(Lucia Regina Ellis. A Rainbow in Her Eye. Belmopan: African Advancement Association of Belize, 2020. 108p.)
“I have made a commitment to be present with the richness of everyday life and make the most of every minute.”— the author
With the launching of her book A Rainbow in her Eye at the Leo Bradley Library on 7 September 2020, Lucia Ellis joined such luminaries of centuries past like Marcus Aurelius of Rome and Samuel Pepys of England who fastidiously penned their deepest thoughts in diaries and journals. Contemporary historians and readers have therefore become enlightened by journals in which writers like Lucia have so ably captured their experiences.
Lucia Ellis is no stranger to writing and publishing, as her topics in previous publications have ranged from traditional medicine, to team building, self-esteem, and conflict management, as well as self-help books on report writing,. Her venture into the genre of journal writing must have come from an innate desire to chronicle and record her inner experiences of her life’s journey. She must have perceived that with each passing day, life could not go by with nothing to prove that it ever happened; and that her life is full of hidden gems of knowledge and insights waiting to be journalized and shared with her readers.
In A Rainbow in her Eye, Lucia’s mental clarity enables the reader to see the big picture of her life, serving at once as a catalogue of every success she has ever achieved. Working through difficult emotions and circumstances in an effort to enhance her own personal well-being, she has presented us with a tool for personal growth and development.
With the central theme of the colours of the rainbow, Lucia moves from one colour to the next in the rainbow of her life, portraying as she does the sacred movements in the stages of her life. She is fascinated by the phenomenon of how a rainbow is produced; and she mentioned that her life experiences, as well as the chosen title of her book, were influenced by an experience she had in 1996 when a friend pointed to a rainbow in her eye.
The early chapter of A Rainbow in her Eye is prefaced with concepts of the eye for vision, and insights gained by the author’s scientific study of metaphysics. She waxes philosophically in her vivid descriptions of being “psycho-spiritually damaged,” which “disallows us from achieving the higher heights that the Creator intended for us to achieve.” Here, descriptions of light and colour lead Lucia into compounding the title of the book, as in subsequent chapters she uses “the profile of each colour in the rainbow to explain my story.”
The journal is interspersed with telling mental images of the Chakra colours as they relate to the colours of the rainbow. Descriptions as they relate to Lucia’s life experiences of state of health and spiritual wellness are made vivid in the ensuing pages of the journal. This is where her thoughts are free to wander, and the resulting musings flow into contemplation, and even meditation. The musings take her into genres of storytelling, poetry, prayerfulness, and cosmic energy as she exudes the ability of a prolific pen. Even qualities of modesty and sincerity become intertwined in her concluding paragraph:
“My life is one that requires the projecting of love and goodness. The energy radiating from me is reflection of the divine. You do too. I present myself as a partner and guide for other human beings who want to flourish and live their fullest life of glowing and of knowing.”
Lucia Ellis has treated us to an education in journal writing with a diary of her life, which teaches us to remember details of who you are, who you were with, and where you want to go. This journal is intended to forever give readers insights into how they think and what their lives could be like. It will be a testament of what’s been said: “Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.”