Here is the second part of the interview. Her book goes on sale today, get a copy I am sure you will enjoy it!<\/p>\n
What would you tell people about their own personal adventure with fairies, gnomes and angels?<\/i><\/p>\n
I would tell them that there is no set way to reach the fae. We each have our own paths that lead into the world of spirit, and the most important things can seem like the simplest. Be kind. Be open-minded. Be respectful of humans, animals, and the natural world. If you begin in that place, your journey, wherever it may take you, will be a rich and fulfilling one. Angels I don’t have any experience with yet, though I believe there are “faeries” in what we would call the angelic realm – I believe there is more crossover than we currently imagine. <\/p>\n
Many authors I’ve read say that you shouldn’t bring your very human grief, sorrow, sadness, anger, or other emotions into the realm of faery. I completely disagree. Of course nobody, faery or non, wants to be your emotional waste receptacle. But when we take the approach of saying, “Please, I would like your help, your guidance. I so badly want to make a change,” with good intent, that makes all the difference. Just like a friend will volunteer to stand beside you in a time of need, someone from the faery realm will always be willing to step forward and help you find your way. <\/p>\n
\nThey are beings filled with not only ancient wisdom, but also incredible
\namounts of love and light that call the faery world home. And if you
\napproach the faery realm with a deep, honest, and open heart, they will
\nreach out for your outstretched hand. If you learn how to listen, they
\nwill show you, and all your broken pieces, how to heal. After all, we
\ncan’t begin to heal the planet before we have undertaken the journey to
\nheal ourselves – we are a part of the planet, and so it has to begin
\nwith us. When we can learn how to shine, we spread that light everywhere
\n– I hope the faeries are teaching me, on a daily basis, how to do this.<\/p>\n
\nWhat sort of reaction did your neighbors, friends and family have to your book?<\/i><\/p>\n
You’d think people would have a hard time with the fact that I wanted to
\ngo on an adventure to try and prove the existence of faeries. But the
\nfact of the matter was, my family and friends (and neighbors) have been
\nnothing but fascinated, and supportive. I think it helps that I’m an
\nintelligent, questioning sort of person. I’m not anti-religion, or
\nanti-God, or anti-anything that has good intentions. I’m respectful and
\nopen to exploring all avenues of spirituality. But for me, because I was
\nhaving such a crisis of faith, I needed a different way in – God,
\nangels, and life after death just weren’t cutting it for me. I explained
\nthat to people. I’ve talked about my book at beach parties, news
\nstations, in pubs, in youth hostels, in my neighbor’s garage, on a bus
\nin Ireland – you get the point. And because of my attitude toward
\nbelief, and exploration, which was laid back, kind, open, and matter of
\nfact, people responded to me in the same way. I often explained that if I
\ncould believe in faeries, I could believe that there are many things
\nbeyond human perception that may exist. Also, I was able to present a
\nvery logical, well researched, and historical basis for why I wanted to
\nundertake my journey. <\/p>\n
Most importantly, there wasn’t much room for disagreement. I don’t allow
\nother people to make demands on me and my beliefs. That’s not their
\nproperty – I belong to myself, and I’m very protective of that. But I’m
\nalso laid back about it; I would never presume to tell you what feels
\nright to you, and what you should believe! I know that not everyone is
\ngoing to read my book and come away with a belief in faeries. My eyes
\nwere open to that all along. So that couldn’t be and wasn’t my focus –
\nmy focus was on my own journey, my own experiences as a thoughtful
\nperson, and now they get to decide what they want to make of it.
\n
\nAny sage words or advice for my readers?<\/i><\/p>\n
An interest in the faerie world is a process just like everything else.
\nUnderstanding and connecting with their world is a spiritual pursuit,
\nand one that I’ve discovered requires a lot of house cleaning. There’s a
\nlot of inner nonsense that gets in the way – self esteem, negative
\nmemories and emotions, self-blame, regret – all that nasty stuff clogs
\nthe motorways to the spiritual world – not because of them, but because
\nof us, and our weird neurosis. Fear — fear is a big one I work to
\novercome on a daily basis. I work each day at being the best, kindest
\nperson I can be, but some days I fail. Sometimes I feel like I can’t
\nconnect. Sometimes I am grumpy and moody, and imagine terrible things
\nhappening to meter maids. Sometimes, even after all I’ve experienced, I
\nstill have days when I’m not really sure what I believe. I tend to be
\nskeptical of people who tell me, “THIS is what faeries are.” Or “This is
\nwhat God is.” Or, “My religion is the only one.” Seriously? The truth
\nis, no one can really know how things are until we die, and hopefully
\nget our long awaited glimpse at the wizard behind the curtain. So
\ninstead, we have to tune in to our own intuition, and when encounter a
\nnew idea, consider, “Does this feel right to me?” <\/p>\n
It’s normal to question – in fact, unless we question, I don’t think we
\ncan ever truly believe. So don’t be afraid to ask (in good humor) for
\nproof, signs, or communication. If you’re coming from a good-hearted
\nplace, you’ll probably get it. You only have to learn to open your eyes
\nto be able to recognize the spirit world when it is dancing up and down
\nright in front of you. <\/p>\n
With love and aloha, Angels are everywhere just open your mind and your heart to the signs.<\/p>\n
\nSusan<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n