I don’t often read children’s books these days, at least not cover-to-cover. However, with a plot about a tween girl named Cate who finds her own power despite having undergone bullying, The Torchbearer’s Quest by Christine Callahan-Oke, called loudly to me.
One of my favorite parts of being an author is the community I have the opportunity to build. As a reader, I’m fortunate that this community also allows me to discover titles that I might not have otherwise come across, as was the case for The Torchbearer’s Quest. With so much time invested into my author and book coaching careers, I’ve struggled to fit in as much reading time as I would like. However, the universe keeps reminding me to trust that it provides you with exactly what you need when you need it. In the spiritual world, we hold tight to that belief to keep us going. It turns out, this is one of the many profound lessons that came through in The Torchbearer’s Quest.
In the early winter months, I was forced to rest as I took care of several family medical issues. And as I healed, I couldn’t have asked for a better book to get me through, for Callahan-Oke’s story highlighted the fact that we’re in an age of collective healing, an era in which we’re realizing how science and spirituality connect. We’re discovering the gifts we have and coming to understand that they’re both magical and an everyday reality. The universe forced me to slow down to remind me that there are other people out there just like me who are working diligently to usher this reality in.
As I read about Cate’s journey, I felt genuine healing in my own soul from old wounds, too. I’m a little teary-eyed as I write this, because I was Cate. I knew the pain of having been targeted for daring to stand out and be different. And I can’t help but celebrate the fact that we’re coming into a world where people know how to support young people as they go through the journey of becoming themselves – no matter what their labels, interests, or quirks.
We see Cate grow as she goes from feeling ashamed and blaming herself for being bullied to finding her innate, intuitive gifts. Eventually, she comes to see that possessing intuition makes her wiser and more powerful than she could’ve imagined and enables her to quite-literally create a different reality for not only herself, but the collective. As the universe provides her with an opportunity to see she is a torchbearer – someone who is here to help make the world a better place – she undergoes a magical journey. Although some of the lessons along the way are gained through her time spent in an enchanted rainforest, and she thinks she might just be losing her mind when she visits this place, much of her wisdom is gained from the people who surround her in her everyday life.
At home, her mother supports her by sharing the the power of breath and meditation with her and assuring her that it’s safe to feel and share her feelings. At school, Cate is drawn to the wellness room at school, where the nurse begins to help her see that her experiences are not crazy, and the power she’s discovered exists in all of us. Through this journey, she also connects with a new friend, Davis, who not only reassures her that such magical occurrences are a part of reality, but keeps her accountable for her actions. Cate learns that thoughts, choices, and actions are what creates your reality.
Callahan-Oke integrates spiritual ideas into a touching and adventurous story that’s easy for a young person to understand. The story stands out in the areas of diversity and inclusion, as well, incorporating things such as chosen pronouns, differing abilities, and families of all kinds. Maybe most profound of all the lessons that Cate learns is, “To change things around us, we need to change things within us.” I don’t have young people in my life, but if I did, this is the sort of book I would choose to connect with them and help them comprehend how everyone has a unique brand of magic.
With the newfound wisdom Cate gains along her journey, she’s empowered to apply her insight to the world around her and create change. I believe that each of us has the potential to be a torchbearer, and our quest is to quiet our minds so we can hear our souls.
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Peace and Love,
Tracey
©Tracey Love, 2024. All rights reserved.
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