Eileen Holland

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The Spellcaster's Reference

The Spellcaster's Reference:
TWPT Talks to Eileen Holland©2009TWPT

TWPT:  Most people reach a point in their lives at which their previous spiritual path or lack thereof no longer makes sense and they embark on a new spiritual journey. When was it that you found yourself presented with Wicca and it spoke to your "spiritual" heart?

EH:  My journey was pretty typical, from family monotheistic religion to atheism to Wicca. I was raised Catholic, and sent to parochial school for eight years. I accepted the religion, without giving it much thought, until the seventh grade. I was an eccentric, bookish girl (think Hermione Granger crossed with Harriet the Spy, add red hair and extra hormones), so I did something that the Catholic Church discouraged: I read the entire Bible, both Testaments, cover to cover - even all the extra material at the end of the Catholic edition in my house.

This made me think and ask questions. Like, why did the god in the Old Testament seem totally different from the one in the New Testament? The Viet Nam War was raging and I was deeply opposed to it. How did you square ‘an eye for an eye’ with ‘turn the other cheek’? Or ‘turn the other cheek’ with ‘praise the lord and pass the ammunition’? How could the Church support any war, when Jesus had taught non-violence like Gandhi and Dr. King? Why
couldn’t women be priests? Wasn’t Mary Magdalene a priestess? If Jesus said to help the poor, why was the Vatican stuffed with riches? Shouldn’t the Church sell everything and use the money to help people? And how could some popes have been the sons of other popes, when priests took vows of chastity?

I was full of questions. You can imagine the reaction when I began asking them at school. I was the infuriating kid who correctly quoted chapter and verse when asking uncomfortable questions. I refused to be satisfied with responses like, “You cannot question the Holy Father”, or “Some things must remain a mystery.” I refused to be silenced. I wanted answers, but the nuns and priests couldn’t provide them. I stopped going to church, except to read the updated list of banned books posted in the vestibule. (That was useful - it became my reading list.) I rejected their hypocrisy, rejected their patriarchy, rejected their religion, and went happily off to public high school as a confirmed atheist.

That was how I lived for many years. I read widely and learned about many different religions, but I was much too busy working to focus on what I called “that spiritual crap”. A book changed that, and an illness that gave me time to finally read it.

The book was The White Goddess, by Robert Graves. I found it during the 80’s, on the remainders table in a bookstore in Los Angeles. I was compelled to buy it. I had no idea why, but I was sure that this book was somehow important, very important. I was too busy with mundane matters to read it though, so I carted it with me for years, from coast to coast, and apartment to apartment.

I was back in NYC in 1991 when I suddenly, shockingly, went blind. Doctors thought I might have a brain tumor, but an MRI diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis. Steroids were prescribed. That was horrible, but they worked. My peripheral vision was gone for good, but the rest of my eyesight slowly began to return. The White Goddess was the first thing I read, as soon as I could see well enough to make out words again.

It’s a difficult book, but it spoke directly to me. It opened my mind, and told me what I needed to know. I discovered why I’d been compelled to buy it, and keep it close. It helped me to make sense of my entire life. I realized consciously, for the first time, that I was a witch. I realized that I had been working magick unknowingly for much of my life, and that the Goddess had always been with me, trying to communicate with me.

I assumed I was essentially alone, because there probably weren’t many witches left after all that had been done to wipe us out. I kept reading, and it was through other books that I found Wicca. How unexpected, how cool, how magical, to discover that witches were thriving in the modern world, and that we had our own religion!

TWPT:  After deciding that this was the path for you were there any immediate outwardly changes in your lifestyle?

EH:  I was pretty much in shock for the first two years after I was diagnosed. I called that period of my life Brave New World, as I struggled to deal with my dramatic health problems and their disastrous economic impact. There were many changes in my lifestyle. Most of these changes were negative, wrought by M.S., but M.S. and Wicca could both be credited for one positive change. Illness, like witchcraft, teaches you the necessity of removing negativity from your life. I began the long, slow, often difficult process of identifying and deleting negative patterns, people, and situations from my life.

The biggest immediate change brought by my new spiritual path was a powerfully positive one. I began to consciously work magick, which lead to several interesting discoveries. I was good at it. Somehow, I knew what to do. I didn’t need to learn it, just remember. I’d never believed in reincarnation, but this made me start thinking about it. I also found myself profoundly grateful for the rede of “harm none”, for the ethical framework it provided within which to safely practice magick. I might have gone astray without it, in the heady newfound thrill of wielding magick.

