Feminine Arcana - The Lessons in Paranormal Romance Novels

For decades, I have delved deeply and academically into the realms of mythology, psychology, alchemy, witchery, etc, etc, etc.

However, it is through FICTION that these worlds have become ... well,  juicy. Juicy enough, in fact, that my *cough cough* real life has become infused with magical and larger-than-life beings. 

While many consider paranormal romances to be entertaining fluff, I have found deep truths and insights in many authors ... Amelia Hutchins taught me so much about deeply nuanced world monsters and the Fae world, IT Lucas taught me how the old gods can hide in plain sight, and Stephanie Hudson teaches me about the ambiguous worlds of demons and angels weaving through the world of humanity.

You see, much untellable truth is written as fiction for plausible deniability. 

Another hidden-in-plain-sight secret is that women are enchanted through their romantic desires. 

Whereas men - and academically inclined women, such as I used to be - can dive deep into fossilised facts and details - such a fascination is still dry of life-giving emotion. It doesn't teach on how to LIVE NOW in the magical world that is rich around us.

While the authors might think (or tell us) that they enjoy putting their characters through a wringer to wrest full emotional reactions from their readers, what they are actually doing is building a powerful magical charge. Especially for those who are already in the twilight zone of knowing they are not fully human.

I know - for a fact - that Gods and Angels are real, and have personal experience with them, since learning to look for them. They walk among us, much like as is written in paranormal fiction ... I think these authors have so much inside information, or are as open channels to receive such. 

My life has become so much more magical since I've allowed myself to read paranormal romantic fiction ... WRITTEN BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN. It was the doorway that took all the dry information that I'd collected over the long years, and brought them to the surface of my daily life. 

Sure, there were other influences - many of the paranormal and mythical movies and series have also helped, particularly in aiding the active imagination to visualise magical and legendary beings. But there is powerful magic in sobbing for minutes at a time over a fictional character's situation or insecurities. 

Joseph Campbell, the mythologist, wrote that all myths and legends in the world follow the same themes of the hero's journeys because they are really the journeys of our SOULS. Well, I would add that the 'formula' of romances are really the journey of the FEMININE SOUL. 

So, to all authors of paranormal romance series ... a bow of respect and heart-felt appreciation to your commitment to bringing us these deep tales of life-beyond-the-surface. 

I chuckle at the idea that you are actually 'one of them'.