I’m delighted to interview Christopher Foster, author and founder of The Happy Seeker blog.
Christopher is author of The Raven Who Spoke with God, an inspirational novel recently published in Kindle format at Amazon. This book was first distributed on 9/11 and has appeared in 11 foreign language editions.
1.Where are you from and when were your born?
I was born in London in 1932. My dad was a reporter on big London dailies and my mother was a teacher. I was an only child in a traditional middle-class British family and when I left school I became a reporter like my dad. I had a good career ahead of me but for some strange reason I just couldn’t fit in.
I longed to find the truth and when I was in my early 20s I give up my family and career and native country and went to British Columbia to find freedom.
2. What inspired you to write The Raven Who Spoke with God?
I’ve always loved animals, and nature. I wanted to show the connection that binds us to the natural world, and I also wanted to portray through the form of a story the longing that is in each one of us to answer the call of “The hero’s Journey,” as Joseph Campbell described it. I believe the Unknown is always where our true freedom lies.
3. Tell us a bit about the book. What lessons does it teach?
I wanted to illustrate through a story the importance of persistence, and courage, and listening to our own heart. Joshua is a brave but sensitive young raven with a big dream in life. He has listened to his grandmother’s stories about how the raven used to be honored as a messenger and guardian of humanity, and he wants to restore that ancient honor of his kind.
He experiences many difficulties and traumas but his own integrity will not let him give up his mission. The message of the book is: Trust life. Trust your own unconquerable spirit.
4. How would my readers benefit from reading your book?
I think they would benefit in two ways. First, it would be an opportunity to set aside the worries of modern life and immerse themselves in a charming and inspiring story.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I designed the book as a blueprint to help people navigate through the challenges of their life and be reminded of the true meaning, beauty and happiness that is the divine birthright of each one of us.
5. When did you first realize you were destined to be a writer?
It was in the early days of the blitz in London in World War II. Bombs were falling all around the apartment block where I lived with my mother at the time. My dad was overseas as a war correspondent.
One day for some reason I just started writing a story in an old scrapbook, and the more I kept writing this story the more I realized what fun it was. I still find writing to be enormous fun and hey, it has this great advantage that you can pretty well keep writing at any age.
6. What have been some of your biggest challenges?
My first wife and I were returning from the Caribbean in 1991 where we had celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. She had a stroke on the plane and died a few hours after we arrived in Vancouver. It was devastating. Then two or three years later, the spiritual community to which I belonged for 36 years collapsed – this was after the death of its leader — and I had no option but to leave the community at 63 with no idea at all how I would live or what I would do.
Those were both very difficult experiences, but the biggest challenge of all came a few years later. I had moved to Colorado and remarried and I thought everything was fine, when suddenly, without warning, I fell into a deep and excruciating one year depression.
It was the most difficult period of my life, and yet the strange thing is that it also turned out to be a blessing. It was like I had experienced some psychic healing, because the depression just lifted one day and I felt a beautiful stillness and peace that has never left me.
7. Do you have a spiritual routine? What is it?
Oh dear, difficult question to answer Angela. I do and I don’t. I like to take a little time first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening just to sit quietly and commune with myself. And I like to include a bit of abdominal breathing in the evening, which helps to calm me in a wonderful way.
But above all, as I age, I find the true joy of my life is taking a few moments every now and again to simply be conscious of my own timeless presence. To love that. I love “looking at myself,” to quote a friend and mentor, John Sherman. I find that as I continue “loving myself” in this way life changes and transforms in magical ways.
8. There is a turning point in your book where Joshua finds a mentor. Has synchronicity played a part in your life?
Synchronicity has played a huge part of my life. I believe there is a hand of grace on each one of us. There have been many times when just the right person came into my life at just the right time and changed my life forever.
This is how it was, for example, when I met my wife, JoAnn, about 16 years ago. We lived far apart geographically, we didn’t know each other from Adam, and yet synchronicity – or the Angels, as I sometimes like to think of it – found a way to bring us together. It opened a door to a whole new chapter in my life including a move to this great country called USA.
9. If you could have 60 seconds to give a message to the world what would it be?
Listen to the nudges of your own heart and stay true to your own wisdom and integrity and everything will work out just fine.
10. What project are you working on next?
I do see some exciting possibilities but right now it’s time to stay calm and let what wants to emerge keep on emerging.
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P.S. to learn more about synchronicity check out these books.
For more from Christopher, please visit his blog at The Happy Seeker, where he writes about wisdom and personal growth. You can check out The Raven Who Spoke with God BY CLICKING HERE.
