Merlin's Digression & Book Update
Hey Friends,
I have been diligently (behind the scenes) continuing to write my epic fantasy adventure novel, and I am thrilled to share with you all that I have just finished Part 3 of a four part book, as I now go over its final details and some editing as of last night. (Much more to write, but it’s really coming along!)
In my book, there are several stories within the larger story that eventually all come together, much like threads of a weaving would come together to create a tapestry. Although, I also include four digressions (one in each part of the book), stories unto themselves, which don’t necessarily weave into the main story of the book, but connect to it through the narrator. These digressions are all in the theme of Arthurian Legend, taking place during the enchanting times of Camelot, and of course include the loveable Merlin.
I decided to share one of these digressions with you, I call: The Isle of Avalon. I wrote this a while back when I was deep into the heart of Part 3, but feel the inspiration and desire to share it now. Because it is a story unto itself, it doesn’t give away the book, and I feel good about sharing it (note: it is still in editing stages so it’s not perfect).
So just for fun, a special treat for you, if you feel compelled to read it (it is somewhat lengthy so you may want to find a time and a place where you can get comfortable and relax with it) …
Enjoy <3!
Yet Another Digression ~
The Isle of Avalon
Excuse me if I may, but part three of our book is going incredibly well so far, don’t you agree? But… all this talk about the invisible: invisible worlds, invisible dimensions, and even an invisible dog. Hmm, I guess you could say there seems to be a common theme here. We have Dusty, an invisible dog and existing in more than one dimension, then of course there is Swan Lake as a doorway between two worlds, and the elementals who most of the time are invisible to the humans, and now we even have the Field of Golden Apples, a realm unto itself but also with one foot in the Forest of Forever. All of these have reminded me of yet another story I know from the times of Camelot and the loveable wizard we all know as Merlin. So if you don’t mind, let me tell it to… I know, I know, this is my third digression, but it’s a good one! And I promise it will be worth your while...
This may sound funny to you, but… Merlin wasn’t always the “Merlin.” He grew up in what was considered an ordinary boy’s life, for the most part. His name was Tyrone, and he grew up in a very large family. But by the age of four he became fatherless, his father dying by the sword of another man. Shortly after, Tyrone’s mother fell ill and died while giving birth to his youngest sister. And so the young Merlin was raised by his older siblings, who were a large bunch. He was one of thirteen children total. Having nine brothers and three sisters, he was the third youngest, and nobody paid much attention to him. You see, Tyrone had a very vivid imagination, and he saw things the others didn’t, so none of his stories were believed by them. His brothers and sisters would pass him off as a nuisance, foolish, crazy, or a bit strange at best, but most of the time they just ignored him. Being there were so many of them, he was frequently forgotten about. Tyrone would even disappear for days at a time without their care or acknowledgement. But he didn’t mind because he knew he was different from them. And so, while the family would go about their dysfunctional ways, he would often wander away from home, away from all the drama, the bickering, and domestic concerns. He would wander away to explore Camelot.
There was one place in particular Tyrone would often go, a lake on the outskirts of Camelot. Not many traveled there, and he liked to go there to be alone, but he also enjoyed going there because it had a different type of energy that felt good to him. One day when Tyrone was about twelve years old, he was wandering around the edge of the lake, when he saw a glowing light shimmer somewhere near the center of the lake. There was a heavy fog that day, and a dense mist was rising from the surface of the lake. At first it was difficult to make out where the source of this light was coming from. But he knew there was something out in the center of the lake, and he was curious to know what it was. So he allowed his vision to relax, while directing his eyes to see through the fog, and then he saw it! Far out in the center of the lake, appeared an island. No one had ever spoken to him about this island, and he wondered if he was hallucinating. But after several moments of blinking and rubbing his eyes, it was still there. He was so thrilled with his discovery that when he got home later that evening, despite knowing his brothers and sisters wouldn’t believe him, he told them anyway. As he expected they all teased him and called him a liar and stupid kid.
Tyrone went out to the lake early the next morning to see if the island was still there, and low and behold it was. He decided to ask the local fisherman if they knew anything about it. Most of them denied knowing anything, except there was one who had something to say. The last fisherman Tyrone went to ask was the eldest of them. He was very old and considered by many to be “losing his marbles”. He told the boy there used to be a legend that spoke of a magical island on the lake, but most claimed it was only a myth, and in fact, people had stopped speaking about it a long time ago. When the fisherman was a young lad, and just beginning his days learning to fish, he went out to search for the legendary island. The others would laugh at him for this, so several years he searched in secret, before finally giving up. But the old fisherman claimed that a few times, on days he was utterly exhausted and his eyes heavy from lack of sleep, he swore he caught a few glimpses of it, but then it would disappear into the fog, like it was only a mirage. He never did find the island but still believed it might exist. And he never told anyone about it because everyone thought he was crazy already, and they would probably just laugh at him anyhow.
