Yesterday was the first day of the Mayan Calendar's Blue Galactic Storm Year. My plan is to post every Monday with s summary of the weeks energies. I had some problems getting back in to Blogger after an almost two year absence so please bear with me on timing. For this week, it most likely will be later today that I post for this week.
If you want to know your Mayan Glyph, let me know. I need your birthday (month, date, year) and I'll figure it out for you. Just leave your request in Comments. If you want your Glyph to be private, please include your email address.
In love and light,
Judith aka Ahau 13
Showing posts with label Judith Ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judith Ashley. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2020
Monday, February 26, 2018
A Month of Love: Crystals
As you can see, crystals are one of the things I love. I
positioned the seven crystals representing my heroines and took the picture on the right that is the foundation for my current my logo on the left. 
Sequins and rhinestones were my touchstones until I
became involved with women’s circles in 1993 and learned about crystals. There
is something about the sun catching the stone “just right” and throwing ribbons
of rainbows around a room. I’m especially drawn to the ones with lots of
inclusions that create mesmerizing scenes and landscapes within.
At one point I was going to take pictures of my favorites
but that became impossible as each crystal has memories and unique properties
that called to me in the beginning.
Here are more pictures of crystals that have captured my
imagination. Enjoy!
The women in The Sacred Women’s Circle all have crystals
of varying shapes and sizes. Whether they are featured or even mentioned in
every scene or not they are there. I can’t imagine living anywhere I can’t have
at least one of my crystals with me.
What items in your home or life bring you
peace and joy just by looking at them?
When you sign up for my mailing list, you will receive a link to
download your free digital copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl.
If you click on this link and leave your first name and
email address, I
will send you a Free Copy of Staying Sane
in a Crazy World as soon as it is ready for publication. It
isn’t a long book, under 10K words but it is chock full of information and
ideas about how you can create your own personal Staying Sane Plan.
What’s the catch? I’d appreciate your writing a review
and even telling your friends about them but other than that, no catch. Be sure to mention in your review that you
received the book free in return for an honest review.
Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19
You can also find Judith on FB!
© 2018 Judith Ashley
Monday, February 5, 2018
A month of love: Writing
February: month of love.
A core theme in my stories is
When in Doubt, Choose Love and Light
I love writing stories where the characters find their
way past challenges of their own making as well as those that pop up in their
path. At some point both the hero and the heroine must make a choice and both
have risks and possible heart-ache.
But as much as I love writing romance stories I also love
teaching people about Dr. William Glasser's Choice Theory and how to use it and the concepts inReality Therapy to create the life they want for themselves.
Because of that desire, I’ve melded my two loves and have branched out into
non-fiction. Staying Sane in a Crazy World is the first of three non-fiction books I
plan on publishing this year along additional fiction books.
Every Monday during the month of February I’ll be sharing something I love about my life. In case you haven't figured it out, I love to write and teach!
What do I love about writing?
A large segment of the population who sees me for the
first time sees me as “old” and while I don’t feel particularly older than say
35 – 40, the calendar would add several decades to those numbers. What that
means is I’ve lived a rich and varied life. I’ve experienced tragedy and born
witness to man’s inhumanity to man in my decades in social service work.
Because of my own experiences and my witnessing of others,
I’ve a treasure trove of information I can share through my stories. It is my time to speak up, speak out and through my books
share the lessons I’ve personally learned as well as the one’s I’ve seen other
people learn.
Here are two opportunities for you to experience what I mean when I write about sharing life lessons through my writing.
When you sign up for my mailing list, you will receive a
link to download your free digital copy of Lily:
The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl.
Go to JudithAshleyRomance.com and sign up for my occasional newsletter“Connections.”
Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series.
And if you want to check out my non-fiction? Click on this link and leave your first name and
email address, I
will send you a Free Copy of Staying Sane
in a Crazy World as soon as it is ready for publication. It
isn’t a long book, under 10K words but it is chock full of information and
ideas about how you can create your own personal Staying Sane Plan.
What’s the catch? I’d appreciate your writing a review
and even telling your friends about it but other than that, no catch.
