The three kings, also known as wise men, saw a star in the sky. They saw the star because they looked for it.
If they had not been looking for this particular star they might still have seen it but not attached any importance to it. The kings found what they were looking for, as we all do.
On page 112 of my novel, 'Salt Blue', I use an imaginary mermaid to help the heroine, Stella, to see that Connor, her boyfriend is not right for her.
When Connor suggests Stella will not need a job when married to him, a mermaid appears in the bay.
'I've seen her now', Stella says.
The mermaid is a psychological phenomenon, something outside herself that Stella's imagination has created.
No longer is it Stella's decison to break with her lover. She shifts the responsibility to the mermaid and decides to act on the guidance she wants to think she is receiving.
This signal comes just at a time when Stella is under intense pressure and it is a means of removing the burden of guilt from her.
Connor does not see the sea creature, because it is Stella's invention. Stella decides this is the essential difference between them.
She understands the reality is that she must tell Connor that she cannot marry him but resorts to fantasy to stiffen her resolve.
Stella is immature, because she is young and has never had a boyfriend before, but she understands herself enough to know she has to break with Connor.
Writing the novel, the mermaid gave me extra time to explore Stella's feelings and to suggest there are things we know that we don't have to think about or articulate. As D H Lawrence said, trust your blood, it can be wiser than your head.
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