Six Sentence Sunday - March 20th

After taking a week off from Six Sentence Sunday, I'm returning with a sample from one of my WIP, a time travel fantasy romance novel I began when I started this blog, sharing the same name, Illusions of Intimacy. This is the opening, a poetic prose passage, which sets the theme, a timeless bond between a man and woman.

Your presence known through whispers riding upon gentle breezes which lift strands of my hair, or in gusts whipping past, ravaging my body, or in the shivers along my spine from the howl of a solitary wolf. You are there in the crash of lightning bolts, cutting the night sky, in the gleam of a pearl's lustre, or with the inspiration of a familiar scent. Images of you linger on my mind for hours, months, centuries--timeless.

Our adventures have no beginning, no end. We share lust and love, anguish and joy, separation and unity . . . all are blissful. You know me better than any man, and for that singular reason I am your love.

Also, today only you can buy my fantasy romance book Tears on a Tranquil Lake for 50% off ($2.25) until midnight. Use code MA2011S in discount box. http://bit.ly/h0EZrs 

Be sure to read the other fantastic entries for this Sunday at: http://sixsunday.blogspot.com/

Coming Saturday—the March Supermoon!

This Saturday, March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past eighteen years, lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. 

Could this cause real damage? Noted astrologer, Richard Nolle, who runs the website astropro.com, has calls the upcoming full moon a “lunar perigee” (a moon taking its closest approach during orbit) an "extreme supermoon." He claims chaos will ensue: huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters. 

How much do you believe in the mysticism of astrology? In light of the horrific and desperate recent events occurring in Japan, I doubt any of us want to believe his prediction.

There are normal measurable effects the moon has on the Earth. The moon is close enough to Earth to produce ocean tides. Also, the moon’s gravity brings about small oscillating movements of the continents, called land tide or solid Earth tides. These are greatest during full and new moons, when sun and moon are aligned either on the same or opposite sides of the Earth.

According to John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Washington in Seattle and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, "Both the moon and sun do stress the Earth a tiny bit, and when we look hard we can see a very small increase in tectonic activity when they're aligned.” During full and new moons, "you see a less-than-one-percent increase in earthquake activity, and a slightly higher response in volcanoes.”

According to William Wilcock, seismologist also at the University of Washington, earthquake activity in subduction zones, like the Pacific Northwest, is ten percent higher at low tides than at the times of high tides. Water pressure at high tide clamps the fault together, while when low, with less water pressure, it’s easier for a fault to slip.

And will the Supermoon cause greater effects? Those quoted above say the gravitational pull of the lunar pedigree moon does not increase enough to significantly change height of tides and thus the likelihood of natural disasters is nil.

Folklore describes the March full moon as a time of change in nature. It is called the Worm Moon, being at the time of snow thaw when worms begin to appear and become a source of food for returning robins. Northern American Indian tribes knew this moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter. It’s also named the Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, when the sap flows. 

I hope changes of spring are the only ones this March full moon heralds. Watch for its rise this Saturday night.

References: Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to SPACE.com.

Art reference: Crossie

Magical Monday: Howl at the Wolf Moon

Silver

Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;

This way, and that, she peers, and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees;

One by one the casements catch

Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;

Couched in his kennel, like a log,

With paws of silver sleeps the dog;

From their shadowy coat the white breasts peep

Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep;

A harvest mouse goes scampering by,

With silver claws, and silver eye;

And moveless fish in the water gleam,

By silver reeds in a silver stream.

~Walter de la Mare

Today’s Magical Monday feature is a discussion about this Friday’s January full moon, the Wolf Moon.

Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages.

While we think of this January as the first moon of the new year, in the natural world, however, it is the middle of the winter season, a time of death and desolation. For this reason, legends about the Wolf Moon are tales of both beginnings and endings.

I’ll recount a story from the Pawnee Indians of North America. Their name comes from the word pa’ni, meaning wolf, or tribe of the wolf. Their beliefs, legends, and ways of life honor the Wolf Spirit.

Tirawa, the Great Spirit, placed Wolf Spirit in the sky to watch out for the Moon /Evening Star. Tirawa also placed Wolf’s animal brothers - Black Bear, Mountain Lion, and Wild-Cat - next to him in attendance of the

Moon.

