Author Biography
"...With several new works in the wings, Sonya Haramis will establish herself as one of the great spiritual storytellers of our time..." said Liz Illgen, for New Age Retailer. Sonya Haramis, M.Ed., is also the author of Gracious Gifts...Expressions of the Divine, endorsed by Deepak Chopra, James Redfield, and Dr. John Gray. "Gracious Gifts (is) one of those rare books that will go down the centuries as 'immortal' as any of the great books in classics. Ms. Haramis has created a legacy for herself." said Helen Dumas, Director, Greek Education and Culture, Western United States. Haramis, whose spiritual children's book will soon be released, is a Shodan/Black Belt in Aikido and practices Reiki.
Excerpt
Chapter 16
Enemy Revealed
My grandmother unravels the scroll as she cuddled closer to me. She read from the beginning of the scroll, the history of the ages that lived on its parchment. It spoke of creation, the beginning of the universe, the galaxies, and all sentiment beings who dwelt within it. She read for hours and I was captivated by every moment, every breath, and every word. All the holy and sacred texts were mentioned. All faiths were revered and described in the scroll. All events in history were predicted ... all wars and all events. Things that were predicted thousands of years ago had already happened. It was all written and we were simply playing out our destinies.
My grandmother then paused and prepared for the next chapter she was about to read. She looked deep into my soul to prepare me for the words about to be spoken. Then the words that would change my life reached my ears and my soul. My grandmother read our family name and the prophecy, which awaited our family name and the prophecy, which awaited our lineage! Some of the names she read I recognized, others I did not. I looked at her and the elder goddess women around me, sensing they knew what I was about to hear and learn.
My grandmother then read my name and the prophecy for my life. I almost fainted from the enormous task set before me. The prophecy was startlingly accurate up to that point in my life, so I knew the rest of the prophecy was bound to unfold. The scroll revealed everything I had been through in my life, including all the heartache and disappointments. Yet I learned those things happened so I could develop compassion for others, as I would one day help heal others through my writing.
My grandmother continued reading about my ancestors, and the heroic things they had done to protect our heritage, our lineage, the scroll, the amulet, and my destiny. She revealed future events I would experience and learn from, and tests that were yet to come. I had done well thus far, and proved myself worthy of the life written for me, but there was more to come, and a fierce enemy would try to stop me. Of this enemy, my grandmother read from the scroll as well.
Gaea, Artemis, Eos, and Amphitrite then spoke of how they would help me and protect me, and the different skills each would teach me. Gaea vowed to teach me the secrets of the earth, and how to call upon her elements for help. protection, and inspiration where I needed them. Artemis promised to teach me more about hunting and defense, and the essential warrior skills she was expert at. Amphitrite would always be by my side in the water and help me call upon my dolphin friends for protection. Eos would teach me about the light, about the dawn and how to light my path before me. And my precious grandmother vowed to always protect me and to teach me the gift of vision.
Overwhelmed by these gracious gifts, I gave thanks to the Divine. I prayed to be worthy of such teachers and lessons. I touched my amulet, and caressed the scroll my grandmother had just read from. I had so many questions. Who wrote the scroll? Was it written by the hand of God? How did it come into my grandmother's possession? Did anyone else know about it? Was my enemy chasing me for the scroll as well? Did the keeper of the scroll and the amulet hold special powers evil ones wanted to possess?
My grandmother put the scroll down. Gaea, Artemis, Eos, and Amphitrite stood up and led me to a small sacred bath with a flowing fountain. They stepped into the bath and invited me to do the same. They washed their faces in preparation for prayers, and I did the same.
Artemis had gathered food and set it beside the altar we were about to approach. She was remarkable. She defended women at all costs, especially if they were threatened, yet wasn't swift to inflict her wrath. I was awed to be in her presence let alone be a student of hers. I was in awe to be the apprentice and ward of all these women and goddesses. Who would ever believe me if I dared to write about it?
We then stepped out of the bath fully clothes and wiped our feet dry. Together we walked to the great flame, in front of which was an altar dedicated to the Divine. My grandmother, who I was beginning to suspect was on e of the Muses, then led us in song. She revealed herself as an enchantress. As my grandmother sung with her soul, the entire universe seemed to join with her. Eos added her voice and her glorious dawn so that the light we were already bathed in became even brighter.
Gaea, the earth mother, joined in with her voice, and the earth seemed to exhale and open its Sacred Grove to us even more, becoming more fragrant with our song. Artemis and all her followers chimed in as the hummingbird shared its rainbows with our notes. Amphitrie and the dolphins joined our song, and added a golden light to the stream of water flowing beside the temple.
My grandmother led us in a song of prayer, devotion, and gratitude to the Divine. We sang for what felt hours. The chant established an internal vibration within me I had never felt before. It transported me to another level of vision and bonded us together in a way that only music could. When it was time, my grandmother ended our singing, and indicated we should leave an offering to the Divine. Each one left something precious: incense, food, or a gift of gratitude. My grandmother picked up the scroll again and finished reading my destiny.
