MULTI-PART BLOG - part 3

About 30 years ago, I developed an affinity for Scottish bagpipes. I especially love the song 'Scotland the Brave'. The movies 'Highlander', 'Braveheart', and 'Rob Roy' made an impression on me as well as the musical 'Brigadoon' all with Scottish themes and locations. I've always loved European castles and medieval times. Other movies like 'The Messenger', 'Timeline', and of course the fantasy novels of Tolkien are all rich in the flavor of that mystical time when danger lurked everywhere and people kept a sword nearby. In fact, I purchased two replica swords from the 'Highlander' film (a katana and a claymore) and a replica of William Wallace's claymore from the film 'Braveheart'. In the 90's I began a novel in which a common man is divinely transported back in time. In my novel, he relives his past life as a Templar Knight in the 14th century. There he stumbles upon a long lost religious artifact whose discovery changes the course of history. Doing research on the Templar Knights, I found that when the persecutions by the Church began, some members fled to Scotland. A History Channel show described how they were buried with their lower legs crossed in order to distinguish them from other monks and noble people. Well, it so happens that I have a habit of sleeping with my lower legs crossed. Now, I'm not infering that I was a Templar Knight who was banished to Scotland in a previous life, nor am I saying that I was a Mayan athlete in a previous life. But compare these life experiences of mine with my Jim Buchanan character who is both Native American and Scottish. He has the characteristics of the ancient Mayans who worshiped the Earth's life forces and the goodness and valor of the Templar Knights. Coincidence?