Tyrone listened to the old fisherman’s story with great interest, but didn’t admit to the old man that he too had seen the “mirage”. He thanked the old man for the story, and went on his way. Tyrone knew in his heart that it wasn’t a mirage, and he was filled with a new determination to reach the island. He knew nothing about boating, but assumed it couldn’t be that hard to figure out. But how to get a boat was his dilemma. Then he remembered that on the far side of the lake was an abandoned boatyard with a number of old boats in need of repair. All he would have to do is find a half decent one, claim it as his own, make the necessary repairs, and then he would be ready to get out onto the water.
And this is exactly what Tyrone did. All the while, as he made repairs to the simple little rowboat he had chosen, every so often he would gaze out onto the lake. Each time, even though surrounded but the mists, he still saw the island. His vision of the floating isle was clear as day to him, and by now there was no way he could erase his ability to see it. It was almost as if it was waiting there for him. And it was so easy. All he did was push that little boat out onto the water, hop inside of it, and float on ahead, while he gently rowed. It didn’t take long for Tyrone to find himself landing on the shores of the illusive island, which now welcomed him in a full spectrum of colors; sight, sound, and smell. It was indeed very real.
It can be said that this was the beginning of a whole new life for the young man. The island Tyrone landed on, he would later come to know as the Isle of Avalon, had a beauty beyond compare. The island was home to thousands of fragrant flowers of bright colors and luscious trees filled with delicious ripe fruit. Tyrone would eventually come to find that on the Isle of Avalon nothing ever died, as things did on the mainland. All the wildlife and vegetation was always alive and in full bloom. It was a paradise, truly a heaven on earth. Every single inch of Avalon was magical and enchanted the boy’s senses.
The inhabitants of Isle of Avalon were all just as magical and also immortal. They were known as the people of Fae, the knowers and the keepers of earth magic. They all welcomed Tyrone with open hearts and began to teach him the ways of Fae. And the young man learned many things from them. But they were not the only inhabitants of Avalon, there was also the “Masters”. The Masters, twelve total, both male and female, had formally been mortals from the mainland, but had realized their eternal selves and traveled to the island where they shed their dense physical bodies, which then became bodies of light made of free energy. The wise Masters primary domain was a temple made of light that stood majestically in the center of the island. The “Temple of Light” was a spectacular vision to behold, but most spectacular of all was the fountain that it housed in the center of its courtyard. From this fountain of eternal life, the purest of waters continually flowed.
The Isle of Avalon was a sanctuary that preserved the magic. It was an invisible realm, although not invisible to all. It was only invisible to the world of the blind, which made up the vast majority of Camelot’s residents, especially during those dark times. The mortal humans had no awareness of the island, and this was well and good because if the ones filled with greed and a thirst for power found it, they would destroy it. The Fae told Tyrone that if people could see Avalon before they were ready, they would come either looking for power or in the vein desire to live forever as a type of super human, and they would pollute the pure waters of the fountain which provided crystalline energies to those who had already discovered their eternal nature and realized it from within themselves. Those still operating within the limited confines of fear would eventually find a way to destroy the island. So it was fortunate the common folk couldn’t see it yet. Their inability to see helped serve as protection and kept the treasures of Avalon safe from the wrong hands.
As you can imagine, Tyrone did not want to leave and the island became his new home. He spent several years on the Isle of Avalon before returning to the mainland. The young man learned a great and many things while living there, which served as his initial training and knowledge of “earth magic” which he would eventually come to use as the “Merlin”. The people of Fae taught Tyrone things like how to commune with nature and talk with plants and animals. They taught him how to use herbs and plant medicine for healing, to heal wounds and cure the sick, purify the water and reenergize land, make things grow fast, balance and connect with the elements, such as fire, and even how to become the wind.
Along with the Fae, the Masters also took Tyrone under their wing and trained him in the ways of their energetic magic and alchemy. The young Merlin learned things like how to make himself invisible, how to shapeshift, and how to astral travel to name a few. They also taught him how to distill all of his experiences into wisdom with ease and grace. The Masters were a fun bunch and always making him laugh, even when he was having a bad day. Learning the ways of the Masters wasn’t always easy, and in fact at times could be downright hard. But being in the Master’s company was usually an enjoyable experience.