Here’s the link again.
While you will be signing up twice, you will not get duplicate emails from me because I use ConvertKit. But be sure to use the same email address.
Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19
You can also find Judith on FB!
© 2018 Judith Ashley
Monday, January 22, 2018
Subtle Messages
Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series,
romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and
celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.
Earlier this month I wrote on Secret Messages. Today I’m
talking about Subtle Messages and using The Sacred Women's Circle book covers as an example.
When you look at a book cover, there are certain things
that, depending on what you read, you want to see (or maybe not see). I love to read historical romance so seeing a castle, period dress and a more ornate
font tells me at a glance that this book might be one I’d like to read. I then
check out the back cover blurb to see what the bare bones of the story is
about. Then I make my purchase.
I also like to read contemporary romance and those covers
are going to look different than the historical romance covers. Two of my
writing friends write paranormal romantic suspense and I do read their books
although I don’t normally read in the genre.
In The Sacred Women’s Circle series, I wanted my covers
to depict more than just ‘contemporary romance’ because the stories had so much
more than the outer journey of the heroine and hero. I also wanted readers to
get a hint at what was an additional story line without telling them on the
back cover. And I latched on to Lois’s idea (she is a friend of mine) about
another way of ‘branding’ the books.
And here is the key to the Subtle Message you’ll see on each cover:
Overlay
Color
Crystals
Tell me what you see and if you would have noticed without
my pointing them out.
You can also find Judith on FB!
© 2018 Judith Ashley
Monday, January 15, 2018
Dark Moon Intentions
In my home I’ve small windows on either side of the
fireplace. When sitting on my couch I can see out the windows and watch the
moon traverse the night sky. This is especially spectacular when the moon is
full. But when it is close to as well as on the Dark Moon, the sky remains dark.
It was on one of those evenings when I was sitting on my couch watching
the light from the Full Moon first appear and then grow brighter until I could see Grandmother Moon framed within my living room windows that the
inspiration for a story came to me. In fact when you
read “Grandmother Moon,”you will see what I see from my very own couch. I doubt you’ll
be surprises to learn that writing the setting in that story came fairly easy.
Where do you find inspiration?
FYI: You can find “Grandmother Moon” in the anthology Love & Magick. Included in the
anthology are short stories by Sarah Raplee and Diana McCollum.
You can also find Judith on FB!
© 2018 Judith Ashley
Monday, January 8, 2018
Secret Messaging
If you are involved in social media, you most likely know
that capital letters are indicators that you are shouting and exclamation
points frowned upon also.
If you’re read my Romancing The Genre posts as well as
the ones I write for this blog, it is highly likely you’ve seen me end a
sentence or phrase with three exclamation points.
Just so you know, when I use three exclamation points I’m
sharing the following power of three.
Usually they reference Maiden, Mother Crone.
Four exclamation points? East, South, West, North. The four directions.
I like ending written communication with people with the
phrase
“In love and light,” To me, the world would be a better place for everyone and everything if we were bathed in the light of love as our major religions and spiritual practices suggest.
Or sometimes I end with a simple prayer such as
“Sending love, light and hugs your way!!!” Because I do believe, as I stated above, that we all do better if we are surrounded by the light of love and have our daily dose of hugs.
How do you send secret messages to others?
And I’m still in the process of creating a new look. It
could be February before I invite you to check it out. I’m excited to be working
with Christy Keerins who is creating professional looking graphics for The
Sacred Women’s Circle series. I’ll certainly share those when they are
available in a week or so.
In the meantime, you can still sign up for my email list
and download your free digital copy of Lily:
The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl. Lily
is the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series.
© 2018 Judith Ashley
Monday, December 18, 2017
Sharing a chapter from Diana
There is at least once in our lives a time when we come to a crossroad, a defining moment to change ourselves and our future. Diana has reached that moment. A moment of true conflict. If she stays in her loveless marriage, her envy and jealousy will destroy her relationships with The Circle. If she leaves, she faces a crisis in her own life of another kind. She has lived virtually all of her forty years as a reflection of what someone else wants her to be. Who is she? The real Diana? Finding the answers to that question starts with admitting the truth about her life now.Winter Solstice
Diana Pettybone sank onto the wide stone window sill at The Manor, the castle-like home of her friend and circle sister, Elizabeth. Outside the winter sun shone brightly, its rays streaming in the mullioned glass. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, but a disastrous day for her marriage.
