darren r hill

the creative minimalist

Tag: this temple eden

  • Wheel of the Year

    Wheel of the Year

    The seasons come and the seasons go, just as it ever was. Earth orbits around the sun, the moon around this little planet, life ebbs and flows. We mark this in seasons, in stages, in festivals. This is my sculpted sound celebrating the Wheel of the Year as imagined and realised by this temple eden.

    A crescendo of simple, melodic soundscapes that capture the ecstasy of the seasons and festivals in the Wheel of the Year.

    Explore the thinness of Samhain, of reaching through the veil, of being the closest to the other side, the liminal, a threshold.

    Feel the hibernating, yet beating heart of the Winter Solstice. Beneath our feet life lies dormant, awaiting and biding its time. It prepares for birth, gestating while the darkness prevails.

    It is time. Life is ready. The first tentative glimpses of light and life. Seek the blessing of Imbolc for the future, for the harvest, for life itself.

    A state of balance, equality. The Spring Equinox when light and dark stand together. At Spring the direction is forward, toward abundance, toward the light. The innocence of childhood and the exuberance of youth are held in check, before life’s biggest change.

    Be possessed by the energy of Beltane the fire dance. Life in all its abundance, finding its path. Embrace change, embrace growth, toward fulfilment, toward promise.

    Magnify the zenith of the Summer Solstice, as the light reaches its most powerful. Feed from the riches of the celestial energy. Bask in the bounty as darkness recedes to its bit part.

    The gift of the land is an echoed refrain from the sowing of the seed. As Lammas brings a harvest of plenty. The light has provided and now as custodians we reap what we have sown. We are mindful that resources are limited, and a finite gift should be distributed wisely.

    Finally, once again, we return to a state of balance at the Autumn Equinox. Light and dark again stand side by side. However, at autumn we are falling back. Our journey is toward the dark. We begin to clear away, to store, to bring inside. The leaves are about fall. The Wheel of the Year will turn again, but for this final moment, all is balanced.

    The Wheel of the Year is available on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services. I hope you enjoy it.

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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  • Rambling on – Creative Field Notes

    Rambling on – Creative Field Notes

    How have I felt this week?

    I have had ups and downs this week. At times, I have felt like everything is going well, and at others I have felt like everything is falling apart. But I am here. I have been creating and I am capturing things. I haven’t done as much as I would have liked, I have struggled, I questioned the point of creating and my own ability. In other words, a typical week in the life of most creative types, right?

    What have I created this week?

    Sculpting Sound

    The Wheel of the Year is still progressing. All the tunes and about 90% of the arrangements are there. I am at the stage of listening over and over and deciding what is missing and what needs tweaking. The difficulty is maintaining motivation to keep listening and refining. This is the part of any creative project I struggle with. Actually, forget that I struggle with many parts of the creative process, but pushing through to the end is especially wearying.

    Weaving words

    Showing up here and in a new journal are the sum of my writing exploits. I am finding the need to make space to write and breaking open a new journal, with no real direction as to what it will contain, are signs and signals that I will be writing more soon.

    Multimedia

    Not quite multimedia, but I need somewhere to put it. I have created the almost version 1.0 of my WordPress theme for www.thistempleeden.com and that is now live. There is still plenty to do, but the basics are live and the next steps involve content and structure. Therefore, I uploaded it and will begin to piece it together. Many of the pages are “offline” but as I add the content they will go live.

    LifeList highlights and lowlights

    I am refining my LifeList. I want to make sure that it captures all that I want to be. It should be a guide to my day, a light to the path. It should capture the areas of my life that need work. I currently track all this in a spreadsheet, with a simple checkbox for daily habits. That’s working well, although it’s not the easiest to share and reflect on. In summary, I am achieving about 50% of my daily habits and rituals. Language learning, a morning routine, and a little exercise are regularly achieved. The rest needs more attention.

    In conclusion,

    I feel like I have turned a page in the Creative Field Notes. I have structure yet enough space to explore.

  • We’re not actors music video

    We’re not actors music video

    We're not actors music video screen shot. Black and white me on a TV screen in a derelict room.

    Hello worlds! I made a video for my song “We’re not Actors” from the album “The Same Old Fear”. You can listen to the music on all streaming platforms. If you like it give it a thumbs up and subscribe and add to playlists etc.

    Lyrics:

    We stumble together, so sure yet insecure
    We’re diamonds from dust, the pressure’s mounting, these steps the cure
    I’ll quote Murakami, something from Kafka on the Shore, 
    It’s just a diversion because I know there’s something more
    But the light is too bright, I shake I’m under the spotlight

    We’re not actors
    We’re not film stars
    We’re not filters
    Image captures

    We dance without routine, these steps ancient and worn
    A ballet of passion, the step’s quickening, new rhythm born
    You whisper the lyrics in this new context they’re alive 
    We feel beyond meaning for this act was divined
    The light shining bright, we shake, and dance in the spotlight

    We’re not actors
    We’re not film stars
    We’re not filters
    Image captures

    We’re not actors
    We’re not film stars
    We’re not filters
    Image captured

    We’re not avatars
    We’re not film stars
    We’re not filtered
    Just distractions

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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  • Completing a creative project

    Completing a creative project

    Completing a creative project text and interview with me text, with three pictures of me in a record shop

    In a productive moment, I finished a creative project. In a surreal moment, I decided to interview myself about the challenges, practicalities and what exactly that creative project was. In a recorded moment, I present this week’s vlog about completing a creative project.

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • Creative Field Notes at Beltane

    Native Instruments Komplete Knontrol S61 keyboard, plant and window

    Fires have been lit for Beltane, a celebration to mark the beginning of summer. It feels like this past winter has been long. It wasn’t particularly cold but it did feel deep and dark. I usually like the winter. I like all the seasons, each has its own unique aspects and metaphors. This last winter carried a shadow. The summer can dispel that darkness.

    Creative field notes

    I’m working on a new collection of songs to release later this year. My deadline to finish all the recording and mixing is the end of June.

    This website is looking and feeling a little tired. So along with a wider branding project, there will be an update for “The Creative Minimalist dot com“.

    Related to that will be regular vlog updates and other media-related videos here and on my other social profiles. These will share my progress, offer tips and advice, and entertain you along the way.

    I have begun a range of creative and self-improvement habits that I’ll be talking about. These include music, writing and learning activities for each day.

    Accountability

    These creative field notes are a habit that needs to be kept up. It is time to shine a light on them as summer arrives. It finally feels like a creative fire has been lit and the coldness in my bones is being thawed.

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • Summer Solstice Blessings and some music

    Summer Solstice Blessings and some music

    solstice by this temple eden

    Blessing to you all on this Summer Solstice

    Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. I wrote a piece of music inspired by the Solstice and I am sharing aversion of it with you today. You can listen (and watch) below or click through to watch on YouTube, where you could also subscribe to my channel if you would like.