Somewhere near the Maricopas: Elizabeth Lucas-Taylor Interview

Interview by shoebox of Elizabeth Lucas-Taylor, Arizona writer, poet, seeker, and dreamer.

Did your parents experience longevity?

No, my parents did not have longevity. Considering the family history of early death from heart disease on both sides, [I think] it was a success story [that] they made it to age 70.

What were some of your most trying experiences as a young woman during the years of economic recession in the past?

Concerning the more recent ones of the 70s-80s, other than for gasoline shortages and waiting in line to be rationed gas, it didn’t really register too much with me. I do remember losing some bank stock with the Keating fiasco. I do remember, too, older adults were really worried about savings, their jobs, short paychecks, no paychecks. But nothing like what is going on today.

Have you ever lived abroad or wished to?

I worked in the Orient for 15 years and sometimes was gone for a month or two at a time, living out of a suitcase. As to actually planting my cooking kettles in another country, no. When traveling for extensive lengths of time outside the U.S., it was always good to get home to the good old U.S.A. No matter how many warts the U.S. has, it is still the greatest country in the world to live in. (You don’t see that many people crawling over fences to get out, do you?)

I would like to live in Scotland for a few years. I have a story I am writing, set in 1270 AD Scotland, so it would be fun to live there to absorb some history. And then, there are the ruins of a family castle I’d like to look into. I’ve always wanted to live in England, same reason. I love the idea of castles and ghosts and can feel another novel gelling in my soul. Spain has always been an interest, too.

Have you lived in different states? If so, how many states and which experience did you like the most?

I lived in Ohio, Texas, and now Arizona. Ohio is where I grew up. Been there, done that. I loved Texas and the Texas can-do attitude. Arizona is a hodge-podge of many different peoples, all here for a variety of reasons and there is a can-do attitude here as well. I have great appreciation for the Native American flavor of the AZ area. Since I have some Native American heritage, I am especially drawn to the history and values of Native Americans.

Over the years you have heard so many kinds of music. What are your musical treasures today?

Celtic music is a favorite, though I like most music. Depends on my frame of mind. I like folk, rap, reggae, jazz, piano, string, blues, Joplin, gospel, flamenco.

Are you an atheist or agnostic?

Neither. I am Gnostic and very esoteric in my thinking. The beauty of my thinking is…I can change my mind, refine my thinking further as I gain knowledge. Organized religion as a whole does not allow for that freedom of thinking. You buy the religion lock, stock and barrel, or you go to hell without passing “go”. That “free will” we are endowed with by the Creator is seriously curbed in organized religion. That kind of thinking is an insult to any spiritual growth.

What set me on my own spiritual course was seeing all the “banned” texts, and an imprimatur on the Catholic bible. A course in comparative religions was positive and valuable. Christianity sees everything as a threat, and abounds with devils. Twelve years of Catholic schooling left me bored with their devils. I don’t think that was what Jesus was teaching. I’ve always believed that if you were talking about God, the master of all knowledge, then all knowledge is good. It is how you use and disseminate the knowledge. Gnosticism teaches we are personally empowered to resolve our problems and this is what Jesus taught. The Gnosis, or reasoning process Gnostic Christianity introduces, does not contradict Jesus' spiritually-centered teachings. The PBS program ‘FROM JESUS TO CHRIST’ gives some insight to the Gnostic movement and how the early Christian church outlawed the thinking.

Gnostic Christianity, by definition, is an objective body of knowledge that Jesus taught. Jesus was a Gnostic. If you read the bible, really read the bible, every word of Jesus was Gnostic in flavor. Gnosticism is not a mystery religion or heretical cult as has been portrayed by Christianity through the ages. Gnostic Christianity teaches a non-judgmental "process" of reasoning. I believe one needs gnosis, or esoteric spiritual knowledge. Gnosticism was considered a corruption of Christianity by the Catholic Church, understandable since the CC tried to crush any movement it thought would water down their self-imposed authority over the souls of man. The CC even orchestrated a book burning in the Middle Ages, and for the time period, one greater than Hitler’s. The Church has softened its tone the last 20 years about Gnosticism as new information and research comes on the scene. They’d look like complete idiots if they didn’t make some adjustments. However, the Church still likes to use Gnosticism as a whipping post. They just don’t get it. Traces of Gnostic beliefs can be found centuries before the Christian era. I think the Essenes, the treasure trove of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is an example.