Great was the power of Wolf Spirit and his brothers in their place in the sky. They came to be known as Black Star, Yellow Star, White Star and Red Star. These Star beasts sent animals like themselves to live upon the earth. These same animal spirits were responsible for many of the Earth’s creations. They sent clouds, thunder, lightening, and the wind. They sent the cottonwood, elm, willow, and box elder. They created the four kinds of corn - black, yellow, white, and red. And it was these great and powerful spirits that guarded Evening Star each night.

As great as these Star Warriors were, the power of the Morning Star, the Sun, was greater. In time, the Sun vanquished Wolf Spirit and his three brothers. In honor of their greatness, Morning Star set Wolf Spirit and the other Star Beasts to hold up the four quarters of the universe.

Wolf Spirit, once guardian of the Moon, now stands as a devoted servant of the Sun. Yet his likeness upon the Earth is still heard howling when Evening Star rises in the sky. Could it be that the creation of Wolf Spirit yet remembers the ancient ties to the Moon? The lone wolf who sings his songs to the Moon is following the ways of his ancestors, who first helped the Moon ascend to her nightly station.

Other names for the January full moon include: Ice Moon; Old Moon; Moon after Yule; Frost Moon; Birch Moon; Moon of Beginning.

Correspondences:

Colors to improve personal healing: black (jet stone), white and blue-violet (the color of crocus flowers)

Plants: herbs and produce of the woodland are closely connected, and with nuts and cones, musk, marjoram and mimosa lending sweetness

The Wolf Moon will rise on Friday 19th at 21:21 GMT. 

Although we don’t have wolves in my neighborhood, I’ll be listening for coyotes and any wild ancestral spirits from pet doggies that may bring out a howl or two.

Any wolves or other howlers in your neighborhood?

References:

Pawnee legend: http://www.angelfire.com/or/crescentwind/jan.html

Art: (top to bottom) skeelar; emerald-depths; lethalnightmarez

Magical Monday: lunar eclipse home photos

This week’s Magical Monday revisits the lunar eclipse from the night of December 21st. 

During our celebration my husband, Steve, took photos I’d like to share. It was an unusually cold night here south of Tampa, about 40 degrees, but the skies were perfectly clear, allowing some good opportunities for photos. However, even with a tripod, the long exposure made focusing and avoiding slight camera shake difficult.



The early hours of the eclipse with the Earth’s shadow just beginning to pass over the moon:

 

Total eclipse gave a pink-orange glow. The color was caused by the sun’s rays passing the sides of the Earth, through our planet’s atmosphere and refracting in those gases, to bend as orange wavelengths onto the moon’s surface. Those reflected to us, hence the observation of the eerie orange moon. Science aside…quite a magical site!

Magical Monday: Total lunar eclipse coincides with December’s cold solstice full moon for first time in 372 years

"Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star."  
~W. Clement Stone

Stone’s quote may be correct for this month’s full moon, which you could actually manage to miss and only see stars.

Lots of magic to talk about for this week’s Magical Monday feature!

Tonight, in the early hours before Tuesday’s dawn EDT, we will have a total lunar eclipse. The glow of the full moon will be draped in shadow of the Earth on the very date of the winter solstice. Three amazing events together!

The passage of the moon through that shadow will be equally visible from all places within the hemisphere where the moon is above the horizon. It will be visible across all of North and South America, as well as the northern and western portions of Europe, a small part of northeast Asia, including Korea, much of Japan, as well as the North Island of New Zealand and Hawaii —about 1.5 billion people will be able to view this lunar phenomenon.  This will be the first total eclipse in 34 months.  

The eclipse will become noticeable when the moon begins to enter the Earth's dark inner shadow, the umbra.  A small scallop of darkness will appear on the moon's left edge at 1:33 a.m. EST (Dec. 21) or 10:33 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20). The moon is expected to take 3 hours and 28 minutes to pass completely through the umbra. It will pass entirely out of the Earth's umbra at 5:01 a.m. EST/2:01 a.m. PST.

During total eclipse, although the moon will be entirely shrouded in the Earth’s shadow, it likely will not disappear from sight.  Instead, it should turn a coppery, reddish color, from the Earth’s atmosphere refracting sun’s rays into the area of the shadow. 

Other names for the December full moon include: the Full Cold Moon; the Full Long Nights Moon; Oak Moon; Moon of Long Nights; Long Night's Moon; Wintermonat (Winter Month); Heilagmonoth (Holy Month); Big Winter Moon; Moon of Popping Trees.  The term Long Night Moon is appropriate because the midwinter night is indeed lengthy, with the moon above the horizon for a long time. 

