Last night was the coven Samhain, and it was very good to be there. I've really felt the approach of the day coming, for a couple of weeks now. As justjanus mentioned last night, I've been seeing shadows and movement out of the corner of my eye for weeks. I've felt and heard the spirits moving in the trees at the park, the cemetery, and the wildlife sanctuary. I've heard the whispers of the ancestors in the rustle of leaves. The astral has been especially active lately, almost restless.

After an intense ritual and a wonderfully grounding feast, I decided to drive home last night instead of staying over. Since we were gaining an hour, I figured that it wasn't really as late as the clock proclaimed. Even though I still woke up at the crack of dawn this morning, it was in my own bed, and after a breakfast of leftover apple crisp (with dried tart cherries and pomegranate seeds), I went back to bed and slept for another couple of hours. That was just the ticket.

I wanted to be outside in the woods today, so I went down to the wildlife sanctuary to wander the paths. I heard more whispers in the reeds along the boardwalk, heard the rustle of devas in the underbrush (or perhaps it was chipmunks), and listened to the babble of the river (it was quite talkative today). I left gifts for the spirits, made offerings to the river, and just stood and listened. With lightened heart, I made my way back out of the woods.

Then my phone rang (I always take it with me in case of emergency). It was B, who was in Deerfield with Jay, wanting to know if I could meet them for coffee. After squeeing aloud, I said Yes! Jay was in the area for Cider Day, which I was sorely tempted to go to just to see him, but I couldn't swing both that and Samhain, and the coven won out. I figured that the Starbucks at Barnes & Noble would be the easiest place for them to get to, and would take them about the same amount of time to get to as it would for me, so I dashed home, grabbed my purse, and sped off to Holyoke.

It was so good to see Jay! It's been over a year. I really miss him. I wish I could dash off to Vegas to see him and go to the Temple of Sekhmet! His descriptions are so evocative. We had a lovely time catching up. He's working for Cirque du Soleil "Ka" in addition to his gigs with the Wicked Tinkers, and is hoping for a permanent gig with their new show opening next year. Oh, and sea_dark_wine - it's an Elvis show!

Too soon it was time for them to head back to Maynard, so I gave him one more squeeze and headed home. *sigh*

It was a lovely day, and even though it's already dark out, it's not yet 5:30. I have a feeling I'll be in bed early tonight.

( Here are today's darlings )