Spirits of the Dead by Edgar Allan Poe (published 1829)

Thy soul shall find itself alone

'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone --

Not one, of all the crowd, to pry

Into thine hour of secrecy:

Be silent in that solitude

Which is not loneliness -- for then

The spirits of the dead who stood

In life before thee are again

For the night -- tho' clear -- shall frown --

And the stars shall look not down,

From their high thrones in the Heaven,

With light like Hope to mortals given --

But their red orbs, without beam,

To thy weariness shall seem

As a burning and a fever

Which would cling to thee for ever :

In death around thee -- and their will

Shall then overshadow thee: be still.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish --

Now are visions ne'er to vanish --

From thy spirit shall they pass

No more -- like dew-drop from the grass:

The breeze -- the breath of God -- is still --

And the mist upon the hill

Shadowy -- shadowy -- yet unbroken,

Is a symbol and a token --

How it hangs upon the trees,

A mystery of mysteries! --

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday...not just because I'm pagan but because of the novelty of it, as well! I love dress-up and styled shoots and have always wanted to do a witchy-inspired goddessy session, and who better to shoot this with than one of my favorite soul sisters, and up and coming Akins High School senior, Alaina.

Traveling to Austin for 2020 senior sessions last week gave me the rare opportunity to put this shoot together very last minute - I had the dress - was not even sure if we'd have the time or opportunity to see each other, so the rest was unknown. Literally in a day we came up with the concept and executed it. The whole shoot was only about 45 minutes.

With Practical Magic being my favorite film, I have to say much of this is visually inspired by Jillian and Sally. The "POEm" just happened to fit the final artwork perfectly. And with that, I bid you a blessed Samhain, Happy (and bountiful) Halloween, and joyful Dia de los Muertos with your loved ones!

XX, Chele

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A Magical Edgar Allan Poem

Spirits of the Dead by Edgar Allan Poe (published 1829)

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