Romantic Fiction, Reality Shaping and The Work

[Bluegazer]

I'm sure that many of you are aware that the entire time that "Frank" was involved in the experiment, there was a very negative attitude toward sex and physical relationships. I've wondered about that a lot considering so many other things that fell out over the years. I've wondered about it even more with the events of the past ten years or so and the emergence of the LBGT agenda. There was also a session where the Cs said something about men (and women?) losing their libidos in the times preceding or during The Wave. Those things put together have caused me to think quite a bit. And maybe some of you can think about it too and put together some obvious deductions. Like, ask yourself the question if the whole messing up of sex center energy is not a planned attack of some sort? And what about the nutcases who promote stuff like "Curious Beagle" came out with in a post above? That nonsense has been around for a long time and never did anybody any good and Gurdjieff warned stringently against the deceptions of kundaline and the Abuse of Sex (which is not what most people think).

I see it much more clearly now. (ah ha! moment) No doubt this helps with the unresolved aspects of each of us. Whether you are a loner, feel you are unattractive and a million other things related to those emotions, reading provides a mirror and a guide to resolve such inner issues and give them the proper place they deserve. And it is true, there is attack, and there is manipulation. Why does a man react so negatively to sordid stories of sex where there is betrayal and deception, as if it had been done to him, but in real life, it never happened to him, nor was he offended? Yes, sometimes I have felt this way... I think it is not only an amplification of the emotions, it is also the sensitivity in the reception. Reactivity is increasing... I hope I understood the issue.

 

[seek10]

Untouched is pretty good. I'm not interested in courtesans, so don't read about them if I can avoid it.

Devil Riders series by Anne Gracie is good. Excellent in fact. Read them in order.
...
Heartless and Silent Melody.

At this point in time, Heartless is selling on amazon.com for over 900 bux for a hard copy.

Thank you Laura for the comprehensive list. I have listened 80% of the seven nights novel. I thought it is interesting.

To prepare for the next book and get a feel of what I can get it from the library I created a sheet. My NJ library has connections to service providers like HooplaDigital, Overdrive ( Libby is overdrive's mobile app), etc. overdrive has connections to ElibraryNJ which is NJ's electronic/audio library.

I created the sheet with author, book series, book name what version (audio, ebook etc.) of the book available in HooplaDigital, Overdrive with hyperlinks. I removed the physical book available as it is specific to my local libraries. I am guessing these service providers have connections to different states and probably country libraries. One can click on the hyperlink and do a one-time setup with their library card, one can see what is available for them to borrow through their library card.

Here it is

Romance Books List

docs.google.com

 

[Altair]

One hint I will give at this point is this: the books are designed to stir up the sex center; to engage some emotional suffering (Cs said suffering can modify DNA and that might be even more the case with some sexual energy fuelling the process); and then bring the two (sex center, emotional center energy) up into the heart/mind with appropriate resolution toward true love, giving, devotion, etc.

I can only confirm this effect. I finished Indiscreet by Mary Balogh in two gos and really enjoyed it. The whole story is somewhat dramatic but continuously fuelled by pure sexual energy and beauty. I even shed a couple of tears, especially at the end - primarily because it gave me a strong feeling of HOPE, feeling that something that appears impossible, desperate and unresolvable can nevertheless be actualized by means of higher feelings of courage and forgiveness.

Will continue The Horsemen Trilogy and then probably switch to another author.

 

[shellycheval]

The main reason I am NOT reading or recommending something like Outlander is purely because of the science fiction aspects. This exercise is to be grounded in reality as we know it, even if it is represented in a context of a historical remove. There is no magic, no special powers, no getting around work.

Well that makes sense. Will order the recommended books soon. Thanks.

 

[Joe]

I suggest you get quality friends so you can surrender in networking with spiritual masters.

 

[Konstantin]

One hint I will give at this point is this: the books are designed to stir up the sex center; to engage some emotional suffering (Cs said suffering can modify DNA and that might be even more the case with some sexual energy fuelling the process); and then bring the two (sex center, emotional center energy) up into the heart/mind with appropriate resolution toward true love, giving, devotion, etc.

Once I saw this pattern, I realized that a substantial number of repetitions of this process, all within the body/mind could quite easily bring about some kind of reset of emotional energy at a higher level.

