What movement is there in stillness?
What movement is there in stillness?
A brief creative invitation.
An invitation, first, to slow with the snow:
The odd winter weather continues here in Minnesota—temps in the 30s and 40s (consistently above freezing) after a short bout of subzero give the illusion that spring has arrived mighty, mighty early. I feel snow is coming despite the deceitful temps, which I have been taking full advantage of in leisurely walks through the trees.
Today, when I opened the door to call the dogs in, a collective of small birds chattered in the trees. Very not January, even the last day.
mentioned in a comment from my last newsletter that Imbolc, a Celtic celebration that takes place halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, is this week. Dhruti Bhagat at The Boston Public Library defines Imbolc as “‘in the belly of the Mother,’ because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth.A stirring feels accurate.
The stillness I’ve been experiencing, deep in my chest, these last weeks is beginning to shift. There’s a gentle stirring. A low rumble. A light current under the surface of a still lake. Almost imperceptible, but present.
I recorded the above video in mid-December, a bit of a flurry that melted. I’ve been trying to capture snow and rain for a while now and have been experimenting with slo-mo settings because my previous phone, well, was shite and couldn’t capture anything very well let alone falling snowflakes.
Watching this now I realize the snow is perfectly clear at any speed, but it’s fun to experience it slowed way down.
I offer it to you as a creative invitation should you desire it. Use it however you’d like, but some things come to mind for me:
What motion is there in stillness? What stillness in motion?
How does it feel to slow down (literally, figuratively, energetically)? How does it feel in your body to watch the slo-mo start in this particular video? (I have a very visceral reaction similar to the thing my body does when it hears a song drop into deep dubstep (which I thought was a particular dance when I first heard about it)—my cells expand.)
What have you been putting your attention to today? (Writing, creating, journaling, it doesn’t have to be complicated or philosophical, what’s on your mind?)
Sending light and love,
I really enjoy sharing these gentle missives and invitations with you, if you enjoy receiving them, consider upgrading to a paid membership.