Posts Tagged ‘Samhain’

I am very excited to announce the release date of my next book The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations, coming out in hardcopy and ebook on the 31st of October 2014. That is right folks, a happy Halloween release!

The Woven Word Full Cover

This is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation, and the additional correspondences information benefits the creation of unique rituals and celebrations. Created for use by both solitary practitioners and covens, sample rituals are also provided for seasonal celebrations and life events.
Romany’s personal experiences as a High Priestess give this book an enlightened view of the use of poetry in ritual, whilst her skills in classes, courses and workshops create a solid, practical foundation. Pagans, Priests and Priestesses, initiates new to the Craft, RE teachers and students, and anyone who loves Romany’s poetry will thoroughly enjoy this latest work.

“A fascinating book celebrating and utilising the power of the word both spoken and written with all areas of the Craft, including beautiful prose, blessings, meditations, visualisations and invocations. A great reference for how to use words for the greatest benefit.” – Rachel Patterson, author of Kitchen Witchcraft and Moon Magic (more…)

This Light,

I sit within the spotlight
The stage in darkness lies
Preparing to perform
The arts of times gone by
The light washes down
Upon my upturned face
My tools about me shine
Blessed by unearthly grace
Within the shadows I hear
Soft anticipating sighs
Waiting for my hands to move
And open up all eyes
And I feel blessed
Refreshed
And inspired to be
I craft
And bend
And prophesy
I spin
And weave
All manner of life
I bend
And blend
The Craft of the Wise
For this light is the perfect time
The blending of body and mind
A chance for us all to divine.

by Romany Rivers (c)2013

Romany Rivers is a resident poet with Moon Books, please click here to read her latest contributions.

Be Still

“Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.”

Quote from Linda Hogan, Dwellings: A Spiritual History of the Living World

The wheel of the year turns and Samhain rolls around again. Whilst I attend Halloween parties for small children dressed as Superheroes and Firefighters, whilst I prepare for the onslaught of trick or treaters, whilst I fake shudder at every garish Halloween decoration my son points to, deep down inside I feel the mixture of grief and love this festival offers me. Samhain is a time to honour our beloved dead, our ancestors, the children we never had the chance to watch grow up, the ones we miss with every beat of our heart. As the veil between the worlds becomes thin, we turn our minds to the ones we hold in our hearts, but not in our arms.

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As the wheel turns, the days grow colder, the nights grow longer and shadows pervade our inner and outer landscapes. Darkness brings with it the desire for introspection, reflection and contemplation of our own shadow selves. Samhain reminds us of the deep descent into the underworld, of the thinning veil, of the influence of ancestors, and of the masks we wear in daily life. At this time of year I find myself following the dark inner spiral and reflecting upon my own shadows, a regular journey that is no longer fearful to me but instead enlightening and, eventually, uplifting. In honour of the seasonal shift, I offer two poems from deep within the shadows and push them into spotlight. They are reflections on my dramatic transition from maiden to mother, a role that brings its own joy and darkness – often in equal measure. From grieving over the loss of my personal identity, to dark and debilitating postnatal depression, these poems lay bare some of the hardest aspects of the emotional shift into motherhood.

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