Non-Club Goths and the People Who Love Them

An email I received today reminded me of a post I did on my other (comatose) blog some time back, so with a bit of editing, I found it applicable for the EVGA audience with its wonderful sensibilities and super power called Common Sense.

Manners, Etiquette, Graciousness, Self-Respect

While I have several new blog entries begun, this one stood out as needing to be shared. Perhaps I am only looking to rant, but I will at least attempt to do it with some degree of decorum and good sense. This evening I posted a link to an article on the death of good manners, the demise of simple, but meaningful pleasantries, perhaps the indifferent murder of behaviours that do no harm, but can do all the good in the world by showcasing the Good that exists in the world.

Come and Shop with Me: The Moonlight Muse

I would say this posting is long overdue, but I did promise the artist I would hold out for a particular project with which she had been making herself blind. But might I say, it was worth the wait. This particular artist works in several mediums, from paper cutting, to clay, and I have been fortunate enough to collect a variety of her delightfully haunted pieces. It was when she told me that she was working on a special cutting that I held off. When I saw it, well.. anyone who knows me even in the slightest, can imagine my response. And so it heads this entry for all to enjoy.

Where Have All the Role Models Gone?

I have said many times that I consider myself incredibly fortunate when it comes to
meaningful conversations. It is like a diet: If one refuses to let in the junk food
(small talk, lies, gossip), the flavour of real food can be tasted and the nutrients
of real food can finally make it into one's system where they can do some good. So
please let this be the caveat of sorts in future posts when I bring up at topic
inspired by a conversation that has found me during the course of my day.

Fun Finds - A Gothic Wedding

It has been a while since I visited this site, but after a few conversations with a dear friend who is planning her own period wedding, I hunted down the link and found something I just had to share here. Over the years I have had the honour of officiating, planning and writing vows for non-traditional weddings from Renn Faire themed unions to garden handfastings and Victorian soirees.
I do not do traditional weddings because I find more inspiration and satisfaction in bringing out the unique qualities of a couple: their quirks, their passions, the odd little things that sparked the fire between them, and then bringing those they love into their unique fold for that one day that celebrates them, and only them.

That said, it is with giddy joy that I share a site I already love for it's ideas and showcase of uniquely beautiful weddings. I hope you will enjoy, too. I now give you the wedding of Tanya & Ross, a lovely couple from Australia.

http://offbeatbride.com/2012/02/australia-gothic-wedding

Keeping it Romantic,

Raven

"Hopeless" Romantic?



I have always been puzzled by the phrase "hopeless romantic."  For as long as I can
remember, this phrase is usually punctuated by a wistful sigh, an almost pitiful
drooping of the brows; an expression somewhere between pity and total resignation. It
is as if one cannot self-identify as a hopeless romantic without putting melodramatic
emphasis on the "hopeless" part.

Being True to Oneself

Being true to oneself and being honest with oneself are different things, but these
practices do go hand-in-hand. Neither is an excuse for false modesty, self-effacing
behaviour or giving up. Quite the opposite, if one is truly being honest with the
person in the mirror and being true to that same individual, these negative
behaviours would never be a conceivable possibility. The cost to their self-respect
and conscience would be too much.

Happy 100th Birthday Mr. Charles Addams

Who better (aside from Poe) presents us with a wealth of imagery and dark humour befitting the Victorian Goth set than Charles Addams? His iconic family is deeply beloved, and has been the inspiration for many a Victorian Goth's home decor as well as providing the template for the perfect loving couple, totally absorbed with one another, doting on their children, loving toward their family members and compassionate (in their own way) toward everyone else who wanders into their brilliantly twisted lives.

Please join me in celebrating the 100th birthday of a man who has brought us dark joy, twisted laughs and inspired television series, films and now, a Broadway musical. Take a moment of silence, play a bit of harpsichord and snap your fingers in memory of Charles (Chas.) Addams.

Keeping it Spooky =)

Raven

A Letter to 2011

Dear 2011,
Thank you kindly for reminding me that every loss from 1 January to 31 December meant I had something and someone to hold dear in the first place; sometimes those things and people others have not. Thank you for reminding me that whilst I am going 90 mph to get things done, that at that speed I can still enjoy the wind in my hair and on my face. Thank you for the moments when I came to a complete halt with fatique, a roadblock or a moment of confusion, so that I may notice some small thing that inspired flowing words and a full heart. Thank you deeply for providing the safety of shadows for my dearest, darkest facets, a bit of light for a blossoming idea, and countless new voices to join in the chorus of many others in my life who have given me much to think about, nudged me past my own self-imposed limitations aend annoyed me so thoroughly that I walked 'round them to reach the next goal.
I will mourn your passing in many ways as I look to 2012 as a new beginning and the repository for so many wonderful (and painfully instructive) bits of insight, knowledge and questions.
Vaya con Dios,
R. Sexton
Ruthlessly Verbose Hopeless Romantic, Incurable Sentimentalist and Unapologetic Cynic