August 17, 2025 • 42 mins
Join Deb and Samantha as they talk with Deb's co-author Claire Gelder about their upcoming book - Crafting the Wheel of the Year which is designed to help you craft in harmony with the changing seasons. Their book teaches how how to create seventeen stunning projects designed to connect you with the natural world and aid your magical practice. Plus you'll hear all about Claire's beautiful journey to bestselling writer and avid crafter. This is a talk you don't want to miss.
For more information, check out Claire's work at clairegelder.com and woolcouturecompany.com
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend, subscribe, rate and leave us a kind review. Don't forget to join our community on Facebook by searching Psychic Teachers.
If you have a question or story to share with us, send us an email at psychicteachers@gmail.com.
For more information on us, check out our websites: debbowen.com and samanthafey.com.
You can also find Samantha on Instagram @samanthaofey.
If you want to pre-order Deb's book, go to debbowen.com or (if outside the US), check out clairegelder.com
Signed copies of Samantha’s book Heavenly Alliance and The Awake Dreamer are available at samanthafey.com.
Be sure to check out Samantha’s other podcast Enlightened Empaths.
Have a great week. Be the Light!
For more information, check out Claire's work at clairegelder.com and woolcouturecompany.com
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend, subscribe, rate and leave us a kind review. Don't forget to join our community on Facebook by searching Psychic Teachers.
If you have a question or story to share with us, send us an email at psychicteachers@gmail.com.
For more information on us, check out our websites: debbowen.com and samanthafey.com.
You can also find Samantha on Instagram @samanthaofey.
If you want to pre-order Deb's book, go to debbowen.com or (if outside the US), check out clairegelder.com
Signed copies of Samantha’s book Heavenly Alliance and The Awake Dreamer are available at samanthafey.com.
Be sure to check out Samantha’s other podcast Enlightened Empaths.
Have a great week. Be the Light!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Hello, and welcome to Psychic Teachers. I'm your host Samir
Thea Fay.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
And I'm Deb Bowen. We are so excited to have
with us today as our guest my lovely friend and
co author Claire Guelder. Claire and I have had quite
an adventure so far together with the book that we've written,
and we have a lot more adventures to come. So
join in with us as we introduce you to Claire
(00:42):
and tell you a bit about her and about our
project along the way. To Claire.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Welcome, dear, oh Dab, thank you for having me. When
I first started this journey with you, Dab, one of
the things, one of my things I wanted to accomplish
was to be on your podcast. I just take that
box and I am very cofee.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Thank you. We're here delighted that you are here with
us for this adventure. Folks. Let me tell you a
little bit about Claire. So, Claire is owner of an
amazing company in the UK called Wolco Tour and Claire
is one of the bravest people I know because she
(01:23):
gathered up well to me, would have taken incredible courage
and presented to Dragon Den's people, which is analogous to
the Shark Tank folks in the US, and she went
before them and said, we need investors and here's why
you need to invest in Wilco tour and they did
(01:43):
so she got this incredible push with this business that
she runs, and it is now a huge, wonderful corporation
out of the UK that offers knitting and crocheting materials
and tools and patterns and so much more. And I'm
going to ask you to talk more about the details
(02:03):
of that clear And she has written seven other books
before she and I embarked on this project that's Clear
in a Nightship.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
My career has been a number of journeys. When I
first started, I worked in the NHS, which is the
National Health service over here, and I wanted to be
a director. I didn't care. I just wanted to be
doing something amazing. And I got to be a director
and I was so grateful for the experience. And I
(02:33):
got there and I was like, what am I doing?
What am I doing here? Every bit of my dream
has come true, but it still didn't feel right. So
about ten years ago I had the opportunity to take
voluntary redundancy from the NHS and I did, and at
that time I have crafted all of my life. So
(02:55):
I started knitting and crochet when I was less than
ten years old and it's come through all of my
life with me. And one of the reasons is that
I was diagnosed with anxiety related depression in my twenties
and crafting as has always helped me through all those years.
(03:15):
So I left the NHS and I was like, well,
what do I do now, And at the same time
Alice said to me, well, Clatt, you have been crafting
since I have known you, and you need to get
rid of these crafts, so you need to either take
them to the charity or preferably I'd like you to
sell them. So I was like, hmm, I'm really not
(03:36):
sure about this. So I was a bit like, right, okay,
I'm going to put them onto it, but they'll not sell.
They won't sell, and everything in my body were like
the will cell, Claire, you know, the will cell. So
I put them on and within less than a day
that started selling. So these are things that I designed myself,
(03:56):
and very quickly people are started asking me for the
yarn and the wool and the patterns, and so within
a year I'd got contracts with three people. I'd got
into big department stores, and I'd started this website up,
which was Wolcture, and then I got a call from
(04:16):
the BBC and they said, well, you come on dragons
Den And they were like, well, I'm just a little thing.
Why do you want me to come? And then I
went away and thought about it, and I thought, right,
if I'm going to do something, I'll give it one
hundred percent. If I've made that decision, I absolutely give
it one hundred percent. And I went on dragons Den
(04:37):
to secure some investors and I did secure the lovely
Took Stillimon, who is just wonderful and a great inspiration.
And then I also secured another investor who was Tej
wil Varney, who also is an amazer who runs one
of the biggest vitamins and health supplement companies in the world.
(05:00):
And they've been helping me have since and so I
have all Crue now that sells craft kits and patterns
and yarns all around the world. And I'm very grateful
for everybody, all of my customers out there who've supported
me over the years.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
That is so beautiful and inspiring. No, I do want
to dive into the book, ladies. But just as a
lifelong manifestor, I have to ask you a question because
it doesn't sound like you consciously manifested this. It sounds
like it fell into your lap. Is that accurate or
did you have a vision for this?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
What tends to happen with me samounts that I get
these voices in my head. And there's two sets of voices.
There's the voices that is sort of my ego and yeah,
I want to go and do that and that'd be wonderful.
And then there's these other sets of voices that are
like that I relate to be my ancestors, my spirit
(06:01):
people on the other side, the better side of me.
And with those voices, it's like I have these conversations
so a bit like when I met Deab, I kept
getting these voices you need to write this book with
dead and I'm like, yes, right, okay, I don't believe you,
(06:22):
So give me a sign, show me something, Let me
get my pendulum, let me get my tarot pads, let
me do this. And it's almost like this two way
conversation I have when you know in the end, I'm like, okay,
I'm going to do this now. So I can't say
that it's manifesting from the point of view of doing
(06:43):
things to manifest what I want. It's done from the
point of view of listening to the deep voices inside
of me that I've found in my life take me
on the right path. Eventually. Oh, I love that. That
is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So you decided to do this project with deb and
how did you all come up with the Wheel of
the year.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Well, but before we do that, let me just point
out that I don't know how many classes Clear took
with me over a period of time, all my to
Row courses, other courses that I offered, So we got
to know each other through the courses that I taught
for listening to the podcast, and then I get this
email that basically says, we write a book with me,
(07:27):
and I'm like, wait, oh, who are you are really?
So there I was, and it was wonderful. Clear tell
a story.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yes, so I guess from my points of view and
you I wanted to do something different to the cross
books that I've done, which were very specifically croche knitting,
weave in mccrime and so on. I knew that I
wanted to embrace the path of life that I walk.
But I was looking for a partner to do this
(07:55):
with on the way, and I guess I've been listening
to the Psychic Teachers podcast and so then I'd heard
about these courses and now I'm like, okay, let's follow
these breadcrumbs. So I started doing one of Deb's course
and then I was interested and I thought, oh, I'll
do some more. And at the same time, I'm having
this conversation in my head about, you know, writing a
(08:17):
book about the past that I follow and presented to
me was dead, and I was like, well, I don't
want to do this on my own. I want to
do it with a partner. And Deb was the person
that when I listened to I could relate to deeply.
(08:38):
And I sat there going just the email and I'm gosh,
this woman's just going to think I'm absolutely crazy. And
then I'd be like, no, tomorrow, I'll email, And in
the end, I just thought, you know, what have I
got to lose? My life was always being like this.
