PBP: Week 51- Zippers

Almost the end of the year, and though this post ended up late again, I am really happy with the whole process. I think it was a wonderful thing to do, and even though the official Pagan Blog Project might be ending, one of the forums I am a member of is doing our own version in the coming year!

But the topic: zippers. I love to craft stuff, and always pick up little free crafting idea pamphlets when they have them at the store. I was going through some the other day and saw some crafts for zippers, and it got me thinking.

We have zippers on so many things these days: clothing, bags, shoes. Most of us use zippers multiple times a day, and probably never think about it (or how much easier a zipper is to use verses anything besides maybe velcro). Many zippers have a hole in the pull tab, so it is very easy to add a charm to them. Even if they don't you can use a bit of nail polish or marker to add a symbol. Every time you use that zipper you will then be activating the symbol or charm.

A zipper works by weaving together the two sides of a thing so that it becomes a continuous whole. This makes them great for bringing together two things that may be connected but not working in harmony. You can take a bit of thread and stitch in your desires in the small area between the actual zipper and the thing it is attached to (or even tuck the stitches in the extra fabric where the zipper is sewn on).

If working with something like a coat zipper, why not add some protection? When you put the coat on and zip it up, you benefit from the energy you worked into it. If the zipper is on a purse, wallet or other pocket type thing, you can add security, so that the things you put inside will be safe every time you zip it up.

I have a purse that has a bunch of pockets on the outside that are closed with zippers, as well as a zipper to keep the main bag closed. It came with little faux leather pull tabs tied onto the zipper pulls, but I replaced the main one with a knotwork pull with stones attached to the ends. I have also made some jewelry style pulls with lobster claw hooks that could be used as zipper pulls. There are lots of wonderful supplies in the jewelry making selection. Many charms (for charm bracelets) come with the little clips so you can just hook them straight on. I have some like that on my backpack zippers.

Even beyond zippers that are already attached to things, you can use zippers in your workings. You can buy zippers at a craft store, and often you can find them at stores that have any kind of sewing section. They can be used whole, cut to different lengths, or separated into halves. There are a lot of beautiful zipper crafts that could easily be adapted to hold a spell or be the focus of a working (especially if you are wanting to gift it to the recipient).

Zippers would make a great tool for working on strengthening relationships. Dedicate each side of the zipper to one person in the relationship. You can sew on charms or representations of the qualities that they bring to the partnership or even the things they need fulfilled in their life. The zipper pull can carry symbols of harmony or communication. Start the spell with the zipper fully unzipped, and as you work, zip it up. If you want to really bind it well, you can sew the zipper shut after it is zipped up.

They also can work to help sever unhealthy relationships. Again, you would set up each side to represent a person, this time focusing on the things they need on their own, or the things they are loosing to the relationship. The zipper pull could be dedicated to being healthy, to happiness or even simply to separation. For this one, start with the zipper closed, and then unzip it. If you don't want to completely remove the people from each other's lives, you can leave it connected at the bottom, or if you want them gone you can separate the two pieces entirely.

You could also combine the two and do a spell to both strengthen and separate. For example, lets say you have a pretty rocky relationship with your in-laws. You don't really like them as people, but you want to get along with them better when you are around them. You could set the zipper up with the parts you don't want to associate with at the top, and the parts you want to get along with on the bottom. Leave the pull in between the two, and charge it with balance or harmony. Likewise, if you have someone that you used to be in a closer relationship with but want to create some separation but still have some connection with, for example an ex-partner who is the parent of your children. You can set the top part of the zipper for the things you want to release from your relationship and the bottom for things you want to strengthen. The pull can be dedicated to transition or peace. Then unzip the zipper to the middle.

You aren't limited to relationships between people either. You can use a zipper to bring together qualities, to merge energies into a project or separate yourself from a past trauma. The threads on the zipper itself can represent steps on a ladder, taking you from the very beginning of a project when nothing is established, all the way through to the end when it is complete. The phrase 'zip your lip' refers to keeping silent, so you can use a zipper to keep a secret or to open up lines of communication and uncover information.