Knotting Song

These little songs come and go: gifts from the spirits. When I leaped--or rather hobbled--back to my bead box, I was disappointed to realize the "knotting song" had slipped my mind. I remembered a bit about seeds and beads, but the words and rhythm drifted formlessly. After all, I hadn't made macramé in over a year. Only the lull after graduation and a sprained ankle freed enough time and inspiration to string beads...and dredge my mind for weaving songs.

Happily today, as I began the long work of creating a macramé hoop, the words returned. I'm writing them down in hopes they'll linger. ~Blessed Be~

Sort and gather, searching for seeds,
Sort and gather, stringing the beads,
Sort and gather my mother’s red thread,
Tangle and spiral, both form a web.

What I make, the hands give shape.
What I break, I mend,
What I take, I give.

Bead Blessing Ritual

Macramé is magical and beads collect energy. Therefore a witch must periodically cleanse and bless her collection. Last night I arranged my bead boxes, hemp, crystals, pendants, necklaces, and pouches to form an altar. Around this glittering, candlelight chaos, I cast circle and chanted. A simple ritual, yes, but the best kind, because it inspired and captured a unique moment, independent of moon phases and coven schedules. It distilled an instant of my creative life, which in my reality, is the most powerful cycle of all.

Like the moon, creativity waxes and wanes. Like the sun it creates its own light, illuminating the darkest corners of our being. The creative process allows me to transform raw emotion into something beautiful…or strange. Whatever forms the Art takes; it’s concrete and conceivable and helps me understand the feelings that inspired it.

I think that’s why the work of a witch is called the Craft of the Wise. Magick is a unique, powerful Art, but all crafts are wise and magical. Acknowledging the connection between the work of my hands and the power of the Divine was the heart of last night’s ritual.