And it seems to me that those who are most uncomfortable with the process may indeed need it the most. Especially since, as already mentioned, we are in a period of "hyperkinetic sensate" where it seems that even ordinary emotions are amplified.

And you are the expert on world-building? Remember, it's not so much about the story itself, as what the story DOES TO YOU in the process of being told. It's all symbolic.

But the emotions and the body have a life of their own. The first sex scenes I thought gratuitous. The dialogues cheesy, some lines you'd expect from a porn movie (porn movies really make me want to throw up). But it didn't quite work. It hit me after reading yet another one of those scenes. Sure there was stirring of the sex center, arousing. But there was more to it than just hormones acting out. It was the bonding / connection between these 2 characters, the complete acceptance of who/what the other was, that stirred and moved me. Stirring started in the genital area, then it moved up to the belly and up to the throat where I felt a lump, and tears started falling.

I needed to write this while the roller coaster is still there and emotions are still high, before I sober up, eventually decide NOT to hit the "post reply" button, and repress it all inside and go back to my usual mode of processing that kind of stuff: don't talk about it, it'll fade away (before coming back again), things will stabilize (for a while) and I'll feel ridiculous and admonish myself: "You're really a silly, half-hysterical woman. You've got it all under control now, everything is A-OK and you don't NEED to read and feel that stuff, you can deal with those things on your own. And if you can't, just go talk to a shrink. But now, you're just completely fine so there's no need to see a shrink. Maybe later. Really, what was THAT all about? Chuckles. Yeah, silly woman."

I finished the "Seven Nights in a Rogue's bad ( Sons of Sin Book 1) "
This morning I posted in this thread and I was a more intellectual view on the book.
When I started the book I was going very slowly. A lot of English words that I don't understand and I don't use them.
I thought that I will need a century to finish this book, but Laura's post intrigued me and I decide to go on without any expectations as much as I can.
I was using the built-in dictionary in Kindle application for PCto find the meaning of the words,
As progress through the book, I was using the dictionary less and less. The movie started to play before my eyes as the story was developing. Even if I missed a word or a whole row, the emotions induced in me were more than enough so I could understand everything.

Just 2 characters. But the story was interesting. Each of them goes through a total transformation through their emotional and sexual interactions.
My emotions went a rollercoaster. I have never read 400 pages in a so short period. Never.
If this was some intellectual book I won't be able to go at this pace.
I didn't even notice how I spend hours with that book. I wanted to write these words as Adaryn said before, while my emotions are still fresh. Reading this book was like a personal experience for me on an emotional level. Something sane and human in these dark times in our reality.

The story starts with a gentle play on emotions. The 2 characters are like cat and mouse. Then it goes into a full-throttle of emotions and sexual scenes that really shakes the sexual and emotional centers, at least for me.
Then the last third of the book, when the Sidoni comes home. That was going from sadness when their relationship was going astray to happiness and love when the love and compassion were winning, up to the end of the book. In the final part of the book, the final epilogue of the book is very important I think.

Laura mentioned in her first post here that these books usually have a happy end.
Well, I think that they are meant to finish that way. To balance the emotions, to balance the centers, not to leave the reader in the middle of that rollercoaster.
That is the beauty of these books.

After finishing the book I was left with a feeling like something is pressing me at my breastbone, like I have stuck lump there.

I will continue with the next book in this series.

 

[Channa]

Jane Austen is definitely a very good author to read, I've almost read them all and my favorite is Pride and Prejudice, the second one Sense and Sensibility. I also have read a long time ago The Mists of Avalon series. What I did especially like in the latter was the fact that the famous Arthurian legends was seen from the perspective of the women characters, especially Morgaine who was fighting to save her Celtic religion from the threats of Christianity.

I was thinking of another very good author, unfortunately only some of her novels has been translated in English, German or Spanish for what I know: Catherine Hermary-Vieille. For those who read French and love historical novels, I highly recommend Le Crépuscule des rois trilogy.

