#ozark witchcraft

[the-trans-folk-witch]

The Green Devil of the Ozarks: The little green fairy of... moonshine?

It was 2005. I was with my grandfather in an old shop similar to "dick's 5 and 10" outside of Branson, Missouri. This is where The Green Devil caught my eye.

My grandfather frequented little old fashioned stores like this. He loved collecting all kinds of gadgets. Old movie posters, salt water taffy, and soda parlor paraphenalia. It was heaven on earth to him in this little corner of the world that was stuck in an older Ozark time. His house wasn't too dissimilar to a crackerbarrel gift shop. All kinds of wooden toys and dolls. He loved his little knickknacks. But on that day he found it. A copy of an old French absynthe poster with "the little green fairy" smirking at the viewer. He had to have it. It was being sold for $8! frame included! If only the seller knew the true value of it. Or how it's mere existence was breaking so many copyright laws.

Maurin Quina, as it's named, is a French apéritif advertisement painted by Leonetto Cappiello in 1906. The drink was made illegal soon after its creation. But this poster is now being reused today. It was not well known in the US at all back then. Not even in the 2000's. but my grandfather being a moonshiner, absynthe fan, and art history drop out, knew all about it.

My grandfather was not as religious as the rest of my family. But he sure prayed to God when he was trying to avoid the law. He was selling homemade moonshine without any sort of license or proper knowledge of sanitary practices. It was an arte form he learned from his father that I never had the pleasure of learning.

He decided to hang this new poster up in his storm cellar where he kept his aging bottles of various liquors. Over time it developed A life of its own. My grandfather would kiss his hand and place it on the poster of the little green fairy after every jar was sealed or sales were made. I Don't think he saw this as devil worship so much as just a simple good luck ritual. Not too disimilar to his high school basketball team kissing the image of their mascot before a game. He always practiced these superstitions even though he didn't seem to really believe in them.

Fast forward to today. I'm an Ozark trad witch. So of course I now work with this image as if it is the devil himself. He is a devil that rules spring and summer. Drunkenness, poison, lunacy, fairies, and nature. He is associated with law breaking, alcohol, healing, harming, and fertility. With Easter coming up He is on my mind heavily. A time I feed him red dyed eggs symbolizing the blood of christ and the blood of good Christians. I feed him this with intentions of causing those which share the eucharist to lust. Poisoning the church so to speak. I attend mass in spirit form and dip my blessed turkey wish bone down in the communion wine. The turkey is symbolic of love in the Ozarks. And the wishbone is horned like the stang, and my devil. Midnight mass on Easter is filled with drunkenness and sex. Those consuming this spiritually poisoned wine are consumed with lust for others in the church. An orgy ensues in the great house of God. Only for all members to awaken Easter morning with no memory of the incestuous rituals performed with their brothers and sisters in christ. To do such things in the house of God and not confess them (due to not remembering) is damanble. This is my goal as a witch. To bring the witches Sabbath to the church and to pervert the souls of good men.

By turkey wand and lustful stang I complete my work in the devils name.

A call to the Green Devil:

"Envy is his name. Drunkeness and poisoning are his arte. He is Lord of the little people and plants alike; come little green fairy and bring your lust and your lunacy. Green devil rise from the roots below like a serpent. Green devil come down from the tree tops like a booger in the night who takes its flight. Join me in this witching hour oh beast of the green and hear my call to the wild. By my witches flame may it be so."

Look out for a post on the black and red devils later this year. Our horned one changes with the seasons

[ozarkdirtwitch]

Black Salt

There are as many ways to make it as there are magical practitioners, but this is MY way:

Fill the bottom of a small vessel with sea salt

Spend weeks burning herbs and resins on it with charcoal

When I have enough ashes, mix them together with the salt and blitz them in the spice grinder

Optional - add graveyard dirt, rust, and sulfur salt

I like this method because it allows me to customize the herbs I burn for the salt. Right now I am working on one that focuses on expelling sickness, so I am mostly burning herbs such as yarrow, plantain, mullein, and cinnamon.

[ozarkhealingtraditions]

I’ve got another series of virtual classes coming up at Catland Books NYC! For more information and to purchase tickets, follow the links below.

January 8 - Ozark Folk Magic 101 @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

A general overview of folk magic rites, rituals, and spells, from an Ozark point of view. A great class for beginner witches and folk magicians as well as seasoned practitioners wanting to brush up on their foundational practices and considerations. Specific areas that this class will cover include:

Foundational Ozark worldview and the relationship between humans and magic.

Interactions between the Human Realm and the Otherworld.

Magical considerations that form the basis for Ozark rituals e.g. auspicious timing, locations, and repurposing household objects for magic and healing.

Materia of Ozark folk magic with a focus on plants and non-plant-based ingredients, tools, and other items.

