Light is the Shadow of God

I don't talk religion on here or anywhere else, so bear with me. Not going to really talk religion, but I'm going to get super close as I discuss a few words from an old philosopher. 

Consider the following: 

"Light is the Shadow of God." 

Plato, Greek philosopher from Athens said that. About 2,400 years ago, along with a bunch of other cool things.

That God is so bright his shadow is what illuminates our world. Shooting stars, sparks from flint, lightning, the flame of a lowly match, sunlight, moonlight, bio-luminescence, any source of light is a glimpse of the shadow of God? 

That which what we see by is His shadow. That is pretty deep. Perhaps Plato believed people could not withstand the direct sight of God. I wonder what he would have thought about Marie Curie's discovery? Further emanations from God?

Light is the Shadow of God.

As writers, what can we get from this? 

Two things:

• One, I think it talks to the process of showing not telling. Writers don't need to describe everything in detail, leave something to the imagination. Light is the Shadow of God. 
• Two, as writers we need to stretch our imaginations, use words and meanings for purposes and definitions they weren't meant for but that lead the reader to where you want them to go. Light is the Shadow of God.

~*~

Picture for today is from Anthony Chapel, just outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas. I love this photograph. It is a delicate, abstract interplay of lines, light and shadow, and as a place where people come to be bonded together in the eyes of the Lord, I assume His direct emanations are in there too somewhere. 

We just can't see them.

But they are there, nonetheless. 

Look for them. Not with your eyes, for your eyes are unable to see, but with your soul. 

Contemplate. 

Light is the Shadow of God...

See, told you I wasn't going to talk about religion, but I did get really close.

Shadows, Thieves, and Hidden Things

30 APR 2020

I will try and put today's blog into some semblance of order, though how that is possible I know not!

If you ever wonder where stories come from, today's blog is one example of story formation.

It all started with a little light reading. "The Double Shadow", a dark fantasy short story written in the 1930s by Clark Ashton Smith (also known by his initials CAS). The magical tale is available online here. 

Clark Ashton Smith in his younger days

Why did I read this piece? Shadows have always intrigued me and I have never read anything by CAS, though I've heard good things and I've read stories by several of his compatriots. He is considered one of the three top writers of Weird Fiction back in the day, along with H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Every good writer should read to improve their craft, especially stories in a similar vein of what they want to produce in order to learn what's out there, what works, and what doesn't work. In this case, what I read was a bit creepy, a lot wordy, and somewhat satisfying for someone who enjoys fantasy.

The story inspired me to tackle crafting my own short story about shadows. Want a sneak peak into it? I'll give you one of the ideas I ran with. What if the spell of the double shadow, while an evil and possessing Thing in Smith's story, could be used to strengthen, to bolster a magician in some key, mystical way? Hm... Instead of being an evil trap to seduce and take over other sorcerers who came across it, the spell had an actual purpose for those who could handle its seemingly malignant power. Hm indeed.

If you're interested in other stories by Smith, some are available online at the Eldritch Dark. Expect the weird...

While I mused about shadows, my random music selection fell upon Moonshadow by Cat Stevens. Serendipity? Who knows. What I do know is that the synchronicity of music and reading brought my thoughts hither and yon...

What is a moonshadow? It's different from a regular shadow, which is the darkness formed when something blocks the sun’s rays, a true outline. A moonshadow is the deeper darkness formed when something blocks the moon’s rays. But the moon’s rays are not the same as the sun’s. They are a reflection, a parody, a transmutation of the sun’s rays. 

So, a moonshadow, to those who can see them, shows not a person’s true outline. It is a weaker, more subtle light. And, unlike regular shadows formed by the Sun, moonshadow outlines are not true…

For my shadow story, I decided Moonshadows can be seen naturally by some creatures. Others not so gifted may view moonshadows through moonglass, which can be created through several methods, including from a type of moonstone (from the moon), or by a simple spell and a drop of water from a source currently reflecting the moon’s light. Moonglass may also be manufactured through an alchemical process that coats normal glass with a special filter. 

Moonshadows in my story will be useful for a bit of foreshadowing...get it? See what I did there? All right, moving on!


Can I Get a Hand? As an author, I look up all sorts of things that probably have me on several government watch lists, lol. Joking of course, good thing I mainly write fantasy! My wife on the other hand, the murder mystery author, is probably on more lists than I am. Anyways, one of my searches while crafting my own shadow story was in regards to a Hand of Glory.

For those thankfully unfamiliar, a Hand of Glory is a grotesque, magical light used for thievery, allegedly. There are several actual Hands to be found around the world, including one that spent some time in a pub, so we've truly gone from the world of fantasy to a mix of fantasy and reality. All in the name of story research I promise!

An intruder 'arm'ed with a Hand of Glory (which, by the way, is created by cutting off the hand of a hung murderer and using one or more of the fingers of the hand as candles) can open locked doors and see by the light of the Hand (which no else can see). In most stories involving a Hand of Glory, no one but the intruder is able to wake or move in the household either, facilitating the thievery. Here is a snippet of online Hand of Glory lore:

Hand of Glory 
Now open, lock!
To the Dead Man's knock!
Fly, bolt, and bar, and band!
Nor move, nor swerve,
Joint, muscle, or nerve,
At the spell of the Dead Man's hand!
Sleep, all who sleep! -- Wake, all who wake!
But be as the dead for the Dead Man's sake!


