My  journey began upon receipt of a personalised 'marketing plan'; 31 pages of hints, research, 'to do's' and content for me to generate, relative to my book. Instant overwhelm!  And breathe... I took a step back and soon bits of it started to jump out. I can do this, yes I'm happy with that, and "oooh, look!" I've already done this, changed the inner dialogue from one of despair into a strange sense of excitement - I couldn't wait to begin. Until, that is, I turned to the first page. She wanted me to change the cover of my book! She had done her research well. Set out amidst the covers of a few new age 'greats' mine definitely stood out - I saw this as a positive. However, Katie felt it, "didn't sit well within this genre. The imagery feels quite childlike, and potentially could cause confusion about who this book is for". She followed it with her idea of a replacement - by her own admission she's not a book designer so it was just an idea - and again, she set it out alongside the greats.  Here's the dilemma.

I agreed with her. And, I liked, really liked, the new cover. When I placed it in the midst of others in this genre, Walk the Rainbow felt elevated. I  - felt elevated. And, of course, the cover is the first attractor to potential readers. It is important. True to form, mind kicked in to offer its two-penneth. But... but... but... you can't change it... you've done all this work, its always been this way.... and so it went... on... and on... and on. Take a step back... and breathe... Then... in spite the rightness of the cover, regardless of my agreeing with her reasoning, I still couldn't quite bring myself to say, yes. Why is that? I wondered. So I turned everything on its head and focused on why my cover was valid and why it was worthy of its place amongst the 'greats'.

In other words, much stripping away of the trappings of adulthood will have been undertaken before the likelihood of a return to innocence can be realised. How? Again, a clue is in the drawing. Beneath the child's right foot is a large black box, this represents the unconscious, source of all reactive programs and belief systems. Scattered around are a further seven boxes (cubes) coloured according to the seven colours of the rainbow. These represent the separate self, the parts of you that feel isolated, alone or even superior to other 'boxes'. Living from the perspective of any one or all of these, particularly when their source is the unconscious black box, ensures the child will never reclaim its innocence and you, as an adult, will find it hard to 'walk a rainbow through your life.'  For instance, if I had listened to the dictates of my black box I would never have embarked upon a marketing journey and most assuredly the gifts of this blog would never have seen the light of day. The placement of the child's foot upon the black box shows the only way to deal with the unconscious is through cultivating awareness of its contents.

"One does not become conscious by imagining figures of light, but by making  the darkness conscious.

C. G. Jung

The two interlocking circles, and the seven 'rainbow' spheres within it, the child is holding, are equally important. The principles of sacred geometry, and its relevance to the evolution of human consciousness, is fundamental to Walk the Rainbow. It's worth repeating. Nothing in this cover, or the book, is random or accidental. Every part has its place and is essential in presenting a vision of wholeness 'as it is', not how we perceive it to be.

So what's the outcome?

This blog has been an interesting journey and one that really doesn't have a definitive end. Katie's cover is valid, as is mine. The consciousness of humanity as a whole, is on the verge of entering a new paradigm, one in which the old ways, including what defines spirituality or doesn't, is on the verge of radical change.  When I began my spiritual journey in earnest some two decades ago there was an explosion of self-help books, including those offering techniques to realise Samadhi; the aim being to transcend the dross of 'ordinary' life in favour of spiritual illumination - bliss. Katie's cover, along with many books in this genre, reflects these ideals. However, the new paradigm is more more grounded, more real, and less about transcendence, or escapism. It concerns acceptance of what is, as it is, in the moment, as a way of being. But, and this is a big but, both paradigms are prevalent right now. There is no ending of one and beginning of another. They exist in the same space at the same time and the qualities of each are therefore, equally valid.

You see, its not really about the cover at all. Its more about the arena, the space, within which it is shared. Far more than this, it is about the consciousness of the one whose eyes rest upon the qualities each cover embodies, what feelings it evokes in the heart of the beholder, and whether or not those eyes are drawn to look beyond the obvious.  Walk the Rainbow is a sojourn into what lies betwixt and between the subtle layers that create our vision of reality, to recognise the beauty within, and to live a life of wholeness from that place of beauty. It is not about escapism. It is an invitation to 'Manifest the beauty of the Soul... walk a rainbow through your life...'  as you are, who you are, in conscious alignment with the Spirit within.

So, does either cover really do justice in presenting these ideals to the mind of a reader? Perhaps someone should be able to 'read' at least the genre of a book without explanation, just by viewing its cover, in which case Katie's hits the spot. Or maybe there are those who are looking for something deeper, something that strikes a chord, inside. Maybe? My feet stand astride both paradigms, my heart is with the new, hence the dilemma. How about you, where do your feet rest? Which cover would you choose?

Walk the Rainbow includes 150+ original artwork and detailed graphics in full colour.

Available in paperback and eBook.

Get your copy here