Each topic will include practical guidance as well as rites and rituals specially formulated for this class.

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

January 15 - Ozark Bible Magic @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

Along with the almanac, the Bible was often the only book owned by Ozark hillfolk until the modern era. At one point in our past, the Bible was the source not only of spiritual teachings, but also a combination reading primer, divinatory system, and spell book.

We will be looking at the position the Bible has held in Ozark traditions of healing and folk magic. In many cases, hillfolk families might not have had a spiritual connection to the Bible but still recognized the text as a valuable text for working magic in the world. We will be looking at verses and passages that have long histories of use in the Ozarks for specific purposes like healing, protection, retribution (or cursing), as well as love and money magic. We’ll also look at rituals that have developed amongst hillfolk using these biblical texts as well as using the Bible itself as a divinatory tool as well as a protective amulet.

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

January 22 - Twelve Houses of Healing @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

The figure of the “Man of Signs” or “Zodiac Man” serves as a foundational guide for most traditions of Ozark healing and magic. This figure was often committed to memory, but could also be found in the home almanac (and it is still printed in the major farmers’ almanacs today.) In Ozark healing theory, the primary effect of illnesses (physical or magical) is that they force the Twelve Houses of the body and their associated signs out of balance. This creates disharmony and manifests as bodily symptoms. Bringing the body back to equilibrium is therefore the main goal of the traditional healer. The main tools in their satchel are divinatory methods aimed at finding the exact location (Zodiac House) where the illness or hex is rooted in the body. Knowing this then provides a plethora of correspondences that can be “countered” as part of the healing process.

We will be looking specifically at the role of the twelve bodily houses in the healing process, how healers and magical practitioners diagnose these houses, and methods for correcting imbalances in the houses using elemental and zodiac correspondences.

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

January 29 - Ozark Plant Magic @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

The Ozark region is prized for its biodiversity and at times throughout history has even been targeted by researchers and herbalists alike because of its many healing plants. In this class, we will look at the most important plants for Ozark practitioners, both for their medicinal and magical values. We’ll examine how the relationship between practitioner and plant spirits have developed into the modern area. And of course, we’ll take a look at specific traditional herbal remedy recipes from the region as well as a few spells using amazing mountain botanicals like the “Holy Trinity” of Ozark plants: red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.).

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

February 5 - Ozark Love Magic @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

A controversial area of magic, even amongst traditional folk healers and magicians. In the Ozarks, love magic was once as necessary as work for healing and fortune. Today, love magic continues to pique the interest of those looking to folk magic practitioners for help. Ozark hillfolk have both inherited as well as developed a rich relationship with magical practices aimed at the heart. Everything from divination rituals to locate your true love, to fashioning love-drawing (or sex-drawing) amulets, to ritual methods of healing, binding, and breaking relationships.

We will look at Ozark love magic divided into three main categories of 1) divination 2) amulets, and 3) ritual work. We will be looking at specific spells and methods from both the much older folk record as well as how modern practitioners have approached and evolved love magic today.

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

February 12 - Ozark Witches: Fact & Fiction @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

Witchcraft has occupied a controversial position in the Ozarks since the first white settlers came to the region in the early 1800s. For many, there is a firm separation between the role of the witch, who is said to always do harm, and the healer, who is said to always do good. Many other magical practitioners of the past and present have occupied a much more neutral area and have used their gifts to both give and take away. For these individuals, the role of the healer or gifted individual in the community is likened to nature itself, which exists outside our human conceptualizations of “good” and “evil.”

We will examine the many sides of this complicated story, from the point of view of proud witches themselves to the old tall tales and legends about broom-riding grannies and child-stealing hags. We'll try and separate some facts from the fiction and even throw in a spell or two you can use at home.

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

February 19 - Ozark Graveyard Magic @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

The graveyard has always been an important part of Ozark folk magic traditions. In the old days, this was where a witch could be born from an ordinary human and where the “veil” between worlds was constantly thin. Graveyards aren’t just for the spooky ritualist, however, and have traditionally been a site for the work of Ozark healers as well. For many mountain practitioners, historic and modern, healing work includes not just serving the living but also the dead. These shades often figure as guides, guardians, patrons, and ancestral helpers in many healer stories as well as aids in the process of healing or “elevating” the restless dead as well.

We will be examining Ozark folklore situated in the graveyard as well as look at some of the many ways healers and other magical practitioners have incorporated this all-important work with the dead into their own lives and rituals.

