WELCOME!
Beltane: We Are Flowers
Come in, come in! I’m so happy you’re here. The season of Beltane, also known as May Day, marks the midway point between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Beltane falls on May 1st. This ancient holiday honors passion, fire, flowering, love, color, and all things sensual.
All Creative Alchemy Cycle bundles are self-guided. I’ve created this landing page as a home base for us as we journey through the season of Beltane. We’ll also meet in person on the fourth Sunday of each month (scroll down for links.) Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Table of Contents
PART ONE: DIGITAL CONTENT
Story of the Season: a Homily for Beltane (audio & PDF)
The Great Wide Open (video)
In the Studio (video)
Collaborative Alchemy Podcast: Episode 6 with Sue Hulsmann (audio)
Fuel for the Fire: Writing prompts, links, reading lists, Spotify playlists, etc.
Further Connection: Monthly Community Zoom Call / Recording (links)
PART TWO: FOR FULL SUBSCRIBERS
CAC Network: Online communication platform
Altar Box: Description of your seasonal care package
NOTE of ENGAGEMENT:
Please do not share the link to this page with others. This content was created just for you. Thank you for your respect and understanding.
PART ONE: Digital Content
Story of the Season
This is a great place to begin. For each of the eight bundles that make up the Creative Alchemy Cycle, I write a seasonal homily to set the container for the bundle. These stories are my way of practicing alongside you and using the creative alchemy tools to create my own work. You can download a copy using the button below and/or listen to the audio.
The Great Wide Open
My creative process always begins outside. This is where I weave the outer landscape with the inner one. We’ll walk through flowering orchards, chase bees from bloom to bloom, and enjoy the green hills of Eastern Oregon. We’ll also spend a little time in the boggy hollows of the Wallowa foothills searching for mushrooms among blooming wild strawberry.
In the Studio
After viewing The Great Wide Open, let’s head into my studio. This is where I metabolize, incubate, and process all the elements which make up my current state of creative alchemy. This season, we are connecting to the senses! Grab your watercolors and let’s commune with the flowers as we explore color-theory, olfactory portals, the chakra framework, and sense-memory.
Collaborative Alchemy Podcast
Collaborative Alchemy is a series of conversations with artists, thought leaders, activists, farmers, educators, creatives, and other polymaths where we tell our stories, expand our histories, and hold space for new ways of being.
My guest this season is honey bee keeper, bee colony preservationist, horticulturalist, and jewelry designer Sue Hulsmann. In this conversation we talk about the magic of bees, the dynamics of living in creative community, and what it really means to be Queen. ((The image to the right is one of Sue’s handmade honey vial pendants, which we mention in the interview. If you’re interested in purchasing one for yourself, send Sarah an email. They’re $20, plus $5 for shipping.))
Fuel For The Fire
Writing prompts and further exploration, links, reading lists, spotify playlists, etc. Click on the images or buttons below to view, visit, or download.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Invitations for Further Connection
CREATIVE ALCHEMY COMMUNITY CALLS occur consistently on the fourth Sunday of each month from 10:00—11:15am PST. These gatherings are recorded and posted right here the day after. Sarah will send a reminder email the week before and the day before each gathering.
MAY Connection Call recorded on May 23rd, 2021
APRIL Connection Call recorded on April 25, 2021
PART TWO: For Full Subscribers
The Beltane Community Network & Gallery
The community network & gallery is a communication platform for those who are full subscribers! It’s like Facebook but WAY better: no advertisements, completely private, and built collectively. As a member of the Cycle you received an invitation to join our Creative Alchemy Cycle (CAC) online network via Mighty Networks. The button below will take you to the network.
About the Beltane Care Package
Your care-packages will be arriving between April 26th and 29th. These love-filled packages contain natural objects, local Eastern Oregon flavor, and art ephemera to inspire your journey, and adorn your seasonal altars.
CONTENTS of the BELTANE PACKAGE:
✦ Welcome letter and poem by Billy Collins
✦ Jar of honey from Halfway, OR
✦ Honey dipper wand
✦ 5X5 inch signed “To Bee” print
✦ Pressed flowers
✦ Beeswax lavender tea light for your altar
ABOUT the HONEY:
This honey is local to me and was purchased from a family in Oxbow, OR. Thank you for providing me with an opportunity to support our local beekeepers!
Source: The hives are located in the Hells Canyon area near and around Oxbow and Halfway, OR.
ABOUT the PRESSED FLOWERS:
These are flowers that I collected from last year’s bloom. They were pressed and tucked away until now, just for you. May they be a reminder that this cycle is ever-changing and ever-present as long as we honor the wheel of the year and guard our home. There were flowers last year. There are flowers this year. And there will be flowers next year.
Gratitude.
“Open up my heart and break her
No gentle waters, no anchor
I'm barely brave enough to keep breathing
But I believe in love”
— Sara Bareilles
”More Love” featured on our playlist