Maria Isabel Pita

Please come to my NEW Blog

2011-08-10T13:18:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving behind Blogger and moving to a much more focused and dynamic Blog: Ancient Omnivore - A Personal Tribute to the Sensual Spirit.

There's much up already (including 48 recipes) and I'll soon begin blogging. Please join me there!

The Champagne Perspective

2011-06-09T10:51:00.000-04:00

Swiss Chard Forest

2011-06-07T14:04:00.001-04:00

Our love transcends speech

2011-05-28T12:48:00.000-04:00

As if he wasn't cute enough without a heart-shaped pink mark above his lip...

Inside Out

2011-05-11T14:46:00.000-04:00

Robert Waggoner: Beyond the Expectation Effect: Is The Mind an Open...

2011-05-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

Robert Waggoner: Beyond the Expectation Effect: Is The Mind an Open...: "Dear Dreamers, In lucid dreaming, we realize that many of the actions or events occur according to our expectation about what seems likely ..."

No more hair dye

2011-04-29T16:03:00.000-04:00

Going white: Au Natural

I love you, Sara!

2011-04-19T15:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday evening—sitting outside on the front porch with my husband—was pervaded by Sara's beautiful being. There were an unusual number of birds singing and flying in a joyful display all around us. A large robin chirping in my favorite tulip tree flew to another tree across from me and sang and sang a song I distinctly felt was the earthly echo of Sara assuring me she was all right, more than that. I imagined her inhabiting the birds for the sheer joy of experiencing their physical energy and agility now that she'd finally been freed from her body's prison. We saw a genuine blue bird for the first time, a rare and stunning sight. The sun was setting in such a way it was not so bright you couldn't look toward the west, luminously swathed in diaphanous clouds like the scarves I remember Sara loved to wear. Toward the end a smoldering orange, the solar disc glowed between black branches like an enchanted Halloween pumpkin, and Sara's sense of humor became the very atmosphere as out of nowhere a humming bird appeared, paused directly in front of us, then zoomed westward. We glanced at each other in awe because we've never seen a humming bird up here before. Even my husband, who never met Sara, felt as though she had just said, “Honeee! I'm here! And I'm fine, really!"

In Memory of my beautiful and best friend, Sara Garment

2011-04-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

A self-portrait she shot not long ago entitled "Between the camera and the clock"

I love you, Sara. God speed! I pray I will see you again soon in a dream.

Sheer Magic

2011-04-15T09:30:00.000-04:00

One of the many baby leaves on one of "our" many tulip trees

Listen to samples of the audio version of "Truth is the Soul of the Sun"

2011-03-31T14:01:00.000-04:00

"Maya" or "Samsara"

2011-03-29T08:55:00.000-04:00

If all is illusion why does it all matter, and why did we become separated from the pure source of all Being we can only label God?

That is, indeed, the question. But I think the problem here is misunderstanding what "samsara" or "maya" means. Attached are quotes from a brilliant book by Robert Waggoner, "Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self", highlighted and clipped directly from my Kindle:

- Highlight Loc. 1361
"One meaning of maya is translated as 'illusion' but it also has its basis in the verbal root ma, which means 'to make.'

- Highlight Loc. 1362 |
Thus [Wendy Doniger] O'Flaherty calls maya 'creative power,' 'artistic creation,' 'the process of creation.' She quotes [Jan] Gonda on maya in terms of 'converting an idea into dimensional reality,'

- Highlight Loc. 1363-64 |
As lucid dreamers, we experience this broader meaning of maya directly-the forming and creating of an experienced reality from our feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

- Highlight Loc. 1364-65 |
maya first meant making something that was not there before.... [M]aya can often best be translated as "transformation.""-

- Highlight Loc. 1365-66
"To say that the universe is an illusion (maya) is not to say that it is unreal; it is to say, instead, that it is not what it seems to be, that it is something constantly being made."3

- Highlight Loc. 1366-70
The ancient concept of maya, or illusion, alludes to the experiencer of the illusion as formatively assisting in the creation of the illusion. We do not exist in illusion so much as help form illusion. Lucid dreamers come to realize the truth of this as they see their own artistry, their own creative power, their own ideas formed into the dreaming reality that they experience. Like artists projecting their ideas, knowledge, and talent into their paintings, lucid dreamers project portions of themselves creatively into their dreaming. The lucid dreamer embodies and joins forces with the inventive power of maya.

