Honouring nature is what we’re all about at Vesta, and the cycles of the moon are integral to nature. Sewing seeds and Harvests always used to take place in line with moon cycles. Certain plants sea creatures and fungus spore specifically in line with the light of the  moon. It is also said that more births happen on full moons!

The moon controls the tides!!! And what are we as 90% water if not entirely at the will of the moon. We’re just mini oceans inside our human containers.

And since so many of you loved my last post on the full moon, here’s your full moon update for tomorrow.

So the moon is full in Scorpio. And whilst during full moons we let go of what doesn’t serve, Scorpio is the sign of death and creation… but death usually comes before and to make way for creation…

This month we have a super rare lunar eclipse in Scorpio too.. eclipse energy can be intense.. as the light comes and goes as the earth blocks the light from the moon so it can feel like a storm or lightening (energetically). Since lunar aspects tend to control our emotions, we can expect to feel this on an emotional level.

So intense Scorpio full moon, intense Scorpio lunar eclipse…

What doesn’t serve needs to be let go of… the phrase that keeps coming to me is we must descend to ascend, hold on to let go. I

It’s like we have to hit those depths, those shadowy places, understand them and then let go let go let go… it might be dramatic too..

The caveat to this is… I always think you need to feel into your own feelings around astrology. This isn’t a foreboding message. Just astrology pieces I’ve picked up along the way, and how I feel the energy right now.

But… just to say, if there is something that is pulling from your grasp, don’t be afraid to release.. you’re creating space for the next phase..

So go easy… look after yourself.. plenty of space and plenty of grace. Naps and lots of water too.

Lunar and eclipse blessings to you all.

Since the coronation isn’t exactly sustainable for the environment or for the economy right now, we’ve got some easy sustainable ideas for your celebrations. 

Leave the plastic bunting in pound land… it will exist forever, until it degrades into micro plastics and heads into the stomachs of marine creatures… instead, decorate with fabric bunting.. organic cotton is best if you’re buying, or paper that will eventually bio degrade. Or if you’re handy, cut up some old sheets and make your own. Simplest sewing project ever. 

Rather than buy plastic trays of shop bought food, support a local caterer or deli. It will have a lower carbon footprint and support a local business.  Avoid buying mountains of food. Food waste in landfill causes methane, a green house gas more than 86 times more toxic than carbon dioxide. Make a big batch of something like chilli or tagine, fresh salads and bread. Anything uneaten can be frozen for meals later in the week. Spend the money you might have spent on donating to the local food bank.

Rent partyware rather than buying loads of plastic disposable stuff. Any thing disposable causes the hugest strain on our carbon footprint. From the processing of trees and forests being felled, to the enormous production required to turn trees into paper and card for plate, the printing and dying of the paper to be turned into a decorate plate and then packaged, probably in plastic and shipped from China, only to be binned after one use, is quite frankly, an outrage and should be banned. 

Decorate your table with foliage and flowers and candles for when the sun goes down. Pick out your favourite vintage glassware.. life’s too short to leave it on the shelf.  Use your best luxury napkins. Make flower crowns and honour your self as a resplendent and powerful king or queen in your own right.

Witch by Lisa Lister, on a Frieda Khalo Cushion.

To anyone who is interested in honouring the pagan rituals and festivals… the ones that are deeply ingrained in our psyches. The ones that follow the seasons and nature and honour feminine principles as well as masculine… the ones that our ancestors would have celebrated during their lifetimes pre industrialised life… i whole heartedly recommend this book, Witch by Lisa Lister @sassylisalister. https://www.lisalister.com/

This was one of the first books I used to start me on my journey of a more authentic and empowered lifestyle. It helped me connect with the seasons and gave more spiritual meaning to my life without being at all religious.

The principles in this book are wholeheartedly connected with sustainability in that, it is the only way to live. Consumerism isn’t mentioned. There’s nothing you need to buy to be more sustainable… simply honour the seasons as our ancestors would have. Create a simpler, more beautiful and more grounded lifestyle.

#vestaliving #vestasustainableliving #witch #pagan #beltane #seasons #nature #sustainable #sustainableliving 

True story… when i went to university, i couldn’t understand why the bath kept getting dirtier and dirtier.. I remember thinking about how the bath at home never looked like that, but it was a blue, so I figured maybe that was the reason. Obviously my mother was cleaning it and I never saw her do it.. but when my housemates girlfriend came to visit, she pulled me aside and gave me some step by step instructions as to how to clean the bath.. I was hugely confused, i mean, i kinda thought baths were self cleaning and also, why wasn’t she telling her boyfriend about it? It was a very confusing time for a young,never cleaned a day in her life, girl from birmingham. I’d like to say, since then i never cleaned another bath in my life… but instead, the opposite is true and i clean the damn bath every goddam day.