I've always thought, right, well, let's just take that jump,
(08:59):
let's throw pebble in the pond, and let's see what happens.
Because she could only have thought I was crazy, which
would have been absolutely fine. So I sent the email
cross my fingers, and three years later, here we.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Are wonderful reminder to follow those hunches, act on your
intuition and look where it gets birthed out of it.
So were you always on the wheel of the Europagan
path or what was that trajectory like for you?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Well, when I was less than ten, I used to
see people that had passed and nobody ever believed me.
It was like, I'm seeing these people that come in
and the talking to me, the died, and the here
and the family around me, whilst it go to the
(09:47):
spiritual church and the love to do a weede board
on a Saturday and things like that. They were always
very much like, well, I'm just not shure. Anyway. The
one thing that made me start my belief was my
granddad had passed and everybody were like, no, you haven't
seen him, and they were getting quite upset, and I
(10:10):
was like, please just give me a sign to show
everybody else that this is true. Well, anyway, I slept
in this bedroom that overlooked a kitchen, which was like
an extension, so there was a flat roof and that
night it snowed and in the snow was one bare
footprint and my granddad only had one leg. Wow, no
(10:37):
way that anybody could have got onto that extension. And
I was like, look at this, I've told you, ma'am.
And that for me, regardless of whatever anybody else thought,
that for me was that affirming moment that I needed
in my life, and it's one that I've never forgot.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I think that was pretty during affirming. Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
So I was the young person that went into all
of the metaphysical stores that bought all of the books.
I've got my tarot cards that are bought them. You know.
I was probably twelve years old when I bought my
first set of tarot cards, and it's just been can't
say that I have chosen to be a pagan, but
what I can say is that after fifty two years
(11:22):
on this earth, I certainly follow the wheel of the
year and lots of other things as well.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And one of the things that I'm constantly reminding is
it doesn't matter what your beliefs are. It matters not
what your spirituality or religioproty is. The seasons come every
year in the order in which they come there's no
getting around the part fact that we go from Youle
(11:50):
to Invulk to a star, and on and on around
the wheel we go. And to honor those seasons in
whatever way we're for you is a really lovely way
to connect to nature and to have this deep awareness
of how the world spends and moves. What we've done
(12:11):
with this book is really, in many ways, to transcend
a particular belief system.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
That's a really good point to av It is not
meant for people who only follow those holidays of the year,
because I love and respect the traditional Christian holidays, but
I feel like lately they honor Walmart and TJ Max.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I was interviewed on the podcast recently where the both
of the hosts were Catholic, and so when I mentioned
m Bulk, they kind of got this glazed look on
their face, and I said, you guy also call this candlemass,
and they went, oh.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Right, right, because they've just been ejected or transformed or
adopted or whatever word you want to put in there.
But when you look at the crafts that Claire has created,
the beautiful words that you've written to go along, it
reminds us that every day is a celebration when we
connect to nature and within. And I really think that's
the gift that your book brings to everyone.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
We hope, so thank you.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
And I think from a crafting point of view all
the way through my life. I don't know about you,
but if I make a cape, and i'll make it,
I will keep it forever, or I will give it
and it will be given and cherished forever. And for me,
the crafting is not only in the beautiful words that
(13:36):
deb has written, but the crafting is in the making
of these pieces, because I believe that when you make something,
you put your energies, you imbew your energies into the
piece that you make in and that piece has a
little something of you in it and it never goes.
I've still got pieces with me that I made forty
years ago, and I hope that some of the pieces
(13:58):
that I've made and given, well, I just think that
just that little bit more special and given that love
and good intention of somebody else.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Some of the crafts that Claire has created are whimsical,
they're fun, they're cheerful. I don't do crafts, and I'll
talk about that in a minute, but they look like
they're pretty easy. So some of them are meant to
be like family projects where children could work with it
as well. Some of that, some of them are far
more complex and require real skill and expertise. And I
(14:30):
think that's a lovely gift that Claire has given in
the book. Is this range of ability or will I
don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
The right word, beginner to intermediate.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
That's the word I'm looking for. Thank you. So that's
a wonderful piece of it. And I do believe, as
she has just said, that setting the intention of the
work that you're doing, when you're knitting the pumpkins that
are so lovely, or whether you're stringing rowan berries for
you will those are lovely activities that really give you
(15:03):
time to slow down and to be and to have
an awareness of the connection to the season, and that
your hands become a tool themselves and a mechanism for
creating a deeper way of connecting to the holidays and
to nature.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
And the other thing is there. But some of these
projects may seem really simple, but some of it is
about you getting out into nature mm hmmm, actual getting
up of the morning and thinking right. I read in
the newspaper this week that most people spend twenty minutes
a week outside in nature, and I was like, oh goodness,
I'm out for at least two hours a day. But
(15:44):
it makes you think that getting up and just having
the intention that I'm going out today and I'm going
to go and collect some roam, or I'm going to
go and find some willow that's been fallen, and I'm
going to bring that home and I'm going to make
something with it. That's not only making something, but it's
taking time out for yourself, and it's saying I am
important and I am worth it, and just having that
(16:08):
time to sit and reflect and relax and make something.
And at the end of it, when I run class classes,
it doesn't really matter what's made at the end of it,
because it's the process that you've gone through and what
you take away from it as an individual. I love that.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Deepek Shobra used to tell a funny story about how
he was giving a talk on the importance of meditation
and what it does for your mind, body, and soul,
and he said there was an elderly woman in the
front row who was nodding vigorously to everything he said,
and so Deepak said to her, you must be a
lifelong meditator, and she said, no, no, no, I'm a
lifelong knitter. And he always told that story as an
(16:50):
example of how there are many, many kinds of meditation.
But every time I take up needles and i'll crochet
or knit, I always think about that because it is
so meditative, and it does remind you to just slow down,
and for me, it turns off the monkey mind when
you can just I wrote go through those ditches, the pattern,
(17:10):
or it might be your sewing machine, whatever it is,
there's just something very calming about it.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
And don't you think that's because when you're doing those things,
you haven't got time to think about anything else. So
you haven't got time to think about what am I
doing for tea? What am I What's happening tomorrow? Oh,
I've got to worry about this because actually, when you're knitting,
you've got to be counting. When you're crocheting, you're counting.
When you're stitching, you're making sure that you don't stitch
your fingers. And it's that removal of all of the
(17:39):
things that are in your head and just focusing on
this precious moment that's here and now. Which is very
much like meditation. In fact, I can get more into
knitting and crochet and the meditative state there than I
can when I'm actually just meditating on its own. Yeah. Only,
I think that's beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And I think all of us, especially those of us
who are intuitive, we yearned to create something. And I
don't know if it's because we're We've got that spark
of the creator in all of us, but there's just
something magical about making something out of just yarn or felt,
or a pine cone or a rowan berry you found,
and looking at it and going I made that. There's
(18:23):
really something very very special about that.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I have this thing in my head, Samantha, where I
have so many things I want to make, and you
can only make so much. So it's like whatever bubbles
to the surface at least ten times, then I allow
myself to make other things just have to go by
the bye who taught you? Are you self taught?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
With all of your different modalities?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
I am well crochet. It was I got hooked on
that when I was taken on a holiday up to
Newcastle and they didn't know what to do with me. Really,
I was bored. They were bored so they gave me
a crochet hook, and the lovely lady there gave me
the really thin yard that I couldn't even possibly see now,
and she taught me to crochet. And then knitting that
(19:07):
I'm told was I don't actually remember that. I'm told
it was my hand, but I do remember knitting my
own school jumper. And I didn't end up wearing it
in the end because there was all hold and everything
in it. But the point was that I knitted my
own jumper and I absolutely loved it, and I wore
it elsewhere. And then the other craft of just being
like over the years, if I've seen a craft, I've
(19:30):
wanted to make it, or I've thought how do you
make it? And it's that inquisitive mind that I've got,
and I'm like, well, I don't need to buy that
because I can make it. Why would I do that?
