Relax into Stories: Reflections

Reflections - A Journey for the Mind, Body & Heart

Reflections was first published by Ex-L-Ence Publishing in 2016. This second revised edition was published by Milena Blomqvist in 2020. 
 
This book is a novel-length collection of short stories and poems of approx. 42 000 words. 
Who Are You?
 
What do a frightened child, a sleepy lion, a slightly possessive pearl oyster, an angry mother, a contented tree and a piece of cake in an uncomfortable situation have in common? The characters in Reflections share the desire to feel connected. Some are showing us their way to feel spiritually whole, while others are still searching and finding themselves in places where circumstances seem to dictate their experience. Will they be trapped in fear, anger and resistance or can they find their way back to their true nature?
 
The stories in this book are an invitation to activate all your senses and to harness the power of body awareness and sensing for the benefit of your life. Go on a journey and walk in the shoes of another, expand your consciousness and feel into the world. Dive deep into the mystery we call Life. Change your perspective, find that other angle… take the plunge and move from the pain of separation into connection, acceptance and embracing All That Is.  
 
Get this book and deepen the connection with your Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit.   
 

What I hope You will Get from the Book

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The main message of this book is that life does not always have to be difficult – not because everything feels easy, but because there is immense beauty to be found in life – if you know where to look and train yourself how to look. The book is an intense reading experience, attracting attention into the body through all the senses, invoking you to be present in the now. Beautiful natural imagery and metaphors invite you to slow down for calm moments of quiet being. 

The book contains 18 short stories, including a few poems that let you experience what unity consciousness - or being at one with the universe - entails. The stories take you on a journey from disconnection and resistance to completeness, joy and embracing what is. The stories have the capacity to inspire change and transform your perceptions. 

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Curious about Reflections? Read a few excerpts below:

Lost and Found

The Lion and the Chameleon
I sense a shark and direct my attention towards it. The skin of this ferocious animal may have a velvety softness about it, yet close up the grey coat of this smooth operator is surprisingly grainy. As I brush up against the skin, it resembles a sandy beach more than anything else. I lose myself in the powerful, muscular agility of this magnificent beast. I pick up the faint scent of prey. Following my natural swimming motion, my head moves from side to side, eagerly tracking my potential victim. I feel the testosterone surging through my body, propelling me forward. I am on a mission. A school of shiny sardines pass me by. I will not be side tracked by such futilities. As the scent becomes stronger and stronger, I continue forward in relentless pursuit of my next meal. Hungry for meat. Thirsty for blood. So near now, I can taste the red fluid in my mouth. My mouth wide open, razor sharp, serrated teeth exposed, closing in on my target… closer… and closer… The seal I had in my sights disappears in a maelstrom of silvery fish and turbulent water! A rush of adrenaline and my quick reflexes save me from getting sucked in. My mind already on my next victim, I pick up a new scent and thrust myself forward in this liquid world. All these sensations feel so real. So what am I? Am I a vicious, bloodthirsty predator? Am I a goal-oriented, efficient marine creature? ...

Voices

Wailing cries are cutting through the air. I feel the sound hitting my head, my eardrums, my open hart, my soft belly – again and again and again. The sound and the emotions encoded within it keep penetrating deeper and deeper. I feel them reverberating through my entire body. I sense the chilling echoes returning from the marrowy hollows of my bones. The wailing sound of a child in distress. Relentless reminder. Unbearable purity. Demanding action. Right here. Right now.

Where is this sound coming from? Who is making it? Why is this sound being created? Who is responsible for causing it? Who is responsible for such anguish? Who is causing such anxiety? I want to blame someone. I need to blame someone. Someone, somewhere, must be held accountable. Someone must pay. 

I see the sharp pieces of a broken plate scattered across stone tiles of the kitchen floor. A mother and a father standing at opposite sides of the kitchen table. Shouting, screaming. Boundaries being violated. Angry words hurled back and forth across the room. Every one cutting like a razor, creating wound after wound. Invisible, open, painful wounds, bleeding with tears.  

Somewhere in a corner, a small child is curled up in the foetal position. ...   
Once upon a time there was a young lion that lived on the grassy plains of the savannah. As our lion friend roamed through the mosaic of yellow grassland and isolated green trees, he enjoyed the feel and sound of crunchy, dry grass under his paws. He would chase after a few birds for a while. He would stroll down to the waterhole for a refreshing drink of water. But his favourite pastime was to lie down in a state of half slumber in the shade of a shrub or a tree. Hours would go by without him even noticing and suddenly he would wake up and see that the sun had travelled across the entirety of the sky, while he had been sleeping. 

The lion also had siblings and relatives. They used to play together; roll around in the grass, chase some wildebeests and watch the powerful elephants come by during their migration across the vast sea of grass. The other lions were very competitive and their days mainly revolved around achievements of different kind. All day he would hear them exclaim how fast they were, or what good hunters they were, bragging about who had the largest piece of meat. They would boast about how loud they could roar, how shiny their fur was and how some were even growing a mane! 

The lion would listen to the other lions but could not really think of anything to say. He supposed he was reasonably good at several things, but did not really excel at anything in particular. Still, the lion would join in and make an effort to really shine at all the games of the other lions, but someone else was always faster or bigger or more beautiful. As time went by, he stopped doing his best and when the other lions were showing off, he preferred to lie down in the yellow grass and quietly blend in with his sandy colours - he could go unnoticed by the others for hours. 

On occasion, someone would spot him and ask him what he was good at and what he was going to become when he grew up. The lion would just shrug his shoulders and say that he did not know. He liked a lot of things – running and hunting, just like the others. Usually, that would be it and the other lions would go on with their games. 

One day, however, the other lions did not move on immediately, as they typically would. Instead, they lingered a bit longer, seemingly waiting for something. ...
You can also download two free stories from Reflections on Smashwords and in the bookstores of many other major ebook retailers.
The Treasure is a short story about a philosophically inclined ocean-dweller, contemplating its place in the stream of life. Read this story and allow yourself to drift away in a lyrical, underwater world of everyday mystery.

The Mirror Maker is a short story about beauty and ugliness, hope and despair; about the deeper truths and lies we all carry inside us. It is a story about trust and surrender, creation and destruction; about following one’s path and honouring one’s true nature. Read this story and take some time to contemplate your own inner truth. 
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