Devon Hunter

It was a glorious day: The colors were vibrant, but just past their prime, and there were icicles everywhere. There had been a snow storm the night before, so the symbolism was perfect. There was beauty everywhere, though it sometimes seemed a bit browbeaten.

The earth is going to sleep for a spell. And we are on the cusp of rest and temporary death.

The sky was incredible – the colors in the clouds were gorgeous. I trekked up to the top of Mount Mitchell (at +6,800 ft it’s the highest point in North America east of the Mississippi River), and it was really amazing. That night I did the ritual itself on KITTEH’s screened-in sniffing parlor at my apartment. Grampa liked Port, so I used that, rather than a simple wine. KITTEH helped (KITTEH has strong magick). Grampa loved cats – sometimes I think he preferred cats to people (and I can completely relate to that).

But yes, it was a beautiful Samhain, even it it was the first time I had to do a ritual for the dead. It gave me a better sense of closure, and (for my part) I sent Grampa off on his long journey with love, friendship, peace, and joy. Happy Belated New Year!

“Au fur et au mésure que je connais mieux les hommes, je préfère mon chat.” (The more I know men, the better I like my cat.)

“C’eux qui s’amusent aux chats peuvent pas maudire les giffres.”  (People who play with cats should not curse the claws.)

Today I am 34 years old… wait, no. I’m 23, as I said in the RentMen video interview. I forgot (old age will do that to you).

At any rate, today is the first day of the new year in my belief system (one’s birthday/naming day is the beginning of personal years, whereas Samhain/Halloween is the new year for everyone as a community), and I am looking forward to some exciting times. I hope you are all healthy, happy, safe, and sound.

Happy Birthday to me!

In my belief system Samhain (known to most people as Halloween) is the last day of the year. It is the Day of the Dead; however, it isn’t a morbid holiday. It’s the time when you say goodbye to loved ones and pets, especially those who have transitioned to the next life in the last year; it’s the time to remember and be thankful for domesticated animals and harvested plants, because their deaths give the living sustenance; and it is a time for closure, reflection, and release, especially of the worries of the last year.

In the old days Samhain was a festival that took place over the course of three nights, but now it is focused down into one. In those times it was not only a time of emotional closure and thanksgiving, it was also a time of forgiving debts. If someone were destitute and could not pay back a debt, it was forgiven, so that the invididual could have a better chance of a fresh start (and thus resume being a productive member of society). Samhain is the night when the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest, so it was also a time to commune with spirits.

But Samhain was yesterday. Today is literally a new day. It’s funny, but I left my last boyfriend in October of 2006, so everything in my life revolves around November. My checklist for paying bills begins with November, my leases always expire in October (so my moves always happen around this time of year when I need/want to relocate), and my other personal cycles have thus aligned to this time of year. It’s an interesting coincidence (if coincidences exist) that I am aligned to the new year this way.

I feel refreshed, and I look forward to what is coming in the next cycle. I know most of you think of the year as having 8 more weeks, but when you finally catch up to me, I hope you are in as great a state of optimism as I am. I wish you happiness, plenty, prosperity, and fulfillment NOW, whether you’ll accept it in November or not.