Season of Shadows Blog » Autumn

All Who Gather

John Wolfe — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:38:03 +0000

Revisiting S.J. Tucker’s work, this time with the song, “For The Love Of All Who Gather.” I first found Tucker’s music last August when I posted a vid for her awesome Witch’s Rune. Now you might be thinking, Okay, John, what the heck does this have to do with Halloween or spooky stuff? Ahh, glad you asked. For me, folksy pagan type music always brings forth the feelings of fall.

There’s just something about a song where the message discusses spirit, honor and our connectivity to the planet, to nature and to one another that puts me in an autumnal state of mind. I suppose it’s because fall is just so amazingly organic feeling with harvest time, the gorgeous colors and leaves everywhere that I find myself feeling much more spiritually connected than usual.

Sooj’s (as S.J. is often called) lyrics and voice give me an October attitude adjustment even when the calendar swears it’s springtime.

Source: YT user, KeepMusicPagan

Another reason I’m drawn to works like this is because of the recent health stuff I mentioned in a previous post. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I’ve been dealing with some severe upper digestive problems, so much so that an endoscopy (camera and light sent down the esophagus and into the stomach) was performed on me a few days ago.

Thankfully the results were normal, but I’m still waiting on more tests. In the meantime, I’ve been really trying to find a more peaceful center within myself, as stress and worry aggravates the condition. And, S.J.’s beautifully haunting music certainly helps when finding that center.

One cool thing about having the endoscopy done, they let you have color copies of the photos showing your insides — just the thing a Halloween prop builder needs for inspiration!

Halloween Speed Painting

John Wolfe — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:20:55 +0000

Found this time-lapse vid of an awesome Halloween-themed watercolor being created. The finished painting takes me back to Halloweens as a kid. I remember tearing through any magazine or book I could get my hands on containing Halloween imagery during my youth, looking for a visual that encapsulated the feeling of October 31st. Once I felt satisfied I had found just the right one, I’d study every detail over and over again.

Maybe that’s a clue as to why I’m so anal retentive about detail work when building my props.

Source: YT user, mckiggins

Happy October 1st

John Wolfe — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:27:43 +0000

It’s here! Happy October to you! In honor of celebrating the beginning of my favorite time of year, I wanted to share a couple photos taken during my visit to Wagner’s Farm yesterday. For the last three out of four years my grandfather and I have made our trek to Wagner’s, located in Corrales, New Mexico, for my cornstalks. I supply the cash for gas and for the stalks; he supplies the truck for hauling the load, and a few dirty jokes along the way.

The entire trip has become very special to me, not only because of spending time with my grandpa, but also because Corrales is a perfect location for providing my first true encounter with autumn for the year.

It’s a quaint little village with shade trees everywhere, grape vines galore, and interesting curio shops dotting the roadside amidst wild sunflowers. Most of the shops have already decorated with makeshift scarecrows and pumpkins along their sidewalks. And the scent of roasting green chile fills the air (a sure sign of fall in New Mexico) along with an abundance of other delicious scents from local restaurants. By the time you pull into Wagner’s and see their pumpkin patch, hay bales and stacks of cornstalks, you can really feel October and autumn coursing through your veins.

I thought I’d close this post with what seemed like an appropriate paragraph from the About page:

“There’s something tangible in the air as September draws to a close, removing itself from our awareness, as if surrendering to an unseen force being ushered in on an October breeze. This force permeates all matter, working itself into a feverish pitch over the next thirty-one days: The ground develops into one continuous pathway of fallen flora, harvests are being reaped, temperatures drop, wood smoke billows from chimneys, children anticipate the hordes of candy they’ll soon be carrying and I begin to polish my skulls.” Happy October, everyone.

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Happy October 1st (2009)

Old Man Gloom

John Wolfe — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:22:31 +0000

Revisiting Old Man Gloom (better known as Zozobra) for 2010. The forty-nine foot tall, 1600 pound, spooky effigy was burned two weeks ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with all the cares and concerns of the attending crowds.

The autumn tradition of destroying Zozobra is symbolic of removing old fears and worries, allowing room for the new joy and prosperity to be welcomed in. Once again, I didn’t attend, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching YT user, nemec3rd’s footage of the event!

Here’s a list of some of the items used to create “Old Man Gloom” (courtesy of Zozobra.com): wood, wire, poultry netting, muslin, nails, screws, pulleys, plywood, shredded paper, spray paint and duct tape.

That list sounds an awful lot like the arsenal of a home haunter to me.

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Autumn Traditions: Zozobra

Almost Autumn

John Wolfe — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:00:02 +0000

Our weather’s been a bit indecisive lately. It can’t seem to decide if it wants to hang onto summer or yield to fall’s arrival — now less than five days away! With our highs performing more yo-yo tricks than Tommy Smothers (I must be getting old to throw out a Yo-Yo Man reference), I thought I’d try and encourage fall to kick back, relax and stay for a while with some autumnal vid action.

Source: YT user, shastasheene

Witch’s Rune

John Wolfe — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:58:43 +0000

Listening to songs like the one contained in the following vid always inspires a peaceful feeling within me — one of being harmoniously connected to all living things. The beautifully haunting folk/chant sounds in “Witch’s Rune,” by S. J. Tucker, are especially affective at guiding my thoughts of connectivity to harvest and autumn’s approach.

Source: YT user, KeepMusicPagan

For more info on S. J. Tucker, visit SkinnyWhiteChick.com.

Celtic Autumn

John Wolfe — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:15:28 +0000

After posting trippy vids for the last two days, I thought it would be nice to get a little more grounded in this entry. YT user, BigLoveZone takes us on a beautiful tour of autumn in the Ozark Mountains, accompanied by some great Celtic sounds.

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Amazing Autumn

Autumn Traditions: Zozobra

John Wolfe — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:22:27 +0000

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, about seventy-five miles north of me, it’s been an autumn tradition since 1924 to burn Old Man Gloom, aka Zozobra. The fifty-foot tall marionette is designed to be the embodiment of worry and fear. Each fall, he’s burned to symbolically release that fear and usher in prosperity and good luck in the new year. While I’ve never attended the burning, I’ve always been curious about the proceedings as they have a very pagan feel about them, though most people probably don’t think of “Zozobra” in that manner.

Now, if I could just build my graveyard overseer prop that large for Halloween, I’d really be in business.

Image source: sfhs88nm.com

This first video shows the “old man” being burned.

Video source: You Tube user santafenewmexican

This second video gives some insight into the creation of the effigy.

Video source: You Tube user dlfitch

Amazing Autumn

John Wolfe — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:58:26 +0000

Not only am I a Halloween fanatic, but I’m also a lover of the entire fall experience. In fact, it’s my absolute favorite time of year. It’s for this reason that I can’t figure out how in the world I managed to be born in the spring.

Beautiful, autumn, nature scenes and harvest photos abound in this great vid.

Video source: You Tube user fotogrl1