Her tears drenched the silk robe pulled tight. She shook with silent sobs, her broken breathing the only sound. Shivering, she shifted, set her feet on the sill, her arms clutched her knees as she rocked slowly like a winding down pendulum, lost in a world of darkness. The clock on the mantle chimed the hour, the sun’s rays flashed through the window like shafts of lightning.
Her rocking eased, her tears slowed. Diana leaned her forehead against the glass, her gaze unseeing. She was hollow inside but not empty. The echoes of her envious, jealous, covetous thoughts feeding the self-loathing oozed into every cell as she searching for answers.
There were none.
Or perhaps she was blind.
Emotional exhaustion did that; immobilized the brain. Hers seemed unable to quit its painful thoughts, unable to give her any peace.
She hated the words that flashed through her mind, the envy that ate at her heart, the jealousy that sucked up her energy, the covetousness that stabbed at her soul. What else could she do other than what she’d been doing?
Every alternative had its own pain.She rubbed her forehead against the cool glass, trying to ease the pounding in her head, to wipe the jealousy from her mind.
It did not work.
Instead she found shivers of emotion striking like lightning; the hated words an endless tape in her mind.
The clock on the mantle chimed the half hour. Diana sat on the stone sill, in this small sitting room in her friend’s home, her head bowed in futile repentance. A knock on the door, a voice calling to her; in her misery she did not answer. How can I face the woman on the other side of the door?
The clock on the mantle chimed the hour. Too exhausted to cry or rock, Diana stilled, leaned back against the window’s casing, prepared to face her personal nightmare; she’d be left with nothing if she didn’t find a way out of this morass. I’ll lose my best friends, my sacred women’s circle, if I don’t find the way out of my loveless, toxic marriage.
The idea of leaving had been on her mind a dozen maybe even a hundred times—but she stayed.
It was her choice, therefore her fault she remained with Dennis. A dark, humorless chuckle escaped as she reviewed the remnants of her reasoning.
No one in my family ever divorced. What a scandal that would be, especially when my parents had warned Dennis was not worthy of me. How ironic since I was and still am the daughter who never did anything right. And Bill? He needed - still needs a father, doesn’t he? Lastly I was raised in the Catholic Church and taught divorce was not an option.
Diana sat, her arms now wrapped around her knees, her eyes gritty from tears. Although bathed in the rays of the sun, her desolation wrapped her in darkness. Her head thundered, sparks of a sharper pain skittered across her scalp. Bands of steel in her shoulders and neck spasms added their unrelenting hold to her suffering.
She rolled her neck and shoulders, willing the stiffness away. I have to find a way, a way past this all-encompassing despair, this resentment so strong it’s only a matter of time before it consumes me and everything, everyone I love is lost.
It wasn’t just her circle sister Elizabeth’s wedding this morning that sparked her misery. Lily, the first in The Circle to marry, and her husband Jackson were celebrating their six-month anniversary today. Even after six months, their joy easily matched that of the newly-weds, Elizabeth and Michael. Since her arrival ten days ago and especially since Dennis’s three days ago, she’d had no relief. No relief from seeing their joy, no place to evade their happiness. Day in and day out she’d been faced with the reality of her marriage: empty, loveless, painful and more than that, toxic.Once again she asked the questions that seemed to have no answer.
“What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I have a loving marriage?”
Diana slowed her breathing and consciously challenged her physical and emotional exhaustion. I want to move past this debilitating pain and incapacitating fear. She breathed deeply, a cleansing breath, breathed a second and yet a third time. If I want my life different, I must act and act now while I have this window of time to think, to choose, to plan. Her heart raced.
Anticipation? Dread? She didn’t know.