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: snow faeries, storm faeries, winter tree faeries
Herbs: holly, English ivy, fir, mistletoe
Colors: black red, white and black
Flowers: holly, poinsettia, Christmas cactus
Scents: violet, patchouli, rose geranium, frankincense, myrrh, lilac
Stones: serpentine, jacinth, peridot
Trees: pine, fir, holly
Animals: mouse, deer, horse, bear
Birds: rood, robin, snowy owl
Deities: Hathor, Hecate, Neith, Athene, Minerva, Ixchel, Osiris, Norns, Fates
Power Flow: to endure, die, re-born; Earth tides turning. Darkness. Personal alchemy. Spiritual paths. Reach out to friends and family, the lonely and needy.

Be sure to stay up late, or get up early. For all this lunar magic to coincide again in N. America you’ll have to wait until April 14, 2014. So, don’t miss it! 

References: Yahoo News; Months of the Moon

Art references: Dark Moon17 (top); Shadow T Matsumoto (bottom)

Can witches really fly on brooms?

Our question for this Magical Monday. 

According to folklore, the Devil himself installed every new witch a broom and flying ointment, a concoction often including hallucinogenic and/or toxic ingredients. If the witch was inside a house, she supposedly flew up the chimney.

Legend tells witches flew their brooms to Sabbats, seasonal celebrations which included the great festivals of Walpurgis Night/Beltane (May 1^st) and Samhain (October 31^st). They often carried along demons or their familiars in the shapes of animals. They often flew from the Sabbat celebration to the nearby sea for a storm raising, using their collective magic to bring a tempest.

On these occasions, novice witches were sometimes seen falling from their brooms. On festival nights townspeople often laid out hooks and scythes to kill those who fell off. People rang church bells which were capable of grounding brooms.

Artwork of the 16^th and 17^th centuries showed a variety of “riding” techniques. The position of the twigs changed over time. Initially, the twig faggot was held down, so the witch could fly upward into the sky, sweeping away her trail. This is the typical portrayal in contemporary art. However, in the 17^th century, artists represented witches’ flights with the faggot upward, so a candle could be balanced upon it to light the way.

There are many origins for the association of witches and brooms. Following pagan fertility rites, witches rode brooms, poles, and pitchforks like hobby horses in field dances. Other lore stated witches were afraid of horses and chose brooms instead. The custom of putting a broom outside a house to indicate a woman was away may have given rise to this legend. 

If you see a novice witch fall off her broom this Samhain, will you help her back astride? 

Reference: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Wicca, Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Art: IrreFou (top)

Magical practices for your All Hallow’s Eve

Listen! The wind is rising,
And the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings,
Now for October eves!

~ Humbert Wolfe (1885-1940)

Samhain, or Halloween, is the day we honor our dead. On this day the veils between the worlds of dead and living are sheerest; those who died in the past year and those who are to be reincarnated pass through. The doors of the sidhe-mounds are open, and neither human nor faery need any magical passwords to come and go. Our deceased ancestors are more accessible during the time of the dying of the land, the final harvest of the northern growing season. It is a day to commune with the dead and a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation.

On Samhain, the sun is at its lowest point on the horizon as measured by the ancient standing stones of Britain and Ireland, the reason the Celts chose this sabbat rather than the first of January as their new year. To the ancient Celts, this holiday divided the year into two seasons, Winter and Summer. The Celtic New Year is a time for both beginnings and endings. 

Practices to call upon the magic of the holiday:

• Bury an apple or pomegranate in the garden as food for spirits passing by on their way to being reborn.
• Place offerings of milk and barley outside under the stars to ease restless ghosts’ hunger, prevent their mischief, and to accrue their blessings.
• Drink apple cider spiced with cinnamon to honor the dead.
• Have a mute supper.
• Make a mask of your shadow self.
• Let this be the traditional time that you make candles for the coming year, infusing them with color, power, herbs, and scent depending on the magical purpose.
• Wear costumes that reflect what we hope or wish for in the upcoming year.
• If you (or your story characters) aspire to be a witch give gifts of acorns to other witches. Fruits of the oak, one of the most sacred trees to the ancient Celts, they are symbols of protection, fertility, growth, values, and friendship. 
• Carve a jack-o-lantern. Place a spirit candle in it.
• Do divinations for the next year using tarot, a crystal ball, flame, pendulum, magick mirror, black bowl, runes, Ouija boards, or a black cauldron filled with black ink or water.

