Hello Friends,
As October deepens its colors, sprinkling leaves into the air like faerie dust, my sense of magic heightens. Around every corner is a surprise of color, of beauty, of fleeting honeyed light. Slate colored skies filled with giant clouds dwarf my sense of importance as they glide by on their way to other lands. Autumn is magical because it dares to be beautiful in the face of impending darkness. It is a gentle reminder of the ferocity of nature, her embrace of both the light and the dark.
Nature inspires such awe, and when I think of nature spirits, I’m reminded that, although they may appear human, their allegiance is to a wilder law devoid of emotion and judgement. If a water spirit or nymph is but a reflection of water, then it might behave as water behaves. Thinking about mythological creatures in this way makes it much more perilous for the humans who encounter them. They are whimsical, even tricksy, like a lake of ice appearing solid when it is not, to fool a human who might venture across.
The image of the lake below enchanted me, and got me thinking of the spirits dwelling within it. For fun, I composed this little poem:
There is no rhyme or reason it seems to the behavior of nature, why it takes some people away from us and why it spares others. It’s why we humans have a difficult time accepting its rules. Stories of nature spirits might be our way of trying to tame them, giving them human qualities they don’t possess. But, maybe the secret key those spirits would like to give us is acceptance.
Book Recommendations:
I just picked up two books I’m really looking forward to diving into. “Cackle” by Rachel Harrison was recommended by
on Instagram (thank you!), and I immediately gravitated to it. The other I stumbled across while looking through some witchy reads for the season. It’s a YA titled “Night of the Witch”. I figured any book that uses the word “hexenjäger” has to be spooky fun, right?If it’s autumn where you live, I hope you’re enjoying the season. And even if it’s not, I hope you’re enjoying the local weather. But beware the nature spirits!
Until next time,
Jan