A Blessing And A Curse

Caiseal Mór's Autobiography

International bestselling novelist, Caiseal Mor, was born into a larger than life 1960s family and diagnosed as autistic in childhood. His book captures the nostalgic romanticism of the Australian bush in the 1960s but also the deep ignorance and the culture of 'see no evil' in which almost all who could and should have changed things, looked the other way. Assessed as severely brain damaged, then progressively labelled behaviourally disturbed and psychotic before being diagnosed as autistic, all looked the other way as he was brutalised, neglected and traumatised into a range of co-morbid disorders, abuse even sanctioned by the family doctor. But Caiseal's book is as beautiful and magical as it is shocking and movingly honest as he takes the reader beyond childhood into a surreal existence as an international traveller, perilous adventurer, and seeker. Caiseal's book is a mirror held up to the most ugly and the most valuable things life can show and offer us and this makes it an important book not only to those involved with autistic or deeply disturbed or abused children, but to those inspired by the resilience of the human spirit. Those who have appreciated international bestsellers like Nobody Nowhere, Forest Gump and Sybil, will be inspired by Caiseal's story and transported to a deeply spiritual, philosophical understanding of how a feral autistic child can survive the almost unsurvivable and yet thrive to become such an exceptional and exceptionally multi-talented empathic individual.

... Donna Williams
renowned autistic author, artist and autism consultant.

I met a holy man once who told me this story. Jesus had just raised a man from the dead and he was walking away from the empty tomb when an onlooker approached. The man fell to his knees in front of the Lord to block his path. ‘Master, tell me the sacred words you used to draw life into the stinking corpse,’ he begged. ‘Reveal to me the mysteries of your blessings.’

‘You don’t understand what you’re asking of me,’ Jesus replied, dismissively. ‘If you had any inkling of that terrible thing which you desire you wouldn’t want me to tell you.’

‘I beg you, master,’ the man implored. ‘Share your knowledge with me. I promise I will only employ the gift for good works and never for evil.’

Jesus looked into the man’s heart and knew that his spirit was well-intentioned. He had a genuine desire to help others who were less fortunate than himself.

‘Very well,’ the Lord conceded with infinite compassion. ‘But you must be careful to use this knowledge wisely.’ Then he leaned in close to whisper the words so no one else would hear.

The grateful man was overjoyed. He tearfully took his leave of the master after kissing his hand many times. Then he set off towards his home; a village that had recently been ravaged by a terrible plague. It was a long journey along a dry, dusty desert-path.

Along the way he stopped to rest by the side of the road. While he was sitting in the shade of a date palm he noticed a scattering of sun-bleached bones that had been exposed by the shifting sands. He said to himself, ‘I wonder if the master’s words will really raise the dead. Here is a creature that has perished from starvation. This will be the perfect test.’

He leaned close over the lifeless remains and whispered. In an instant, before his disbelieving eyes, the shards of bone transformed themselves. Flesh and sinew knitted together; blood and muscle, tooth and claw took form; until a great emaciated lion sat before him. It was drooling at the sweet scent of fresh flesh.

The hungry beast roared in triumph. The man froze with fear. And before he could draw the knife from his belt the lion tore him into a thousand pieces... From- A Blessing and A Curse- Autism and Me

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© Caiseal Mór 2011