WELCOME!
Litha: We Are Fire

Come in, come in! I’m so happy you’re here. The season of Litha, also known as the Summer Solstice, marks the longest day of the year. It is the peak of the solar year, with the Sun at the height of its life-giving power. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, Litha falls on June 21, 2022. This ancient festival honors fire, solar energy, and life lived at (literally) full tilt. It’s time to release old energy and fan our inner creative flames.

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 Litha. 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

  • Story of the Season: a Homily for Litha (audio & PDF)

  • The Great Wide Open (video)

  • In the Studio (video)

  • Collaborative Alchemy Podcast: Episode 15 with Thelma Virata de Castro (audio)

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

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

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

Seaonal Focus — Activist Practice

This season, we’re tapping our innate creative gifts to take action and make the kind of change we want to see in the world. Since it is the peak of the solar year, with the sun at the height of its life-giving power, the Creative Alchemy Cycle asks that we consider our own power. My hope is that this bundle invites you into a deeper relationship with your own values and serves as permission to use your creative process as a catalyst for justice. Prentis Hemphill, a somatic therapist and activist who came to prominence during the Black Lives Matter movement, refers to something they call “touching the dream,” which is the idea that we are practicing in real time the future we wish to bring into existence. Let’s practice touching the dream together. 

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.

Download Your Copy (PDF)
 
 

The Great Wide Open

My creative process always begins outside. This is where I weave the outer landscape with the inner one. We’ll take the to Blue Mountains, harvest Artemisia Tridentata, and visit the Oregon coast. We’ll also spend some time at Eagle Creek Orchard musing on the why and how of thinning fruit trees. Apples, daisies, and red poppies are our teachers this season.

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 are practicing release as we cover paint layer after layer. This is an intuitive shedding process, where our ability to let go of “outcome” allows the painting to emerge.

 
 

Collaborative Alchemy Podcast

In this wide-ranging conversation, I talk with playwright Thelma Virata de Castro about drawing on the wisdom of her ancestors as part of her creative practice. We also touch on the dynamic evolution of language, what blessings (or curses) we’re passing on to our children, and what we’re collectively forgetting. Thelma shares her thoughts about losing (and learning) our native languages and the quiet power of the Southern California Filipinx community. Join us as we discuss what it means for artists to be legitimized by institutional approval and what it might look when we step into our own definitions of worthiness.

 
 

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.

 
Listen
Write
read
Bonus
 
 


MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Invitations for Further Connection

CREATIVE ALCHEMY COMMUNITY CALLS usually occur on the fourth Sunday of each month from 10:00—11:15am PST. Please note that there are some slight changes below. 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.

Sunday, JULY 3, 2022 at 10:00am PST

PART TWO: For Full Subscribers

The Litha 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.

Visit the CAC Online Network
 

About the Litha Care Package

Your care-packages will be arriving between June 14th and 17th. These love-filled packages contain natural objects, local Eastern Oregon flavor, and art ephemera to inspire your journey, and adorn your seasonal altars.

 
 

CONTENTS of the LITHA PACKAGE:

✦ welcome letter and poem by Joy Harjo
✦ sagebrush branch (for burning)
✦ pillar candle (for your summer altar)
✦ matches (decorate the box!)
✦ pinecones (dual-purpose packing peanuts and fire-fodder)
✦ square art paper for your words & art

Gratitude.

“I am the throat of the mountains
a night wind who burns
with every breath she takes.”

— Joy Harjo