In this trilogy, Catherine Hermary-Vieille write about the main human traits such as heroism, cowardice, voluptuous or passionate love affairs evolving between shadow and light, redemption and damnation. She does it with a great talent, kind of like a biography (historical background) spiced up with sensuality. The trilogy is situate between the end of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the Renaissance. Between England, France and Flanders, kings, queens, great lords and adventurers are tearing each other apart for power. A dark and mystical era, sumptuous and violent, haunted by unusual characters, beautiful and ambitious women, such as Marguerite d'Anjou, daughter of King René, and Elizabeth of York, children with a dramatic destiny, such as the two sons of King Edward IV, stifled in the Tower of London by order of their uncle, the highly controversial Richard III. The tragic death of the ultimate descendant of York brought an end to the bloody War of the Two Roses, which from 1455 to 1485 pitted the enemy cousins, Lancaster and York, against each other.

Un autre auteur que je recommanderais de la même manière (un homme, oui, je pense qu'il est doué d'un très bon sens de la féminité et il semble prendre cette part féminine de lui-même) est Gilbert Sinoué . Certains de ses livres en français ont été traduits en espagnol, en italien, voire en allemand, et aussi en anglais, comme le deuxième ci-dessous. J'ai particulièrement aimé et lu plusieurs fois l'un de ses célèbres romans, Avicenne ou La route d'Ispahan , relatant la vie d'Avicenne, le médecin, philosophe et scientifique persan qui se débat entre son besoin inné de prendre soin des autres et le grand amour de son la vie. Mon deuxième livre préféré est The Book of Sapphirequi a été traduit en anglais. C'est un roman théologique / thriller / histoire que j'ai aussi lu plusieurs fois, Voyage dans le temps garanti! L'histoire raconte l'histoire de trois hommes, un musulman, un chrétien et un juif, tous des érudits ésotériques qui se sont engagés ensemble à la recherche du secret de tous les secrets, Le Livre de Saphir , qui serait la preuve vivante de l'existence de Dieu , tout cela se passe à l'époque de l'Inquisition en Espagne. Fascinant à lire surtout sur l'interaction des personnages et ce qui fait une bonne relation entre eux, y compris avec le personnage féminin principal (étant donné que les trois hommes sont religieux), c'est très bien écrit (je ne connais pas la qualité de la traduction en anglais) comme ainsi que ses autres livres.

Pour finir, j'aimerais parler un peu de La Maison des Esprits écrite par Isabel Allende . L'histoire traite de l'absolu de l'amour, de la familiarité et de la mort, le tout en plusieurs générations dans une saga familiale qui construit et déconstruit les relations entre le maître du domaine et les membres de sa famille, les serviteurs de la maison et les paysans qui travaillent dans le domaines, et dont l'histoire s'inscrit dans celle du Chili en tant qu'État.

J'adore les sagas: cela donne une idée de ce qu'un avenir peut devenir en fonction de ce qui s'est passé dans le passé. C'est pourquoi j'aime Darkover car l'histoire se déroule sur plus de 2000 ans ... racontant des relations amoureuses inconditionnelles qui doivent faire face aux préjugés des autres et de la société tout en luttant pour maintenir leurs valeurs, qui ne sont pas toujours conformes à la culture dominante de qu'ils vivent.

Merci Laura pour la série The Sons of Sin , je les ai ajoutés dans ma liste de souhaits Edition sur Amazon.
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[Channa]

Hello MK Scarlett

I see we like the same writers.
I discovered Catherine Hermary-Vieille with her book "L'Initié", about The Count of Saint Germain and afterwards I read her other novels.

For Amin Maalouf, I have read all his books as well and "Les désorientés" is about him and his friends who had to separate from Lebanon and go their separate ways.
Nostalgia for a country and the world before.
Interesting to read now with what is happening in this beautiful country.

A book that I found used and I didn't know the author at all, American...
"Pilgrim" by Timothy Fidley - translated into French
It is art history, psychiatry and "spiritism" with an original approach to madness, cautious, documented and not devoid of poetry.

If you have other books in French, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you

 

[zak]

Speaking of "hyperkinetic sensate".
I must add that when i get to chapter 15 of "The madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie".
I woke up the next day with a heatball in my stomach that has spread through me up and down, making my heart beat so hard i was dizzy. It was a sensation similar to when for the first time i fell in love.
Then another time my body started shaking so much for flasbacks, that I thought I would have enough brown fat to stay out all winter long under the snow in a t-shirt and flip flop.
Otherwise it's all good!

