The Making Of "Ashes For The Elephant God"

by Vijaya Schartz / Author Of Visionary Fiction

When I finally sat down to write ASHES FOR THE ELEPHANT GOD, memories of India rushed in like the raging waters of a broken dam along the Narmada River. So powerful was the recall, that I had to write the heroine's experiences in the first person, just as it happened to me. Of course, many dramatic parts of the story are fictional. I do not pretend to remember so clearly the threads of my previous incarnations. But to condense the whole India experience for a westerner and weave it into an uplifting novel of love, reincarnation, spiritual awakenings, and suspense, constituted an interesting challenge.

Most of the problems I encountered, during the year and a half it took to polish the book, were solved through meditation. Or I would wake up one morning with the clear image of a dream, a vision, a plot idea. As I wrote in a hypnotic state, I surrendered again to the magic of India, retracing the steps of my own spiritual evolution. Forgotten details and deeper wisdom emerged. I not only relived but deepened my understanding of previous events, in some cases unveiling for the first time their true significance.

Readers often ask me how much is fact and how much is fiction in the book. Women mostly ask about Mukunda. I have to say I did fall in love with Mukunda and married him in pretty much the same circumstances Fabienne, did. I gave my heroine a different family history, though. The raging monsoon floods, the mud slides, were very real, but contrary to Fabienne's, my life was never in danger. I did hike up the Valley Of The Gods and participated in the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage. As for the real ashram elephant of my past, he had a different name and the same irascible temper, and he was rumored to be the reincarnation of a powerful yogi turned evil.

The historical part of the book, describing the jungles of a previous incarnation during the Raj, required some research. That period may seem cruel and gory to the modern reader, but many Kali worshipers of the time used such practices. Most of the fires and murders of this saga came from dreams and visions, and I can't help believing that they may have happened in just that way.

The most rewarding part of sharing this story with my readers is the testimonies that come back to me. The Charlotte Austin Review in Canada called it "...a magnificent offering to the world of fiction...", Ted Csukor of the Arizona Yoga Association deemed it "...an easy-to-read novel which will be revisited many times and passed on to friends and family..." while Richard Fuller of Metaphysical Reviews says that it "...paints a fascinating word picture of afterlife, reincarnation, yoga, meditation, regression, the supernatural, astral projection...and more. Here is a superior metaphysical novel!"

I have written many books, some published, some yet to be, and all of them contain a spiritual message, but ASHES FOR THE ELEPHANT GOD is a very special gift to my brothers and sisters on the spiritual path.

To check out Vijaya Schartz's titles at Barnes & Noble, click here. To find her titles at Amazon.com, click here.


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