Into Shadow: The Spooky Prologue

Rustic Vista. Wisconsin. October.

Unveiled

As the blazing heat and optimal peak burst of autumn colors pass, I can feel things softening and blending into muted tones signaling the season's end as mid-October digs in her unrelenting talons. The background of a slate skyline and skeletal branches reveal sacred secrets of the land where before they were shrouded in dense and tangled shadow. I am unapologetically in thrall to the elements and their power over mortality with their miraculous cycles, savage storms, and natural disasters.

Contrast

Rustic Vista fire. Wisconsin. October.

Outside, a cold rain pelts against the window creating a rhythmic backdrop that complements the crackle of fire in the hearth. Orange and yellow dominate, fire and gold, while steely gray metal surrounds. I am in awe of the contrast. Warm and cold battle evermore for a supreme stronghold on the next change in season.

The darkness is slow, gentle and welcoming, a break from the continual movement activated by the light, so bright and energetic. The constant stimulation, restlessness and activity settle into serene, calm and mindful introspective practice while still observing in earnest detail the small, simple things. It is a spell. It is a time to rejuvenate the very soul away from the demanding material world.

Creativity

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for - that familiar moment I've long missed. A spooky prologue to a season filled with creative inspiration and minimizing things and people that pull my attention away from what fills my spirit. A time to burrow into solitude and simplicity. A turn of the wheel where the wonder of mystery is alive and imagination as limitless as archaic myth and legend of old. It is a time to revisit and delve into the things beyond this plane of existence. To ramble the sweet, enticing lures beyond this world.

Paradise Valley. Montana. October.