And I like a luxury bath, with oils and salt etc, so there can be a rim of dirt… especially if the boys have been playing rugby. Not quite as bad as my uni bathroom… thanks to @claire.barley.50 for finally teaching me to clean in my second year… (tho I wish i could still fain ignorance).

Anyway, i was using harsh sprays on the bath, as my homemade sprays didn’t make the impact I needed them too.. but even the method sprays made me cough when I used them due to the harsh chemicals.. 

One day I got my bar of dish soap and rubbed the bath with it directly.. and holy Jesus, it came up sparkling. So i created our dish soap saver, which is the best thing EVER!!! Cleans the bath shower and sink and even the loo… just as well as harsh chemical cleaners, but zero health damaging chemicals and Zero plastic. Just chop off a piece of dish soap, pop it in the saver. The best thing is that if you’re a little casual about getting all the soap residue off the sides, it’s perfectly fine if some ends up in the water, as its totally natural and fine to use on the skin. 

Total winner all round, apart from all the actual cleaning…

#vestaliving #reluctantcleaner #sustainablecleaning #bath #pinkbath #toxicfreecleaning #marseillesoap #soapsaver #dishsoap #dishsoapsaver #sustainablebathroom #plasticfree #plasticfreebathroom #sustainableliving #plasticfreeliving #zerowasteliving 

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE EARLY BIRD OFFER FOR OUR MOTHERSDAY WORKSHOP!!!

Book via link in bio.

This workshop is for you if you are sick of buying the same old stuff and you’re looking for a unique gift or experience. 

 If you are looking to connect with other people 

If you are looking to learn a new skill 

Eye pillows are a welcome addition to your daily routine and rituals… 

If you are looking to deepen your meditation practise. 

If you struggle with falling asleep. 

If you practise yoga and want to deepen into savasanna. Integrating your practise. 

 Included in the workshop 

Learn to sew your very own eye pillow from scratch 

Learn the basics of how to use domestic and industrial sewing machines 

Fill your eye pillow and learn about the benefits of herbs 

Herbal tea, fizz and nibble provided 

All in the setting of our green corner of  digbeth 

Living your dreams isn’t always easy.

Since I’ve started Vesta, we’ve been through a pandemic and homeschooling.

I signed a lease on the studio when went into Second Lockdown measures and Digbeth has become an inaccessible building site.

Last year I lost my seamstress because I couldn’t afford to pay her the increased rates she needed to charge because of the cost of living crisis.

I had a cash flow issue as I messed up my tax return. I ended up paying a bigger bill than I should have… so I had less money in my account when I had my big orders come in.

The big orders are amazing.. but in retail you don’t get paid until at least 30 days after your order is delivered.. so with a cash flow dip I had to use our family savings to pay for materials and rent until I was paid.

Speaking of rent, that’s also increased in line with the cost of living.

I did the majority of making the products last year work, with some help from my angel friend Penny.

I barely took any time off through last summer, my only holiday was 6 days in a tent… which was actually bloody lovely.

Every so often I feel like I should give this all up and get a job… but reading job descriptions gives me anxiety. I haven’t been employed in a “proper” company for 10 years… I worry all the time that my skills are completely out of date for the jobs that exist now should Vesta not stand the test of time.

Mentally, running my own business has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, tho actually second to post natal Depression.

I’m an emotional person. I’m a flawed person, with my self esteem tied to my perceived success. Sometimes i judge my own position in relation to friends who have continued climbing the corporate ladder and have reached some high highs. In a world where value is placed on a financial success and provision.

In honesty I’ve hit a low… I haven’t experienced one like this for 18 months or so……… I’m tired, I’m lonely and I’m aching for something.. the ocean i think.

There’s always a voice though. Sometimes it’s quiet and sometimes it’s loud. Right now it’s a quiet voice and I have to search for it… but it says… you are creating something different. Not just a shop, not just products but a blue print of a way of life, a simple

way we can improve life for humans on earth.

Living this way takes strength… and it isn’t weakness that makes me question what I do. It’s part of the cycle. It’s part of me. It’s part of the process.

I know that I am putting into the world something that I want to see. Sometimes it’s hard to describe it in any other way.

That thing is sustainability and true integrity in process, in fabrication and in relationship to our earth. It also is in reverence to the feminine… creativity, rest, community and care. It’s about questioning systems and institutions that try to dampen critical thinking.

It’s about the knowledge that lives in our bodies, that exists in our ancestral lineage. The knowledge that is key to caretaking and stewarding the land.

The idea that rather than leaving wealth in currency and assets and inheritance that we leave this planet having taken care of our piece. That we got involved in something bigger than ourselves. That we pass down the knowledge of how to steward the land.  How to take care of ourselves. Sharing our histories and herstories.

It’s about shining the light, a beacon of what could be. Of a better way in my eyes.

And beyond everything… it is about love. A deep love of the ocean and her watery depths. Understanding that the key to health of the world is held in the health of the waters here.

I’m not giving up on that.