Everything is slowly waking, here in this second month of the year, the season of Imbolc.
It’s the halfway point between Winter and Spring, a time where the stirrings beneath the soil can sometimes be seen – often just when you need it most. [Cool note about Imbolc – it is associated with lambing season, and the word itself is thought to derive from an Old Irish word referring to the pregnancy of ewes.]
Imbolc is over for the year but the metaphorical fires ignited during that time are still burning brightly for me. I did some deep soul searching during the beginning of the month, joined a SAL, and had a brainstorming session with a friend and colleague turned accountability partner that I am really thrilled about.
I’ve been really deep in thought for a lot of my blog posts lately, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. That’s because I am in need of big changes in how I do things with Three Ravens. It’s not that I don’t LOVE what I do – but it is always important to reassess a business on a regular basis and be ready to implement the changes that make sense as you go along. This is nothing new for me; I have changed the way I do things here many times in this journey. Every change has been for the best!
In my last post, I talked about how I break down what I do, and focused on some things I want to do more of.
Teaching is number one on that list. I have acted on that! Currently I have four teaching sessions scheduled, and my newest class – Intro to Tapestry Weaving – has even sold out! I am super excited about this, because it feels great to be teaching something fresh and fun. That’s what I really need, y’all, and you get to reap the benefits of the creative energy that inspires in me!
Each time I teach something new, it gives me ideas for my online live chats, too. Creativity is cumulative! [psst psst – if you haven’t checked out my live chat survey, please do here and sign up to get notified when I’ll be going live, too!]
Currently on the teaching front, I’m dreaming up new classes to teach. If you’re local, I’d love suggestions on what you would like to learn from me. If you’re not local, you might consider dropping my name to your favorite fiber festivals and shows as a potential teacher!
An #imbolcsal
As part of my meditative thought process, I often gravitate to spindle spinning, which gives me something creative yet repetitive do do with my hands, allowing my mind to wander. So I was thrilled to discover an Imbolc spin-a-long [aka SAL] that was being hosted by The Spindle Witch on Instagram. It has been the most fulfilling SAL! I have met new spinners both witchy and not, all focused on making something slow, thoughtful, and beautiful together in a momentary community focus. And because this SAL is going on all month, you can still join in for the end of it! The whole point is just to kick back and make something because you can, enjoying the process as you go. What a lovely idea.
As you’ve probably noted, I like to draw tarot cards at the beginning of any event, big or small. Since I knew I’d be thinking about creativity and community while I spun, it was really delightful to see my cards reflect that. The Chariot is all about setting goals and showing up in order to achieve, and The Heirophant refers to being an instructor and mentor. [and not getting too tied up in being “right” about what I know, which is always good advice for any creative.] The Ten of Wands cautions me not to over-burden or I’ll burn out. In other words, set goals in order to keep on track, keeping in mind how many gigs I can handle. This is especially true of teaching gigs, as I tend to come out of those utterly exhausted by how much energy I put into them. Wise advice!
Spinning notes: I’ve worked on two different projects for the #imbolcsal – the one pictured is a water element blend that I put together, on my Squeegee spindle. I’ve also been spinning some flax blend fiber from Wild Hare Fiber on my beloved Ann Grout spindle – scroll on over to Insta or scroll down to my Insta gallery to see pics of that spin.
You can follow along with the progress of everyone’s spinning and thoughts by following #imbolcsal on Instagram. If you like supported spindles, there is some serious eye candy here!
You might have noticed my branding slowly shifting, also – that’s another form of slow growth for me.
For a long time I’ve downplayed aspects of who I am and how I approach the world. I’ve never hid the more woo parts of my personality, but I didn’t go out of my way to show them off here, either.
Obviously that’s been shifting, and it’s felt more right with every post and photo. I might not be right for everyone, but I’ll be right for those who need me, and that works for me. So beyond the Arcanity line of jewelry and other pretty nature-based fiber items, expect things to get a lot more witchy and earthy around here. It makes sense, as I write about mindfulness and slow creation in fiber arts, to show you all the ways this manifests in my own life.
So: welcome to this journey. And I look forward to your insights if you choose to try some of my methods! If you are interested in some of my Urban Mystics explorations and teachings, those are also available on my Urban Mystics website and Patreon.
So: what will you be planting, once Spring is here?
What metaphorical seeds are you choosing now, while it is still cold and foreboding outside, to nurture under the soil? I mentioned above working with a friend as an accountability partner – that has really helped with my clarity as to what I want to nurture this year. Mapping out plans and ideas, diving into things I’ve explored in the past, and brainstorming how to execute all the new possibilities will get me through the rest of the Winter and into Spring. What about you? How will you plan to grow?
Some inspiration for growth, from past posts:
So what’s the sweet spot in the middle? Well, one way to assess the risk factor for me is to listen to my fear.
What do I mean by that? Well, usually if I hear something and think “That’s a fantastic idea! I would be really good with that!” and then immediately start thinking of excuses to give if I fail to follow through – I know that *FOR ME* it’s something that I really should get involved with, because I know it’ll be good for me. That little voice that’s whispering excuses? It’s afraid of failure. That’s all that is. If I really, really want to make this project happen, then – barring catastrophes of epic proportions – I’ll make it happen. Otherwise, it’s self-sabotage, and that’s not something I want to feed.
https://www.threeravens.net/2015/01/16/the-dangers-of-yes-and-being-afraid-to-fail/
Vulnerability, pretty much by definition, is a scary place. It means you’re open to getting hurt, to letting people see the parts of you that your instincts tell you to protect and hide.
Those instincts tell you to put on the happy face, tell no one about your losses and fears and screwups and hurts, lest you get even more damaged. It’s a smart move as far as protecting oneself goes… except for one key thing.
We don’t improve and move forward if we take no chances. We don’t gain without risk.
Sometimes, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable is just what we need in order to grow.
https://www.threeravens.net/2013/03/06/what-happens-when-youre-vulnerable/
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