Revisiting "Enchanting Your Fiber Arts Practice: Spell Work for Binding and Endings" two years on
This essay series, “Enchanting your Fiber Arts Practice,” started it all back in September 2022. This essay and the two others in the series:
were what I wanted to write that Instagram wasn’t creating the right space for. I have been thinking lately that I need to return to this series and re-visit them given two more years of practice with enchanted textiles. I repost this essay on binding and ending blessings this week to motivate myself to finish the memorial cloth for my friend’s doggo Luigi. In typical fashion, I have been tending to the cloth on my altar for many weeks by spraying it with a special memorial herbal spray, but have not followed through on the final spell work for the piece. I even got an offering for sacred death last week, so that my spell work would not seem pushy or presumptuous when I called in sacred death to help. Fingers crossed that I get that done this week. I will hold myself accountable by saying that I will report back next week with the results of the ritual.
However, I have to be honest that I am feeling depressed. I wish I felt better, but the truth is that I am finding it difficult to do anything that isn’t absolutely required. I even started writing an essay about this past week’s journey to realizing I am not doing well and just canned it. It is better to provide you something of use from the archives than to have you trod through the thicket with me as I try to figure out why am I feeling depressed of late. I mean its not rocket science. Being required to do a job, raise a child, and try to maintain an art practice is incredibly difficult. It’s all too much, and I do not have very much support outside of Lily. I also have experienced a lot of my dreams sort of shatter or wither lately with my dream of long-distance bike rides seemingly dying in the recent crash and my dream of writing a book lost in the throws of trying to keep my head above water with everything going on. There seems to be a surplus of things to mourn, so I am going to go do that now. I hope to be back next week with something constructive to say.
All my best dear reader,
James
Just as soon as we begun a few short weeks ago, here we find ourselves at the end of this fiber spell series. Across the two essays, we have explored a method of making that is in alignment with its own unique wheel of year, a wheel of creation if you will. Our first essay opened our series with an explanation of the greater rites of ceremonial magic that we preform to bless and clear a loom to usher it out of its winter slumber and bring it to the liminal threshold of Imbolc. Our second essay steeped our series in the high sun of spring and summer, explaining the repetitive, everyday stitch/weave witchery one can perform when imbuing our cloth with magical intention and purpose. We ended our last essay on the precipice of the harvest season. With our weaving complete, it is time now to turn to harvesting and closing the circle of those cloth so it may find its new home with Heather.
Grounding the Spell Work
We close our spell work where we began, grounded in the darkness of Samhain. In this season of the loom, we have turned our backs on summer to deepen into the harvest, autumn equinox, and end-of-year celebration of Samhain. As we walk from toward the darkness, verses flow from our feet into the cold, wet earth, an inversion of Wolves in the Throne Room’s The Old Ones Are With Us:1
Our shadows are lengthening,
Winter is returning.
The fallen leaves are rotting,
Mountains are covered in fresh snow.
Our fields lay fallow,
the seeds they are sleeping.
Death now reigns.
The dreamtime of the old ones is upon us.
I am receding into the dark.
I am becoming the dark.
I am the darkness.
Our completed weaving lies upon a bed of leaves, some dry and others rank and moist with decomposition as the sunsets upon another wheel of creation. In this season of the loom, our environs tell us it is time to tie up our loose ends, harvest our wisdom, and lay our cloth down to die for its rebirth to begin. We must return our cloth from that which it came: the nurturing embrace of darkness.
This part of the wheel of creation, this harvest and death period, is where my fiber magic began. I would take my humble creations off the loom with the upmost care and bring them to my ancestral altar. What started as hushed words of blessings, enlarged into an entire rite of magic embedded within a cosmological system of goddesses, guides, ogham feda, and underworld journeying. Within this expanding mythological space, I grew to understand how each stage of the weaving process corresponded with my own Irish wheel of the year. I also gained the courage to write this volume to encourage others to seek out their own divinity within a magical wheel of creation focused on fiber hand work. Finally, I faced down my own fear of the darkness to understand its key role within my own life, learning how to integrate my own grief into who I am.