So it's just been the only thing I don't like
is needle felt, and you know where you stick the needle, Yeah,
that makes me really angry, and the needle is like,
(19:53):
oh no. But other than that, you know, every craft
I really love.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I was in a craft story over the weekend and
I just needed to get some more yarn, and this
little girl, she must have been eight or nine. She
was so adorable. And she came up to me and
she said, excuse me, ma'am. I know you don't work here,
but could you help me find some cotton batting?
Speaker 3 (20:15):
And I said, sure, Anny, what do you need? And
she said, I just crocheted my.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
First stuffed animal and I need a little bit of
cotton to stuff his arms. I thought my heart was
gonna split open. I was like, honey, come on, it
was so adorable. I love to see that. And I
think it's just a great thing to be able to
do as a family, like dev was saying, because a
lot of the exercises you guys have in there, I
think you can do as a group.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
There is absolutely there's lots of different things that anybody
you know, and regardless of age, really, as long as
you've got some adult supervision that there's so many opportunities.
One of my favorite ones that I used to make
with my children is the crystal you make crystal bracelets, Samantha,
but I used to make those with my children, and
(21:02):
this is one that I'm wearing that my daughter.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Made, so that's perfect. What is your favorite crab that
you created for the book.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
The Cape. I absolutely love the cape. There's something about
so cape is splitting too eights into the eight seasons,
and then I've put an edge in on, which is blue.
And that's for me. When I made it represented the
fact that I'm a pie seas and blue is my
natural color. I love the sea. And there's just something
(21:32):
when I do things at my altar, or I do
things outside, or I'm out in nature and I cape
on Now, there's just energy that's building in that cape
and I just love it. And you can wear it wherever.
It really doesn't matter. But that is the one that
I've made for a number of my friends. In fact,
(21:52):
I've got one to send over to you.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Deb Oh, Toby, you were going to and Oh, I
can't wait. I'm so excited. Thank you. Clear I love
the cape too. But I think in addition to that,
my favorite project that Claire created for the book is
the read because she created a reap that the greenery
and the floral and figures and so forth represent the
(22:15):
wheel so when you hang it, and you can hang
it from many directions, so that whichever holiday is happening
now can be at the top, for example, and it
can go around, so it's just love like I love
the reath.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah, the wreath was really my first idea for the books.
So I had this thing. I've got a thing about
circles and the continuity of them and the changing of
the seasons. And I remember drawing out the wreath when
we actually first wrote the proposal for It was the
first thing on the front page. And there was me
(22:48):
and Deb on this front page of our proposal, and
behind it was this wreath that I cobbled together, and
I just remember thinking, that is it. That is what
everything else will be built off. And in the reason
there's for different seasons. You've got corn and the blackberries
for the harvest seasons, and then you get through to
(23:09):
Yule and you've got holly, and you've got missile toeing.
They're putting little goblin bells, the little golden bells, and
it was just a real opportunity to express creativity throughout
the seasons.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
It's really fine. And that's one of the wonderful things
about many of the projects is that, well the instructions
of how to make something. The base of something may
be bit clear and sequential and rigid, where you go with.
It is just up to you. Somebody else's wreath doesn't
have to look a thing like ours, as they create
(23:41):
the whole notion behind this, you know. So I love that.
I also love the pumpkins. Clear I love the pumpkins.
It's so cute.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
But you know, just on the wheel. What I've found
is that I actually have one upon the wall here
and I've been turning it with the different season because
obviously I had This has been made for quite a
while now, and this year I'm finding that what I'm
doing is the lavender's got a bit dusty, so I've
taken the lavender off. I've picked some more new lavender
(24:09):
from my garden and I've put more lavender on there,
and I've just refreshed it as you wouldn't altered. I
refresh my altar at the changing of the seasons, and
I've been doing that as well at the same time
with the reason. For me, it's just worked really well.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
We talked a Deub about her writing process with the book.
What was your process? Like you look at Okay, we're
going to focus on this holiday. What craft am I
going to do? Tell us how you would come.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Up with that?
Speaker 3 (24:38):
It really does for me go back to what is
it inside of me that I'm really being led towards.
I was interested in what Deb thought. I was interesting
what other people thought, and I'd listen to that. But
then you know, I'm very mindful of watching things, you know,
what I'm seeing, What am I being presented with. I
(24:59):
do very much belief that we're taken down our different
paths and was shown the way, and it's up to
us whether we take that path or not. But with
there for a purpose. And one of the things that's
been coming to me lately is I've been like, why
has it taken me and Deb three years to write
(25:21):
this book? Why has it taken so long? Because actually
we could have written it much quicker. But the message
that I get from deep down is that it wasn't
about when we started the book. It's about when we
finished it, because now is the time where we've got
other work to do. And so for me, when you know,
(25:43):
whether it's crafting the Wheel of the Year book, whether
it's my own personal life, I'm constantly the older I get,
the more I do believe in my intuition, my gut feeling,
what my ancestors are telling me what the spirit guides
to telling me, and that is how I made my
(26:03):
decisions going forward.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I think one of the joys of the processes if
we're talking about how and why this took the length
of time it took it, and there were stops and starts,
and each of us had family things and stuff that
needed to be dealt with that precluded the dates, and
we both just said, it is what it is, and
it will be when it is meant to be. So
(26:26):
we really were on the same page with that. But
we also had a really spiritual perspective in creating this
project together from the very beginning. One of the things
that I did when we first had this conversation and agreed, well,
I guess maybe when the publisher said yes, was I
(26:49):
created an altar that was an altar not necessarily focused
on the success of the book, although that was a
part of it, But the primary intent of the altar
was that our work together be kind and joyful and
collaborative and lovely. That altar is still up.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
From that deb Can you remember when you wrote the
spell that we put in the beginning of the Yeah,
the prayer that we put at the beginning of the book.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
It's for my journal and that's in another room. Clear,
But very early on I wrote that spell.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Well you see that purple piece of paper on the wall.
That is the spell that you wrote three years ago.
And I was sat here and were like, right, I've
got to write this alt myself, and I've got to
give it some energy, and I've got to put it
because that's where i had my altars just over there,
and I've got to put I've got to put everything
(27:44):
around it to create this book. So I agreed. It
was for me as well, a very spiritual journey.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
It really was. And I'll be more than happy if
we can. I'll read it to folks. Yes, it really lovely.
Here it is. Okay, Dear Muses, fair and Goddess's bright,
please bless this writing with your light. Grant us Sophia's wisdom.
He that this book and all its gifts come to
(28:15):
be across time and the bright blue sea. May harmony
stand firm between you and me. Grant us joyful work together,
with no adversities to weather. Let us reach those who
want to lure and whose heart for joy yearn as
(28:36):
the wheel ever onward spends so now here. Our task
begins as we will it so mode it be blessed.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
All that is lovely to absolutely lovely, thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
And it really held true to the whole process and
still holds true. And I think that was setting. Those
intentions were really important to us.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
What has surprised you, guys about reactions you're getting from
people or early reviewers, or what has made you go, wow,
that really is helping people?
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Well, the surprises for me, so all of my books
have been they've been good. Some of them have been
best sellers, and they've been like I say, very much knitting, crochet, weaving,
MCCROMEI and I was quite nervous, well not nervous, but
I was wondering what the reaction would be to me
(29:33):
taking all the craft that I love and putting it
in a different type of book. And I was like, oh, well,
people going to like it. You know, I'm going to
get it. Is it going to sell on my website?
The response has been great, So the pre orders have
been great on our website. Like I say, it's for me,
It's gone into all of the normal book places, so
(29:53):
the big book sellers in the UK, I'm taking it
on TV. Everything is give me the right, indication that
it's going to sell as well as my other books,
which it's not about the making the money for me.
It's about the messages that we're sharing with the universe
(30:14):
and the people out there, and the fact that they're
welcoming it and they're asking questions, and I've had emails
saying just how wonderful it is that I've done something different.
