After looking at a couple of patterns and guides online I made a packer with some wool I had leftover! Funnily it matches a hat which I made with the majority of this skein of wool. It's a good size (I have officially diagnosed myself with medium dick energy) and I'm very happy with how it looks like being worn. It was a fun learning curve as I've never crochet'ed in the round before, or added and taken away stitches. Looking forward to making another one! Posting it here as I'm not sure who else would be appropriate to show lol
I didn't use a specific pattern but one that heavily influenced my understanding of how to make one with this pattern!
Beltane is fast approaching. April 30th-May 1st will mark my first Beltane as a witch. I’m eager to celebrate the holiday, if I can, and I’ll actually be off work April 30th since it’s a Tuesday (of course, I have a doctor appointment in the morning, but that shouldn’t take long). However, I get hung up when thinking of Beltane because I am asexual and anything talking about “sexuality” tends to turn me away.
Gabriela Herstik’s book Inner Witch says Beltane “represents sacred sexuality, and the eternal cycle of sacrifice and rebirth needed for the continuation of life” (67). Many websites will describe it as a sexual holiday and recommend (you guessed it) sex as a non-ritual way to celebrate. As a sex-repulsed asexual, it’s extremely difficult for me to find celebration in a holiday that seems to be focused around something I’m very much repulsed by the thought of. It’s not uncommon for me to even get nauseous when thinking about it.
However, it’s important for beginner witches to note that Beltane does not have to just be sex, sex, sex. While it’s common for witchcraft to push a sex-positive mentality, and many witches encourage new witches to reclaim their sexuality, it’s also important to remember that being a witch isn’t about masturbation, sex, or any of that stuff. I’ll restate again, I’m sex-repulsed. I’ve kissed one person in my 22 years and I honestly wish I hadn’t. I have no interest in masturbation and often ignore any arousal as if it was an annoying scratch.
What being a witch is about differs from person to person. For me, it’s something I’m actually good at. I’ve spent so long not being good at anything other than video editing. I can’t draw, though I do often doodle. I can’t play instruments. Even though I’m trying to learn Thai, it’s very hard for me to find the time and focus. Witchcraft sticks to me. It’s a way for me to love myself more and take control of my life. It’s brought me a more positive lifestyle and helped me feel closer to my spiritual guide. Witchcraft has never been about anything sexual to me and I don’t feel a sexual lifestyle is necessary. I’m a solitary witch, after all. Is there really any reason for me to touch anyone if it makes me uncomfortable?
I did a quick search to see if there are other asexuals struggling with Beltane. Many ignore the sexual practices of the holiday and instead focus on the spring celebration. Others take the “fertility” essence to create something other than life. I myself am considering using the day to work on my Grimoire and perhaps working on a new video for my YouTube channel. And I’ve seen others still use the day to celebrate non-sexual sources of pleasure for themselves.
In order to fully allow my fellow non-sexual witches to get ideas on how to celebrate the approaching holiday, I’ll be reblogging a few posts over the next few days to allow you all to get ideas. I’ll also be posting some ace-positive witch posts because I’m sure there are witches like myself who are uncomfortable with how sexual some witchy things (celebration, spells, etc) tend to be.
For the cover I used an old t shirt from my childhood over some cardboard from an Amazon package!
For the pages I used some old note paper, both used and not used, some pamphlets from a religious organisation and a booklet from the Tate Modern! (I accidentally went into an exhibit that was members only and got given it)
I'm going to use it as a scrap book, and the pages that have writing on I could do blackout poetry!
A lot has been going on in my life. Things have been complicated. I had a falling out with the guy I liked. We’d confessed and he’d implied he’d wanted more, but he’d never commit. Still, he convinced me to give him something irreplaceable: my first kiss. In exchange, he made no effort to use my chosen name and pronouns, made no effort to understand what my gender identity means, and treated me like an object. Looking back, I feel like he was trying to sneakily trick me into being a FWB with his sweet words even though he knew I identify as asexual.
I’ll be honest, I exposed his true nature to our inner circle and blocked him on everything. This happened maybe three to four weeks ago? Since then, I began to look for a new job and so has he (since all of our coworkers hate him...mostly because of me, but also because he wouldn’t stop complaining about our fight + is always spreading his negative energy).
Approximately a week ago, I was suddenly hit with this wave of positive energy. It was as if I was purified. I suddenly felt my passion for witchcraft reignited and I’ve begun looking into candle magic. Additionally, I made a smudging spray! It’s a simple recipe and I intend to share it with you all if the results are positive! I don’t want to spread a recipe that doesn’t do any good, after all.
I’ll go ahead and let you know that you’ll need full moon water, though. I used distilled water to make it since it was a bit of a cloudy night and I hoped the distilled water would perform better than tap. I know we just had a full moon, but that means you’ll have almost an entire month to prepare to make smudging spray! Items that took me the longest to collect were the spray bottle (I used an 8oz bottle, I think?) and the full moon water. You’ll also need an essential oil with purifying properties. Some recommend an already-made purification blend, but I used Clary Sage as my primary oil and Lavender as my secondary. I know some people recommend using Clary Sage if you can’t get Sage essential oil. Since Young Living charges so much, I decided my mom’s Clary Sage would work best.
Once I post the smudging spray recipe, I’d love to hear what combinations y’all use for your smudging spray. I’m kinda bummed I couldn’t make a bird-safe spray (since the Clary Sage isn’t Young Living) but my Cockatiel doesn’t come into my room much anymore, so the smell should fade enough to be safe whenever he does.
