Relax!

Yep, take a deep breath, let it out, and relax. Despite the changes in regulations, you’ve got this! If you need reminders on how to destress or how to help your kids relax, you can check out a blog post I did several years ago. I’ve been using a lot of Stress Away, Peace & Calming, and Frankincense recently. That’s one way I calm down. I’ve also used my Dragon Courage blend.

Join a Facebook Party to learn about new or free books

There are several events happening this week on facebook. The first was planned several months ago for the release of a new book. I’ll be on there on Friday giving away prizes and lightening the mood of all the panic and frenzy on social media. You can join us.

Another event was started by author H. L. Burke. She gathered as many authors as she could who have free books this week due to our new normal. You can scroll through and find a ton of free books–some by the authors listed below, but new ones as well. Come check it out.

Read a good book

Right now there are a ton of good books that are discounted–either free or 99 cents. I sent out most of these in a special newsletter earlier this week, but it’s worth repeating. All of these are wonderful books, and many of them are on sale right now to help parents deal with the new normal.

Books for Kids

Beggar Magic and Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon by H. L. Burke
Iggy & Oz: The Plastic Dinos of Doom by J. J. Johnson is free this week.
Annie Douglass Lima’s Annals of Alasia are great for kids (She’s offering any of her books free of charge to those affected by the virus.)
The Worlds Next Door by C. E. White
Bianca by Meg Welch Dendler
The Andy Smithson series by L. R. W. Lee (book 1 is free)
Lix and Basta by Mark A. Gilchrist and Brian Rathbone
The Seed Savers series by Sandra Smith

Books for Teens

• Heart Song by Annie Douglass Lima
• The Krillonian Chronicles by Annie Douglass LIma
• The Godsland series by Brian Rathbone
• Dragon Airways and Ascension by Brian Rathbone
• Nyssa Glass series by H. L. Burke (My now 18-year-old son’s favorite series)
• The Heart of the Curiosity by H. L. Burke
• The Tethered World by Heather L. L. FitzGerald
• Cry of the Sea by D. G. Driver
• Any of Kyle Robert Schultz’s books
• Starlight Chronicles by C. S. Johnson
• Books by A. J. Bakke
• Keen by Laura L. Zimmerman
• Fate of Dragons by Alisha Klapheke
• 80 A.D. by Aiki Flinthart
• Fairy Tale Adventures series by A. G. Marshall

Books for Teens and Adults

• Any of the rest of H. L. Burke’s books
• Any of Lea Doue’s books
• Any of Kara Jaynes books
• Sharon Rose’s books
• Divine Summons by Rebecca P. Minor
• All of Sarah Ashwood’s books
• Shallows by Denver Evans
• Any of Marc Secchia’s books
• Books by Davis Bunn
• Any book by Jessica L. Elliott
• Michelle Isenhoff’s Recompense series
• Sand and Storm by Stella Dorthwany
• The Dragon Princess by Lichelle Slater
• Books by Tammy Lash

Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, know that there is One Who is over all and this didn’t take Him by surprise. If you need anything, feel free to reach out to me. I’ll be here.

History of Dragon Courage

What inspired dragon courage? I’m not sure if I even know. Dragon’s Future really almost wrote itself, at least at first; later it became work as we edited it. The one thing I did want was to have a substance that would encourage the rider or person imbued with courage.

As I thought of Ruskya and Duskya’s father and a smell that would be comforting, I thought of rosemary and pine. Rosemary grows around our area almost like a weed. Depending on the variety, it can become bush-like and grow as tall as six feet or more. Yes, you heard me right, six feet! I love running my hands along the needle-like leaves and smelling the fragrance. Pine trees stand tall and majestic in Oregon. I remember returning from college in the midwest and looking up to the top of the trees that stretched taller than the skyscrapers I’d seen and thinking, “I’m at home.”

The two together, pine and rosemary, became the signature of dragon courage. With a deep breath, the rider would know she’d been sprayed with dragon courage. Glendyn continued from the quote up above to say:

“The courage is only temporary. It may last from as little as few moments up to a full glass. In rare cases, it has been known to linger on for as much as half a day. People operating under dragon courage have won battles, proposed marriage, and done necessary everyday deeds that they previously lacked the courage for.” ~Glendyn in Dragon’s Future

Science of Dragon Courage

Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been learning more and more about essential oils and their ability to help people. It was with some shock that I learned there was more reality than fantasy to dragon courage.

Pine

As I researched, I discovered there’s a reason our cleaning products smell of pine and  why you feel so wonderful when you go camping in the great outdoors. My daughter even tried to make Pine syrup, a delicacy she’d had when she lived in Finland.

According to Dr. Axe, pine kills odors and purifies the air while cleaning out some of our worst germs. The fragrance “relieves anxiety and revitalizes mind, body, and spirit. It also has an empowering. . . fragrance.” (Essential Oils Pocket Reference 7th edition from Life Science). When I read the line about relieving anxiety and revitalizing the mind, I was struck with the similarities to dragon courage.

