H.M. Holten's Blog, page 3

Rescue Gaia

Gaia, Earth Mother

It is as good as it gets. Or is it? Yes, it could get better. That is our expression of hope. What else is new?

We all dream and dream big. Nothing wrong with that, but it opens us up to hurt or disappointment. At the end of the day, it is better to face the music and live.

We think, we imagine, but we might be mistaken. Thinking there will always be flowers and furry animals, sunshine, and rain. Thinking there will always be beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Thinking that nature is abundant and merciful still, even if Gaia shows her wrath at us humans from time to time.

Not without reason. For generations, we���ve ignored the signs that something is awry, and that���s why we experience pandemics and weird weather.

Venus

It���s our fault. Too bad. The world could be an idyllic place. It still is ��� in places. That���s the wonder of it all. We have blue skies and green grass. We have lush forests and wondrous animals. They struggle to survive and that���s the downside.

Why can���t humanity wise up? We might be on the brink of disaster, but most people think they can carry on with impunity. History shows that warning voices started soon after WWII, but nobody listened. Also, the lobbies for fossil fuel, plastic, weapons, and all the pollutants ��� from DDT to quicksilver (the list is endless) ��� were too powerful. Even now, certain corporations tell us we aren���t ready for change, be it necessary or not.

We might be on the brink of finding long-overdue solutions to the world���s plight, but too many people have learned from the ostrich. Hiding our heads in the sand won���t save us. That���s where we stand at present.

It could go either way, but the longer we hesitate to do what���s right, the smaller our chances of rescuing the planet will be. Maybe it serves us right for eliminating so many species ��� for the ���good��� of humanity. Think about it, we still have a chance, but the countdown has started. The doomsday clock is closer to midnight than ever before. It���s time to do something. Not twirl our fingers but work. Work hard towards solving our problems.

Beauty Spot

�� HMH, 2023

Woolly Tale

Lambs to the Slaughter

Softest warmth and cosy comfort

Fluffy, hirsute, light as dusters

Fills the distaff during hours,

Lived and lost but won for welfare.

Warp and weft bring amplest texture.

Surely gained through timely tenure

Fixed to loom with bright inflexion,

Wear and tear give sweet protection.

*

Lambs must offer their safe haven,

Bleating sorrowful, disclosed

After shearing and the shepherd

Leave their tender skin exposed.

Surly season will turn better,

Once the sun can lose its fetter:

As the flower season blossoms

All the songbirds bust their bosoms.

 *

Sound and colour bring us pleasure,

Happy we, to gain such treasure.

When the charming era falters

Then our need for soft warmth alters.

Yet the sheep carouse at leisure

Bleating songs of summer measure

Growing fells of softest treasure

Until fall brings chill displeasure.

*

People in their safe snug havens

Might soon sip the warming potions,

Never think of outward motions.

Surely sheep will grow their woollens.

Though the wet appeals for wellies

And the fierce chill calls for woollies

They will ride the tides like lilies,

White and pure, in groups and bevvies.

*

Easter brings the great fierce slaughter,

Every human shifts to traitor.

But the sheep greet their vocation,

Bleating shrill in salutation

As the lambs of gods meander

Through the pastures of vile slander

Even to their endless fate

Giving wool to gain a mate.

My old Spinning Wheel

��HMH, 2023

Demonic Eyes

Demonic Eyes

When I finished painting Moonlit Mist, I kept seeing a face in it. This has happened more than once, and I���ve always followed my instincts and worked out the faces or bodies, animals, persons, or mythical creatures that I discovered. Don���t know why I didn���t do it in this case. The idea haunted me and scared me at the same time.

Moonlit Mist

Years after, I experimented with a digital copy of the painting and turned it into a monochrome scale. That already enhanced the face, but I still didn���t act on the inspiration.

Moonlit Mist Monochrome

Looking for a painting or drawing to share on my blog, I saw the monochrome rendition of Moonlit Mist. The temptation to work on the face overwhelmed me this time. Demonic? I don���t know, but to me, it still sends uneasy vibes. It is strange to feel compelled to do something you never wanted to, but, at the end of the day, I���m glad that I followed the impulse. Was it long overdue?

***

�� HMH, 2023

Where is Humanity Going?

Creation

Looking at the world today is a chilling affair. Sure, wars are always happening around the world, but in the Western ecosphere, it has merely been cold. At present, it is only too likely that it might heat up. That could become lethal in so many ways.

