Samhain

The celebrations on the eve of All Souls Day, called Halloween, stem from the Celtic New Year celebration called Samhain. When the Sun goes down on this eve, there is a time between the old year and the creation of the new. Specifically, this occurs at sunrise.


In this twilight of the years, the veil between this world and the world of the spirit is thin. It is a time when ghosts and spirits can interact with the living, and a time when divination is most effective. This is a sacred time when all warriors were to keep their swords sheathed.

Samhain literally means “end of the summer.” This day marked the last harvest of the summer, and so it is a harvest celebration. But, because there were only three months in the ancient Celtic calendar, and no autumn, it is also the beginning of the winter death that will lead to next year’s regeneration. On this night, the lord of death reigns, and the Celts protect themselves from this threat with bonfires and animal sacrifice. Animal sacrifice is closely associated with divination.

In most ancient cultures, the remains of the sacrificed animal were examined to discover the will of the gods and to predict the future. The Druid priests would take advantage of this auspicious time to look into the events of the upcoming year—at least up until Beltane, which marked the year’s midpoint.

Although predicting the future is not necessarily the best use of the tarot, this is a good time to try reading the future. You can do this by laying out three cards for each of the six months from Samhain to Beltane (you should have eighteen total cards). Read each set of three cards as a story that will pertain to that month.

Just letting it go

Okay, so this week is officially going down in my book as one I'll be very happy to leave behind. 

To put in so many words;  I said somethint to someone I care about very deeply.  I hurt them.  I did not mean to hurt them.  But I did.  My friend was already in pain and I just added to it.  An now I feel that I have lost what could have turned into a wonderful relationship.  It has been a long week.  And I miss him.

But, I must say it's been interesting to observe myself under these circumstances. Strange to see how on one level I've been able to continue to function as usual, and how on another my heart and mind have been occupied with how this has all been unfolding and my reactions to it. Rationally it's been okay. I'm reconciled to whatever the outcome is and I'm prepared to take on what comes next. Emotionally I've swung from hope to disappointment to uncertainty to acceptance to frustration and back to disappointment. Even verged on anger at one point yesterday. Right now, I'm feeling a bit like that leaf on the pavement above looks... calm, at rest, not crushed, but a little flat.


You know, I'm a great believer in "what goes around, comes around" but I honestly don't know what sort of bad karma I'm working off here. Will be very glad when it's done with though.


So, today I'm asking only that there be no bad stuff. That in itself would be good. And I'm wearing my rose-tinted glasses especially, which allow me to see all sorts of goodness:


~ It's Friday.

~ I'm going out with some friends for lunch to celebrate the fact that one of them is leaving to join his love in Australia.

~ I'm planning to have Pad Thai (with an extra wedge of fresh lime) for dinner from my favourite local Thai restaurant.

Just letting it go... letting it go. And feeling strangely light and airy.

Women Who Dare - Mae West

Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol.

Known for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York before moving to Hollywood to become a comedienne, actress and writer in the motion picture industry. One of the more controversial stars of her day, West encountered many problems including censorship.

Mae West remains notable for a large number of quips, some firmly tied to herself and her characters, and others widely borrowed for very different settings. A famous Mae West quip was "Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?" She made this remark in February 1936, at the railway station in Los Angeles upon her return from Chicago, when a Los Angeles police officer was assigned to escort her home. She first delivered the line on film in She Done Him Wrong, and again to George Hamilton in her last movie, Sextette (1978).


In her later years, she famously described the gangster Owney Madden, a former boyfriend who helped bankroll her Hollywood career, as "Sweet, but oh so vicious".

Likewise, "When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm better", from I'm No Angel, is generally quoted with its original, faintly disreputable meaning. Conversely, however, some quips have been widely adapted to very different settings and meanings. For example, "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful" has been applied to many settings by others, including Warren Buffett (as a sound principle of informed financial investing).

In 1932, West was offered a motion picture contract by Paramount Pictures. She was 38, unusually advanced for a first movie, especially for a sex symbol (though she kept her age ambiguous for several more years). West made her film debut in Night After Night starring George Raft. At first, she did not like her small role in Night After Night, but was appeased when she was allowed to rewrite her scenes. In West's first scene, a hat check girl exclaims, "Goodness, what lovely diamonds." West replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." Reflecting on the overall result of her rewritten scenes, Raft is said to have remarked, "She stole everything but the cameras."


She brought her Diamond Lil character, now renamed Lady Lou, to the screen in She Done Him Wrong (1933). The film is also notable as one of Cary Grant's first major roles, which boosted his career. West claimed she spotted Grant at the studio and insisted that he be cast as the male lead. The film was a box office hit and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The success of the film most likely saved Paramount from bankruptcy.

Her next release, I'm No Angel (1933), paired her with Grant again. I'm No Angel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. It was a tremendous financial blockbuster. By 1933, West was the eighth-largest U.S. box office draw in the United States and, by 1935, the second-highest paid person in the United States (after William Randolph Hearst). However, the frank sexuality and steamy settings of her films aroused the wrath of moralists.[citation needed] On July 1, 1934, the censorship of the Production Code began to be seriously and meticulously enforced, and her screenplays were heavily edited.[citation needed] Her tactical response was to increase the number of double entendres in her films, expecting the censors to delete the obvious lines and overlook the subtle ones.[citation needed]


West's next film was Belle of the Nineties (1934). Originally titled It Ain't No Sin, the title was changed due to the censors' objection. Her next film, Goin' To Town (1935), received mixed reviews.

Her next film, Klondike Annie (1936), was concerned with religion and hypocrisy and was very controversial. Many critics have called this film her screen masterpiece. That same year, West played opposite Randolph Scott in Go West, Young Man. In this film, she adapted Lawrence Riley's Broadway hit Personal Appearance into a screenplay. Directed by Henry Hathaway, Go West, Young Man is considered one of West's weaker films of the era. After this film, West starred in Every Day's a Holiday (1937) for Paramount before their association came to an end.

In 1939, Universal Pictures approached West to star in a film opposite W. C. Fields. The studio was eager to duplicate the success of Destry Rides Again starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart with a vehicle starring West and Fields. Having left Paramount eighteen months earlier and looking for a comeback film, West accepted the role of Flower Belle Lee in the film My Little Chickadee (1940). Despite on-set tension between West and Fields (West, who was a teetotaler, disapproved of Fields' drinking)] and fights over the screenplay, My Little Chickadee was a box office success, outgrossing Fields' previous films You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939) and The Bank Dick (1940).

West's next film was The Heat's On (1943) for Columbia Pictures. She initially didn't want to do the film but after producer and director Gregory Ratoff pleaded with her and claimed he would go bankrupt if she didn't, West relented. The film opened to bad reviews and failed at the box office. West would not return to films until 1970.

I first discovered Mae West when I was twelve or thirteen.  I was fascinated by her.  Her blond hair.  The clothes she wore in her movies.  The way she talked. The way walked.  She was bold; she was beautiful; she was brash; and she always got what she wanted.  I would sit for a couple of hours and watch two or three of her movies in a row.  I couldn't get enough.  I still can't get enough.  I still enjoy those movies.  And whnever I get a chance I will watch them.  Over and over.  A truly bold, beautiful, confident woman, who dared.  Mae West.

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."
 
                                                                                   - Helen Keller

Change upon the horizon

Tis quiet and I sit here within the tranquil calm...allowing the solitude its gentle embrace.


I sit here in the comfort of my chair and I haven't much to say...I just feel.

The universe is working its mysteries and making plans...

I feel it. Things are slowly happening...unfolding. I watch and wait...for my life has been put on hold since 2006. I am no stranger to waiting. There is a feeling...something is brewing and it's not mischief. No. An awakening of sorts is within my world. Change is upon the horizon...again.

Tis not a bad change..I feel good vibes.

No matter..good, bad, indifferent. Life is molded by change and after all is said and done, we grow wiser (we hope) and learn another lesson.

Life is happening..the wheel is spinning. I smile...and wait.

In Another Time

My soul is lost with you in another time, filled with a love that knows no boundaries. Your love has followed me to this life, and pulled me back to you, awakening me to all that we had and all that we were. You walk by my side in spirit as I journey through the days and nights of my life. Some days I wonder why this has happened, this awakening, and some days I wonder when I leave this life, if I will find you again. For now I will wander through this life, my soul walking in another, and perhaps, one day soon, you will come for me and we will travel together again.

Sometimes

Tonight I just want to hear your voice


nothing more is needed

just the sound of your voice

speaking gently to me.


Sometimes I wonder who we were so long ago, that hearing your voice, or the simple picture of you, evokes such powerful feelings. These feelings wash over me, leaving me with thoughts and pictures, so like memories, feelings beyond description, caught on the breath of time.

Some days I wonder if you feel it too, if you know this place I have found. I wait for nightfall and the sleep it brings, for here you come to me in dreams. Within dreams are the threads of life, unraveling the mysteries of the day and sometimes helping us remember those that we have loved once long ago.

Child of the Night

I love the morning..my first glimpse of the day's sun. A new beginning.


Yet..it's dusk I truly embrace....especially at this time of year. I love when it gets dark early and cooler, colder in the evening. When nighttime comes...I am enveloped in its darkness with comfort and a sense of serenity. Could it be that I feel protected by the stars that peep at this time? Or is it perhaps the moon watching over me...providing the glow of the eve?

No matter. I am a child of the night.

Daytime may offer promises of new beginnings, but nighttime brings many possibilities. Wishes made upon a star are ever more granted. Blessings under the light of the moon ever more powerful. Dreams under the blanket of deep purple...ever more beautiful.

The rustling leaves are making my music for this eve. The wind is still howling lightly. The nighttime clouds are looking ever so fluffy this evening...like pulled cotton balls, softly caressing the sky. I hear the crickets, still holding on to the vestiges of summer. Poor little ones...pretty soon their song shall be silenced till next year.

I am one with the night at this very moment. I smile for the possibilities it offers and for its comforting embrace when I close my eyes and head out to the land of nod. I shall now blow out the candle....tis time for night's embrace.

Feeling quite blissful...and just a tad bit wistful.

