I stand with Lady Hecate in her place of power The Great Crossroad The intersection of past and present Lessons and possibility She holds her lantern aloft Illuminating my options I can see that each step Each choice Leads to another nexus Another crossroad For life is a spiderweb of crossroads An infinite collection of choices Interconnecting to plot our life's course In this moment of perfect presence I breathe I reach out with my intuition With deep faith and trust I step forward Toward a future of my own choosing
Before I enter my “Healed Woman” era I must detour into my “Villain” era You see… I was cast in the villain role for so long I might as well embrace the casting for a term With that said… Do not be concerned at my black wardrobe My blood red lips Do not pay mind to my near silent mumbling As I light candles and cast salt about Fret not over my narrowed, focused eyes Rimmed in thick black liner As I observe and calculate my options Do not wonder about the herb-coated offerings Laid out beneath the full moon None of it is your concern Cross the street Avert your gaze Do not trouble yourself wondering in my direction I’m embracing my dark side Doing my shadow work If my shadow is meant to fall upon you You will know
This brief, beautiful Preview of delightful Autumn With her crisp chilled nights And gray-sky mornings Will be brutally interrupted By Summer strolling Back onto the stage Despite having taken her bow For a sweaty encore That nobody wanted
I have coated my boundaries in sacred salt Saged the walls of my mind Served healing teas to my soul Soaked my dreams in moon water Calmed my spirits with lavender sachets
I have removed the “welcome” mat from my doorstep Hung a horseshoe above my threshold Covered my aura in layers of steel Cut the cord with silver shears All to reclaim myself from you
In sacred prayer I place myself in Her protection Amongst a ring of salt and sage To cleanse and clarify Purify and protect Grounding me to earth Connecting me to sky
This is my season The season Persephone returns to the underworld To take up her night-sky crown A season where darkness rules And pomegranate seeds glisten Like ruby drops of blood Across a dark and mossy earth A season where candlelight entwines with shadow And long nights lay steeped in vivid dreaming
In this season I embrace my own darkness Unafraid of the cold and the quiet For this is where magic lives Where the mythical and mystical thrive Weaving spells amongst the silence I remember my power just like Persephone For this is a season where the resolute thrive
I submerge into my own deep waters My dark reflection staring back at me As I descend into my true self Into the rejuvenation that exists At the heart of midnight I greet each version of myself Forgiving myself for every unkindness Every neglectful moment In this stillness where I am Safe and whole inside my power For this is the season I return to self Where I remember who I am A daughter of darkness and fire
If I was a tarot card
The Knight of Swords it would be
Even my name, Gladys
Is reminiscent of the gladius blade
The knight and I are of quick wit
Sharp tongue
And posses a low tolerance for stupidity
We have something to say
And you must listen now or miss it
To your own detriment
The truth is our shield
Logic our blade
We understand the time is now
And no one and nothing will
Stop our message
Some may think us
Too blunt
Too cutting
Too opinionated
Too unfeeling
But that is because they do not
Understand the urgency
Carpe Diem my friends
The day is yours to lose
The opportunity of now
Will not return again
-gws
What is No longer serves me I glance back over my shoulder Setting this place and time Into my memory to honor The weight of this moment This chapter has ended Though I may be the only One who knows it I shoulder my bag With deliberate movements And a deep sigh It’s time to find out To discover To move on and move forward With a step I let go of what was And turn toward a path I know Will be paved with the opportunity For enlightenment and discovery
Words Wishes and Wisdom 