I suppose you could say this is inspired by the thread @C.Kendall started about overcoming trauma. He is very talented.
I’d also like to preface this with a recounting of Dante Abiel’s personal tragedy, chronicled in Necromantic Sorcery, where he loses his father; this aids him in opening up to a necromantic current.
I guess I’ll go balls out here, and say that I related to this a lot. When I was very young, my father committed suicide. Obviously, he had his issues too.
As you might have imagined, the initial affect this had on me was adverse, to say the least. However, I was able to use it to my advantage in adulthood.
Through the pain and rage, as well as the power of music (my father, like me, was a musician), I was able to connect with with my deceased father which opened up lines of communication with the dead in general.
In a tip of my hat to this night’s New Moon, I’ll mention that my father took his leave on one as well. The New Moon often symbolizes ovulation as the Full Moon represents the final moment of pregnancy. It is the darkest night of the lunar cycle.
According to Donald Tyson, the New Moon is the signature lunar phase of Nyarlathotep, a powerful spirit who favors practitioners of necromancy. You might say my father’s suicide was something of a gift.
This was just one of many tragedies, one example being my brush with the brink of death I made in my early twenties when a foe made an attempt on my life.
The resulting brain damage was like a rebirth into the mind and body of a menacing figure which became an asset to me in the dangerous areas I found myself living in.
The long list of other traumas had their drawbacks; my ex spouse used to say I was “terrifying”, that if they were me, they would kill themself. Police seemed to overreact to my presence too (at least they didn’t shoot me).
That weird “bad boy” vibe also attracted a lot of women with daddy issues which had its ups and downs.
I was also never short of material for music and writing.
My “mental illnesses” gave me many gifts both magical and mundane, also giving me the courage to pursue magical endeavors that are feared (you can’t be scared of going insane if you already are).
To shorten this a bit, I was also able to communicate with a deceased girlfriend who has been very helpful in the casting of spells.
I’ll just end here by saying it’s very challenging to write a post this long with a toddler using you as a jungle gym lol