Over the last few months, some readers have been asking me, “What inspired you to write ‘Mystical Circles’? And, as I have just issued a revised edition of the novel on Kindle with a new cover design, I thought now would be a good moment to answer some of those questions.
The story evolved out of a number of different influences & experiences covering several years of my life. I was inspired for the setting by the strong contrast between the calm beauty of the Cotswolds landscape, and the complexity of the emotions and psyches of the fictional characters I imagine living there.
And although the characters are a composite of many people I’ve met, there’s also a little bit of me in every one of them. The setting and events of the story arose from my own experiences: a writing course at a college in Kent; a symposium on “religious renewal in the modern world” at Hawkwood College, near Stroud, Gloucestershire; a Buddhist retreat in a school on the south coast; a poetry course at Totleigh Barton, Devonshire farmhouse owned by the Arvon Foundation.
Inspiration came too from people I met at the Relaxation Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, and courses I attended there on “The Centre Within”, “Personal Growth” and “Dream Yoga”.
Additionally, I learned new things from the sannyasins who followed the guru Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh, when I spent a couple of days observing activities at their UK-based community, especially their practice of Dynamic Meditation. And I drew, too, upon my experience with the local community mental heath teams in Leamington Spa.
And why did I eventually settle upon the genre of mystery romance to tell this story? Firstly, the very nature of mystery is to unravel human motivation. And romance because I’ve often found that a key charismatic figure stands at the centre of any body of teachings. The language used by such a person excites, moves, inspires, and arouses the emotions; the personality of this leader is a powerful influence; and – in my experience & observation – love, romantic/sexual feelings, and emotional charge cannot be separated from the spiritual journey.
I hope that has answered some of your questions. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve had your own experiences on the spiritual path. Or perhaps you have very different views of this. Either way, please leave a comment!
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I totally agree! I believe that everyone who embraces their emotions is truly a spiritual being. I am particularly intrigued by the nature of romantic love and how it influences our actions towards each other. People often talk about love being a false concept or a romantic notion, but in my experience it is central to the lives of almost everyone I know, whether they have loved and lost, are in love, or are searching for love. Your book sounds fascinating, I will add that to my TBR list…
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Thank you very much! I’m glad my thoughts about the spiritual journey have struck a chord with you… and hope that you do read the book & enjoy the story.
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Fascinating, Sheila. As a writer, I find it very interesting how you’ve woven your life experiences into your story
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Thank you Sandra!
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