Slipping off the sill, she braced her arms on the stone ledge and waited for her legs to stiffen. Her attention focused on the small sitting room that had become her sanctuary, her haven. Restless, she paced around the room, blew out a guttering candle, and watched the thin spiral of smoke from the wick as it disappeared into the air leaving behind a trace of bayberry. Calmer now, she turned, taking in the details of the room. Her gaze paused on her Winter Solstice altar, on a stack of three books she was reading, and on the low table in front of the fireplace where her women’s circle’s Solstice gift lay: a starter set of Tarot cards.
Diana crossed the room to the chair by the fireplace, lifted the multi-hued green wool throw off the back and wrapped herself in its warmth in an effort to chase away the bone-deep cold, a residue from her storming emotions. Easing down to sit cross-legged on the rug in front of the hearth, she took the poker from the rack and stirred the embers. Bit-by-bit she added small pieces of kindling, blowing softly on the glowing light until the fire came back to life. Between the wool and the blaze the marrow of her bones warmed. She stared into the flames, blanking her mind in a short reprieve.
I have this small window of time to sort things out. Once home in Fremont my daily life, responsibilities, expectations, and Dennis will impinge upon my time.
It was dramatic to think now or never but those words rang clear, like a bell ringing in a pristine-dark night one can hear for long moments after it stops.
What do I want?
A loving, respectful marriage, a husband who is faithful to me, the passion Lily and Elizabeth have in their marriages, someone to look at me as if I am his world. I know what I want. So, what must change for me to have a loving, respectful, safe relationship in my life?
That was her question. Simple. Clearly stated.
The answer obvious.
Her husband, Dennis, was the main stumbling block to having the marriage she wanted. Yes, there were other issues: she just turned forty and finding someone else was daunting in and of itself; there were Bill and her parents; there was her Catholic upbringing. But in the end, being married to Dennis was the biggest obstacle.
Diana sat and watched the flames dance, their red, orange, and blue colors melding, flowing together.
One truth: Bill is gone. A sophomore in college he was building a life on the East Coast and it was time to let him go.
A second truth: I’m no longer Catholic. Over eight years ago she’d joined this women’s circle. Together they had crafted a spirituality with a foundation built on the “old ways” of earth-based religions. Their ceremonies brought peace and joy to her heart. Lily, a member of her women’s circle and one of her closest friends, saw today as the beginning of a new year. As a rule in pagan traditions, it was Samhain. I haven’t really thought about it, even after all this time, but maybe Winter Solstice is a new beginning for me, too.
A third truth: My parents, even now in their seventies, will surely criticize me if I leave Dennis whether by separation or divorce. But it would be nothing new. When have they ever praised me, been please with me, approved? I can’t remember a time. Her posture slumped. Their disapproval is still painful. Determination straightened her spine. While their disapproval is still painful, Dennis’s on-going infidelities are intolerable.
 |
| The Deck I Used |
In her circle, Hunter, Sophia, and Gabriella used The Tarot cards regularly and even Lily, Elizabeth, and Ashley used other kinds of divination cards. She participated in group readings but had never attempted her own reading. Until this gift she’d not even owned a deck. As a beginner, she appreciated the meanings were printed on each card to help a novice discern more easily what the cards were saying.
I know the basics: have a question in mind and concentrate on it as I shuffle the deck, and lay out the cards. What would it hurt? It would be doing something different. Actually for me it would be doing something very different. She smiled as tingles of excitement skittered across her skin.
Diana padded to the table and sat facing the fire. The cards like a siren, called her to take a chance, to dash herself on the rocks in order to break free, to find a new way forward. She reached behind her for a pillow off the couch and tucked it under her. Her fingers slipped around the box drawing it closer. As she opened it and took out the deck, wisps of anticipation snaked up her spine.
I have to have a question. Her brow furrowed in thought. The feelings of anticipation evaporated; hopelessness slithered in. This is so dumb. What am I doing? She started to put the cards back in the box.
A knock on the door.
Dennis’s voice snarled, “I know you’re in there, Diana. What the hell are you doing?”
