Sorry everyone, but the PayPal buttons are not going through in accordance with what it says on my side of the website. Not only that, but every button says The Star Children, when it comes to me! I am assuming, though, that you are ordering Little Star.
If you are ordering in Canada, an e-transfer would be best until the problem is fixed.
Because everything costs so much more now, especially for a book printed in Canada rather than China! the new book would realistically cost $30+. I have put the basic cost of either book at $25, which is a more competetive price. Shipping is included at $28 in Canada, this is heavily subsidized by me. (Small businesses do not get a deal from Canada Post the way big businesses do.)
I am so grateful for the synergy of us all – so many family members, old friends and new – coming together for such a loving and lovely book launch on Saturday. It was so inspiring! I think I forgot to ask someone to take photos, although a video was taken – some bits of it might be shown here soon! Below is a mockup of the table by the speaker (that would be me), so you can get the feeling. (Maybe someone did take a photo and might send it!
We had piano by Richard Burton upon coming in, and then we ended with a beautiful rendition of Martine’s violin – all our voices joining to sing Twinkle, twinkle. little star.
A new thing was illustrations I had mounted – ready to hang in a child’s room – which were very happily received. An example is in the photo. I will work on having some more available. The children loved choosing their favourite, and I think there are lots that can create a beautiful seasonal mood for a child. A lovely gift for a child or new baby.
Many thanks to generous book buyers – I don’t know how many – but I enjoyed signing many books! ❤️
Thrilled to announce the book has arrived, and just in time for the locally planned Happy Book Launch Party! If you need information about this write me through the contact page.
Upon reading the book, a young friend offered with a big smile, “Best children’s book I ever read!” (Aaww, thanks so much!”)
Looking forward to enjoying the book with you on Saturday!
After a lot of hard work, the website is mostly updated – I spent all afternoon on “The Meaning”, a feature I wanted to write about.
Somehow the contact page is not working, so sorry about that. And something is duplicated, but we are mostly there. Whew! I can’t believe how much work it is – just for the website!
Have you ever driven in a car with a GPS that kept saying “Recalculating, recalculating” every time you chose a slightly different way?
In any case, this is what I have been doing since January – that time I wanted to write “Happy New Year” to everyone! (Recalculating, recalculating!) So instead now it’s “Happy Summer!” and maybe a better word is Course Correction. I think this comes up often in life. We have to assess and allow new inspirations to come in. This has happened to me lately in my intention and goal to write inspired books for children – to adjust things to be in alignment with my new understanding and vision. And this is needed a lot as the world changes literally beneath our feet! So some time ago ‘clearing the path’ was what was in front of me, and now what I have found is ‘course correction’.
We have to recalculate. We have to live ourselves to new answers. We cannot, as Albert Einstein said, solve the problems we have made with the same mindset that created them.
I have also been working to update my website in line with my new course correction, my new inspirations, but as I am a little ignorant technologically so that has taken time! One thing I am changing is “Lila’s Blog” – having realized I am not a blogger. Yes, sometimes I do want to write something, but when I feel like that, I am always working on a book so at those times, I don’t want to ‘blog’. So I thought, UPDATES would be more appropriate. Then I can let people know about upcoming events and developments.
I was connecting with some of the stores that feature my books, I once again connected with this beautiful website in Australia: https://www.celestialbooksandgifts.com.au
Such a nourishing, lovely, serene website that gives a lovely thumbnail explanation of our philosophy – those who feel Waldorf inspired, or as other countries call it, Steiner inspired. This concept of ‘nourishing’ the child, is not one which is naturally embodied in our schools and families, immersed as we so often are in materialism and focusing on left brained learning. Below is a small excerpt from their site:
NURTURE AND PROTECT CHILDHOOD
We believe in leaving children free of the burdens of modern and adult life; as such, we stock thoughtfully considered literature, gifts and toys which encourage children to wonder, explore, create and learn in an organic and developmentally appropriate way.
In case the last post featuring the Kwan Yin and the words “Helpful energies are available. Thank you!” brought on Eye Rolling from the rationally minded, here is my experience that is behind this post:
Kwan Yin (or in the case of The Star Children, The Mother-of-Us-All) represents an energy and intelligence in the universe that is nourishing, loving, helpful and creative. This has been known of in all religions that had a goddess form. The last vestige of her in this age is what we know as Mother Nature. The qualities of this intelligent energy is available to us universally through our silence, thankfulness, peacefulness, and positive faith.
The Mother-of-Us-All had little suits for the star children to wear. Acquainting a young child with this reality can only work through personalized metaphor.
Happy Day! This is exciting and wonderful! A sale happened last year as well, and the response was heart warming.
I have got some new inspirations that won’t let go. Seems there are always surprising effects when one is grabbed like that. New visions are waiting in the wings!
Now we come to the third guiding principle as laid out by Rudolf Steiner. In the developmental journey of the child, in the time from puberty to adulthood, the quest for truth is the guiding principle.
The child has hopefully had an early childhood, filled with gentle loving caregivers who themselves have a moral integrity. By osmosis and imitation, the child comes to experience that goodness prevails, goodness is what we want to step into. The child hopefully develops faith in the world.
In the second phase, the middle years, the aspect of the child that yearns for nourishment is the sense for beauty, harmony and rhythmic activity. The child is responsive to creating something beautiful. What is needed is learning about the world and humankind in a rich, warm and beautiful way. Needless to say, there is very little food for this aspect to develop within our school system or the technological (entertainment) media. This part of the child may have become very shrunken.
Next, at puberty, with a sense for the ethical rightness of things, and with a sense for the beautiful, (although these are of course immature in development), the child’s mind desires to come awake. Truly, this is the time to develop thought, to look into things, to experiment, to find out for oneself about the truth of things. We might think of the need for the child to go their own way, to rebel, all because of the quest for truth. Often though, we may look with some horror at the way things are going with the teenager. We can remember the idea of “the quest for truth”, and that such things as the family’s “good name” or “what our family does” are actually not of developmental relevance to the teenager. We can suggest a wider search for consideration – to consider the other side of things, consider other ways to view something, consider the end result or consequences of actions.
Writing this (above), I have deeper sense of how Little Star and Eliore ended (an ending which I questioned in an earlier blog.) It was kind of a subconscious segue into the direction of my next book, a book for early adolescents. The attitude of Eliore is portrayed as one of humility and surrender to a larger principle. As we start to use our independent mind questing on our own, what can be more important than to balance our impulses and drives with some humility and surrender? If our minds can balance our single minded pursuit with other and larger considerations, it can often save us from disastrous pain later.
“I am here, Mother-of-Us-All” (Somehow turned into a very ethereal image, but still…)
THE STAR CHILDREN BOOKS / INSPIRED BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 