TWPT:  What was/is there about Wicca that attracted you to it and why is it that so many other people are discovering this very same path as well?

EH:  Many of us are Old Souls, I suspect, attracted by its familiarity. I cannot speak for any Wiccan but myself though, which is one of the things that I love about Wicca. We have no central authority, no powers-that-be, no one to give us orders, make decisions or speak for us. Every Wiccan is a priest or priestess. We each work directly with the Goddess, each choose what form our service to her takes, and each make personal decisions about how to bide the Rede. We are autonomous, and have self-determination. We’re free.

I think it important that all humans find the religions or spiritual paths that are right for them – including the choice not to have religion. Wicca definitely isn’t for everyone. It’s a calling. I love the fact that it’s organic, in that it grows naturally. We don’t proselytize. We mind our own business and have respect for others. We’re not annoying or intrusive, like faiths that ring your doorbell. When the Goddess needs more witches, she calls them. We don’t even compel our children to follow Wicca, yet we experience worldwide growth.

I know with clear certitude that Wicca is the correct path for me. There are many things that I admire about it, such as the focus on ethics. I love the fact that we behave ethically because it’s the right thing to do, not out of fear or guilt. I also cherish the equality and mutual respect between genders in Wicca. This is an open-minded, accepting, enlightened faith. Things like racism, sexism and homophobia have no place in Wicca.

Some Wiccans choose to join covens, or come together in groups such as Groves, but we aren’t organized. We have no idea how many of us there are. We’re simply people who have freely chosen to follow the same path, each in his or her own way. Wicca has no dogma and collects no dues. It’s not about money or power - it’s about positive actions, personal responsibility, self-realization, and living in harmony with Nature. I think it’s a beautiful religion.

Why are so many discovering this path? The simple answer is that Goddess calls, and witches answer. That leads to the next question: why are so many are being called or recalled at this time? My theory is that it’s because of the precession of the Zodiac, that we’re here to help usher in the new age and facilitate human evolution.

TWPT:  Did you consider both solitary and coven types of practice when you first started?

EH:  No. I deliberately avoided contact with other witches in the beginning. My belief in the Goddess and the Rede were so fierce and pure that I worried I’d be disappointed by finding that others did not feel the same way.

I was blessed, in time, to meet many wonderful Wiccans. I have very much enjoyed and been greatly enriched by this, especially my relationship with a family trad coven in NYC, and my ongoing interaction with the witches on the e-lists that my web site gave birth to.

TWPT:  I know from your bio that you consider yourself a solitary these days. Could you elaborate on why a solitary practice was right for you?

EH:  Yes, I am essentially a lone wolf witch. You can’t be a writer unless you enjoy your own company. Writing requires the ability to sit contentedly alone in a room for hours on end. You have to live in your head as much as you live in the world – and like it there. Solitary practice suits me. I seldom leave my house, but the Web keeps me connected with others. It would be great to get out more, especially to celebrate Sabbats with other Wiccans, but M.S. makes that difficult. I’d never even heard of it when I was told that I had it, so of course I set out to quickly learn everything that I could about it. One of the things I discovered was that I’d actually had it most of my life, since high school, and that it was responsible for the many strange health problems I’d experienced over the years.

M.S. is a progressive neurological autoimmune disease. I have lived with it for about 35 years. Magick has slowed its progression way beyond what doctors expected, but I’m in a wheelchair now, going blind, and going deaf. That sounds horrible, but it’s actually not so bad when you’ve reached Acceptance and had years to get used to it.
There’s still no cure for it, but I remain hopeful that stem cells or some other medical breakthrough will one day restore some of my functionality. I read a book about palmistry when I was a child. According to it, I would have a long illness followed by a short recovery. Who knows, if that book was right I might be able to get out and about again when I’m an old lady. It would be lovely to be able to attend Pagan gatherings.

TWPT:  Your bio also says you are an eclectic witch. Could you describe how you apply the term eclectic to your own practice and how that liberation from a set pattern allows you to practice your faith?

EH:  I consider myself eclectic because I do not follow a tradition, don’t restrict myself to certain practices or deities. I’m practical, a great believer in “whatever works”. It’s useful to have thousands of years of global magical practices to draw upon, if needed.