So that nervousness, if you can call it, that has
been quelled a little.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
By the response that's fantastic and as it should be,
because it's such a beautiful book. Now, did you guys
work together fairly? Seamlessly?
Speaker 2 (30:40):
It was absolutely seamless. I would write peace, send it
to Claire. She would make comments. I would incorporate her comments.
We'd send it back.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
We were dying, deb had. We spent quite a bit
of time at the beginning, I think, calming our images
and just getting them into order. And I then had
my tasks to complete. Deb had her task to complete.
We shared them when we completed. Rarely were the comments
(31:12):
that things needed to change. There was just one project
that neither of us felt quite comfortable with, so I
changed that to another one. But it was such an
adult relationship. There was nobody chasing this up. But Debb
is very good at keeping us on trunk, which I
really appreciated because when I started this journey and I
(31:35):
asked Debb if she wanted to write the book, I
was already writing two other books at the same time,
and I'm like, why am I doing this? But everything
in the universe was saying, just do it, Clark. So
it was the third book that had on my plate. So,
I mean, Debb is just really organized, and I really
felt it's like my Alley in my life. You know,
(31:55):
she's really organized and it just works for me. Yeah,
she is very good at you for you a task.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
That's so true, and maybe that's because of the two
of you both being creative in the ways that you
are creative your mind's sakes and not linear fash but
at all. And mine was, well, we've got a wheel,
and to go through it. It's the way I did.
And there were times that I was writing for one
holiday and Claire was creating a project for another, and
(32:22):
that was fine. We knew it would all come together
at some.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Point because at this time I'd actually set off on
my own journey and I decided that I was going
to have a year in my caravan, and we took
the van all around the coast of Devon and Cornwall,
and we actually let out our house. I'm stutting now
(32:45):
because I was like, well, I'm never coming back here,
so I'm going to leave the house. I'm going to
rent it out. I'm going to go in my vathroom
from Epping and Cornwall. I think depth I was a
bit crazy at this point, and we did. We spent
nearly a whole year going around the around Stevon and Cornwall.
At the same time I'm making my class. So for example,
(33:08):
I've got a picture of me stood in the middle
of x Mall showing off the cape to debth that
I just made.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
No, I did not think you were crazy. I was
extremely jealous. I wanted to be in Devon and Cornwall
with you, and I know what it's like to stand
on those moors at X one and oh the horses
come by while you're working with the cap I just
love that, you know. So I didn't think you were
crazy at all. I thought wonderful.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
I think that's fantastic. All of these projects step were
actually made in your favorite place, which is define Colewell,
that's so true. Okay.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
So as we're in the whill of the year, we're
recording this in August. What's the next holiday coming up?
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Maybe the twenty first of September, twenty first ish of September.
It's the fall equinoxy offtimal equinox, so second of the
harvest festivals.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
And what about the crowd that you created to go
along with that. This is the thing about Mabon. It's
the end of what I would class the year. So
whereas generally people think that the year starts in January,
for me, the year would end with Mabon and then
the new year would start with So that's one of
(34:24):
the reasons why I put the wreath as one of
the main projects in mab On, because it was the end.
It was a start in the beginning, the birth and death,
and it just made absolute sense. The other thing that
I put in mab On was the Goddess puppet. And
this is a little felt poppet that I've made very simple,
(34:46):
and you put all of your wishes and your intentions.
So I put some flower petals that I've dried inside
of it. I think i'd put conquer inside of it
and all of my wishes and all and put it into.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
The shape is that stereotypical ancient shape of the goddess
with no legs, basically that you see all over the place.
So it's set connection to the divine feminine.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I love that and I like that you leave it open,
like you could put different things in it. Sunflowers worked
for you. Someone else might want to put a little
crystal in there, or maybe some rose petals if they're
manifesting or wishing for more love or softness in their life.
So that's really great, it is.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
And another thing that we did was we wanted to
incorporate stones and essential oils, plant based oils, and so
I spent a lot of time in meditation asking for
guidance as to which crystals to include with which holidays,
and then I wrote about them, just brief paragraph or two.
(35:52):
And the same with the oils. And some of them
you would think would be kind of logical and sensible,
like pine for you, for example, as the fragrance. But
it was really interesting what stones came up with various holidays.
So that was fun to do. Would you put for
mabon Tiger's eye and Chris hanferbumstone.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Nice, okay, and tell us what those mean to you
in terms of Mabon.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Well, just reach you very briefly. The Tiger I right up.
Tiger I is a combination of the heat from the
sun and the mountaintops turned to sand, the element of
fire and earth. Tiger eye keeps us grounded and practical,
yet offers insight from our intuition and intellect, providing the
(36:41):
best of all creative assistance. Invite Tiger I into your
workspace as you create and watch what happens.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
I love that, and so that connects to maban.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Because of the ending of the fire summer and the
coming up mountaintop of winter.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I love when we can combine all these things together
symbolically because it helps people.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
To learn and remember more easily too.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
I think so too.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
And the good job I got was when Debitt found
all of these crystals. Because I was doing the photograph
shoots over here in the UK, I had to go
and buy old crystals. So I was like, straight there
some of my favorite shop. I was like, right, we
need to get these. I love that.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
That.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
That's awesome. I would love that errand as well.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
And the specimens that she bought for the photo shoot
are just lovely. I mean, she chose some beautiful stones
and they're very nicely photographed.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
Me.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
I can't say enough about our photography.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Yeah, it really is just a beautiful book inside and out,
you know, the photos, the writing is just a pretty book.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
I do love to tell you a really funny story
about that. Of course, I was as anxious as anybody
to see it initially, and the dimensions, of course, were
set by somebody at the publisher in trick, So of
course I'm on the internet trying to figure out what
that translates to in inches, right, And the way it translated,
(38:09):
the book was like three inches by four inches. It
was tiny, and I thought, what in the world is
this about. I sent that information to Claire and said,
did I do the calculations right, because you know, matth
is not my strong suit, right, And Claire said, oh, no,
this is an error. So the book is like eight
(38:30):
and a half by ten and a half or something
like that. It's a big book, but it sure didn't
look like that in the initial material like it was.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
But I could feel Dabs as soon as I opened
my email. I could feel her worry and her runages,
and I'm like, we're okay here.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
But we've worked all this time for this little, teeny
tiny book. Oh No.
Speaker 3 (38:51):
The photographer that I worked with, I've worked with her
for the last eight years. Her names Stacey, and she
is just somebody is just in tune with everybody else's energies.
So if I go right, we're gonna do this and
it's going to look like that, and we're going to
want to feel this in it, she gets set.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
So guys, before we wrap up, tell us about some
of the pre order offers people get when they order
your book before it comes out mid September.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
So from my website, which is Wilkchcompany dot com, you
get the book. You then also get the beautiful blessing
that Deb's written, and also we sign both Deb and
myself had signed the books. You then get a Merlin
the Cat crochet pattern, which is named after Deb's cat,
(39:40):
and then you get a Minerva the Owl knitting pattern,
which is named after my owl that I saved in
New Milleden, which is a park just near to me.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
So will you get those same things from my website
if you order from me, but mine is only available
to drugs in the United States wherever you are in
the world, or from Claire's website, which again is www.
Dot We'll cotour company dot com. And my website is
www dot Debowen dot com. And the MP three is
(40:12):
a meditation that takes you through the wheel. So guide
you through this meditation of working your way through the
eight seasons of the year. But let me make this
real quick, because this is confusing to some folks. On
my website they are also links to bookshop dot org
and Barnes and Noble and Amazon whatever the offers, the
(40:35):
pre sale offers are not available if you order from
those places on my website. It's only if you order
directly from my website that you get the free gifts.
