How Author Esme Ellis Found Visionary Fiction
Clea and Visionary Fiction.
This takes me back quite a few years. I bumped into a friend in Town — Simon. I’d just got out of my car on the way to the Post Office, when he called me and he asked if I’d done any more writing since we last met. I told him I‘d just started a new book. Simon had a shop in town; moved into it recently — branched out from the much smaller shop he’d owned before, into this fine, new establishment in the centre of Bath. It had been his dream to have this New Age emporium with all the accoutrements of the time; crystals, incense, Native American incense and pouches, essential oils, beads, bells and smells, downstairs; meditational, spiritual and esoteric-type books, disks and tapes on the upper floor.
Simon had stayed with us for a while during the time he and his partner, Andy occupied Arcania. That was the name they’d given their small shop. Cramped, and crowded though it was, it already had many customers eager to squeeze into its dim interior and sample its fascinating array of goods. At the end of the Nineties, I was leading workshops. meditation and spiritual awareness groups, mostly in my own house, and during the time he was living there as a tenant for a while. Simon was a regular member. He once asked me if I could contact my Guide and ask if he could tell us about the ancient origins of the City of Bath, where we lived. What came through at first seemed to me like gobble-de-gook. I’d felt very unsure of my channeling abilities at times, but was astounded, a few days later, when I happened upon something in an ancient book which completely backed- up everything I had just been given.
It spoke of a time thousands of years before, and a King who became father of Lear, The ill-fated king who Shakespeare wrote of. But this channelling mentioned that this king (Bladud) had travelled to Greece and taken part in the Olympic Games there. That he’d also learned to fly! All this sounded utterly unbelievable to me — that is until I later met a fellow author, Moyra Caldecott. When we got to know each other better, she told me that most of what I’d received from my guide was correct. She had done a of of research herself, and the king in question was Bladud, King of Bath from 863 B.C. (Vis: The Winged Man.) I showed the book in my possession, Camden’s Britannica, printed at the end of the 15th Century, and she was amazed to discover there a passage by Geoffrey of Monmouth, an ancient chronicler of the British Isles. Maybe his was the first mention of the legend of King Bladud and the Pigs.
This is a long, and fascinating story of itself, and one I shan’t go into in detail here. But there is something further I would like to add: Michael, my husband, a landscape gardener at the time I knew Simon, was commissioned by him to create for his new Arcania store, a living fountain in the shop window, the water for which would be brought from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury, 60 miles away. This water was also legendary for its miraculous properties. So Michael created this fountain or waterfall which constantly gushed, trickling down over specially chosen rocks, into a pool below — and in fact, attracted many passer’s-by who would not otherwise have entered Arcania’s wonderland.
However, to return to my meeting with Simon back in1999.
“What’s this new book about” he asked. “What’s its title.”
“Clea and the Fifth Dimension,” I told him.
“Wow! Great title” he exclaimed. “What’s it about?’
I gave him a bit of a summary, as well as mentioning my subtitle, which was; A Tale of Manifold Realities, explaining that I’d intended to put, A Tale of Co-Existent Realities, but thought most people wouldn’t understand that.
“You know what you’ve got there,” he went on. “That sounds like Visionary Fiction. Let me know as soon as it’s published and we’ll get it on our shelves.”
This was the first time I’d heard the term, Visionary Fiction, but it felt ‘just right’, it fitted me, and I took to it then and there.
At this moment, however, back in the 2013 Now, and having published Dreaming Worlds Awake about 18 months ago, unlike before, when bursting with new ideas and couldn’t wait to begin writing them down, I don’t feel I’m about to start a new book. I won’t force it. If it happens, It will happen. But, I have been feeling the urge to design a new cover for my previous book; This Strange and Precious Thing. I have done the designs for all of my books to date. Not by ‘design’: I had commissioned other illustrators to do one for me, yet each time I felt they had missed the mark; not understood the book in question well enough, and I ended up doing a design myself. After all, I am art trained as a sculptor, and only came to writing late in life.
Strange and Precious is definitely a work of Visionary Fiction, but I decided to relaunch it with a new cover, as I wasn’t too enamoured with my last effort. Also, while I’m at it, it presents an opportunity to see if it needs a bit of re-writing. And this is what I’m in the midst of right now, and so far, although I’ve only read the first 60 or so pages, apart from tweaking a word or two here and there, I’ve not discovered anything major I want to change.
So, there we are. This is the project I’m engaged with at this moment.
Good to hear about your art and writing adventures, Esme. The pursuit of things visionary can take us to some intriguing places.
Would like to see some dialogue here about the various "meta-perceptions" used to acquire our visionary ideas and then again as story elements, those ways of perceiving beyond the ordinary senses. For instance, you mention channeling, a way to acquire information about which I have been largely skeptical, possibly because I have never experienced it. No denying that there all sorts of ideas that come out of the blue, but mine rarely come page-ready; I have to work then into words, sentences, etc., like any writing piece.
Perhaps a point for conversation here?