St. Thomas, the apostle, was a Gnostic, which was one of the reasons Constantine wanted to purge his writings from the “modern” bible. The Gospel of St. Thomas comprises 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, all mystical in content. The teaching of salvation (needed if you want to enter the Christian Kingdom of Heaven) found in The Gospel of Thomas requires neither "works" or "grace" or “penance” as found in the canonical gospels, but what might be called a third way, that of insight, to “find the light within in order to be a light unto the world.” Organized religion calls this New Age, and of course, a terrible sin is this “insight.”

Elaine Pagels, in her book BEYOND BELIEF, argues that the Thomas gospel at first fell victim to the needs of the early Christian community for solidarity in the face of persecution (their words), then to the will of Emperor Constantine. It was Constantine who, at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, gave a push to a universal Christian creed, of course, truth according to Constantine. Pagels points out that in spite of it being left out of the Catholic canon, being banned, many of the mystical elements have proven to reappear perennially in the works of mystics like Jacob Boehme, Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross.

Joseph Campbell, an American mythology professor, writer, and lecturer best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion is another [thinker] whose works should be read by everyone. A recent compilation of many of his ideas is titled THOU ART THAT: TRANSFORMING RELIGIOUS METAPHOR. In it Campbell writes: "...Mythology is often thought of as other people's religions, and religion can be defined as mis-interpreted mythology." Campbell believed the religions of the world to be the culturally influenced “masks” of the same fundamental, transcendent truths.

Zachariah Sitchin is another [thinker] who should be read. He wrote THE EARTH CHRONICLES and THE TWELFTH PLANET and many other titles. Sitchin tells of Babylonian and Sumerian writings that speak of another version of the biblical Adam. In the Sumerian Tablets, the story of Creation and the Garden of Eden are shared. The Great Flood is also a favorite theme. These stories aren't changed much when represented in the Bible.

So you see, what we think we know, what we are told we must believe, may not be what we really know or is at all. Knowledge is a wonderful thing. The evil is those who profess to teach a spiritual path by suppressing knowledge. This kind of indoctrination is a dangerous thing. Curiosity about the world and where we come from never killed anyone. It is interesting to note here that by thinking as I do, even though my belief in the Creator and Jesus is very strong, I would be considered a heretic in any age of Catholicism by having the temerity to think. It’s ironic when you think the very translation of Catholic is universal or all-embracing…

What can you tell the reader that would surprise her or him?

Probably the answer to the question above.

Was there a great love of your life sort of a la "The Man She Loved?"

Let’s just say I kissed a few frogs before I found my Prince.

I'm angry with myself because I've yet to read Unfinished Business. Tell me what I've been missing.

UB is the story of a woman who is married to a secret agent and hasn’t a clue. She thinks he is a mild-mannered schoolteacher. She finds him in a hotel room with another woman, thinks the worst, and dumps him. She is recruited by a friend who works at the Justice Dept. Adept at disguises in her new role, she one day runs across her ex-husband while on assignment. How they work out their Unfinished Business is the rest of the story. (I’ll send you a copy.)

What was something important that you learned from your mom? From your dad?

From my mother: “Treat everything that you have as if it is the best and last you will ever have, and you will want for nothing.” A truism.

From my dad: “There are many answers to everything and many shades of truth.” (…when I would come home from Catholic school with all the “thou shalt nots” and being taught there is only one answer for everything - the Catholic answer). It took me many years to understand what he was saying. The best and most wonderful advice I ever received.

Have you had or owned many businesses? If so, which one was your favorite?

I’ve had several, but one of the best businesses was my international finding business. I was living in Texas at the time. I received a call from a businessman in Canada. He said, “Your name was given to me as someone who can problem solve and can find anything.” He was looking for petroleum, by the tanker full. I was stunned into silence. I told him to give me a few days, and I would get back to him. I called the Texas Industrial Commission (now the Texas Economic Commission) and asked a friend who worked there if it was something they could do or had an interest in, since Texas was an oil producing state. They said no, but that I could do it. They told me how, and gave me five names to work with. From there, I built up my card file of contacts and my references and the rest is history. I worked on projects all over the world.

Do you think the public should be very hard on its public servants? After all, aren't leaders human too?

