Autumn's Twilight - Pagan Song: Music for Your Magic

I wrote Autumn’s Twilight originally on October 29, 1995. It was published on KIVA’s album Out of the Corner of the Eye in 2006. The inspiration for the song was a beautiful maple tree in my back yard when I lived in Kensington, Maryland in the 1990s. I used to sit under the maple tree in the fall and look up through the leaves in the twilight. The leaves seemed to glow with an internal fire.

The magic of the transforming trees was always very potent for me and it’s why Halloween has been one of my favorite spots on the wheel of the year though I have not personally written a song about Samhain.

Some of these early photos of the band practicing were in the rec-room of that 90s rental home. I lived there for many years and the home was host to many colorful characters and a place where some wonderful songs were written.

I was born in the fall and I have a special connection to Autumn. I love the temperatures as they drop towards winter, the beauty of the leaves, and a sense of melancholy that I’ve felt as a child at this time of the year. I feel blessed to have lived in a part of the world that has seasons and this has informed a lot of my lyrics and the songs that we enjoy performing in KIVA.

To do my “picture videos” I collect photos that visualize the lyrics of the particular song. It was fun collecting the many pictures of trees and leaves in this song. Some of them I took myself, of favorite trees in the autumn in different neighborhoods. Here’s my picture video of Autumn’s Twilight:

Autumn’s Twilight by Ariana Lightningstorm & KIVA

Oh, the miracles that I have seen
Reflected back to the sunlight
of myriad yellows, reds & greens
All on an Autumn’s twilight

The wind it is chill, the light getting cool
Coming near hallows eve
My love and I we keep ourselves warm
All on an Autumn’s twilight

Like fire the trees burn orange, yellow, red
Passionate change of the season
Life moving inward slowing it down
All on an Autumn’s twilight

come and go but harsher than spring
Bringing the cold winds blowing
Flying and falling the leaves do come down
All on an Autumn’s twilight

Roots saving sap for long winter’s sleep
Saving the summer’s liquor
Trees getting bare and cold in the night
All on an Autumn’s twilight

Oh, the miracles that I have seen
Reflected back to the sunlight
Of myriad yellows, reds & greens
All on an Autumn’s twilight – 3x
Lyrics by Ariana © October 29, 1995, Song published on Out of the Corner of the Eye ©2006

This picture of kids jumping in a leaf pile was taken by my dad of my sister and myself. That picture was taken in front of the home I lived in where I really came into myself spiritually. I often think of autumn as a time for reflection and doing this “picture video” while the leaves are starting to change in September of 2023 has definitely got me in nostalgia mode.

Many Autumn Blessings!
Ariana

For more information about Ariana, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to KIVA’s and Ariana’s sites on the web, check out Ariana’s page on Pagan Song.

This post is part of a series by Ariana with posts about her songs for Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, all with beautiful picture videos for you to enjoy. Check them all out!

lead photo of maple branches by Claude Laprise

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