The door knob rattled as he tried to push his way in. She sat in silence unwilling to acknowledge him. Her heart pounded, her hands dampened, her breath locked in her lungs.
“You’ll pay for this little escapade! Oh, hi there, Montgomery.”
Diana marveled at how quickly Dennis could flip the switch and change. His bonhomie was evident in his tone as he engaged Jackson. She heard Jackson’s deep voice but he was too far away from the door to make out his words.
“Just checking on Diana. Nothing to worry about, I can assure you.”
She listened as Dennis’s now jovial voice dimmed, signaling he was moving away. Her heart slowed, she wiped her hands on the throw, her lungs gasped for air.
Her hands shook as she put the cards back on the table and took a deep breath.
I want my life to be different, to have a man who loves me, respects me, and is faithful. Show me the way.
Her hands grappled with shuffling the new deck of cards. Show me the way.
Her hands grasped the cards more confidently as she shuffled them a second time. Show me the way.
Her hands easily shuffled them a third time as she chanted under her breath, “Show me the way.”
Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series,
romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and
celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.
Your free copy of Lily: The
Dragon and The Great Horned Owl is
waiting for you.
Go to JudithAshleyRomance.com and sign up for my occasional newsletter “Connections.”
Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series.
Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series.
Monday, December 4, 2017
A Favorite Scene from "Lily"
Judith is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series,
romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and
celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.
I’m doing something a bit different the next couple of Mondays
by sharing favorite scenes from at least the first two books in the series Lily
and Elizabeth.
We’ll see how it goes and maybe I’m make this a regular feature!
This
is part of the chapter New Year’s Eve. Lily attends Jackson’s annual New Year’s
Eve party to make sure his mother, Eleanor, doesn’t overdo. Jackson lured Lily
under the mistletoe for an intoxicating kiss before the guests arrive.
The evening progressed with Jackson bringing friends over to introduce or reintroduce to Eleanor and he included Lily each time. A few of his friend asked her to dance and, at El-eanor’s insistence, she had. She was dancing a second time with Daniel, a slow number and with the number of people dancing, they were inching their way along, when she heard him curse.
“What’s wrong?” Lily strained to look around her but with the crush she could see nothing.
“I know for a fact, she wasn’t invited.” Daniel’s look was solemn, his tone serious.
And then through an opening of bodies Lily saw who he was referencing. Susannah had arrived and was now draped over Jackson. At least she’d describe it as draped. Was his arm around her? She couldn’t tell. Between the crowd of people and the ever-changing view as they moved slowly around the dance floor, she caught glimpses, bits and pieces but that was all.
A flash of heat blazed through her and for a moment she was under the mistletoe, locked in his embrace, her body melding with his. She stumbled, lurched against Daniel’s chest, and stepped on his feet.
“Don’t, Lily,” Daniel’s quiet voice was barely heard above the music and chatter. He squeezed her hand. “There’s nothing going on there. He hasn’t seen her since Thanksgiving. And I know for a fact, she wasn’t invited.”
Lily glanced over her shoulder at Jackson and Susannah. She saw Susannah’s arm around him, saw her reach up and kiss him. She couldn’t see if his arm was around her and she couldn’t tell if he kissed her back. Her stomach lurched and tightness crept through her body. All along she’d known she wasn’t Jackson Montgomery’s type. She gave herself a mental kick, reminding herself of her history of being drawn to men who were wrong for her.
However, as she and Daniel danced, her eyes seemed to move of their own accord, capturing vignettes of Susannah and Jackson. As the dance ended, she closed her eyes and immediately, on a visceral level, his lips were on hers, his arms encircled her body; their cocoon of heated energy swirled through her.
She opened her eyes and looked into Daniel’s concerned face. As he escorted her to Eleanor’s side he leaned toward her and whispered, “Don’t pay any attention to what’s going on over there.” He gestured with his head in the direction of Susannah’s loud, brittle laughter. “She doesn’t stand a chance against a class act like you.” He kissed her cheek and bent down to do the same to Eleanor.