All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

February 26 - Ozark Spirit Archetypes @ Catland Books (Virtual)

Time: 6-8pm (Central) 7-9pm (Eastern)

Location: Virtual

Purchase Tickets Here

Ozark verbal charms and prayers often invoke archetypal figures as helping spirits in the work at hand. These archetypes are seen as being far more predictable in their correspondences than individual spirit entities, who often have their own goals and desires that might not align with the magical practitioner’s. Some of these spirits are metaphorical individuals, for example, invoking the figure of Prosperity in a ritual seeking aid for the success of a business or job. Others are figures found throughout Ozark folklore like the character of Clever Jack (of beanstalk fame.) And it is these folkloric archetypes that we will be examining in this class, seven in particular: The Fortunate One, Clever Jack, Green Thumb, The Aunty, Mother Mary, Silver Eye, and Old Scratch.

​All classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent out to the ticketholders the day after each event. These links stay active for 30 days.

[riveroracle]

Lie Down in the Evening

By Christina, River.Oracle

Some days I wake up like an ox

I earned these stout stone shoulders

I learned to carry her

In the vast empty cold, alone

I marvel at my strength like the rock wall reaching heaven

This cliff is where the angels jump.

Some days I only carry my feet.

If it's a cloud or only the snow in the wind, I can't tell the difference.

I haven't seen a green thing for so long I tried to grow leaves inside of me

There's too much stone in my soil,

Like the land where I was born

Some days I am the bison

Unyielding under the weight of a million carcasses who came before me

I try to paint their bones but there are so so many

Instead they carve into my skin and bones and remind me of the grassland my mother once knew

The earth combs her hair

And stillness falls away, a petal in the wind

Some days I am only dust.

Peace looks like surrender to the wind.

Her tears sting my face as they crash down from heaven,

I think clouds are another world.

If I could just reach my hands into her nothingness and draw them out like something new and unborn

If I could be the seed, reaching, still blind under the soil

The sun has yet to hit my face

I am cold and some days I'm comfortable that way

It's the moon who has seen me, shedding, writhing

A dance that no man would recognize

Her gentle kiss is the key to my stuck ribs

Some days I am the black walnut tree

I mark black every finger print that ever touched me

Sometimes it's love, but you'd never know if it wasn't.

When the night falls in like leaping into the abyss,

The stars are easy for my tired eyes.

They paint me in colors I could only hope to learn.

The dark settling under the trees like so many ravens, beckons me away from the fire.

Lifeless, still, I collapse

My bones tumble in a hollow clatter

In the dirt, I lie, jumbled, unafraid of the dead things

Sometimes I think I'm one of them

Or I wish to be, I feel my skin

Piece by piece, opening to let the earth in

The earth opens and lets me in too.

When the dawn strikes me I will remember the lightning

It struck me like I've never been struck

But I have.

I've only forgotten the embrace of the thunder.

I rise again on feeble legs

And there lies the ox, the bison

I wonder if I am one of them.

Their pelt stripped away, their hearts and kidneys and so much blood exposed.

I think I remember the seed I was

I try to imagine it, before the wind kissed me

Before the moon became my lover

Before I needed the ox's shoulders.

I wonder if bison ever kneel before the sunset

If they bow their horns to kiss the beloved earth

I wonder if the ox ever lies down in the evening.

I wonder if they miss the sun.

If the rain on their face looks like so many tears.

[theeoriginals]

Something with Klaus based on this quote from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

“… You listened.”

“To you? Always.”

I NEED the tension PLS

what a feeling | klaus mikaelson

klaus mikaelson x psychic!female!reader (no y/n)

author's note; this + the oneshot I did with the ozark quote are so fun to do, if y'all have any more tv/movie quotes you want me to do fics with send them in <333

warnings; umm vague mentions of violence but ultimately nothing besides fluff, reader is kind of an anxious mess but it's short and sweet

Her powers had always been somewhat of a burden. They were unreliable at best, dangerous and deadly at worst. She'd been on both ends of the spectrum, and even though the power that ran through her bloodline hadn't skipped her, it might as well have compared to everyone else in her family.

It'd made her somewhat of a black sheep amongst wolves. Her dreams, visions, couldn't be trusted. She couldn't be trusted.

Her family never really let her forget that, so the first time two Originals walked into her family's innocuous shop, she figured they wanted her mom or dad, or someone else– anyone but her.

But Klaus had set his eyes on her and said her name like it meant something. Like it wasn't basically a curse in and of itself.

The Mikaelsons were kind to her, despite all of the trouble she came with. Rebekah was sweet and mostly understanding, though she could sometimes be a bit hurtful without realizing it. Elijah was ultimately the same, and his interest in witchcraft always made her remember how much she really did love it, even if she was considered cursed by most witches in New Orleans.

Elijah had told her all about how their mother was the Original witch, and that if they hadn't been turned into vampires, they'd all have a bit of magic in them still. Their sister Freya, and Kol, were both lucky to have that part of their heritage still, apparently.

