WELCOME!
Imbolc: We Are Roots
Come in, come in! I’m so happy you’re here. The season of Imbolc (pronounced IM-BLK), also called Brigid's Day, is a traditional Celtic festival marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, Imbolc falls on Tuesday, February 2nd. This ancient holiday honors the hearth (our inner fire), the growing light and longer days (new beginnings), and lambing season (birth).
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 Imbolc. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Table of Contents
PART ONE: DIGITAL CONTENT
Story of the Season: a Homily for Imbolc (audio & PDF)
The Great Wide Open (video)
In the Studio (video)
Collaborative Alchemy Podcast: Episode 4 with Jack Greenman (audio)
Fuel for the Fire: Writing prompts, links, reading lists, Spotify playlists, etc.
Further Connection: Community Zoom call / recording
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. Eastern Oregon is still in a state of deep freeze. But the first signs of thaw are upon us: calving season, root growth, and returning bird populations. We’ll begin hearthside, then head out into the wind-whipped, snow-covered high country. Next, we’ll explore the valley floor in search of spring’s promise.
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’ll discuss ways to maintain and enjoy a robust journal practice. We’ll also talk about themes of this season (fire, roots, and creative foundations) and explore collage as a form of journaling.
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 is actor, voice coach, and educator Jack Greenman. Jack also happens to be my life partner. Join us as we discuss creativity inside and outside of institutions, zazen meditation, and bringing your whole self (even the icky parts) to the creative act . We also reveal a family secret. (Shhh… don’t tell our parents!)
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
OPEN STUDIO BONUS — Friday, March 5th from 10:00 to 11:00am
This event has already passed.
CREATIVE ALCHEMY COMMUNITY CALL — This gathering was recorded on February 21st, 2021.
PART TWO: For Full Subscribers
The Imbolc Community Network & Gallery
The community network & gallery is a communication platform just for us! 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 Imbolc Care Package
For those of you subscribing to the full Cycle through Patreon, your care-packages will be arriving between January 27th and February 1st. This love-filled package is a little different than previous ones. For this first offer of the year, I’m including art supplies and materials for a writing project called “Letter To Me”, should you choose to participate. You’ll also find little bits of transformational magic for your Imbolc altar.
CONTENTS of the IMBOLC PACKAGE:
✦ Welcome Letter and poem by
✦ 8 X 8 inch canvas
✦ Sarah’s favorite sponge brush
✦ Card & envelope for “Letter to Me”
✦ Stamped return envelope (large) for “Letter to Me”
✦ Hand-painted paper butterfly for your altar
✦ Natural beeswax tea light for your altar
ABOUT the ART MATERIALS:
The creative impulse shows up in a myriad of ways. But sometimes, you just want to paint something. Now you have a black canvas and a sponge brush at the ready. Play. Scribble. Smush paint around until you like the look of it. Just have fun. I will be hosting an open studio hour on Friday, March 5th from 10am-11am PST for Patrons and Love Letter subscribers (see above for the Zoom link). Perhaps you’d like to bring your canvas to that art-date and paint with me!
ABOUT the LETTER TO ME Project:
Source: The first time I did something like this was back in grade school. My 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Sefton, had us each write a note to ourselves with one thing we wanted to accomplish during the school year (line was to write in cursive). Then she returned it to us on the last day of school. I have also experienced this exercise while working with facilitators like Flora Bowley and Anya Hankin during their creative retreats.
Goal: For our purposes, (should you chose to participate) you are going to write a letter to yourselve and send it back to me. And in six months, just before Lughnasa, which celebrates harvest, I will return your letter for you to read and reflect upon.
Options:
I led us through this process during our Community Call on February 21st (recorded above and ready to view at your leisure)
I have also included the instructions below if you’d like to proceed without in-person guidance. Please send your letter to me before the end of February!
Directions:
This is the season of Imbolc — a time of creative inception. And six months from now, during the fire festival of Lughnasa, we will be harvesting all that we have sown. Spend a few minutes in quiet repose. Take long intentional breaths. Think of what you want to call into being for 2021. What seeds would you like to bury in February’s soil and harvest, full grown, in the heat of an August harvest? Can you see it?
You’ll need these three items from your care package for this exercise: large envelope with my address on it, blank notecard, and matching stamped envelope.
Using the notecard, write yourself a letter. What do the next six months look like for you? How will they feel? What will you explore? Set your intentions and write as if it has already happened. Congratulate yourself, even.
When your letter is complete, put it in the matching smaller envelope and seal it up. Write YOUR OWN address on the front. Then put the small sealed envelope into the larger envelope which bears my address: P.O. Box 842, Halfway OR. It’s already stamped and ready to go. Put it in the mail before the end of February.
In six months, I’ll send it back to you in celebration of Lughnasa and harvest season!
Gratitude.
“From the ground up we will build it
From the clouds above we'll rain it
From the crowd up we will raise it
I must give my hands to make it.”
— Ayla Nereo