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By Glove and Cowl: Using Sewing Magick to Boost Our Words, by Raechel Henderson

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

On one of the last nice days of September, I met up with a friend in Chicago. We hadn't seen each other in a few years, despite living only an hour away from each other. We had kept in touch mostly through social media. After a while our conversation turned to social media, and the fact that both of us had cut off contact with certain friends and family in the past couple of years.

Since the election of Trump to the United States presidency, a common theme has emerged among my friends: rather than tolerating racist and sexist friends or family, we had just walked away from them. With the 2020 election coming up, the refrain of, "I just unfriended my aunt/dad/cousin/high school friend. It was just too much," is being heard again.

It goes beyond blocking out those words that are harmful. Many of us are using our words to push back. 2019 has seen protests not only in the United States, but across the world. Risking arrest and harm from government forces, people are making their voices heard. Our words are important, more than ever before. We speak out at protests and on social media. We reach out to others through Facebook groups and blog posts. We tweet and ‘gram and make YouTube videos to get our points across.

So how do we incorporate magick to enhance our message? I'm a practical witch. And I'm a seamstress. So, when I encounter a problem that requires some spellwork, I'm going to look for ways to weave the magick into my everyday life. With winter here, I find that I need to protect my hands and face when I go outside. Taking that desire for physical shielding and marrying it with a need to keep my words magickally secure led me to create some charmed winter wear.

I first need to protect my hands. Gloves or mittens won't do—I need to be able to use my fingers to type and sew and forage when I go on walks. To that end, I drafted a fingerless glove pattern. And while they will keep my hands warm and allow me to work, I also enspelled them to help my words flow and for my writing to always make sense. I want to pick the right words and strike the right tone so that my meaning is crystal clear.

For my face, I needed a different kind of magickal armament. When I am out walking my kid to school, or foraging, I want to be protected from any words intent on harming me or being a nuisance. The cowl I made will keep my face and neck warm. The charm I placed upon it shields me in an invisible wall that is impervious to ill-intentioned words. They will find no purchase on the shield to stick and cannot pierce it to get to me. I can pull the cowl up over my mouth and nose and stay cozy and unbothered while I am outside.

You can adorn your gloves and cowl in many different ways, depending on your skill level and desire. One of the easiest is to paint sigils or bind runes with fabric paint. You can embroider them, as well, if you are so inclined. In either case, choose a color that corresponds with the intention of your charm (for example: silver for communication if you are trying to get a point across, or orange if you are using your words in creative works).

This project uses fleece because it is a warm fabric that doesn't fray at the edges. This time of year it is usually on sale at various hobby stores, and it comes in a variety of colors and patterns. For the project below you'll need approximately ¼ yard of fabric to make a set of gloves and a cowl.

When you are finished with your gloves and cowl, you can charge them to their magickal tasks by burning some rosemary, mint, or lavender and passing them through the smoke. Call on the element of air and any deities you work with to bless the gloves and cowl. Say what it is that you want these garments to do, either out loud or in your head. For example, when I charged my fingerless gloves I said:

"Tip, tap, type
They heed the words I write."

In your mind's eye, see the words you post having the desired impact on your audience. See yourself at a protest, making your voice heard, while also being safe from any who would harm you for speaking out.

Below are the instructions for the gloves and cowl. This project is suitable for beginners and should take about an hour from start to finish.

Fingerless Gloves

Drafting the Pattern
To draft the pattern you'll need a piece of paper that is as long as your arm from your knuckles to your elbow, about 12-14" long. Regular printer paper will work if you tape it together. Otherwise, the back of wrapping paper, newspaper, etc. is suitable as well. Since I have a box of muslin scraps in my workshop, I used that for this project because I was out of any kind of paper. You will also need two pencils, tape or a rubber band, and scissors.

1. Trace hand and arm on paper. Lay your non-writing arm down on your pattern medium. Keep your fingers together and your thumb spread as far from your hand as is comfortable. Trace along the outside of your arm, from just below the knuckle of your pinky finger, down to just above your elbow. Do the same on the inside of your arm, from just below your thumb knuckle to the same point just above your elbow. Finally, trace the curve formed by your hand and thumb.
2. Next, using a rubber band or tape, bind the two pencils together with their points even. The distances between the two points will be about ¼". Go over the lines you just traced with one of the pencils. The second pencil will draw the exact line on the outside of it. Draw over all three trace lines. This adds ease to your pattern. While fleece has a bit of stretch, ease is important to make sure your gloves fit. Trace over the ease lines again to add a seam allowance.
3. You will now need to close up the top and bottom of the pattern as well as the thumb edge. You can freehand those lines or use a ruler to close them up. There is no need to add ease or a seam allowance to these edges as the cut edges of the fleece won't unravel, meaning they won't need to be hemmed.
   
4. Cut out your pattern.

Sewing Instructions

1. Fold your fleece width-wise, right sides together and selvages meeting. This is important as fleece stretches width-wise and that stretch is necessary for the fit of the gloves, as well as for the neck warmer. Pin your pattern to the fabric near the selvage and cut out two pieces of fabric. Repeat so that you end up with four pieces total.
2. Sew along long side edges using a ¼" seam allowance. Sew the curved thumb side ¼" as well. Go over the curved side again to reinforce it. Leave the straight edges open. Make sure to back-stitch when you start and end to anchor each seam.
3. Clip the curves, making sure not to snip through the stiches. Turn the gloves right side out.

Cowl

1. Cut a 25" x 18" rectangle from the fleece.
2. Fold along long side, right sides facing. Sew a ¼" seam on the long edge.
3. Start turning the cowl right side out, stopping halfway, with the open ends matched up. Sew a ¼" seam around open side, leaving a 3" gap for turning.
   
4. Turn right side out. Sew gap shut with a ladder stitch.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2019. All rights reserved.

I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard a whisper in my ear to "open your eyes now and look up at the ceiling." I believe I opened my eyes and was not dreaming. I looked up and saw a huge piece of crystal floating over my bed. It had brilliant white lights that illuminated my bed. I was unafraid and continued to watch the crystal through the beams. The crystal then began to morph before my eyes, and it turned into a king. Yes, it sounds bizarre, but it was still in the form of a clear, multifaceted surface. I could see the crown, the beard, the clothes. I could hear wind chimes as this was happening. I continued to watch this transformation, and then this "thing" began to descend, growing closer to me. When it became very close, I became afraid and I gasped. The instant I did that, it disappeared. I was sitting upright in bed, which is why I believe I was not asleep. I was sorry I became frightened, because I wanted to see what this thing was, but it disappeared when I gasped. I sat there hoping it would reappear, but it didn't. Maybe it realized I was not ready to see it? Do you have any idea what happened here?

Dreamchaser:

Sometimes things that are completely unexplainable happen in this Universe. I believe that this vision you had is one of those things. At times, the human mind simply cannot wrap itself around things that it "sees" or "experiences." There is just no way to explain some spiritual experiences in logical human terms.

I believe that is why there are a great number of Native American people who use the name "The Great Mystery" for what we call "God." It is all very mysterious and Otherworldly, and that really is the object. Sometimes we can make it make sense, and sometimes we can't. You have to trust that your soul got the message in this experience, even if you feel like your mind did not.

Please don't doubt what you saw. I really feel that this is Spirit's way of showing you that there is more to reality than the "reality box" you have created for yourself and now live in.

Without knowing more about your life, your spiritual path, your mental and emotional state at the time, I cannot begin to give you a pat, general answer explaining what you saw and what this whole experience meant. In fact, I encourage you to not try to put a label or name on it. It is no less "real" to you now than it was when it was happening. It would not be any more or less real if we could explain it.

One thing I want you to try to do is to start keeping a journal of your thoughts throughout each day. Record what happens and what is going on in your life. Make sure it covers actual outer events as well as your thoughts and feelings. Then when you have more of these visions, you will be able to look for patterns.

Also, I want you to start thinking about what the term "king" means to you. What does a man with flowing robes, a beard, a crown, etc., mean to you when you picture that in your head? We often hear our own answers when we go back and look for the meaning of certain events and experiences in our lives. Take each event or element and ponder, "What does this beard (crown, robe, etc.) mean or signify to me?" It may sound trivial, but if you try it, it will lead you to new insights.

Please bear in mind that people throughout history have seen things that just could not be explained. For example, Moses saw a burning bush that talked to him and would not incinerate. In essence, it said, "Moses, I am God." What do you think Moses must have been thinking in the logical part of his mind? I am sure I would have rubbed my eyes, blinked and thought, "This just can NOT be happening!" Another example is when Jesus showed up in the room with his friends after he had died and been buried. How does one explain THAT logically?

I wish you an ever open mind.

*****

Astrea:

Fear can disrupt even the most wonderful visions! That's what happened to you. You were most likely asleep, but when you sat up, you woke yourself up. It was probably time for that vision to end anyway. You had seen all you were meant to see.

Most of the time when we have a dream or vision like this, it means we are making big changes in our lives. Were you anxious or depressed before this happened to you? Having this kind of experience can mean that sadness, anxiety and depression are lifting, and you're taking control of your life again. This vision came to tell you that good times and new success were on the way.

The crystal you saw floating above you meant that you were moving into spiritual acceptance of parts of your life that you hadn't been able to integrate into your everyday experience before. The king meant that this new life you're starting in the "light" will bring you more material abundance, even though you've taken a spiritual path to achieve this change. This is probably a one-time event in your dreaming experience - it won't happen again.

Whether you were asleep or awake at the time doesn't really matter as far as its meaning goes. You've come through some kind of dark, unhappy experience to light your own way again. I'm sure you did this all by yourself, and you should be proud of yourself for doing it. It seems it was very difficult for you to shake whatever was hanging over you.

Perhaps it was a romance gone wrong, an illness, or the death of a loved one; whatever it was, you've healed YOURSELF now, and it takes a whole lot of strength to do that. The king signifies that somehow through this dark time you remained YOU, and were strong enough to conquer whatever shadows were holding you back.

Now it's time to start anew and get your life back on track. You'll begin to see things come to you much easier now, and at a speedy pace! Be sure to take time to ponder your blessings and practice gratitude. You'll find that you feel kinder and more open to others now - act on those feelings. If you're due for a raise at work, ask for it. If you want something from a partner, they'll be ready and willing to supply it. If you want to meet more kindred spirits, they'll come to you on their own.

The king also suggests that the Universe is opening doors and supplying great gifts to you, for it trusts you to use those gifts wisely. This is going to be the best time for you to begin anew with dreams you decided were unattainable in the past, for they really can come true now.

Enjoy every minute of this new and delightful time. The Universe is telling you that you've earned a break and some easy times. Rejoice!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.