localwiccan

[localwiccan]

Appalachian Folk Magic and The Question Of Appropriation.

"Appalachian folk magic" is spoken of as if it were a single monolithic Tradition.

It's not. It's really really not. It's threads from multiple intermixed traditions, further intermixed and evolved due to the isolation of the people and the very overt and accepted influence of the spirits of the land and The Knowing/The Cunning/The Sight/etc.

Plenty of us don't even particularly care for the word "magic". Most abilities and operations that will be shared are shared namelessly. It might be referred to by practitioners as witchcraft, a wives tale, a superstition, but usually it's straight up just instructions.

"Appalachian folk magic" is A Blanket Term for all folk magics from the general area. Not a mystical tradition distinct from those traditions. When people don't remember the metadata of "From The Pow Wow Tradition, or From the Ozarks or From Central Tennessee" the secrets get lumped into "Appalachian Folk Magic" and people discoursing appropriation tend to suggest by implication that "Appalachian Folk Magic" is thus a distinct "open" tradition, and that every named tradition (it refers to) is "closed".

That's really a dangerous and knee-jerk skeered sort of oversimplification. Most are "closed" in the sense of being isolated and handled with a sense of reverence and secrecy, but when an appalachian person teaches you to whisper the fire from a burn, it's understood that you will carry it on.

"Appalachian Folk Magic" is not a tradition. It's a generalization for data from some tradition without metadata referring to which. In an angry sense, it's bastardization. In an acedemic sense, it's a loose identification that might refer to many traditions and which one exactly depends on the metadata.

If someone teaches you something, it matters more that you remember the familial origin for it. I. E. "My germanic/scots-irish grandmother from Eastern Tennesee" or etc.

This information can make it a lot easier to determine the actual original tradition the working belongs to, by comparison of locale, approximate era, and rationale of the working. I.E. Uncle Billy who walked to the crossroads to see the man in black is going to have different conceptions of what he's doing than Aunty Jen who was a devout Christian healer with The Gifted Knowing, and It's a weee bit disrespectful to call Aunt Jens charms "witchcraft" when Jen herself, rest her soul, would never ever call it that, you feel me?

Understanding the relation between the worker and the work is key to figuring out which strand of people originated it, but that's never really the point of sharing it in appalachia, because we'll probably tell you where it came from to the best of our knowledge. The idea of cultural appropriation really isn't a thing we think about because usually, we're sharing stories about peoples loved ones. About what it was they did and where it came from and how they understood it. Disseminating that information wholly and completely is almost in itself an act of ancestral worship for us, an act of committed remembrance for our dead.

That information is usually given under the understanding that it will be remembered and not torn up go in someone elses arsenal under another name. That would be appropriation. And a dick move.

Secrets are heirlooms.

If I gave you my dead grandfathers wrist watch, you would remember it was his when you wore it. You should have the same kind of reverence in your head for spooky secrets. Cuz they are way more valuable than wristwatches and most of us take our ancestors and their workings very seriously.

If an appalachian person teaches you something, it's either because we love you, or we loved Aunty Jen and Uncle Billy, or you have a problem we know how to solve.

Moreover, if you had to blackjack someone against the head with Uncle Billy's wristwatch - you'd be grateful to Uncle Billy for it, wouldn't you?

[localwiccan]

Choose your spell ingredients intentionally

It's all well and good to Google "spiritual protective herbs" and pick a couple random ones off the list, but do you understand why that herb is protective? Does it align with your intention?

I've always liked to use baking as an analogy for spellwork:

Let's say you want to bake a cake - yummy! You'll need flour for the basic structure, sugar to sweeten, eggs to bind the ingredients, a fat for texture and a leavening agent to make it rise.

So you pop to the shops and you grab bread flour, icing sugar, eggs, shortening and yeast.

Technically, these are all correct: bread flour is a flour, icing sugar is a sugar, yeast is a leavening agent etc. And they all work great for other baked goods! Yeast is great at making bread rise and icing sugar is super sweet on top of a cupcake.

But if you mix all of these together, the final result probably isn't going to be what you wanted. Why? Well because you haven't understood why each ingredient is needed or how a cake works!!

When crafting a spell it's important to understand what your intention is and how the spell is going to work - it can also help to think about how certain ingredients might interact within the spell.

The best way to start doing this is to experiment. Have a go at crafting your own spells and working with different ingredients. What does their folklore say? What does their energy feel like? How do they interact with the other ingredients! Keep a journal or notebook full of your notes as you build up your knowledge!

[localwiccan]

Casting a spell on you that makes you happy, by the way. Your day tomorrow will be pretty good. Something nice will happen, maybe.

