Here arrives the fall equinox. The high today should reach 96. No crisp breeze promises the joys of fall. I love fall, and living most of my life in the South, warm Septembers aren’t strange. Nonetheless, I can’t wait for sweaters and boots and holiday decorations. A lower electric bill will be appreciated too.
Time for writing has hidden itself in hard to reach places these last few months. So, I’ve gone through old Story-a-Day stories. The prompt for this was to write each line starting with the next letter of the alphabet. That’s 26 sentences, no more, no less. I cheated on the letter X. You’ll see what I mean.
A GIRL, A RABBIT, AND A SUMMONING SPELL IN THE GARDEN BEFORE BREAKFAST 2020—Year the of Plague Alvie Monroe waited in the garden for her spell to work. Banshee, her pet rabbit, sat nearby, staring into the undergrowth. Clouds, thick and lazy, covered the sunrise. Dandelions swayed in the breeze. Everything seemed prepared. For a moment though, Alvie doubted and considered returning to bed. Giving up an entire morning for the impossible felt more foolish by the minute. However, one glance back at the house reset her resolve to prove everyone wrong. “Impossible is not in my vocabulary,” she whispered, and Banshee nodded in agreement. Just then a rustle went through the underbrush. Keeping quiet, Banshee moved forward to a better look. Leaves in the trees shivered on their stems. Minutes passed. Nothing. Overhead the sky lightened. Perhaps, Alive thought, she’d misread the signs or said one of the words wrong. Quiet, strange and sudden, then settled over the garden. Riveted by the shadows, Banshee beat her back paw against the ground. Soil flew. Thump, thump, thump. Under the gardenias appeared a dark shape. Violet eyes shone from the dark, and Alvie gasped. Was their plan going to work? “Extraordinary,” Alvie whispered, captivated. “You didn’t really think I’d come, did you?” came a voice from the violet-eyed creature. “Zero faith,” said the shadowy shape, its teeth glinting, “and yet here I am, summoned, ready for anything, and quite, quite hungry.”
Books and Things
What are you reading? Anything good for fall?
I’m reading The Book of Black by Clifford A. Pickover. It covers everything from the Black Sea to Black velvet paintings. Well, 100 things, to be exact. Pickover includes a few black quotes. “‘I’ve been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black,’ Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), French painter.” I have a fondness for coffee table books on random things and the color black, so win-win for me!
At the bookstore, I was looking for a magazine, Witches, a special edition Hearst magazine. I wanted it because Pam Grossman was in it and I’m a fan. But while looking over the magazine rack, I spotted Orion, Nature and Culture. This issue, The Deep Dark Burning Woods: Fairy tales for the Climate Crisis, is beautifully written, compelling, and worth the price of admission. Honestly, the Hearst magazine was fun, but very surface level. It’s an overview of witchy things and people. I' may use some images in it for collage. But Orion is thoughtful and questioning. If you’re still into reading magazines (as I am), take a look.
I like this PBS series: PBS Voices. Here’s a recent video that seems good for the season when the veil between the living and the dead thins and lifts.
What sort of death traditions does your family have?
If you’re as interested in this topic as I am, also read this: From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty.
“Insist on going to the cremation, insist on going to the burial. Insist on being involved, even if it is just brushing your mother’s hair as she lies in her casket. Insist on applying her favorite shade of lipstick, the one she wouldn’t dream of going to the grave without. Insist on cutting a small lock of her hair to place in a locket or a ring. Do not be afraid. These are human acts, acts of bravery and love in the face of death and loss.” ~ Caitlin Doughty
Currently, every idea feels like a bad idea because the time crunch continues apace. Many moons ago, I read Tarot cards. Those were the days! I’d like to do so again. But I’d like to finish several novels in progress, make more art, apply to art fairs, keep blogging and sending out my newsletter, read more books, and do the other things life requires—spend time with family, see my friends, keep the house a few steps ahead of squalor, maintain my health, and do my day job well. Adding study-Tarot-again seems like a poor understanding of reality. Don’t we all have those things we would do if we had the time? What about you? What would you do if time allowed?
Speaking of time, it continues to turn. September 23rd is Mabon. A bit of its history is here at the Boston Public Library. Some ways to celebrate are here at the Mabon House. I use the day to put up my Halloween decorations. My dad has made us ghosts and witches—pictures to follow in the October issue.
“Modern Mabon celebrations are a time to give thanks for the abundance of Mother Earth - both literally and spiritually. It’s also a good time to reflect on the Wheel of the Year, recognizing your successes and letting go of the things that did not serve you during the past twelve months.” ~Mabon House
I’ll say my successes are having a short story accepted to Bikes in Space (a not yet published edition), finishing The Fairy Tale Asylum, and somehow managing my life with my dad moving in. I need to let go my impulse to keep rewriting The Fairy Tale Asylum. What about you? What can you celebrate? What can you let go?
My newsletter remains free! If you’d like to support my work, like, subscribe, and share! Go to my Patreon and become magical. Over there I’m serializing my novel, The Princess Detective, and I mail folks zines, art, letters, or other handmade things that fit in envelopes. Buy a print over at Etsy. Thank you for reading. Happy Mabon!