Meredyth dug into a pouch at her side and pulled out a small
leather bag. Gingerly, she opened it, placed two fingers in, and pulled
out a pinch of icy blue sparkling dust. She sprinkled it over Kyn then
carefully, almost reverently, closed the pouch. Carryl saw the change
immediately in both Kyn and Meredyth. Meredyth’s change was
more subtle, but it was there nonetheless. Kyn’s was radical. His
head lifted, his back straightened and his dark eyes sparkled.

“Courage, young one,” Wyeth called. With his dragon’s words,
Ruskya felt strength return to him as if he had just received dragon
courage breathed on him.

These passages show how dragon courage relieves anxiety and revitalizes the mind.

Rosemary

I’ve loved rosemary from the first afternoon I learned about it. We visited a friend who made rosemary cheese biscuits. I soon began adding it to my recipes. Then when I grew courageous enough to try growing plants outside, rosemary was one of the first ones I planted. I was so impressed to watch It grow and flurish outside my kitchen window. I loved running outside to clip a few sprigs for chicken or to throw in a tea.

Not until I read from Essential Oils Pocket Reference by Life Science did I even think of the significance of rosemary as dragon courage. The reference guide said that rosemary “helps overcome mental fatigue and improves mental clarity and focus.”

I stopped and reread that line and thought of Kyn’s father in Dragon’s Future. He had been attacked and yet kept Braidyn safe and secure and told him stories of an icy-blue dragon that would protect and help them. At the end of the book, Ruskya wonders about where the stamina and mental clarity came from.

Meredyth spoke up. “I am wondering if Wyeth himself
whispered those stories in the merchant’s ear. The night he left, I saw
that he would need courage. I used a pinch of Wyeth’s dragon courage
on him. I wondered if it is what protected him from the fire not burning
as deeply as it could have.” The riders looked at her with amazement.
“Dragon courage?” Glendyn replied. “There is much we do not
know about it. That very well could be.”

The refrence manual continued. “University of Miami scientists found that inhaling rosemary boosted alertness, eased anxiety, and amplified analytic and mental ability.” That pretty much sums up what dragon courage does.

Who would have thought that a fantasy element in a dragon story could actually have a root in reality? I’m always amazed when fantasy and reality meet. If you haven’t read Dragon’s Future, be sure to check it out. It’s free as an ebook on all outlets. If you’re interested in making your own dragon courage from pine and rosemary oils, I’d suggest Young Living’s oils because they’re held to very strict guidelines for purity from the seed to the seal.

Want to receive your own cheatsheet for dragon courage? Find it in this download.

Over the next several months, I’ll explore different aspects of this question. Each month, I’ll have a post exploring in more detail one of the points from today’s blog. Make sure you check back in to find out more information on this need-to-know question.

How do we go about answering a question when there doesn’t seem to be any proof that the creatures exist today? The most obvious answer to that is to look back at history. No, there are no fossil records of dragons per se, but the creatures have left their mark elsewhere.

There aren’t fossil records of #dragons per se, but the creatures have left their mark elsewhere.

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Dragons across cultures

It seems as if every single culture has a dragon myth or story. Asia is the most prevalent with the year of the dragon and their New Year celebrations with snake-like dragons weaving their way down streets. Europe, however, took a different twist on dragons. They showcase large winged creatures that breathe fire and hoard gold.

If something exists across cultures, then generally there is a grain of truth in the tale. It’s these cross-cultural connections that often intrigue me. I’ve questioned the theme of a day of the dead style celebration that spans from Mexico, to Taiwan, to England. Dragons span cultural barriers; therefore they represent some grain of truth. Could dragons have really existed? Maybe.

Dragons in Legends

From King Arthur to Beowolf to St. George and the Dragon legends tell of dragons and people. Just as dragons span cultures, their tales span countries. The website draconika has a list of legends from England, France, Austria, Japan, and others. The Week lists legends from India, Greece, Babylon, Australia, and Peru. However, generally where there are legends, there’s a grain of truth.

What really inspired the story of Daniel killing the dragon god of Babylon or St. George slaying a dragon? Were there creatures that our dragon tales come from? Over the course of the next few months, I’ll explore these and more.

Dinosaurs: Dragons in disguise?

The fossil records show creatures of varying sizes some with bird-like qualities some without. Kids have been fascinated with them ever since the first skeleton was constructed in New Jersey.  The question remains, could dinosaurs really be dragons?

With their large build, their lizard-like body, and some with the ability to fly, just maybe some dinosaurs were dragons. I’ll delve more deeply into this theory in a couple of months.

Fire-breathing Dragons

One of the issues that seem to make people think dragons couldn’t have existed is the claim that they blew fire. However, as we’ll explore in more detail later, other animals have many of the traits given to dragons, including fire.

Are you excited to explore more about the possibility of dragons existing? Every second Monday, I’ll delve deeper into this question. Next month, I’ll look into the Celtic dragons. In the meantime, enjoy a nice dragon ride by reading your favorite dragon fantasy, or explore Dragon’s Future or Uprooted if you haven’t read either of them already.