We could face a citizens��� war in the US, something that becomes more likely day by day. The British insularity hasn���t helped anybody either. Arab or Islamite fanaticism reaps mischief, and Russia still threatens nuclear war.

All this could become a boiling cauldron of hate and ��� ultimately ��� war.

My hope is that things will calm down before it comes to this, and there are too many hot spots that could escalate out of control. The stakes are high.

There is an exceeding number of warnings that democracy could get an irreparable broadside, should things go too far. What a mess.

Our planet is not a pleasant address at present. Will it return to a less frantic state? We barely survived the latest pandemic. Look at the constant bickering among politicians. The world partakes in an explosive situation that needs diffusing. Preferably before WWIII breaks out.

Rudolf Steiner predicted WWIII ��� as a conflict between Islam and the West. He also predicted that Islam would win. At present, it looks more likely to be a conflict between Russia and the Western territory. No matter what, we could be forced to tackle severe scenarios.

Could it be that humans don���t deserve to survive with all the damage we���ve already caused? Think about it ��� in the sixties, there were several warning voices, calling for action against pollution and greed. Our greed has grown since then, and so has the pollution.

When will profiteers realise that when the last fish has been caught and the last wood burned, when the last grain has been consumed ��� they won���t be able to eat money?

Is this a prospect we can accept? No. Still, we might undergo a nuclear apocalypse before we come to an understanding of our mistakes.

Armageddon

��HMH, 2023

The post Where is Humanity Going? first appeared on HM Holten.

Moonlit Night

Blue Eyes

White, furry friends
Their eyes enigmatic,
Blue and yellow mysteries
Full of spunk and
Spectacular senses

*

Moaning and singing

Under the full moon

Keeping me awake

*

Their feline bodies

Dance

Twisting around one another

As they screech their lust

Into the night

Yellow Eyes

�� HMH, 2023

The post Moonlit Night first appeared on HM Holten.

Scylla and Charybdis

`

Here is another digital artwork I���ve worked on lately. After finishing it, it occurred to me that Homer’s Sea Monsters could look like this. The brooding atmosphere certainly indicates danger. Which would seem the lesser of two evils? I���m not certain. No doubt, sailing through that gap might catch you between a rock and a hard place.

Scylla and Charybdis

�� HMH, 2023

The post Scylla and Charybdis first appeared on HM Holten.

Time for New Reviews

*

Martin J Best, Ghost Hunter: I A Matter of Faith

Dealing with Fragile Souls and Demons

Malachi Hunter, landscape gardener, ghost hunter, and painfully shy, must learn to deal with his tumultuous life.

Teena Maunder has a teenage daughter and a lot on her plate, but it gets overwhelming when the supernatural invades her life.

Is it a poltergeist or something more threatening? 

Ghost Hunter: I A Matter of Faith tackles several themes, from awkward conversations to full-blown paranormal horror. There is still space for romance, which allows the reader to catch his or her breath from time to time. Martin J Best writes with confidence and imagination and brings the paranormal entities to life. His human characters are life-like and engaging and it is easy to root for Malachi while following his development through the ups and downs of his life.

Ghost Hunter

Ken Fry, The Magdalene Mission

Preserving The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

The biblical setting is apparent in the first chapters which are seen through the eyes of Magdalene herself.

Then the action switches to the present and we meet a team of researchers deeply embroiled in following in her footsteps.

Professor Isabella Vanton teams up with Dr Maxwell Franklin and two other researchers. They search for missing sections of Mary Magdalene���s gospel and carry on with their task, come hell or high water.

Bishop Ignatius engages Matthew Croxley to do everything in his might to stop them.

From the beginning of their travels in Magdalene���s footsteps, the researchers must fight to survive. Mr Croxley���s henchman (and woman) is relentless ��� and able to outsmart the hapless scientists over and over. It seems somewhat odd that this intelligent quartet of well-educated people don���t pick up the scent of their tormentors, but it could be down to their single-minded occupation with the past.

Well-written and with a plot that captivates the reader, The Magdalene Mission manages to engage but also irritate.

The Magdalene Mission

Mandy Lee, You Don���t Know Me

Sizzling, Erotic, and Thought-Provoking

Maya Scotton is a young talented painter with wit and intelligence. Haunted by a traumatic past, she has given up painting. To tide her over, she has taken a job at the main office of a large construction firm.

