Macabre (pronounced either mekabruh or mekab. The first is the more correct French pronunciation and the second is in the Americanized style.) is a chilling and thrilling word, filled with the spectacularly gruesome and ghastly. Human nature is such that many of us are drawn by a morbid curiosity to the macabre, mostly, I suspect because it is a reminder of our own mortality and because it shows us the fragility and beauty of life, even as it deals with it’s more horrifying aspects. In works of art, macabre is the quality of having a grim, haunting or ghastly atmosphere (an example is The Danse Macabre, which is an artistic theme the usually depicts Death collecting mortals from all walks of life in a Dance of Death) and the same can be said of it in poetry, prose, music, etc.
At this time of year, when the veil’s drawing thin and Eldritch thoughts prevail, I think macabre is a perfectly fitting term that describes the pull and fascination that life and death can have. Harvest is a time of balance and one that reminds us at once of both our earthly existence and our more spiritual one that extends beyond our mortal frame.
Namaste ~ Ella
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*Image is 1620 Vanitas Still Life with Skull, Wax Jack and Pocket Sundial
Lawhimsy 
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