What is that?! Thoughts on knowledge about wicca

This post is mostly going to be random ramblings about things and thoughts that have been occupying my mind as of late.

I have started reading a few books on Wicca for review. A couple of these seem to completely omit any information about the history of Wicca, while still being aimed at the fledgling Wiccan. One of them seems to confuse the words witch and Wiccan, and uses Wicca and witchcraft as synonymous, which they of course are not. Wicca has a lot to do with witchcraft, but to do, as one of these books, and claim that Wicca is simply "a way of life", makes me honestly cringe in dislike.

I don't know if this has anything to do with the current trend of Wicca, witchcraft, paganism and different forms of divination that seem to have become so popular on eg. Instagram. When I try to browse for Wiccan images I seem to come across a lot of pictures of tarot cards and pretty looking young women dressed in Killstar-clothing with very eccentric makeup on. Not that there is anything wrong with eccentric makeup, dark clothing (although we could discuss the influence of brands like Killstar on the occult, pagan and goth scenes) or tarot cards for that matter, it is just that I do not expect that to be the first thing to see. And that brings me to the topic of representation.

How do we, or even I for that matter, represent myself on social media? I do not have a very large following on Instagram, barely over a hundred followers, most of whom are my friends, and I post pictures of a varying content. A lot of my Instagram consists of pictures of historic clothing and the sewing thereof, snippets of my daily life (including selfies), food pictures (because I love making food), and the occasional altar picture. My Instagram has not been a primary outlet for content relating to Wicca, rather it has been more reflective of other things I do in life, mostly clothing and fashion.

The point of my Instagram was never to be an outlet for Wiccan themed posts. I intended it to be more oriented toward sewing, goth fashion and snippets of my personal life. However I have started thinking that I should include Wicca more in my feed, and as I have been thinking about it I have also began wondering how I would represent Wicca, and witchcraft for that matter, in a good and versatile way. It takes a lot of time to prepare good content and I have not had that time, and I do not know whether I will have it in the future either. But as a Wiccan of some fifteen years, I think it is my responsibility to think about how I present myself and my faith on social media, because there are so  many young people looking for their own path in life, and if all they see when they search for Wicca on social media is tarot cards, black-clad women in perfect makeup and hauls or unboxings of witchcraft-related items, then they are not getting a very good idea of what Wicca really is.

And this brings me back to where I started. If these books (geared toward the beginner) that I am reading omit important things like the history of Wicca, the mentioning of the Goddess and the God, claiming that Wicca is only "a way of life", or even get basic things (like drawing down the moon, of consecrations) wrong, where does that leave us? Have we reached a point in Wicca where celebrity culture has taken over and we listen only to the most popular outlet of information, instead of learning as much as we can and thinking critically about it for ourselves? Is it only symptomatic of society in general?

I am wondering where we are headed. I am not part of a coven or any tradition. I have always been a solitary and eclectic Wiccan and witch, and that is only a result of the circumstances in which I have grown up and lived in. But I have made it a point to read and learn as much as I possibly can. I am by no means claiming that I know everything, far from it. And it might be the academic in me, but when I read a book that is supposedly about Wicca, and it contains no references, or the reference list consists of five books and does not reference any of the books that laid the groundwork of Wicca, then allow me to be skeptical of the contents of said books.

Maybe I am nitpicking. Everyone has to start somewhere, and anywhere is better that nowhere if it inspires the novice to learn more from better sources. Or is it? I would prefer that books for beginners be well written and contain correct facts. Here I believe that the publishers carry as much responsibility as the authors. I believe it is unethical to claim to write a book for beginners on Wicca and make such a crap job of doing it that you muck up even the most essential details. It honestly makes me angry that such misinformation is allowed to be published, and I fear that publishing was done mostly for monetary reasons.

Anyway. I think I shall end my rambling rant here. I will be publishing a few reviews soon, once autumn arrives, and one of them will unfortunately be a rather poor one. But on the positive note, I am also reading some very good books at the moment, so look forward to those.

What do you think about representation or the responsibility to fact check what you write for a young or inexperienced audience? Tell me in the comments.

~Stella

Review: Witch Casket November box

I did a couple of reviews for the Witch Casket subscription box at the beginning of the year, but have not done any since. There are a few reasons for this: First of all I did not order all the boxes during 2018. I got the boxes for January and February, May, June and July, and then November and December. Because of a hectic summer I did not have time to review the boxes I got during Summer, but I will review the last two boxes of the year. The second reason I did not review the boxes I got during the summer is that I had some thoughts and issues I was going through in my mind. I will write a separate blog post about these thoughts at some point.

