Good Samhain To All - Stepping Into The New Season

Good Samhain and Happy Halloween to all of my readers. I'm festooned in a shirt of spider webs with two silver spider pins, one spider earring, and my glass spider for jewelry (and a touch of gold, because what spider can resist gold?) LOL. I have a good book on my phone, tasks awaiting me at the shop, and the envelopes for my Holiday Cards are underway. I'll try to get another 20 of those done this morning, with the final 20 tomorrow morning. The ink takes time to dry on these and I can't leave them sitting out to dry while I'm helping customers. 

My spiderweb shirt is quite similar to this one, with 
mesh spiderwebs for the sleeves and along the yoke 
of the shirt. I'm wearing a grey sweater turtleneck 
underneath so the webs show up nicely. With my 
spider jewelry, I'm totally honoring Grandmother 
Spider today. 

Once I've finished decorating the envelopes, I'll put together my final mailing list and start printing them for mailing. If things go according to schedule, I'll have them in the mail around Thanksgiving. We'll see. There's still a fair amount of work to be done. But these cards aren't as labor intensive as last year's were. I needed to back off a little bit this year, 

The bonfires of Samhain are sacred and cleansing. Often 
the animals would be led between two bonfires to 
allow their participation in this event. We are a step 
closer to Winter Solstice now, and the Season of Hunger 
will soon be upon us. It's time to cleanse the soul with 
the fire, reflect upon the year, and celebrate the 
harvest with loved ones. 

Samhain is the end of Autumn and the start of Winter. The harvest is now in, the slaughter of the last of the animals for winter stores will happen shortly, and the tribes will start pulling together, ready to share warmth and resources for the bitter season ahead. It's not deep winter, we haven't even hit Winter Solstice yet, but Samhain is the classroom "five minute" bell - the one that you have to pay attention to. The cold is coming, and the season of starvation lies ahead. The season of reflection begins now and continues until Imbolc when the first stirrings of Spring begin. 

To everything there is a season, and Autumn is a season 
of reflection and preparation. We are now setting our 
feet on the beginnings of the season of cold and it is 
time to celebrate life with the harvest, and prepare for the 
months of need ahead of us. 

As we enter this season of reflection, remember that the focus is two-fold. Inner reflection for your own benefit - analyze and understand yourself and your own place in the world with greater clarity. And outer reflection - how is the outer world going to interact with you? What impact will it have upon your daily life and how can you attempt to improve the greater good? For many of you that will focus on the choices facing you this election day, which happens to be tomorrow. 

No two people will see the same thing. Everything you 
see is filtered by your mind and experiences. Your life 
is unique to you, and although you can share it, no-one 
else can live it for you. 

DH will head to the polls, shaking his head. He said to me "It's one of the few times in my life I'm voting Democrat" with disgust in his voice. I'm delighted, as a life-long Democrat. But everyone must vote their own conscience. I'm relieved that I voted more than a month ago. I don't have to try and get my vote in, then run to the shop to open on time. I've done my duty and maybe ... maybe ... we might get a few weeks of respite from the never-ending political advertisements and platforms. 

Once again, Good Samhain to all. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Breathing Space and B2MeM

Although I was writing my next story yesterday, I didn't get it posted yet. I'm hip deep in "Forever", but it's not finished or edited yet, and today is a 'must deal with income taxes because our appointment is in a week' day, so I may not get much writing done today either. Still, that's why I try to work ahead. It gives me a little breathing space before a hard deadline.

Breathing space. We all need it sometimes. I'm peppering today's
post with different breathing space pictures. Perhaps one
of them will allow you to settle down, slow down a bit, and
take some time for yourself. 

Having breathing space doesn't mean I can ignore things, though. I will have to get this next story pounded out; 3/4 finished is not completed! In fact, 3/4 finished in my artwork is usually a pretty disgusting level where everything looks quite awful.

Whether it be the seashore or mountains, Mother Nature has somewhere
that can inspire you and cause you to find your center, your quiet zone.
That's what's necessary for true breathing space - the ability to zen out. 

