When the Ancients Make Your Trip Memorable

 

Visiting the Vestal Atrium in Rome

My husband and I were quite fortunate to have an archeology major who was our tour guide in Rome. She was a wealth of information and was eager to answer any questions we had, especially from me as I've always been so interested in ancient Roman history and legends, especially the ones that included the Vestal Virgins. I had read about this highly-revered cult of women before our trip and was eager to see anything related to them.  But I was not prepared to experience a most Supernatural event while our trip to Pompeii the following day.

I pay tribute to the Sisters in the final piece here.

The Vestals

The Vestals were the most influential women in Rome at the time of King Pompilius back in the 7th century.  They were the priestesses of the goddess Vesta. Their main purpose was to keep the eternal flame lit in her sacred temple. It ensured the safety of the city, as well as security and prosperity in the hearth and homes of families. 

Vestals were chosen at the young age of six and seven and would take a vow of celibacy for thirty years to serve. After that time they would be free to leave and marry. They received money from the public treasury and even had a high priest, the Pontifex Maximus who was appointed to watch over them. They were highly-revered by the Roman people. They did have exclusive privileges, however. Those being able to own property, attend public games, and even had special seating at important events. I guess it was like having a Loge seat at a Dodgers game today.

Dedication to the order did have its drawbacks. Should a Vestal break her vow of chastity or relent on her duties she would be whipped by a high priest, stoned, or buried alive. A few did however end up with the latter.

The cult ended in 391 A.D. when Emperor Theodosius came to power and claimed them to be a pagan cult. 

A Tribute

She was tempted to touch the ancient sacred pedestal in the house of the Vestals in Pompeii. 

It seemed as though it called to her.

Other tourists milled about taking a quick glance and then moving on to the next ruin.

The moment she placed her hand on the top of the weather-beaten pedestal the electric shock came and it ran from her fingertips all the way up through her arm.

She knew exactly what it was and reveled in the fact that she had made contact.

It would stay with her for the rest of her life while in this realm.

And with that said, she had to write the story her Sisters wanted her to tell.

The Last Vestal Virgin

I ended up writing this novel the same year I returned from my trip. It is indeed a fictional tale but the account mentioned about is true.

Click on the link to read this thrilling YA novel.

The Last Vestal Virgin

The Tulpa- A New Imaginary Friend?

 What is a Tulpa?

A Tulpa is a type of entity that one creates in their mind. It runs parallel to you independently and even your own consciousness. It is capable of having its own free will, emotions, and memories, being a most mindful creation.

One wishing to create a Tulpa will envision this entity in their mind by using one's own creativity to fashion it as a person, character, animal, or such. You can even envision a particular setting or environment in which it lives in.  You can visit your Tulpa in its own setting or call upon it to visit you. The possibilities are endless.

The process to create a Tulpa can be time-consuming but worth the wait. One must decide the purpose of the Tulpa. Factors to be considered are its purpose, location, form, and ethics.

Why Create a Tulpa?

Most people create Tulpas for companionship or other reasons for creating such an amazing entity. Those may include: inspiration, problem-solving, emotional support, and a vessel to tap into one's own higher self.

One may decide to give complete control of their body to the Tulpa. In this case, you must have complete faith in what you've created to allow it to function in such a way.

You may sense your Tulpa even before you begin communication with it. You can sense their feelings and emotions, just as an empath has the ability to sense and feel the emotions of others.

Tulpas are not malevolent in any way as some people believe them to be. Some view them as demons or beings with magical powers that can influence your mind and body. It's all safe and fun when you stay in the realm of respect for your Tulpa.

My Very Own Tulpa 

I began research on Tulpas as I was writing a paranormal trilogy and wanted to seek higher knowledge of goddess magic for my book. I found out that a lot of writers do create Tulpas for this very reason.

I delve into it after giving it much thought.

So with that came the creation of Nina Santos, a high Curendera who was an integral part in helping my main character gain control of transcending into another dimension. This was heavy stuff- even for me.  I had envisioned my Tulpa as an older Hispanic woman, well-versed in the art of high healing and ancient magic that was used for centuries. She was one of my guides throughout the entire writing process. Once the writing began it was as if Nina took over my writing, almost like what we know as 'automatic writing'. There was nothing destructive about it but was most enlightening. I felt as though she was there to help me as well as I have struggled with out-of-body experiences most of my life. I was able to carry her throughout my trilogy and felt she was in fact the only way I was able to complete this task. 

Have I had any more contact with Nina?

No, I have not, but I do think of her and have thanked her for the assistance she provided me to complete the Willow Wood Women trilogy.

