Darkness Shining Brightly

Dove Arthur Dark Abstraction 1917

As part of Magaly Guerrero's "All Hallow’s Grim 2013… So Good, So Dark", I offer you some of my thoughts on Light and Dark...

 Just the words 'Dark' or 'Darkness' can elicit a wide range of emotions. Feelings of mystery, covert operations, fear, curiosity, uncertainty, sensuality, bondage, depression, death, dying, introspect, a Stephen King novel, Lydia from Beetlejuice, or any of the Addams Family just to name a few.

Darkness, for witches and pagans, simply means an absence of light. Nothing evil there. We understand that without darkness there cannot be light. And vice versa. Each lends balance to the other. Except for clowns. Apparently clowns scare the beejezus out of a lot of people... but that's a post for a different day. ;-)

Night time offers peace and solitude. It can be a time where your mind is able to be quiet, or where you are able to delve into thoughts you had throughout the day that you could not fully concentrate on because of the daytime external noise. Jobs, family, running errands, etc.

Photo: Alexander Binder

We all have a shadow self; a "dark side" if you will. Finding the light within the darkness is an exercise in self-exploration and self-acceptance. Our ability to face and embrace this aspect of ourselves is what can keep us mentally and emotionally healthy throughout our lives.

The beauty about darkness is that it offers us an opportunity to see that which is hidden. We can learn to overcome fears... or have a blast being scared out of our wits. After all, isn't that why horror and spooky movies make the big bucks? ;-) From Bela Lugosi to Stephen King and Freddy Kruger, the successes of horror stories and films make for a fascinating study in the Human Fear Factor.

Meet Dexter!

Are you a person who is uncomfortable in the darkness of your mind? Do you sleep with a light on? Do you pull the covers over your head if you hear a bump in the middle of the night? Take a moment to delve into that brightly lit imagination you have, the one that exists in the dripping-with-fear darkness in your mind. Visualize something of beauty, a rich color that you favor, or a kitten!

Look at Dexter over there to the left. He was a lost little kitten who found his way to our front porch. Scared and lonely, crying in the dark. And a ball of black and white cuteness. Of course, he is named after the lead character in the Showtime series "Dexter". We were so sad that the series had come to an end. And 3 days after the last episode, this little sweetheart showed up. As kittens will do, he is living up to his name - exhibiting an ornery dark side along with a bit heaping helping of Too Cute. 

See? There really is Beauty in the Darkness.


Darkly yours ;-)

Are you ready for some Samhain?

The countdown to Samhain begins!

I'm SO excited to announce one of the most EXCITING October events on the web! Brought to you by a group of the most amazing, wonderful, funny, generous, witty, and talented witches and pagans collectively known as Samhain's Sirens, this is an event you won't want to miss!


Samhain’s Sirens is a gift of Halloween love to you from us. During the Samhain season (October 1- November 2) we’ll be treating you to blogs, giveaways, craft ideas, recipes and music to help you celebrate this holy and happy time in honoring the thinning of the veil and our ancestors.

Be sure to visit and follow our blog page (http://samhainsirens.blogspot.com/ )
"Like" our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SamhainSirens) and
Follow us onTwitter ( https://twitter.com/SamhainSirens ) for all the exciting news and entertainment of the season!

Not only will you enjoy "all the Samhain news you can use", but there will be giveaways galore with a SWEET Grand Prize Giveaway at the end of the month. I've had the honor of being the Siren in charge of collecting all of the Wickedly Wonderful goodies that will be included in the Grand Prize Giveaway. Trust me when I tell you that you will want to enter often to increase your chances of winning!

As part of this celebration, I will be doing a giveaway of my very own hand blended Smudging Mist! 

MANY thanks and MUCH LOVE to Kallan Kennedy for facilitating this event, and to ALL the Sirens who have put so much work into it! Vickie of Aoibheal's Lair has done a fantastic job of keeping up with the blog calendar. Magaly of Pagan Culture (a MOST EXCELLENT writer!) will weave a Magickal Word Web with contributions from ALL of the bloggers, and here is a sampling of some the SWEET witches and pagans who are contributing something to this NOT TO BE MISSED Event!

