Golden Compass - Part One

Okay, so I'm halfway through the book. I admit, it's not the kind of book that I'd want my 8 year old to read - children getting kidnapped, and a decapitated head, to name just a few choice tidbits. But I'm 47, I can handle it, so I forge ahead. It wasn't until my little bout of insomnia last night that I got to the point in the book that made me cry. Up until now I can't see what all the fuss is about. In the book all of the humans have daemons, or guardian animals, that protect them, support them, encourage them, stay with them until they die. Not a new idea. But the Magisterium is taking children and doing something with them, but we don't find out what they're doing until the beginning of Part 2.

There's talk of a child that's not quite dead and not quite alive, in a village up North, where Lyara is headed with the gyptians to rescue the children. Lyara is guided by the golden compass, which tells her correct answers when she relaxes and focuses on her questions (just like our inner knowing? In the book children have it, adults do not - hmmm). She knows she has to go get the little boy. There she finds out what the Church is going to the children - they are ripping the daemons and the children apart so the children are now alone. That, in and of itself, was enough to make me start crying, because the daemon represents to me our guardian angels, our Higher Selves and guides; all of our connections to our whole selves, our Souls, so to rip that away from the children? It's too horrifying for words. But then we see that the little boy is desperately grasping a smelly old fish, clinging to it, pretending it's his daemon, and the tears started again. Look at all the kids and their stuffed animals, their blankies, their security blankets. Doesn't that kind of feel like the same thing?

So I'll keep reading to the end of this book before the movie comes out, then keep reading the next two, because I want to form my own opinion. It isn't enough just to take someone else's word for it when they send me an e-mail and say, "This is an evil book. This man is bad. And we need to stop him." Maybe. Maybe not. I'll decide for myself what I think, thank you. And I think it's IMPERATIVE that we all continue to do the same in our lives. NO MORE just taking someone else's word for something, just because they tell us we're like them, and if we don't side with them we're the enemy. I just don't buy it anymore. So far I think Philip Pullman is a literary genius, and I'd love to get his e-mail address so I can send him some fan mail. In lieu of that, I'll just post a message to him:

Dear Philip,

Thank you for having the vision and creativity and passion to write your books. I think you are brave, and enlightened, and oh, so smart. I love the way I can FEEL my Truth when I read your words. I can see my Truth behind the story, and it gives me hope for a conscious human race. Thank you for your books, thank you for your words, and thank you for writing your Truth. I do not think you are an atheist, or even an agnostic, but if you call yourselves any of those things, that's fine, too. I think you are a deeply spiritual man, rooted in the Source, with no time for the divisive and controlling ways of established organizations that seek to squish our spirits. Thank you.


My live channeling went swimmingly last night. Great people showed up even if the weather was daunting. I was surprised at the turn-out, but pleased, as always. I spoke of our courage at leaving our safe Homes, and traveling to Earth, and what a great sacrifice it is, and how all of the heavens acknowledge our bravery. I spoke of being in our ship, traveling to our Home, and the necessity of using our compass on our steering wheel to help guide us, along with our True North Star as being our constant, while the swirling constellations all around shift and change. The constellations are our life's situations and people, and as we sail on, everything keeps shifting and changing. But we WILL find our way Home, because Home is inside us, and we need to treat this self-discovery like our primary job right now. It is not self-centered, but essentially Self centered, which is a whole different ball game. Diane's thankfully going to transcribe the whole message, so I'll post it on my website at www.susanekberg.com as soon as she's done. I love doing this live once a month, on that first Tuesday - it's something you can count on, and that seems to be a rare commodity these days. Loving life, and everything in it ...