I want to thank those of you who are still reading and commenting for B2MeM. The event is now ending its first half and for some people, the momentum has slowed down. Some paths are already complete, and I know at least one person who finished her first color path and is now started on a second color. You GO girl! There have been some great stories put out there, and also some really interesting research coming out in the non-fiction compositions.

Not everyone loves butterflies, but a photo like this can inspire breathing
space in many people. The balance of colors and the soft pastels balance
with just a hint of more dramatic color at the bottom of the insect.
So beautiful. 

For nonfiction, I highly recommend Dreamflower's excellent essays on hobbit life. She's going into detail on families, education, and government and I know there are more essays to come. I'm fascinated when I'm reading them because the research is sound and it all just makes sense in the hobbit world view. If you haven't caught her essays, look them up on the B2MeM board on Live Journal.

The forest opening up to a meadow can also be a breathing space. That
open territory waiting to be explored and the dappled sunlight calling
you onward. There's nothing quite like the smell of a forest floor, or
the sight of sunlight on a meadow in the early morning when the dew drops
sparkle. 

I'd like to get a little work done this morning before I run to the gym. Hugs go out to all of you on the East Coast who have gotten pounded by this latest winter storm. What a mess! I hope everyone is safe, cozy, and happily curled up with a good book or whatever/whoever makes you happy. I'll be back tomorrow with another installment of "Thoughts on the Run". Happy Wednesday!

Memories Behind, Let's Look Ahead

The spirit times are now past. Halloween, Day of the Dead and All Souls have all ended for another year. We've celebrated with candy and delighted in the joy of young, costumed innocents. We've thought about those who have passed, walking paths that we will also walk in the time of our own endings. We've remembered both those we know as well as those we've merely heard about, and reflected on the thin veil between life and death. Now it's time to leave the dead behind us again and take up the hard task of living.

Life finds a way to continue, even in the most difficult
circumstances. 

What was the saying in the original Jurassic Park? "Life finds a way?" It does - despite impossible and horrific circumstances, life does find a way. Despite death, birth still happens every day. Despite poverty, smiles cross the faces of the desperate. Despite war, we speak of peace and try to bring small bits of peace into our lives. Is it enough? No. Not really.

I'm not 100% sure about this sentiment, but indisputably, war is destructive
and peace is usually constructive. Therefore, I can see this statement
as having a lot of truth to it. 

We're living in a world that had two world wars over the past century and we're starting to look at a third looming on the horizon. At the same time as conflicts escalate and merge to encompass larger and larger areas, we're also entering the last part of the annual cycle of our calendar - a time when we ask for "peace on earth and good will toward men". I'm here to tell you - you can't have it both ways.

The image of the Ouroboros, the snake or dragon eating
its own tail, has been with us for centuries. It's a perfect
example of how we, as humanity, keep going back to the
same errors and mind sets time after time after time. 

War is not born from peace, nor is peace accomplished through war. Both aspects are parts of the same coin and deeply ingrained into the human psyche. As much as I long for peace and have worked for it throughout my life, it doesn't change the fact that conflict on a personal or household basis can spread out through small areas into larger and larger ones, pulling in more and more people to both sides of polarity. It's an ouroboros - an unsolvable dilemma. Causes that excite the blood to action often are resolved through conflict, not through kinder and gentler means. For all I know, it's genetic and will never be resolved.

Act in a mindful and peaceful manner today and allow those
ripples to spread to others. One kind action can start others. 

But don't give up hope, faith, kindness in your own life, and positive thoughts and actions. No matter how small, they have an effect. When evil taints the earth, small bits of kindness resonate with their own ripples, creating the hope that we will surpass our baser instincts and that perhaps, someday, we will actually triumph over conflict and truly understand what peace is and how to live a life without conflict.

Happy reflective Tuesday to all.

Aspects of Love

Today is my 34th wedding anniversary - my DH and I have been together for more than 40 years now, but only "officially legal" for the past 34. We looked at each other last night and said we were amazed that we hadn't killed each other yet (LOL). But in some ways that's true because love is a boat that sometimes leaks.

