How sad, how wonderful. For those of you who may not know, Denessa Smith has gone into the Summerland to be with her beloved daughter Tempest. Denessa devoted her life to the memory of her daughter,

Tempest, who was reviled and tormented in school because she was a Witch took her own life in 2001 and it was only after that that hundreds if not thousands of people joined with Denessa to perpetuate Tempest’s memory through the Tempest Smith Foundation http://tempestsmithfoundation.org/ assuring that other Tempests are not treated so cruelly.

Denessa fought bravely to live, but her body just couldn’t respond to the myriad of medical problems she developed after gall bladder surgery. Even with the magickal workings of many, many of her friends she was unable to prevail against the infections and continued drop in her blood pressure. Now she is gone from us, but awake.

There are so many issues that Denessa Smith’s life and death brings to mind. She fought against the hatred that many people inflict on magickal children. She fought against the injustice that Pagan people often face in their personal and work lives. She never wanted special privilege for magickal people, only equal treatment. It is sad that she will not see it manifest in her physical life.

There is another issue that concerns me about Denessa. She had a wonderful and faithful wife she shared her life with. I cannot image the loss that her wife feels now that so powerful a presence is gone. But we should be mindful of the discrepancies in our society regarding same-sex relationships. Was her wife able to make the same decisions on her behalf that any other married couples would be able to make? Did they have to have specific codicils to allow her to care for her lover the way that legally married couples can do as a matter of course? We need to think about this. Our society is hateful to gay couples and being silent about it only perpetuates that hatred.

Denessa championed her daughter’s cause and the cause of so many young Pagans. But Denessa was more than that. Her life was about equality and while her memory will be more focused on the Tempest Smith Foundation, let us not forget the other people in our Pagan and mundane society who are inflicted by the perverted “morals” of a dominate culture that will not let people be free and happy.

To my dear friend Denessa I send these words from the Pagan Book of Living and Dying….

O I can see the faces there - many ages, many colors-
as they gaze far away into the evening.
There are friends that I know and so many, many others,
and they’re eager for the journey to begin.
Some have come there with their loves, some have come alone;
they all embrace in the light and in the shadow.
And we say our farewells, with our arms around each other,
and you tell me I will see you again.
And you tell me I WILL see you again.

Well, I am happy for you then,
on your journey toward a new home,
but, when I wake, all that I know
is: you are gone.
And I can dream you in that place -
laughing, smiling, healthy, and strong,
but when I wake, all that I know
is: you are gone.
Some days, tears are all I have,
some days, anger and despair,
and sometimes, dreams are all I have
since you are gone.
You are gone.

So fly away, my love, on that violet ship of beauty,
fly away thought the night to the morning,
fly away, my love, on the silken, purple sails,
fly away through the darkness to the dawn.
Fly away into the night,
fly away into the stars,
fly away into the dawn,
to lovers’ arms.