The Colorado Columbine: Love, Faith, and Folklore in Bloom

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An important, symbolic plant from Miranda’s Garden—when the reader meets Crystal and Ray, and when Miranda meets Ray for the first time.

Delicate yet striking, the Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) sways in the mountain breeze like a secret waiting to be told. Its pale blue and white petals seem almost too perfect for this world, yet its story reaches far beyond beauty—into the realms of symbolism, healing, and myth.

Love and Faith in a Flower
Today, the Colorado Columbine is often seen as a symbol of love and faith. But flowers have a way of wearing different faces through time. In the Victorian language of flowers, Columbine could mean love and faith—or, in another context, betrayal and foolishness. Color, circumstance, and the teller of the tale all shaped its meaning.

Medicine and Caution
For centuries, Columbine found its way into herbal medicine for heart conditions, headaches, fevers, and stomach troubles. Yet beauty can be deceiving—Columbine contains toxic compounds, including cyanogenic glycosides, that can be harmful or even deadly in large amounts. This is one bloom that asks for respect and distance when it comes to physical use.

Legends in Bloom
Across cultures, the Columbine has been a flower of love:

  • In Native American traditions, it was sometimes carried as a love charm.
  • In Greek myth, it’s linked to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
  • In Norse stories, it’s tied to Freya, goddess of love and fertility.
    Each tradition adds a layer, turning the Columbine into a living tapestry of devotion, attraction, and enchantment.

A Final Thought
From alpine meadows to the pages of myth, the Colorado Columbine whispers a reminder: beauty can heal, inspire, and captivate—but it always carries its own power, and that power must be met with respect.

How to Use the Crown Chakra for Deep Character Development

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This is the last in a series about how to utilize my Writing Through the Body Method™ which uses the chakra system as a practical tool for uncovering a character’s desires, wounds, and motivations. By exploring these psychological foundations, writers are able to portray their characters’ behaviors, reactions, and responses on the page with greater depth and emotional truth.

For example, the Crown (seventh) Chakra rules Spiritual Power and Understanding. The crown relates to the ability to conceive of and create spiritual context for life experiences, which leads to resiliency and bliss. The Crown Chakra says I KNOW.

By considering how your characters connect to their own meaning-making (from the Third Eye Chakra), you’re able to take them through their transformation—their new normal.

Below is a brief explanation of the Crown Chakra, its traits and characteristics, and some ways you might integrate its attributes into your character development.

Seventh Chakra – Crown Chakra

Location
Top of head

This does not directly apply to your character but is used for visualization purposes when doing certain exercises within the Writing Through the Body™ method, offered here as an FYI.

Primary strengths
Faith in inner guidance/trust that overrides fears, mystical/intuitive connections, ability to create and live by a personally chosen belief system, ability to put life’s challenges in a spiritual context, positive attitude, awareness in the divine—whether in a self-proclaimed higher power or within other humans/living entities

This is about how your character responds to situations that call for them to have gained perspective, to be on the other side of their struggle(s) throughout the story. 

Primary fears and fearful expressions
Disassociation, ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude, spiritual crisis, inability to let go of the past, greed, lack of inspiration, apathy, elitism/superiority

This is where you’re able to see your character’s “full circle” or “transformational” moment. This is where they arrive in a more settled place after having run the gauntlet of the story’s trajectory, have put it in perspective, and are in a position to start living their “new normal.”

_____________________


Writing exercise

Take some time to sit quietly, and think about the aspects of the Crown Chakra as they relate to all your characters. 

Write a sketch of a character that may not be materializing as fully as you would like, and answer the questions below as fully and exhaustively as possible. 

Tip: Every time you arrive at a new place of understanding or identify a particular behavior or response in your character, ask “why?” Continuing to ask “why?” is how we get to the deep psychology of our characters. 

Example: Your protagonist has completed a difficult thing—taken difficult action, spoken out against the powers that be, put themself in physical danger, ended a relationship, etc. 

Questions to begin your exercise:

• What is the thing they did?

• How did this inform their understanding of the situation, of themselves, of the world?

• Where does this new-found understanding leave them?