In Conclusion:
Nothing is "real" or lasts (matters)then except the supreme act of creating/creation. The ancient Egyptians believed every person's responsibility was to grow spirituallhy in order to fully, consciously participate in Divine Creativity.

Does size really matter?

2011-03-28T14:50:00.000-04:00

Truth is the Soul of the Sun - Audio Book

2011-03-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

Now available for pre-order from amazon.com
19 CDS * UNABRIDGED
I received so many requests for an audio version of my epic novel that I performed it myself. A great book for long drives!

Eternal Blood - The Complete Novel

2011-01-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Just Released

Seductive possibilities looming just a sip of blood away, Audrey begins to understand that the world “outside” is hauntingly inseparable from her own consciousness as quantum physics, cellular biology and ancient legends of the Dragon's Breath all come significantly and viscerally together in the paranormal storm brewing around her... The thinking woman's Paranormal Romance.

Cover Model: Jason Aaron Baca. Thank you again for the photos, Jason!
http://www.covercafe.com/BTSCBJasonBaca.shtml

Glass of water, liquid light

2011-01-22T10:17:00.001-05:00

The sky over our house one magical afternoon...

2011-01-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

Whips & Whispers now available in print!

2010-12-03T09:31:00.000-05:00

Just released in print and available from the publisher. Will soon arrive at all major bookstores and online retailers.

Launch Window

2010-12-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

My brother, Mario, created this Launch Window

Amazon.com: Vampire Bride - Book Three (Eternal Blood) eBook: Maria Isabel Pita: Kindle Store: Reviews, Prices & more

2010-10-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

Amazon.com: Vampire Bride - Book Three (Eternal Blood) eBook: Maria Isabel Pita: Kindle Store: Reviews, Prices & more

Cairo Time

2010-09-07T14:32:00.000-04:00

This film is staying with me, like an actual experience that gradually reveals its nuances and secrets while lingering in the mind and heart.

Me and a modern "Monument of Heh"

2010-08-30T11:18:00.000-04:00

Truth is the Soul of the Sun - A Biographical Novel of Hatshepsut-Maatkare

2010-08-20T10:27:00.000-04:00

Now available as a six book series from the Amazon Kindle Store

John Anthony West's review of "Truth is the Soul of the Sun"

2010-08-11T11:26:00.000-04:00

Arthur and I illustrating a quote by Goethe yesterday:

2010-07-14T16:54:00.000-04:00

"Optical illusion is visual truth."
Can't you amlost feel the earth racing through space
and everything mysteriously flowing into and through you?

Sword of the Blood

2010-06-29T11:01:00.000-04:00

Book Two of Eternal Blood
Just released on Kindle

Awakening As One | uniting the way to the new world

2010-06-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

Wolf Shield - Book One (Eternal Blood)

2010-05-05T11:57:00.001-04:00

Now available at amazon.com

Wildflowers for Rudolf Steiner

2010-04-15T12:01:00.000-04:00

Bluebells in our woods
Ringing my favorite colors
Violet and light-blue
Evanescent gowns
Soon worn out
By an eternal life
Blooming in my mind
Through thought’s divine root.

Pictures of Arthur, Merlin's successor

2010-03-31T10:31:00.001-04:00

Our new home in the Blueridge Mountains...

2010-03-24T09:31:00.001-04:00

Why I Write

2010-03-24T09:17:00.000-04:00

I'm one of the winners in the Editor Unleashed/Smashwords "Why I Write" essay contest. My essay, "Mysterious Chemistry" was selected as one of the 50 best essays to be included in the “Why I Write” anthology. The decision was a combination of popular ranking by readers and the final opinion of a panel of judges.