A very powerful item indeed. What does this 'magic torch' have to do with the aforementioned shadow story? I was looking for something magical and useful to steal something at a certain plot point. And the Hand, also known as a corpse candle or thieve's light, was a perfect addition to an already fantastic story forming. 

Most of my stories are set in a fantasy setting, and one rule for my world is that undead exist during certain eras. While I was working on my shadow story plot, I thought, if undead exist, and if a Hand of Glory emits an invisible light, might that light be visible to the undead, considering it comes from a dead man's hand? Sort of a 'it belongs to the dead realm' kind of thing. That would be a good twist, even for those who are already aware of a Hand's supposed powers.

Now that I've let you in on some of my thought processes, I must continue on my story!

Be well, and may your days be good and long upon this Earth.

An Adumbrance Betwixt the Light and the Dark - A short story

An Adumbrance Betwixt the Light and the Dark

In a ghostly realm where shadows are formidable, and arguing influences of light and dark constantly dance, a beam of brilliance pierced through the ever-present cloud cover and hit the granite ground, which sizzled at the intense touch. The ghoulish patches of cropped grass wilted and burned. Nearby things of black and gray fled, yelping and howling as they galloped, dug, slithered and flew away from the harshness. One wrapped herself in darkness and joined the protective shadow of a nearby outcropping. Gray farseers atop the nearby hills emplaced tinted lenses on their orbs and analyzed this new phenomenon. They witnessed a man striding down the beam, perambulating toward the surface. The stranger was light of everything -clothes, skin, hair, eyes. An alabaster masterpiece. He even glowed slightly, though whether the light was from the man or the beam on which he strode was a matter of debate among the seers. Whichever the case, he was blinding to gaze at.

A sudden eclipse occurred as a large, blind, flying Thing encountered the beam of light and both were extinguished. The man fell the remaining distance to the surface, a tumbling star, as the realm returned to its natural level of twilight.

He pulsed on the ground, looking to all who saw as if he were an immense lightning bug, a beacon winking away in search of a mate. To all who could not see his light, his presence was warm and intriguing. Small points of light floated on a current of air in his direction.

He heard scuttling noises in the dark as he groaned and tried to sit up.

Silvery threads shot out from the surrounding landscape. A pair of large black spiders came into view from inky pools of shadow and crisscrossed hunting webs over his prone form, seeking to wrap him up in their stickiness.

The light stranger struggled to burn the webbing but could not keep up with the threads. He was soon tied up on the hard ground. The nightmarish spiders advanced, their mandibles making audible clacking noises.

Another piece of darkness, about the size of a person, broke away from the blackest shadows of a nearby outcropping of rock. It was a woman, dressed in draping fabrics of gray. She clicked and clacked, drawing the attention of the spiders. She threw up her arms and spread wide her cloak, which expanded to a great size and rippled with lights and darks like the ground under a leafy tree that shakes in the gusts of a hot summer day.

The spiders clicked and clacked. Then they turned and scurried away in search of easier prey.

The dark stranger dropped her cloak and approached the light being from the sky.

He had almost freed himself from the tangle of spiderwebs. His clothes however, were much grayer now with their substance. And his right leg was noticeably dimmer than the rest of him. And when he finally stood, it was easy to see the leg was indeed injured from the fall. He stood awkwardly, looking at her as he tried to remove the remaining webbing. He seemed unafraid, even with everything that had happened.

She held her hand in front of her face. “Dim yourself, sir. There are many here who feed on brilliance, as you almost found out first-hand.”

He concentrated and looked down at his outstretched hands. His light waned. He returned her look. “Who are you?”

“I am called Chia. Chia Ross-curo.”

“I am Epifanio. I have come to learn the secrets of darkness.”

She glanced around at the landscape, feeling many eyes upon the pair of them. She shook her head. He was still too bright.

“I cannot hide you, even within my umbra. You emanate much. Follow me, maybe we can hide in yonder shelter.” She pointed to the left.

He saw nothing and said as much.

“Your light blinds you.”

“The Light is my life! I cannot lower it any further. To do so would be to risk my death!”

“To not is to risk both our lives.” She raised an arm and covered him with a portion of her expansive cloak.

He was astonished at the clarity with which he now saw their surroundings. It was as if everything were outlined in a halo or glow. Their destination was obvious now: a small stone structure at the shore of an inkjet lake. He tried to look closer but the image shook and blurred in and out of focus.

He uncovered himself from the cloak. “Why adumbrate when you can elucidate?” He waved his hand and a blast of light flooded shot forth and illuminated the entire valley.

“NO!” she screamed.

*********************

Another response to the Two Word Tuesday over at Our Write Side. Adumbrate was the word. It means to foreshadow. I ran with it. Hope you enjoy it. This is my wheelhouse right here, the sort of stuff I really like to write. Sort of like Jack of Shadows from Roger Zelazny.

Picture for today: 

Maybe a future scene in the story?