In conclusion,  as a writer I feel that a Tulpa can be created to fit into the world in which your story takes place, being fiction or non-fiction. It can be any shape or form in which to aid you in your journey.

So if you have created a Tulpa, or are thinking of creating one, I'd love to hear from you.

You can read more about the wisdom of Nina Santos in my 

Women of the Willow Wood trilogy. Click on the link below.

The Women of the Willow Wood

I've Got a Feeling and I Can't Let Go!

                A Feeling Like No Other

 Since my husband and I left Grand Cayman in 2018 not a day's gone by that I don't think about that place—that magical place. We knew once my husband's work visa ended after nine years we would move to Florida to retire. I've heard the locals say that you never realize how special the island really is until you no longer live there. And yes, it's a lingering feeling of the sun on your face, the salty air filling up your nostrils, and the sea breeze that sends a warm shiver down your spine.

My days were spent mostly writing, lying on the beach then hopping from one Tiki Bar to the next most evenings when my husband got off work. No, I'm not an alcoholic—I don't even drink. It was sitting out by the beach and watching those beautiful sunsets every night that was the draw.

But why should I complain- I have those wonderful memories of being on a tropical island for nine years and it felt like one big holiday.    

One way to keep the memory alive was to write a fiction novel that takes place in Grand Cayman. I didn't have to search too far for content due to the many superstitions I had learned from the locals and tales from fishermen that I'd overheard. My husband is also a fisherman and is well aware of some of those legends, with most of them stemming from creatures that live in the depths of the sea.

So expanding on one of the legends was my segway into my latest novel, Night Mistress of Paradise Palms. I had to let readers feel the island vibe without having to travel there. I'm still feeling it, enough that I had to put a few pieces of myself into one of the protagonists in the story. No, I'm not Della Marquez, but she does have a few of my better qualities, or maybe I should say, she shares some of my vices. 

I'll share a most recent review for Night Mistress of Paradise Palms here with you. I hope it will entice you enough to read the book or take a trip to the island.

Review from Readers Favorite ~

Available @ Amazon in ebook and print 

Night Mistress of Paradise Palms

Sacred Sex~

Daniella and Brandt have Sacred Sex~

And there it stood—one of the largest oaks in the park. Its trunk was massive. This was it—electrifying sparks ran through my hands as I touched the trunk. "We have arrived!" I dropped my bag of goodies and twirled around gazing up at the full moon.

"Right here? No blanket?" Brandt asked while still holding my black pumps.

"Nope, this isn't a picnic. Gotta get grounded."

I took him by hand, looking straight into his eyes. "You gotta trust me, here. If you don't, this won't work. I've told you how intense this will be. Do I have you on board?"

"You have all of me," he replied, pulling me into his arms.

"Now we take off our clothes. We can set them behind the tree," Dani instructed.

"Mmm, I love that part," Brandt approved.

I took his hand leading him over to the inside of the circle. I sprinkled the birdseed on the ground, an offering to the goddess. All was ready for me to set the circle.

I stood to the east, did some deep breathing, feeling the wind, getting in touch with the element of air. "Spirits of Air, I call upon you."

Turning to the south I watched the small flame burning on my white candle. "Spirits of Fire, I call on you."

I turned to the west, listening to the water from the nearby river. "Spirits of Water, I call on you."

Turning to the north, I called upon the spirits of the earth. I felt my feet connect with roots deep inside the earth. I felt a white light traveling from the earth into my core and throughout my body. I motioned for Brandt to join me. We stood, our palms touching. I closed my eyes ready to invoke the goddess. "Bring golden-white light down from the Cosmos and into our bodies, Father Sky. Allow the Goddess, Aphrodite to travel safely to this realm to aid us in a perfect union of divine love."

I opened my eyes to see Brandt had closed his. His breathing had become labored. His chest rose and fell with each breath. I spoke softly to him. "Just relax, my love, let it come."

We interlocked hands, raising them up to the night sky. "Let our souls awaken and allow us to enter this sacred gateway to expand our experience for orgasmic ecstasy. Allow our chemistry to change as our souls connect and engage in an enigmatic explosion of lust and desire. We are pure love."

Brandt began to run his hands along my breasts, trailing down to my core and reaching my thighs. I could feel the goddess's energy pulsing through my sacral chamber. His hands were hot and set my skin on fire at every place he touched. I let this feeling run through me and out through my crown chakra.

He had me flat against the trunk of the tree. I could feel the heat course through me and into the tree. We had made contact. Brandt spread my thighs apart and ran his tongue toward my private entrance, exploring my wet folds. He was thick and hard. He dove into me. As soon as he made contact with my core I became engulfed as a fledgling of flames ran through my veins. "Yes, yes!" I yelled, not caring who or what was around.