For now, however, I am back to reviewing the boxes. Also: I pay for these boxes myself, and no one has asked me to review them. All opinions expressed in these reviews are 100% my own, and I take full responsibility for them. So without further ado, here is the content's list for the November Witch Casket:

• Witch Casket Exclusive – Altar Bell
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Altar Cloth
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Charm Keyring with info card
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Magickal Spaces Parchment Scroll
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Crystal Ball Enamel Pin 
• Witch Casket Exclusive – Black Candle with spell card
• Witch Casket Essentials – Bay Leaves with info card
• Amethyst Pendant
• Purple Banded Agate & Info Card
• Lavender Incense Cones
• Berry Berry Loose Leaf Tea by TeaCakes of Yorkshire
• Square Art Print by TeaCake Art
• A6 Art Print by Ilinca Mitchell Art

In all the box contained 13 items plus the usual list of contents/monthly letter and Witch Casket business card. The theme of the month was the witch's magical space. The wrapping paper in the box was white and the colour theme was white and pink. This is one thing I have enjoyed with the caskets: the comprehensive colour-themes. 

So on to the items. I will not discuss every item in the box. First, here are some general thoughts: I liked the art prints, the pin,  and the stone included. The incense I will be giving away to someone since I already have a lot of Lavender incense in my stash. The amethyst pendant was a nice piece that I might use for something different than a piece of jewelry, we'll see. 

The black candle spell was nice. It is a basic spell that can easily be adjusted to personal needs. A good spell to have in your arsenal. The bay leaves were also nice. I love their smell and I have been using them a lot. However, I would not recommend burning them, as the once I burned did not so much go up in flames or smoke, but in sparks that flew everywhere. So do be careful burning bay leaves.

The tea was lovely and I really enjoyed the fact that there was a description of the content of the tea. I do not know if this was the first time Witch Casket added the content but it is something I have been sorely missing in earlier teas. 

The scroll had a really pretty artwork and a nice description of the witch's altar. As with previous caskets I feel the information could be even more in depth, but I also understand that this might not be possible considering the format of this subscription box.

The altar cloth.

The altar cloth was a nice addition to the casket, even though mine had a very chemically smell when it arrived. I am also worried about how the print will last if I need to wash it. There were no washing instructions included, but I would suppose that a mild temperature or even a hand wash would be best considering the print. 

The altar bell: I laughed when I saw this because a while back I had been looking at a silver-coloured bell for my altar. In the end I decided not to buy it as it felt like it was not the right time. So receiving a bell in the Witch Casket felt like it was meant to be. The only thing I do not like about this bell it that it has the Witch Casket logo printed on one side in quite big letters. I do not like keeping branded items on my altar so this bothers me a little bit and makes me feel like not using the bell at all. I am hopeful that I might be able to somehow remove it. 

The charm key ring has proven very useful. I like the fact that the container is waterproof thanks to the rubber ring on it. I used it during December in a ritual I will describe later. The fact that it was so easy to carry this with me really helped with the spell I was working with. Also I really like the fact that this is a reusable item that also looks discreet.

Lastly a few more general notes: I am happy with my box. It arrived during the second week of December, which is the latest I have received any Witch Casket. I think the large amount of mail and parcels arriving for the Holiday season is to blame for this. As I write I am also still waiting for my December box. I am expecting it to arrive next week, but I know that my friends in Vasa have already received theirs, so it might just be that the mail service in Kokkola is a bit on the slow side.

DIY: Bead embroidered pillowcase - Part 1: constructing the pillowcase

Many blessings!

Darkness has settled over Finland and in this darkness I find that a little bit of creativity brightens up my day. So I will share my latest project: A tutorial for creating beautiful pillowcases with simple embroidery and beads.

This tutorial is in two parts: Part 1 discusses how to construct a pillowcase using three different methods - easy, intermediate and advanced. Part 2 is all about the embroidery and also contains two methods. You do not need a sewing machine to create these but it does help.

So lets jump into this pillow-creation tutorial.

