Okay, I have been on some strange quests to be sure and the journey that each quest has taken me on has been more challenging than the previous. You kind of wonder where all this is leading, but as my previous post talked about, sometimes you are stuck with the Uncertainty Principle.
One of the things that I often wonder is the genesis about certain things going on currently in my life. When did it begin? It’s a difficult and often fruitless one. But what it does do is grow (and remind you of) the appreciation of magic in your life and that can’t be a bad thing.
So, is it Sufism? Or is it the introduction of new Turkish friends into my life? Or is it something more exotic than that. I don’t use the word “Universe” much anymore. After all, what isn’t from the Universe? When I do catch myself using that word, it’s often followed by another lovely word, “Oxymoron.”
An amazing Turkish friend had mentioned this author in passing a couple of times. To be honest, I felt it wasn’t in my genre of reading…mine being…
- Sci/Fi
- Psychology
- Self-Help
- Spiritual
- Energy (No, it’s not spiritual)
- Science – of the bleeding edge kind
See? No historical romance in there. However on a recent journey to Italy (See Four Element Quest) I was at the airport and a book cover caught my eye. It was the Architect’s Apprentice by non other than the author my friend mentioned, Elif Shafak.
Even as I bought it, I felt that it would lie unread and be left on one of them book crossing adventures. However the cover looked really nice, blue is my favourite colour and often reminds me of the Knights Quest I went on a few years ago. I added it to my bag.
The trip to Italy was only four days and even though I had plenty of adventures there, I also plowed through the book. In fact I loved it. A totally surprise to me. It was that total surprise that got me wondering whether there was anything more to this than just random (suggested by friend) coincidence.
Dear friend, surely you have got to the place that almost nothing is random. The reason for most things in life may be in the Unknowable but random coincidence? Seriously?!
Still, what was I supposed to ask the Rods? “Is there anything energetically significant about me finding/reading/enjoying this book?” Why not? So I did and the rods said yes. But what that was, was for that moment beyond my ken.
A week later, I was passing by Waterstones and added another of Elif Shafaks books to my reading list. This time, it was a book titled Honour. If the previous one was out of my comfort zone of reading, this one was definitely an ocean too far, here is a review of Honour with too many spoilers in my opinion. However it was reading this that gave me a clue as to perhaps one of the reasons why I was being drawn to these books. It was bringing my attention to my ancestral connection, which is rooted in Islam, Asian Culture and Traditions and to some extent, Sufism.
As a side note, of late, I have been drawn to visit my parents homeland, Pakistan. An odd itch as I have not had such a desire for many years. Particularly peculiar as I often say to friends and family that I have a visit planned. Which I haven’t.
Back then to Elif Shafak, last Beltane (ish) just after I landed in the UK from my Italy trip, I was met by Chris at the airport and shuffled off to Wales for a day of Sacred fun. Nearing the end of that day we visited a Fay grove. It was there (and rather dubiously) I was given a truly strange ingredient for this wand that I am creating. Namely a gift from Elif Shafak. As you can see, this is kind of building up isn’t it?
The last straw (I have to laugh here) was when again, I was drawn into Waterstones (Note also that I usually buy my books through Amazon) and was looking under Elif Shafak section. There were the two I read and another book called Black Milk an intriguing title…”an intimate memoir of a postpartum depression”…again I have to and indeed did, ask myself, what the f! was I spending my time with this book? (Guardian review here…don’t read as too many spoilers)
I can’t answer that yet as I have only read a few pages of the book. However, I was drawn to visit Alderley Edge the next day and had an interesting experience there. That sneeky Goddess Caileach had given me a directive…Go! It was as simple as that, and the place to go? Istanbul and the Blue Mosque.
If you don’t know, many of Elif’s (I feel I can call her by her first name now) are based in or partly-in Turkey and Istanbul in particular. Where then is this leading? A meeting betwixt me and this author I presume and a gift? Even as I write this, there is part of me wondering…How the F is that going to happen?
