus of also being bright and snarky and there is a lovely relationship that develops between Kate and the wee waif, Julie who has fallen in lurve with a bad bad boy. It is painful to watch and no matter how much Kate or anyone else tells her otherwise… Julie has to come to her own wisdom on this one. That’s a nice touch. And a good message.
Don’t let anyone take your power.
Seriously.
So glad I found this series. Mmmmmm series….
Mmmmm more books with a funny kickass heroine to curl up with as the winter storms rage around me. It is good.
And for my own work, I take the following from this read:
Have some fun — and hey… sexy can be funny too.
I like that.
I’m not so good with writing the … sexy bits. Building that tension.
I could work on this.
Yup.
go easy, my friends -p
Women Who Kick #2: Zira (Daughter of the Flames)
Hey…. lookee here… I just figured out how to share my GoodReads reviews on here. 
Without having to … reinvent them. Woot woot.
Continuing on with the 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge – hosted by Sarah over at The Hiding Spot, this one comes to us from across the big shiny briny.
Da
ughter of the Flames by Zoë Marriott
You know that feeling when you finish a good story and you are… CONTENT?
The bad guy gets it. The heroine wins. All is well in the kingdom. MOSTLY…
That’s how I felt at the end of Daughter of the Flames.
I cheered on the feisty heroine, Zira/Zahira, throughout the book and was on the edge of my seat for the final battle.
Zoë Marriott is another new discovery for me. She hails from the UK. I’ve been getting to know her on a forum I hang out on. She is funny and wise and generous and she tells a helluva tale too! She builds beautifully full fantastic worlds and peoples them with strong women and hey… they aren’t all perfect, blonde haired, blue eyed beauties – INCLUDING the royalty.
I dig that Zira is a mixed race princess carrying a scar on her face that doesn’t cripple her with shame. She is a brave. She is noble. And she can kick some serious a**.
I also dig that Marriott tosses in some complications for the reader. The villain is a cruel tyrant, but we find out at least a BIT about WHY he is so cruel. Which makes the ending… well… You’ll have to read it to find out.
It’s a fun read — and I’m looking forward mucho-mucho to getting my hands on FrostFire – a companion novel to Daughter of the Flames, set in the lovely world of Ruan.
The thing that I’m mulling over from this one for my own work is… the pacing. The deft way that Marriott weaves the story. Action and then reflection… lather rinse repeat… but don’t forget to shake it up now and again to keep everyone on their toes.
Nicely nicely done!
If you like, you can View all my reviews over on GoodReads
Thanks for stopping by.
go easy -p
Women Who Kick – first up – LEMON
Lemon will break your heart.
I love this girl.
I KNOW this girl.
I heard an interview with Cordelia Strube on CBC radio and ran to my techno-gizmo to put a hold on the ebook at the library.
Glad I did!
I hereby declare LEMON the first book of my 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge – hosted by Sara over at The Hiding Spot.
Lemon is a wise-cracking, snarky smart girl who is incredibly lonely underneath it all. As with most smart-arsed teenagers, she took a while to grow on me.
As I began to read the book, it felt like she was just sort of shambling around. Rambling around, being smart, knowing stuff, observing the world. A well read, but slightly annoying kid who has taken some time to really THINK about things. Politics. The state of the world. Humans.
Couldn’t help but think back to that other roaming, rambling, shambling teenster — Holden Caulfield.
They are both worth spending time with.
I’ve read a few reviews on Good Reads that have trouble believing that so many “horrible things” could happen to one teen-aged girl. The old “It’s just not very realistic” thing.
Hmmmm.
They are so lucky, aren’t they? Those reviewers.
To live in a world where the things that happen to Lemon and her friends are “just plain UNbelievable.” Lucky lucky them.
Did that sound snarky?
Yeah well. I used to be a smart-arsed teen and now I’m a snarky old broad.
All I mean to say is… I do think these things happen. To more of us than… well…
They happen.
‘Nuff said.
I shan’t go on about the book. You can find blurbs hither and yon.
Let me just say, Lemon will stick with me.
In a good way.
I like to envision her and Treeboy traipsing around the world with their backpacks on.
Yeah. That’s cool.
Go Lemon!
I’m going to seek out some more of Cornelia Strube’s work.
She tickles my fancy.
