There’s a little Witch in All of Us
Small ordinary things can make our lives feel magical
My social media feed has been filled with all things gothic, bohemian and witchy of late.
Anticipation is high for the movie Practical Magic 2, and I am willingly being swept up in all things involving botanical rituals and everyday magic.
When the first movie was released in 1998, it apparently flopped at the box office. At the time, I had three small children, so I first saw it much later on TV. I was hooked. Apart from all the fabulous witchy references, it was that house that grabbed my attention. A light-filled home with a wraparound verandah, a steeply pitched roof, ornate fretwork, a rambling cottage garden and a floriferous greenhouse. And this was all before you even went through the front door.
The interior was anything but scary or haunting. Nothing like another favourite of mine—The Addams Family. Their home was frightening. The Owens women’s home is filled with timber trim,decorative wallpapers, luscious textiles and ornate windows. The colours and warm lighting make it feel cosy and deeply lived-in. The kitchen, with its large table, glass-door shelving filled with tincture bottles and apothecary items, a large stove recessed into an alcove, mismatched china and copper pots, had me green with envy - the perfect heart of a home.
Hardly the sort of house you find in suburban Melbourne, but one can dream.
And with the release of Practical Magic 2, I decided to read all four of Alice Hoffman’s books before seeing the new movie. I will never understand why scripts have to change so much in a book adaptation, and I wish some of the book's characters had come to life in both movies. Vincent is one character I think would have been fabulous to see in the second movie, but I fear he won’t be mentioned.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the prequel to the Practical Magic book, The Rules of Magic, made into a film. The three Owens siblings - Frannie, Jet and Vincent navigate adolescence and discover their family legacy, all set against a backdrop of 1960s New York and Massachusetts. It was probably my favourite read of the four books.
If you are now my new best friend because of our shared love of Practical Magic, leave a comment and let me know your favourite quote, scene, or book reference. Or even your dismay if you were disappointed with the film adaptations.
Finding creative inspiration whilst caught up in another world
Whilst reading, I found myself being inspired to grab my sketchbook. Each of the four books in Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series often describes flowers and herbs and their use in witchcraft. The symbolism around plants offers loads of inspiration when drawing or creating a pattern.
Throughout history, botanicals have conveyed a message without uttering a word. A rose for love, lavender for devotion (or calm), daisy for innocence, ivy for fidelity, and fern for sincerity. If you receive a belladonna flower, it conveys a silent warning of danger or falsehood.
The symbolism and coded messages of flowers provide an abundance of inspiration and could be used as a theme for a fabric collection. Floriography is an intriguing subject, and I make no apologies if you end up spending hours reading about it.
Practical magic for everyday
Here are a few tips on how to add some practical magic into an ordinary day. Some may think it's stuff and nonsense, but I guarantee that none of them will cause harm.
Threshold Magic. Release the day’s heavy energy by pausing at your front door and taking three
deep breaths before stepping inside.
Animism. Use the good china or linen; it is a small act of gratitude. Some folk traditions thought
items held memory or energy. Leaving beautiful objects hidden away in a dark cupboard “starves”
them of energy.
Stirring Spell. When preparing your morning tea or coffee, stir clockwise to attract positive things
or counter-clockwise to banish negativity. You can also whisper an affirmation or focus on a goal
while stirring.
Grounding. Walk barefoot on grass to help release stress and slow your breathing. Bare skin
touching the ground helps you absorb the steady, quiet energy of the earth beneath you.
Journaling. Write down your thoughts, dreams or updates in your diary or journal. Call it your
Book of Shadows or grimoire to add a touch of magic.
Magic in the ordinary
Always remember that magic doesn't necessarily exist in extraordinary places; it can often be found in the most mundane ones.
A thought that keeps coming back to me is that maybe magic is as simple as paying attention. Not keeping an eye out for the wee folk, but paying attention to the objects we keep, the things we create and the stories passed down through families.
A surface pattern begins with someone paying attention and ends up woven into someone else's everyday life.
Perhaps that is what pattern designers do best … we notice ordinary things and turn them into something extraordinary.
