Visitors to my website seem to come mainly in search of information on CALL NO MAN MASTER and THE PATHLESS LAND, my almost classical books about my 50-60 years with Gurus and spiritual masters, and following methods of self-development.
But I have 'printers’ ink in my veins', and I have now produced another historical novel, OF FIRE AND MUSIC, to add to the others like LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY some years ago.
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I was in the castle launch with Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod, the 28th Chief of MacLeod of Dunvegan, her daughter, my dear friend Joan Wolrige Gordon, Joan's son John, who succeeded his grandmother as 29th Chief, and other house guests at the castle. We were on our way to Borreraig for the piping competitions at the site of Borreraig College, where the Clan MacCrimmon composed most of the best known Scottish bagpipe music from the l3th century onwards for generations. A piper on the castle battlements had piped us away down the long sea-loch, where the grey seals slid into the water from their island, and raised curious but fearless eyes to watch the launch pass, while seabirds swooped and called above our heads. When the lilting piobroch from behind us could no longer be heard, the clan piper in the boat stood up facing for'rard into the wind, and took up the piobroch until we were in sight of the people waiting on the further shore, for the Chief's arrival Then the piper there took up the music and piped us in, for the festive bagpipe competitions, where the college site is marked with a stone memorial on the bare hillside above the Western Sea. I discussed with the Chief, the possibility of writing a book about the period of Sir Rory Mor MacLeod of MacLeod, the well known 13th Chief who died in 1626. One day, in the Muniment Room at the castle, with Joan, I handled ancient documents and letters, one actually bearing Rory Mor's own signature. I researched the history of the MacLeods, known as 'the Clan of Fire and Music' , for some months, when back home. It is difficult to say why I never completed the book satisfactorily at the time--except that I was in full flow with many other books, lectures and activities, and somehow the time was never right.
Last year (2006) I was moved by the notion that I must write that
book because time was short. John MacLeod of MacLeod who was very young that
Borreraig Day, had already been the 29th chief for 30 years. But being 17 years
older than he, I thought of course it was my own time that was running out. We
corresponded quite frequently, and he was unwell, but he saw the draft and
approved the title.
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