In a Dark Time— by Theodore RoethkeIn a dark time, the eye begins to see,I meet my shadow in the deepening shade;I hear my echo in the echoing wood–A lord of nature weeping to a tree.I live between the heron and the wren,Beasts of the hill and serpents of the den. What’s madness but nobility … Read more
Everywoman Her Own Theology— Alicia Ostriker I am nailing them up to the cathedral doorLike Martin Luther. Actually, no,I don’t want to resemble that Schmutzkopf(See Erik Erikson and N.O. BrownOn the Reformer’s anal aberrations,Not to mention his hatred of Jews and peasants),So I am thumbtacking these ninety-fiveTheses to the bulletin board in my kitchen. My … Read more
Give me a wildness whose glance no civilization can endure. — Henry David Thoreau I have mentioned that this dark period from Samhain to the end of November (and in some places, straight through to Yule) is the time of the Wild Hunt. Also known in Germanic countries as the Raging Host, tales of this … Read more
Where there’s fear there’s power,Passion is the healer,Desire cracks open the gate.— StarhawkAs I noted yesterday, this is the time of the Wild Hunt, the dying of the year, and our own journey into the dark. If we are afraid, we would be wise to simply notice that fact, and let our fear empower us. … Read more
Threshold © by Nguyen Dinh DangMen who know themselves are no longer fools. They stand on the threshold of the door of Wisdom.Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) Our European ancestors saw the time between Samhain and Yule as non-existing on the earthly plane. It was referred to as “Time Which Is No Time.” It might be considered … Read more
With the Valkyries, ride over the battlefieldRide your horses and come to meI’m waiting for you to take my soul,High in the sky to Valhalla of old. — from Ride of the Valkyries © DomineToday, November 11, is 11/11 – a very magical date indeed! Some say that Eleven-Eleven is a pre-encoded trigger placed within … Read more
The Right Stuffby Garrison Keillor Nov. 5, 2008: A golden November day under a blue sky and an air of sweet amiability at the polls and at the end of the day, we elected the right guy, no doubt about it. Yes, we can and we did. A nation spread its wings and achieved altitude. … Read more
All Soul’s Nightby Loreena McKennitt Bonfires dot the rolling hillsidesFigures dance around and aroundTo drums that pulse out echoes of darknessMoving to the Pagan sound. Somewhere in a hidden memoryImages float before my eyesOf fragrant nights of straw and of bonfiresDancing ’till the next sunrise. (chorus:)I can see the lights in the distanceTrembling in the … Read more
Shiva-Shakti © Goddess GiftThis is the night to join the Dance,Partake in all-renewing trance;Where worlds within and out are One,Our sacred journey now begun. from Samhain Round © Mark Hirschhorn Today is astronomical Samhain. That’s because at 8:04 last night (Eastern Standard Time), we reached the exact mid-point between Equinox and Solstice, which is why … Read more
Dear Brother Obama, You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, … Read more