WELCOME!
Yule: We Are Light
Come in, come in! I’m so happy you’re here. The season of Yule (pronounced YOOL) is upon us! It all begins with the Winter Solstice, which is celebrated by people all around the world and marks the longest night of the year. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice falls on December 21st. This ancient holiday honors the return of the sun and highlights themes of rebirth, active hope, intention-setting, illumination and enlightenment.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Great Wide Open (video)
In the Studio (video)
Podcast: Live Out Loud with Michele Flamer & River Winn
Fuel for the Fire: Writing prompts, links, reading lists, Spotify playlists, etc.
Further Connection: Community Zoom call (link)
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: Joy Practice
In my part of the world, there is a damp and lasting darkness that happens during the final throes of November. Yes the days are growing shorter, but it’s more than that. All autumn color has seeped away, revealing the charred brown and black of earth and the bruised gray and sepia of sky. The clouds roll in for weeks at a time and the mud and mess of early winter covers tires and boots and dogs and floorboards.
Then one day in early or mid-December as sunlight circles the drain of the year, the sky opens up and delivers light in the form of snow. What was once a blanket of dank decaying leaves transforms in an instant. Fresh fallen snow is a wonder to behold, not merely for its shocking whiteness, but for the light it reflects. The little bowl of our valley sheds its cave-like personality and becomes a mirror for the heavens.
As light begins to return to the valley, I give thanks for the darkness. I give thanks for the creeks as they ice over, thanks for the howling Coyotes prowling the foothills, thanks for the feisty birds elbowing each other at the edge of my neighbor’s bird feeder, thanks for the hearth that heats the bones of my home, and I give thanks for all the silence that surrounds me. I wonder if these winter gifts were what the composer Issac Watts was referring to when he wrote “repeat the sounding joy.” Let’s all share the gifts of our grateful hearts as we dive into our creative work this season. Then might we truly deliver joy to the world.
The Great Wide Open
My creative process always begins outside. This is where I weave the outer landscape with the inner one. Pine Valley is covered with its first layer of snow. Follow me down to the Powder River to catch the last glimpses of the water flow before it ices over. Then we’ll walk through the Wallowa foothills along Pine Creek and marvel at the conifers.
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 care packages, build our seasonal altar, talk about themes of this season, and create two botanical paintings to honor the wonder and magic of Yule.
Podcast: Live Out Loud
This month, I’m excited to share my interview on the Live Out Loud Podcast, hosted by Michele Flamer and River Winn. This conversation is all about my new book, The Creative Alchemy Cycle! The publication launch day is December 21, 2024!
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 a week or so after each holiday. These gatherings are recorded (usually) and posted right here the day after. Sarah will send a reminder email to Patreon subscribers the week before and the day before each gathering.
NEXT CALL:
Sunday, December 29, 2024 from 10:00am — 11:00am
Come celebrate and spend an hour in community and celebrate the end of 2024!
We’ll be meeting at this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5380603687?pwd=FVah6kZMxWsUzc6zjWZJJMlU2J7IgN.1&omn=87504545661
Meeting ID: 538 060 3687
Passcode: CAC
For those of you in the Portland, OR area, please also consider joining Myriam Loeschen and I for NOURISH YOUR YEAR, an in-person creative workshop happening on January 18th! That’s the same day as the LAUNCH PARTY for my new book!
Gratitude.
“And if they tried
to match the whirl
of my fingerprint,
they’d learn my true
identity is galaxy,
close cousin to the fern,
and sister to the nautilus.
They’d learn I’m most definitely
guilty of Fibonacci.
I leave evidence
everywhere—tiny
invisible swirls,
reminders that I,
too, am hurricane,
eddy, whirlpool,
and sunflower head.
I have been marked
like the pinecone,
spiraling out from the center,
and there’s nothing
I won’t touch.”
— Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer