Wired Whymsy

Since the new fae blades are dropping in the shop tomorrow (link in bio), I wanted to say a few words about ways to use them, beyond simply as a rad costume accessory or decorative piece. (Which they are also great for!) 

Frequently, when I see folk talk about “cord cutting” they are speaking of cutting one specific cord, usually with regard to their relationship (romantic or otherwise) with a particular person. You can find oodles of good info about this, and simple directions for performing those kinds of cord cuttings, if you google it. Those aren’t what I’m about at the moment. 

Right now, we are living in a very transitional space, in a lot of ways. Culturally, socially, heck, even astrologically, though I’m certainly no expert there. We’re living in a time of many endings, and just as many potential beginnings. Frankly, it can be overwhelming. Transition means change, and for us as humans, change is HARD. 

One of the hardest parts of transition is leaving things behind, and finding closure to threads and directions, relationships, and endeavors that no longer help us in the direction we’re traveling. These are the kinds of cords I want to talk about cutting today. 

The goal here, is to take all of those little threads, the people, places, things, ideas, traumas, baggage, just all of the things that we collect as we move through our lives, and sort out which ones we no longer need to hold onto. Each thread pulls at us, maybe only a tiny bit, but the pull is there for every cord. The more cords you can release that are pulling in directions you aren’t traveling, the more freedom you will have to move joyfully and easily in the direction you want to go. 

Personally, one of my big struggles this year has been dealing with toxicity in my family, and some of my social groups and clubs, particularly as a side effect of the pandemic, and people not agreeing on how precautions should be handled. So, for me, a cord cutting ritual right now would look like envisioning the threads connected to the people and the social groups that are pulling me in unpleasant directions, and finding the ability to let go of those threads, even if it may be hard to do so, but the tug from those threads is getting to be painful, and I need to let them go, for my own spiritual, physical, and mental health.

So, here is my very easy, very simple cord cutting ritual, to clear out and let go of some of those threads that you no longer want to hold onto. As with all ritual work and magical practice, none of the particulars are set in stone, and adjusting to best fit your personal practice is always a good thing! 

What you’ll need: 

- calm, quiet space (include a chair or cushion, if you don’t wish to sit directly on the floor or ground. You may also want to include a small table or other surface for your candle to rest on)

- candle, white is fine

- physical implement of cutting 

Note: the cutting implement does not need to be sharp, it only needs to embody the IDEA of cutting, particularly in an astral or ethereal sense. Thus the fae blades work beautifully for this purpose, as would any other knife, scissors, or cutting tool that holds significance for you. 

Preparation: 

- make sure you have all of the items you’ll need, and are familiar with the process

- if you wish to plan your ritual around the lunar cycle, a waning moon is excellent for releasing, decluttering, and severing bonds. 

What you’ll do: 

- Cleanse your quiet space by any method you prefer, whether with incense, smoke, sound, or other cleansing method of choice. 

- Set your ritual circle. This can be a physical circle drawn with chalk, outlined with salt, or scratched into the earth around you. You may also choose to simply envision a circle around you, rather than drawing a physical circle. Your goal is to set a perimeter, a barrier, within which, your calm space will not be disturbed for the duration of your ritual. 

Note: DO NOT use salt to create a circle outdoors. It can be very harmful to the plants and the soil.

- Seated inside your circle, close your eyes, and take three deep breaths, focusing on calming your mind, and bringing peace to your mental and physical space. 

- Once you feel calm and centered, light your candle. Take a moment to meditate on the cords that you wish to release. 

- Take up your cutting implement. Pass it over your candle, then methodically “cut” around your body, whether from head to toe, from toe to head, in lines, spirals, or whatever pattern makes most sense to you in your personal practice. The idea is to focus your intention on your cutting implement. Envision your cutting implement severing all of the ethereal threads that you wish to release, all of the threads holding you back, and pulling in directions that do not serve you. Trim away all of the connections that bind you, leaving yourself feeling lighter, more free, and more able to mind the threads that you wish to keep. 

Note: If using a cutting implement that should not be heated (such as a resin blade), use caution when passing above flame. Do not linger, and leave plenty of space between tool and flame. Your implement does not need to be physically heated, only to carry the idea of the flame. You want a “hot knife” in a spiritual sense, not a physical one.

