Halloween
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Unexplained mysteries
“There are no coincidences. Every event we experience and every person we meet has intentionally been put in our path to help raise our level of consciousness.” ~Cheryl Richardson The closer we get to Halloween, the more attuned we are to all things mysterious and magical. Yet every day is full of unexpected events and near-magical “coincidences” that work to our advantage. Out of the blue, for instance, a card arrives in the mail from an old friend you’ve been missing. Or you meet a stranger in a waiting room who gives you a tip that leads to your dream job. Some might call it good luck or a wink…
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Do you believe in magic?
“Surrender to the way things want to happen next, even though this often involves a vast and terrifying loss of control. Trust the magic that was born into your soul.” ~Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World Now that it’s October, my email is brimming with lists of the best spooky movies I can watch this month, from Alfred Hitchcock classics to Practical Magic and John Carpenter’s Halloween. Get the popcorn ready — I’m in! Some folks don’t enjoy scary films or ghost stories — or anything else in which events are manipulated by unseen forces. Are you one of those people? According to research, if you…
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Celebrating October
“October is the month of painted leaves.Their rich glow now flashes round the world.As fruits and leaves and the day itselfacquire a bright tint just before they fall,so the year near its setting.October is its sunset sky;November the later twilight.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Autumnal Tints You don’t have to look hard to find poems, essays, or quotations that celebrate the beauty of October. I copied today’s quote in my journal after reading Thoreau’s Autumnal Tints during my first fall semester in college in 1972. Today, it’s still my favorite quote for the month. October is the soul of autumn, inspiring moments of reflection as well as fall color tours and…
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The real scary stuff
“I’m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels. I’m afraid of what human beings do to other real human beings.” ~Walter Jon Williams Spooky season is here. Driving through our neighborhood this week, I’ve noticed block after block of homes decked out with creative Halloween decorations. I get a little thrill every time I spot a porch aglow with orange and purple lights or a family of skeletons gathered on someone’s front lawn. In my email, I’m getting long lists of scary movies to watch. Psychologists suggest that ghost stories and horror films can empower us to face our fears and anxiety while we battle our own demons.…
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My Halloween story in Bella Grace
“Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows’ Eve.” ~Ray Bradbury Bella Grace is the first magazine I reach for when I want to calm down, escape the hard news, and tune out the white noise around me. I often refer to it as a grown-up picture book, with dreamy images that never fail to transport me to another place and time. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to get my work published in the Autumn 2021 issue (Issue 29). My essay, “I’ve Never Outgrown the Magic of Halloween,” is featured in…