I think when you have a job in the public sector, you answer to a higher standard. You either represent your city, state, country, business or all of those things. When you represent others, self-interest should be non-existent until you are no longer answerable to your public trust. Your business interests should be put into a trust, so as not to have conflict of interest. I think the irresponsibility and self-serving greed of public servants today is appalling. Being “human” doesn’t translate to being allowed to be corrupt. Without ethics, this is a poor, poor world.

If you were invited to speak to a high school or university audience, which topic would you mainly consider speaking on?

I’ve done that, and it is very rewarding speaking to young people who have their whole future ahead of them. I tell students to look around and identify the mentors they already have in their lives and to remember the information and the time they shared with their mentors. Mentors won’t necessarily have a title or money, or prestige. They will be everyday folk. I remind them to always look for mentors as they walk through life. Those special people will always be there and to appreciate them, learn all you can from them as you set your own goals and reach for all you are here for in this life. Life is embracing those mentors and building on their wise counsel. How many times have you looked back and remembered something someone said to you, encouraged you in, or gave an extra push to you to excel? Those mentors are very special people. Sometimes they are only there for a few moments in time, or perhaps a day or week, and if we are lucky, they are there for a lifetime. And, of course, I encourage young people to give something back to the system. Be a mentor. Be a teacher of life. Volunteer. I encourage them to reach as high and as far as they can dream. It is already programmed into their DNA…and they should never let anyone talk them out of achieving. There are no limits, only those you set for yourself. And, lastly, [I encourage them] to choose wisely.

What experience or decision in your life would you choose not to repeat?

I did not leave the town I grew up in soon enough to spread my wings and learn a bit about life or myself. I think every young person should leave the city or state they live in once their schooling is finished. Go somewhere else and work and live for at least two years. That way, when and if you decide to go back to the place you grew up in…it is a choice, not a life sentence. I’ve seen a lot of potential die on the vine and bitterness set in because this wasn’t done.

Do you agree that you were born in the right era or would you have preferred a different one?

I think I would have gone against the grain of prevailing thinking no matter what era I lived in. This is as good an era as any. I had to work hard to throw away the shackles of the narrow thinking of the 50s [concerning] what a woman’s place was, but I had the courage to reach for the world. One of my mentors said to “make your thinking global if you want to be successful,” and I did just that. I can still hear his voice in my head. Now that is immortality…remembering those special people and passing on what they taught to you.

Do you think it makes much difference whether kids grow up in big cities or small towns?

Location, location, location is only important in real estate. I do think parenting is the only thing that is important. Too many children are not instilled with values today, therefore, you don’t see much “value” of anything being represented or respected. You see it in all walks of life, not just in the poor. Where is the value or respect of life in a drive by shooting? Where is the value of life in drugs, buying or selling or using? Where is the value of shifting blame and denial? Where is there value in being a crooked politician and being proud of your conflict of interest? What are you teaching to your children and those that emulate you?

But…when you do find kids with values, and having a respect for those around them, sometimes hobbled with great handicaps in family ties and models, health and ambition, and they are gifted with wonderful questioning minds and keen on setting life goals, I am amazed at what they want to accomplish. They are the bright stars in the Universe.

Do you have any opinions regarding Louise Hay’s writings?

Louise Hay’s workshops are very good. I have an extensive background in spiritual studies, and I am a student of ‘A Course in Miracles’. I use the Teacher’s Manual. Our thoughts and beliefs create our reality. I do the intuitive readings and have for many years, and I think that is why I have been so successful with my hypnotherapy work and every other goal I’ve set for myself. The discipline I follow is the Silva Method.

It is interesting that when you start researching these things, looking for answers in your own life, you find that the information isn’t new. It has always been there. It just takes a while to “hear” the message, for it to reach your own epiphany. You can even find reference in the New Testament. I think we have to reach a point in our lives when we are able to hear and apply the message, and not just recite platitudes by rote. We are what we think. We achieve what we expect. We are the drivers of the bus, no one else. And no one has the right to determine what our truths are. Truth is what works. If it doesn’t work, it isn’t your truth.

How solid is the practice of hypnotherapy nowadays?