  • What will they do next—in the next week, the next month, the next year (whether this belongs in the story or not)? 
  • How do you, the writer/author, see them now that you’ve guided them through?

Let me know what you discover in the comments.

As always… Sending you mad writing mojo…

Happy writing!

Johnnie
OOOOO

How to Use the Third Eye Chakra for Deep Character Development

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This is the next in a series about how to utilize my Writing Through the Body Method™ which uses the chakra system as a practical tool for uncovering a character’s desires, wounds, and motivations. By exploring these psychological foundations, writers are able to portray their characters’ behaviors, reactions, and responses on the page with greater depth and emotional truth.

For example, the Third Eye (sixth) Chakra rules Mind Power. The third eye relates to the ability to distill wisdom from life experience, clarity about what is best for one’s highest good and joy—it’s about the intuition. The Third Eye Chakra says I SEE.

By considering how your characters connect to their intuition and ability to make meaning of life will give you clues about the ease with which they move through the world and within the story.

Below is a brief explanation of the Third Eye Chakra, its traits and characteristics, and some ways you might integrate its attributes into your character development.

Sixth Chakra – Third Eye Chakra

Location
Lower forehead, between the eyes

This does not directly apply to your character but is used for visualization purposes when doing certain exercises within the Writing Through the Body™ method, offered here as an FYI.

Primary strengths
Strong intellectual abilities/skills, self-acceptance, mental flexibility, ability for objective contemplation, high emotional intelligence, open to wonder

This is about how your character responds to situations that call for them to think beyond the here and now. This is how they make meaning (and have made meaning) of life, and what they do with that understanding. 

Primary fears and fearful expressions
Fears of one’s shadow side/looking within, inability to self-reflect or identify illusion, pushing oneself to extremes, poor intuition/concentration, fear of unknown, judgmental/overly analytical, mental fog/overwhelm 

This is where you’re able to start seeing your character respond in ways that may not make sense to them, as if they’re driven by something they don’t see or understand.

_____________________


Writing exercise

Take some time to sit quietly, and think about the aspects of the Third Eye Chakra as they relate to all your characters. 

Write a sketch of a character that may not be materializing as fully as you would like, and answer the questions below as fully and exhaustively as possible. 

Tip: Every time you arrive at a new place of understanding or identify a particular behavior or response in your character, ask “why?” Continuing to ask “why?” is how we get to the deep psychology of our characters. 

Example: Your protagonist has just done something they are not proud of. There is one person in the world they trust—living or dead. Write a letter from your character to their trusted person. 

Questions to begin your exercise:

• What is the thing they did?

• When did they do it? Was it recent or many years ago… something they’ve been carrying around, like a dead weight?

• What has moved them to disclose this now?

• What happens—both within them and in their life—after the disclosure?

Let me know what you discover in the comments.

As always… Sending you mad writing mojo…

Happy writing!

Johnnie
OOOOO

How to Use the Throat Chakra for Deep Character Development

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This is the next in a series about how to utilize my Writing Through the Body Method™ which uses the chakra system as a practical tool for uncovering a character’s desires, wounds, and motivations. By exploring these psychological foundations, writers are able to portray their characters’ behaviors, reactions, and responses on the page with greater depth and emotional truth.

For example, the throat (fifth) Chakra rules Willpower. The throat relates to how your protagonist speaks their highest truth, self-expresses, and living creatively. The Solar Plexus Chakra says I SPEAK.

By considering how your characters connect to their voice and ability to speak will give you clues about how they will speak in your story by understanding not just their words, but the intention behind their words (both conscious and unconscious)

Below is a brief explanation of the Throat Chakra, its traits and characteristics, and some ways you might integrate its attributes into your character development.

Fifth Chakra – Throat Chakra

Location
Throat

This does not directly apply to your character but is used for visualization purposes when doing certain exercises within the Writing Through the Body™ method, offered here as an FYI.

Primary strengths
High self-awareness and ability to speak one’s truth to others, faith in oneself to make sound decisions (and the ability to follow through), belief in the power of love and courage, and confidence in choosing/having healthy relationships with substances, money, and power

This is about how your character responds to situations that call for them to speak, as in dialogue, make decisions, and how they feel about those decisions.

