The Soul Wanderers

My new historical fantasy, Night of the Immortals, is now available on Amazon as an e-book and print book!

ZACHARIAS SWANWICK, twenty-one years old and living in 19th century Bristol, England, has discovered a young man named Wyndor from another world. In this world of Erala, starlit beings called Velans dwell. Drawn to the mystery, Zacharias decides to help Wyndor find a Velan object that can return him to Erala and which is currently within a manor owned by a man named Jeremy Lipking. Without this object, Wyndor is slowly dying.

This object belongs to a group of Chinese spiritual adepts called the Lung Hsieh. Four members have come to Bristol from China to retrieve it and discover how someone could have stolen it when it was so heavily guarded. The presence of this object in the city has drawn Dragon Kings, misty spirits following the Lung Hsieh, to sweep through Bristol. Although they are invisible, they emanate a chilling presence in their wake and have been gaining strength. Jeremy Lipking’s daughter, Arianna, finds herself drawn to one of the members of the Lung Hsieh and pledges herself to help find the object before it is too late.

Throughout his adventures with Wyndor, Zacharias learns more about the powers inherent in other worlds and dreams, and he comes to make a decision that will change his life forever.

Pre-order Shadows of Aizai - get first book FREE

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The sequel to Aizai the Forgotten, Shadows of Aizai, is almost here! If you pre-order an e-book copy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, send me your order receipt and you will receive a FREE e-book (format of your choice) of the first book, Aizai the Forgotten.

Send receipts to maryjean_harris@yahoo.ca or through Facebook.

The Appeal of Historical Fantasy

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Historical fantasy is just what it sounds like: fantasy set in a historical time period. Or you could think of it as a historical tale with fantasy elements. It depends on the author as to which side of the coin they focus on. Personally, in my writing, I usually focus on fantasy and have it take place in a historical setting. This isn't a blog about promoting my writing though; it is about writing in general, and so I'm going to explore why historical fantasy is so appealing compared to, say, high fantasy and urban fantasy. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but for me and many other readers, historical fantasy is our pet.

I find that fantasy often "fits" better when it is written in the past, in a time where things are less known, where people have not yet explored, and where you can't find someone with technology in an instant. The mystery of the past lends itself to the mystery of fantasy, that mystery where you can wonder about something unknown, something magical or wonderful. Most places in the past were uncharted ("terra incognita"), and even if they were known, you could find wide spaces of land where no one has ever been. The mystery of past ages with magic and sorcery and secret philosophies…all these things are very exciting!

In most urban, contemporary, or futuristic fantasy, some of that mystery is lost. The way the world works is better known, and so what might have once had a mysterious, magical element is lost to a scientific or technological explanation. A streaking fairy light becomes a comet, a scrying mirror becomes Skype. Of course, science fiction has its own sort of wonder and mystery, and this can be blended with fantasy, but there is also a sense of spirituality and higher dimensions of power and the mind that can be explored in fantasy in a different way. This can also be blended with religions and philosophies of the past to create a fantasy that is rooted in ancient cultures. You can reinterpret spiritual principles and see how they can be modified to create a fantasy of your own, a fantasy that seems to grow out of the historical time period in which it takes place. I personally like to do this with philosophy: for instance, the Buddhist philosophy of other worlds and bodhisattvas lends itself immediately to fantasy, as well as Plato's allegory of the cave [that's a hint for Shadows of Aizai!].

In principle, fantasy can be set in any location: an entirely fantastical land, the present day, and anything in between. All that must be present is magic in some form or other, something beyond that which is explained by science and so-called rational explanations. Although I also love a good high fantasy (fantasy set in another world), perhaps one of the draws of historical fantasy is that if it happens in the world we know, there is a greater sense of reality to it. Of course, we know that the author added fantasy elements to their book, but to have some parts of the story real, like the setting or perhaps some of the characters, gives us an anchor to the world we know and so makes it a mystery to solve about our own world rather than one entirely foreign to us. And if such magic happened in the past, then why not now, in the present? It is all part of being put under a spell by the author's writing, being led into their world that, in many ways, resembles the historical past, but also includes fantastic elements that draw the reader to a sense of wonder and possibility of magic not only in the characters' lives, but in our own.

Some of my favourite historical fantasy novels are Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy (actually 4 books, but whatever), The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Opal, The Invisible Order by Paul Crilley, The Once and Future King series by T.H. White, The Crown's Game series by Evelyn Skye, and Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy (also actually 4 books).

