Brazen Folk Horror

Samhain Weekend

Samhain (All Hallows Eve) signals the end of the year for some. As nature’s wheel turns, the season cycles towards peace found in Winter incubation before unfolding into Spring, blooming in Summer, and then making way to Harvest season again. Samhain welcomes the dark side of two halves. As one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, this sits comfortably opposite summer’s Beltane. Equally, though, these seasons’ ritualistic roots among Celtic folk demand the appeasement of those behind the veil; the spirit realms or that of faerie.

The word Samhain is of ancient Celtic origin, with evidence of celebrations from as far back as the Neolithic period, meaning Summer’s end, still widely observed today. It’s a time for community or family gatherings and joyful festivals rather than the darker holiday, many may assume. Early Celtic folks would dress up on Samhain to celebrate the shift, lighting bonfires to ward off demons or spirits and welcome their beloved departed from the thinning veil. It wasn’t until much later that Christianity (as was the case with many pagan festivals) incorporated All Hallows Eve, changing its meaning over time. However, those roots of honouring the spirit world have remained. With the rapid growth of Halloween festivities that now blanket the period, we could consider that consumerism and commercialisation of these ancient sacred festivals have become the ‘new religion’. There are many folks, the world over, who still pay homage to the old ways in remembrance of our ancestors who embraced the natural rhythms of the earth.

No matter your personal beliefs, this is the perfect time to celebrate and create magic and mischief!

The veil thins around Samhain, and our physical and spiritual worlds are at their closest point of the year. Perhaps the spirit world will be reaching out to you; dazzled by an old familiar scent that stirs nostalgia for the departed, a whisper upon the wind that nips at your ear, or a shadow at the corner of your eye. Who is reaching out to you?

This season banish negativity and enhance personal strength by infusing an item or ritual meaningful to you with intentions. Uniquely personal attributes, your appearance, talents, and gifts can create powerful illusions, and the world will respond as you wish.

Some of our characters in Delevan House use “glamour magic” on us, and we’re not yet sure of their proper form. 

They are shifting as we write them, distracting us as we weave their stories, some to the point of significant transformation. They are using their skills, encouraging us to see and design them differently than we originally planned.

We are bewitched and dazzled! Such is the power of enhancements when used to misdirect.

Delevan House has leverage over us in its beauty, and all is not as it appears. We are shocked as the innocent draw blood, and the beauty of the cursed brings us to tears.

It’s as if the spell is working and the hand in play, but then, there’s a distraction, forcing us to look closer if we dare. But they won’t fool us with their tricks!

Ultimately, we hold all the secrets, questions, and answers. And we’re closer to sharing them with our readers. Perhaps our veil is also thinning here at Brazen Folk Horror. What’s that, that shadow in the corner of your eye?