{"id":137855895,"date":"2023-10-11T12:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/?p=137855895"},"modified":"2023-10-11T12:00:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T12:00:26","slug":"the-illuminating-spark-considerations-for-samhain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/?p=137855895","title":{"rendered":"The Illuminating Spark: Considerations for Samhain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thoughts on possible goals for the spiritual new year.<\/h2>
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(Image description: A photo of a message on a wall. A message reads, \u201cDo what you love!\u201d in black spray paint on a white wall. Green plants appear below the words.) Credit: Photo by Tamara Gore<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>

With Samhain about three weeks away, my mind is already percolating on potential goals for the new spiritual year. At the time of writing this post, the seasonal reading I did during L\u00fanasa still applies as a contemplative focus. However, readings transition from one cycle to the next, and they can possibly carry similar themes into the next season.<\/p>

The trip I mentioned previously is coming to an end, but with it, I have learned more about the potential home that the hermitage could reside in one day. Everything from the slant of the sun to the weather changes will influence my practice in the case I live here in the future.<\/p>

As for the objectives I want to attempt in the new year, they fit more into the \u201chopeful\u201d category than anything concrete. I don\u2019t want to make any dedicated objectives, as life can always throw a curve ball into plans. However, I can at least attempt to do them; some progress is better than none.<\/p>

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Knitting<\/p>

Textile arts have interested me for a while. Weaving was my introduction, but it has its limitations in the items I can make. I don\u2019t plan to give up on weaving, but I would like to broaden my skills to make clothes, altar cloths, and other devotional items.<\/p>

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Leathercraft<\/p>

Working with leather reminds me partially of Brighid the Smith. A mallet is like a hammer because you have a constant drumming effect while working on a piece. You must modify the pressure with which you strike the leather and the tool to achieve certain effects. Hit too gently, and the impression won\u2019t be as visible; likewise, striking too hard can damage the leather.<\/p>

The only devotional piece I\u2019ve specifically made was a leather bookmark with a Brighid\u2019s cross on it. I would really like to expand into doing more devotional art with this medium.<\/p>

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reading<\/p>

I used to read voraciously as a child, but it\u2019s something I don\u2019t do as often. It\u2019s something I wish to change. Some of it is simply taking the time to do so, and I need to remove distractions as well. I want to equally incorporate fiction and spiritual books, as they balance each other out. Additionally, I feel like increasing my reading will improve my focus, something that\u2019s greatly required in a monastic path.<\/p>

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Writing\/Drawing<\/p>

As a child, I wanted to be an illustrator and a writer. The skills needed for both aren\u2019t separate, and they bring me joy even today. Similarly with reading, they are pastimes that fell by the wayside due to not taking the time for them, along with distractions. I get the sense that I should pursue writing in addition to this blog, but I will carry out this task at my own pace.<\/p>

At the very least, this list will give me an idea of what I should try to accomplish after Samhain. Also, with the colder months approaching, being indoors more is a valuable time for storytelling and creativity. I may even do other creative and story-related activities, but these four things are enough to get me started at this time.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thoughts on possible goals for the spiritual new year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137855895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137855895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137855895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137855895\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137855895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137855895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137855895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}