Yet, despite the growth that I have gained from this season of the loom, I still struggle with it each time. As we discussed in volume 2 of this fiber art spell work series, our society’s cult of immortality doggedly insists on a fixation with the light of an endless summer and unceasing growth. I was simmered and reared in that culture. Consequently, there is still a part of me that approaches this darkness of tying up loose ends, harvesting wisdom to share, and death in a piece of sacred cloth with a reverent fear. Gone is the pure revulsion that my discipleship in the cult of the unquenched sun inculcated in me. Yet, still its marks remain. So as I approach this ending, I move slow and purposefully, asking for the aid of my beloveds who have passed on; making offerings to my ancestors, guides, and goddesses; and enlisting the elemental magic of my herbal allies to create a cloth worthy of Heather’s home.
“May you be protected in your joy,” is the message that came through loud and clear from my ritual circle for Heather’s cloth. Consequently, our ritual circle chose herbal allies with divination properties to use in weaving and ritual that would help us build a cloth that would provide Heather a space to be protected in her joy. Stinging Nettle, Coreopsis, Calendula, Mugwort, Rose, and Mullein all came along our journey to aid my ritual circle in bringing this magic to life.
Stinging Nettle Labyrinth of Towers
Our ritual circle used naturally-dyed Stinging Nettle yarn to build the labyrinth of boundaries both above and below. Stinging Nettle is known within the Irish Wisdom tradition as being a protective herbal ally. I revere it so much as a protector that I wear an amulet of it around my neck, stitched with my protection sigil, everyday. Our complex tower sigils imbued with the protective energies of Stinging Nettle seek to thwart any attempts individuals have to physically or energetically embark on any endeavor that seeks to obstruct Heather’s path into embodiment and joy. Most notably, the sigil and herbal magic seeks to make such people lose themselves seeking out such intentions until they learn proper respect for Heather’s boundaries. When I see my weaving in my minds eye, I can see the little thorns from the stinging nettle sticking out from the subtle greenish brown hue of the towers.
Coreopsis and Calendula Pathway Support
Our ritual circles used the Coreopsis- and Calendula-dyed yarn to surround Heather’s path in joy, prosperity, and abundance. Coreopsis cried out be included in the Calendula dye-bath when we had our dye day for this yarn, sneaking its way in when I wasn’t looking. I only realized that the dried coreopsis flower from my yard had gotten into the Calendula bath when I squeezed the yarn. Both herbal allies have a divinatory use within rites designed to bring prosperity and joy, which I learned from Helen Armstrong of Softly Earth in a yarn gift and D.C. Watt’s Dictionary of Plant Lore. Calendula is particularly interesting in that it is also tied to devotional death practices in that it has been used to adorn graves.2 Consequently, this alchemical yarn dye is specifically catered to surround Heather’s creative path with abundance and joy in a period of rebirth. When I see my weaving in my minds eye, I can feel the soft abundant glow of these two plants acting as a buttress to Heather's work, attracting the joy and prosperity she so deserves.
Smoke Magic and Closing Rites
Within our closing rite described in the journey section below, we invite our herbal allies Lavender, Rose, Mugwort, and Mullein in through smoke magic to assist us. As in Volume 1 of our spell work, we use Lavender as a cleanser and purifier. We draw on Rose to invite our goddess Brighid into the magic of our Coreopsis- and Calendula-dyed pathway to nurture Heather in her joy and prosperity. Mugwort calls in our goddess Morrigan to further fortify our tower sigils with her fierce, sovereign warrior spirit to protect Heather in her joy. Finally, we let our cloth bath in Mullein smoke to allow these hours and hours of magic poured into the cloth to travel to her on the wind, without haste, for her benefit alone.
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The Journey
Our journey to harvest our newly completed project includes both lesser rites of everyday stitch witchery and a greater rite to bless our cloth and seal our magic for Heather’s use. For information on my definitions of greater and lesser rites, please see volume 2 of this spell work series or Sylvia and Tristan Eden’s Occult Needlecraft text, which forms the backbone of my definitions.
A lesser Rite of Knotting for Harvest Time
With the weaving done, I held my loom in my hands. The image that I received from the Otherworld had been rendered visible after weeks of weaving. I felt an odd feeling for having traveled the circuit of a fiber life again in such a short time period. I felt a feeling of excitement and heaviness for it is the end of my time with my little spell before they begin their new life with Heather. I felt as I typically feel, the complex feelings of being at that threshold of death and rebirth. With our knotting, we will seal the portal to the Otherworld, from whence this sigil came, and harvest the piece for Heather’s use.