All marriages can be leaky boats. How well you bail and patch
can determine the strength of the relationship over time.

We have had our fights and it would have been very easy to walk away and start again as separate people. But I think that's the easy way out. It is harder to work things out and stick things out in many instances. It requires compromise and the willingness to give a little to get a little.

Arguments happen. People's feelings get hurt, and old hurts can sometimes be dredged back up again and again and again. Doors slam, walls can be punched, and tears can flow. There is absolutely no guarantee of sunshine, lollipops and singing birds when you join with your life partner. And there are times when it is the wrong partner - totally wrong. But I think that in many instances today's marriages are often looked upon as temporary by those who enter into them. And that's a shame.

Marriage used to be for life. I'm not necessarily advocating that - a bad marriage is something to run away from as fast as you can. But if it is basically a good partnership, then why run when one thing goes bad? The thing to remember is that Love is a partnership. Love (with the exception of Narcissus) requires a second entity in the equation. Yes, that other entity can be a puppy, kitty, gecko, snake, pig, or even a deity, but often it is another person of the same or opposite sex. That other person becomes a foil to bounce ideas off, a mirror for our own feelings which magnifies the good times, and a strength to draw from in times of sorrow.

I've been fortunate to have had my best friend as my partner for these past years and I am happy to celebrate my anniversary today. We're pretty low-key about these things. We went to Renaissance Fest yesterday, had food and chocolate and enjoyed some of the shows. Returning home we picked up some sushi to share for dinner and after watching his Minnesota Vikings lose (recorded) and my Denver Broncos win (decisively and happily in a live broadcast), we called it an early night. That's the extent of our celebration, but it's all we need.

Have a fantastic Monday.

Counting Down - Writing During 2012

So here it is, four days from the end of 2012, and what a year it's been.  It's been a year of blow-ups and broken friendships, followed by bridges made and new friendships forged. It's been a year of business hopes followed by hopes dashed - rinse and repeat and again, and again, and again. It's been a great year for my writing and for reading the work of other authors. My own artwork, however, has suffered a bit over the year...time just wasn't there for major projects.

Writing has been good for me this year. I've worked extremely hard to hone my writing skills and realize that it will be an on-going, lifelong process. After several years of help from the folks at the LC, I pulled away from them after the MEFA blow-up, feeling that distance was the wiser choice. I miss them and pop in now and again, but am still hesitant about diving back into those waters. I wrote more than sixty separate stories for B2ME Bingo in March, winning the first of my three Bingos with my Maglor in History stories. But I realized that I needed to improve my skills and started looking for ways to do that.

I took two different college courses in creative writing and read several books about creative writing, writing techniques, and editing. I read, and read and read some more.  I realize and admit that I am just as enamored by reading as I have ever been and dove into e-books with abandon this year. When I got a smartphone in the fall, I downloaded reading aps for that and now I read on both my NookColor and my phone constantly. I have expanded my readings and research into gay history and literature just for the fun of it. I have spoken and exchanged emails with a variety of friends about the craft of writing as well as general friendship stuff. Friends make everything worthwhile.

I have continued to write something every day as I have been doing for many years now. There were stories I wrote this year that really made me happy. My "Immortal Footsteps" arc for B2ME was a group of 16 stories that I really enjoyed writing and still like when I read them again. I was pleased with my Ardor in August story which pushed me into new directions in my writing in both subject matter and length. I was (and still am) over the moon to have my first short story accepted by an outside publisher. I got my Winner's certificate and a good start on my original novel by participating in NaNoWriMo in November. Two years ago I would never have considered participating in something like NaNo, but I loved the entire experience..

Now I'm writing in ways and working with themes that I would never have imagined as 2012 had started. I'm also self-editing with a much heavier hand and know that I still have to prune more to make living stories that will resonate. But I've grown as a writer and I'm damned happy about that. So much for today's reflections on "As the Year Ends"...