Judy Azar LeBlanc, Many Faces to Many Places Review

Overall Rating

The 'inquiry into inside through' is brought out allegorically using the medium of fiction, and that is done beautifully by the author.

The characters were conceived from ordinary concepts and personified. But they could be refined names with the meaning lest the readers be confused and confounded. Ms.Diamond for Many Faces, Mr.O'Tempus for time, and Ms.Fidelis.

Life is a riddle, a samassya. Human life is more so. From the time immemorial man has tried to solve the mystery of human life on earth. Holy books - Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Bible, Quran and many others - claim to have final answers to human existence. Scientific treatises by Aristotle to H.G Wells offer explanations but never adequate answers. The fundamental questions such as who am I? Who made me? Why am I here? What is my destiny? What is death? What's after death?' remain unanswered. So the human search goes on. After Ontology the Psychology has opened up inner avenues and human spirit is still diving deep further to solve the riddle of human life on earth.

Human search for its identity among the beings will continue on two levels of 'I'- (the inner self) and outer self, the world (the society). Here is one such an inquiry into inside one's spirit in 'Many Faces to Many Places' written by Judy Azar LeBlanc, author of several books on spirituality. The 'inquiry into inside through' is brought out allegorically using the medium of fiction, and that is done beautifully by the author. The sum and substance of the book is graphically scripted on the back cover of the book, thus: 'Many Faces to Many Places is a spell-binding three-part story of a courageous spirit who, with her unique gift of communicating with nature, takes an extraordinary journey through the world of timeless knowledge. Guided by faith, Many Faces is led through a land that reveals a succession of the hidden mysteries of the soul. When she thinks that she has completed her journey, she loses her faith. Now alone, she finds herself in a land that is designed to satisfy the subtle but powerful passions of the flesh, and she then discovers that she had missed the ultimate truth. Many Faces to Many Places is a work that allegorically travels to the inner places of the spirit in search for timeless knowledge and truth'

The name Many Faces is reflective of a young and hungry soul like Mary or Martha. She escapes from the clutches of a witch (Avidhya -ignorance) and is guided by 'Eyes of Faith'. Many Faces encounters both friends and foes of the human soul - the capital virtues and vices. Finally Many Faces along with the Dove of peace, Eyes of Faith and Elusive the Golden Butterfly of Happiness reaches the radiant light of Freedom that engulfs her, and she feels born again.

The readers will find the author's reflection on time, nature, life, birth, marriage, love, faith, death and freedom. These are put forward from a new angle though the themes are age-old but will certainly help the novices and the aspirants of spiritual life. For example, "Faith is the evidence of things not seen, but the hope for them. Therefore, hope for that which is not seen, and know that which is hoped for - will come about." (pg. 86)... "Love is like the sun. It has no price, for it is a gift that is given freely to all of life. Therefore, when it comes to you, receive it joyfully and from it give freely, by doing so, it will grow and strengthen. Hoard it, and it will surely die." (pg. 80)... And so there are many for the meditation. For the lack of space we do not quote more.
The language of the author is mellifluous. Read pages 18, 39 and 87