My hands tell stories, more than I ever can remember. There are scars on knuckles, backs, palms and fingers. There are new cuts and bitten nails and skin that's dry whenever I've had a tattoo long enough not to moisturize it every day. There are old callouses and lost nerves and terrible circulation.
The other day my best friend asked me what some scars on my left hand were. I had no idea, but I had matching ones, in the same spot, on my right hand. Whatever I managed to do years ago, I did accidentally symmetrically. My thumbs are covered in scars that I do remember, from having a chunk of a thumb lost in first grade, to having my other thumb run over by a figure skate when I was twelve. They tell of my time spent as a rower, of blood and sweat and the power earned from pain. Right now they tell that I work a lot of time at a computer.
Hands are of doing, of done, of action. Obvious, right? They are the societal metaphor for hard work, and usually well done hard work. Such well made things are made by hand. Usually, things made by hand are also made from scratch. These objects are made with intent, with extra time spent to start from the raw (or more raw) materials and put in the effort to shape the materials into the object with one's hands. Even if these objects are sold, given away, or otherwise out of the possession of the maker, they still hold that power of being by hand.
Recently, as I have been diving back into the spiritual and magical parts of my life, I have picked up crafts again. My tarot cards need a case, or a bag. I need to make a set of runes. Then, those runes will need a bag.
I'm a person who spends large quantities of time thinking. Except, magic is about doing, is about action. I can think about this spell, that ritual, but it doesn't really matter unless I do it. Those actions become more powerful with more time and intent invested, and in a sense, more of my hands. Even outside the direct realm of magic, things that are done by hand often have more power than than things made in other fashions. Gifts have more meaning, there is more emotional investment, because some person took the time to actually make this object.
Admittedly most Pagans I know feel this way. We try to shop at local stores, or buy things from individual Etsy sellers that make their own products. We make our own candles and grow our own herbs. Pagan handicrafts are found all over the internet.
Except, while I make and do things by hand I forget to apply this to the Craft itself. I remember my breathing, my intent. I remember the words, the motions, the visualizations, the steps, the candles, the bowl, the incense, the knife, the blanket, the salt, the bones, but I forget my hands. I often end up with something just slightly off. I know that the effort could have been done better, that it could have been more efficient, and I am right. I forgot to use my hands. I remembered to engage my mind, my breath, my sight, my smell; I remember the music and will even sometimes have something to east or drink for taste. Everything is engaged except the very large part of me that feels as if I forgot to implement action and thus am not crafting, not making. Or even destroying. My hands are left at my sides and I forgot to do.
There is a sort of action in contemplation and meditation. I can easily do the mental gymnastics that lead me to see them as a mental craft. But I am the sort of person who spends too much time in thought and not enough time in action. The odd part is that I am a maker and a technician in much of my life. I forget to apply that to my magical and spiritual life. I forget, and my spiritual life suffers. My magic suffers. I do not do as well for myself or my gods.
Plenty of people need to think more. I need to do more. My hands have had so few new scars recently.
As a note- I caught interest and decided to do the Pagan blog project back around letter D. Life finally organized itself to manage blogging about spooky and spiritual matters only recently. Thus, post two of my new-ish blog is on H for the Pagan Blog Project. I'm going to try to go back and fill in the other letters over the course of the year.
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