 

[Renaissance]

reading is mind activity not the optimal choice for developing spirituality, I suggest you get quality friends so you can surrender in networking with spiritual masters.

That's both literally and literarily a rather clueless way of going about life.

 

[ryu]

I have read about the half of the second Book of the series the Mackenzie. I like it even more than the first, probably because I relate more to Isabella. She and her husband love each other deeply and their relationship is really moving. I felt a bit silly at the beginning of the series for being roused by the sex scenes, and then I appreciated them without guilt. I wasn't disturbed by the purely physical aspect, but by the emotional one. That got me thinking.
Like @Laura said in one of her previous post, people sex lives are often far from being based on care, devotion, respect and much less joy and playfulness. I learned long ago that the sexual freedom had transformed most of the dating in a meat market, and that the liberation of women wasn't for tomorrow.

I was disturbed while reading because I kept thinking to myself "this is totally unrealistic", or "this is only a happy couple in a million". Not so much for the "performance" part, but for the joy and affection and for the fact that they kept their dignity and respected the other's. They didn't debased themselves nor the other.

I realized that I felt uneasy because I had let myself become an hard-core cynic. I felt it was weak to feel, but in fact what is "weak" is to refuse to be vulnerable. I cried when I realized all that, that I didn't believe in truthful relationships anymore, that I bottled up my feelings because I was scared and that I had let this sick society get to me like this.

I believe that's why so many people scoff at these books (I still think it's cheezy), if they thought "I could have this", they would look themselves in a mirror and see they lived below their potential, abused and used their partners, how little of their true selves remains. They would also see how low they stooped.

So thanks Laura for beginning this thread, I didn't realized I needed it. Thankfully I never went to deep in the gutter.

I will continue reading and report to you guys.

 

[thorbiorn]

Having discovered that it is not always easy to find out from Amazon which books are in the same series, it turns out the pages of the authors if available often can help. Below, I list what I found.
In the first post there was:

Authors are Mary Balogh, Jennifer Ashley, Anna Campbell, Anne Gracie, Alice Chetwynd Ley, Elisa Braden, Emily Hendrickson, Jess Michaels, Scarlett Scott, Dorothy Mack, Laura Kinsale, Georgett Heyer, of course, and a few others. Several of these authors have written series books where the characters and some of the situations overlap in the set of books, and reading them in order is best.

Next was the list in Laura's post on page eight with names of authors, their series or titles Using Books to Imagine a New Reality Among these are some of the authors from the first post. In the copied excerpt from the post on page eight, I have inserted links to author pages. Perhaps this might help those who look for translations. Some author names appear more than once, but the link will be the same.

Untouched is pretty good. I'm not interested in courtesans, so don't read about them if I can avoid it. [T: The books are by Anna Campbell as mentioned by the excerpt that was quoted]

Devil Riders series by Anne Gracie is good. Excellent in fact. Read them in order.

The 1797 Club series by Jess Michaels is pretty good with lots of story to them.

Sins and Scoundrels series by Scarlett Scott

Rescued from Ruin series by Elisa Braden

Sons of Sin series by Anna Campbell

Marriage of Convenience series by Anne Gracie

Four Horsemen trilogy by Mary Balogh

Survivor's Club series by Mary Balogh

Merridew series by Anne Gracie

Lairds Most Likely series by Anna Campbell

Heartless by Mary Balogh and its companion book Silent Melody
[....]

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and subsequent books have been mentioned in several posts. They are by Jennifer Ashley and is part of The Mackenzies / McBrides Series of which the book mentioned is the first.

Two other authors mentioned in the first post have also their own pages:
Emily Hendrickson
Laura Kinsale
And a few have passed away or I could not find them:
Alice Chetwynd Ley
Georgette Heyer This is a fan website.
Dorothy Mack

 

[maiko]

I started the Mackenzie series and to be honest, I had my doubts when reading through the first chapters. But that was no much the book itself it was just myself. When I studied German literature at university I got fully absorbed by the whole intellectual approach to deconstructing literature and for years I gave up reading anything else but what was considered the “safe” canon of books to read if you want to impress other people with tidbits of your knowledge. But I missed something. I missed stories that communicate deep-set values and archetypes. Stories that steer up emotions and leave you with something to think about and even uplifting and hopeful.

