Creative Mediumship: Spells for Spring
Get in coven, we're exploring the unseen.
April blessings, Literary Coven!
Inspired by spring’s unfurling, Caitlyn and I are setting out on a quest to explore the intersections of creativity, consciousness, trance, and magick, or what we call creative mediumship.
What is Creative Mediumship?
At Pointy Hat Press, we consider art witchery and channeled writing forms of creative mediumship. The same goes for songwriters and composers who summon music via their dreams. If you’re weaving stories into tapestries, crafting desk altars for your muses, or ritualizing your creativity alongside your magical world in a way that makes you feel alive, you’re already engaged with creative mediumship.
Etymologically speaking, inspiration is tied to our breath (from Latin inspirare, “to breathe or blow into”), and in the ancient world, people captured the gods’ whispers to fuel their next masterpiece. Even today, some people believe that when we feel inspired to create, it’s a sign that Spirit is near. Feeling inspired (whether it’s a creative spark or the onset of a ‘flow state’) is considered the first stage of trance and an invitation to step deeper into the realms of the unseen.
We hope you’ll join us.
Here’s a sneak peek at what we have planned for April and May.
On the Pointy Hat Press podcast…
April 4th: Art Witchery with Caitlyn Barone (listen here!)
April 18th: Literary Magick, pt 2 with Sarah Justice
May 2nd: Mediumship & Magic with Jenn Green
May 16th: Creative Mediumship
May 30th: The Creative Crossroads with Kate Belew
And for those who want to try their hand at creative mediumship, the Literary Coven is hosting a psychic experiment…
Creativity is a shapechanger, writes Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. “One moment it takes this form, the next that. It’s like a dazzling spirit who appears to us all, yet is hard to describe, for no one agrees on what they saw in that brilliant flash. Are the wielding of pigments and canvas, or paint chips and wallpaper, evidence of its existence? How about pen and paper, flower borders on the garden path, building a university?”
Being creative is more than showing off a finished product, be it a painting or bouquet of wildflowers; being creative is soul work. It’s a kind of magic that blooms through the making. To honor our creativity, we must journey across the landscape of our imaginations.
The late physicist Albert Einstein is mostly known for his contributions to the scientific community, but he also considered himself an artist because of his relationship with imaginary worlds. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world,” he said. Ray Bradbury echoed a similar sentiment when he suggested that imagination should be the center of our lives.
“Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.”
― Ray Bradbury
Terence McKenna, a mystical human and ethnobotanist, compared creativity to the sea, chaotic but rich with treasure for those who could withstand the swells. “The creative act is a letting down of the net of human imagination into the ocean of chaos on which we are suspended, and the attempt to bring out of it ideas.”
Here at Pointy Hat Press, Caitlyn and I have been working as each other’s ‘psychic buddies’ for the past year. Part of the process has involved building an astral library for our muses to visit since, as you know, if you build it, they will come. Within the walls of this otherworld, two witches practice trance and telepathy (which we consider a merging of consciousness) and gather seeds of inspiration in the form of symbols, stories, and questions. We don’t always receive an answer right away, and often, it arrives in our dreams.
This month, paid subscribers are invited to join us for a special group experiment! Details will be announced in our upcoming April Moon Letter, but if you’re curious, here’s a hint - we’re headed to Dreamland.
“This is what imagination is for, it's to fill in the gaps and to come up with your own explanations. The imagination is the doorway to theory, what we don't know, the part of us that questions - what if?” - Caitlyn Barone
Caitlyn, our friend Jenn, and I are also in the middle of a similar month-long experiment that combines everything we love about creative mediumship. We can’t wait to share more. In May’s Moon Letter, we’ll be talking all about our process, the curious happenings, and the art born from this spell.
Art magicks and channelling are both part of my wheelhouse. Such interesting threads to follow here. And I love the term creative mediumship!
Art is definitely a spell! These are very exciting offerings and threads to follow!