First off, you will need the following:

• A pillow 
• Fabric: enough to cover the pillow plus seam allowances
• Thread
• Needle or sewing machine

Optional (intermediate level):

• Zipper

A note on measurements and seam allowance before we continue: I usually make my pillowcases slightly smaller than the actual pillow to make the pillow seem more plump. I do this especially if I have very soft pillows and I want them to appear a bit firmer. To do that I simply measure the pillow and use these measurements without adding seam allowance. When I sew I use a seam allowance of 1 cm (1,5 cm if the material is prone to fray). If you already have a very firm pillow you will want to add seam allowance to your measurements. I will not mention adding seam allowances separately after this so you will need to observe them yourself if you need them.

METHOD 1 (easy)

This is the easy method of constructing a pillowcase. It requires a little bit of hand sewing at the end and results in a pillowcase that is "permanent" unless you rip out the hand sewn stitches to remove the pillowcase. I would use this for a pillowcase that I do not intend to change, or for one that I can cover with other pillowcases if need be. Thus the inner case would protect the pillow inside further. You could also use this to create tiny decorative pillows or pincushions.

1. Measure your pillow. Mine is 40x40 cm, so I will use that as an example. To cover the entire pillow I will need two pieces of the same size, but instead of cutting two and have more sewing I will cut one piece 40x80 cm in size. 
2. I will fold this in half, right sides together and sew from the folded edge on both sides. Sew up along the open edges and around the top corners for a few cm then stop and secure your stitches.
3. Turn right sides out and insert the pillow, then hand stitch the opening shut. 

Construction of pillowcase in method 1. 

METHOD 2 (intermediate)

This uses the same method of construction as the first one, but inserts a zipper in the opening. The order of construction is slightly different.

1. Measure your pillow. Mine is 40x40 cm, so I will use that as an example. To cover the entire pillow I will need two pieces of the same size, but instead of cutting two and have more sewing I will cut one piece 40x80 cm in size. 
2. Place the zipper to the right side of the short edge of the pillowcase and sew together. Repeat for the other side. 
3. Now that the pillowcase looks like a tube as the zipper is attached, keep it right sides together and open the zipper slightly. Otherwise you will not be able to turn the pillowcase once done. Sew the side seams from the zipper to the folded edge. Then turn right sides out, insert the pillow and close the zipper.

METHOD 3 (advanced)

This method creates a professional looking pillowcase but requires a bit more cutting and planning. It uses zipper hidden under a placket on the back side of the pillowcase and is constructed from three pieces of fabric: the front and a split back.

The pieces for method 3 construction, and diagram of the joining of back pieces, zipper and overlapping knife pleat.

1. Measure your pillow: Mine is 40x40 cm. That is the size of your front piece. For the back piece I want to place my zipper about 5-10 cm down from the top edge - let us for arguments sake say that I place it 8 cm down from the top edge. For the larger, bottom piece I will simply remove the topmost 8 centimeters and ass 1 cm seam allowance. My bottom back piece will thus measure 33x40 cm. I want the top piece to overlap the zipper with a couple of centimeters. So for the tops piece, which is 8 cm I will add 5 cm for the overlap (which will be folded double) and add 1 cam for seam allowance. In total: 14,5x40 cm.
2. Sew the zipper to the top edge of the back bottom piece, right sides together. 
3. Sew the zipper to the bottom of the back top piece, right sides together.
4. Fold the top back piece over the zipper, creating a knife pleat that covers it. Sew down this pleat to keep it in place.
5. Open the zipper slightly, and sew the front and back pieces together, right sides together. 
6. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Insert pillow and close the zipper.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.

~Stella

12-14.10.2018 Save the date: Fenno-Swedish heathen retreat in Ostrabothnia

Hello my witchy friends!

I am happy to announce that there will be a heathen/wiccan retreat in Ostrabothnia this Autumn. During the 12th to the 14th of October there will be a meeting of witches and heathens alike. The retreat will be held in Swedish.

The idea for the retreat was born from a need to get together and share experiences. Being a witch in Finland can be a very lonely experience. So me, and my friends Holly and Fenris got our heads together and set about planning this event. More information will be made available during July. So until then: Save the date and mark it down in your calendars!

Blessed be!
~Stella

Recipe: Fresh summery salad

Here is a nice recipe for a salad that is bound to brighten any day.