In the months of working with the Originals, helping them to the best of her ability, though, it was Klaus that she'd come to enjoy most.

She'd heard stories of the infamous hybrid her entire life, stories of bloodshed and needless violence, painting a picture of an unforgiving, ruthless man. Admittedly, when he'd first sought her out, she thought he'd come to kill her. For what reason, she didn't know, but there was no other reason he'd want to speak to her unless she'd unknowingly passed on a piece of her cursed magic to him.

But that hadn't been the case, and he'd just been in need of her specific powers, needed her help to keep an eye out for certain people and any future threats that would bring harm to him and his family. She'd quickly learned that above everything, Klaus just wanted to keep his family safe, and she was more than happy to help in any way she could.

Even though most of her visions were unreliable, he still urged her to share them just in case. Even though not a single one of her visions about the Mikaelsons had come true so far, he still made her tell him and his siblings. He never let her doubt herself.

She supposes that's why she's trying not to be upset right now, listening to them talk over her like she's not sitting right in front of them.

"We can't just sit back and let this happen, Niklaus," Rebekah says, her face twisted frustratedly. "Her visions aren't fact, they're mere possibilities. And very low possibilities at that."

She flinched, ducking her head down to hide the hurt Rebekah's words inflict on her, because she can't really be upset when the blonde is right. Sometimes it's just a feeling, not even a vision. She can't blame them for not trusting a vision of a future that is constantly changing.

Elijah, ever the mediator, gives his sister a slightly scolding look before looking at his brother with something apologetic in his eyes. "Rebekah's being... harsh, but brother, she's not wrong. There's no way to prove that it will come true, and because of that, we have no real reason to not fight back. We have to do something, otherwise every vampire in the Quarter will be in danger."

Klaus pinches the bridge of his nose, his face twitching in a glare. His eyes drift to the quiet witch sitting down, twisting her fingers together anxiously in her lap. He catches her gaze and softens at the sadness in her eyes, feeling it pang in his chest.

"I know," He says finally, an apology swimming in his glacial eyes as he looks at the witch. Her sadness deepens with hurt at his words and he tears his eyes away from her, looking to his siblings. "We have to go."

She stands up abruptly, looking at him in disbelief. "But Klaus, they have white oak stakes, and they're going to use them on all of you. They kill you all, and they don't stop until you're all gone, even Freya! I saw it happen, I swear! You have to believe me, please,"

Elijah says her name with pity in every syllable and she swipes a hand out, turning to look at him with pleading eyes.

"You have to believe me, you're going to be killed if you go. They have laid a trap perfectly made to capture you, and you're walking directly into it!"

"We have to," Klaus shakes his head, already walking towards the doors, Rebekah and Elijah following. He looks over his shoulder, giving her a firm look. "Stay here until we return. It's not safe for you anywhere else."

He walks out before she can say anything else, pretending that he can't feel the heartbroken look on her face burning into his back as he leaves.

──────

She hasn't moved from her seat on the couch in the entirety of their absence. With every minute that shows no sign of their return, her heart beats faster, guilt beginning to seep into her pores.

Stuck in this spiral of horrible, self-deprecating thoughts, she's startled when the doors slam open and the three Originals come marching into the compound.

She stands up, eyes wide as she takes in the drying blood staining their skin and their clothes, but can't stop the wave of relief that washes over her at the sight of them all alive.

Rebekah has a slight limp to her step and Elijah seems to be favoring his left side more than usual, and there's blood on Klaus's face that she knows is his, but they're alive.

She lets out a shaky breath as Klaus walks towards her, Elijah and Rebekah heading for the stairs to likely clean themselves up and find a blood source to suck dry and finish healing.

"I was wrong," She sighs, eyes closing in abatement. "I'm so glad I was–"

She's cut off by Klaus's palms cupping her cheeks, and her eyes snap open when she feels the press of his plush lips against hers. She makes a noise of utter surprise that quickly dissipates into a noise of pleasure, and her eyes flutter shut as she lets him deepen the kiss, stealing the breath right out of her lungs.

She chases him as he pulls away, but he stops her, dragging his thumbs gently along her cheekbones as he looks at her with a look she'd dare call adoring.

It takes her breath all over again and she squirms beneath it, feeling like she's teetering on the edge of something big.

"What," She breathes out, licking her lips like she can still feel the weight of his on them. "What was that for?"

"You were right," He says, his voice rough. "You were right. They had white oak stakes and they tried to kill us. The only reason we survived is because of what you told us,"

Her eyes widen and she looks up at him in disbelief. "But... I'm never right. I'm cursed,"

He shakes his head, lips pulling up into a smile, creasing the dried blood on his cheek. "No, you're not, darling. You saved my life. You saved my family,"

Her throat tightens, thick with emotion, and she isn't entirely proud of the way her voice shakes when she speaks. "You listened?"