A few more complex Samhain rituals:

Ritual for the Dead

1.      In a sacred space or ground, use a candle to burn white sage to appease the spirits of Summer.

2.      Carve the initials of your lost loved one(s) in a black candle.

3.      Add favorite elements of that loved one to your altar, such as flowers, wine, favorite foods, etc. 

4.      Read each name (from Remembrance list).

5.      Gather a cauldron or other fire proof vessel and burn a dried candlewick leaf (mullein)
or bay leaf for each name of honor.

6.      A dried rosemary bundle is burned last to remember them all.

7.      You may then save all the ashes, hardened candle drippings, left over herbs, and add them to a black cloth or bag. This is an amulet and can be worn or saved to honor those remembered.

Note: Do NOT let your Samhain candle burn out, as it is considered bad luck on Samhain, let it burn at least till morning light.

            ~ adapted from Barbara Morris

Simple Samhain Magic Spell

This Fall Magic Spell clears out unwanted influences and focuses spiritual attention on what is good in life. This celebrates the change from one season to the next, summer to winter.
 
1.    Decorate an altar with a clean cloth, candles of orange and/or white, and autumn fruits.
2.    Set a chalice filled with wine or cider, along with a small bowl of sea salt, on the altar. Take two sheets of paper and a pen.
3.    Light the candles, and, if desired, burn incense such as myrrh or patchouli.
4.    Write out a few undesirable aspects and influences of life from the previous few months on a single sheet of paper.
5.    On another sheet of paper write out the key new elements of life that would be welcome. Write these as positive statements, in the present tense.
6.    Using words which feel natural and appropriate, express the sincere desire to be rid of the undesirable elements of life, speaking each one individually. Visualize clearly being free of them.
7.    Scrunch the undesirable list into a tight ball. If it is possible to burn it safely then do so. Otherwise simply discard the ball into a waste bin without burning.
8.    Drink of the chalice to celebrate being free of these shackles!
9.    Pause in reflection for a few minutes, visualizing the positive elements to be welcomed.
10.    Again using natural and sincere language, express the reality of the list of positive elements.
11.    Scatter a little sea salt over the list, and fold the paper so as to capture the salt in an envelope-like packet.
12.    Put the packet into clothing close to the skin, extinguish the candles and incense, and set off to celebrate the evening!

Samhain Mirror Incantation

Recite this incantation before scrying into your black mirror on All Hallow’s eve...

"Mirror of shadow, reveal what I seek.
Powers of old, secrets so deep.

East then South, West and North.
Watch tower guards, I call you forth.

Traveling sphere, no harm to fear.
Circle protects, here and there.

Stars beyond, from Pluto's realm,
Scorpio rules God's golden sun.

By the power of three times three,
Lord and Lady, so mote it be." 

 ~ Barbara Morris

Fire Scrying

As the power of the Sun fades, we embrace the harvest season and the decline of the fire element. This is a perfect time, as we approach the introspective tide of winter, to scry with flame. On a night close to the New Moon, cast a circle of protection, and light a purple candle. Sit silently and breathe deeply, allowing your conscious mind to grow quiet. Gaze at the candle flame and permit your thoughts to drift by without judgment. Soften your focus and relax your vision. Concentrate only on the flame. Ask a question. Observe the flame expectantly, and open your observations to your intuition. Invite the flame to impart images. Write down your insights, and carefully date your interpretation for future reference. Perfect to do on Samhain eve...

~ Karri Allrich

Communing with the dead, banishing troublesome ghosts, commemorating the beginning of a new year … or simply trick or treating … enjoy the magic of Samhain.

Art credit: witch painting by Myeclecticmind

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The bewitching music of Nox Arcana

For today’s Magical Monday, I’d like to share some wonderfully eerie and magical music. The group is Nox Arcana. They create haunting, atmospheric soundscapes with gothic themes which often follow references to classic horror literature. I find their recordings make excellent inspirational music for writing anything bewitching, dark, or fantastical. Pursuing deeper, their albums contain captivating storylines, with hidden riddles and puzzles.

 The group is a duet of Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski, formed in 2003. The group’s name, Nox Arcana, is from Latin, meaning “mysteries of the night.”