“I’m the luckiest guy here with you two gorgeous gals for company.” He proved that he meant it because he lounged against the window and kept up a running chatter to distract the two women from the scene across the room. Every few minutes, Susannah’s shrill laughter pierced the air. After one particularly discordant sound, he leaned down toward Eleanor and pitched his voice low. “She’s been drinking. I’m going to see what I can do avert disaster.”
Lily and Eleanor had front row seats before the large flat screen television as the clock began striking midnight.
“One minute to go.” Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I love seeing the old year out and the New Year in.” She leaned over and confided to Lily, “every year I feel the power of turning away from the old and embracing the new.”
Suddenly their view of the screen was blocked. Jackson stood before them. Bending over he put his hand on the outside arm of Lily’s chair effectively blocking her from getting up. As the countdown continued he leaned closer to Eleanor, looking at her with such tenderness, saying softly that he was so glad she was with him here in Fremont. As the clock started to strike twelve, he kissed Eleanor on each cheek. His eyes shifted to Lily, his gazed heated and he straightened. While the clock still chimed, he wrapped his hands around hers and pulled her into his arms.
“And, I’m very glad you’re a part of my life,” he whispered as he bent to kiss her. This time it was soft and brief. Leaning back while not letting her go, he looked deeply into her eyes and then lowered his head for a kiss that was no longer soft and brief but hard and long.
Lily found herself clinging to Jackson’s broad shoulders, felt his strong arms holding her tightly, pulling her closer until there was nothing between them except fire burning deep inside. She clung to him and as he deepened the kiss, passion’s flame leapt within.
“Really, Jackson! How could you!” the shrill voice shrieked. “You bitch! You think you can get him by being nice to his Mommy? Well, I’ve got news for you!”
Jackson fought his way up from the drugging impact of Lily’s kiss. He turned, effectively blocking Lily from Susannah’s sight.
“Get out of my house, Susannah. Now,” he growled in an ice-tinged voice. When she just stood there, mouth open, star-ing at him, he pointed toward the door. “Now,” his frost-laden voice matched his frigid glare.
“You can’t mean that, Jackson. Surely you don’t mean you want me to leave.” Susannah tossed her head, her long burgundy-red hair swirling around her, an expression of disbelief etched on her features and mirrored in her leaf- green eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
She moved toward Jackson, a look of seduction on her face, her hips tilted at a suggestive angle, her voice a husky whisper. “Remember how it is between us, Jack-son? You know how much I can please you.”
“I want you out of my house, Susannah, now.” Jackson’s finger stabbed toward the door, his voice a dangerously low growl. “Now!” His jaw clenched as he visibly held back seething anger.
Daniel stepped forward, took Susannah by the arm and turned her toward the door. “Come on, Susannah. Let’s get out of here. We can find someplace else to party, someplace that’s not so stuffy.” He looked over his shoulder at Jackson and mouthed, “You owe me,” as he led a stunned and uncharacteristically silent Susannah out of the house.
Jackson turned and gathered Lily in his arms. “I’m so sorry, so sorry,” he whispered as he caressed her back and rained soft kisses in her hair. “She crashed, Lily. If I’d ever thought anything like this would’ve happened, I’d have kicked her out when she first showed up.”
“I’m all right, Jackson,” Lily murmured. His large hands ranged up and down her back leaving warmth and flickers of heat behind. “Really, I’m all right.”
And, those words were true, she was all right. So lost in their kiss it had taken a minute before she realized what was happening. Staring at his broad shoulders, hearing the steely determination in his voice as he ordered Susannah out of his house was truly a surreal experience. It had always been her job to protect, to put her body between danger and the vulnerable.
Safe and frightened. The strange mix of emotions churned through her. In that moment when he’d first taken her in his arms, she had felt safe, safer than she had for almost two decades — truly safe, and — it frightened her.
Your free copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl is waiting for you.
Go to JudithAshleyRomance.com and sign up for my occasional newsletter “Connections.”
Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series.
Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series.
Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com
You can also find Judith on FB!
©
Excerpt from Lily 2014 - Judith Ashley
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