Eclectic practice is enriching. Isis is my matron and Thoth is my patron, but I cannot imagine life without all my other gods and goddesses. I often work with deities. Some witches think it inadvisable to invoke deities from different pantheons in the same spell or ritual, but I’ve never had a problem with that. I find that the gods appreciate it when we make an effort to get to know them. So long as we are polite, have good reason for disturbing them, and understand why we are calling upon them, we can invoke deities from multiple cultures or pantheons in our workings.

TWPT:  Tell me about the role magick plays in your particular style of practice.

EH:  It has evolved. I used to cast spells in the traditional way, by raising power and casting circles. I often used rhymed incantations and props, such as candles, crystals or poppets. I still love candles and incense, but I mainly use psi-magick now. I use my mind, focus my magickal attention on an issue or problem until it improves.

Sometimes I don’t use magick at all. If I have a strong relationship with a deity who has dominion over the particular area of concern, I may ask that god or goddess for help instead of using magick. When I do this I am careful, as with magick, to specify that they should only intervene if it will cause harm to none.

TWPT:  How has research into Wicca, magick, paganism and Witchcraft over the years affected the beliefs that you hold and how you apply them to your life?

EH:  Illness brings blessings as well as hardship. I have been blessed with the gift of time to study mythology, ethnobotany, history, magickal correspondences, and other things that interest me. This has enabled me to see the ‘big picture’, to appreciate the interconnection of everything.

Research has both broadened and deepened my beliefs. Like many Wiccans, I began with the Goddess. As my knowledge increased I came to see her as a personification of the Universe, as containing everything, including all of the individual gods and goddesses. Some Wiccans focus solely on goddesses, but I have relationships with gods as well.

TWPT:  Do you think that a person who is open to learning and knowledge will always be a work in progress in regards to their spirituality?

EH:  I would hope so! I think Bob Dylan had it right, that “He not busy being born is busy dying”. We’re all works-in-progress, all here to work on our karmic journeys.

TWPT:  Has that always been the path that humankind has walked throughout the centuries?

EH:  Yes, but we humans progress in fits and starts, with lots of backsliding. We often kill the enlightened ones who come along to show us better ways. Our history is fouled by many atrociously violent episodes. We resist change, resist evolving, but we do slowly make progress.

TWPT:  What happens when change is viewed as a bad thing and is suppressed either as an individual or as a society?

EH:  Whether you see it as creation/preservation/ destruction or life/death/rebirth, it’s important to recognize that our Universe is in a constant state of change. Failure to accept this reality is unhealthy. It results in periods like the Dark Ages, and anachronisms like the Taliban. People and groups that cling desperately to the past, to outmoded ideas or ways, are often dangerous or violent. They need to join the rest of us, here in the 21st century, so that we can all move peacefully forward together.

TWPT:  When did you decide to start sharing your thoughts with the community at large through your writing?

EH:  I have scars on my brain. This affects cognition, especially short-term memory, making it difficult to retain information or learn new things. I moved to Egypt a year after I was diagnosed, and began work on my Book of Shadows there. I spent a lot of time in libraries, in Cairo and the Nile Delta. I found many amazing books, including curious old dust-covered tomes, which were very helpful to me in my study of plants, mythology, magick, and ancient Egyptian religion. It was hard to remember what I learned though, so I took elaborate notes. I used tiny handwriting in a large BoS, but the information I gathered soon outgrew it. When I returned to New York I got my first Mac, and transferred all my notes to it. I kept researching, and adding to the notes.

The Web was just getting started. I met other witches for the first time, online. It seemed wasteful to have all that information and not share it, so I launched Open, Sesame (www.open-sesame.com) in 1997. The huge response that it got took me completely by surprise. E-mail began pouring in, and I realized how much need there was for information about Wicca – what it is, and what it definitely is not. The web site grew, just as the BoS had, so I gathered parts of it into a book.

TWPT:  Tell me about your first book and what it was that you wanted to communicate to those who eventually purchased and read it.

EH:  I had several goals for The Wicca Handbook. The witchcraft fad was in full swing at the time. A lot of disinformation was being spread about Wicca, and I very much wanted to correct that. There were other things I wanted to get straight as well. I met more than a few witches online who claimed to be Wiccan, but who used magick unethically. They misinterpreted the Rede in selfish, self-serving ways that allowed them (they though) to practice what was actually black magick. This hypocrisy offended me, so I wanted to write about white magick and true Wiccan ethics. I also encountered some very confused people who thought they were ‘Christian Wiccans’. I wanted to make it clear that it was not possible to simultaneously be both of these religions.