Dan Foster, dubbed hot, mean, and moody, owns the firm. He too has a secret life and a traumatic past.

When they meet sparks fly, and Eros takes the front seat.

You Don���t Know Me is a romance with an erotic undertow, but it is much more than that. Ms Lee knows exactly how to write engaging and life-like characters. Her understanding of the human psyche and her strong social and sociological insights make this book stand out.

You Don’t Know Me

MJ LaBeff, Last Summer���s Evil: The Last Cold Case Book 1

Intense, Nail-Biting Cold Case Chase

Homicide Detective Rachel Hood doesn���t know her own strengths, but they will make or break a serial killer.

Psychic FBI Agent Nick Draven specialises in occult crimes.

They���ve worked together before but neither knows of the unusual skills they possess.

The serial killer strikes once a year, at the Summer Solstice, and the race intensifies the nearer the deadline.

Ms LaBeff brings a hair-rising crime drama to an intense end through twists and unexpected turns. Her characters spring off the page, the protagonists as well as the fierce antagonist.

A few grammar and spelling mistakes (���your��� instead of ���you���re��� ��� ���peddling��� instead of ���pedalling���) don���t mar the storytelling, but the overall impression would benefit from a few edits. Having mentioned that, the plot and Ms LaBeff���s overall writing skills deserve five stars.

Last Summer’s Evil

Jonathan Rowe, Tinderspark

Cold Steel and Burning Hexen

Finn was raised among witches. Son of the ���Dead King���, he talks to the Geists and has their knife. Finn and his Hexen siblings must survive but can���t do it alone.

Neither can Quality Durrand, whose parents have been accused by the witch-hunters. Quality, the ���Old Smith���s Daughter���, knows about guns and black powder.

Together they are strong, but fate often separates them.

It is the burning times, the Hexen Hounds are out to catch anybody who shows the slightest supernatural mark. It is also the time of the Thirty Years��� War. Croats and Scotchmen, as well as the Germans, fight to the death.

The countryside is a wasteland, looted and burned by soldiers.

Jonathan Rowe delivers a hefty mix of fantasy and well-researched history in Tinderspark. His writing is crisp and evocative. The action springs off the pages, forcing you to live through the desperation and absurdity of a time when humanity went mad. ���There is no reward for goodness in this world, but cold steel teeth and scourging fire for all of us ��� and it���s coming for you now!���

Compelling and spine-tingling, this is a must-read.

Tinderspark

Natasha Blackthorn, Seduction and Surrender

Steamy, Hot, Meaningful, and Evocative

A Measured Risk

Anne, Countess of Cranfield, Fights to overcome the trauma of her husband���s death in a carriage accident. She lives with her late husband���s family but has withdrawn from society.

Jonathon, Lord Ruel, has planned his life to the smallest detail. When they meet, much happens to derail his best-laid plans.

Set in a time when there was little understanding of the workings of human minds, the plight and confusion, the erotic attraction, and the ensuing actions throw a glaring light on the period.

A Measured Risk is written with insight, compassion, and a touch of romance.

Trust Me

In Trust Me, Ms Blackthorne develops the characters of A Measured Risk further. Her perception and vision make a strong case for humans��� right to live and love as they must.

Perilous Risk

Rebecca Howard was once Lord Ruel���s mistress. Earlier, she learned to be beholden to her father and husband. Can she break out of her servitude and find love with an old friend?

Stephen Drake, a Baron, has a speckled past. Can he overcome it?

These two have known one another since he was eighteen and she was married to a man who didn���t appreciate her.

Their dilemma has strong undertones of unrequited lust and forsaken love.

Ms Blackthorn presents believable characters and unusual predilections. A born storyteller, she pulls the reader into the interim between Regency and Victoria���s reign.

The Delicate Matter of Lady Blayne

Lady Blaine, called Sunny but named Catriona, is the widow of an invalid. Her life and erotic cravings have never been fulfilled.

The current Baron, James Lord Blayne, cousin of Sunny���s late husband, must entangle a messy situation to find out the background of Sunny���s apparent illness.

Dr Meeker has been called in to heal Sunny, but is he the right person to do so?

Again, the reader gets drawn into a murky erotic setting, with under or overtones of violence.