Hypnosis therapy is very strong, especially here in AZ. We have a society that is very active, and many in the medical field are now hypnotherapists. Hypnosis accelerates the behavioral change and accelerates healing. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis give you tools to cope with stress in today’s busy world. Hypnosis also provides techniques to create “hospital” time or quiet time to recharge your batteries after a stressful day.

What is interesting about all of these mind disciplines is that they begin with closing the eyes and deep breathing to relax the mind and body together. There is only one way to close your eyes and take a deep breath. The minute you do so, your Beta brain wave slows. With repetition, you enter the Alpha brain wave much quicker. Hypnosis is guided meditation. The same brain waves are displayed, no matter what you call it. The buzz words are different to appeal to the language of the day.

I presume you don’t miss those winters in Ohio. Were they very bad?

I don’t miss the snow and ice at all. If I want to see snow, I can drive to the mountains, toss a few snowballs, and come back to the Valley of the Sun to enjoy the sunshine. All in the same day.

If you had to design a brochure to attract residents and tourists to Ohio, what would it contain about that great state?

Wow, what a question…I’ve been gone for over 30 years. And many of the landmarks I remember have disappeared. Put-in-Bay Island is still there, a popular summer spot. Native Americans have and had a big presence there including the Shawnee, Iroquois, Miami, Huron, the Seneca and Wyandot. The Algonquians also had a presence in Ohio. You will also find Amish, Quakers and Shakers. The Ohio Valley was inhabited by nomadic people as early as 13,000 B.C. There are some wonderful museums to visit. And let’s not forget it is the birthplace of aviation.

I’m partial to the lake areas. There is Cedar Point, a huge amusement park on Lake Erie. If you go far south, there is Kings Island, another amusement area. There is German Village, a wonderful place to visit at Christmastime. Ohio is rich with museums, and a couple of Presidential Museums: Ohio had eight Presidents: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses Grant, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William Howard Taft, Warren Harding, as well as William McKinley and Rutherford Hayes

I still remember the trips to the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo. Wonderful experience. And there is the Edison Museum in Milan, Ohio. There is also a museum to mark the Underground Railroad in Belpre, Ohio. Name your interest, and Ohio will have something for you to enjoy.

Did you feel most people truly revered FDR? How about Truman?

No comment, before my time. At best, I do remember Truman, but mostly Eisenhower in office.

What are some of your impressions about Colombia (if you have any), where I presently live?

The only impressions I have is what I read in the news, but I am sure it is a country of contrasts, affluent areas, slums and everything in between, much as any other country. There is a U.S. Embassy. And there are bullfights. And who can forget the Colombian Drug Cartels. But, knowing the Spanish and their gardens and beautiful buildings, I am sure the seasons and architecture are spectacular.

In our sprawling city, Bogota, we have a “no car” day. It’s when you have to leave your private automobile at home. Only buses, taxis, trains and bicycles (besides government and other necessary vehicles) are allowed on the highways that day. Would you like to see 1 or 2 “no car” days decreed in the USA?

Yes, I certainly would love a “no-car” day. I love walking tours, and “no car” historic areas. I also think mass transit trains are a great idea. We will have one in Phoenix soon. The sad thing is that in many of the newer Phoenix neighborhoods, sidewalks are a thing of the past. If you want to walk, you have to use the streets. It was the same in Austin. We should have an old-fashioned “walking day.”

Will you tell us more about your “prince” or leave us wondering?

My prince is a prince. We adore him. He is kind, a gentleman, hasn’t a mean bone in his body, and his word is his bond. What he says is what he means; you don’t have to look for the politics or hidden motive in his actions or his thinking. He doesn’t know how. When I first met him, he’d just returned from a tour of Thailand during the Viet Nam war. He worked on airplane electronics after the pilots came in from their bombing runs. We dated for about a year. He was too good to be true. I tested him and he kept coming up perfect. So I took him home and married him. Seriously, he is a fine human being. We’ve been married 31 years. He is my best friend and he is my strongest supporter.

You have achieved many goals in your life.
Which 1 or 2 are you proudest of?

Each goal I set for myself is important and satisfying. I guess the answer to your question would be the first world goal I set for myself, and that was to be an international businesswoman. It took guts in the 70s-80s to do something like that, and it was so out of my realm of thinking at the time. Now, international business is part of many companies’ business plans. I look back and I am still amazed at what I accomplished. I met some incredible people, people in the news, and people who make the news. And I held my own with them. Reaching out to other cultures, visiting other countries, really broadens and enriches your thinking. From that single goal, and the confidence and executive acumen I gained, nothing seemed impossible from then on. I’m reminded of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Once one goes through the pyramid and satisfies needs, you begin to play with the pyramid.