Klaus's gaze warms with fondness and he gives her a smile that makes her heart race for entirely new reasons. "To you? Always."

[midwestbramble]

Book Reviews and Recommendations

This will be a running list of books I’ve reviewed and which ones I recommend according to topic. This way when people ask I have an easy place to point them.

Right now I’m posting one review a week of a book that’s already on my shelf. Eventually all the books I’ve recommended will have a review linked as well; for now if you have questions about one feel free to ask. This post will continue to be updated.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Content:

Book Reviews

Book Recommendations

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Book Reviews

America Bewitched

American Brujeria

Aradia

Astral Dynamics

Backwoods Witchcraft

Besom, Stang, and Sword (coming soon)

Mastering Witchcraft

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Book Recommendations

Ancestor Work:

Honoring Your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

Animal Spirits:

Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone by Lupa

Skin Spirits by Lupa

Astrology:

The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology by April Elliott Kent

Beginners:

Natural Magic by Doreen Valiente

Psychic Witch by Mat Auryn

Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff

The Witch’s Path by Thorn Mooney

Crafts:

The Green Witch’s Grimoire by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Potions, Elixirs, and Brews by Anaïs Alexandre

Cultural Literacy in Modern Witchcraft:

Aradia by Charles Godfrey Leland

Doreen Valiente: Witch by Philip Heselton

Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot

The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente

Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Transcendental Magic by Éliphas Lévi

Death Work:

Morbid Magic by Tomás Prower

Druidry:

The Book of Celtic Magic by Kristoffer Hughes

Elements:

The Four Elements of the Wise by Ivo Dominguez Jr.

The Little Work by Durgadas Allon Duriel

Faeries:

Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler

Feri (not to be confused with faeries):

Betwixt and Between by Storm Faerywolf

Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft by Storm Faerywolf

Folklore:

Black Dog Folklore by Mark Norman

The Devils Plantation by Nigel Pearson

Folk Magic:

American Brujeria by J. Allen Cross

Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

Doctoring the Devil by Jake Richards

Ozark Folk Magic by Brandon Weston

Ozark Mountain Spell Book by Brandon Weston

The Powwow Grimoire by Robert Phoenix

Trolldom by Johannes Björn Gårdbäck

Working Conjure by Hoodoo Sen Moise

Green Witchcraft:

The Green Witch’s Garden by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Plants of the Devil by Corrine Boyer

The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael

Under the Bramble Arch by Corrine Boyer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Wortcunning by Nigel Pearson

Hearth Witchcraft:

The Hearth Witch’s Compendium by Anna Franklin

The House Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Hedge Riding/Spirit Flight:

Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce

A Broom at Midnight by Roger J. Horne

History:

America Bewitched by Owen Davies

Demons and Spirits of the Land by Claude Lecouteux

Harry Potter and History by Nancy Reagin <- unaffiliated with JK Rowling

A History of Magic and Witchcraft by Frances Timbers

The Return of the Dead by Claude Lecouteux

The Tradition of Household Spirits by Claude Lecouteux

The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton

The Witch by Ronald Hutton

Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies by Claude Lecouteux

Holidays:

The Hearth Witch’s Year by Anna Franklin

Samhain by Diana Rajchel

Yule by Susan Pesznecker

Protection:

By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn by Althaea Sebastiani

Hex Twisting by Diana Rajchel

The Reclaiming Tradition:

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Scientific Studies on Magic:

Real Magic by Dean Radin, PhD

Spirit Work:

Honoring Your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

A Witch’s Guide to the Paranormal by J. Allen Cross

Traditional Witchcraft:

Besom, Stang, and Sword by Christopher Orapello and Tara-Love Maguire

The Black Toad by Gemma Gary

A Broom at Midnight by Roger J. Horne

The Crooked Path by Kelden <- great for beginners

The Devils Dozen by Gemma Gary

Folkloric American Witchcraft and the Multicultural Experience by Via Hedera

New World Witchery by Corey Hutcheson

Plants of the Devil by Corrine Boyer

The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael

Southern Cunning by Aaron Oberon

Traditional Witchcraft by Gemma Gary

Treading the Mill by Nigel G Pearson

Tubelos Green Fire by Shani Oates

Under the Bramble Arch by Corrine Boyer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

The Witch Compass by Ian Chambers

The Witches’ Devil by Roger J Horne

The Witches’ Sabbath by Kelden

Wortcunning by Nigel Pearson

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

[wytchwyse]

