If you have never experienced being sat in a quiet room as fibre is being spun I can tell you it is quite a divine experience. As the wheel spins and the whorl whirls there is an unspoken comfort that transcends space and time, it’s a rhythm that seems to sing to our souls of a time when life was simpler, not necessarily easier, but when we lived in a different way, of slowness, of reciprocity, of connection and of ancient wisdom.
As I spin in front of the roaring fire there is always a moment when this quiet hush descends, when my dogs, nestled on the sofa, amongst woollen blankets seen to drift into a deeper slumber, where the walls of my home seem to settle as the rhythmic whirls slows time. It is in this space, a whisper draws my gaze into the flickering flames and into a delicious journey, calling myself into places where just for a moment I get to glimpse my Soul and the vastness of who I am .
As the fibre moves through my hands, I find myself lulled in to dreaming of what was, what is and what may be yet to come and I can often sense that whatever I am spinning in this physical world is also being spun in the unseen lands.
Spinning is the oldest of the textile work, followed by netting and knot work, surrounded by magic & wrapped up in folklore and fairy tales that have anchored the importance of spinning in our human history for many, many moons. In fact nothing could be made until we learnt how to make string to tie and hold things together.
However, the Spinning wheel is relatively new, arriving in Europe around the 13th Century, although they had been used in India and China for many years before . Before spinning wheels we would have used the Distaff and Spindle and evidence of these has been discovered in ancient burial grounds and archaeological sites all around the World, highlighting the importance of fibre arts and crafts.
A Distaff is a long stick that loosely holds fibre, which is drawn and spun using a spindle. This is a very connected and beautiful way to spin and requires the basic of tools – just a drop spindle. The Distaff is known to be a very magical tool that almost acts as a wand, which some cases may be fairly long and easily mistaken for a broomstick or a staff.
The power of a distaff should never be underestimated - There are tales of Spinners placing their Distaffs in the ground as a protection tool and never losing a lamb from their flocks and how they were counted on to keep away back magic or the evil eye. Distaffs were such sacred tools that mothers passed them down to their daughters, along with the chants, song and incantations spoken to invoke the goddesses, most of whom were, and are still depicted as Spinners.
My own Distaff is made of Birch wood and is a very sacred tool for me, along with my spindle I use her for spinning small amounts of fibre by hand and so if I have crafted a Grief Vessel for you the wool will have been spun in this very old and traditional way.
I have a deep relationship with both my Spinning Wheel, my distaff and spindle. These relationships have been nurtured and created though our crafting together. When I start to work with a sacred tool I always begin by taking several journeys to the spirit of the one I am working with. Here I explore what they need from me, what gifts they bring and how we can work together for the highest of good and from a place of reciprocity. As I am spinning I have learnt to be very observant of all that is unfolding in both the seen and unseen realms and there are always potent messages waiting for me here. This also means that in each of the threads I spin I have a sense of the stories held within the fibres. I will follow the ancient traditions of passing these tools down to my daughter, along with my tales and stories, chants and knowledge of the goddesses I work with.
But don’t just take my word for the magic, you can open most books on fairytales and finds stories that speak of the magic & mystery of spinning. Some of my favourites are Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty and the Wild Swan. Aside from the beauty that each of these tales conjures I find they all contained 2 things about spinning which speaks utter truth to my soul. The first is the power in making something seemingly worthless become priceless, such as spinning straw into golden thread and the second is that there is always that something ‘More than Human’ needed in the creation – that spark of something magical..
And its not just in fairy tales. All around the world, for as long as stories have been spoken, sung or written there has been tales for spinning. From the Spider Women in North America to the Norn’s in Norse history and everywhere in between, there is a rich tapestry of Folklore around spinning, holding out the magic, mystery and foretelling of spinners.
One of my most beloved folklore tales is the Moirai, or in English ‘The Fates’, who are the 3 goddess who spin our mortal lives…..
Clotho is the first fate. When we are in the womb it is Clotho that spins the thread of our life from her Distaff to her spindle and calls us into being.
Lachoesisi is the second fate. Lachoesisi is the ‘Lot Drawer’. She is the one who measures the thread of our life – what it will be and how we will live.
Antrospos is the third thread. She is the one who cuts our thread when we die.
The Fates are responsible for ensuring that every human has the time in our human bodies that has been decided for them and that in that life they live and receive what is needed. It is said that they can see the stretch of a human life. They are also Oracular goddess & in some stories there are also tales of a 4th Goddess who sometimes accompanies the Fates - , this is the one who can change the outcomes.
Yet despite all the magic this practice conjures for me, the simplest measure of the power of spinning is very simple – it is that you can take a natural product and turn into something completely different and needed – without string we would not have nets to fish, we would not have clothes to keep us warm, we would not have anything to tie things together – When you begin to think of all the uses of string and all the things we could not do and could not make without there is magic right there.
If you are looking for a really beautiful craft to explore over the winter months, I would suggest learning the craft of spinning on a drop spindle, & see what you can create over these next few months. But be warned, it is said that after the Solstice for 12 days no spinning of fibre should be done, or your spinning will become tangled & ruined, instead there is an invitation to rest.
In 2023 I will be opening Introduction to Spinning workshops and 1:1 sessions after Imbolc , so if this is something you are interested in then please sign up to my Newsletter so you will the first to hear.
Wishing you deep dreams in these in-between times.