Death, the dreadful hunter, is on the track of mankind throughout the world and he will not give up on any spoor until he has laid hands on that he has been chasing so long. — The Metres of Boethius, Alfred the Great, c. 849 – 899 C.E. This dark period from Samhain to the … 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
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
If Death is Kind — Sara Teasdale Perhaps if Death is kind, and there can be returning, We will come back to earth some fragrant night, And take these lanes to find the sea, and bending Breathe the same honeysuckle, low and white. We will come down at night to these resounding beaches And the … Read more
We dance around in a ring and suppose,but the secret sits in the middle and knows.— Robert FrostToday is the Great Festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-wen, or SOW-wen), which marks the third and final harvest and summer’s end. It is the Witches’ New Year. This is the midpoint between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, and … Read more
The Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death. (He) jokes about it, caresses it,sleeps with it, celebrates it. It is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love. — Octavio Paz (1914 – 1998) Nobel Laureate for Literature, 1990 In many parts of Mexico, the Day of the Dead is observed on more … Read more
Demeter Thesmophoros Ah! Beautiful Thesmophorae! Grant me your favors, protect me, both within the temple and on my way back…Mighty divinity, oh, Demeter, and thou, Persephone, grant that I may be able to offer you many sacrifices… — Aristophanes, from Women at the Thesmophoria In ancient Greece, the Thesmophoria was performed annually at this time. … Read more
Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. — Benjamin Franklin Today, we meet the last, and perhaps most misunderstood, of the four classical virtues. Because it is much maligned, we will spend a couple of days working with it. Temperance (sophrosyne in Greek) is the practice of moderation. It was one of the four … Read more
The Tao has no place for pettiness, and nor has Virtue. Pettiness is dangerous to Virtue; pettiness is dangerous to the Tao. It is said, rectify yourself and be done. — Chuang Tzu, Chinese philosopher, major thinker in Taoism (circa 360 BCE -275 BCE) The origins of the word virtue are from the Latin virtutem … Read more