It's been a couple of weeks since we returned from the UK and Ireland. Below are some snaps of things I love, food, texture, color. You can see more about my travels on my YT channel.
I have to admit that it is hard to look at these memories now and know they are so far away. Such is life.
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Recently I have been examining how capitalism has colored and distorted our culture and society. This is no new revelation but I have been trying to address how I can combat this monster of a system in my own small world. A major tool in this, you will not be surprised to learn, has been hand sewing. The clarity in my thinking that comes with my creative practice allows for insights that I think come from our collective divine voice. Sewing or any creative pursuit for its own sake not only is a conversation with the divine (to me creativity and spirit are the same) but it is in of itself rebellion. The fiber arts work I do has no purpose other than pure enjoyment - a radical idea in a world that bases the value of a person on their productivity. Another way of fighting capitalism is by building community. Community allows healthy interdependence to flourish where we share resources and time together. In the process we consume less and hopefully talk more about what we need to heal and grow a significant blow to a system that is set on selling to us what we do not need. I am taking these two elements - creativity and community and using them to offer this sweet class that I hope will be full of medicine for those who participate. This is the Slow Stitching as Spiritual Practice class that I am teaching with Cherry Hill Seminary. As a further personal push against capitalism, I want to share that all profits from my embroidery kits will be going to Operation Olive Branch - a grassroots movement looking to support Palestinians through many different projects. Learn more here: https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch
This will continue for the foreseeable future as I look to ways of using my position of privilege to breakdown a system that oppresses us all. I am thrilled to announce that I will be teaching another class for Cherry Hill Seminary, starting Saturday, August 3rd 2024. Slow Stitching for Spiritual Practice is a four-week online course that comprises virtual meetings every Saturday and additional resources such as videos. Hand stitching is a soothing, contemplative practice, making it perfect for spiritual work. In this course we will delve into this practice as a way of accessing our connection with the divine. Each session will be a mix of ritual and hand sewing, culminating in a personal spell book or book of shadows by the end of the four weeks. The course is $85 for four weeks and we will meet every Saturday at 4pm EST via Zoom, starting August 3rd.
Register via this link. Several years ago, I took a drawing class. The teacher was a bit of a curmudgeon but very encouraging. I have never been good at drawing and took the class out of curiosity to see if I could produce anything of any value. The first lesson I tried and felt inadequate, but my teacher simply said “keep going”. Over weeks of coaxing and practice I started to love the process and the sense of empowerment that came with slowly improving my technique. My teacher told us that we should always carry a means of drawing with us, wherever we went: day trips, doctor appointments, it didn’t matter. He felt that drawing was an excellent way of fixing in the memory a moment and he was right. I don’t always follow his advice but when I do, I am amazed at the development of a conversation between myself and the thing I am drawing. In so doing, when I am in the natural world there is a sense of unity and relationship which as a Pagan becomes a kind of spiritual practice. This is why I often see intuition and our creative selves as also our spiritual self that opens us up the divine. Below is a piece called Spell Cloth #2 that I discuss in my most recent vlog. I started it at a time when I needed to figure out some things and I used the process of sewing to help me meditate and clarify my intentions. It was effective and a joy to do. There was no plan for the cloth to look a certain way, it was a spontaneous sewing project that became a way of accessing my intuition and receiving guidance. My drawing teacher was also a botanical illustrator of considerable skill. When he discovered that I am British he told me that people love the British gardens for their beauty but also because the weather is often cloudy, which intensifies the colors of the flora and fauna, whereas bright sun tends to make colors look a bit washed out.
Today there will be a solar eclipse, and I wonder what, in that briefest of moments but be intensified in the sudden dark...
No one can fail to be appalled at what is going on in Palestine. We are witnessing a genocide.
This small project is at least some way of exercising my power to say "no more". I invite you to join me. This sweet new design is now available to download. It is simple and will take no more than a couple of hours. Sew at as devotional ritual for the season, or as a gift for someone.
2023 was THE year that Open Coven finally got into its groove and I was able to develop my vision. In a year a created 21 embroidery kits and was able to sell enough to cover my costs.
I also did pop-ups, craft fairs, and classes. All this while having a day job and family. So, yeah, I'm proud of me and I don't mind saying it! 2024 is different because I am going into the new year with a clear path. The first part of the year I'll be launching my new spell kits. Each one will contain an original kit, some ritual items such as incense and full instructions on how to perform a ritual and complete the kit. As we move into Spring and Summer I want to build my online community of maker witches. I don't want to reveal too much about that yet. However, if you want to pre-order the new spell kits or you want to be the first to learn about the community, sign up to my newsletter.
New Year Blessings to you all! I could write about all the things I did or I could just share the video I made!
Please enjoy my vlog about the season. Blessed be to you all.
Classes at The Well
If you haven't signed up for one of my classes at The Well, then I urge you to do so ASAP. Space is limited to 10 and it will be the last chance for you to do in-person classes with me for a while. 11/25 - Magick Talisman Class: 2 - 4pm at The Well (3 Louisiana Ave, W.Asheville) 12/9 - Tarot Bag Class: 2 - 5pm at The Well (3 Louisiana Ave, W.Asheville) 1/13 Altar Cloth Class: 1 - 5pm at The Well (3 Louisiana Ave, W.Asheville |
I'm Liz Watkin I explore witchcraft through embroidery and embroidery through witchcraft!
Join me for the four week course "Slow Stitching as a Spiritual Practice" starting August 3rd, 2024. Register here. |