Though you can draw inspiration from historical novels too, especially the Classics. For example, you can't do much better than read Alexandre Dumas' Musketeers series (there are 5 books in all) and The Count of Monte Cristo. If you think Game of Thrones is thick with plots, intrigue, and many point of view characters, then take a look at Monte Cristo. It's definitely one of my all-time favourite books.

So when you read your next historical fantasy book, try to imagine the general story being told in another setting. Would it be possible, or is the story so tied to the setting that it would be out of place in another time or location? If the answer is no, it is not possible, then that is what true historical fantasy is about: fantasy tied to the historical time period to make it real and to bring the plot alive.

Quotes of Wisdom: the Tao of Reversals

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One of the greatest religions and philosophies is Taoism, an ancient philosophy initiated in China by the teachings of many sages, the most famous of whom was Lao Tzu. There is so much amazing philosophy in Taoism, but for today, I’ll just look at the concept of reversals, as illustrated in this quote:

From Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching (6^th century B.C.):

“The sage, putting himself in the background, is always to the fore. Remaining outside, he is always there. Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end, that all his personal ends are fulfilled?”

The basic principle in the universe according to Taoism is, of course, the Tao. Although it isn’t possible to understand the Tao with discursive thinking (sequential thoughts one after another), we can get at least some idea of what it is by describing it as the source of all being. It is not being itself, and so is nonbeing. It is “the beginning of Heaven and Earth.” There is nothing that is not within the Tao, yet the Tao cannot be described as any particular thing. Thus, it is not correct to call it by any name, because we can only name things that are determinate with certain qualities. For example, we can call a certain creature a dog if it has the nose, ears, tail, etc. characteristic of dogs, but the Tao has no such characteristics. Thus, it is only called the “Tao” as a way of identifying it, though “it” is not really a thing at all. To grasp it fully would mean transcending thought and existence as we know it: becoming one with it and so becoming one with everything in the universe.

One important principle that a potential sage must understand before they are able to achieve such enlightenment the law of reversals. In nature, we see reversals happening all the time: the seasons, going from hot to cold and wet to dry; a thrown stone going to is maximum height then falling to its lowest point on the earth. This also happens in the human world: people and nations rising to a height of power and then collapsing to destruction. Such reversals are all in accordance with the Tao and the laws of the universe.

The knowledge that both times of turmoil and times of bounty will not last can help to bring wisdom when we accept them as facts of life. It will bring us hope in our darkest times, and it will help us remain modest and not given in to hubris in times of triumph. The true sage does not let him or herself be carried away by the events of the world, the “wheel of fortune” that is ever turning and changing the fates of everyone from the lowliest beggar to the most exalted king. Unlike most of the people caught up in striving to attain their own ends, as we saw in the quote, the sage does not strive for any of this. Yet he still attains his personal ends. How is this possible?

Well, how many times have we striven to our utmost to achieve something, fighting our way to our goal, only to fall short? This could be the very problem, the fighting to get it, which is unnatural, rather than flowing along a more natural route that is in accordance with our natures as human beings. Of course, with the constant flux of fortunes due to the laws of the world, it is not possible for anyone, not even a sage, to always get what they want, but it is possible to turn the balance to be successful more often than not. The sage does not want to obtain riches, but to live tranquilly and benefit others. Such objectives are in accordance with the nature of human beings, and so we should not have to fight to get them. If we do not act with artificiality, we can achieve much and not tire ourselves out with unnatural action. This is the idea of “no action” espoused by Taoists: it is not about doing nothing, but doing nothing that is contrary to nature, both human nature and the nature of the world around us.

We are also told: “Diminish a thing and it will increase. Increase a thing and it will diminish.” This may sound paradoxical, but if we think about it in terms of the law of reversals, it makes more sense: when something reaches its extreme, it will head in the other direction. A tree starts as a tiny seed, it progresses to grow upward as it matures, and then when it reaches old age, it becomes weaker and is more prone to decay and destruction by natural events. It will then decompose and the cycle will start again.

When it comes to human beings, what exactly constitutes one’s “limit” is up to interpretation. If, for example, we believe that we are rich and famous and at the pinnacle of our achievements, this arrogance will set a limit in itself: from here, the only place to go is downward. If instead we are humble and do not let ourselves be consumed with greed and arrogance, we will be able to attain more. If we are meek and preserve our strength, we will be able to be strong: if you already think yourself to be a strong person, why would you try to improve? This does not mean that we should be discontent with what we have, but to recognize our own failings and so leave room for improvement. If we don’t think we can improve, we will not, because our mind will set up a barrier to any further improvement. If you believe that something is possible, and if it is in accordance with the laws of the world, it will be. If we have too many desires, we will go against our natures in attempts to fulfill them, and so will easily be discontent.

