The Creative Spark & Why Community Matters

by Shelley H

Brahma, the Creator God of Hindu Mythology. That’s my guide this year? Huh, not the deity I was expecting to draw at this year's Samhain Ritual. The drawing of the deity scroll is one of my favorite Cornucopia traditions - in fact it’s far older than Cornucopia and goes back to my early 20’s and my time with Silver Cauldron Coven. Part oracle, part inspiration, part guidance - this tradition is a glimpse into the guiding forces shaping the new year, it was said that the deity chosen - or gifted to you, rather - oversaw the theme of the year for you. Initiating you into new growth, wisdom, and experience.  

Last year, Ishtar presented herself to me, and the year revealed many lessons about mutual aid and fostering shared resources  (both how to do it - and why it often fails). Coming full circle, Ishtar helped me understand that it was this mutual support that initiated the age of civilization - that fostered the gathering of tribes into communities which then consolidated into larger cities with centralized governance, temples, markets, and storehouses that supported all. 

Throughout the year, I came to understand the true nature of Ishtar -  she showed me that she was so much more than the “lover” and “fighter” of popular mythology. The “lay ‘em or slay ‘em” of modern interpretation always left me wanting more - as is so often the case when it comes to our one-dimensional interpretation of the Goddess, compete with thinly veiled Patriarchal tones, stories of sacred sex tantalizing the modern ear, or worse yet, unholy domination of women and the destruction of the divine feminine (I’ll forever cry for Tiammat). 

Ishtar taught me that the love for her people made her the sustainer of all things, and yes, when necessary the protector of those same people and their resources - such is the real story of community and its centerpoint - the storehouse - her sacred image - and the real story of why she was so beloved of her people. The core lesson of this year has been how do we reintroduce sustainability and community back into this world of decay and ruin? 

As I have learned, much of this work is found in decolonizing our thinking about how the humanmade world works so that we can dismantle the systems of oppression that create the divisiveness of the patriarchy (separate the masses and they are easier to conquer). The other half of this equation is rebuilding a new social order, this time rooted in the matriarchal values of collaboration over competition. The work of tending to community is both foundational to our deepest needs for belonging and connection, and key to creating a world where compassion and mutuality overcome greed and genocide. 

All in all, this year has been a deep dive into understanding why humans have forgotten how to thrive in abundance, and learned to survive in despair. It has brought me to tears, motivated me to grow a garden, lean into caring for others in new (and more boundaried) ways, and ultimately broken my heart in so many profound ways.

In my humble growth as a Boston Pagan community “leader” (a word I have never willingly taken on), and priestess - I have learned so much about humanity. Some of it has thrilled me, most of it has landed somewhere between the range of disappointment and betrayal. It has tested my dedication, endurance, and resilience. It has broken my heart so often I’ve lost count, and it has made me question my reality and my sanity on multiple occasions. Ever the planner, the Pagan Community has made me strategize and re-strategize again and again and again. How do I fulfill the needs? How do I facilitate belonging? How do I promote our classes and rituals? How do I work this damn computer? and How do I fucking get a Maypole down the streets of Harvard Square??? It has challenged my computer skills (to say the least), my social skills (yes, I really am an introvert), my relationships, my self-worth, and my worst fears of abandonment. It has triggered me, hurt me, and ultimately healed me. It’s been the child who I have nurtured, my worst enemy, and my greatest teacher.

So why do I keep doing this? Sure, I hate the feeling of disappointing others, but more importantly because I believe in the power of community, and ultimately I truly believe the will of the Goddess is for all to find True Connection. My faith in that is what has sustained me through it all. As a priestess I dedicated my life to the service of the Gods at a very young age - it is the very breath in my lungs, the fire in my belly, and the core of my being. If I can give just one person the feeling of being seen, loved, accepted, and healed - then I have served the Gods well. To this task I am sworn, to this task I remain faithful, to this task I am humbled. This Connection is the true storehouse of Ishtar, Queen of the Heavens, and the true spark of creation - to that end, I say, “Welcome Brahma!”

As I step into this next year, with renewed hope for our community of weirdos and witches, I am reminded of Brahma’s role in creation, and the subsequent devaluing of that creation that has been evident in his declining worship, and our collective disconnection. Brahma is yet another triple deity - a theme we see echoed through multiple cultures and pantheons - he is one head Creator, one head Sustainer (Vishnu), One head Destroyer (Shiva).  Unlike the values of Ishtar the sustainer, humanity often struggles to resist the urge to tear down the very creation gifted to us. The ecological crisis we face today is evidence of this devaluing of creation - the rise in popularity of Shiva the destroyer is almost prophetic in humanity's race towards self-destruction. 

To understand this point further, maybe here is where we reflect on the upcoming Astrological transits this winter. In previous articles I’ve discussed the 2025 Astrological transits in some detail - what got us here and where I believe it is ultimately leading us. 2025 has been intense to say the least, and all of it karmic in revealing painful truths about the worst of human nature. It has shown us clear as day the corruption of capitalism, the clinical narcissism running our government, and the ugly underbelly of America’s karmic debt. This has been the product of the dissolution of Saturn in Pisces - the bringer of Karma (Saturn) has been joining forces with Neptune (the ruler of Pisces, in the land of delusion) to give us a much needed reality check. Furthermore, Uranus in Gemini is helping us flip the script and awakening us to new ways of thinking, belonging, and being in “brotherhood” (Gemini rules over siblings relationships) and community with each other. 