And for my own work, I take the following from this read:
Do not flinch.
Tell it true.
Thank you Cornelia Strube for sharing Lemon with us.
Go easy -p
- Bumps and Potholes on the Writing Road (deepamwadds.wordpress.com)
Shake and Bake 17: The Que Sera Sera Edition
There’s a new Assistant Librarian in town… and it ain’t me.
Yep… I did indeed apply for a job at the library last week. I had a wonderful interview but, sadly, I was not chosen.
Drat!
The hours would have folded in nicely with my writing schedule and hey — who DOESN’T want to work in a library, right?
So… I’m a bit sad about it, but I’m also… surprisingly OK about it. Something will come up. Always does. And for now — I’m full steam ahead on the NIP and we’ve plenty of food and wood and … all is well.
Time for the Saturday Chicken/Check-in Ritual.
The Quick Chicken (The Doings that help me with the Being):
Walks: X (i) true WALK + much wood carrying, shoveling and water pumping.
Guitar: 0 *woeFULLness*
Yoga/Meditation: 0 on the yoga XXXXX on the Meditation
Work on NIP: ***** *YeeHAW*
THIS WEEK’S EXPERIMENT: Wake and stay CURIOUS
THE RESULT: Twas a curious curious week. And I enjoyed it.
This is good.
And…the rest of the week…
THE GNARBLY BITS:
• The feeling of being “behind” persists.
• The desire to “get ‘er done” by Friday night and open the weekEND for… other things. Things like reading and napping and playing draw draw.
• Wanting to Draw some things, create some things for blog.
• Wanting shorter, more frequent posts
• too many books out from the library – I’m fast… but not THAT fast.
• I was nervous about the interview and the entire idea of another new jobjob.
• Noticing a craving for a trip south to sit in cafes and eat dimsum and go a museum, an art gallery and see a show and… so on.
• Hmmm…
SHAKE IT OFF! SHAKE IT OFF!
THE TASTY BITS:
• I do LOVE my life right now. I truly do. Yessss. The mornings especially. Writing Hours AHHHHHHH! I do wonder if I will find a way to KEEP it pretty much just as it is. HOPE SO.
• The weekly review of the SCRIB is a good GOOD thing. Again, I pulled stuff out and filed it various places. It took me about an hour this week. Not bad.
• The WALK around the island – oooooh so good. More please.
• Getting a FEW more posts in here.
• Reading reading reading is grand. Read Nevermore (Gaiman), Lemon (Strube) and started Daughter of the Flame (Marriott). YUM.
• THE BEST thing was Sleeping right through a night. 6 – 7 hours straight with no wake up feels AWESOME..
The thing to BAKE IN is… It’s all Happening… as it “should”
I’ve noticed that my fellow 3dayers are on pins and needles waiting for a response from the judges. Me? I never think about it. Not this year. Interesting, non?
I don’t think about the 3day at all until I pop onto the Forum to check in with my cohorts (who I DO think about). Then what I start to think about is….What will I do THIS YEAR…. heh heh. Action? Poetic Fancy? Who knows.
I think part of it is that last years entry was so… wild and wooly… I don’t really think it stands a chance. Another part is that I’m just so caught up in the NIP that I don’t think about Finnegan. I can only hold one thing in my brain and heart at a time. So all my other …. projects… are way way way in my back brain as I wrestle with Izzy and the gang.
There will be time for all of them. I hope.
I’ve also noticed something gurgling around… POSTS to the blog.
I long for more frequent posts. But I haven’t found my way to them … yet.
I have begun writing them in my head as I walk, or do the dishes or… whatever.
It reminds me of a thing I used to do in Saskatoon. I would walk by the river and run short stories in my head and then… never write them down.
I finally DID write one and it started with “Prissy Fallwell smoked Players Plain, played Crib for money and drank Wild Turkey between men.”
It began as a story and it became a book.
What am I babbling about?
Just… Things are moving. It’s all good. The universe of Pam is unfolding as it should.
NEXT WEEK’S Playful EXPERIMENT:
Honestly woman… sit and plunk. FOCUS on it. You can find the way in.
And for some company on a cool winter’s day…
Here’s a little funky/bluesy/beautiful thing to let flow on over you.
It’s Corinne Bailey Rae – doing a wild version of Que Sera Sera at Glastonbury in 2010.