Sometimes she thinks about running away. Then she remembers summer sunrises seen from the top of the gorge, and she stays right where she is. Where on this good green earth could she go and have such coinage to tuck in the pockets of her old photographer's vest?


It is October, and she is far from her lofty granite perch, but she is there in her thoughts. She sits with her legs dangling over the edge and watches the clouds drift by - sometimes she feels like a cloud herself.

Embrace and Be Grateful

Life is funny...but not always in a "ha ha" sort of way. One day we are living one way, the next we are in a whole different situation. Life is about changes after all. We have to adjust either we like it or not. Yet we must realize that sometimes it's all for the better.


The same goes for people. They come into our lives for one reason or another. Some stay and some go. I've learned however, that they always manage to leave an impression behind whether good or bad. They have taught us something even if we're not aware of that fact till long after they've gone.

Let's embrace the changes in our lives for they help to move us along the path of life's journey.

Let's embrace the people who come and go in our lives. For they help to make up the experiences which make the journey not only interesting, but ever fruitful.

Let's be grateful for all that makes our world go round...the good, the bad...the laughter, the tears...the happy and the sad. Let's greet each day with open arms, with the knowledge of another chance given us to make it better.

I am grateful. xoxo

October is here!

This morning I awoke to a chilly day....just how I like it. It was one of those morns when the blanket felt euphoric...and the bed was a cloud. The cool autumn air in the room kissed me in greeting. I knew this was a promising start for October.

Tis the full start of my season. Now the fun begins

I have so much to do..so much on my agenda, but for tonight I shall keep it all under wraps. Tonight I want to celebrate the first days of October.

This evening I have planned a cozy getaway.. Hot, mulled cider with a pat of butter and a splash of bourbon will provide inner warmth...and comfort. I've got a book ready and a Bach cd for ambiance.


I am content.

By the way...curiosity has led me to try this "Twitter" thing. Not sure how I like it yet, but let's see how it goes. You can follow me on Twitter by going here http://twitter.com/glimmerwitch

Books

I have always imagined paradise to be a kind of library.

Jorge Luis Borges

(1899-1986)

I'm with Borges on this.


I think it's fair to say that I couldn't (or don't want to) imagine my life without books. Reading is like air to me. Or friends and family. Or, at the very least, like clothing. I suppose if we want to be literal, clothes might be something I could manage without - 'specially if I lived on a warm, desert island or in a house with underfloor heating... but really, how practical or pleasant or indeed, possible, would it be to try to lead the life I love, without clothes? Not very. Same with books. I feel I need them like I need shelter and clothing and chocolate.

I know I'm not alone in this and I love that there are people out there (and lots and lots of them apparently inhabit this lovely blogosphere) who get it. Truly get it.

I read every day, no matter how briefly, and luxury equates to hours and hours of uninterrupted reading time. I can never have too much time for reading. I know that for many Summer's when they especially indulge their love of reading but for me, it's when the days draw in and the chill increasingly invites me to snuggle up under a blanket with a warm spicy chai and a selection of snacks, that I start to get excited about spending more time with a book in hand.

Something I know some people find weird about my reading habits (and even infuriating if they have to share a space with me and my multiple piles of bookmarked books) is that I find it impossible to read only one book at a time (yes, yes, trouble narrowing things down... it's a recurring theme. Deeply ingrained, this need for variety, even here). In general, I'll have at least one novel, a non-fiction read, several dip-in-and-out-ables (creative books usually fall into this category for me) and a few magazines... all on the go at the same time.


The thing about reading like this is that I'm constantly looking for new things to add to the pile. New inspiration. And much as I love them, I do sometimes find bookshops a little overwhelming - so many books, never enough time to read (or even browse) them all. So I like reading what others have recommended. Whether they be reviewers I've come to trust, friends, family, or kindred spirits briefly encountered, I love to hear what other people are reading and enjoying. This way I'm often introduced to new authors or individual gems that I might not have discovered otherwise.

Letters

Tonight I was thinking of the quiet way talk through such small things, words spoken between words, letters and poetry drifting through time and space. A simple letter but so powerful finding the way across oceans, carrying so much, written with few words. But I have heard you from the first day I found you, between the words and beyond the page. Where have you been? I have missed the sound of your voice.

Serenity Of The Moment

I love this...the peace and calm. The clouds are nigh, and the brisk breeze is blowing through the windows. Outside those windows, the Rose of Sharon trees tremble slightly...politely nudged by the wind. The linden waves to me in its tall, majestic splendor...protective in shade and in sheltering those beautiful creatures of nature. The herbs are whispering softly, asking to be harvested very soon


....before the first frost makes pretty cold pearls of the dew upon their green.

The rain is hovering...waiting for the right moment to cascade upon this earth. I welcome it with a smile and invite it to come down and make its beautiful, hypnotic sounds as it falls upon my window panes. An unfinished book is lying upon the table..beckoning me to turn its pages and lose myself in its world. The kettle too is calling...reminding me that a cup of tea will complete the serenity surrounding me.

How tranquil I am at this moment...how in love with this precise point in my life.

Perhaps this reverie will dissipate shortly. But for now...this very minute...this moment is mine...all mine.