Byron's Babbles

This morning I finished rereading the last book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I read the series in publication order this time because I wanted more of the feel that C. S. Lewis had in writing the series. I know there are lots of opinions out there, with many of those opinions coming from those with greater literary acumen than my own, but I believe the best way to read the Chronicles are in publication order. The beauty of The Chronicles of Narnia, and all works of fiction for that matter, is the reader gets to know and understand all the characters by the end of the last chronicle. This is what I have come to love from reading fiction – we can ponder and reflect by knowing all about each character. Very rarely do we get everything in non-fiction. As you know, I read a lot of non-fiction, so this is not a lobby against non-fiction; just a nod for why I mix fiction into my reading. I love how fiction makes me think deeply.

In fact in the dedication of The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield, C.S. Lewis shared, “I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again…”

“To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence…But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being grown up is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” ~ 1952 essay “On Three Ways of Writing For Children” by C. S. Lewis

In a quote at the end of The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis, says, “You see,” said Aslan. “They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out” (p. 88-89). This quote is referring to the Calormenes who have chosen not to believe in Aslan and instead rely on their own cunning and deceit. Aslan is pointing out that their lack of belief and trust in something greater than themselves is what keeps them trapped in their own fears and limitations. By choosing to remain closed off to help and guidance, they are essentially imprisoning themselves in their own minds. It serves as a reminder that sometimes we need to have faith and trust in something beyond ourselves in order to break free from our own mental barriers. That something may be our community, family, friends, or our spiritual support.

We can prevent our minds from becoming the prison that Aslan describes in The Last Battle by practicing mindfulness and self-awareness. By being present in the moment acknowledging our thoughts and emotions without judgment, we can start to break free from thought patterns and limiting beliefs. It’s also important to seek support from others and be open to receiving help and guidance when needed. Remember, it’s okay to not have all the answers and to rely on others for support.