Sharing an Uplifting Journey Down the Road of Discovery

STARS ABOVE THE ROAD:
The Journey Inside

By Treasa O'Driscoll
Market House Book Co.
Division of Educare Press

ISBN 0-944638-61-9

Reviewed by Della Burford/Dale Bertrand

Our attraction to this book was for two reasons, one we loved the title Stars Above the Road as we knew with road and stars in the title it was about a journey of discovery and second, when we saw it was written by Treasa O'Driscoll, for us it was a "must read."

We were fortunate to meet Treasa when she was helping to found the Center for Celtic Studies with her late husband at the University of Toronto. It was at a Celtic Festival of Art in 1978 that we met them.

The exuberant presence we felt there is also felt in the book as she describes and analyzes a soul's journey down the road of life. It has a poetic sense as the soul is nurtured and the heart is filled as you read her journey from the west of Ireland to Dublin, Toronto and back to her roots in Ireland to write this book.

TREASA O'DRISCOLL

In the tradition of the storyteller one finds the stage eloquently set with words to describe the road, sometimes winding and difficult, to culminate in the new and sometimes unexpected directions.

Moments of inspiration are throughout such as that of Yeats – “a Celtic Renaissance poet who revealed that it is a mutual devotion to the oversoul or folk spirit of Ireland that unites our hearts with the selfless activity of the spirits of air, water, fire and earth.”

She mentions the teaching of Rudolf Steiner “who helped make the contemporary poets more accessible,” and how song and poetry are born out of human story. Composer Sean O’Riada wisely told her “to learn to laugh at your own emotions.”

Enrichment was from a truly creative source of very special friends, which celestially appeared at the right time and place to make her life richer. As Treasa says, “monks, minstrels, scholars, artists, jack-of-all trades were part of a radiant circle,” though hugely diverse, all are scattered throughout the story like flowers that open up unexpectedly after a rain. Through reading the book we learn of “love that dwells in the human heart, and a special courage to be what you are, a love for the simple and beautiful and a wish to serve.”

Treasa’s sharing of this journey down her road has an uplifting quality because of the courage and reflection throughout. There are many moments that brought tears to our eyes, as when the realizations she had on her journey of discovery, became ours.

There often is a connection between people and when they share their innermost feeling one realizes how small the world really is after all. She mentions, “good poetry is born out of the reverence for life” – we immediately thought – a good book like this is also born out of the reverence for life and how important it is to reflect on all that one should be grateful for, which she does as one reads from chapter to chapter.

Treasa discovered early in her life “the soul enhances the sense of language and carries through a voice,” one hopes, beyond this inspirational book, there would be lyrics and songs written and performed to share this road of life. This would make all the “stars” above the road happy.

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