Q. What do you find most rewarding about having written a few novels?

I would say seeing the final result of all that work and finally holding an actual book in my hands is the most rewarding thing. It is validation. The first royalty check is nice too.

Q. What authors do you read? Any that have influenced your work?

Many have. Christine Feehan is one, Christina Skye is a favorite, and Ted Bell’s stories are winners. I love Karen Marie Moning’s time-travel books. Clive Cussler is a favorite. I read biographies and political thrillers and think author Dana Reed writes some of the best chilling horror ever. I read a variety of authors from romance to mystery, and I like sci-fi. Arthur C. Clark wrote some really good sci-fiction. I could probably list 100 authors that I read as I find their work. The diversity of plots and settings and their gift of imagination amaze me.

Q. Do you have a website for readers to visit?

http://www.elucas-taylor.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/elucastaylor
http://www.myspace.com/elizabethlucastaylor

Q. Are you currently working on a project?

At present, I am shopping my second novel DANGEROUS BUSINESS. Three books are in the works: Dangerous Legacy (set in the southwest); Dangerous Shadows (set in Greece and the Mediterranean); and The Spy Bazaar (setting is U.S. and Hong Kong). All are in various stages of development. Another cookbook is also in development, A TRADITIONAL GAME & MORE Cookbook, which is several centuries of family recipes for Game, homemade Wines, Sausage, Smokehouse recipes, those things made at home before the advent of grocery stores.

Q. Do you ever have 'writers block'?

I don’t think there is such a thing as writer’s block. It is a misnomer and generates too many useless articles trying to explain what is happening and the ten-day cure. The muse, anyone’s muse or source of inspiration needs a rest from time to time. And, if you don’t feed and take care of your muse, it won’t respond as well as it could. The creative process is your bank account of ideas. If you keep taking more out of that account than you are feeding into it without rest and reading and other stimulation, you will eventually end up broke.

If I hit an impasse, I take long walks, read, do some research, work on another ms, begin a new manuscript, do some editing, create characters for another outline, write poetry, let the brain rest a bit from what it was doing originally. Therefore, no block. By changing gears a bit, the muse always comes back to what I need. If you don’t force the creative process, it will work for you, not against you.

Some writers begin with a synopsis and some with an outline; some do neither. Some writers write in the morning and some late at night; some write only on weekends. Some writers begin with chapter one. Others develop all their characters first. Some develop only their main characters first, and patch in the secondary characters as needed. Those who outline may begin writing the middle chapters instead of chapter one. I know one author who writes her ending first. Some writers do chapter vignettes and flesh out later. The most important lesson is finding what your writing rhythms are. Not everyone works the same. Not everyone constructs the same way.

Find what works for you and discard all the advice on how you ‘should’ be doing things. Embrace your unique way of doing things. The test of anything is ‘Does it work?’ and there is your answer of what is correct for you. That “block” everyone is voicing an opinion on is “forcing” what isn’t right for you if you find yourself struggling to meet a “norm.” There isn’t a norm. And, who said it had to be a race?

Q. What is your reason for writing?

I may have a different answer tomorrow, but for today, I would guess it is a combination of introspection and a need to leave something behind that says ‘I passed through here for a span of time and this is what I did with my time.’ It is very rewarding to create something from a bit of an idea, stand back when it is finished, and say ‘mighty fine work, that.’ It gives satisfaction to the soul. For a writer in any medium, writing is a compulsion like no other. You have to write and you will find ways to satisfy that compulsion to feed the soul. It is like breathing; you just have to do it to survive psychologically.

Q. Have you a favorite source of ideas for plots and/or characters?

I am a people watcher. Life, life experiences, the news, nature, politics, latest scandals, and the strange, marvelous and unusual quirky characters, some lovable, some not so lovable that you meet on a daily basis all provide inspiration. Stimulation is the psychology of people and what motivates them to do what they do, and why they do it. Everyone is unique—even the stinkers you meet along the way.

Many many thanks, Elizabeth, for agreeing to do this interview. I hope our readers will feel likewise.