"Calliope," she whispered, "what I am about to read is the most sacred knowledge ever written. You must swear at this moment to hold the secrets I am about to reveal to you in your heart until your very last day on earth," she pleaded.
"Grandmother, I promise to keep this sacred knowledge deep within my heart and soul, but you must help me do so," I begged.
"Of course, my darling," she promised. "All of us will help you. And there are others who will come to help you that you have not yet met. Calliope, this ancient scroll contains the secrets of the universe. Our family has been the guardian of it for thousands of years and we have guarded it well. The enemy and her family have been trying to steal it for as many years. We have had to become fierce warriors to defend the scroll. The amulet that you wear is a key to the scroll, and to the final portion of the scroll, which has yet to be written. The end of the scroll represents the end of times, which can be either apocalyptic or idyllic, the fate of which will be determined by the wearer of the amulet," my grandmother said.
I couldn't believe what my grandmother just read to me. It was too much. I was overwhelmed and wanted to refuse my destiny, which was written for my life. I was terrified. There was no way I could handle the responsibility placed on my shoulders. I felt fait and my vision became blurry. I couldn't hear clearly, and I was sure I had just lost my mind.
Everything that surrounded me was like a dream. If I had prayed the prayer of my life at that moment, it would have been to remain in the paradise of the Sacred Grove and the temple we were in. Yet I wasn't sure it was real any more. Maybe my imagination had gotten the best of me and I was simply lost, deep within a lucid dream. I comforted myself with that thought for just a moment, and then my grandmother took me by the shoulders and spoke deep into my heart.
"It is too late for you to back out of your destiny, Calliope," my grandmother cautioned. "it is not possible. I understand your feelings, because they are the same feelings I had when the scroll was first read to me and I was given the amulet to protect. And it was the same for your mother when I first read the scroll to her. But her identity, strength, knowledge, and power were concealed to protect you and her. Your mother is the vision keeper and your guardian. My precious granddaughter, don't you think I wanted out of this fate when I first learned of it? Don't you think I was scared at first, and still am at times?" she asked me.
"I don't know what to think, grandmother, but you're so much stronger than me, and must stronger than I will ever be," I cried.
"Calliope, age begins a certain strength youth could never know. The things that frighten you now frightened me when I was your age, but you will see that you are stronger than you think. You must fulfill your destiny. It is a great honor that God has chosen our family, and you are the one to fulfill the final chapter. The one who has the amulet and the scroll will write the final chapter for humankind. The end times will either be apocalyptic, with people destroying themselves and the earth, or they will realize at last that they can create a utopia on earth for all to share. Through your writing and vision, Calliope, you will write the final chapter, and through your storytelling, write the manifestation of utopia," said my grandmother.
I felt relieved. Writing was my sanctuary and dearest friend. Going deep into vision was joyous for me, so that was no problem. After I thought about it for a few moments, I felt more accepting of my destiny. After all, my ancestors had guarded the scroll and the amulet through several generations. THey had protected me and raised me in a loving home. Now I only had to write the final chapter to determine the fate of humankind. I could easily do that in the sanctuary and protection of the Sacred Grove. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when my grandmother looked at me and continued.
"There is one final thing to be aware of, Calliope, and that is your enemy, Medusa. She is a Gorgon, a tribe of warlike women. If she steals the amulet and scroll, then she will have the power to write the final chapter and the outcome of the end times. She would write a chapter so full of annihilation the world would be destroyed. There would be no second chance, nor anywhere else for humanity to go should she take possession of these priceless and potent keys to eternity. She will hunt you as you have never been hunted before. She, too, has been training all her life. And generations of her family have been training for centuries in the ways of the wicked through sorcery, trickery, cloaking, deception, poison making, and dark spell casting.
"Long ago," my grandmother continued, "the ancient elders of her family were good and pure. Our families were once close and deeply bonded. It is said deep in our family lore that both families were given the task of protecting the God-given scroll and amulet. The matriarch of their family was a pure soul, fill of light and love for the world. For generations our families lives in harmony, protecting the scroll and amulet. But as God wrote the scroll, the outcome became clearer. Our family was chosen as the tribe to guard the amulet and scroll until the end times. The evil family then became consumed with jealousy and grew determined to steal them back.
"Once they knew the true power of the scroll and the amulet, they could 't live without them or the joint power they held," my grandmother warned. "Each subsequent generation became more consumed with greed and power, and wanted to control the world. It is believed they became evil, and the legend says their children married into evil families, planting the seed for your current enemy. Yet God has been good to us. He has protected us and taught us the ways to thwart their evil. He has remained one step ahead of them at all times, and has trained us well. He will do the same for you, Calliope.
"You already known an evil spirit has been tracking you, trying to steal the amulet and get the scroll. But what you have not known is the is that she is someone you already know. She is your half sister!" my grandmother proclaimed.