Be cool – but never cold.
And, as always…
go easy -p
The SCRIB… How Scribbling Every Morning Helps Every Thing
Halloo Hallay oh glorious day.
I’m finally getting around to beginning to answer some things in the brand new… ASK PAM thing-a-ma-bob.
I’ve been hearing from some of you via the contact page.
Thanks for writing by the way. It’s always great to hear from folks.
And I’ve been replying via email, but there are a few questions that have repeated and so… TA DA…. a brand new category where I will post about some common topics, or answer questions about my work, or how I work or what I think of the price of dog treats in Kalamazoo, or… whatevs.
Hey Abbey, Cyn and Drew….
This one’s for you.
The question(s) were:
- What is the SCRIB/ the Morning SCRIBBLE that you keep mentioning?
- Do you do it every morning?
- Do you write it by hand or on the computer? Why?
- How long have you been doing it?
- What kind of stuff do you write about?
- How long do you write?
- How does it help you with your work as a writer?
The answers are… mostly simple.
What is the Scrib?
The SCRIB is indeed my “morning scribble”.
I get up.
Stoke the fire.
Make coffee.
And take a steaming cup back to my bunky studio — where I scribble in a big blank book for about an hour.
Every day?
Yes. I do it every day.
OK, ALMOST every day.
I can be side-tracked by early appointments, or an early shift at a job, or being in a strange place, or…. well… let us admit that I CAN be distracted from the morning scribble but I have come to the firm belief that such distraction always leads to a cranky/cloudy/discombobulated Pam and she is no good for anything and so… most days, I do the damned scribble come heck or high water.
Hand written?
Yes. I do it by hand in a big blank journal – comme ça.
I used to use a variety of books but I’ve settled on these journals. I like the big size and the blank pages. No lines for me, in case I want to doodle. Also – my handwriting changes size and shape depending on my mood and I like the freedom these journals provide.
I used to carry these big books around with me, but now I carry a smaller “writer notebook” and keep the big journals for morning scribbles and any hand written drafts of current work.
Why hand written?
I could just be old school… but I truly believe that I write differently when I write by hand than I do when I type.
I used to write ALL my first drafts by hand. Totally by hand.
Now I work more on the computer. But I still do a lot of writing by hand. Especially if I get… stuck… on something. If I need a character to break out and tell me/show me something, I let them loose in the Scrib. They feel … freer in there than they do in the pages of the manuscript.
I don’t know why this is. I just know that’s how it feels for me.
How long have you been doing this?
I’ve been doing the Scrib for… at least 20 years.
How long do you scribble?
These days I go for about an hour.
I’ve done it by page length – 3 pages is good (like Julia Cameron recommends for her MORNING PAGES in The Artist’s Way).
I’ve also done it by TIME – 1/2 hr is long enough, but I like an hour.
WHAT do you write?
Anything and everything – which I know doesn’t sound helpful, but it’s true.
I suppose, if one was to read the Scrib, one would see… the inside of my brain. My current/passing obsessions. Bits of work from whatever writing project I’m working on. Stabs at atrocious poetry that no other eyes than mine shall ever see. Whining. Whimpering. Ranting. All that good and necessary stuff.
It isn’t really a diary… I don’t necessarily talk about the day to day. But I might do just that.
The Scrib is… simply that – my scribblings… whatever comes up.
If it starts to become a “to do” list, I stop myself. Sometimes I have to have another scratchpad beside me to list the to dos on so they won’t overtake the Scrib. That isn’t REALLY what it is for.
So….
What is it for? Do you do WORK in the Scrib?
Sometimes…
And YES – I do keep the seemingly meaningless Scribble and bits of current work in the same book.
I used to have separate notebooks for every thing. Now it all goes in the same place and then I put the “work-work” into Tippy the Typer. that’s where it all gets separated into different files.
BUT…
and this could be VERY important for folks starting to do a morning scribble….
I am coming to believe that I must protect the Scrib from mySELF – from my rampant need to be “productive” And from the idea that the only writing that COUNTS is the stuff that goes out into the world. That is just so much BullDoody.
The Scrib is integral to my sanity… and it is also integral to my…process. Oh that word makes me blush. i’m not sure why. Sounds so artyfarty hippyDip. My artistic process. My practice. YOIP!