Their credits include several film scores. Their debut, "Darklore Manor," was part of a televised special of the 1922 silent film classic Nosferatu. Their gothic tracks have also been used in theatrical productions of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. During Halloween season their recordings provide the eerie backdrops for many haunted theme parks: Universal Studios; Busch Gardens; Six Flags; Knott’s Berry Farm.

I truly enjoy the group’s literary tributes. Their album "Transylvania" is based upon Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Their sinister "Necronomicon" recording pays homage to H.P. Lovecraft, while their unsettling Blackthorn Asylum takes a chilling look into a 19th century sanitarium, a storyline from Lovecraft’s “From Beyond.” The melancholy themes of their work "Shadow of the Raven," calls upon influences of Edgar Allan Poe. One of my favorite recordings, "Grimm Tales," enlivens the nightmares of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale world. Inspired by classic fiction, these in turn, inspire my own writing.

This Friday, October 1st, marks the date for a new Nox Arcana release, "Welcome to the House of Nightmares," a horror soundscape just in time for the Halloween season. This promotion of this recording promises:

“Dark things dwell in the old house by the cemetery, lying in wait for anyone who dares to enter. Unearthly sounds echo from the shadows of the abandoned mansion as sinister incantations unleash ancient horrors to haunt the realm of the living. The CD delivers 19 tracks of spine-tingling sound effects and dark cinematic music to create an eerie atmosphere of lurking terror.”

To give a taste of their music, I’m sharing two videos. The first is from their most recent CD, entitled “Theater of Illusion.” In a dreamlike state, strange and mystifying acts can be heard, as they are performed by phantom magicians. Their melodies are rich with orchestrations, piano, harpsichord, pipe organ, and gothic choirs. Additional songs of Theater of Illusion may be sampled and/or you may purchase their CD at this site. http://noxarcana.com/illusion.html 

The second video is the song "Night of the Wolf" from their CD "Transylvania" and the video is from the Russian movie, Evil, directed by Oleg Fesenko.

Why Paranormal?

I'm pleased to present my friend Raven Corinn Carluk as a guest on my blog. Enjoy!

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Why paranormal?  Normal relationships are hard enough to deal with; stolen covers, toilet seats left up, mother-in-laws, divorce, jealousy, and every other stumbling block.  So why add to that mix?  Isn't it enough without wanting to eat your partner?


For paranormal readers, definitely not.  We want out stories big, our characters engrossing, our tricks difficult, and our rewards enormous.  We want passion through the ages, and inner struggles with humanity, and to know that love never dies.  Struggling to make a relationship work around opposing work schedules is nothing compared to making it work when one of you changes once a month.


It's certainly not for everyone.  It's a big, magical, scary world out there.  But some people seek the things that go bump in the night.  Those are the people who need to know the struggles of our paranormal characters.


Even adding the barest hint of the exotic takes us beyond the mundane.  A witch working in a call center.  A spiritual medium on the city bus.  A werewolf shopping for groceries.  Each are just familiar enough that we feel welcome following them, that we can root for them as they struggle, and we can share their elations and sorrows.


But they're not normal, and they take us out of our every day worlds.  We can dabble with the darkness without taking it home.  We can be part of that world for as little or as much as we want.  We can even bring back what we want, and keep it with us.


So, why paranormal?  Why not paranormal?


Raven Corinn Carluk
http://raven.youareannoying.us/

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Raven Corinn Carluk is just starting out on her journey as an author.  She's proud to have All Hallows Blood to offer to you.  You can read more about Raven on her site, or follow her blog.  Her novel, All Hallows Blood, is available on Kindle, and in print on Barnes & Noble.  (ISBN: 978-0984180554) She's always available, and would love to hear from you.

A bit about her book All Hallows Blood:

Mourning her mother on Halloween, Keila O'Broin, psychic warrior and last of her line,isn't prepared for dead teenagers to ask her to avenge them.  Compelled by her family creed, Keila combats the vampiric serial killer, despite her atrophied powers.

But defeating one killer is only the start of her adventure. Into her life walks Varick Eitenhauer, centuries old undead master of Portland.The vampire tells her she will now help him defeat his rivals in a battle to control the city, and he will accept no refusals.

Surrounded by her desire and danger, the only way to succeed is to rise from her past like a phoenix from its ashes.

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It's been great having Raven as my guest and I encourage you to enjoy more of her writing in her book All Hallows Blood.