And that's just the same with mine, although I will
tell you that from my website. If you order from
bookshop dot org, which is a wonderful nonprofit organization, the
(40:58):
sales books just like any the online retailer, but they
donate a portion of the sale price to a bookstore
that the author chooses. And so if you order from
bookshop dot org wherever you are, a portion of the
sale of the book goes to Pomegranite Books in Wilmington,
North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
They're such a great organization.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
Well, thank you Claire for coming on. It's been a
pleasure to get to meet you officially and get see
you in person as well. And I know this book
is going to be a huge, huge success.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
Oh, Claire, this was so much fun. Look at us
that right, Thank you, Thank you, dear. It was great fun.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Thank you guys so much, and thank you for listening.
Remember as always, to be the light for yourself and others.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Thank care everyone.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
Thank you for listening to Psychic Teachers, your podcast for seekers,
light workers, mystics, and magical thinkers. If you like the show,
please tell a friend or leave us a review.
Speaker 3 (42:06):
Wherever you listen to your podcast. For more information, check
out our Facebook page Psychic Teachers, or.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
Our websites Samantha Fay dot com and Debbowen dot com.
Thanks for listening and have a great week.
Hello, and welcome to Psychic Teachers. I'm your host Samir
Thea Fay.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
And I'm Deb Bowen. We are so excited to have
with us today as our guest my lovely friend and
co author Claire Guelder. Claire and I have had quite
an adventure so far together with the book that we've written,
and we have a lot more adventures to come. So
join in with us as we introduce you to Claire
(00:42):
and tell you a bit about her and about our
project along the way. To Claire.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Welcome, dear, oh Dab, thank you for having me. When
I first started this journey with you, Dab, one of
the things, one of my things I wanted to accomplish
was to be on your podcast. I just take that
box and I am very cofee.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Thank you. We're here delighted that you are here with
us for this adventure. Folks. Let me tell you a
little bit about Claire. So, Claire is owner of an
amazing company in the UK called Wolco Tour and Claire
is one of the bravest people I know because she
(01:23):
gathered up well to me, would have taken incredible courage
and presented to Dragon Den's people, which is analogous to
the Shark Tank folks in the US, and she went
before them and said, we need investors and here's why
you need to invest in Wilco tour and they did
(01:43):
so she got this incredible push with this business that
she runs, and it is now a huge, wonderful corporation
out of the UK that offers knitting and crocheting materials
and tools and patterns and so much more. And I'm
going to ask you to talk more about the details
(02:03):
of that clear And she has written seven other books
before she and I embarked on this project that's Clear
in a Nightship.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
My career has been a number of journeys. When I
first started, I worked in the NHS, which is the
National Health service over here, and I wanted to be
a director. I didn't care. I just wanted to be
doing something amazing. And I got to be a director
and I was so grateful for the experience. And I
(02:33):
got there and I was like, what am I doing?
What am I doing here? Every bit of my dream
has come true, but it still didn't feel right. So
about ten years ago I had the opportunity to take
voluntary redundancy from the NHS and I did, and at
that time I have crafted all of my life. So
(02:55):
I started knitting and crochet when I was less than
ten years old and it's come through all of my
life with me. And one of the reasons is that
I was diagnosed with anxiety related depression in my twenties
and crafting as has always helped me through all those years.
(03:15):
So I left the NHS and I was like, well,
what do I do now, And at the same time
Alice said to me, well, Clatt, you have been crafting
since I have known you, and you need to get
rid of these crafts, so you need to either take
them to the charity or preferably I'd like you to
sell them. So I was like, hmm, I'm really not
(03:36):
sure about this. So I was a bit like, right, okay,
I'm going to put them onto it, but they'll not sell.
They won't sell, and everything in my body were like
the will cell, Claire, you know, the will cell. So
I put them on and within less than a day
that started selling. So these are things that I designed myself,
(03:56):
and very quickly people are started asking me for the
yarn and the wool and the patterns, and so within
a year I'd got contracts with three people. I'd got
into big department stores, and I'd started this website up,
which was Wolcture, and then I got a call from
(04:16):
the BBC and they said, well, you come on dragons
Den And they were like, well, I'm just a little thing.
Why do you want me to come? And then I
went away and thought about it, and I thought, right,
if I'm going to do something, I'll give it one
hundred percent. If I've made that decision, I absolutely give
it one hundred percent. And I went on dragons Den
(04:37):
to secure some investors and I did secure the lovely
Took Stillimon, who is just wonderful and a great inspiration.
And then I also secured another investor who was Tej
wil Varney, who also is an amazer who runs one
of the biggest vitamins and health supplement companies in the world.
(05:00):
And they've been helping me have since and so I
have all Crue now that sells craft kits and patterns
and yarns all around the world. And I'm very grateful
for everybody, all of my customers out there who've supported
me over the years.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
That is so beautiful and inspiring. No, I do want
to dive into the book, ladies. But just as a
lifelong manifestor, I have to ask you a question because
it doesn't sound like you consciously manifested this. It sounds
like it fell into your lap. Is that accurate or
did you have a vision for this?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
What tends to happen with me samounts that I get
these voices in my head. And there's two sets of voices.
There's the voices that is sort of my ego and yeah,
I want to go and do that and that'd be wonderful.
And then there's these other sets of voices that are
like that I relate to be my ancestors, my spirit
(06:01):
people on the other side, the better side of me.
And with those voices, it's like I have these conversations
so a bit like when I met Deab, I kept
getting these voices you need to write this book with
dead and I'm like, yes, right, okay, I don't believe you,
(06:22):
So give me a sign, show me something, Let me
get my pendulum, let me get my tarot pads, let
me do this. And it's almost like this two way
conversation I have when you know in the end, I'm like, okay,
I'm going to do this now. So I can't say
that it's manifesting from the point of view of doing
(06:43):
things to manifest what I want. It's done from the
point of view of listening to the deep voices inside
of me that I've found in my life take me
on the right path. Eventually. Oh, I love that. That
is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So you decided to do this project with deb and
how did you all come up with the Wheel of
the year.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Well, but before we do that, let me just point
out that I don't know how many classes Clear took
with me over a period of time, all my to
Row courses, other courses that I offered, So we got
to know each other through the courses that I taught
for listening to the podcast, and then I get this
email that basically says, we write a book with me,
(07:27):
and I'm like, wait, oh, who are you are really?
So there I was, and it was wonderful. Clear tell
a story.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yes, so I guess from my points of view and
you I wanted to do something different to the cross
books that I've done, which were very specifically croche knitting,
weave in mccrime and so on. I knew that I
wanted to embrace the path of life that I walk.
But I was looking for a partner to do this
(07:55):
with on the way, and I guess I've been listening
to the Psychic Teachers podcast and so then I'd heard
about these courses and now I'm like, okay, let's follow
these breadcrumbs. So I started doing one of Deb's course
and then I was interested and I thought, oh, I'll
do some more. And at the same time, I'm having
this conversation in my head about, you know, writing a
(08:17):
book about the past that I follow and presented to
me was dead, and I was like, well, I don't
want to do this on my own. I want to
do it with a partner. And Deb was the person
that when I listened to I could relate to deeply.
(08:38):
And I sat there going just the email and I'm gosh,
this woman's just going to think I'm absolutely crazy. And
then I'd be like, no, tomorrow, I'll email, And in
the end, I just thought, you know, what have I
got to lose? My life was always being like this.
I've always thought, right, well, let's just take that jump,
(08:59):
let's throw pebble in the pond, and let's see what happens.
Because she could only have thought I was crazy, which
would have been absolutely fine. So I sent the email
cross my fingers, and three years later, here we.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Are wonderful reminder to follow those hunches, act on your
intuition and look where it gets birthed out of it.
So were you always on the wheel of the Europagan
path or what was that trajectory like for you?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Well, when I was less than ten, I used to
see people that had passed and nobody ever believed me.