The harvesting process started with twining. I took a piece of 6-ply hemp twine, four times the width of the cloth, and began to twine the top of my weaving.3 Reclined in a creaky old office chair and listening to a metal record by candlelight, I start my twining by wrapping the piece of hemp twine around the far left warp thread so that both ends are of equal distance. Then, I took the top piece of twine and wrapped it around behind the next warp thread to the right. As I did this, I said, “With this knot and with harm to none, I allow any magic woven into this cloth to remain." I took the other strand of hemp twine and wrapped it around the next warp thread while I said, “With this knot, the magic remains.” I repeated this handwork and its accompanying spell across the 50 warp threads until the entire top was twined and the magic had been sealed into the cloth.
With the twining complete, I harvested the piece off the loom and completed my finishing work. I picked up a pair of bonsai scissors, who have served dutifully as beeswax candlestick diggers and mustache trimmers in the past, and cut each of the 50 warp threads at the top of the loom. Taking a set of warp threads on the far left of the cloth, I overhand knot them once and then again the opposite way. While knotting, I intoned, "With this knot, I seal this magic into the cloth." I repeated knotting with its accompany spell for each set of warp threads on the top of the cloth, some 25 times. With each of the knots, I felt the ties attaching the piece to the other world being gently plucked from that dimension. With the top knotting complete, I repeated the process for the bottom warp threads, completing my 25 repetitions in the same steady, solemn rhythm. At the end, I had sealed the magic of my hands and the Otherworld into the cloth through the simple orchestrated symphony of meditative hand work and incanting. With this process of harvesting and knotting complete, it was time for our great rite of closing.
A Greater Rite of Closing
I opened my circle in the same manner that I explained in my spell work for beginnings essay. I unlocked the key to my oaken door, using my spiral tattoos as the key. I traveled down the earthen staircase to my underworld, convening my three-fold ritual circle of ancestors and guides, connecting to the great web of life below, and allowing my orb weaver spider guide to weave us all together from above. With a simple offering of my own divine light, I called us into community for the purpose of blessing this work and sending its magic to Heather.
We began with our dear friend, the Lavender smoke. I gently placed the Lavender on the hot embers and let its smoke billow up into a gentle plume. Holding out the cloth over the smoke, I earnestly recited from my Gardner family grimoire:
“With this Lavender smoke, we cleanse and purify this cloth, letting any negative or unintended energy I added to the piece inadvertently be left behind in this circle.”
In my minds eye, I saw little specs of grey light falling away from the cloth, leaving it glowing in a gentle white light. With that complete, I intoned, “May it be so, with harm to none,” before setting the cloth back in my lap.
With the cloth on my lap, I invited my ritual circle to bless the cloth and bring the lifeline pathway to life. I placed my hand on the cloth, inviting my ancestors, Goddesses Brighid and Morrigan, the great web below, and orb weavers guides above to bless the piece. In my minds eye, I saw my ancestors’ hands next to mine with Brighid’s and Morrigan's hands overlapping those. I saw a vine reach up from the ground below and wrap the cloth. Next, I saw my orb weaver guide descend and create a web connecting the cloth to its primary web above. For three deep breathes, we poured our own white-, green-, and gold-colored light into the cloth, bringing a radiant glow to the pathway that comprised the center of the piece. This poured light brought the pathway to life, rendering it a workable conduit for Heather’s future creative pursuits.
With the cloth purified and blessed by my ritual circle, we turned our efforts toward our work with rose. I picked up the dried Rose blossom, gathered from a neighbor down the street. I placed the dried petals on the burning coal. After a moment, a stubborn chimney of smoke emerged from the petals. With the smoke swaying out, I held the cloth over the plume with my left hand. With the cloth bathing in the Rose smoke, I held up my family grimoire in the candlelight while reciting:
“With this Rose smoke, we surround our Coreopsis and Calendula dyed yarn and hemp pathway in the embrace of Brighid. May Brighid nurture you in your joy, Heather, giving you the inspiration to practice that which fills your heart.”
As the smoke receded, I placed the weaving back on my lap and stated, “May it be so, with harm to none.” I could sense that the healing aura of naturally-dyed yarn was being supported with Brighid’s nurturing touch. I could see in my minds eye that Heather’s flowing, creative pathway was to be surrounded with joy and prosperity.
