Second Day of Christmas

This is the second day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. In some old traditions, this whole season was seen as a sort of Sabbath: Prepare ahead of time and then spend the Twelve Days doing as little work as possible. It's a good time to rest, reflect, and find peace within.

And it's also the start of Kwanzaa, a seven-day African-American cultural holiday - an American holiday inspired by African traditions. The word kwanza is Swahili for “first”, as in "first fruits", because in some parts of Africa this is the season for first fruits harvest festivals. Kwanzaa is a time of thanksgiving for the earth, but also a time to honor ancestors, and a time for African-Americans to celebrate their heritage and learn about African traditions and values.

Agenda:

1. Kwanzaa principles

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Light a candle for creativity

3. Read "Find Your Unicorn Space"

4. Soyal retreat practices for creativity

5. Creativity brainstorm

6. Projects for the week

7. Tie together loose ends

1. Kwanzaa principles:
Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African culture, called the Nguzo Saba, which in Swahili means the Seven Principles. 

All of the Kwanzaa principles focus on community because in African philosophy a true human is always a person-in-community; this is reflected in the African saying, "I am because we are"- a good counter balance for the Me First thinking of the American culture. All of us can benefit and grow by celebrating these principles, and I sometimes like to journal and plan, using these principles as a focus.

The first value is Umoja (oo-MOH-jah), which is unity- the unity of working and playing together with family and community, in harmony.

What does unity mean to me? With whom do I need better unity? How can I help us find unity?

List some inspiring ways to find better unity with my family, Quaker Meeting, school, neighborhood, city community, and Earth this year. 

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Light a candle for creativity:

At Soyal, I review the Divine Laws, as I see them, meditate and write about my priorities, and make plans for the coming year based on guidance from the Spirits. Today I am giving attention to my priority of creativity. Creativity is a way of thinking and being: A creative mind is relaxed, expansive, and spontaneous. When I am open to creativity and inspiration, I can see original answers to any question.

Today I light a purple candle for Creativity, and ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world. I ask:

What creative ideas do I have to improve my house, my relationships, my faith community, my neighborhood, and my community?

How can I use my art and writing to enlighten and project my creative vision into the world? What themes are calling out to me to express this year? What big projects do I want to undertake?

How can I use craftivism to spread a message of peace, social justice, and environmental responsibility into the world? 

How can I develop and expand my playful, joyful, spontaneous, creative qualities and share these with my grandsons?

3. Read "Find Your Unicorn Space":

I'm just starting this library book by Eve Rodsky (2021), With the subtitle Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World. She defines Unicorn Space as "the active and open pursuit of self-expression in any form, and which requires values-based curiosity and  purposeful sharing with the world." The first section is Time for a Reset, and the first chapter is Unleash Your Unicorn.

It's something you crave to do because it gives you pleasure, and you want to share it with others. It gives you a sense of purpose and increases resilience. 

4. Soyal retreat practices for creativity

This Christmas I am using the Soyal Way of Being as a guide for my days; that is, I'm keeping Mother Earth in my thoughts as I move quietly and respectfully about my days, in order to establish the right mood for the coming year, and reach a unity of everything in the universe. Each day I will fit in some reading and writing, some focused walking, and some order-creation. At the end of the day I will brainstorm some goals and resolutions for 2026, based on guidance from God.

My practices today are:

1. Reorder and re-dedicate my studio space - put away some of the Christmas boxes, clear the floor, and fold up the easel. 
2. Waltz Walk in the neighborhood (using the mantra Guide-ing-Light), and use movement and mindfulness to connect to creative energy and my guiding light.
3. Grub just a bit to gently connect to Mother Nature; move leaves west side.

5. Creativity brainstorm

The childlike qualities of joy and curiosity support my innovative, creative spirit. I use my creativity to make things, and express myself, and also to solve problems. Creativity goals might be to increase my curiosity and wonder, to explore and develop my playful qualities, or to express my deepest messages.

More and more, my writing fills the bill of creative self-expression. I love it! But I also want to keep doing 

hands-on projects that support my writing: 

My ideas for creativity and self-expression goals for next year so far are:

• Continue the work of research and writing my book.
• Make art for the pages of my book.
• Make craftivism, garden signage, and giveaway art that teaches.
• Make nature learning and awareness -
   "getting to know nature" - projects of some kind.
• Share fun seasonal pre-school art projects with my grandsons, and remind myself to play when we make art together. Share more drawing skills and process art.

6. Projects for the week:

Each week on Thursday I plan the projects I will work on in the next week - one or two kid projects, and one or two Unicorn projects (those that feed ME). This next week I will:

1. Finish a 2026 calendar and bind it.
2. Finish a Worry Monster.
3. E-book illustrations
4. First Writing for Kakizome Day

Doing the smallest thing is a great way to make courageous creative work less frightening; also finding the "minimum effective dose", the amount of work that keeps me challenged and joyful, and if I keep at it will get me to the finish line on time. 

Today I will list specific goals for each day's creative projects; also itemize the supplies and preparation steps. 

7. Tying loose ends:

This week is the traditional time to complete and tie the old year closed, and allow the New Year to start fresh: Finish old projects and old business, pay debts, make apologies, call neglected friends, and return borrowed items. I have a few of these kinds of things to do! I'd like to do them in the spirit of Sabbath - that is, with reverence and attention.

Today I will make a list of tasks and symbolic acts I can do in these last few days, before we catch a train north, and put them on my calendar. My list this year:

1. Friday: Prime the new back door trim, and clear out the studio and backyard trash.
2. Saturday: Clean the kitchen windows, move backyard dirt pile, and bake leftover cookie dough.
3. Sunday: Put Christmas away, place some more walkway steppers, reseed lawn.
4. Monday: Finish and bind new calendars, clean duck yard.