Tag: neo goth romance

The struggle between the forces of good and evil are rich in story telling and folklore throughout the world. Parables, fables and fairy tales depict characters struggling to gain control over a repressive environment. Much of art and literature, past and present,could be interpreted as the expression of the soul's struggle to free itself from hostile forces. In the face of tyranny, self expression will find its way into any creative medium available, and it is often clothed in symbolism.

Witches, cruel stepmothers, wolves, evil kings and queens and other beasts, all conspire to bring down the innocent. Often the protagonist must undergo a series of trials or transformations in order to achieve self actualization. Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, finds deliverance in the magic shoes she has won the right to wear through a series of trials. When she returns home, she is no longer the innocent girl - she now contains a strong sense of self. Cinderella also attains her freedom through a series of trials that lead her to fit into the glass slipper.

The movie Star Wars fully fleshes out how evil is formed, and the extreme need of the dark side to suck the light from the vibrant to absorb power. Darth Vader, in the trilogy of Star Wars, represents this force. Vader experienced unbearable loss, shame and guilt when, in a fit of rage, he caused the eventual death of his wife. The burned and charred remains of his once passionate and loving nature are covered by a hard black mask and his body put together with artificial limbs covered in black. The only emotions now felt by Darth Vidor are the toxic remains of his self exhumed body. He feeds off the fear of others, and has an insatiable need to control  everything in his Universe. Through projective imagination he is capable of creating a vast army of supporters in harnessing the dark energy forces of the Universe.

Luke Skywalker conversely represents the light. He is the son of Darth Vader, but has been raised by another, so he is not contaminated. He has been taught to view Darth Vader as the enemy, as he represents the death of Democracy in the Universe. Luke Skywalker spends most of his formative years learning how to use his inner strengths to gain power over The Dark Ones. His education is taken in secrecy - and inside a safe haven he learns the Secrets of the Masters. By mastering his internal powers, he draws in the energy of the universe. In this final battle, Vader and his Master are destroyed and the union of Brother and Sister preserved- Democracy and Freedom for the Universe

Homer, in the Iliad and the Odyssey, spends seven years facing horrendous trials, growing and developing as a man, before he finally finds his way home. With every trial, it appears that Homer is a dead man, but he perseveres because the powers of passion and resolve are greater than the forces that seek to contain and destroy.

Stories of the struggle for personal freedom and self expression have been with us since the dawn of mankind. Both ancient and modern, they share the painful burden of the oppressed and the steps that must be taken for transformation to occur. The exposure to truth is the first step towards personal freedom. The journey begins with a commitment to oneself to begin the task of transformation.

The characters of Black Lake, are all moving along this continuum.  One will fall into a pool of darkness, one will be sacrificed, and one will find redemption.  All will be affected as each evolves - and so it is with all of humanity.

Ramey Sandely, has lived his life controlling his environment.  He brands his animals with his own tools, runs worldwide entrepreneurial pursuits and lives his life by his own rules.  But he has a lesson to learn and will take an unexpected journey with Alexandra, although that was not his intention when he made plans for her visit.

Men have forgotten this.

But you must not.

Your are responsible, forever, for what you tame.

The following message from the past, from the desk of Goethe, has been my guiding light in the years I have worked on my book and remains a strong inspiration. In the moments I lack belief in a  particular course of attact, I remind myself that it is boldness that creates opportunity. It is this lack of commitment and trust in herself that has kept protaganist, Alexandra, stuck and unable to move forward in he life . Her journey will teach her the power of commitment to oneself. 

Until one is committed

there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,

always ineffectiveness. 

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation)

there is one elementary truth

the ignorance of which kills countless ideas

and splendid plans:

That the moment one definitely commits oneself

then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one

that would never otherwise have occurred.

A whole stream of events issues from the decision

raising in one’s favour all manner

of unforeseen incidents and meetings

and material assistance

which no man could have dreamt

would have come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genious, power and magic to it.

Begin in now.

Goethe

If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.  If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.

Ancient Mysteries

At the moment Alexandra Brighton takes the eyes of Ramey Sandeley in the desert, she sees all the mysteries of the universe and also a terrifying demon that mirrors something she fears in herself.

When I first began to fly on the trapeze, I was dealing with my own fears, while attempting to fully understanding and convey the fierce struggle Alexandra was undergoing. One day, after weeks of failed attempts; I forced myself to disengage my fear and trust another to catch me in mid air. I came home after my first catch and wrote this:

It stood high above me, this wild and beautiful creature - a species unknown to me before this moment. Its body was powerful and crouched in a manner unlike a human animal, and had the most magnificent pair of wings of had ever seen. My mind could not comprehend the attraction for this strange being - yet something in me did. I wanted to escape, to bolt to safety, because it terrified me in a way I wanted to be terrified - but dared not! I gazed into unfathomable eyes that brought to life a darker being lurking within me. In that moment, I realized my demon must be released, or it would devour me from the inside out.

The creature beckoned me to ascend to its perch. Fighting against a wall of near impenetrable fear, I began the climb, beyond mortal heights, to the place where only creatures with wings would dare to land. When I reached edge of the pedestal, he pulled me up and drew me against him. The energy radiating from his body was overwhelming. The intensity of my internal struggle forced me into a fugue state, with flashes of dreams, as though I were about to fall into a deep sleep.

"Take the leap," I heard it say from somewhere far away.  "Accept your fear. It will always be with you, but you must learn to make it your friend. I promise I will catch you. Give me your trust and you will be safe." The creature descended and I was left alone - standing on what seemed the earth's highest peak.

 Nearly drunk with trepidation, I let out a strangled cry and jumped with wild abandon into the abyss.  Flying into the void, like a bird taking its first flight from the nest,  I soared into the sky for a breaf moment and began to fall. As I began my descent, I felt the grasp of the most powerful hands imaginable.  It was the first time in my life I felt the grasp of hands that pulled me up. My heart exploded in that moment, as I looked up into the eyes of the Creature. We flew together, in union, in an eternity of seconds, until he told me I was safe to let go.