Having just published an historical novel based on my great aunt’s experience of the 1908 earthquake in Sicily, I started to think about the alchemical process of growth open to the human race residing on this planet. In order to open ourselves to this transformation process we must have what the Italians call “couragio,” a quality highly regarded by the culture. The word means courage, but when an Italian says it, it is more of a blessing of confidence to transcend the obstacle or confront the issue at hand. A person with great “couragio” always triumphs regardless of the outcome.
As a species I see humans moving into a time line that is
regenerative and healing. Many of us incarnated at this period in history
possess courage in spades, and are waking up to who we really are. Those who
remain steeped in the constructs of religion and politics, may take a few more
life times to develop enough courage to extricate themselves from these
paradigms. But for those of us with enough courage (energetically developed
over life times) to face the amount of imposition imposed upon the human race
from the media, politics, and religion, our transcendence is assured. The time
line is created, all we need to do is bring it into our awareness.
It took a great deal of courage for my great aunt to survive
that massive disaster, then marry a man she hardly knew and immigrate to a
strange country. I wrote her story and I am humbled by it. Her younger sister
was never found and for the rest of her life she often wondered if she was
still alive. Many years later she and her husband returned to Messina to see if
they could locate her, but there was no evidence that she had survived the
earthquake. I think her story is a tribute of the indomitable human spirit.
From what I can remember of our conversations, she was very
much in touch with her inner knowing from the time she was quite young. When
she was a child both her parents died and she and her brother were sent to live
with grandparents while her young sister was sent to live with an aunt, so from
early on she had confronted loss and abandonment. After the earthquake she was
even more alone, surviving on the streets until the Americans came and took
children aboard ships. She ended up in a convent and was raised by the Sisters
of Charity.
Her early life was an intense alchemical experience that
strengthened who she was and what she came to the planet to accomplish. A less
developed soul without an abundance of courage would have perished or given up.
Her relationship with the Catholic Church was superficial and the energy of her
worship was focused on the Blessed Mother. Even though she was raised in a strict
religious atmosphere where her behavior was closely monitored, the construct of
religion was not a force behind her spiritual beliefs. She was vulnerable to
criticism for her “Mary Worship” by the Italian Community, but she persisted in
having an altar devoted to Mary in her home regardless.
She was bombarded with family obligations and tragedy, but
she persisted in her spiritual development and serving others, even when they
were less than kind. Her influence on my life has been profound and when I think
I am having a difficult time, I refer to her life and it puts everything into
perspective.
Publication Date: August 15, 2013
Three Towers Press
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 324
Three Towers Press
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 324
Genre: Historical Fiction
Join Angela Lanza as she experiences the tumultuous world of early 20th century Sicily and New York. Orphaned by the earthquake and powerful eruption of Mt. Etna in 1908, Angela is raised in the strict confines of an Italian convent. Through various twists of fate, she is married to a young Italian man whom she barely knows, then together with her spouse, immigrates to the U.S. This novel is an invitation to accompany the young Angela as she confronts the ephemeral nature of life on this planet and navigates the wide cultural gaps between pre-World War II Italy and the booming prosperity of dynamic young America. Author, artist, and teacher Carmela Cattuti created Between the Cracks as an homage to her great-aunt, who survived the earthquake and eruption of Mt. Etna and bravely left Sicily to start a new life in America.
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About the Author
Carmela Cattuti started her writing career as a journalist for the Somerville News in Boston, MA. After she finished her graduate work in English Literature from Boston College she began to write betweenthecracksnovel.blogspot.com.Between the Cracks Blog Tour Schedule
Guest Post at Book Babe
Tuesday, February 10
Spotlight at What Is That Book About
Wednesday, February 11
Review at Back Porchervations
Thursday, February 12
Guest Post at Boom Baby Reviews
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Review at Bookish
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Review at Book Nerd
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Spotlight at My Book Addiction and More
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Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, February 25
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation
Spotlight at Layered Pages
Thursday, February 26
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Friday, February 27
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
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What an fascinating story, and one that is so close to home. I think Carmela's great aunt's story sounds very good. I was close to a couple of my great aunts as well, and lacking any grandpas, definitely filled a story telling void.
ReplyDeleteIsn't there just something wonderful about the stories that pass down from those relatives we are really close to? I didn't have any great aunts growing up but my grandfather fought in the British Air Force in WWII and I will always cherish the stories he told me, not only about that time in his life but his time growing up, meeting and wooing my grandmother, etc. Thanks for stopping by!!!
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