Catholicism And Christianity In Modern traditional Witchcraft And Folk Magic

I'm noticing a trend that has been growing overtime of practitioners taking issue with the historic Catholic and Christian influence on modern traditional Witchcraft, and old folk magic systems ( Appalachian, Italian-American, Ozark, Hoodoo, Braucherei etc). I understand religious trauma and the deep distrust of the christian traditions, with that said folk christianity/catholicism is largely its own thing. In the Italian American diaspora Saint worship is an act of ancestral veneration, many saints are folk saints and many of them are not even real historical people suggesting that these spirits are something else absorbed into the pantheon. I can understand how you feel about Christianity and catholicism but know that when you belittle these old traditions you are actually belittling the vestiges of what is left of much older magic. Particularly that ‘ol pagan’ magic so many are trying to find from specifically european descended traditions. So much has been lost to time, but we know that there are still remnants of much older magic within folk traditions. Be kind to these old magics, it is more like Sorcery and animism then it is like Vatican sanctioned Christianity. It took me a long time to get folk magic to work for me, when I renounced my baptism I finally could connect with it. I began approaching working with this pantheon as I do with any other god or spirit. A contractual, polite relationship based in reciprocity.

(Also i want to note that i am not at all suggesting Hoodoo is a european descended tradition)

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Top 5 favorite magic books?

Ask Me My Top 10/Top 5 Anything

This is hilarious given the follow-up ask after this.

1: Grovedaughter Witchery | Bree NicGarran: General magic information.

2: Of Witchcraft And Whimsy | Rose Orriculum: General magic information.

3: Ozark Folk Magic: Plants, Prayers & Healing | Brandon Weston: Folk magic practices for and from my area of the US.

4: Queer Magic | Tomas Prower: Some queer history and occultism, though I'm still digging through the sources.

(4.5: Morbid Magic | Tomas Prower: As above, except with death instead of queer stuff.)

5: Kitchen Table Tarot | Melissa Cynova: Basic tarot information, and I'm talking basic, but I love something that gets straight to the point.

Thanks for sending this in, anon!

~Jasper

[upthewitchypunx]

https://www.llewellyn.com/blog/2023/01/join-us-for-our-next-llewellyn-virtual-author-forum-folk-magic/

Check out this free Virtual Author forum with some pretty great folk magic people. It's Friday February 10th at 2pm Central Time.

Join us for our next Llewellyn Virtual Author Forum! This bi-monthly series of free online roundtable events will feature your favorite Llewellyn authors discussing topics important to you and answering your questions.

Our next in the series, on Folk Magic, will feature Ozark Mountain Spellbook author Brandon Weston; Cory Thomas Hutcheson, author of New World Witchery and the forthcoming Llewellyn’s Complete Book of North American Folk Magic; Madame Pamita, author of Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft; Water Magic author Lilith Dorsey; and H. Byron Ballard, author of Roots, Branches & Spirits. Join the live conversation, and ask them your questions!

We’ll be streaming live on Crowdcast—save your spot today!

[the-trans-folk-witch]

Post Herbalist, Pre Pre-Medical traditional Witchcraft: a Joke but a reality.

Before I hand feed you my BITTER solar-infused coffee-induced rant, let me give a few ( comically self made) definitions: *see notes

Post Herbalist witchcraft: "energy work**" and magics that are performed by peoples with no means, funds, or ability to obtain herbs and knowledge of herbal medicine for magic and health. This loss of knowledge is due to colonization, fear of herbalisms ties to witchcraft, and the push for modern"white medicine. Note*- I fucking hate the term energy work, yet the magic itself is very very real and used by me.

Pre Pre-Medical witchcraft: -Not to be confused with Pre-med schooling in preparation for grad school.- Pre Pre-medical is what I call the average knowledge of modern medicine that the average person can obtain by ways of public K-12 schooling and the internet. Its place in witchcraft is the knowledge of medicine and the dangers of herbs and or anti-vaxx/med dangers within magical communities. In essence, Pre Pre-medical witchcraft is the belief in modern medicine as well as magical healing methods. Not to be confused with holistic healing which is utter bullshit when taught as completely factual in organized religious spaces.

With these definitions explained less blurred in the mind of the greater trad witch community, and ignorant tumblr onlookers, I move on to my spiel.

As a professional witch, conjurer, seer, and drama queen, I struggle to find a home amongst communities that have watered down witchcraft for a younger, whiter, and less informed audience. Gone are the days of nuance and professionalism. Today is now ruled by forever-beginners, eternal-newbs, and influencers turned teachers. With this post I hope to separate the wheat from the chaff and find the cream of the crop.

To practice witchcraft in a time where herbs are expensive yet taught as the only means to perform spells; and at a time when cities and suburbs have ruined free access to native plants; I find myself performing more prayer and power based magics. No longer do i spend money on herbs, candles and the like. Nor do I plan to purchase the land required to grow my own. I invest in verbal charms, prayer, writing, movement, and my own bodily secretions. I jokingly call this "Post herbalist Pre Pre-Medical witchcraft."It is more informed and rooted in history than generic "energy work". And is less concerned with the consumerism that is forced upon modern witches via herbs and more. The joke is the name is so humorously long and ignorant that it kind of works. I expect the internet will love it considering you folks love putting every adjective before "witch" such as "solar witches" and "crystal witches". Although I suspect people looking for such titles do not have the attention span to read this wordy blog post.

