The Thin Veil…

There are moments when the world feels slightly less… solid? A familiar place can suddenly seem strange. A landscape can feel watchful. A sound in the darkness can become something else entirely when we can’t see its source. Perhaps it’s simply the way our minds work, filling the gaps between what we know and what … Continue reading The Thin Veil…

The Harvest Moon…

Tonight’s full moon is known as the Harvest Moon, traditionally associated with the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox. Its light once helped farmers continue harvesting after sunset, extending the working day when crops needed gathering.  There’s something poignant about that name now.  The moon still rises over the fields, but many of the … Continue reading The Harvest Moon…

The Season of Scares…

September marks the beginning of The Season of Scares, and this year’s first autumnal theme is Lost Places. I’ve always been drawn to places that feel as though they’ve slipped slightly out of the present; old roads, forgotten buildings, ruined castles, villages tucked away beyond the beaten path. All of the places that are layered with history and … Continue reading The Season of Scares…

The Sturgeon Moon…

August brings us the Sturgeon Moon, named by Native Americans after the time of year when sturgeon were most readily caught in the Great Lakes. Like many traditional full moon names, you’ve probably noticed it isn’t really about the moon at all, it’s about paying attention to other stuff. Long before smart phones – even … Continue reading The Sturgeon Moon…

The Places That Keep Us…

Last week’s solar eclipse stirred an unexpected memory. As I stood outside in my garden watching daylight briefly change – albeit not as dramatically as I’d expected – I realised I was standing in almost the same place I’d been during the eclipse of the 1990s. Back then, though, I wasn’t at home. I was … Continue reading The Places That Keep Us…

Schema…

An experimental narrative that dismantles the comforting illusion that memory acts as a reliable record. In truth, no two people remember the same dead person because memory is not an observation, it’s a distortion. Schema shows us that the most powerful hauntings are those we write ourselves through belief and repetition. The man who lived and … Continue reading Schema…

The Buck Moon…

July’s full moon, known as the Buck Moon, marks the time when deer grow new antlers. Soft at first, they harden into weapons. It’s a moon bound to transformation under pressure. Within The Summer of Shadows, July brings heat. Not the pleasant warmth of long evenings, but the oppressive kind that alters perception. Heat distorts time, blurs judgment, … Continue reading The Buck Moon…

The Horned Black Beast…

It’s cool up north. Fresh wind. A jacket feels sensible. Bed socks aren’t entirely unreasonable. A week spent in the south was another matter. Restless nights on sweat-dampened sheets. Clammy skin. Hair clinging to the back of my neck. The curious heaviness that arrives after too many hot days in a row, when thoughts seem … Continue reading The Horned Black Beast…

Afternoon Ghosts…

We expect ghosts to arrive after midnight, announced by flickering lights, thunderstorms, creaking stairs and long, echoing corridors. We wait for darkness before giving ourselves permission to feel uneasy, as though fear keeps sensible office hours. But why? I’ve often wondered whether the brightest hours of the day might be just as unsettling. There are … Continue reading Afternoon Ghosts…

Emergence: When the Past Refuses to Stay Buried…

Summer has a reputation for brightness, long days, blue skies, holidays and freedom. But there’s another side to summer. A subtler side. The heat that shimmers above roads, blurring the distance, the way empty streets seem to hum in the baking afternoon sun with the suggestion of something about to happen, and the oppressive stillness … Continue reading Emergence: When the Past Refuses to Stay Buried…