Seeds Beneath the Snow: Witches, Trans Lives, and Remembrance
Full Moon letters
Content note: General discussion of male violence against women and transphobia
We rarely get snow here where I live on the West Coast of Scotland. Winter is characterized by cold winds and driving rain, grey days and long dark nights. The Snow Moon brings with it the first signs of spring, as the snowdrops bring their quiet beauty to the dull days and daffodils spear the earth with the promise of sunshine to come.
It feels fitting then that the Pilot phase of the Pockets of Love project is under way, and some early flowers are blooming. The first Pilot group, based in the Hebrides, got underway in November and already many stitches have been stitched working the Pockets of Love emblem. The participants asked for a practice project to work on and so I designed for them commemorative Pocket Maker bags, so everyone who takes part will have a memento of the project.
I’ve also started two Pilot Groups in West Kilbride, in Ayrshire which are just getting underway. I’ve had so much interest and enthusiasm for the project it’s really uplifting. Sharing the project with other people for the first time, after it has been quietly germinating in my studio for the past 5 years, has confronted me with the sheer enormity of the project. I was joking with my Hebridean Pocket Makers, that only someone with ADHD would be wild enough to take on the task of finding nearly 3,500 volunteers to hand embroider memorial Pockets! Yet, at the same time, even with these very small beginners interest in the project exceeds the numbers needed for the Pilot Groups – with people from across the UK and as far away as the US and Canada coming to my talks and workshops. Image: Mathilde Piard, Pocket Maker Bag
As my friend said – this project is needed.
To create a memorial to women, predominantly made by women, rooted in community is inherently subversive. In our post christian capitalist society, memorial is generally marked by an object, placed by the authorities, in the community. Every village I’ve ever lived in has a war memorial placed within it, the honouring of men who died killing other men is normal and unquestioned. The honouring of women who were killed by men is controversial. I live in a country that turned on itself and killed its own women in an attempt to reach god.
Even now, to challenge violence and sexual violence against women is revolutionary. There is so much work to be done. Every woman has a #MeToo story, but what followed that powerful moment was not a reckoning about male violence and sexual violence against women. Men did not collectively stand with us, admit their violent acts and pledge to create a different world. They did not stop.
Not In Our Name
Instead, a scapegoat was sought and found in one of the most vulnerable groups of women – trans women. In 2026, the United States of America has been assessed by scholars at the Lemkin Institute for Geoncide Prevention & Human Security as being in the early stages of Genocide. All the foundations have been put in place, and trans, non-binary and intersex people are the target. Since January 2025, the UK has been on a red flag alert for potential genocide against trans and intersex people. As a witch hunt historian I see direct parallels between the targeting of trans, non-binary and intersex people and the historical witch hunts. The target is different, but the themes are the same. In Scotland this witch hunt is bank rolled by JK Rowling, who ironically made her billions writing fantasy novels about wizardry, magic and witches.
What is being asked of us?
Like seeds held frozen in the ground, some lives are being buried by the rhetoric of hatred and fear. It is our responsibility, under this Snow Moon, to name what is being done, and refuse to let the coldness of hatred decide who is allowed to survive.
Sign the Not In My Name Petition HERE
Pockets of Love is a slow, careful act of making — both memorial and community. If you feel called to join us, there are many ways to stand within the circle: by witnessing and sharing these words; by becoming a Pocket Maker; or by offering material support that allows the work to continue and flourish. All paths are welcome.
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