My main reason for writing The Wicca Handbook was to help new Wiccans. I wanted to provide everything needed to get started, so I distilled my experience, years of research, and knowledge gleaned from dozens of books, into this single volume. I believe I succeeded, based on the many letters I have received from readers over the years.

TWPT:  Was the process of getting that book from your head to its final version in the form of a book what you expected?

EH:  I didn’t really have expectations, because it was my first book. The process was actually pretty easy, because it was collaborative. The web was new then, and there weren’t many witchcraft sites online yet. I posted first drafts of the book’s chapters as I wrote them. That was a great way to work because I got a lot of feedback from visitors to Open, Sesame. They told me how what I wrote related to their lives, what they agreed or disagreed with, how the spells worked for them, etc. All that input became part of the book, as I revised it into its final form.

I wish that I could still write books this way. It isn’t possible though, because plagiarism became a problem. My work began popping up all over the Web, often unattributed or with someone else’s name on it. It saddens me that I can now only post portions of my books after they are published,

TWPT:  Was it better or worse that what you thought going into the project?

EH:  The process of getting published was better than I’d expected. My editor at Weiser, the late Betty Lundsted, was a pleasure to work with. She challenged me, she pushed me, and she got me to make The Wicca Handbook a better book than it would have been without her.

TWPT:  After the first book was published did you feel better about doing it again and what did you change about the way you approached the work as compared to the first time through?

EH:  I didn’t anticipate that The Wicca Handbook would make some readers feel like they knew me, and try to connect with me in a personal way. Their response was a bit disconcerting, so I have deliberately written more impersonal books since then.

I’ve already said how problems with plagiarism prevented me from writing subsequent books online, as I had done with the first one. Here’s something that has remained the same for every book: enchantment. My books are filled with information, so I always worry that unethical readers might use them to work dark magick. Thoth has dominion over books of magick, so with his help I cast a spell on every manuscript before it is published. Anyone who tries to use my books to do harm is more likely to have their spells backfire horribly than to succeed. The gods have a different sense of time than we do – especially Egyptian deities, who literally dwell in eternity. There’s no telling when the harm will rebound, but it surely will.

TWPT:  So as a published author did you go out on the road at all to publicize your book? If you did go out on the road was this something you felt comfortable with at first?

EH:  I did two book signings in my area, but I’ve never done a book tour. I very much enjoyed meeting people at those signings, but it was physically exhausting. I don’t make appearances, and only do interviews by phone or e-mail. At first this was because I had a young child to take care of, but now it’s because travel is too much for me. One of the things you learn pretty quickly with M.S. is to never make plans, because there is no way to know how well or unwell you will be on any given day in the future. You learn (the hard way) that it’s better to avoid commitments than to disappoint anyone. There are days when I cannot manage signing my name, so it would be kind of pointless to schedule appearances.

TWPT:  Was having the spotlight shined on you as an example to others through books something you enjoyed or not?

EH:  Yes and no. I’m not shy, not in the broom closet, and don’t mind at all when people ask me questions about being a witch or a Wiccan. I consider it my duty to refute negative stereotypes about us, so I’m perfectly comfortable with being a role model in that sense. I’m also in a unique position to help certain people, Pagan or not: parents of special-needs children, the disabled, and those who live with chronic illnesses. I very much welcome any situation or opportunity that brings me contact with those I can help, whether it be with kind words, a sympathetic ear, experienced advice, my own example, or in any other way.

What I can definitely live without is limelight! The fact that you can write a book doesn’t make you better, witchier, or more interesting than other Wiccans.

TWPT:  Do you have a goal for each of the books you write?

EH:  Yes. Cerelia and I wrote A Witch’s Book of Answers to respond to actual questions that we were often asked. I get many requests for spells from people who have problems or situations to deal with. My goal in writing Spells for the Solitary Witch was to help readers to help themselves, by providing the most-requested spells. I tried to make them appropriate for every skill level.

Holland’s Grimoire of Magickal Correspondences and The Spellcaster’s Reference are both reference works. Witches often start by casting spells they find in books, or get from other witches. That’s absolutely fine, but as we gain experience we learn that the most powerful spells are the ones we write ourselves. My goal for these books was to provide readers with ample material for creating their own spells, rituals, and magickal recipes.