In 2020 I challenged myself to go a year without spending a dollar on my magic. Here we are in 2024 and I'm still going. Yes I use plant materials. Yes I buy things for spirit offerings. But no. I don't have a huge cabinet of herbs and candles. I fully rely on my spirits, my witchflame, the land, and my body to produce magic. No money required. I could spend another fifteen paragraphs explaining how to do so. But alas, i don't care to share. As I said, I am done engaging with forever-newbs who are at the same place they started in witchcraft ten years ago.

I hope my short yet long* rant leads you to... something useful

*note: this is actually a very short read. But in the modern internet sphere we are all unable to process information that's not in video format consisting of no more than 2 minutes. so this is a long post nowadays. hehe im really on a soap box today. sorry im so bitter.

[ozarkdirtwitch]

Tajin for Protection

Protection powders and potions are common across many cultures. My own mentor taught me a very simple recipe:

Something Hot

Something Sour

Salt

An Enhancer

Tajin has all three base ingredients! The best thing is it is cheap, easily accessible, and you can use the bottle as part of your working.

A Note about Enhancers

Enhancers are added to make the working more potent. In general, they can be divided into a few groups:

Herbs and powders to increase potency. This usually involves ingredients such as asafoetida, camphor, cedar, or yarrow.

Items to tie it to a specific person/spirit

Items to specialize the powder. If you want someone to go away and also not talk about you, you might add something to sweeten their speech.

In my next post, I will have a recipe and ritual for House Protection Ointment, my own personal blend that I use on the corners, windows, and doors as an all purpose protective spell for our home.

[ceciliathecabinwitch]

Overly Long Look At This Blog

Who Am I

Cecilia/Lia, tbh I don’t care much what you call me except for variations of CC (please don’t)

Prefer they/them pronouns but any are okay

Pisces Sun, Aquarius Moon, Virgo Rising

Not a new to witchcraft, just new to talking about it on the internet (long time lurker tho)

Not Wiccan

Tbh I don’t really have a name for what I am so I use some different ones kinda randomly

I literally live in a cabin in (actually next to) the woods and I take my position as weird witchy woods person very seriously

I live in the Missouri Ozarks (in the foothills) and I like to connect my craft to that

Also some limited pantheon/deity stuff, mostly Roman and Germanic/Norse, but more as like…a face for greater things than an actual 1:1 experience

Unfortunately culturally Christian, and while my craft mostly avoids that unless it’s folk stuff or research stuff, I can’t deny that it probably influences/biases me in some areas so…yeah (I grew up Methodist and also have very mixed feelings about the denomination specifically, but this isn’t the time to get into that)

I also don’t like saying what “type” of witch I am per se, but I do like to categorize the different types of magic/work that I do and I think that makes things easier for tags

Some variation of an animist

I’m an adult and I have a tendency to be pretty blunt about what’s going on in my life and that might sometimes include adult stuff (not in like a porn way, just in a very open way) and also curse a lot so uh yeah idk just if occasional batshit posts about sexuality/substances/taxes/whatever are going to bother you then you might skip along idk

Weird self development bs while I try and become a more functional human being

What Is This Blog

Primarily a place to have ideas and inspiration written out as well as progress of stuff I’m working on

Maybe eventually mini tarot reading because I’m working on building that up but idk yet

Probably some writing stuff, though it’ll be largely related to nonfiction/magical writing

Probably a lot of aesthetic reblogs

Probably a lot of reblogs in general tbh

Probably gardening/plant stuff

Maybe some recipes/spells that I’m working on just to have them concentrated in one spot

Lots of divination in general tbh

Some astrology stuff/magical timing stuff

Folklore/Fairytales/Cryptids/etc (these aren’t all the same I just have too many bullet points already)

Elemental stuff

Probably some fiber arts

Weird personal beliefs about different things (will be tagged appropriately)

Probably some queer shit idk

Maybe some occasional art, we’ll see

Uhhh

As a general rule I don’t think DNI’s work super well and will probably just block people I don’t like but I’ll just cover the bases of racists/homophobes/sexists/transphobes/you get the gist

Other than that just don’t interact if you’re from northern missouri and we’ll be all good (/j)

That’s a giant wall of text but that’s about it. Always down for messages and asks and what have you

Mostly here to make some friends right now ig

[practical-herbalist]

About

Hey there, I'm H (they/them) and this is my side blog focusing on (practical) herbalism and herbal medicine.

