The Veils of Illusion

About the Book

At times we feel that our lives must have a higher purpose. We long to connect to our own individual Truth. Should one of our life’s challenges become extremely difficult to bear, we might refer to it as the dark night of the soul. Sophia is a young woman who has become very dissatisfied and disillusioned with life. She feels trapped. She is then forced to take a journey through the dark night of the soul in her quest for greater meaning. “To be truly free you have to face yourself,” the wise old man of the forest tells Sophia early on in her journey. The Veils of Illusion is an allegory; a mystical journey of discovery during which Sophia undergoes many trials and tests, each providing her with the arduous task of learning greater wisdom and new insights. She encounters a variety of unique and intriguing characters along the way, like the majestic Sibyl who reigns over the Land of the Shadows and the gentle Emil who talks with delight of the moon and of the Divine Feminine. Yet Sophia’s ultimate goal is to meet her own Shadow self – her unconscious – that which has been hidden away for so long. Shadows are cast only in the presence of light. Will Sophia find a way to see that there is also beauty and wisdom in her own Shadow? Walk with Sophia along the West Road. Weave through the light and dark, and find out if she can free herself from the ties that bind. This story offers hope and inspiration to anybody who walks their own sacred journey of self- discovery. Profoundly moving, this is an enchanting and dream-like portrayal of one person’s emotional and spiritual journey of transformation to wholeness.

About the Author

Maria Pelengaris was born in London’s Drury Lane. Her mother is English and her father Greek Cypriot.  She lived through the 1974 war in Cyprus which saw the division of the island.  Returning to the UK Maria attended the London School of Economics where she graduated in 1984 with a mathematics and business degree.  For a time Maria worked in the city at the height of Thatcherism, then in 1987 Maria went off travelling all over Western Asia and the Middle-East.  During this time Maria discovered her love for writing poetry and prose.  On her return, she embarked upon a new career in the NHS, working with people suffering from difficulties with mental health issues.  The next twelve years saw Maria work at St. Bartholomew’s hospital and in Hackney where she became a Senior Charge Nurse running a busy in-patient ward for women.   She ran an out-patient unit specialising in group-work and counselling.   Maria is also a trained “CAT” counsellor (Cognitive Analytic Therapy).   At the end of the 1990’s feeling somewhat burnt-out Maria took time off.  During this time she experienced a profound ‘spiritual calling’ – her world felt shaken-up to such an extent that her old ways seemed like they counted for little. She was forced to rely on something else - a connection with the soul.  She needed to connect with mind, body, spirit on a deeper level.   Maria began writing ‘The Veils of Illusion’.  She is now a trained Reiki healer and sometimes works with crystal and chakra balancing. She enjoys workshops and reading about St. Germain and Merlin, Mary Magdalene and The Divine Feminine Energy, Gnosticism, and The Christ Energy.   Other interests include reading about mythology and mysticism, holism, and on a very pragmatic Earth level Maria is training as a professional driving instructor.