2026 brings culmination points along the path towards humanities evolution - exemplified by Pluto-in-Aquarius era (the planet of transformation meets the sign of humanitarianism). On January 26, 2026 (under the Sun in Aquarius), Neptune, the planet whose lowest vibration is delusion, and highest vibration is compassion and empathy will make her re-entry (after a brief retrograde) into the sign of new beginnings - Aries. Shortly after on February 20, 2026 Saturn & Neptune will officially conjunct (join together) at 0 degrees Aries! The first degree of the first sign - the ultimate in fresh starts, new beginning, and the spark of new creation! Welcome to the dawn of a new era! All hail Brahma! 

I personally have been very invested in this conjunction for years - Saturn has been ruling over the Patriarchy since its inception - the sign of order, structure, rigidity, domination has run its karma out - and now joined with Neptune it can usher in a new epoch of empathy, compassion, caring, spiritual connection, and unity (all things that Neptune rules over). 

While not a “Pagan” concept as we generally understand Paganism in the Western world, the Hindu concept of Dharma is interesting to ponder here. Dharma - a word that can be roughly understood to mean “Supporter” or “Upholder”. It’s considered to be the way in which one fulfills their values, duties, and obligation in accordance with their position in society - the way to a righteous life. Sort of a ‘moral etiquette of life’ - which under Saturn's interpretation entails strict social control, adhering to standardized protocol - regardless of the harm this might do to the self and others. Order and obligation rigidly maintained under the guise of morality. However, I think Neptune's spiritual vibration has much to teach us about this concept of Dharma, and takes us back to its translation as “supporter”/”upholder” - not the patriarchal idea of obligation, but a matriarchal investment in the greater good. To truly live in accordance with a deeper, spiritual law - coming full circle back to the Western Magical tradition - LOVE SHALL BE THE WHOLE OF THE LAW. 

For me, creating community has always been an enactment of my personal Dharma - an act of deep, abiding love for humanity, living my values, and my profound dedication to the Old Gods. Unfortunately the struggles of our late-stage-capitalistic-nightmare are far more Saturnian than my Neptunian idealism. My values have often been challenged by the reality of the collective trauma born from this Patriarchal control - and which seems to have replaced the concept of Dharma in our understanding of how to cope with the world around us. Saturn has us living out our fears and self-imposed limitations - Saturn Conjunct Neptune at zero degrees Aries can be thought of as a Dharma reboot - returning to our core human values and needs for connection, cooperation, sustainability, and caring. It’s time to shed the trauma and re-engaged, re-create. 

But how? Well, we believe in magic don’t we? Understanding magic is to understand the co-creative process we are all responsible for. The collective consciousness we all speak of is nothing more than our collective will towards meaning - an egregore (the collective Zeitgeist of the time created by a group of people). Many believe our Gods are nothing more than Egregores - they have power because we have imbued them with power from our conscious engagement with their energy. Community can be seen in the same way - an egregore that we put our will into, it is not a thing we show up for - but a thing we create - together. 

Community is an understanding of implicit reciprocity, an unspoken expectation that individuals will align their actions with similar actions - a feedback loop of cooperation and mutual exchange that puts emphasis on relationship and belonging that feels safe and comforting. Creating this genuine sense of Safety in a post-Covid era has become exceptionally challenging due to the collective trauma of our experience. Trauma is the absence of safety as a baseline in the body - it is the lingering impact that makes us see and feel threat everywhere even if no threat is present. This embodied feeling doesn’t just “go back to normal”, as with all trauma it needs to be healed through learning to be present and grounded in the moment and cultivating safety in the here and now. This is what community-actualization can look like when given the opportunity - to heal collective trauma we have to establish an egregore of collective safety.

This is no easy task, indeed it has been the biggest struggle of creating community in a world that feels like a breeding ground for inauthenticity and competition. Community requires collaboration, cooperation and bringing ourselves fully to the table. However, in our traumatized state we have confused being our most authentic self with our most traumatized self, sadly this has meant that community is often used as a “dumping ground” for trauma, and not for its original goal of bringing the best of ourselves to work together towards a desired end.

Ironically, we often look to community to “get something” but ultimately end up rejecting the very thing it actually has to offer - connection. Instead we often compete for magical superiority, demand attention rather than give it, and judge harshly those who tirelessly organize, tend to, and care for the ongoing needs of the community. Some would say that this is “just human nature” - as someone who has seen how genuine connection can change peoples lives - I say that our true nature is CONNECTION. It is our real need, we have just been confused by the dominant divisive structures of our Patriarchal culture that we have to compete for all resources - ironically even our greatest resource - each other. 

Community is personal and requires emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills such as empathy, compassion, communication, acceptance, and patience. Some of us were not raised with these skills (shout out to all my fellow Gen X’ers!) and have had to learn these skills the hard way - through trial and error. Some of us are still struggling to learn these skills, and that's okay - people are messy - but at our core we all have the same need for connection - it is hard wired into us, but we are out of practice and need to redevelop these skills.

So on the eve of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction at zero degrees Aries, the ultimate reset of our collective structures, I now draw upon Brahma - where there has been destruction, there must follow the ultimate act of creation. Let it begin with me.