In the beginning, I thought that this is going to be series of episodes full of heavily heaving bosoms, tight corsets, and handsome wild highland men, I wanted more of the actual story of Ian Mackenzie and less seduction. Only with the second book, I noticed that although the books follow a certain pattern the sexual aspect and the story of personal development belong together. As long as your still battling your inner demons or carefully curate your personal story you won’t be able to fully open yourself to another person and reach a level of intimacy where the sexuality loses its darker aspects like manipulations, power games or the fulfillment of one’s own needs above anything else. After a while, I noticed that these books resonate with a longing that many people might feel these days (maybe often without knowing it). I certainly did feel a longing for a purer kind of relationship during my time at university and afterward. I do not remember something like old fashion courtship when dating. Everyone was always so cynical and self-aware about building a relationship. What ground does that lie for a sexual relationship, a situation where you are so intimate and vulnerable? I certainly did things in my life I wasn’t proud of, “consuming” sexuality rather than seeing the potential for connection it implies. That often left me empty and if not disgusted at least feeling troubled about my own behavior. And I know that from other female friends as well. There was a longing for those old patterns as played out in the books. The books also promote pretty independent strong female characters, because they are true to themselves. Whereas I remember me and friends trying so much to be above such traditional gender roles, constantly feeling certain expectation that to be cool you had to overcome those deeply ingrained values and ideas of relationship. Be a cool girl, be cynical and apply a dating behavior so unconnected and superficial that it proofs you have left traditional gender roles behind. I can’t say that I was really happy, or content or in any way fulfilled during that time.

Then getting married and taking the time to build a relationship built on trust and openness and putting someone else needs before your own without losing yourself kind of turned me into a prude for some time. I thought that a relationship must have a stronger basis, that sexuality is but a side aspect that should not take up too much room. But that was a total misconception of some kind of warped idea of purity that isn’t healthy either.

That is why for me personally the books are enjoyable and uplifting. They resonate with my own learning and process. And especially the sexuality displayed I understand nowadays as something valuable that people have to give and to offer each other, free of egocentric motivation and hidden agendas. Isn’t that beautiful? But it is something that today’s tendencies to further dissolve gender roles and values make impossible to experience.

Thank you everyone for sharing their thoughts and Laura for starting the thread. The books really open up a positive range of emotions that are like an antidote against many aspects of the onslaught we experience every day on so many levels.

 

[loreta]

Yesterday I started The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley . But just the beginning, just enough to see that it is not bad writing, not at all. Not yet arrive at the sexual intercourse, I am really curious what will happen.

 

[Laura]

Thank you Laura for the comprehensive list. I have listened 80% of the seven nights novel. I thought it is interesting.

To prepare for the next book and get a feel of what I can get it from the library I created a sheet. My NJ library has connections to service providers like HooplaDigital, Overdrive ( Libby is overdrive's mobile app), etc. overdrive has connections to ElibraryNJ which is NJ's electronic/audio library.

I created the sheet with author, book series, book name what version (audio, ebook etc.) of the book available in HooplaDigital, Overdrive with hyperlinks. I removed the physical book available as it is specific to my local libraries. I am guessing these service providers have connections to different states and probably country libraries. One can click on the hyperlink and do a one-time setup with their library card, one can see what is available for them to borrow through their library card.

Here it is

Romance Books List

docs.google.com

We need to add the Mackenzie saga books.

Also, there is a trilogy by Balogh that is excellent: Courting Julia, Dancing with Clara, Tempting Harriet. The middle one is the jewel of this set.

Some excellent standalones from Balogh: The First Snowdrop, An Unacceptable Offer, The Obedient Bride, The Ideal Wife, Dark Angel/Lord Carew's Bride.

Also, Untouched by Anna Campbell

There is another really great series by Mary Balogh: The Survivor's Club with the following, in order: The Proposal, The Suitor, The Arrangement, The Escape, Only Enchanting, Only a Promise, Only a Kiss, Only Beloved.