Wednesday, December 8, 2010

It’s Christmas in the Tower!

I am so full of joy to be releasing my novel, The Tower Card, just in time for Christmas. I am grateful to the board at Unity of Sedona for giving me the time and space to sign and make the books available for sale.

Christmas in the Tower
Book Signing and Mini-Workshop
Sunday, Dec. 19, 1:00 – 2:00PM
Unity of Sedona
65 Deer Trail Drive
Sedona, Arizona

As I was talking to Brenda about scheduling the event, It occurred to me that it might be a stretch for most folks to make a connection between the Tower Card, which carries dark symbols of death and destruction, and Christmas, which is all about light and good will toward all.

But it came to me quite clearly that the Christmas story is more about the darkness than the light. Indeed the Holy day is set in the depth of the “bleak mid-winter” to make the coming of the Christ more profound and dramatic.

There is a cloud of dreariness over Mary and Joseph as they "slouch towards Bethlehem" to be counted, so they may then pay oppressive taxes to a government that holds their country captive. This is on top of the discovery that Joseph’s intended is suddenly pregnant and by a most unlikely rival. She is knocked-up by God.

Can you imagine how that conversation went down? I hear Joseph asking, “You’re what? And by whom?” The story tells us that Mary is immediately dumped, and it is only through divine intervention that Joseph is compelled to remain by her side.

Then, in Bethlehem they don’t have a reservation at the Hyatt. They are reduced to camping out in the stables and the birth is witnessed by sheep and cows and no-doubt smelly shepherds, fresh from the hillsides.

It is in the midst of this darkness that the light of Christ is revealed. And the darkness is essential to the story because of the contrast it provides. In fact the light of the Christ cannot be seen without the contrasting darkness. And the darkness must be honored and appreciated for what and how it serves.

So Christmas in the tower is about appreciating the times that try us and challenge us and empty us out. Without the yin-time we would not be able to be subsequently filled up. So we give thanks for the bleak mid-winter and the times that carve us deep with sorrow, because they create a reservoir that may then be filled with abundance and joy.

PS - The novel will be available for purchase on and around the 19th of December for $12.95 plus $3.00 for postage.  Just click on the book.
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