darren r hill

the creative minimalist

Tag: spirituality

  • Samhain the thin place

    At this time of Hallowe’en, I want to share a few thoughts about Samhain, its relation to thin places, and how these thoughts may help us be better creative humans. You can read on, click the image link above and go to YouTube or scroll down and watch the video below.

    I have always been interested in what lies beyond… what is unseen, unknown. What is perhaps erroneously called the supernatural. My interests are in the mystical, the magical, the theological, in gnostic thought, science fiction and science fact, and multiverses and quantum foam. That which can’t be seen. Perhaps best described as reality not yet fully understood.

    I believe this is where my interest in the arts lies. The arts express feelings beyond words, beyond sound, beyond image, beyond reason. That’s why I lose myself creating music, journal pages and other arty-type stuff… or perhaps that is where I find myself?

    I seek answers philosophically, scientifically and in faith. A paradox?

    Some believe that certain times and certain places make seeing into the unknown easier, or even crossing from one side to the other. From beyond to here, from here to the beyond. Samhain is a thin time. The pop festival of Hallowe’en is a crass veneer to make money, belittle any spiritual dimension and promote the latest genre trend in horror.

    Samhain and the later Christianised All Hallow’s Eve and All Souls’ Day are moments to think about ‘ends’ and those who have passed through the thin veil… and upon that which may be able to come the other way. It is the beginning of the dark time, and the long nights of winter lay ahead. Life becomes sparse, survival becomes scarce.

    This is a time when life lets go.

    Life and death inhabit different spaces, yet Samhain allows liminality.

    It can be a metaphor for us. To let go, discard. Let what is no longer giving us life pass over, or let the clutter we have accumulated decompose. Yet, at the same time, that which has already passed can be used for guidance, wisdom and warning.

    I’m not advocating celebrating death, demons and decay… what you do in your own creative journey is your choice. I’m just letting you know that especially at these thin times and thin places I think about those people, practices and possibilities. As I mentioned above, I am interested in that stuff.

    May you let go of what is no longer needed and unburdened travel further.

    Blessings

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

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  • When balanced, begin

    The Spring Equinox is today. Daylight hours are equal to those of the night. All is in astronomical balance. A momentary pause. The next step into spring and then on to summer. Everything is in balance, stable, and therefore it is an ideal time to set things in motion. A time to begin the new journey, to set off along a new path.

    I love the seasonal cycles, the way our lives can connect with the motion of the universe. The connection between the macro and the micro. Sunrise and sunset. New and full moon. A time to sow and a time to reap. And today, it is a time to begin.

    I also love ancient writings, rituals, and traditions. I love nature and the natural world. These two sit together in the Ogham alphabet. And, at this time of beginnings I have found myself drawn to the birch tree.

    Beith / birch
    The first letter in the ogham alphabet.
    Traditions see it as a herald for the new.
    A time to discard the old ways that inhibit.
    A time to initiate.
    A time to begin

    All of this is where I find myself this day. I am balanced between where I am and where I want to be. This time of equality finds me in a stable position. And I am about to embark on a journey. The path isn’t yet clear or cleared. The timing uncertain. But this is where I begin. I stand beside my birch tree, ready to take my next step.

    • Seek what I love and enjoy
    • Create what I love and enjoy
    • Share the love and creativity

    It’s time for me to begin this creative journey from a place of balance.

    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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  • Pausing at a Pace

    pausing at a pace - journal page

    It is always good to stop and pause. It feels to me like this past year, with lockdown and the virus, has all been about ‘pause’. But it hasn’t, not really. Things have been happening. Nothing really stands still. We continue to eat, drink, breathe, move.

    The problem is that it feels like we are on a pause. Because of this, we don’t take time to actually stop and take a moment. A moment to give thanks, to be grateful. A time to remember all that we have even in this time of loss and restriction.

    We should take time to pause at this moment because soon, things will begin to move at a pace. Then we will have even more need to pause, but at least we will know why.

    Take a moment to pause, to really pause and be grateful.

    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

  • Imbolc and fresh starts

    imbolc journal page with the words within and waiting, life lies beneath

    I’m no expert on the Neo-pagan festivals, but over recent years I have found myself drawn to the natural seasonal cycle to which they relate. The solstices and equinoxes create four astronomical festivals and the other four find themselves pretty equal between. Which brings me to Imbolc, which traditionally is celebrated from the evening of 1st February to the evening of the 2nd. Although, astronomically speaking, it actually occurs about 3pm on 3rd February (GMT).

    Imbolc1 is all about new beginnings after winter. Bulbs begin to sprout shoots, ice begins to melt and life, that has lain dormant through winter tentatively emerges. It is a metaphor that resonates more so this year with our world in the grips of the coronavirus.

    • Life has been dormant beneath the ground and within bare branches.
    • Life has been dormant while we endured lockdowns and loss.

    Like the shoots budding on the trees and the snowdrops and bulbs thinking about breaking through the earth, there are hopes. We now have vaccines and better treatments for those who suffer are being developed.

    Like a late winter storm or spring frost there may be further setbacks. Imbolc doesn’t say winter will not go without a few cries. Imbolc does say that spring is on the way. It is the herald of new life, new opportunities and new hope. That for me is a good feeling.

    Imbolc blessings my friends, may you find hope in the lengthening days ahead.

    1 This is only in the Northern Hemisphere. But each festival offers its positive outlook on things. Wherever you are, may you find hope for the future.

    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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  • Mabon – Looking for Balance in the Equinox

    Mabon sticker in my journal with my other journals

    The festival of Mabon in the revised neopagan year is all about harvest. It is the second or final harvest of the year, so time to eat, drink and be merry… once the fields are cleared. Mabon also falls around the autumnal equinox, in the northern hemisphere. The day when daylight and nighttime are equal, and when the sun rises and sets directly in the east and west, It is a day of total balance and equilibrium.

    What is our harvest in a modern world, where very few of us live directly off the land? One part of me thinks it is time to be grateful for all that I have. For all that has been ‘harvested’ to create the things I consume. This includes the food on my plate to the clothes I wear and the luxury ‘essentials’ that adorn my lifestyle. However, I lose the earthiness of the harvest in such a simple analogy. There is something of nature that the festival of Mabon brings and I can’t quite connect to it at the moment.

    And what a current moment this is. Every aspect of life has been affected by the coronavirus. This year, it feels like there is no harvest. The seasons are merging into one long miasma. Spring, summer and now autumn have felt no different from each other. Lockdowns have meant that even when the sun did shine, travel was limited. The view from a window doesn’t do justice to the awesome cyclical nature the seasons.

    At this equinox, I stop for a brief moment. I sit and contemplate all that has and is happening. As the celestial movements are in balance, bringing equilibrium, I seek balance in my own life. Despite the monotony of 2020, the world, the universe and life still continue. The stars burn, the planets turn and despite my lack of notice the seasons continue.

    This festival of Mabon I will remember that the harvest still exists.
    The universe still provides.
    My needs are still met.
    I pray that your needs are too.

    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