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The second book in my Andover series is with the editor and while I await feedback, I thought it would be a good time to introduce the subject.

Andover, a small town with a huge history. Witches arrested in the 1690’s, active participation in the Revolutionary War, home of the first gunpowder factory, and standing homes that housed the enslaved on their way to freedom.

Resistance Rising, the Revolutionary War story, started out as a historical fiction book but has become so much more. The hotbed of rebellion in the 1770’s began in Boston, only twenty minutes away from where I live and it heightened the feeling of pride I’ve always carried. Re-reading the Declaration of Independence brought home the willingness of men of character and integrity, to stand firm in their principles, and to sacrifice their very lives for the cause.

It got me thinking about what it meant to be an American and in the course of the story, Ida Wolfe, one of the primary females, wrote a by-line on it and I wanted to share it. I believe we forget sometimes that we are a unique population, created by the energy of an idea, that of freedom.

Genealogy research has become extremely popular over the last several decades. Thousands, if not millions, have joined websites like Ancestry.com. and MyHeritage or subscribed to Family Search Centers. Shows like Who Do You Think You Are and Finding My Roots continue to flourish, as more and more people try to connect to the branches on their family tree. 

Why the insatiable curiosity about where we come from and who our ancestors were?

Perhaps it’s to understand our heritage, one that was buried back in the eighteen hundreds when immigrants feared the inability to fit in. Perhaps it has to do with our identity, which encompasses family, ethnicity, values, and cultural experiences or to foster a sense of belonging, which is a strong human instinct.

We want to understand our origins and today it’s easier than ever. Between technologies and DNA testing we are able to access a multitude of information from census data, birth records, and even travel documents such as steam ship information. We learn which of our ancestors was the first one to step foot on American soil, and at times we can even guess as to why they risked the journey and the unknown.

Did our people immigrate during the potato famine, or were our ancestors brought here to meet some financial need? Were they trying to escape poverty or a brutal regime?

Interesting enough, there are times that the information gleaned is a surprise. I have a small percentage of Saudi Arabian in my genes. I know others who have found an African lineage in theirs.

The more we know about our origins, the more likely it becomes that we can bridge a cultural divide. It can spark a curiosity about different cultures or create a moment of self-reflection that can open us up to a new perspective.

So, who are we? What makes us American?

In all the sites I’ve visited, and all the pie charts I’ve seen that break down ethnicities, and our origins, one thing is glaring; there is no American slice. Unless you have evolved from a native tribe, born Innuit, or Hawaiian, you have come from someplace else.

Which means most of us are part of the immigrant experience.

Greek, German, Norwegian, Irish, Slavic, Mexican, Liberian, Ghanan, Chinese, Japanese… the list goes on.

This country is truly a melting pot of all ethnicities, a tapestry of cultures, beliefs, traditions, and values. Our faces are different, and our skin tones vary, but our stories are similar. There has been struggle and adversity, poverty and discrimination, the American dream urging us on, to do better, be better. And it has made us strong, resilient, innovative, and adaptable. We’ve fought wars for freedom, against fascism, have fought battles for human rights, for gender protection, for women’s suffrage, in the hope we can become the country we want to be. Free, with liberty and justice for all.

I am proud to be an American, even when the cycle of our governance is at a breaking point. We’ve survived McCarthyism, the Vietnam Conflict, Nixon’s resignation, civil rights protests, presidential assassinations and World Wars, overcoming many obstacles in our quest to create a more perfect union and although it seems to some that we are slow to react, when we choose to resist inequities, we fight hard and usually win.

The energy of the 1770’s is swirling once again and we are gearing up to throw off the chains of injustice, just like we did back then. The democracy we cherish, was an experimental form of government that has lasted two hundred and fifty years. We need to reignite the vision and reclaim our identity of who we want to be as a country.

So, let’s roll.

This month in my sacred circle gathering we’re going to be talking about the Tao., As I gathered my materials together, I was reminded how much this “belief” system works for me.

I’d once set my pen to translating each written text and it’s packed away somewhere with my other musings.

Those I remember are:

Stay grounded

Do nothing and it all gets done.