I’ve been working on a book about deities for the past few years. Its working title is Invocation of the Mighty Ones. I have several goals for this book (assuming I ever finally finish it). My main goal is to provide information about powerful deities from a variety of cultures, information that can be used to call upon them, as well as to establish or deepen relationships with them. I’ve read a lot of books about mythology, and this one is different.

It presents the gods the way that I study them, in what I think of as ‘deity complexes’. I begin with the earliest appearance of a god or goddess and examine all the subsequent forms that deity has taken. Dyeus becomes Zeus becomes Jupiter, Sarasvati becomes Benzaiten, Danu becomes Aine, and so on. This historical approach allows achievement of another goal, to document the impact that newer monotheistic religions have had on older Pagan ones. That includes the demonization and devolution of deities: Ereshkigal becomes Alukah, Ninlil becomes Lilith, Zeus becomes St. Elias, Brigid becomes St. Brigit, and so on.  

TWPT:  In other words what is it that you want a person who reads one of your books to walk away with in terms of new knowledge or a new mind set?

EH:  Sending a manuscript off to be published is a bit like sending a child out into the world. You put years of time, love, knowledge, and wisdom into something - then you let it go, and hope that it does well. I try to write useful books, ones that have value beyond a single reading. I hope my books aren’t sitting on shelves, collecting dust. I hope their pages are tattered, ink-stained and underlined, because readers are making heavy use of them. I want my books to help people, especially to help them create positive change with ethical magick.

TWPT:  Your most recent book is entitled The Spellcaster's Reference: Magickal Timing for the Wheel of the Year. Let me ask firstly why is it important to time your magick to what's going on around you in nature?

EH:  Natural forces are powerful, so it’s always better to work with them than against them. It would be foolish to try to sail a boat against a wind, or light a fire in the rain. Time is a natural force. The year is actually composed of many wheels, such as the zodiac and lunar and solar cycles. If you think of these as tides of time, and your spells as boats, you can easily see the benefit of sailing with the tides rather than against them.

TWPT:  What is the benefit or what is the detriment of not following nature's timing?

EH:  Auspicious timing boosts the effectiveness of a spell or ritual. Certainly you can ignore timing when you work magick, or even cast spells at inauspicious times, but it’s much easier to achieve desired results when time is on your side.

TWPT:  Secondly why is it important to make sure that the correspondences of ritual items be taken into account when you are preparing to work some magick?

EH:  Correspondences work like timing: they boost the power and effectiveness of magick. The two are even more powerful when you combine them. Some witches go by their instincts rather than correspondences. We’re all different – whatever works. Magickal correspondences are important to me, though. They are my touchstone, my inspiration. I almost always consult them when I write a spell or create a magickal recipe.

Magick teaches us that everything is connected. I see the hand of the Goddess in magickal correspondences, in the fact she has provided us with specific connections that are more powerful than others. Magickal correspondences are like keys that can be used to open certain doors, so they are helpful in witchcraft. Their use is explained at the beginning of the book.

TWPT:  As an overview what is it that you set out to communicate within the pages of The Spellcaster's Reference?

EH:  I wanted to help readers understand the importance of magickal timing, and make it easy for them to incorporate it into their practices. I also wanted to provide lots of alternatives, so they could schedule workings at their convenience.

TWPT:  Is it difficult to distill all the knowledge that you have acquired about this particular subject over the years to 246 pages?

EH:  Definitely! The book could easily have been twice as long.

TWPT:  How was it that you approached this book in terms of paring down what to include and what you assumed the readers should already know or could research later if they were so inclined to delve deeper?

EH:  There was indeed a lot of paring down. I tried to maximize information by employing a just-the-facts approach that kept blather to a minimum. I also tried to omit the most esoteric information, like obscure deities, but still retain enough variety to make the book useful to readers of any faith, path, or tradition, wherever they might live.

I hope it won’t be necessary for readers to have to look anything up, that the text and glossaries explain everything.

TWPT:  Considering all the other books out there in the marketplace what does The Spellcaster's Reference bring to the table in terms of offering a new perspective to the reader about this subject matter?

EH:  Good question. As I’ve said, I first amassed the information and put it together this way for myself. I did that because I’d never come across a book like it. My research spans millennia, continents and cultures. I use a lot of old books and original sources. The Spellcaster’s Reference probably contains information that isn’t found in typical New Age books.