Well I do have a practice. So there.
We all do.
It isn’t arty farty it is simply… what works for us. The way we work.
That isn’t embarrassing at all.
The Scrib helps me live my life and do my work.
It isn’t just another place to WORK. It needs to stay all loosy-goosy. I need to be able to bemoan my hideous hair or wax whiny or … soar. The Scrib holds all of that. That’s the secret formula. That’s the charm.
It is a rather magical tool — for me at least.
It is a practice ground.
A rough draft.
A sorting place.
A weeping wall.
The place where I unsnarl things.
Or snarl things up.
Or play amongst the cobwebs.
And finding the Scrib and dedicating time to it everyday was my first step towards truly growing as a writer.
It’s a discipline.
It’s a solace.
It is me, alone with my self.
I hope you have a place like that.
Stay warm, friends.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks again to Abbey, Cyn and Drew for your questions. Good luck with your own scribbles!
Go easy -p
Winter Walk
So… the world spins on.
It’s been cold round these parts this week. Down to -39C one morning when I got up. On the 22nd, we passed the magic number -40C. That’s cold enough to freeze…. pretty much anything.
Curious things happen at forty below zero. For one thing… Mercury freezes. They use alcohol thermometers to read temps BELOW -40. Though mercury is more precise, alcohol doesn’t freeze until minus 200 fahrenheit. Who knew?
Minus 40 will also freeze skin, of course. And I’m pretty sure that I’ve felt it freeze my eyeballs. 
OK… not truly freeze them, but it goes beyond the lil frost on the eyelashes. It feels like the liquid in your eyes is … crystallizing. ESPECIALLY if there is a wind.
Why on earth would I be out in -40 weather?
Well, here, I was out to get the wood in. I did quick trips out to the woodshed on those super cold days. I have a little sled I use to pull the wood to the house. It’s adorable.
I also remember some -40 days from back in the way-back. I think I went out in them just to play. Probably not for very freakin’ long though. Probably where I got that spot on my cheek that always freezes. Once frost bit….always frost bit.
The super DUPER cold only lasted for a few days. On Thursday, the sun was shining and it was a balmy -28 when I decided to strap on the snow shoes and head out on the river. I walked out around the island in front of our camp. It’s about a 1/2 hour trek.
I’m posting because I snapped a pic for KIM.
And a few others for myself.
It gets so silent when it is this cold. All I could hear was my own breath.
And it felt so good to be out on the river…
moving through the white.
Here’s to more snow shoeing adventures.
Get on out there, my people.
It’s a beautiful world.
go easy -p
Shake and Bake 16: The Up in Smoke Edition
It was just a small fire…..
Friday morning… I built up the fire too fast and too freaking hot and … sure enough, I heard the roar of…. Chimney Fire.
But do not fear, my pretties, all is well. There was no damage to the chimney, nor the stove, nor the Shaky Shack nor me or my darling fella.
I just … feel a fool is all.
On the fun side — I got to use my new Chimney Cleaning brush to clean out the stove pipe and the chimney itself is CLEAN AS A WHISTLE!!
And here I am to beguile you with my latest Chicken/Check In.
Still playing about with the format.
The Quick Chicken (The Doings that help me with the Being):
Walks: The physical this week was more about Carrying Wood and Pumping/Hauling Water. Feels so good. There was more rink shovelling and a bit of skating. But I still haven’t made it out on the snow shoes. It’s on the Funtimes List for tomorrow. Fingers crossed puhleez.
Guitar: Head hangs. Only a few plonks. Plink.
Yoga/Meditation: Not bad. Not every day… but almost.
Work on NIP: A Solid week of FiddleFaddle-MUCK-About. More below.
THIS WEEK’S EXPERIMENT: Seeking Music
THE RESULT: I listened to music mucho more. At times when I would usually work in silence and at times when I might turn on the telly-box. I listened to DIFFERENT kinds of music. A little jazz even.
This is good.
And…the rest of the week…
THE GNARBLY BITS:
– Feeling stoopid about the fire. So scary and SO preventable.
– Poor M twisted his ankle and it’s been “Writer Dooooown” since Tuesday.
– Horrid feeling of being behind…behind…behind… GACK.
SHAKE IT OFF! SHAKE IT OFF!
THE TASTY BITS:
+ The body enjoys the hauling wood/shoveling/pumping water.