- Once you feel that you have cut all of the threads you wish to release, take another moment to meditate on your intention, before extinguishing your candle, and releasing your circle. 

Your cord cutting ritual is complete. 

So, many of you who’ve been following me on any platforms for a while are probably aware that I don’t really make, sell, or offer tutorials of any kind for my wire art. Despite this, “Do you have a tutorial for this??” Is a question I still get asked constantly. Nearly any time I post a new art piece, someone is bound to show up asking for a tutorial. While it is -in some ways- flattering to know that someone is a big enough fan of my work to want to emulate it, I feel like it might be a good time to say a few words about WHY I don’t make tutorials. (And no, before you get any wild ideas, this is not a “tutorials are coming soon!” type of post.)

Truthfully, this question has two different, and both simultaneously true answers. 

The first reason is, I don’t make tutorials because I don’t repeat the same designs often enough to have a good set of instructions to offer. There are a handful of exceptions, designs like my pentacles and Viking shields, but those are designs that I poured in the hours to design and perfect. They are motifs that have been a signature staple of my work and my brand for a very long time, and frankly, even aside from any financial concerns, I’m just not willing to hand those over to someone else to make. Those are my small fingerprint in a centuries old art form. Even in a liminal space where nothing is truly new, seeing my particular pentacle, with its curls and hearts, anyone can see that and know that *I* made it. That is *my* work. It is something unique. While I’m sure that somewhere in the history of the world, someone else has made something similar, in this time and space, this design denotes my presence, as an artist, making things that no one else is making. Asking for the instructions to be able to make it yourself... is rather a bigger ask than many probably realize. 

The second reason why I don’t make tutorials is a matter of artistic principle for me. I don’t want to give you a set of instructions, to be able to make ONE specific design. I would much rather provide you with the basic skills you’ll need to develop your own artistic voice and signature designs, in whatever medium speaks to you. If there is a way to encapsulate that in a tutorial, it is a tutorial that I have not yet figured out how to write. 

That being said, I have absolutely no issue with any artisan who does choose to create tutorials, in any medium in which they are fluent. Creating tutorials is still a very valid and valuable contribution to art and artistry. It is just not something that is currently in my wheelhouse. When I choose to teach, I usually opt to do so in the form of either one on one crafting mentorship, or as a class, either virtual or in person. 

Also, can I just say a tiny word about how much I love this weird and shabby set of encyclopedias?

They are the 1966 Britannica set, missing two volumes. I picked them up from the library "free" cart when I was a teen, and they have been with me ever since.

They were my best resource before Google was as pervasive and accessible as it is now.

They survived when my parents' house flooded, though the water added some extra spots, bends, and creases, and they don't stand perfectly straight on the shelf anymore.

They've seen multiple houses, and had countless leaves and flowers pressed between their pages.

They are weird, and outdated, and shabby, and bulky, but I love them, and they will always have a place in my home, and in my art studio!

❤📕📕📕📚❤

I suppose a good place to start when beginning a new blog would be to say a bit about myself.

I am a Millennial.

I am a universalist witch.

I am a member of the LGBT+ community.

I use she/her pronouns.

I am married.

I am a mama to three dogs and a cat.

I hold a bachelor of arts in English, with a minor in Medieval & Renaissance Studies.

I am an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church.

I am a full time artist.

That last one is particularly important in this context. I am the full time owner and artisan behind Wired Whymsy (I'll include links at the end, if you want to find my work).

Wired Whymsy as a business, and as a brand encapsulates my journey as an artist, spanning a wide variety of artworks and materials, but always aiming for sustainability, bohemian and witchy aesthetic, and mindfully made every day objects, to bring joy, functionality, and imagination to the mundane.

A child of craftspeople, I've been pursuing artistic expression in one form or another for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of learning to sew along with my mother, as she plied her trade as a seamstress.

I first turned that pursuit into a business after graduating from college, initially launching my brand as a handmade jewelry line, mainly focusing on wirework and gemstones. I still work a lot with wire and gems, but with time, the brand has grown to encompass a much broader array of artisan products, and spans the breadth of my artistic endeavors.

Moving forward, I hope to address a wide variety of topics, from art to witchcraft, and likely a bit of everything in between.

Much love, and I look forward to getting to know you!