The Historical Novel Society

2010-02-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

Reviewed "Truth is the Soul of the Sun" my biographical novel of Hatshepsut-Maatkare. What a great birthday present!

NRDC Action Fund: Mobilizing America for a Sustainable Future: This Is Our Moment

2010-02-04T14:13:00.001-05:00

NRDC Action Fund: Mobilizing America for a Sustainable Future: This Is Our Moment

Posted using ShareThis

The New Book Review: Fictionalized Biography of Hatshepsut Wins Nod from Egypt Then and Now

2010-01-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

The New Book Review: Fictionalized Biography of Hatshepsut Wins Nod from Egypt Then and Now

2009-11-29T12:17:00.000-05:00

Another wonderful review of Truth is the Soul of the Sun

2009-11-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

Review by Grady Harp, an amazon.com Top 10 Reviewer

A Concise Guide to Ancient Egypt's Magic & Religion

2009-11-17T17:52:00.000-05:00

Just published this on Kindle

As Above, So Below

2009-11-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

My fantasy / paranormal novel is now available from Cerridwen Press.

"What thou lovest well remains." Ezra Pound.

2009-10-24T15:52:00.000-04:00

It seems to me that Memory is how our minds perceive the eternal dimension "surrounding" us. Memory is a Divine sap.

Video of Beautiful Artifacts from the Tomb of Vizier Aper-el

2009-10-20T11:51:00.000-04:00

Book review: Truth is the Soul of the Sun by Maria Isabel Pita

2009-10-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

Book review: Truth is the Soul of the Sun by Maria Isabel Pita

The first in-depth review of my novel about Hatshepsut by Ben Morales-Correa.

Love Chopin? My mother's beautiful book...

2009-10-13T14:42:00.000-04:00

A REAL Dream Book

2009-10-10T15:16:00.000-04:00

Love flowers?

2009-10-09T13:19:00.000-04:00

Merlin's Little Monument

2009-10-07T13:00:00.000-04:00

"Ode to a Moth"

2009-10-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

One of my poems, was just published in the 89th Volume of THE LYRIC, "An oasis in an arid age."

In memory of my beloved doggie, Merlin.

2009-10-05T16:22:00.001-04:00

Meta-Thought:

2009-09-28T15:15:00.000-04:00

Just found this in one of my old journals written in 1982:

"You become who you are by exploring what you feel."

I'm happy to say I've lived by the words of my much younger, and not all that foolish, self.

Meta-thought

2009-09-22T12:46:00.000-04:00

Only by accepting that I am vulnerable can I truly embrace my strength.

Just Uploaded a BOOK TRAILER for "Truth is the Soul of the Sun"

2009-09-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

Meta-thought

2009-09-15T12:56:00.000-04:00

I'll all-ways be alive and everything I've done will be written in my genes, until I'm hot enough to slip them off and really begin playing.

Ode to Merlin

2009-09-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

I know my doggie has thoughts-
I can see them in his eyes,
feel them when he sighs,
and hear them when he dreams.
It's a virtue his heart
is bigger than his mind.

First Review of "Truth is the Soul of the Sun"

2009-09-14T12:59:00.000-04:00

my biographical novel of Hatshepsut-Maatkare!

Amazon.com Review by Peggy Ullman Bell:

Magnificent! Enchanting from cover to cover. My only regret is that I cannot give this marvelous work a hundred stars rather than a mere five.

Hatshepsut's Temple...

2009-09-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

is now lit up at night. A photo of the first test run of the new lighting system set up on the west bank in Luxor, Egypt.

Fun striking poses...

2009-09-08T18:17:00.000-04:00

out by the pool with my friend Sarah visiting from Minnesota.

2009-08-21T16:11:00.001-04:00

I'm learning to see people when I'm awake as I see them in dreams where my conscious mind doesn't project its own limitations on their spirit.

