I began writing The Working when the self-help book The Secret was all the rage. An alternate title or a subtitle for my novel: The Real Secret.
As I’ve spoken about, I wrote The Working as an antidote for the troubled world. How do we fight that which harms the Web of Life? The coven of my story grapples with that question on the local and worldwide levels—and in both the ethereal and physical realms. Some of the story is fantastical.
But not all of it.
The Elders in the story—the Old Ones—show the coven that opening and widening their energy field might seem counterintuitive when faced with a threat yet is an effective response. And learning to be what they call bright helps the Web to thrive.
The big secret is the crystal star energy practice that the coven wield at The Working’s climax. It is a real practice that aids physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It’s an excellent way to feel well and whole—it lifts me and lends the visceral feel of being part of the interconnected Web of Life. The practice helps me move when I’m stuck, and helps me intuit next steps along my path.
How the crystal star works
Annia lives during the end of the Neolithic (about 6,000 years ago) and is one of the Old Ones who reach the coven. She offers:
You are infinitely large as are all beings since you are simultaneously a node and the whole Web through your connections. You have painted a sun before, yes? A circle lined with rays … If your drawing has but four rays, your sun would appear dim alongside one with fifty rays. You brighten as you extend more threads from your core, which happens as you relate with other beings. In our time, all living beings, including humans, relate with one another, thus the Web is dense with connections and sparkles with bright energy. The degradation of the Web began with invaders in our time who are closed off. They violate our sacred ways, killing and taking, reaping for sport. Such changes accumulated through millennia.
When running the crystal star, you plug into the Web and induce brightness.
I hope you’ll read The Working and see if the crystal star practice calls to you. The more people who practice what I call the crystal star, the more effect we’ll collectively have.
While the magic in The Working is real, it alone won’t change the world. It amplifies and helps direct our energies to best action in any given moment.
If nothing else, The Working instills HOPE through an exciting story with relatable characters.
I will donate all November and December royalties from my book to Climate Justice Alliance and Starhawk’s Earth Activist Training.
ps Notice the new tabs on my site: my Schedule shows events and workshops and Media has taped interviews and discussions. Hope you’ll take a look.