After intensive training and his final initiation, Tyrone would eventually be appointed the “Merlin”, a rare and special title given only to very small handful throughout the ages and history of the world. Tyrone was to go back to the mainland as the Merlin and bring magic back to the people. He would be a catalyst to awaken the sleep out of the human’s eyes, which would give them the ability to see magic once again. He would remind them of their true nature, and spark the remembrance of a time when magic is a daily part of everyday existence in the world. He would be their messenger, their teacher, and their way-shower. He would no longer be known as the common boy “Tyrone”, but now as the man “Merlin” who was adept in the lost arts of energy magic and alchemy. And it would come to be that the people would not recognize the young man as the boy Tyrone (who they had thought drowned in the lake one day), but as a wizard who had come to protect and save the kingdom of Camelot.
The final initiation for Tyrone would involve an intensive study with the Masters. They would teach Tyrone the practice of a very important subject: time travel. And he would use this skill to reconnect damage points in the time-space continuum. He would learn to visit, observe, and bring new awareness to places where trauma occurred throughout points in history. Here he would create a safe space where reconnection could naturally occur, and allow the whole truth to be fully realized, rather than only a limited fragment of what actually occurred. Tyrone learned how to travel to the past, as well as connect with a future version of himself. Through lovingly connecting with his future self, he was able to receive messages and information for healing in the present. It was an intense study to practice and a challenging ability to hone. But he was determined, and as you might guess, Tyrone finally mastered it. And he was officially appointed the “Merlin” by the Masters.
And Merlin did indeed bring magic back to Camelot, and helped to make many unbelievers, open up to the magic once again. It was a very fortuitous time for Camelot, as the kingdom was beginning to reawaken to a grander truth. Some were even beginning to see the Isle of Avalon, and a few of them were even able to travel back and forth to the island and interact with the people of Fae. It was magical times indeed. But even though the magic was reawakening within the kingdom, there were still those who remained blind and who couldn’t see Avalon or know it even existed. The Fae had explained why this was important, but how did this work? How did the island remain so elusive to some? What made these people blind to it? How did it appear totally invisible for some, or sometimes appearing as a mirage, and yet other times appear in its full glory?
I have my ideas about how this is possible, but before I give you my answer, I want you, my dear reader to take a moment to answer this yourself. Take a pause right now and muse it over: “How can something be visible to one person, but invisible to another?” Don’t worry about getting the answer right because the truth is there is no “right” answer. It’s all about perspective. And your perspective will be different than mine, not any better, only different. You see, this is exactly my answer to our question: “How can something be visible to one person, but invisible to another?” My answer to this is simple: It’s all about perspective. For those who don’t allow magic, it is impossible for them to see. They become blinded by their doubt and skepticism, and then their perspective is limited. So the reason our young Merlin could originally see Avalon was because his imagination was very open and he never doubted it was not real. He was ready for anything that might be presented, with an open heart and non-judgmental mind. So instead of being limited by disbelief, as his brothers and sisters had been, he was completely unencumbered, and therefore free to see what was actually there. He was able to see the full truth.
And so it is with all dimensions, and worlds, and things invisible. It can only be seen and felt when you open up your imagination to it, when you allow it. This will expand the boundaries of what you believe is possible and instantly shift your perspective into one of wonderment and a childlike awe. It’s all about perspective my dear friend! So if you feel as if you are missing out on something, or that it is difficult to see the magic before you, then try allowing your imagination to take the steering wheel. It will open you up to all sorts of magical realms and worlds once invisible, and then watch as the magic comes to life before your very eyes, and shows up in the most unexpected of places!
So my dear friend and faithful reader of this story, shall we go on now? You have gone this far, might as well keep going, right? And even more so now, you have the opportunity to see the magic of this very story unfold before your eyes, of course now that I let you in on my little secret… in case you forgot it already, “it’s all about perspective.” Many parts of this book too, are invisible. One day you may read this and you will read one thing, but then you will come back another day and read it again, and you will see something entirely different here. And even one day further still, you will master this book that I write for you, and on that day, I will appoint you as the “Merlin” of this book (hehe). Until then, my dear friend, let us continue on, into the wilds of our beloved book. And don’t forget to keep your dream eyes open! So that you too can make the invisible, visible…
(c) 2019 Once Upon a Spiral by Rebecca Blanco
I hope this excerpt from my book was enjoyable for you <3:):)
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