Ingredients

1 bag of mixed salad (or make your own)

Strawberries

Blueberries

Mozzarella

Basil

Pistachios

Pickled red onions

Some salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil

I simply opened the salad bag and poured it onto a serving plate, removing any leaved that had gone bad. I then halved the strawberries and scattered them over the salad. I was going to use ready made small mozzarella balls, but I couldn't find any in the store so I got a large mozzarella ball and pulled pieces off of it and tossed them with the salad. I decorated with the basil leaves, mixing some into the salad as well. Lastly I scattered the blueberries and pistachios on the salad and decorated with the pickled red onions.

Serve with a little bit of ground black pepper and salt and add olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This is a very summery salad and is perfect with light meals like fish or chicken. I served mine with some honey-marinated grilled chicken, grilled halloumi cheese and couscous.

Have a lovely day!

~Stella

Review: Witch Casket February box

I finally have time to review the February box from Witch Casket. For those who do not know Witch Casket is a "vegan friendly, magickal witchy subscription box," according to their homepage. They are a mother-daughter company and make themed monthly subscription boxes. The February box is the second one I ordered, and this post will be my review of the box. So to start off, here is the list of contents:

The list of contents included in the box.

The theme of the February box is self love. This shows throughout most of the content, packaged in black and purple. In all I really like how nicely everything is packaged and how the color theme runs throughout the whole box. This creates a feeling that everything is well thought through. I will not comment on every product, but here are my thoughts on some of them. I will start with my least favorite things and move up from there.

Both boxes I have received so far have contained what I would describe as lifestyle, fashion or statement products, that do not directly have a magical application. Last time there was a badge and a hat. This time we get a keyring with the text "good witch", a badge with "mirror mirror" on it and a relaxation/meditation eye mask. These are the products I have spent most time pondering on what their function is in the box.

Don't get me wrong, these are really nice products, and things I can make use of. I love badges, for example, but I fail to see what this "mirror mirror" badge has to do with the box itself. Maybe I just feel that it could have said something relating more to the theme of the box, like "love yourself". The keyring has come in handy since I have been needing a new one.

The meditation mask with the text "Let me be, I'm meditating" is nice and edgy and it fits nicely. My biggest problem with it is that it is made out of cheap polyester (plastic), with no information about the material or how to care for it. I would appreciate it a hundred times more if it were made from natural fibers which would have made it more environmentally friendly. The thought behind the eye mask is nice and I will be using it on long trips.

Here are the contents of the February box.

The self-love bath/shower potion has been really nice. It is scented with a lavender perfume. The pentacle necklace from Curiology has to be one of the most unique pentacles I have ever seen. It is made from this holographic acrylic which makes it look pink, purple, green and some other colors at the same time. Not maybe what I would wear normally, but I am sure I will have a chance to include it with some outfit. To me it feels more like a fashion statement than religious jewelry.

The Blue Lady loose leaf tea was an interesting blend of black tea and maybe citrus? I don't normally like teas with lemon in them, so this is not my favourite tea. However, that is not my problem with it. My problem is that I would like to see the list on ingredients, which is something I could not find anywhere in the box. Especially for people with allergies or people on certain medication it is vital to know the ingredients of the tea they drink. Some herbs can counteract certain medicines and some ingredients might cause allergic reactions. I also like to know what is in the tea I am drinking.

Now moving on to the items I loved:

The self-love ritual kit, the art by TeaCakeArt, the candle snuffer and the affirmation card deck. Sorry for the glare that blurred out the text on the cards.

The candle snuffer is a practical tool I have been missing for a long time. I have been wanting to thrift one for ages but just have not found one. So when I found this black candle snuffer in the box I was thrilled. What is more, it is small and compact which is good if I need to travel with it.

The affirmation card deck has come in handy many times. I like that the cards are printed on sturdy cardstock and that they come in their own little pouch.

The self-love ritual kit was also very nice. The smell of rose and lavender that I was met with as I opened the bag was very pleasant. I am not a huge fan of tea candles so I have used some pink tapered candles dressed in lavender essential oil for the ritual included in the kit. It is a handy little ritual for learning to meditate and become mindful of the positive aspects of ones life.

In all I am very happy with the February box. Here is a compilation of the best parts and some thing I am missing or feeling thoughtful about:

+ I absolutely love the color theme and how it goes hand in hand with the content of the box. Most content seems to have a connection with the theme and the "side" products tie in with the themed products. The theme works and is well built.