"I'm going to explode!" Brandt wailed.

"Not yet, my love—hold on until you can no longer. Let this feeling  run through you for as long as you can."

"I can't much longer. I feel as though I'm being electrically charged! I love you, Dani, and want to fill you up with my love."

I exploded with him. It was as though hot liquid was filling my insides. It was an orgasmic moment—one I'd never felt before. It was as though I was floating above the ground. I no longer felt the shocks coming through the tree but felt them through Brandt. It was us, together. We were unified in orgasmic bliss!

We lay on the ground, still inside the circle, gazing up at the moon. My body felt like a shell. Whatever or whoever occupied it was now gone. I turned to Brandt. He was as breathless as I was. We both had to admit we never had sex like that before.

The circle needed to be closed, I had to thank the goddess. I turned to each direction, thanking the spirits, ending with the north. I thanked Mother Earth and Father Sky. I thanked Goddess Aphrodite as well; it was her pure love that would be instrumental in healing Brandt.

I stood, arms up reaching the sky. "The circle is open but never broken. The love of the goddess is forever in my heart. May we meet and may we never part again."

Our bodies melded together once again. I rand my hands along his muscular arms. With the moonlight shining on his face, I could see most of his wrinkles had disappeared along with the streaks of grey in his hair. I could hardly wait for him to see himself when he looked in a mirror. I prayed the spell from the enchantress was finally gone. Only time would tell.

Last Rights ~ Available in ebook, print and audio

Last Rites

available in ebook, print, and audio

Where Did My Body Go? Accounts of Out-of-Body Experiences

 

Science Says~

Reports of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) can vary. Some consist of little more than a fleeting feeling that the body and mind have come loose, while others recount tales of floating far from the person's physical body and traveling to otherworldly realms. Either way, OBEs have fascinated humans for centuries, entering folklore, spiritual beliefs, and mythology.

Science defines this as a dissociative episode, which is a sensation of your consciousness leaving your body. Even though these episodes can be very frightening they usually don't last very long.

According to surveys, around 10% of the population has experienced an OBE at least once in their lifetime.

People typically experience their sense of self inside their physical body and view the world around them from this vantage point. During an OBE people report a feeling of being outside their bodies or looking at their own body from another perspective.

Common feelings that were reported during an episode may include:

• The feeling of floating outside the body
• An altered perception of the world
• A feeling as though one is looking down from themselves from above
• A sense that what is happening is very real

A Variety of factors may that may possibly trigger an OBE:

• Sleep disturbances, including Sleep Paralysis
• Physical effort following extreme exertion
• Near-death experiences
• Drugs
• Sensory deprivation or overload
• Strong G-forces (experienced by pilots and astronauts)

Recollections of two of my own OBE experiences:

Considering science has speculated the cause of these terrifying occurrences, I wanted to share two of my own episodes here that have remained cemented in my brain to this very day.
I can still see and feel my first episode that began in my early teens. Of all places, it had to happen at school in the classroom! I was a freshman and in an English class. I remember a feeling of floating and felt my body moving to the very back of the classroom where I reached the wall. And that was where I caught sight of myself sitting at my desk! I felt weak—nauseous as I scanned around the class watching the teacher and students carry on with the lesson but in slow motion. I tried to shake myself out of this but to no avail. And then as if a cord was pulling me, I shot back into my body—yes, the girl who was sitting at her desk. 

I guess the pallor of my skin was noticeable as my teacher walked over to my desk to see if I was okay. Of course, I wasn't! She'd given me a pass to see the school nurse. I remember walking into her office and the first statement that came out of her mouth was, 
"You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Well, perhaps I did—my spiritual self or whatever. At my age, I didn't really know what the hell had happened. I had no fever or physical signs of any malady. She'd instructed me to lie down on a cot and she called my mother who happened to work at the school as a secretary.

Long story short, my mother took me to our family doctor who had arranged an appointment with a specialist. This was just the beginning of a long journey of seeing other specialists who diagnosed me with a nervous condition and anxiety. I was put on Xanax as well. We need to remember this was back in the late sixties and most doctors, if not all had never even acknowledged an OBE or knew what it was.

The following months had me still dealing with episodes while the Xanax did nothing but make me sleepy. There was no internet and nowhere to search for information on what was happening. Most of my encounters happened at home or close to it. Too bad my spiritual body couldn't have gone further—perhaps to some nice tropical island. 