[localwiccan]

If you can't practice your spirituality without always buying a bunch of stuff, you got hoodwinked by capitalism somewhere on the way.

[localwiccan]

Secular Celebrations - Midsummer

After Beltane comes Midsummer, which some also call Litha, mid to late June. I call it “probably already too hot to go outside.” I’m not exactly a summertime person to begin with and I live in Virginia, in the middle of a swamp. So the rest of you can enjoy Midsummer. I’m going to be spending it indoors where the air conditioning is.

Midsummer is the summer solstice, the middle of the growing season, the highest point of high summer. It’s a time to celebrate the hard work we’ve done, take a bit of ease while the weather is pleasant, and have a good romp before we have to start bringing in the harvests in August. If you work with solar magic or the Fair Folk, this is your holiday. Both of these themes run deep and strong through Midsummer, along with the urge to get outside and revel in the beauty of nature at peak flourish.

So enjoy Midsummer first and foremost by getting outside...if you can. If it’s too damn hot, yanno, be realistic. But at least make an effort if you enjoy the hotter weather and it’s not dangerous to be out. Go to your favorite park, maybe go to the beach, go hiking, go to a pick-your-own fruit farm, have a picnic, attend a fair or a carnival, do some stargazing. All this assumes a lot about public safety since we’re still living in the COVID era, so use your good judgement. If it’s not safe to be around crowds, try to focus on solo activities or things you can do in the safety of your home or your backyard.

This is another good time for herb-picking. If you have a garden, your plants should be producing by this point, and you can start pruning your plants and drying those trimmings for use in your craft. This is actually my favorite part of the summer. I love putting up those bundles of plants and flowers to dry, I love the look of them in my home, and I love the satisfaction of putting the dried material into jars for storage. And hey, if you’re not growing anything, you can still enjoy this by picking up fresh herbs from the supermarket or the local garden store and drying them.

You can also go herb gathering like I mentioned for Beltane, since different plants will be in season. Again, always observe permission and best practices if you’re going to do this. And always make sure you label your bundles and your jars for easy identification.

On a practical note, if you’re going to be doing things outside for Midsummer, always make sure you wear sunscreen and adequate clothing to avoid too much UV exposure, including a face covering. Remember to hydrate properly throughout the day, be careful with your alcohol intake, and if you start to feel tired or woozy, or if you stop sweating, get out of the sun IMMEDIATELY. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke, witches. Take care of yourselves out there.

And speaking of herbs and ways of keeping cool, one of the things I really enjoy doing in the summertime is making magical iced teas. I know some of my overseas listeners might be blinking in confusion right about now, so if you’ve never heard of this, let me enlighten you. In the US, particularly in the South, we’re very fond of iced tea. Now, that doesn’t mean cold tea, it’s tea that’s been sweetened and chilled, and it’s usually served over ice with lemon or mint leaves, depending on the recipe. This is a fun and easy herbal potion that anyone can make. You just need a pitcher of hot water, some herbal tea bags, some sugar or honey, and whatever flavorings you want to add.

Using several teabags or a big pouch of looseleaf tea, mix up a batch of tea that’s a little stronger than you’d usually make for a hot cuppa. Stir in sugar or honey until it’s as sweet as you like it - we usually go a step or two sweeter than you’d think. Then add whatever flavorings you like. And you can use just about anything for this. I’m partial to a nice blend of chamomile and peppermint with a good dollop of honey, or white tea with jasmine, or spearmint and elderflower, or hibiscus and raspberry. Lavender and lemon is another popular recipe, if you can get your hands on culinary lavender. (And yes, there IS a difference between lavender grown for the kitchen and lavender grown for aromatherapy purposes, so shop carefully.) Feel free to make drinks that correspond to magical purposes, too. Health, wealth, happiness, whatever you like. Sweet iced potions? Yes please!

This can be stretched to alcoholic drinks too, if you’re partial. I mean, what are we even doing with our craft if we’re not stirring spells into sangria or joining the midnight margarita club, right? My husband makes a delightful little cocktail he calls a Gardener’s Tonic - basically a gin and tonic with muddled sweet basil and lime juice and a slice of cucumber. Just make sure that when you’re enjoying your alcoholic alchemy, you’re doing so responsibly.

So once you’ve got your drink of choice and you’ve had a chance to relax, look to your homestead. Tend that garden, like I mentioned before. Attend to any pest problems you might be having, or any home repairs that might need doing. Try not to put things off. Once autumn arrives, you may find that you’re too busy. Reorganize your witchy supplies. If you’ve got new material or new tools coming in, try to declutter and get rid of anything that’s gone stale or sour, or anything that’s used up. Check your jars for signs of mold and give your accoutrements a good cleaning.