I value practicality and usefulness, so scheduling magickal workings isn’t the only thing this book can do. The first chapter explains how to use it for divination, guidance, and to create things like affirmations, candles, incense, oils, rituals and spells. Sample recipes, rituals and spells are included.

The last chapter is a ‘reverse directory’ where readers can look up the subject of their working and find a variety of auspicious times for it. This chapter includes many popular workings, such as astral projection, banishing, binding, divination, meditation, and releasing. It also covers subjects from Abundance to Healing, Increase to People, Protection to Wisdom, and everything in between.

TWPT:  Now that the book is out how are you feeling about the final product and the work that led up to its release?

EH:  The editorial team at Weiser did a great job. I love the cover artwork, the seasonal images of a tree. There are a lot of books about magick and Wicca with dark, foreboding covers. That can be off-putting, or make their subject matter seem ominous. This book’s cover is inviting, as well as beautiful and appropriate.

TWPT:  From what I have read you always seem to have a few books in progress. Is it hard to step between the projects that you have going simultaneously and keep the focus you need to keep them both moving ahead? How is it that you accomplish this?

EH:  I find it easy to write several books at once. It’s like working on multiple jigsaw puzzles – you just have to be careful not to mix their pieces up. This would be nearly impossible without a computer. I have a folder for each book-in-progress on my desktop, and each folder is stuffed with files for chapters, notes, and research material. I just keep adding or working on things, until it’s time to sum it all up in a book.

Finishing the books is what I find difficult. I love research. It’s absorbing, intoxicating, and so pleasurable that I hate stopping to complete a book.

TWPT:  Now that you have several books under your belt are you still happy that you decided to become an author with all that it entails?

EH:  Yes, definitely yes. Each Wiccan serves in his or her own way, and this is my service to the Goddess. It would be a selfish waste to have knowledge and not share it.

Personally what is it that you get out of these books besides the money?

That’s funny. If I were doing this to make money, I’d be a failure. No, I get other things from my books. On a personal level there’s the satisfaction of having accomplished something, and the immortality of the printed word. More important, there’s the feedback that tells me my books have helped people.

TWPT:  To close this interview out is writing something that you see yourself doing in 10, 15 or even 25 years into the future? Is it something you see yourself doing until you can't do it anymore?

EH:  Absolutely. I’ve been scribbling in notebooks since childhood. I always wanted to be a writer, but life interrupted and gave me a business career instead. In the Brave New World, when my eyesight was slowly returning after my first attack of optic neuritis, I had to face hard truths and make tough decisions. I realized I would never be able to return to the work I had been doing. That life was over, and I had to find a new future for myself. Worst-case scenario, I’d be blind and in a wheelchair. What could you do then, what use could you possibly be? That was a scary prospect until it literally hit me, like a coup de foudre. All was not lost. I could be a writer. There was a way forward.

The writer’s block that had frozen me after college suddenly disappeared. I began to write poetry for the first time in many years. Pain is the muse that inspires poetry, for me, so poems gave way to prose when I reached Acceptance in my stages of reaction to diagnosis. I began writing about magick, witchcraft, and the other things that interest me. I found my voice.

I’m a production-oriented, purpose-driven, workaholic Taurus . . . with an exhausting disease that causes me to nod off with my eyes wide open several times a day. I’m lucky if I manage two productive hours at the computer on any given day. Very little gets accomplished. It’s frustrating. It’s ironic. It’s hilarious. The Goddess definitely has a sense of humor. Chronic illness teaches you that you have a choice: you can laugh, or you can cry. I choose laughter, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other even though I can no longer walk.

The French writer/vagabond/criminal Jean Genet was one of the heroes of my youth. I loved the way he refused to stop writing in prison, even though it was unlikely his work could ever be published. When his handwritten manuscript was destroyed, he rewrote it. I could never write a novel like Our Lady of the Flowers, but I’d like to think that I share his determination. The further the M.S. progresses, the harder it becomes to write. Nevertheless, I plan to live to 90 and keep writing for as long as I can. Or until, like Rimbaud, another hero of my youth, I have nothing left to say.

TWPT:  Eileen I want to  thank you for a wonderful interview and for being so open and forthcoming with the readers of TWPT about your writing and your personal physical struggles with M.S. I wish you many more years of writing, research and the physical ability to continue to do that which you obviously love so much.