WELCOME!
Samhain: We Are Shadows

Come in, come in! I’m so happy you’re here. The season of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is upon us — an ancient Gaelic festival marking the last harvest and is also known as the Celtic New Year. Samhain begins on the evening of October 31st and ends on the evening of November 1. This bundle is an exploration of mystery, magic, creative incubation, grief, and the shadow self.

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 Samhain. 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

  • Calling You Home: a Homily for Samhain (audio & PDF)

  • The Great Wide Open (video)

  • In the Studio (video)

  • A special early access podcast: with Maggie Hollinbeck (audio)

  • Fuel for the Fire: Writing prompts, reading lists, Spotify playlists, etc.

  • Further Connection: Monthly Community Zoom Call / Recording (links)

PART TWO: FOR FULL SUBSCRIBERS

  • CAC Network: Online communication platform

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

Seasonal Focus: Grief Practice

It’s time to peer into the shadows and welcome the coming dark. Samhain invites us to celebrate mystery, honor our quiet creative time, and make some space for our darker emotional cosmology. On Samhain, time stands still and the threshold to the spirit world is flung wide open. The earthly world of the living becomes entangled with the spirit world. It is the perfect time for transformational magic and inviting your inner wisdom to take center stage. The question we’re holding this season: “What within me is longing to transform?”

Calling You Home — A Homily

This is a great place to begin. For each of the eight bundles that make up the Creative Alchemy Cycle, I write a seasonal story to set the container for the bundle. These homilies 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. Follow me into the high desert of Eastern Oregon, where we’ll explore the incredible botanical variety of this seemingly barren landscape, gathering teasel and sage. Then we’ll head into Eagle Valley for the last apple harvest of the year.

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. We’ll chat about your Samhain care packages, talk about some themes of this season, and create a watercolor seascape as a meditative practice in releasing perfectionism.

 
 

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.

This season, we are skipping our regularly scheduled podcast and instead sharing an early access conversation between Maggie Hollinbeck and Sarah Greenman about truth-telling and practicing accountability. Maggie will be sharing this conversation for her upcoming podcast in the new year, but it is available to you now in its original form. Enjoy!

 
 

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 once a month. 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.

Join us on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2022 from 10:00am — 11:00am

We’ll be meeting at this link: https://zoom.us/j/98405687741?pwd=bXo2R25QUDI5UVIwdTNvZEViY1ZGZz09

Meeting ID: 984 0568 7741
Passcode: Alchemy

 
 

PART TWO: For Full Subscribers

The Samhain 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.

 
 
 

Gratitude.

"This moment may challenge you
to appreciate the fallow times
that must follow the abundant ones.
The void itself is a creatively fertile place.”

― Chani Nicholas