Read ETERNAL BLOOD on your Kindle

2009-08-18T19:38:00.001-04:00

Underground "city" found beneath the Pyramids

2009-08-18T19:28:00.001-04:00

Just posted this on Twitter

2009-08-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

Lately,
realiza-
tions
I have about life are coming to me twitter-sized. The first of many more:
THE LESS SELFISH I AM, THE HAPPIER I WILL BE.

Ancient Egyptian Amulets

2009-08-10T17:49:00.000-04:00

A brief description of the meaning of some of the most popular ancient Egyptian amulets from my book "Ancient Egyptian Magic To Go".

Truth is the Soul of the Sun - A Biographical Novel of Hatshepsut-Maatkare e-book now also available at smashwords.com

2009-08-06T17:04:00.000-04:00

Available Now in Paperback - "Truth is the Soul of the Sun - A Biographical Novel of Hatshepsut-Maatkare"

2009-08-01T12:54:00.001-04:00

Yahoo Answers

2009-07-29T15:16:00.000-04:00

I visit Yahoo Answers regularly to search for questions about ancient Egypt and Hatshepsut so I can answer them!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090727120758AA3OA1i

Twitter me

2009-07-28T17:07:00.000-04:00

http://twitter.com/MariaPita99

My Groups & Communties

2009-07-28T16:31:00.000-04:00

These are some of the sites I've joined in the hope of meeting & communicating with people who are as in love with the land of the pharaohs as I am. If you have a question about Hatshepsut and her time, I'd love for you to pick my brain!

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/1095-truth-is-the-soul-of-the-sun-a-biographical-novel-of-hatshepsut-maatkare

http://www.authorsden.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/historical-fiction-writers/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalNovelSociety/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ancient_Egypt_Group/

http://www.amazon.com/tag/hatshepsut/ref=tag_ybc_ycc_itdp

http://www.amazon.com/tag/historical%20romance/ref=tag_ybc_ycc_itdp

http://www.amazon.com/tag/ancient%20egypt/ref=tag_ybc_ycc_itdp

http://www.amazon.com/tag/historical%20fiction/ref=tag_ybc_ycc_itdp

http://www.amazon.com/tag/literary%20fiction/ref=tag_ybc_ycc_itdp

Truth is the Soul of the Sun

2009-07-27T14:02:00.000-04:00

After more than three years of hard and intensely enjoyable work, my biographical novel of Hatshepsut-Maatkare, the Female Pharaoh, is available as an Amazon Kindle e-book and will be released in paperback on July 30, 2009.

http://www.truthisthesoulofthesun.com/

Centuries before Cleopatra there was Hatshepsut, the ancient Egyptian queen who was crowned king and for more than twenty years ruled on the Horus Throne of the Living as the Female Falcon, Maatkare. The name she chose for herself can be read as Maat is the Ka of Re, which translated means The True and Beautiful Manifestation of the Sun’s Divine Life-force. A more poetic but still accurate rendition is Truth is the Soul of the Sun.

Maatkare’s reign was one of the most innovative and prosperous in ancient Egypt’s long history. Art and culture flourished and religious beliefs grew more personal through the worship of Amun-Re, the god hidden in the human heart. Before she became Pharaoh, Hatshepsut served as God’s Wife of Amun, an important economic and spiritual office created by her grandfather that holds the key to her mysterious and unprecedented power. Maatkare was not only a charismatic political leader, she was a mystic who inspired the wholehearted devotion of brilliant men. One of them was Senmut, a commoner she elevated to unparalleled heights of authority. But her most influential advocate was Hapuseneb, the High Priest of Amun and the Governor of the South. Hapuseneb served under three pharaohs and yet only Maatkare is represented in his tomb.

Hatshepsut’s life is a passionate story of love—for her beliefs, her country and two of its most fascinating men. Rich in sensual and meticulously researched detail, Truth is the Soul of the Sun is a uniquely compelling biographical novel. The 565 page book includes a reference section and more than one-hundred footnotes.