If you feel that kitchen witch itch, there’s a cream for that….it’s in the fridge next to the milk. (I apologize for NOTHING.) You can check on the beverages you started back around Beltane, or start a batch if you didn’t do one in the spring. You can start a sourdough, since that seems to be all the rage right now, or make preserves and jams with those early fruits and berries. Make food or homemade sweet with local produce and local honey. Oh and bless the bees and the pollinators while you’re at it! Bless their little hearts, they bring so much sweetness to the world, they deserve thanks for their hard work.

Midsummer is a big holiday for picnics, so if you can have one, definitely do it, even if it’s just on your back porch. If you happen to have a fenced yard and a tent to work with, maybe try an overnight campout just for fun. My dad used to do this all the time when my brother and I were kids. We’d set up a tent in the backyard, he’d drag out a TV and VCR on extension cords, and we’d stay up half the night watching movies and eating junk food. Hey, we were suburban kids, my dad’s idea of “roughing it” was having no remote for the TV. It was super fun, and if you can manage something like this, I definitely recommend it to witches with little ones. Lot of good memories there, if they’re inclined to such things.

Of course, summer isn’t all clear skies and sunshine. Sometimes it rains. But heck, that can be just as much fun. Apart from the obvious option of gathering the rainwater for magical purposes, have you ever gone out in the rain on purpose? When it’s warm out and the rain is coming down in nice fat drops and you’re wearing stuff that can stand a little soaking, few things are more fun than running around and getting absolutely drenched. I’ve got a few fond memories of walking in the woods during rainstorms with my bestie from middle school. There’s a saying that goes, “Life isn’t about avoiding the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” If there’s not a danger of lightning, I definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s really kind of exhilarating.

Midsummer is the longest day of the year. It’s the day when we see the most light, the earliest sunrise, the latest sunset. Meditate on how you can bring more light and positivity into your life, and how you can have a positive impact on the lives of others, on your community, and the world in general. Think about your productivity, your projects, your path to personal growth. How are things going? Is there anything that feels stuck that needs to be addressed? Where can you modify your outlook to something more optimistic, and where do you maybe need to take off the rose-colored glasses and be more of a realist? All things to contemplate while you’re sipping that magical iced tea potion.

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop.

The Hex Positive podcast is a proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.😊

[localwiccan]

Emoji spell for Healthy Pets

💫🔮🐾 😺☝️⭐️☝️😺🐾🔮💫

[localwiccan]

witches who support modern medicine & scientific evidence 2025 ✨️🩺💉

[localwiccan]

I love it when someone goes "I hate Wicca because it's appropriative" and then shows off their "Book of Shadows" and "Athame."

[localwiccan]

The BS-Free Witchcraft Podcast: 83. An Honest Review of Thorn Mooney’s “Witches Among Us”

One year ago I put out this podcast’s first book review. It was for Annwyn Avalon’s Celtic Goddess Grimoire, and I absolutely hated it. It was everything I despise in modern witchcraft publishing, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I felt like I needed to fix that.

So I decided to make it my mission to find a new witchcraft book I might actually like — to find something I could actually talk positively about to this show’s audience. And that’s when I found Thorn Mooney’s Witches Among Us: Understanding Contemporary Witchcraft and Wicca (ISBN: ‎ 978-0738777375) last fall.

And it turns out I really like it.

Important Links:

Buy “Witches Among Us” on Amazon

Buy “Witches Among Us” via Llewllyn

Thorn Mooney’s Website

Remember you can always buy Trae’s Books and visit Trae’s website.

The annual Q&A/Feedback episode is coming up! I need your questions — send them via my contact form by July 11th 2025 if you want me to read your question on the show!

(And, of course, don’t forget this show is part of the Nerd & Tie Network, and funded by listeners like you via Patreon. Consider joining our Discord or our forums!)

Music: “So I Said It,” “The Man With One Eye,” “Pulse,” “Untitled Nonsense” (Trae Dorn) / Random Loops (Apple Music Library)

Listen to the Episode | Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

[localwiccan]

Story for another time but I also think it's really wise to have a "stop/rest/cancel" condition to quickly indicate to spirits to release their influence over a situation, even if your spell hasn't manifested yet.

Sometimes you realize part way through that you do not want what you asked for. Or the consequences will be too high. Plans change, etc.

Poorly: "When I tell you come home, stop your work as long as the spell is already on it's way to manifestation."

Preferable: "When I tell you come home, stop your work even if the work is incomplete. Quickly return to me, even if you must leave things undone."

