Magickal Threads

The way magick works in sewing, crafting or needlework is not so mysterious if you accept the definition of magick as stated in the glossary.

If you’ve ever received a handmade gift from a friend or loved one; if you’ve ever been to a flea market, craft sale or tag sale where you have been attracted to a specific crafted item in another’s home you have felt the power of magickal threads. Whether you knew it or not you were drawn, at times held captive by more than the beauty or uniqueness of a certain item.

The item has been charged and continues to emanate the energy of not only the one who crafted it, but the ones who have red it along the way.

In the case of the original crafter it has been charged whether they thought of it in terms of magick or not with their energy, their honoring and love of their craft, sometimes in addition to their honoring and loving of the intended recipient.

When grandmother sits for hours knitting for her yet to be born grandchild her thoughts are of the mother to be, the baby she carries in her womb, her own previous pregnancies, birthings and newborns. Her mind wanders to all the nurturing places her sisters and foremothers have been. She envisions babies safe and warm, wrapped or covered with blankets, white or combinations of pastels. She envisions a baby, her grandchild safe, sleeping, protected by the blanket. These thoughts and images carry energy. Energy she creates and energy she taps into. It is knitted and sealed into the blanket with each pull of the thread around the needle, each binding of each stitch as its locked in place. even when her mind seems to be elsewhere and she’s chatting with others while she works the energy of her intent continues to feed each stitch that grows into rows upon rows of blanket with love, nurture, best wishes and protection.

The blanket goes on to the awaiting mother and her child where it becomes part of their lives for a time. The mother’s love and best wishes for the health and safety further charge the blanket as she uses it, gazes upon it covering her baby as she reaches out and gently strokes it with the baby beneath.

Each time another who has love and nurturing feelings for the baby notice it, touch it, compliment on its simplicity or it’s beauty they feed it as well.

The blanket is really a tool among the obvious functioning aspects for the physical realm. A tool which was created with more than mere needle and thread, a vehicle , if you will, where the more abstract energies of love, nurture and well wishes can be placed stored and passed into the environment of the baby.

The benefit of understanding this very natural occurring magick is that with awareness and intent the energy we feed into needle work can be intensified and more definitely focused as we work.

Taking it a step further we can design rituals, blessings and consecrations before its given or as a small group as its being put to use. It is helpful to understand that the blanket in and of itself is not magick, but rather becomes a tool of magick with the charged energy with which it is crafted, blessed and given. Some of my spells and rituals that include stitching are published in the BOS under the heading stitching rituals.

As for commercially produced crafts they too carry the energies of both the designer and those who work on them as they pass the assembly line. Although the intent of the designer will have more influence in the overall perception and influence of the symbolism, the workers along the way are usually more residual by nature and are pretty benign. Commercially purchased items can then be cleansed of existing traces of energy if desired and charged as the purchaser or user wishes. Rituals for this purpose are included in the BOS as well.

Sometimes when purchasing items from a flea or tag sale you will be drawn to a specific piece of needle work for its feel, you might purchase a stained doily in spite of the stain because it feels right. In this case you may not want to cleanse the item, but rather add your own energies to what is already exisiting.

-Betsy-
June 1999

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