Thoughts on the upcoming holiday and the new year.
(Image description: A photo of an open, blank book on top of a white scarf and a dark surface. An orange maple leaf is on the left page. A couple, small pumpkins are placed next to the book.) Credit: Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Samhain is approaching, and one possible focus, outside of honoring the Beloved Dead, is bringing beneficial change into my life.
For my most recent flamekeeping shift, I tidied Brighid’s shrine and decorated it for the season. It had been a while since I updated the décor, but now it looks suitably autumnal and has symbols on it that remind me of Her. While cleaning and rearranging everything, it made me think of what I might want to do for the coming spiritual year.
In the secular New Year, people make resolutions and most often end up not completing them. It’s not a form of failure, but merely an obstacle that might be overcome in the future. Also, it can indicate that wasn’t the right direction to go in, indicating you might need to take a different path to reach a satisfying solution.
As for my objectives, the first one is directly spiritual, but the other relates to following my dreams while also wanting a large project to kick start that dream.
For the spiritual resolution, I want to continue adding more structure to my practice. I feel like I haven’t been doing this as much as I should, and I would really like to change that. As always, this goal will be completed with small steps over time.
The second one is that I will be participating in NaNoWriMo to work on my first novel, one that I’m thinking will blend science fiction and fantasy elements.
For those who have not heard of NaNoWrimo, it’s a challenge of sorts to write a novel over the course of November. As of right now, people involved in it are in prep mode for their respective novels, also known as Preptober.
I might be somewhat behind on getting started on my story, but at the very least, it’ll set me in the right direction on beginning it. I hope that I am able to finish it on time, but I want to also find value in the experience and enjoyment of writing a novel.
As time goes by, I’ll keep you notified of my progress, in case you’re interested. Also, who knows, writing this novel may provide spiritual insights into my monastic practice!
Until next time!
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