Carol Sill is a writer, editor, and publisher living on Salt Spring Island, BC, with the abstract artist James K-M and their beagle, B.
A Sufi and Platonist (and grandmother of two,) she has been engaged in the practical application of ancient spiritual wisdom for over four decades. Her other books include Human Ecology: Notes on the Sacred Element Work, Documentary Print, and Letters: Shamcher Beorse and Carol Sill.
Carol was the editor of Ann Mortifeeʼs acclaimed best-seller, In Love with the Mystery, featured in Oprah Magazine. In addition, she has republished several books by her Sufi teacher, Shamcher Beorse, including Fairy Tales are True, Every Willing Hand, and Planet Earth Demands. She currently manages the Shamcher Archives and produces two newsletters: Personal Papers and The Shamcher Bulletin.
Ask and find out more about Carol Sill and the book HERE.
Carol Sill’s inspiration for writing “Attars” stems from several interconnected sources:
- Exploration of liminal experiences: Sill was particularly interested in exploring “liminal events happening behind the scenes” as her protagonist writes an initiatory Book of Secrets. This focus on transitional or threshold experiences aligns with her interest in personal transformation and spiritual growth.
- Sufi and Platonist influences: As a self-identified Sufi and Platonist, Sill’s spiritual background significantly influenced the themes in “Attars”. Her four decades of engagement with ancient spiritual wisdom provided a rich foundation for the novel’s exploration of metaphysics, alchemy, poetics, and mysticism.
- California Dunes setting: Sill chose to set her story in the California dunes, which provided a rich backdrop for the narrative. The dunes symbolize a shifting, liminal space where “things aren’t always as they seem” and where “drifting sands cover and uncover events, treasures, and memories”.
- Personal desire: Sill expressed that she “wanted to write the sort of book that I would enjoy reading. A women’s book about inner development and self-realization, but with an expression of meaning that occurs outside the private self”. This personal motivation guided her in crafting a story that resonated with her own interests and experiences.
- Sufi training and experience: Sill’s background in Sufism, particularly her training in the tradition of Hazrat Inayat Khan, directly informed the spiritual and mystical elements of the novel.
- Essence gathering as a metaphor: The protagonist’s role as an essence gatherer living in solitude serves as a metaphor for the collection and distillation of spiritual wisdom and personal experiences.
By weaving these elements together, Carol Sill created a novel that explores the inner journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth, set against the backdrop of a mystical and ever-changing landscape. “Attars” thus became a vehicle for Sill to express her own spiritual insights and invite readers into a world where the boundaries between the physical and the metaphysical are fluid and transformative.