- I would like to see some more background information for some products (and some ingredient lists for the tea). For beginning witches, especially, getting more instructions and information on how to use products and the symbology behind items, colors and herbs would be really helpful.

+ On that note I will continue by saying that the small information cards that do come along with some of the items are really nice and useful. They are a good introduction and I wish they came with more of the items. I have started collecting mine in the book that came with the January box.

-/+ I feel there is too much plastic in the box. I would feel better about the contents if they were packaged in paper as I am trying to reduce the amount of plastic I use. However, the box itself, as well as the small plastic bags can be reused. The bag for the tea and ritual kit are resealable, and what is even better is that they can be opened without tearing the top section off. So a big plus for that.

+ Even though I am not a fan of polyester, I do like the small organza bags that come with the badge and the keyring. These can easily be used to hold charms, gems or other things. I wish that the gemstone and the items from Curiology would also come packaged in small fabric bags instead of in plastic.

So that is it for the February box. All of the items have seen some use and will continue to do so. And I will continue ordering the box for as long as I can. It is not a hugely expensive subscription box, but I do not make a lot, so I had a break in ordering this item during March and April. The next box I review will be the May box, which just arrived.

If you have any questions or thoughts you can leave them in a comment below. I am not sponsored by Witch Casket. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I pay for the box with my own hard-earned money, and the only contact I have had with the company is when I e-mailed them to change my address.

Have a blessed magical day!
~Stella

DIY: Cute ragdoll-dress for summer

A few years back I used to work at a fabric store. As a result I still have boxes upon boxes filled with fabric. Last Autumn I went through my whole stash and reorganized everything into neat piles and put them in clear boxes so I could see everything. Since then my fabric stash has been a bit more manageable.

I have vowed to not by new fabric until my stash is greatly diminished, so in order to do that I try to sew every now and again. Since I am also slowly creating a new wardrobe this goes hand in hand with the sewing. Problem is I usually need a lot of time and very good inspiration in order to sew. Pattern creation and new garments take a lot of time.

So last Monday inspiration hit and I happened to have extra time on my hands. Thus I went through my stash in search of fabrics that might match. I wanted to make a lace dress, but I did not have enough lace to make both the top and bottom parts of a full circle skirt dress. So I chose a black chiffon with a floral pattern for the skirt part and a lace for the top and sleeves. For lining I found a viscose with a very nice feel to it and a good weight. So I started cutting out pattern pieces, playing tetris with the pattern to get all the pieces out of my half meter lace fabric.

Top pieces cut.

Once I had everything cut I started with the lining of the skirt. I serged the hem and added a 25cm wide lace to it, ruffling it slightly. I then hemmed the edge of the chiffon but ran into some trouble with my serger. Frustrated and a bit tired already, I decided to cover the hem of the chiffon up with a red velvet ribbon. Some years ago I bought 15 meters of this ribbon and I thought I could finally put at least some of it to good use.

Once the skirt part was done I got started with the top. With both the lace and the lining I started by joining the shoulder seams together. I then attached the unlined sleeves and sandwiched them between the lining and the lace. I had to undo the seams and put them back together again because I was tired and wasn't paying attention to which way I was fastening them, but a frustrating 45 minutes later I was back on track.

Once the sleeves were attached I started thinking about how to hem them. I looked through my lace ribbon stash and found some stretchy, not so wide lace and decided to hem the sleeves with that to give them a neater look. I finished the head opening of the dress in the same fashion.

Hemming the sleeves.

The last thing that remained was to attach the top to the skirt layers. I serged them together and put in a line of strengthening straight stitches. I then zig-zagged an elastic band to this waistline to make the skirt fit nicely and not just hang like a sack from my shoulders. And here is the finished dress:

In all these are the materials I used:

1,2 m chiffon
1,5 m viscose (lining)
0,5 m lace fabric
6 m of 25 cm wide lace (lining hem)
5 m red velvet ribbon
1,7 m stretch lace (sleeves, head opening)
1 m of 0,7 mm wide elastic
black and red sewing thread.

Time: I think it took me about 8 hours from start to finish, including pattern drafting, meal breaks, chatting with friends and going for a walk in between. Had I worked non-stop I could probably have halved the time.

The dress fits nicely and the viscose works really well as a lining fro this dress. In all it feels light to wear, it is super cute and the uneven hem hives it a slightly rag-doll feel. Hmm. I wonder what I should make next.

~Stella