It was like, I'm seeing these people that come in
and the talking to me, the died, and the here
and the family around me, whilst it go to the
(09:47):
spiritual church and the love to do a weede board
on a Saturday and things like that. They were always
very much like, well, I'm just not shure. Anyway. The
one thing that made me start my belief was my
granddad had passed and everybody were like, no, you haven't
seen him, and they were getting quite upset, and I
(10:10):
was like, please just give me a sign to show
everybody else that this is true. Well, anyway, I slept
in this bedroom that overlooked a kitchen, which was like
an extension, so there was a flat roof and that
night it snowed and in the snow was one bare
footprint and my granddad only had one leg. Wow, no
(10:37):
way that anybody could have got onto that extension. And
I was like, look at this, I've told you, ma'am.
And that for me, regardless of whatever anybody else thought,
that for me was that affirming moment that I needed
in my life, and it's one that I've never forgot.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I think that was pretty during affirming. Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
So I was the young person that went into all
of the metaphysical stores that bought all of the books.
I've got my tarot cards that are bought them. You know.
I was probably twelve years old when I bought my
first set of tarot cards, and it's just been can't
say that I have chosen to be a pagan, but
what I can say is that after fifty two years
(11:22):
on this earth, I certainly follow the wheel of the
year and lots of other things as well.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And one of the things that I'm constantly reminding is
it doesn't matter what your beliefs are. It matters not
what your spirituality or religioproty is. The seasons come every
year in the order in which they come there's no
getting around the part fact that we go from Youle
(11:50):
to Invulk to a star, and on and on around
the wheel we go. And to honor those seasons in
whatever way we're for you is a really lovely way
to connect to nature and to have this deep awareness
of how the world spends and moves. What we've done
(12:11):
with this book is really, in many ways, to transcend
a particular belief system.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
That's a really good point to av It is not
meant for people who only follow those holidays of the year,
because I love and respect the traditional Christian holidays, but
I feel like lately they honor Walmart and TJ Max.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I was interviewed on the podcast recently where the both
of the hosts were Catholic, and so when I mentioned
m Bulk, they kind of got this glazed look on
their face, and I said, you guy also call this candlemass,
and they went, oh.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Right, right, because they've just been ejected or transformed or
adopted or whatever word you want to put in there.
But when you look at the crafts that Claire has created,
the beautiful words that you've written to go along, it
reminds us that every day is a celebration when we
connect to nature and within. And I really think that's
the gift that your book brings to everyone.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
We hope, so thank you.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
And I think from a crafting point of view all
the way through my life. I don't know about you,
but if I make a cape, and i'll make it,
I will keep it forever, or I will give it
and it will be given and cherished forever. And for me,
the crafting is not only in the beautiful words that
(13:36):
deb has written, but the crafting is in the making
of these pieces, because I believe that when you make something,
you put your energies, you imbew your energies into the
piece that you make in and that piece has a
little something of you in it and it never goes.
I've still got pieces with me that I made forty
years ago, and I hope that some of the pieces
(13:58):
that I've made and given, well, I just think that
just that little bit more special and given that love
and good intention of somebody else.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Some of the crafts that Claire has created are whimsical,
they're fun, they're cheerful. I don't do crafts, and I'll
talk about that in a minute, but they look like
they're pretty easy. So some of them are meant to
be like family projects where children could work with it
as well. Some of that, some of them are far
more complex and require real skill and expertise. And I
(14:30):
think that's a lovely gift that Claire has given in
the book. Is this range of ability or will I
don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
The right word, beginner to intermediate.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
That's the word I'm looking for. Thank you. So that's
a wonderful piece of it. And I do believe, as
she has just said, that setting the intention of the
work that you're doing, when you're knitting the pumpkins that
are so lovely, or whether you're stringing rowan berries for
you will those are lovely activities that really give you
(15:03):
time to slow down and to be and to have
an awareness of the connection to the season, and that
your hands become a tool themselves and a mechanism for
creating a deeper way of connecting to the holidays and
to nature.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
And the other thing is there. But some of these
projects may seem really simple, but some of it is
about you getting out into nature mm hmmm, actual getting
up of the morning and thinking right. I read in
the newspaper this week that most people spend twenty minutes
a week outside in nature, and I was like, oh goodness,
I'm out for at least two hours a day. But
(15:44):
it makes you think that getting up and just having
the intention that I'm going out today and I'm going
to go and collect some roam, or I'm going to
go and find some willow that's been fallen, and I'm
going to bring that home and I'm going to make
something with it. That's not only making something, but it's
taking time out for yourself, and it's saying I am
important and I am worth it, and just having that
(16:08):
time to sit and reflect and relax and make something.
And at the end of it, when I run class classes,
it doesn't really matter what's made at the end of it,
because it's the process that you've gone through and what
you take away from it as an individual. I love that.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Deepek Shobra used to tell a funny story about how
he was giving a talk on the importance of meditation
and what it does for your mind, body, and soul,
and he said there was an elderly woman in the
front row who was nodding vigorously to everything he said,
and so Deepak said to her, you must be a
lifelong meditator, and she said, no, no, no, I'm a
lifelong knitter. And he always told that story as an
(16:50):
example of how there are many, many kinds of meditation.
But every time I take up needles and i'll crochet
or knit, I always think about that because it is
so meditative, and it does remind you to just slow down,
and for me, it turns off the monkey mind when
you can just I wrote go through those ditches, the pattern,
(17:10):
or it might be your sewing machine, whatever it is,
there's just something very calming about it.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
And don't you think that's because when you're doing those things,
you haven't got time to think about anything else. So
you haven't got time to think about what am I
doing for tea? What am I What's happening tomorrow? Oh,
I've got to worry about this because actually, when you're knitting,
you've got to be counting. When you're crocheting, you're counting.
When you're stitching, you're making sure that you don't stitch
your fingers. And it's that removal of all of the
(17:39):
things that are in your head and just focusing on
this precious moment that's here and now. Which is very
much like meditation. In fact, I can get more into
knitting and crochet and the meditative state there than I
can when I'm actually just meditating on its own. Yeah. Only,
I think that's beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And I think all of us, especially those of us
who are intuitive, we yearned to create something. And I
don't know if it's because we're We've got that spark
of the creator in all of us, but there's just
something magical about making something out of just yarn or felt,
or a pine cone or a rowan berry you found,
and looking at it and going I made that. There's
(18:23):
really something very very special about that.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I have this thing in my head, Samantha, where I
have so many things I want to make, and you
can only make so much. So it's like whatever bubbles
to the surface at least ten times, then I allow
myself to make other things just have to go by
the bye who taught you? Are you self taught?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
With all of your different modalities?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
I am well crochet. It was I got hooked on
that when I was taken on a holiday up to
Newcastle and they didn't know what to do with me. Really,
I was bored. They were bored so they gave me
a crochet hook, and the lovely lady there gave me
the really thin yard that I couldn't even possibly see now,
and she taught me to crochet. And then knitting that
(19:07):
I'm told was I don't actually remember that. I'm told
it was my hand, but I do remember knitting my
own school jumper. And I didn't end up wearing it
in the end because there was all hold and everything
in it. But the point was that I knitted my
own jumper and I absolutely loved it, and I wore
it elsewhere. And then the other craft of just being
like over the years, if I've seen a craft, I've
(19:30):
wanted to make it, or I've thought how do you
make it? And it's that inquisitive mind that I've got,
and I'm like, well, I don't need to buy that
because I can make it. Why would I do that?
So it's just been the only thing I don't like
is needle felt, and you know where you stick the needle, Yeah,
that makes me really angry, and the needle is like,
(19:53):
oh no. But other than that, you know, every craft
I really love.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I was in a craft story over the weekend and
I just needed to get some more yarn, and this
little girl, she must have been eight or nine. She
was so adorable. And she came up to me and
she said, excuse me, ma'am. I know you don't work here,
but could you help me find some cotton batting?
Speaker 3 (20:15):
And I said, sure, Anny, what do you need? And
she said, I just crocheted my.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
First stuffed animal and I need a little bit of
cotton to stuff his arms. I thought my heart was
gonna split open. I was like, honey, come on, it
was so adorable. I love to see that. And I
think it's just a great thing to be able to
do as a family, like dev was saying, because a
lot of the exercises you guys have in there, I
think you can do as a group.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
There is absolutely there's lots of different things that anybody
you know, and regardless of age, really, as long as
you've got some adult supervision that there's so many opportunities.
