Warrior of the Light - Warrior of the light and his demons

Warrior of the Light Issue 108
Warrior of the Light and his demons
By Paulo Coelho

Paulo's latest musings consider how the 'warrior of the light' can be besieged by his own fears, paranoias and even actions. It is a positive and encouraging missive that will strike a chord with people attempting to improving themselves - we all take wrong steps and doubt ourselves; but it all seems so much better if we know others are going through the same thing.

The practical advice is particularly resonant. "The warrior when talking about his brother’s attitudes, imagines that he is present, listening to what he says. Thus, he develops the art of prudence and dignity," Paulo writes.

The full issue is now available for download from the Smink Works Books site

Scoliosis creates titanium superheroine from business analyst

By day, she’s a mild-mannered business analyst, by night she’s the Titanium Maiden - superheroine dedicated to triumphing over evil in the form of serious curvature of the spine known as Scoliosis.

Author Kremena’s fight against Scoliosis evil is detailed in a new novel from Smink Works Books entitled Sex, Scars and a Superheroine with Scoliosis.

Under the superheroine disguise of business analyst, Kremena wrote most of the quirky semi-autobiographical book on Post-It notes in an office toilet cubicle.

But this superheroine’s weapon of choice? Life philosophy. The novel is peppered with more than 200 of Kremena’s own quotes about life. “I silently asked myself pseudo-philosophical questions about my life and everyone else's,” she says.

Indeed, the Titanium Maiden has gathered valuable lessons and become a stronger person by fighting Scoliosis - but she's not about to admit that out loud. After all, it might sound schmaltzy.

Download a free chapter from the Smink Works Books website.

Out December 1

THOUGHTS ON: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and anti-terrorist laws

Tom Robbins' book Even Cowgirls Get the Blues may have been written in 1976 but boy he hits a bull's-eye with relevancy. Half way through the book, there it was - a metaphorical silver bullet for the current Western governments of the world.

To paraphrase the Chink (slightly mad-yet-wise Japanese (yes Japanese) recluse in the book): He says civilized man has confused stability with rigidity; stabilization to the world's leaders means order, uniformity, control. Disorder invariably leaks in and the world's managers rush to tighten controls and so totalitarianism grows in viciousness and scope. But, the Chink (via Mr. Robbins) alleges, true stability is when order and disorder are balanced. He says a truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed ... just like how a stable individual is an individual who accepts the inevitability of his death.

Stability doesn't come from effectively taking freedom away from people - by promoting fear and introducing laws to control the masses. At the base of current events is instability in the form of insurgent ideas and terrorism. Governments are attempting to eradicate this instability by introducing draconian laws that in effect only lie like a sheet too small for a bed; it will never cover it sufficiently.

SM