+ The weekly review of the SCRIB is a good idea. Lists made. Things filed away in the PROPER hidey holes for future finding. How very “efficient” of me, yes?
+ Got a lot done this week – on the NIP and other writing fronts. Huzzah!
The thing to BAKE IN is… Just Keep Swimming!
The work on the NIP was almost all focused on dealing with timeline issues for Jimmy – the villain of the piece – who lives in his own little world that must MESH with the world of Izzy and the gang.
Early in the week, I despaired a bit. I had been blazing forward with the story. BLAZING I tell ya. And then… SMACKO. Hit the wall of Jimmy and realized that with all the new work on Izzy’s world, he had fallen entirely out of sync. So… In I went to see what I could see.
I pulled out all the Jimmy chapters and created a new doc to work with. So I could clearly see his journey through the story. I worked it, and worked other bits. Some massaging here, some slashing there. Some dreaming and scheming and letting him run a little in the SCRIB.
And – tuuuuu-naaaa! I think we are in good shape to move the story ahead again.
YAY!
NEXT WEEK’S Playful EXPERIMENT:
Let us be curious. Curiouser and Curiouser.
And for comfort on a cold cold day…
Here’s a little Canadian Jazzy Jazz for you.
It’s Diana Panton – doing a LOVELY rendition of Moon River.
Stay cozy, my Huckleberry Friends
And, as always…
go easy -p
a drop of waking wisdom….
Go into the day curious…
You never know what might show up.
-pam
2013 Feminist Reads Challenge
Halloo Hallay! There is a challenge underway!
I’m signing on to do The 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge with Sara over at The Hiding Spot.
First off – she has an awesome blog.
How can I resist a blog that says books are the best hiding place she has ever found?
I can’t.
No way.
Secondly – It’s a cool challenge.
She says that she likes to read:
…about girls and women that are capable of kicking butt and taking names. I’m not just talking about the girls out there who are physically able to do this, but about the girls who have the tenacity and courage to rise and reach and grow, no matter the life they’ve been born into, forced into, or ended up in by some unfortunate turn of events.
I love those stories too – so I’m jumping aboard.
There are three levels of play:
- Easy: 5 books
- Medium: 5-10 books
- Hard: 10+ books
I’m going HARD.
What else is new?
Wanna jump aboard?
Pop over HERE to get the skinny on the challenge (and how to sign up).
She also has some lists of books to check out.
And hey…
Drop a comment below to let me know you are playing.
Maybe we can talk about the books we are reading.
I haven’t made up any sort of “LIST” for the challenge.
I think I’ll just see what unfolds.
And perhaps just see which of the books I read this year might:
… encourage and support strength, independence, individuality, and passion in women of all ages…
Right now, the pile by my bed is:
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood
Lemon by Cordelia Strube (ebook)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (ebook)
and the audio for:
The Dangerous Old Woman by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
What’s in your pile?
go easy -p
Related articles
- 2013 Feminist Read Challenge + Social Justice Theme Read (bookblogbake.wordpress.com)
Shake and Bake 15: The one where it all shifts
If you have yet to be called an incorrigible, defiant woman,
don’t worry, there is still time.
– Clarissa Pinkola Estes (Women Who Run with the Wolves)
Hullo, my pretties.
Here we are in the second week of January all ready.
I’ve decided to shake things up a bit.
Here’s the thing…
I totally crashed and burned with my idea of “reviewing the year” by reading though last year’s SCRIB.
I still might do it, but I simply canna take the PRESSURE of thinking I NEED to do it before I can move into this new year…. properly… all wised up and whatnot. so… I hereby give myself a PASS on that. I drop it. I let it go. I did a short personal review of my year and I have drawn a line under it.
So let it be written.
So let it be done.
HOWEVER…I was finding all sorts of tasty treats in amongst the moaning about my ugly hair and whatnots.
AND… I am quite enjoying finding ways of doing more that one thing at once and thereby making things less…onerous.
So I’ve decided to try a new lil weekly ritual.
I will take the time each Friday to look through the SCRIB and transfer any pertinent bits to Tippy the Typer for ease of .. searching and finding… and also to find the THING THAT WANTS STICKING. Meaning the thing I truly do want to hold on to, think about some more, put into practice, pass along… whatevs.