One of my favorite ones that I used to make
with my children is the crystal you make crystal bracelets, Samantha,
but I used to make those with my children, and
(21:02):
this is one that I'm wearing that my daughter.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Made, so that's perfect. What is your favorite crab that
you created for the book.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
The Cape. I absolutely love the cape. There's something about
so cape is splitting too eights into the eight seasons,
and then I've put an edge in on, which is blue.
And that's for me. When I made it represented the
fact that I'm a pie seas and blue is my
natural color. I love the sea. And there's just something
(21:32):
when I do things at my altar, or I do
things outside, or I'm out in nature and I cape
on Now, there's just energy that's building in that cape
and I just love it. And you can wear it wherever.
It really doesn't matter. But that is the one that
I've made for a number of my friends. In fact,
(21:52):
I've got one to send over to you.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Deb Oh, Toby, you were going to and Oh, I
can't wait. I'm so excited. Thank you. Clear I love
the cape too. But I think in addition to that,
my favorite project that Claire created for the book is
the read because she created a reap that the greenery
and the floral and figures and so forth represent the
(22:15):
wheel so when you hang it, and you can hang
it from many directions, so that whichever holiday is happening
now can be at the top, for example, and it
can go around, so it's just love like I love
the reath.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah, the wreath was really my first idea for the books.
So I had this thing. I've got a thing about
circles and the continuity of them and the changing of
the seasons. And I remember drawing out the wreath when
we actually first wrote the proposal for It was the
first thing on the front page. And there was me
(22:48):
and Deb on this front page of our proposal, and
behind it was this wreath that I cobbled together, and
I just remember thinking, that is it. That is what
everything else will be built off. And in the reason
there's for different seasons. You've got corn and the blackberries
for the harvest seasons, and then you get through to
(23:09):
Yule and you've got holly, and you've got missile toeing.
They're putting little goblin bells, the little golden bells, and
it was just a real opportunity to express creativity throughout
the seasons.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
It's really fine. And that's one of the wonderful things
about many of the projects is that, well the instructions
of how to make something. The base of something may
be bit clear and sequential and rigid, where you go with.
It is just up to you. Somebody else's wreath doesn't
have to look a thing like ours, as they create
(23:41):
the whole notion behind this, you know. So I love that.
I also love the pumpkins. Clear I love the pumpkins.
It's so cute.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
But you know, just on the wheel. What I've found
is that I actually have one upon the wall here
and I've been turning it with the different season because
obviously I had This has been made for quite a
while now, and this year I'm finding that what I'm
doing is the lavender's got a bit dusty, so I've
taken the lavender off. I've picked some more new lavender
(24:09):
from my garden and I've put more lavender on there,
and I've just refreshed it as you wouldn't altered. I
refresh my altar at the changing of the seasons, and
I've been doing that as well at the same time
with the reason. For me, it's just worked really well.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
We talked a Deub about her writing process with the book.
What was your process? Like you look at Okay, we're
going to focus on this holiday. What craft am I
going to do? Tell us how you would come.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Up with that?
Speaker 3 (24:38):
It really does for me go back to what is
it inside of me that I'm really being led towards.
I was interested in what Deb thought. I was interesting
what other people thought, and I'd listen to that. But
then you know, I'm very mindful of watching things, you know,
what I'm seeing, What am I being presented with. I
(24:59):
do very much belief that we're taken down our different
paths and was shown the way, and it's up to
us whether we take that path or not. But with
there for a purpose. And one of the things that's
been coming to me lately is I've been like, why
has it taken me and Deb three years to write
(25:21):
this book? Why has it taken so long? Because actually
we could have written it much quicker. But the message
that I get from deep down is that it wasn't
about when we started the book. It's about when we
finished it, because now is the time where we've got
other work to do. And so for me, when you know,
(25:43):
whether it's crafting the Wheel of the Year book, whether
it's my own personal life, I'm constantly the older I get,
the more I do believe in my intuition, my gut feeling,
what my ancestors are telling me what the spirit guides
to telling me, and that is how I made my
(26:03):
decisions going forward.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I think one of the joys of the processes if
we're talking about how and why this took the length
of time it took it, and there were stops and starts,
and each of us had family things and stuff that
needed to be dealt with that precluded the dates, and
we both just said, it is what it is, and
it will be when it is meant to be. So
(26:26):
we really were on the same page with that. But
we also had a really spiritual perspective in creating this
project together from the very beginning. One of the things
that I did when we first had this conversation and agreed, well,
I guess maybe when the publisher said yes, was I
(26:49):
created an altar that was an altar not necessarily focused
on the success of the book, although that was a
part of it, But the primary intent of the altar
was that our work together be kind and joyful and
collaborative and lovely. That altar is still up.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
From that deb Can you remember when you wrote the
spell that we put in the beginning of the Yeah,
the prayer that we put at the beginning of the book.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
It's for my journal and that's in another room. Clear,
But very early on I wrote that spell.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Well you see that purple piece of paper on the wall.
That is the spell that you wrote three years ago.
And I was sat here and were like, right, I've
got to write this alt myself, and I've got to
give it some energy, and I've got to put it
because that's where i had my altars just over there,
and I've got to put I've got to put everything
(27:44):
around it to create this book. So I agreed. It
was for me as well, a very spiritual journey.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
It really was. And I'll be more than happy if
we can. I'll read it to folks. Yes, it really lovely.
Here it is. Okay, Dear Muses, fair and Goddess's bright,
please bless this writing with your light. Grant us Sophia's wisdom.
He that this book and all its gifts come to
(28:15):
be across time and the bright blue sea. May harmony
stand firm between you and me. Grant us joyful work together,
with no adversities to weather. Let us reach those who
want to lure and whose heart for joy yearn as
(28:36):
the wheel ever onward spends so now here. Our task
begins as we will it so mode it be blessed.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
All that is lovely to absolutely lovely, thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
And it really held true to the whole process and
still holds true. And I think that was setting. Those
intentions were really important to us.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
What has surprised you, guys about reactions you're getting from
people or early reviewers, or what has made you go, wow,
that really is helping people?
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Well, the surprises for me, so all of my books
have been they've been good. Some of them have been
best sellers, and they've been like I say, very much knitting, crochet, weaving,
MCCROMEI and I was quite nervous, well not nervous, but
I was wondering what the reaction would be to me
(29:33):
taking all the craft that I love and putting it
in a different type of book. And I was like, oh, well,
people going to like it. You know, I'm going to
get it. Is it going to sell on my website?
The response has been great, So the pre orders have
been great on our website. Like I say, it's for me,
It's gone into all of the normal book places, so
(29:53):
the big book sellers in the UK, I'm taking it
on TV. Everything is give me the right, indication that
it's going to sell as well as my other books,
which it's not about the making the money for me.
It's about the messages that we're sharing with the universe
(30:14):
and the people out there, and the fact that they're
welcoming it and they're asking questions, and I've had emails
saying just how wonderful it is that I've done something different.
So that nervousness, if you can call it, that has
been quelled a little.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
By the response that's fantastic and as it should be,
because it's such a beautiful book. Now, did you guys
work together fairly? Seamlessly?
Speaker 2 (30:40):
It was absolutely seamless. I would write peace, send it
to Claire. She would make comments. I would incorporate her comments.
We'd send it back.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
We were dying, deb had. We spent quite a bit
of time at the beginning, I think, calming our images
and just getting them into order. And I then had
my tasks to complete. Deb had her task to complete.