I've come across quite a few people who are not just skeptical about channelling, but consider it 'of the devil'. Very many orthodox Christians are afraid of it. Yet when the Pope speaks 'Ex Catherdra' he is actually channelling God – or at least it comes close to that. I was taught that most so-called channeling is heavily 'coloured' by our own belief systems, and it take a lot of practice and 'pure intent' to 'get out of our minds' and really hear what is being said. Just another thought to consider; Mozart, was known for his erratic behaviour and scatological humour, yet, when he sat down at the keyboard to compose, the music was sublime. Was he channelling sounds from the heavens?
Esme,
I always enjoy hearing about the pieces of your life that led to your writing Visionary Fiction. When I lived in England I visited Bath often, mostly to attend training in the Western Mystery Tradition with RJ Stuart who lived there at the time. The city seems to attract a lot of very creative and spiritually minded folks.
I have read most of Moyra Caldecott's books. It was interesting to find out you knew her. Your life seems filled with incredible, synchronistic experiences!
Vic, in answer to your discussion point – I haven't channeled either. But I have had some extraordinary experiences beside the Chalice Well in Glastonbury that catalyzed my VF writing. Things I hardly believed could happen to me, such as automatic writing. I don't think VF authors have to have paranormal experiences to inform their writing because VF is broader than that. But it does seem that many of us have had such experiences which have greatly influenced us, doesn't it?
Yes, I met Moyra Caldecott many years ago – bumped into her in a book shop! Well! how surprising! I'd never heard of her or her books, and she invited me home and gave me one. I have to admit, that if I'd seen it on the shelves, I wouldn't have picked it up. The cover was off-putting to me; chosen by her publisher and designed to attract many readers, showing an Egyptian woman in sexy clothes with her bodice ripped off! It may have attracted lots of customers, but there is nothing in the book remotely 'bodice-ripping'. Moyra's work is well researched and completely authentic – as well as being page-turningly good-reading.
Interesting how you met Moyra! Yes, I understand about book covers – I loved my first three covers. There were synchronicities and magical stories associated with obtaining them. My last two covers were chosen by my publisher to appeal to a Young Adult audience (the novels were written for mature young adult – adult). They do reflect the drama in the novels, but I would have chosen a different style. Next time…!
Hi Esme. I was just reading about the layers of the mind, from the conscious surface mind, to the subjective data-bank mind, to the subconscious 'magical mind, to the unconscious auto-drive mind, and finally the superconscious mind. I believe most of us have a hard time getting past the conscious and subjective mind layers to the 'magikal' and superconscious. But with practice and self-programing, some people are able to go deeper. Some also open the so-called door by accident (Jodine's experience, maybe). I both envy those who have taken that step and fear such an experience. Like Vic, the closest I've come to the 'magikal' has been through imaginative writing. The door to the greater mystery remains closed, actually padlocked. Thank goodness some are more courageous than I am. I love hearing your stories.
When it comes to it, I have to admit to being just a bit 'skeptical' myself about the attempt to analyse and label categories of consciousness. Margaret, you say of opening doors leading to 'the greater mystery' that you both envy and fear such an experience. But do you know exactly what it is you fear? Maybe therein lies the key. Facing and uncovering your fear. Will this door really lead to a labyrinth of more and more fearful complications? I feel it's something much more simple. Trusting oneself. A child, unless some dreadful trauma has blighted their early life, is more open to experiences of all kinds — inner worlds and outer. It's as open to magic as it is to sunshine or showers.
I think it’s likely that Mozart channeled his music. Inventors like Nikola Tesla also had visions that led to major scientific breakthroughs. I used to be skeptical about channeling as I was leaning towards atheism after giving up on Christianity. My kundalini awakening knocked me out of that belief system! Visions and insights followed and seemed beyond my level of understanding. They were images that an engineer would have an easier time understanding. I used my intuition to decipher them and weaved them into my stories.
I don’t find anything magical about channeling. I see it as something that’s natural to all of us. Mainstream science is dominated by materialists who depict everything that doesn’t conform to their empirical models as magic.
@Esme: Channeling certainly can be influenced by our own belief systems, which is why I got rid of my beliefs.
“It’s not about being right or wrong. It’s all about the experience.”
That phrase came to me while meditating. I’ve been living that way ever since.
Synchronicity, (re Mozart) is the word that leaps to mind. I'm in the midst of a 5 week course on Enlightenment with Kuthumi, (channelled by a Dutchman, this time) and Kut just told me yesterday, 'The Golden Key is in your heart. You've opened the door there which will awaken the Child in you which will free up the flow of your Joy.' He went on,' I'd like to challenge you Esme. Speak your truth and don't feel responsible any more for how others see it or react. Liberate the Child; be nuts, go crazy, be different. For your Homework this week write down every day how you're setting yourself free.'
And the word that jumped into my head was, Mozart.
Yes, Eleni, I've heard of Nikola Tesla too. Great example. I think a lot of people still confuse Religion and Spirituality. Religion so limits our experience, whereas opening to the Spirit liberates us and allows us to expand our consciousness. It encourages us to let go of everything inauthentic, mostly inculcated from our background – the rules we were told we must obey in order to please some God. Letting go can be scary; freedom becomes something to fear. We cling to the 'known'. 'Dare to do something different every day,' Kuthumi told me.
I'm still finding this personally challenging!