Another episode I'd encountered was while I was at home cleaning with my mother. I felt it coming on with that usual tugging sensation and then everything just seemed to freeze. I couldn't feel my spirit leave my body or see it but things once again moved in slow motion—it was as if time stood still. I tried to shake it off by going about my activities. I was not paralyzed this time. All appeared normal except I felt as though I was not in the real world. It wore off shortly and I was able to talk to my mother about it. I was blessed to have an open-minded mother who did believe this was real and told me I had a 'gift'. That was surely one gift I had not wished for and wondered just what purpose it would serve?

I am now sixty-eight years old and can still recall almost all of those episodes to this day. I haven't had one since my early twenties. After speaking to others about it and doing research I now understand this condition. If only there were the resources back then we have now. With several psychologists, support groups, scientists, and paranormal experts, those who do have OBEs, can get help. I also now know that this condition is also linked to other paranormal experiences I've had during my lifetime.

Being an Empath and Sensitive does explain why I was susceptible to these encounters. I am now able to write characters who are high Empaths and able to relate in real-time what it feels like.
If there's anyone out there who is reading this and has experienced OBEs and would like to talk about it, I'm here to listen. Unless one has dealt with this, it's hard to imagine what it feels like. You are not alone.

Sourced Information:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318464

https://www.healthline.com/health/out-of-body-experience

When the Spirits are Your Travel Guides

Madonna Shrine in Pacentro, Italy

Most of the time we purposely plan our trips, vacations, or holidays, but once we reach our destination we may find there are unexpected locations that pique our interest either by means of a travel website, recommendations from the locals, or searching for places of interest via the internet. Whatever means you choose, there are certain places that seem to call out to us for various reasons; some of those may be linked to places our ancestors had lived, a connection with a past life, a passion for a certain locale, or environmental energies that trigger the frequencies that pull us to that site. 

Having dealt with many paranormal occurrences my entire life I would have to say that the latter had to be responsible for two locations that had definitely tugged at my own frequencies.  Let’s just say I believe the Spirits were acting as my travel guides at that time.  While visiting the medieval village of Pacentro, Italy where my mother’s family hails from, I happen to come across an out-of-the-way shrine to the Madonna while hiking up a hill with my husband one early morning. I noticed the shrine and immediately knew I had to check this out. There was a statue of our Lady mounted into the hill with a small waterfall that spilled out into a small ravine below. There were scores of wildflowers that dotted the area. My husband had instructed me to take off my shoes and socks and walk on the grounds and into the ravine. “Get some good grounding,” he’d said. His advice had led me to experience a most enchanting and unusual one at that. I felt tingles all the way up to my knees as my feet hit the water. Down below, the water sparkled like a thousand tiny diamonds had been spewn about. Stepping out of the water and onto the grounds that surrounded the shrine I now experienced tingles traveling throughout my entire body. I got down on my hands and knees and prayed to our Lady. I knew I was on Sacred Ground for sure. The odd tingling sensations abated after leaving the site, but this experience was one that would not be forgotten. I do believe my family had frequented this shrine so many years ago. 

Make it Unforgettable!

 I wanted to make this unforgettable so I added this location in one of my fiction books, Beloved Sacrifice. As a writer, I know this is one way to make it unforgettable while paying homage to such a spiritual place.  

Banks Bridge in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

On one of my more recent travels to Ohio to visit my husband's family, I noticed a covered bridge as we were passing through Lawrence County in Pennsylvania. Having a passion for covered bridges I immediately took note of this place and knew I had to pay a visit in the near future before leaving Ohio. The Neshannock Creek runs under the historic Banks Bridge. Legend has it that several homes are haunted in the surrounding area and the bridge itself is a real portal. Well, I was not aware of any of these details at the time of my visit. It was just the looks of the bridge that called out to me.

A few days later my husband was able to take me back to the bridge where I felt another deep connection here as well. It wasn’t so much the bridge that pulled me in, but the creek itself that seemed to tug at my gut. I felt a presence here or should I say several. Walking down by the water I listened as the current seemed to pick up and the colors of the water seemed a bit brighter. Taking off my shoes I was most anxious to feel the earth under my feet as well as get a bit wet in the creek. It was chilly but I didn’t seem to mind due to the vibrations I was getting from the water. It was a sense of calm that washed over me. Once again I knew I had to mention this place in another one of my upcoming novels, Last Rites. 

So, I guess I had to thank the Spirits for not only allowing me to visit these intriguing locations but offer inspiration for a great locale in my books.  

Happy Travels to everyone. May your heart lead you to great destinations and may the Spirits be willing to leave you with a little inspiration.

Lorraine Carey

Beloved Sacrifice

Last Rites