On Water

and the glory of spring

Mar 22, 2023

I am writing to you on the spring equinox, and I am thinking about water.

I’m thinking about the soft whisper of a creek deep in the forest—perhaps edged in moss-covered stones, perhaps somewhere my ancestors would have called home, perhaps somewhere they might have thought sacred.

I’m thinking about purification rites and the way flames reflect off moving water. I can’t actually recall a time I held a torch while staring down into a body of water, but all I have to do is close my eyes and I see it—toes deep in the muck, leaning over the edge of a river, my face obscured by the ripple and movement of the water, the flame dancing beside me like a spirit guide.

Today during a walk in the woods, I stopped by a small off-shoot of a stream trickling down from a tall hill into a larger creek. The water wound around stones, so gentle that I had to kneel close to hear its song and see the shadowed dance across the stream bed. I watched and listened for longer than maybe I understood—it is no surprise that our ancestors saw visions in streams and messages in the fire. I think if I only had the time to carve out in this world of ours, I too could have seen secrets and heard stories glimmering across the surface of that stream.

It’s all around you once you let it in. Every bird a potential messenger, every tree an old friend, every meadow a faerie kingdom. Every recipe a spell, every bath a ritual, every household item a magical tool. We all had this as children, but it’s one of the first things the world takes away from us.

For a long time, I thought I could only have that feeling again in books. And that’s the most reliable source of it, no doubt—that feeling of peeling the top layer of the world back and seeing what awaits beneath, a curious child plucking a rock from a creek bed to see what squirms in the silt. But it’s all around us, waiting, if we allow ourselves the chance. We are all stories in the end, and why shouldn’t yours have magic?

I’d like to humbly ask that you do one thing for me. Go to the place where everything feels paper-thin—you already know the place I’m talking about—and stare into the stream or lift up the rock or speak to the trees or read the messages the birds etch into the ground. Wait until you see it. (You’ll know what it is when the time is right.)

Hold it close. Tell no one.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

if you’re in the mood for more unhinged stuff

“VERIFIED SIGHTING #33: PRAGUE, 1979” - a short story out at Del Sol SFF Review. Fey kings, magic, rain-slick cobblestones. (Specifically, if you’re on my Instagram by any chance .. it’s that Fey king *wink wink nudge nudge*)

STUFF THAT HAS MADE ME FEEL SOMETHING (ANYTHING) LATELY

“LEGENDBORN” by TRACY DEONN: I know that I’m late to this, as I tend to be to most things, but my love for this book (and its sequel) is nearly boundless. Deonn uses Arthurian legend with an exacting, searing precision, giving us a retelling that does not bat an EYE. Not ONCE. Coming of age, racial trauma, sexism, grief, the legacy of violence … it goes on and on. The magic system in this book is incredible, and while these are definitely heavy (tread lightly and check out trigger warnings), it’s some of the best work I’ve read in awhile. I think it’s the best YA book I’ve ever read.

OPEN SEA STATIONERY: I’m a slut for good stationery, and Open Sea delivers like absolutely no other. From the greeting cards that I use for absolutely everyone’s birthdays to the letter writing sets with ~vibes~ for everyone, I swoon every time Melissa puts something new out. (And yes, it’s just as gorgeous to write on as it is to look at!)

WITCH’S WAY CRAFT OSTARA CANDLE: This specific teacup variant is sold out, and Ostara has passed anyhow, but all of Lily’s ritual and spell candles are incredible. I’m not a big Wheel of the Year girly — I find the solstices and equinoxes, as well as the moon cycle, feels more natural to me. But of course, Ostara falls (basically) on the same day as the Spring Equinox here in my hemisphere, so picking up one of Lily’s candles was a wonderful treat. I burned it all day, as well as during the ritual work I did early in the morning, and damn, it was so special.

“TO RULE THE DESERT” by MONICA ROBINSON: Monica is a dear friend and also my colleague at the bookshop we run together, so yes, of course I am going to recommend anything she does. BUT this desert gothic, chaotic lesbian novella is up for pre-order, and if you’re looking for something off-beat and new that’ll set you back on your haunches, this read is the one. Queer Greek mythology retelling meets abandoned desert town horror meets regional gothic, all rolled into one. Yeehaw!

{That’s all for now. Until the dark moon returns & the next story blooms. Yours, V.}