Be like water, a permeable substance that flows around any obstacle.

Stay detached

Embrace each moment.

The emptiness of a pot provides its usefulness.

Comparison creates division

The truth is simple and by living it you become your authentic self.

There are so many more tenets that encourage and support one’s path. The Tao has no rules to follow, allows for no judgements, no rigid rituals to adhere to. You are on a unique path, an original being, and your way is the right way for you.

I will be diving back in over the next couple of day, reading what I’d scribbled in the margins, wanting to see if I’ve expanded and grown and have a deeper understanding of its wisdom.

I’m ready to shift tracks and head in a new direction, hopping aboard the marketing train, bound and determined to improve my skills.

I’ve contacted another person to build a new website and maintain it so my newly published books will make it to the page and I’m hopefully meeting soon with a recent marketing graduate who will help me navigate all those social media platforms important to building readership. It’s time for giveaways, selfies, tapping into resources, contacting beta readers, and more impactful newsletters. I’ve been making headway in sales, but I’m ready to cast a net and capture more of them.

As I finish up my original eight goddess reads in my series, my mind is awhirl with possibilities for the next one. Women of Eden will keep me in the small town I’ve come to love, with newcomers who bring fresh skills and talents to the thriving community. They’ll frequent Magic Bean, pick up gardening tips from Ina at Gardens of Eden and one might take riding lessons from Hina, but they will form their own sacred circle of female friendships. And of course, sparks will fly with a man who they swear will never suit.

Eve’s a mid-wife, (birth) will be paired with Will, a funeral home director (death). Jord will be paired with Noah, both in construction, but one with a biased attitude about the proper career for a woman, the kind of man some love to hate.. Not sure yet about Sophia, or Selene, or will it be Tara, or Mari… Can’t wait to see who pops up and which trope they call for.

Follow me as I journey on.

With both shots behind me, I’m stepping out again and it feels good. The weather hasn’t exactly been cooperating, but today it’s sunny and spring like. I have the windows open and can hear the sounds of lawn mowers, paving trucks, and birds chirping. Oh, and we had a couple of turkeys squawking earlier just a few houses away. Mother nature seems to be turning the corner and I’m eager to turn it with her.

Spent my morning chasing down marketing venues. I’m hoping to find new ways to get the word out about my not-so-new series, Everyday Goddesses. I’ve put it aside for the last few months but I’m anxious to get back on track. I’ve chased down beta readers, and received a mile-long list of interested parties willing to read my books. Unfortunately, very got back to me. Maybe quality is better than quantity because the few that did, gave me awesome reviews.

If anyone knows how to attract readers, induce reviews or help me get more exposure, I’d love to hear from you.

Last week I described the process for developing a series and the characters who come to inhabit it. My current series, Everyday Goddesses, speaks to the aspects of goddess that exists in all of us; nurturer, warrior, justice seeker, storyteller, creator of life, scientist, and empath. Our wounds might be our excuse to fall or what motivates us to rise and which ever way it goes, they are the badges we wear that prove our humanity. As I was choosing which goddesses to use as symbolic representations of the divine feminine, I wanted to pick across the mythical spectrum. Gwen is Celt, Minerva is Roman, Rhea is Greek, Cerridwen is Irish, Inanna is from the Sumerian pantheon of archetypal figures.

Hina seemed to be the logical choice to represent the Polynesian culture which meant she had to come from Hawaii, bringing with her the ancestral wisdom, the ancients were known for. As a water sign, she was tied closely to the moon, tides, ebbing and flowing, enlightenment and inner knowing, so it was natural for her to be an empath. She has a kinship with nature, horses in particular, so it was obvious she had to own a horse farm, and as a healer, she was fated to start a equine facilitation program. Some of the questions that had to be answered once these facts were established were how did she get to Eden? Was her childhood idyllic or had she been wounded in some way? And if so, how? What was her upbringing like? Where did she come from from and where was she going? What are her strengths? What are her flaws? Who would best complement her as a mate? (It is a romance after all)

That’s when research begins, my imagination kicks in, and my muse starts whispering in my ear.