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
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
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
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
Dark of the MoonNew beginningsDark of the MoonPlant a seed tonightDark of the MoonWhat we envisionWill come to be by the Full Moon’s light. As you know, the New Moon is the time for planting the seeds of our intentions and dreams. And this New Moon is one of the most powerful and deep in … Read more
Scorpios are often considered the most intense, profound, powerful members of the zodiac. Even when they appear self-controlled and calm there is a seething intensity of emotional energy under the placid exterior. Sometimes Scorpios are accused of holding grudges, which is not really true. It’s just that Scorpios rarely forget anything, and are ready to … Read more
The Harvest – Vincent Van GoghThe true harvest of my life is intangible –a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched. — Henry David Thoreau Euphrosyne is our guide as we celebrate the harvest season and prepare for Winter’s barren time. In light of the way events are moving in … Read more
Triple Goddess, © BriarThere, at the foot of the tree, belonging to no man,A silver apple falls.There, amongst the branches, the mother sits.Weaver of dreams against the weft of the wood,Insight falls like gentle rain on a moon-bathed garden.— Song to Hecate, by Alison Jones Now is the time to prepare for Imbolc, sometimes called … Read more