Primary fears and fearful expressions
General insecurity, small/soft voice, relying on external validation, avoiding conversations to express one’s needs/desires, gossip, exclusivity, arrogance/condescension.

This is where you’re able to start seeing your character respond in both voice, and in action, based on the strength of their own self-awareness.

_____________________


Writing exercise

Take some time to sit quietly, and think about the aspects of the Throat Chakra as they relate to all your characters. 

Write a sketch of a character that may not be materializing as fully as you would like, and answer the questions below as fully and exhaustively as possible. 

Tip: Every time you arrive at a new place of understanding or identify a particular behavior or response in your character, ask “why?” Continuing to ask “why?” is how we get to the deep psychology of our characters. 

Example: Your protagonist has been asked to speak at an event where someone from their past will be in attendance. 

Questions to begin your exercise:

• How comfortable is your character with public speaking?

• Who is the person from their past, and what was their relationship like? How did the relationship end?

• Do they know that the person will be in attendance, or will it be a surprise to them?

• What happens when they step up to the microphone?

Let me know what you discover in the comments.

As always… Sending you mad writing mojo…

Happy writing!

Johnnie
OOOOO

How to Use the Heart Chakra for Deep Character Development

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This is the next in a series about how to utilize my Writing Through the Body Method™ which uses the chakra system as a practical tool for uncovering a character’s desires, wounds, and motivations. By exploring these psychological foundations, writers are able to portray their characters’ behaviors, reactions, and responses on the page with greater depth and emotional truth.

For example, the heart (fourth) Chakra rules Emotional Power. The heart relates to how your protagonist shows love, forgiveness, compassion, and trust. The Solar Plexus Chakra says I LOVE.

By considering how your characters connect to their compassion—or not—will give you clues about how they will respond and react to all situations and scenarios in your story, and especially those that hold big emotional impact.

Below is a brief explanation of the Heart Chakra, its traits and characteristics, and some ways you might integrate its attributes into your character development.

Fourth Chakra – Heart Chakra

Location
Chest

This does not directly apply to your character but is used for visualization purposes when doing certain exercises within the Writing Through the Body™ method, offered here as an FYI.

Primary strengths
Courage to take emotional risks (to trust, love, and feel loved), power to heal (oneself and others), ability to be inclusive and take responsibility for one’s life

This is about how your character responds to situations that require forgiveness, understanding, and empathy.

Primary fears and fearful expressions
Loneliness, commitment, withholding, jealousy/bitterness, anger/hatred, judgmental/critical

This is where you’re able to start seeing your character get in their own way, whether through self-doubt or self-loathing, or through their lack of willingness to forgive, and even experience/express self-love and self-forgiveness.

_____________________


Writing exercise

Take some time to sit quietly, and think about the aspects of the Heart Chakra as they relate to all your characters. 

Write a sketch of a character that may not be materializing as fully as you would like, and answer the questions below as fully and exhaustively as possible. 

Tip: Every time you arrive at a new place of understanding or identify a particular behavior or response in your character, ask “why?” Continuing to ask “why?” is how we get to the deep psychology of our characters. 

Example: Your protagonist has just learned about a betrayal by someone they know. This betrayal could have been intentional (a shop owner whose employee stole cash from the register) or unintentional (a shop owner whose employee who forgot to lock up at the end of the day because they had an emergency at home, and the shop is robbed and vandalized). 

Both are betrayals of a sort.

Depending on who the shop owner is and depending on their degree of emotional intelligence (the condition of their heart chakra), their reactions and responses to both situations will vary.

Questions to begin your exercise:

• Establish your character’s level of compassion, forgiveness, and self-love. What would their immediate response be?

• Do they take time to sit with what happened, or do they respond immediately?

• Do they stand by their response (immediate or delayed), or do they regret it?

• How does their emotional responses, actions, and their feelings about those actions inform the story’s trajectory and drive it forward?

Let me know what you discover in the comments.

As always… Sending you mad writing mojo…

Happy writing!

Johnnie
OOOOO