We shared them when we completed. Rarely were the comments
(31:12):
that things needed to change. There was just one project
that neither of us felt quite comfortable with, so I
changed that to another one. But it was such an
adult relationship. There was nobody chasing this up. But Debb
is very good at keeping us on trunk, which I
really appreciated because when I started this journey and I
(31:35):
asked Debb if she wanted to write the book, I
was already writing two other books at the same time,
and I'm like, why am I doing this? But everything
in the universe was saying, just do it, Clark. So
it was the third book that had on my plate. So,
I mean, Debb is just really organized, and I really
felt it's like my Alley in my life. You know,
(31:55):
she's really organized and it just works for me. Yeah,
she is very good at you for you a task.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
That's so true, and maybe that's because of the two
of you both being creative in the ways that you
are creative your mind's sakes and not linear fash but
at all. And mine was, well, we've got a wheel,
and to go through it. It's the way I did.
And there were times that I was writing for one
holiday and Claire was creating a project for another, and
(32:22):
that was fine. We knew it would all come together
at some.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
Point because at this time I'd actually set off on
my own journey and I decided that I was going
to have a year in my caravan, and we took
the van all around the coast of Devon and Cornwall,
and we actually let out our house. I'm stutting now
(32:45):
because I was like, well, I'm never coming back here,
so I'm going to leave the house. I'm going to
rent it out. I'm going to go in my vathroom
from Epping and Cornwall. I think depth I was a
bit crazy at this point, and we did. We spent
nearly a whole year going around the around Stevon and Cornwall.
At the same time I'm making my class. So for example,
(33:08):
I've got a picture of me stood in the middle
of x Mall showing off the cape to debth that
I just made.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
No, I did not think you were crazy. I was
extremely jealous. I wanted to be in Devon and Cornwall
with you, and I know what it's like to stand
on those moors at X one and oh the horses
come by while you're working with the cap I just
love that, you know. So I didn't think you were
crazy at all. I thought wonderful.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
I think that's fantastic. All of these projects step were
actually made in your favorite place, which is define Colewell,
that's so true. Okay.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
So as we're in the whill of the year, we're
recording this in August. What's the next holiday coming up?
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Maybe the twenty first of September, twenty first ish of September.
It's the fall equinoxy offtimal equinox, so second of the
harvest festivals.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
And what about the crowd that you created to go
along with that. This is the thing about Mabon. It's
the end of what I would class the year. So
whereas generally people think that the year starts in January,
for me, the year would end with Mabon and then
the new year would start with So that's one of
(34:24):
the reasons why I put the wreath as one of
the main projects in mab On, because it was the end.
It was a start in the beginning, the birth and death,
and it just made absolute sense. The other thing that
I put in mab On was the Goddess puppet. And
this is a little felt poppet that I've made very simple,
(34:46):
and you put all of your wishes and your intentions.
So I put some flower petals that I've dried inside
of it. I think i'd put conquer inside of it
and all of my wishes and all and put it into.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
The shape is that stereotypical ancient shape of the goddess
with no legs, basically that you see all over the place.
So it's set connection to the divine feminine.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I love that and I like that you leave it open,
like you could put different things in it. Sunflowers worked
for you. Someone else might want to put a little
crystal in there, or maybe some rose petals if they're
manifesting or wishing for more love or softness in their life.
So that's really great, it is.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
And another thing that we did was we wanted to
incorporate stones and essential oils, plant based oils, and so
I spent a lot of time in meditation asking for
guidance as to which crystals to include with which holidays,
and then I wrote about them, just brief paragraph or two.
(35:52):
And the same with the oils. And some of them
you would think would be kind of logical and sensible,
like pine for you, for example, as the fragrance. But
it was really interesting what stones came up with various holidays.
So that was fun to do. Would you put for
mabon Tiger's eye and Chris hanferbumstone.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Nice, okay, and tell us what those mean to you
in terms of Mabon.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Well, just reach you very briefly. The Tiger I right up.
Tiger I is a combination of the heat from the
sun and the mountaintops turned to sand, the element of
fire and earth. Tiger eye keeps us grounded and practical,
yet offers insight from our intuition and intellect, providing the
(36:41):
best of all creative assistance. Invite Tiger I into your
workspace as you create and watch what happens.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
I love that, and so that connects to maban.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Because of the ending of the fire summer and the
coming up mountaintop of winter.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
I love when we can combine all these things together
symbolically because it helps people.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
To learn and remember more easily too.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
I think so too.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
And the good job I got was when Debitt found
all of these crystals. Because I was doing the photograph
shoots over here in the UK, I had to go
and buy old crystals. So I was like, straight there
some of my favorite shop. I was like, right, we
need to get these. I love that.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
That.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
That's awesome. I would love that errand as well.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
And the specimens that she bought for the photo shoot
are just lovely. I mean, she chose some beautiful stones
and they're very nicely photographed.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
Me.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
I can't say enough about our photography.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Yeah, it really is just a beautiful book inside and out,
you know, the photos, the writing is just a pretty book.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
I do love to tell you a really funny story
about that. Of course, I was as anxious as anybody
to see it initially, and the dimensions, of course, were
set by somebody at the publisher in trick, So of
course I'm on the internet trying to figure out what
that translates to in inches, right, And the way it translated,
(38:09):
the book was like three inches by four inches. It
was tiny, and I thought, what in the world is
this about. I sent that information to Claire and said,
did I do the calculations right, because you know, matth
is not my strong suit, right, And Claire said, oh, no,
this is an error. So the book is like eight
(38:30):
and a half by ten and a half or something
like that. It's a big book, but it sure didn't
look like that in the initial material like it was.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
But I could feel Dabs as soon as I opened
my email. I could feel her worry and her runages,
and I'm like, we're okay here.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
But we've worked all this time for this little, teeny
tiny book. Oh No.
Speaker 3 (38:51):
The photographer that I worked with, I've worked with her
for the last eight years. Her names Stacey, and she
is just somebody is just in tune with everybody else's energies.
So if I go right, we're gonna do this and
it's going to look like that, and we're going to
want to feel this in it, she gets set.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
So guys, before we wrap up, tell us about some
of the pre order offers people get when they order
your book before it comes out mid September.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
So from my website, which is Wilkchcompany dot com, you
get the book. You then also get the beautiful blessing
that Deb's written, and also we sign both Deb and
myself had signed the books. You then get a Merlin
the Cat crochet pattern, which is named after Deb's cat,
(39:40):
and then you get a Minerva the Owl knitting pattern,
which is named after my owl that I saved in
New Milleden, which is a park just near to me.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
So will you get those same things from my website
if you order from me, but mine is only available
to drugs in the United States wherever you are in
the world, or from Claire's website, which again is www.
Dot We'll cotour company dot com. And my website is
www dot Debowen dot com. And the MP three is
(40:12):
a meditation that takes you through the wheel. So guide
you through this meditation of working your way through the
eight seasons of the year. But let me make this
real quick, because this is confusing to some folks. On
my website they are also links to bookshop dot org
and Barnes and Noble and Amazon whatever the offers, the
(40:35):
pre sale offers are not available if you order from
those places on my website. It's only if you order
directly from my website that you get the free gifts.
And that's just the same with mine, although I will
tell you that from my website. If you order from
bookshop dot org, which is a wonderful nonprofit organization, the
(40:58):
sales books just like any the online retailer, but they
donate a portion of the sale price to a bookstore
that the author chooses. And so if you order from
bookshop dot org wherever you are, a portion of the
sale of the book goes to Pomegranite Books in Wilmington,
North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
They're such a great organization.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
Well, thank you Claire for coming on. It's been a
pleasure to get to meet you officially and get see
you in person as well. And I know this book
is going to be a huge, huge success.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
Oh, Claire, this was so much fun. Look at us
that right, Thank you, Thank you, dear. It was great fun.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Thank you guys so much, and thank you for listening.
Remember as always, to be the light for yourself and others.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Thank care everyone.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
Thank you for listening to Psychic Teachers, your podcast for seekers,
light workers, mystics, and magical thinkers. If you like the show,
please tell a friend or leave us a review.
Speaker 3 (42:06):
Wherever you listen to your podcast. For more information, check
out our Facebook page Psychic Teachers, or.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
Our websites Samantha Fay dot com and Debbowen dot com.
Thanks for listening and have a great week.
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