Do You Believe in Magic?

Do you believe in magic? If you could dream a magical world into being, what would it look like?

I raised Brenna and Carter within their imaginations and by stretching their sight to see things not readily seen by the physical eye. When they were young we would take our favorite cookie, which at the time was Scotcharoos, and sit on a carpet in the middle of the floor and close our eyes. This wasn’t just any carpet, it was a magical carpet. This carpet would take us high over housetops, parks and charming towns at night. We preferred to fly over things at night. We enjoyed the lights and the stars and the still quiet romantic energy of night. We smelled fresh bread baking from the town bakery below us and felt the cool wind as it pushed it’s way through our hair when we sped up.

We liked entering into the ocean best on a warm afternoon so we could float through clear waters and tour sunken ships for treasures while meeting all kinds of exotic fish. We all took turns describing what we were seeing and our underwater ocean adventures all ended in the same fashion.... We would float to the surface and skim over it heading towards a tropical island. We were close enough to the surface to trail our fingers and spray the warm salt water or perhaps touch a dolphin as a pod playfully swam by. There was one large rock we would slow down and hover behind as we watched beautiful mermaids play and sun themselves before we landed home on our living room floor.

At times, when we weren’t up for such intense adventures, we would take turns telling stories before bedtime. In my book, “Cracked Wide Open, Letting the Light Pour In!”, I talk about the power of story and it’s many healing abilities. It is my goal to get adults to play within their imaginations more, to write stories, to share stories, to call forth the stories that reside within. My birth father seemed to enjoy and believe in his creation, Freddie the Sea monster, who was stuck living in a very large deep lake, every bit as much as I did. These stories were especially fun when we were camping at Wallowa Lake. Every so often, when I would open my eyes just to make sure no critter was sneaking up to the campfire, I would notice my Dad with a big smile on his face.... lost in a land he created just for us.

In the poetic and stunning film, Out Of Africa, Meryl Streep plays a Danish Baroness/plantation owner, Karen Blixen, who shares stories of distant lands over cognac and a crackling fire for an evenings pleasure. My favorite time for a story is when I awaken in the middle of the night and can’t seem to get back to sleep. I allow a story to unfold and lead me back into dream time. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.who is and award winning poet, Jungian analyst and Cantadora (story teller) in the Latina tradition, says that we do not fall asleep as adults and awake as adults, we fall asleep as children and awake as children. Shortly after Brenna came forward about her sexual abuse , Brenna, Carter and I all slept in one large bed for comfort. We often fell asleep to one of Dr. Estes bedtime story CD’s, not having the strength at the time to pull in our own stories. It was a great comfort, source of strength and inspiration for us.

The following part of a story is an excerpt from “Cracked Wide Open, Letting the Light Pour In!”... It was inspired by one of Dr. Estes bedtime stories in conjunction with our magical backyard that bumps into a nature conservancy filled with wild flowers, plants, ancient trees, frogs, deer, coyotes, possums, skunks, squirrels, owls, birds, butterfly’s and much more than the physical eye can readily see.

~Please enjoy our personal picture of Brenna (at the end of this blog) dressed as a fairy soaring on our tree swing, in our magical backyard, on one mystical night with many colorful spirit orbs surrounding her.~

“Not too long ago, in a neighborhood not too far away, a mystical magical piece of land existed, untouched by humanity.There by the babbling creek was what appeared to be a miniature iridescent table set with beeswax candles, crystal stones and rubies to honor a feast under the moonlight. But for whom? Seven little chairs made out of oak leaves, twigs and delicate purple little flowers awaited it’s occupants. There were seven little stone plates encrusted with sparkling crystals that appeared to be straight from the fairy gardens of Versailles. There were acorn cups filled with honeyed deer milk and miniature goblets, that were surely passed down the most royal of fairy lines, filled to the brim with flower nectar wine. There were walnut bowls piled full of glazed barley grain, roasted mushrooms dusted with saffron, cinnamon baked pixie pears and baskets of bread with honey for dipping. In the center of the table was a sour cream honey cake resting on a bed of heather stalks and delicate edible flowers.

Persimonie let out a sigh, her first audible sound to be heard in years, witnessed only by the magical land that surrounded her. She blinked and focused her eyes, unable to trust what she was seeing. The glorious table remained in all it’s splendor in front of her. In an effort to get real and wake up, she pinched herself and slammed her eyes shut. A breeze rustled up as if to acknowledge her and as she slowly opened her eyes… she noticed flowers floating and swirling around down by the creek. When Persimonie looked closer she noticed that these were not flowers at all, they were fairies! Real live fairies! The first one she could make out clearly was a silver fairy who was the color that surrounds the most magical of clouds. She took the head of the table wearing her little silver bell flower hat and one by one the rest followed suit....

The next fairy that landed and took her seat was bedecked in lavender from the top of her head to the tip of her little lavender shoes. The next in the pink rose of spring who shook her damp fairy wings sending pink sparkles all over the magical table. The fourth fairy was dressed tip of wings to pointed little toe in eternal sky blue and ran from behind a tree laughing and chasing the fifth fairy who borrowed her brilliant orange/red hues from the most gorgeous of sunsets and orange lilies of the field. The next fairy that hurried in and took her seat was layered in saffron yellow as soft as a cob of sweet grilled corn on a late summer day. The very last fairy was watched by all as if it was just as much an honor to be last as it was to be first. She slowly strode to the table bedecked in the greenest green of Ireland smelling like a baked apple pie full of warm cinnamon and spice. She was met with giggles and applause. Yes, she and her little boots made out of cinnamon sticks were definitely worth the wait! Once seated, all seven fairies raised their goblets in celebration of the powerful moon that was pregnant and ready to give birth to each of their sacred wishes.”

Happy story making to all! Please enjoy the following recipes for your own magic carpet ride or fairy celebration!

Scotcharoos

1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo syrup
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups rice krispies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

boil sugar, syrup and peanut butter overmedium heat stirring often

when all is mixed well,
add rice krispies and
Mix well again…
put into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan
Let sit to harden.
frost with the melted chips, cool or refrigerate to cool

Sour Cream Fairy Cakes ~adapted from Cupcakes, by Elinor Klovans

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
splash of lavender extract to attract the fairies
*optional...they are sure to show up anyway*
1/2 cup sour cream
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg, yolk, and sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about 2 minutes.Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix in the oil and vanilla until blended. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth. The batter is ready to bake.Fill each cupcake paper liner (fairies prefer gold or silver) with a 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/2 inch below the top of the liner.
Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before frosting....

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
Edible flowers, lemon rind, orange rind
and Dagoba lavender organic chocolate shavings for decorations

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and lavender extract together with 3 tablespoons milk, then add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if needed to form a creamy, smooth frosting.
Frost and decorate cooled cupcakes and enjoy the magic!

My daughter Brenna and Lola (can you find Lola?) in our magical backyard, one mystical night.