[localwiccan]

Also if "putting the tarot card under the pillow" doesn't feel like a spell to you then....

come over here to camera 3.

leaning over To Camera 3:

then you need to examine what made it not a spell for you and what your concepts of what spellwork looks like. Examining your own understanding of spellwork and in general magic has a net positive benefit. Maybe you aren't very loosey goosey with how you understand what constitutes a spell, but at least you'll know.

[localwiccan]

Witchy Self-Care Tip: Wash Your Feet

At the end of a long day, there can be a strong temptation to just flop onto the nearest comfortable piece of furniture and just shut down. While it does bring relief, here’s one step I recommend taking first to help you cleanse, de-stress, and disengage from the working portion of your day.

When you get home, put your accoutrements away and wash your hands. Attend to any first-thing-in-the-door rituals you have. Then go to your tub, take off your shoes and socks, get any long garments or trouser legs out of the way, and wash your feet.

It doesn’t have to be a full bath. You don’t have to bend or scrub. It doesn’t have to take more than a minute. The water can be whatever temperature is comfortable for you. Use a bucket or run the tap, whichever is easier. Flex your toes a bit, let the water run between them. Let it flow over your ankles if you can.

As you do, take some deep breaths and consciously let go of the working or schooling or errand-running portion of your day. That’s done with, and you’re home. You might still have some things to do over the course of the evening, but you’re headed for some nice leisure time too. If it helps, you can visualize the stress flowing out through your feet and into the water to be washed down the drain.

If you wish, you can add soothing herbs or bath oils to the water before washing your feet. These can be aligned to whatever magical purpose you like.

When you’re done, rinse the tub, dry off your feet, and go about your evening. I recommend clean footwear like fresh socks or house shoes if you don’t wish to go barefoot.

I do this every day when I get home, with a bucket of cool water in my tub. It’s very refreshing, especially on hot days, and I’ve found it a very soothing way to separate my work day from my evening time. Plus, it cleans my feet and softens my calluses. In the winter, I use hot water and it’s a pleasant way to warm up after tromping around in the cold or sitting in a chilly office all day.

Just a little something to help with your daily cleansing routines. Hope you enjoy!

[localwiccan]

Last night was New Year's Eve right so would you know any spells for helping oneself get over all the bad choices one might have made the previous night. To soothe regret and shame and stuff?

I have a very good spell for you. You will think this is a joke but I am being serious. In fact I am about to cast this spell myself.

Make a good cup of coffee or tea. I recommend coffee of course, it really has special shame-busting properties.

Turn on some lights, it shouldn’t be too dark. 

Think over your night and some of those poor choices. Sip your drink. Every time you come across something really embarrassing say, “well fuck that shit.”

If someone said something that bothered you, say, “fuck them”. Every once and a while say, “I’m not going to let this hold me back in the new year. Just fuck all of that.”

When you have finished consuming your beverage, and when you have told everything to fuck off, the spell has been cast. Immediately go on to a new, distracting activity.

If this does not feel magical enough to you feel free to light a candle during the process.

[localwiccan]

If there's one piece of advice I can give, it's to deconstruct your practice regularly.

How much of it is actually useful, how much of it applies to your spirits or cosmology?

Who or what do you neglect regularly? What areas need more attention, more focus? What flames need to be tended?

Is there anything that no longer serves a purpose? Can anything be simplified to greater effect? How much time do you devote to strengthening your core skills and foundations?

It's about cutting away the dead pieces, so that there is room for new growth to flourish.

[localwiccan]

NAZI PAGANS FUCK OFF

So because I damn near went over the table at somebody this past weekend, I'd like to remind everyone to WATCH FOR NAZI DOGWHISTLE SYMBOLS IN WITCHY SPACES.

Look them up (because there are a LOT), educate yourself, and keep your eyes open at gatherings and on the socials. If something seems skeevy, it probably is.

Remember - the first Nazi that walks through the door of your community space needs to be told to get the fuck out immediately and in no uncertain terms. Doesn't matter if they're being friendly or patronizing a business or "just there to check out the vibes." They do not belong there, they are not welcome, and they endanger the safety of the entire group. Because if you let one in, their goosestepping buddies will follow.

Don't wait for them to cause trouble. Throw them out. The first one is always there to test the waters.

No place in the circle for fascists.

[localwiccan]

What's magic if not a little bird song that lightens your heart? A breeze tangling your hair? A ladybug landing on your shoulder on the first day of summer?

[localwiccan]

"Starseeds are just here to raise the Earth's consciousness so it can ascend to 5D!" is literally just "missionaries are just here to bring people to Christ so they can go to Heaven!" in a new hat.

"All of these people's sacred texts and myths show that the aliens we believe in visited them in ancient history!" is literally just "all of these people's sacred texts and myths actually point to Jesus if you look close enough!" (ie, do eisegesis) in a new hat.