Wylde Wisteria is the ongoing root system that connects me back to my old Florida home. It connects my transient state, no matter where I am, back to the mossy live oak trees that canopied my childhood.

While connecting with home is oh so important and present in everything Wylde Wisteria is, what is more prevalent is my faith. As an ex-Catholic, navigating the idea of faith can, at times, be the hardest thing I’ve done internally. Breaking strong lineage ties to the church and setting myself free from the hierarchical church of God meant giving up part of how I was raised and with that, part of my very own family connection.

It is not that I do not think God does not exist. In fact, I believe He exists. But I believe that He exists alongside the other gods. From the Greeks to the Norse to the Aztecs, I believe that all their gods exist in this world. Which you choose to follow is merely like buying a car — it is your choice. Taking the time to research and weigh your options before committing to a long-term relationship. That is what worshiping a god is like to me. And then beyond that committed relationship with one or more deity, there is the earth. The land. The rain. The wind. The ocean. Those rule over my path more than any one primordial god/ess ever will.

Part of my path, from the very start, is veiling. To cover one’s head in honor of their deity or faith. To show respect.

In the beginning, veiling was a scary and touchy subject. Scared to step on toes of those who would not feel kindly toward me practicing veiling. But in the end, that fear was a misguided redirection of leaving the Catholic church. To be truthful, everything scared me then. It wasn’t just the idea of wearing fabric atop my head in public or in private.

Even so, such fears are hard to grow out of. I knew I needed to and wanted to veil for personal and public practice, but how could I do it in a way that felt right to me? Felt like I wasn’t insulting any other religion that practices it? So, being naturally inclined for sewing and crafting, I started to make prototypes.

I cut up old T-shirts that belonged to my husband and tried to figure out what felt good. What length. What shape. How it would sit. How it would even feel. And then? It happened. I cut the first piece of fabric that would certainly change my life. And so far it has.

From start to current state, it has been a whirlwind of cutting and sewing and creating. People resonated with them. Liked them just for fashion. What was just a veil for me was now a fashion statement for others. I was, for all important terms, flying under the radar. Not immediately sticking out as religious. The perfect veil.

But it doesn’t stop there. Oh no.

While veils started Wylde Wisteria, they are not the end all, give all.

Bath brews made to help spiritual people achieve goals. Tea blends that touch a special part of your soul. Ideas upon ideas bubbling just around the corner. Wylde Wisteria is everything that I need it to be. It is not committed to one way or another. It is wild. It is free. It does not shy away from pain or from challenges. It grows where no one thought it could. And that is special.

Stick along and see how it grows. See how I grow in my own practice. Everything is connected through the earth from which we came. We are born together and we will die together.

This is Wylde Wisteria.

Subscribe now