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Jewels from the Dark

Learning to find beauty and benefit from the dark parts of life.

  • Mining the Deep
  • About
  • Sitting

    I am finishing a 7-day silent retreat at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia, Colorado. I strongly recommend doing a silent retreat to every human, regardless of spiritual faith. Silence teaches us the language of the soul. It speaks to us in beauty and wonder, opening up our hearts and lives to what we…

    Gwen B

    October 3, 2026
    Uncategorized
  • Nock an Arrow

    I keep coming back to the last scene in The Death of Robin Hood, where Robin is talking a little girl through how to shoot a final arrow on his behalf as his life blood drains out – a representation of the fullness of his life. It was intense and visceral and lodged itself in…

    Gwen B

    September 10, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, faith, grief, healing, life, loss, love, mental-health, writing
  • When Grief Demands Attention

    There are moments when grief demands attention – it locks in and breaks your heart wide open. Again and again. And again. It finds a shard of your shattered heart and slowly grinds it beneath it’s heel. It has found me tonight. Often these moments when grief demands our full attention, we want to be…

    Gwen B

    September 7, 2026
    Uncategorized
    grief, healing, life, loss, love
  • Recovery

    My apologies for my absence lately. This year has been challenging and I am learning how to take care of my health differently. I have also been looking into writing more and will return to my Shadowlands story soon. I will be keeping this blog in some form, but found for my fiction writing, Substack…

    Gwen B

    July 9, 2026
    Uncategorized
  • Shadowlands, Part 20

    Meirleach had been watching Laoise as she began to prepare for their next day and their search for Darach. He felt the moment the Shadows had moved into her mind. It was subtle. A shift in her countenance, a quickening of her breath, the momentarily longer blink of her eyes… At first, he stayed back…

    Gwen B

    June 7, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, books, fantasy, fiction, grief, healing, life, loss, mental-health, short-story, writing
  • Shadowlands, Part 19

    Laoise slowed down and brought her focus to the rhythm of her heart and her breath. She reminded herself that in this moment, she was safe. She was in her home. The Void and the Waste Wind had never been able to penetrate these walls, this warmth, the soft glowing light. But both still invaded…

    Gwen B

    June 7, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, books, fantasy, fiction, grief, healing, life, loss, mental-health, short-story, writing
  • Shadowlands, Part 18

    Morrigan took a deep breath as she walked away from her brother. She could not believe how stupid Meirleach had been. The foolish, insolent boy. Betraying the Nefas was one thing, but betraying the Void was quite another. Had he learned nothing from his father’s example ? And for what? Líadan? Who was that woman,…

    Gwen B

    April 12, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, books, fantasy, fiction, grief, healing, life, loss, mental-health, short-story, writing
  • Shadowlands, Part 17

    Morrigan held her hand close to her body, the burn still present. Her rage almost matched it. Fachnan was with Manadh who was clearly distraught over losing their main quarry. Her brother looked over and frowned at her arm. Morrigan walked over, catching the tail end of the heated conversation. “He has betrayed us!” Manadh…

    Gwen B

    March 29, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, books, fantasy, fiction, grief, healing, life, loss, mental-health, short-story, writing
  • Shadowlands, Part 16

    It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now. Darach felt every thought drip slowly down his mind, eventually dropping from his brain into the abyss. No. Something mattered. What was it? Think! He tried so hard to fight the fog of apathy and despair clouding his memory. There was something that mattered… The air felt heavier with…

    Gwen B

    March 1, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, books, fantasy, fiction, grief, healing, life, loss, mental-health, short-story, writing
  • Shadowlands, Part 15

    Meirleach cleared his throat. “That may be a hard thing to know – I have never seen anyone but the Nefas be able to bend shade and shadow. And even then, none the way you do.” “I’m sorry,” interrupted Lorcan. “Before we try to understand the mystery of the dark, can we talk about what…

    Gwen B

    February 15, 2026
    Uncategorized
    acceptance, books, fantasy, fiction, grief, healing, life, loss, mental-health, short-story, writing
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