I do have fun with the Chickeneers! over at The Fluent Self, so I will continue doing my friday chickens over there. Do come over and check it out. And check out Havi’s whole site. It’s very friendly and wise and … there’s a DUCK.
The Saturday Shake and Bakes will … find a new form.
Not sure what it will be… but there is something about doing them that appeals to me and so… I shall continue.
Maybe I’ll talk about writing more.
Maybe I won’t.
Dunno.
I still like…
The Quick Chicken (The Doings that help me with the Being):
Walks: Some walking, some shovelling, and even a skate. Not everyday though.
Yoga/Meditation: Delish. Oh this is a double plus good thing. It feels so good on the ole bod AND it feeds the writing. Helps me enter the ZONE for the writing hours.
Guitar: Whaaa whaaa whaaa! *she wails* Pree is pouting in the corner. Why can I NOT find the time??? please send wishes for … a way to find my way to playing daily. I will NEVER learn at this rate!
Work on NIP: Oh my dears, it was a fantastic week work wise. I am back in the writing groove and having such a good time. Making all kinds of discoveries along the way and feeling like the story is truly barrelling ahead. This week, I finally thought, “Yes. I WILL finish this book. I can see a first draft looooooming.” Will I be able to get to a first draft in one more month? Or two? We will see. We will see.
And the WEEKLY EXPERIMENT/FUN Filled Activity:
LAST WEEK:
I aimed to continue with my review of the SCRIB 2012 and see what I learn. AND….
To get back on track with the ole sched-doolie.
As stated – EPIC FAIL on the review front… stopped at April… but still learned stuff… yeah that’s it.
I did get pretty much back on schedule though with the rising early and working and whatnot.
so…
YAY ME!
NEXT WEEK:
I shall seek music.Let us see where I find it.
And??? Anything Else You would like to say this week?
Hmmm….
As I have just made the decision that I will review the SCRIB each week – I haven’t done it yet *she grins* And as the carpet needs a going over, and the dishes need some washing and …. so on and so on…. I shall do the review later today. I will aim for FRIDAY next week.
But…. here is a THING THAT WANTS STICKING from a set of CD’s I’ve been listening to.
I recently bought myself a copy of The Dangerous Old Woman (Parts One and Two) by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.
I love her book Women Who Run With Wolves, and I’ve been eyeing up these these CDs for a long while. Sounds True put them on MASSIVE SALE (75% off) and I went for it. Thank ye, thank ye oh wise recording folk.
I imagine that I will weep through many of the sessions. She gets to me with her talk of the Tribe of the Sacred Heart, and my own membership in the Scar Clan.
And this… well this I simply have to share with you…
For my desire is to become one of these dangerous old women, and I believe that many of you are on the same path – both women and men…
I believe that we are all growing our way into becoming Dangerous in the way Estes speaks of it.
Dangerous does not mean someone who insults others or tells brutal truths because truths must be told… I began this work understanding the word danger in its oldest form… long ago it meant to protect. That literally you would say,
‘You! Stand in my danger.
You stand in the aura surrounding me.That is funded by my heart, my soul and my spirit, which says that certain things of this earth are so precious that they can never be allowed to be harmed or vanish from the face of this earth.
You, stand in my danger because I will protect, I will help, I will create, I will defend, I will unleash, I will hold back, I will restrain, I will open up, I will carve doors in walls.
You stand in my danger.’
The Dangerous Old Woman is the protectoress, She is La Conquista. She is the one who looks after, takes care of those who have been conquered. She is the one who raises them back up again. -Clarissa Pinkola Estes
The Dangerous Old Woman mends things.
She preserves that which must not perish from this earth.
The Dangerous Old Woman does tell the truth.
And most of all – The Dangerous Old Woman is unpredictable. They are completely RELIABLE, but they are unpredictable.
Let us think on that one awhile. The beauty and goodness of being… unpredictable.
It reminds of the words that grace the cover of my Current SCRIBble book.
Estes, Julia Cameron and others have this exercise where you sit down and write down all all the eccentricities you’ve ever been accused of since childhood. And then sit with them — and see that these are your gifts.
If you can’t see them as a gift, at first, think awhile and turn the negative to positive.
We are dangerous, my friends.
Especially when we are paying attention.
You. Stand in my danger.
go easy -p
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