Sosanna
- Sosanna's Closet - http://facebook.com/sosannascloset
-Sosanna's Closet on Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/101966693643031293156/
- Confessions of a Modern Witch - http://confessionsofamodernwitch.blogspot.com/

Kourtney Leaf
- The Multi-Faceted Experience - http://multifacetedexperience.blogspot.com

Vickie McNeely
-Aoibheal's Lair - http://www.aoibhealslair.com/

Angie Holtz
- Lilac Wolf and Stuff - http://lilacwolfandstuff.blogspot.com/
- LilWolfMama - https://www.facebook.com/LilWolfMama

Jen Rue
- Rue and Hyssop - www.rueandhyssop.blogspot.com
- Three Cats And A Broom - www.etsy.com/shop/threecatsandabroom

Loren Morris
-Saga's Cottage- www.facebook.com/sagascottage
-Saga's Cottage Etsy- www.sagascottage.etsy.com 

Lorelei Gumbiner
- Eliora - http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElegantlyEnchanting
- Eliora - https://www.facebook.com/Eliora.EnchantingElegance

Sam Curtin
- Samantha Curtin - Author - http://www.facebook.com/scurtin89
- Bones, Buried Treasures and Beliefs - http://anthrobum.blogspot.com

Angel Mixon ( Bella Foxglove )
Tales of the Wolf Queen (Blog ) - http://bellafoxglove.blogspot.com/
Tales of the Wolf Queen (Fan Page) - https://www.facebook.com/TalesOfTheWolfQueen

Pixie Allen
- Pixie's Musings (blog) - http://pixiesmusings.blogspot.co.uk

Tess Muin
East Coast Craft & Curio - https://www.facebook.com/YemayaJurema
Crimson Cauldron - https://www.facebook.com/CrimsonCauldron
Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/EastCoastCraftnCurio
my blog - http://practicalwitch.blogspot.ca/

Danni Suplicki
The Whimsical Cottage: http://thewhimsicalcottage.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhimsicalcottage

Tiffany Boggins
WitchLab: http://witchlab.etsy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/witchlab

Judas Antenesque
Stirring the Cauldron with Judas: https://stirringthecauldronwithjudas.wordpress.com/

Alan Heartsong
Heartsong's Circle: http://heartsongscircle.blogspot.com/ 

So get ready, you Magickal Peeps! You're in for the broom ride of your life!

Magickly Yours,

The Crone, The Owl, and The Cocoon

The Crone sits and takes a deep breath, The Owl rests on her shoulder.  A battle still rages on, although she's fought long and hard.  The Owl gently ruffles it's feathers, and The Crone acknowledges that the battle is far from over.  But as the bitter winds blow cold over this Samhain Eve, The Crone is tired and battle weary.  While her bones ache, it's the heaviness in her heart that hurt the most. 

She knows this battle is hers alone.  Long and hard fought, with no end in sight.  The foes are those who seek to destroy Truth.  To destroy Honor.  To destroy Justice.  Their troops outnumber The Crone in so many ways. The prize they eye is coveted by so many.  Power, glory, fortune and perhaps fame.

The Crone seeks none of these, she seeks only to heal.  The wisdom of The Owl is her guide, her map.  It's curious to her, how many will follow false prophets, only to be used and abused over and over again.  She asks herself why she fights this battle.  And with wisdom of the ancients, and the insight of The Owl that is unfailingly true, The Crone knows the answer.  Truth.  Honor.  Justice.  No matter the price.  Her mission in life was mapped out in ancient times.  She bows to the Goddess and whispers, "Your will is mine". 

The battle, long fought -  will never be over.  But The Crone will fight until she takes her last breath.  For now, she descends to the Underworld.  A place of respite - a time to heal.  She lays her head down, a tear slides down her worn face.  The fire within will keep her warm, and in her Cocoon she will rest.