Author: Lesley Philips
Synopsis:
Our hero, Joshua, is drawn into this amazing realm from his home in the garden of color and light. The book follows Joshua’s adventures in the Midas Tree as he grows and learns about his life and destiny in this new world, as he searches for a way back home to his spiritual parent Morfar and the garden of color and light.
Joshua and his journey are analogous to each human’s journey toward spiritual enlightenment. The Midas Tree is planet earth and the creatures and spiritual beings who live there are teachers and guides. They teach Joshua how to meditate and use other spiritual techniques to help him on his mission to return home.
The
Romance of the Fairy Tale
My novel, “The Midas Tree”, arrived in
this world as a vision. It was given to me as a spiritual download. Then I had
to figure out what I had created. Those who have read it, liken it to a modern
day fairy story.
It contains many element of a fairy
tale, such as fairy-like characters, talking animals, magic and enchantments,
demons and tricksters, a prophetic quest and a series stories within stories,
each of which has a moral.
Yet it does not contain romance, at
least not as the main plot.
Must
fairy tales be romantic?
There is a genre of modern fairy tales
that resemble the plots of traditional and well know fairy tales. They draw
from such well known tales as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty
and the Beast, The Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks, Robin Hood and more, for inspiration.
Many of them involve romance.
However in rifling through my memory
banks it seems to me that some of old stories were not romantic at all. Think
about Little Red Riding Hood, The Pied Piper, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the
Beanstalk. They rather involve wicked evil people out to harm the innocent
children.
What about the relationship with self?
The heroes’ journey within “The Midas
Tree” is both an inner journey and outer journey. Some of the events represent
inner battles of the ego, and some characters embody teachings about how to
overcome these struggles
So do the morals in fairy stories tell
us more about the relationship with have with ourselves?
For example the wicked stepmothers and
big bad wolves may represent our inner demons and the romances might represent
us learning to love ourselves.
For example let’s take Snow White.
The evil queen is vain. She is in
competition with anyone who she believes is more attractive than she is. The
mirror on the wall is an externalization of the ego. We are being shown the ego
within each and every one of us that does not recognize our strengths, our
value or brightness.
The Prince, who falls in love with the
Snow White, teaches us that love is the answer to overcoming the ego. He loves
the sleeping princess unconditionally. If we can accept ourselves for who we
are, without judgment, then we can be free of the ego.
The prince also symbolizes spirit and
the kiss is the breath of life that animates the physical body. This fairy tale
actually teaches a profound spiritual truth, that we are not our physical
bodies, we are spirit.
And Sleeping Beauty?
Is this really a story of romance or
does it harbor an important spiritual truth?
The merchants’ daughter learns to
accept the ugly beast exactly as he is; only then is he transformed into a
handsome prince. She is also learning
about unconditional love and the marriage of spirit and the physical body. Life
is easier when we can accept ourselves and each other as we are, without
expectations and judgments.
How About Cinderella?
Is this a love story or is it a
spiritual lesson about manifestation?
Cinderella has a miserable, unhappy
life, but then a fairy godmother transforms her circumstances. Her paupers’
trappings become wealth and abundance. Once again the fairy godmother
represents the spiritual spark that exists in each of us; she teaches us that
we are the powerful creators of our own reality.
When she runs away from the Prince, it
is because she believes she is not good enough for him. She has low self
esteem; another problem of that pesky ego. But hey bingo, here comes the
solution, and once again it is love. Love dissolves the ego.
Or The Golden Goose?
This one is about balancing giving and
receiving. The sons who do not share their wine and cake come to no good, but
the one who shared receives something of greater value in return. The inn
keepers’ daughters who try to steal a feather for themselves, also come to no
good, as do all the character, who judge them.
The Princess who laughs teaches us the
healing power of laughter. The trials her father puts the hero through before
he can marry her represent judgments too. Finally the little man in the forest
who fills himself up on wine and cake, and who is always able to give to others
after he does this is teaching us that it is important that we give to
ourselves first lest we have nothing give others.
And The Midas Tree…
At the end of this meandering through
some traditional fairy stories, my conclusion is that fairy stories are often
devices to teach profound spiritual truths. While entertaining and fun on the
surface, the romance within a fairy tale can symbolize how love is the ultimate
tool for overcoming the human ego.
So I do believe that my book, The Midas
Tree” is a modern day fairy tale, because even though it is not couched within
a romantic dalliance, love is presented as the answer to the hero overcoming
the challenges of his ego.
Dr. Lesley Phillips is a speaker, author, workshop leader, spiritual and meditation teacher based in Vancouver BC, Canada. Her book “The Midas Tree” will be published on November 11th 2012. The book can be pre-ordered from the website and if you write the words “golden acorn” after your name, you will also receive a free limited edition print signed by the author.
She can be reached at:-
Twitter:
@DrLesleyP
Nice information, many thanks to the author. It is incomprehensible to me now, but in general, the usefulness and significance is overwhelming. Thanks again and good luck! Frankfurt coach
ReplyDelete