Receding out to the towers of the cloth, we turned our ritual circle spell work toward inviting in the Morrigan. I opened my Mugwort tin, plucked a tiny chunk of dried flower, and placed it intently on the coal. The densely-packed Mugwort instantly let out a billowing plume of smoke. For a moment, I let myself be embraced in the mystery of my most trusted herbal ally. When the time felt right, I held the cloth over the smoke with my left hand, and recited from my family grimoire:
“With this Mugwort smoke, we surround our protective towers with the fierce, sovereign warrior spirit of the Morrigan. May the Morrigan protect you in your joy, Heather, giving you the courage to shed anything that impedes your growth.”
When the cloth felt appropriately bathed in the intention of the magic smoke, I pulled my knife out and gently pushed the remaining Mugwort off the coal. As the mugwort smoke dissipated, I incanted, “May it be so, with harm to none.” I felt the reinforcement lent to the towers through the Morrigan. The Stinging Nettle and Morrigan would serve to provide protective boundaries for Heather’s path and give her the support to be protected in her joy.
Our final ally we invited into our circle was our friend Mullein. Mullein’s throat- and lung-supporting qualities have played a special role in helping me speak my magic into being and send it on the wind across vast distances. I have used it as a support in my social media spell work as well, releasing my stories on a plume of Mullein smoke. I reflected on this as I picked up the furry little buds of Mullein and placed them on the coal. A gentle, thin smoke emanated from the Mullein burning on the coat. I held my weaving over the smoke, letting it travel around the cloth. With the cloth submerged in smoke, I said with purpose:
I pictured the magic of the cloth flying on the wind to Heather’s neck of the woods and enchanting her own creative pursuits. In short, I saw the cloth supporting the enchantment of her entire community.
With this final enchantment added to the cloth, I knew my work was done. I began my closing by cutting my ties with the piece. While incanting:
“With this, I cut my ties to the cloth and release it to Heather,”
I took my fingers like a pair of scissors and cut my lifeline attached to the piece and placed the cloth on my altar, a practice I learned from Hannah of Mourning Light Divination. I closed my circle the same way, tucking in each of my threefold circles and retracing my steps back to this plane. I chanted three awens and blew my candle out. My work was done but the draíocht of this cloth was just to begin. I smiled at that thought and stepped away from my altar space. “We do continue on, don’t we?” I thought to myself as my corporeal form receded away from the cloth’s sight.
Concluding Remark
You know what I want this fiber spell book to do for you? I want it to move you out of your chair, out of our culture’s insistence that we remain passive consumers. I want it to be the invitation for you to be the main character in your story.6 I want you to follow your dreams. I want you to get lost in that moss-covered forest that is kissed by the dew from the receding fog. I want you to wear your druid’s cloak or your witching garb and brandish your fiber implements like a wand. Like Johnson insists, I want you to create the life of your dreams with your fiber magic. The world doesn’t need you to be the best. No, the world just needs you to shine with your own unique magic that only you have been brought here to wield. We should take that responsibility seriously, as if the world depended on it, because it does.
I close in a space of recognizing this is not my work alone. Lily and Juniper, my great lights of my life, have been constant sources of encouragement when my spirits flag or I did not think I could finish this effort. Thank you. Heather, the receiver of this bit of magic, allowed me to write about it and make her this piece. This essay series might not have existed without her allowing me to walk this path. Thank you. My ritual circle for showing up for me each day as we worked on this piece. I see you. Finally, all the people who have encouraged me in this path, taught me things, and shared conversations with me about magic, thank you. You provided me the feelings of legitimacy that made this wee ole hedge druid believe he could write an entire volume on this topic. Thank you from the depths of my heart. This is all our creation.
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This section is particularly influenced by the vocal interlude in this wolves in the Throne Room record, which I listened to incessantly while completely this fiber spell book. ↩
D.C. Watts, 2007, Dictionary of Plant Lore, pg 242. ↩
For a vision guide to twining, check out this tutorial from Spruce and Linen: ↩
Gaeilge for enchantment or magic. ↩
Christi Johnson, 2021, Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Transformation and Magical Embellishment, Storey Publishing. ↩
Hat tip to Marce of Hey Brownberry for the lessons in Main Character Energy. ↩
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