So by living in accordance with the law of reversals, we can achieve a more tranquil life, taking a step toward understanding the Tao and uniting with it, the ultimate goal of the sage. What may seem like paradoxes are often great truths, such as “The conquest of the world comes invariably from doing nothing.” When we realize that our nature requires only simplicity, we can come closer to achieving a truer source of happiness and fulfillment.

Quotes of Wisdom: The Mind of the Stoic

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The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote a wonderful set of Stoic meditations, and although they have been compiled into a book, they had originally been intended for himself to practice in his daily life. I recently finished reading the book and there are so many amazing parts of it, but I'll just pick one main quote to focus on for today.

From Marcus Aurelius's Meditations (~161 - 180 AD):
“Keep this refuge in mind: the back roads of your self. Above all, no strain and no stress. Be straightforward. Look at things like a man, like a human being, like a citizen, like a mortal. And among the things you turn to, these two:
i) That things have no hold on the soul. They stand there unmoving, outside it. Disturbance comes only from within--from our own perceptions.
ii) That everything you see will soon alter and cease to exist. Think of how many changes you've already seen."

I'm not going to get into any historical details about Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism, but if you're interested I'd definitely suggest looking it up. There's a lot in the quote, but the heart of it is really simple. All the events that happen around us are no more than sensations and events: they have no real value apart from what we give them. "Disturbance comes only from within": it is the importance that we ascribe to them that causes us to be stressed, angry, or grieved. The truth is that things just happen. The world follows natural laws and we have very little control over our surroundings and the actions of others. What we do have control over is our mind. We can control our own actions and how we view the world. If we see the world fraught with emotions, with the ability to cause us pain, fear, happiness, etc, rather than bare sensations to make of as we will, then we will be constantly plagued by the vicissitudes of the world.

For example, let's say you break your leg. There is real pain--that is a sensation of the body which we can't control--but to look on it as a tragedy, or at least, a huge inconvenience, and to remain bitter that you can't go out and do things while others enjoy the summer, arises from our minds. We can choose not to experience these feelings: we can't choose to be unbothered by the pain of our broken leg: it's an event that has already happened and we can't change the past. But we can accept it, and move on to more important things. Something else Marcus said about pain is that "pain is neither unbearable nor unending, as long as you keep in mind its limits and don't magnify them in your imagination"--quite true, because in the scheme of things, this little experience is neither important nor long-lasting. Even if it was long-lasting, there is still no need let it affect you because there is nothing you can do to change it and to let it sap both your physical and mental energies is not necessary.

What is worth keeping in mind are these three keys: "Objective judgement...unselfish action...willing acceptance...of all external events." In the case of pain, the objective judgement says that you can't change the past, so there is no benefit in feeling any negative emotions toward it. The unselfish action is to not affect others by your pain, and the best way to do that is to not be disturbed by it yourself, since we all know that the state of our minds affects the people around us. And lastly, the most important part, is willing acceptance of all external events--good or bad. It is only by accepting what we can't change that we can focus on what we can and so actually succeed in life. It's about placing importance on things that matter. It might even be helpful to make a list of things we can't change and things we can, just to put things into perspective. Because when it comes down to it, what we can change is within our mind--our outlook--and what we can't is everything else that happen around us. To be able to go from saying "It's unfortunate that this has happened" to "It's fortunate that this has happened and I've remained unharmed by it--not shattered by the present or frightened of the future. It could have happened to anyone. But not everyone could have remained unharmed by it...the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune."

In order to actually carry these practices out, what is important is to have strength of mind. The strength to see things for what they are and not get blown away by the unexpected, or even the dreaded expected. To "no longer be shocked by everyday events--as if they were unheard-of aberrations." If we see things in the light of their significance, and "that everything you see will soon alter and cease to exist," then we will not cling to the impermanent, will not lament about the ever-changing fortunes of the world that come your way. These basic principles of Stoicism are the same as Buddhism: if we cling to the impermanent, we will suffer, and the only way to go beyond that is to develop a strength of mind which, in the Stoic case, is focused on knowledge and clarity of thinking, and in the Buddhist case, on meditation and enlightenment, though they both overlap: Stoics can strive for enlightenment and Buddhists develop intellectual skills as well. They also both focus on the fact that the place of an individual is in society so that he or she can help others, a universal duty for everyone.

I hope that this little bit of Marcus Aurelius's philosophy can help inspire you in your daily life. Even just a little shift of mind and perspective can lead to great effects, so that eventually, we can "be like the rock that waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it."