Miranda���s Dilemma

Miranda Jones has been educated in the intricate courtesan vocation. Is she haughty and lecherous, or is she na��ve and mostly innocent?

Adrian Sutherland, Earl of Danvers, has much reason to believe she is callous. Will he find out what is behind her frosty demeanour?

Ms Blackthorn paints a stark picture of courtesans��� dependency, their perilous life, and their need for a powerful protector. A dark tale of blackmail, violence, and dependency, but perhaps some recompense.

���Seduction and Surrender��� is absorbing and revealing. The dark erotic character of an era has found its voice in Ms Blackthorn.��

Seduction and Surrender

�� HMH, 2023

The post Time for New Reviews first appeared on HM Holten.

Eternal Love

Stardust

Stardust veils a memory.

Strange and twisted,

It haunts my nights.

An unknown face

An unknown voice

And yet, it evokes

Half-forgotten eras.

*

Centuries pass

Creations collapse

And resurface,

Wither away

And rise from ashes

That glitter like jewels.

*

Who is this ghost?

A lover or an angel?

An echo of

A long-lost life?

*

Don���t ask.

Love will

Conquer

And return

Unknown Face

�� HMH, 2023

The post Eternal Love first appeared on HM Holten.

Winter Landscape under the Moon

I’ve long dabbled in digital artwork and always found it rewarding as well as a distraction. In some ways, it is extremely easy, but it can also engender difficulties that one wouldn’t expect.

Digital Sketch

`

�� HMH, 2023

The post Winter Landscape under the Moon first appeared on HM Holten.

Can Humanity Survive Without the Arts?

Art

Have you ever wondered? In an artist���s life, no matter which forms it takes, this question easily opens a can of worms. We have all been there. Discovering a flaw in our work and needing to solve it can cause despair. For a writer, it can be inane expressions or lame words. Worse if the situation happens after publishing.

It is frustrating, but it is worth it when you endeavour to rectify mistakes and avoid pitfalls. It is too easy to get complacent and think that everything is right. Once you know that you���ve conquered some blatant mistakes, from repetitions to plot mistakes or glaring idiocies, life seems so much better. We can���t allow our brains to fall asleep, and editing is a major part of our art. Something tells me that writing will remain a learning process, no matter how many books I write.

One must keep learning while working as an artist, writer, or performer. Nobody wants to stagnate, but self-satisfaction will mar any work. Yes, there are artists everywhere and on every path who couldn���t care less. They can even be successful for a while, but will their art last? Hardly. Only those who take their craft seriously and make an effort will remain when everything is said and done.

Singer

Of course, there isn���t such a thing as a perfect artist, actor, singer, musician, composer, poet, and or author. Everybody is human and never a machine. Anyway, it cannot be a question of perfection. Excellence is close enough.

Who knows where we will go next? This question gets more important with the emerging AI. Will the artful and skilled work of striving and artistic creators still have a place in society?

There are signs of a drop in interest in art. Does it matter? It���s a good question.

Literature

It reminds me of a Danish book, published in 1980, that I���ve read many times: Se Dagens Lys (Observe the Light of Day) by Svend ��ge Madsen. In it, the author creates a world in which people live ���perfect��� lives. That is, they experience an endless variety. Every day is a new beginning. Every day they have a new family, another job, and life has no aim. These people don���t understand why anybody would strive to become an expert in one subject alone, whether it be art, sport, or anything that involves an individual striving for excellence. They feel sorry for the hardship people endured, living as they did. Loving as they did. Maybe the most significant issue is that this world is managed by a computer, Madam Datam. In hindsight, that must���ve been his vision of AI.

Is it possible that we could go there? Are we already taking the first steps in that direction? If so, humanity would lose its soul. Not straight away, but without the arts, we can���t contemplate. We would lose the ability to think and reflect. Science too would suffer in such a society.

Look at history. Every dictator throughout time failed because of going too far. Every fad or fashion that diminished our humanity failed. Think of Witch hunts, think of holy wars, think of the Inquisition, and think of corsets, Lotus feet, or circumcision.

In the end, we might be doomed. With the situation in the US and Ukraine, everything could happen, and just one bomb would destroy the way we live now. Watching these tendencies is sad and worrying, knowing that a single person can���t do much to stem the tide.

Atomic Bomb

�� HMH, 2023

The post Can Humanity Survive Without the Arts? first appeared on HM Holten.