There's also a lot of content relating to: medical chemistry, foraging, healthy recipes, cultivation and harvesting, bushcraft, and hunting/fishing.

There will be some content relating to: ethical/humane omnivorism, locavorism, animal welfare, worker's welfare and rights, anti macro farm / intensive farming, land stewardship, and environmentalism, though my blog specifically for ethical omnivorism is ethical-omnivore-h.

My main is homo-adaptionem. My witchcraft blog is grotesque-grimoire. My youTube channel is H. adaptionem. You can see all of my playlists at h-adaptionem.tumblr.com/ytplaylists. Misc Series, including Practical Herbalism: h-adaptionem.tumblr.com/miscseriesytpl.

I'm a witch, a home cook, a novice herbalist, a novice forager, and a newbie ethical onmivorous flexitarian. I am NOT an activist, just a dipshit with opinions!

Currently researching: practical-herbalist.tumblr.com/research Currently growing: practical-herbalist.tumblr.com/garden Disclaimers: practical-herbalist.tumblr.com/disclaimers FAQ: practical-herbalist.tumblr.com/faq

Foraging in: the Ozarks of the USA Ontario of Canada

Stay safe and stay weird!

Blog info below; I recommend reading before you view the rest of the blog; definitely read before following. Enter at your own risk.

TL;DR:

disabled, LGBT, an adult

EXCESSIVE TAGGER; most trigger tags have "CW" before them; tags all slurs

doesn't mind like/reblog spam

doesn't check mentions or replies; send an ask if you need to get my attention

OG tags: Answered - asks I've answered Face of H - pics of me pracitcal-herbalist - refers to this blog H. adaptionem - refers to my YT channel of the same name Homo adaptionem - all og posts

Like/reblog spamming is fine, I don't mind at all.

If you want my attention, you have a better shot if you shoot me an ask, as I rarely check my mentions/replies. I have a shit ton of stuff blacklisted, so I may not see your asks/mentions/posts if they include slurs, content triggering to me, etc. It's not that I'm ignoring you, I'm just trying to take better care of my mental health, Y'know? Gotta police my own intake of content, etc. etc.

Most things are tagged, so block what you need to using tumblr's own blocking function, Xkit, or Tumblr Savior. Slurs and triggering content usually have a CW before them, even if the OP doesn't consider the content triggering. I tag excessively, deal with it.

DNIs/DNFs are useless and performative; I just block (& report if needed) who I dislike/etc, and I block liberally, for any reason. I respect most other people's DNIs, if they're accessible. If I can't read it, I won't bother. Don't like me? Block me.

I block anti-vaccine, anti-science, anti-chemo, anti-recovery, anti-medicine types, and those who promote quackery and fake "treatments" or "cures" on sight. This includes: New Agers, starseeds/indigo children, crystal healers, energy healers, faith healers, etc.

I block radfems of all types (febfems, perfs, terfs, tirfs, twerfs, swerfs, etc.) because their underlying rhetoric & theory goes completely against our understanding of biology, neurology, sex, gender, and DNA. Also they're sexist and LGBTphobic lmao

I also block trad weirdos (not trad goths, you are loved here <3) for reasons I hope are obvious. I'm a bisexual tranny they/them who hates organized religion, hugs trees and despises big oil, loves weird ass porn & kinks, and loves bodily autonomy & thinks abortion, tattoos, piercings, & transitioning is cool. You like natural medicine because you're under the delusion that it's a part of your (bigoted) heritage. I like natural medicine because chemistry is cool and plants are neat. We are not the same.

Stay safe and stay weird!

[missouri-witchcraft]

Hello, Jasper!

I've been contemplating the difficulties of compiling local resources in my usual methods, and I was reminded of this project of yours! If I can't find a sufficient resource for all this stuff, I'll make my own as well.

I can easily find resources on flora and fauna in the scientific sense, and while I am lucky for that and use it much in my personal magic, it's harder finding magical resources that don't solely talk about sage (as it grows lots here in the southern cali desert).

Do you have advice for researching local folklore and magic, or for finding resources? I'm not sure if it's an easy question to answer, as our local communities and environments are very different in many ways, but I'm sure anything you have to share is helpful!

~ Lysanthiir (not really)

Hello, Lysanthiir!

When it comes to researching the magical properties of flora, fauna, crystals, and anything else, I have to draw a lot on the UPG of myself and others. I have *possibly thousands* of posts of correspondences saved on my computer, which is then compiled alongside stuff from books and folklore I can find on places like Wikipedia or Academia.edu.

A lot of local folk magic is passed down from person to person. There are a lot of strange rules regarding this passing of information, but some people follow the rules more loosely than others - especially because the rules vary based on place. I recommend just talking to people around you and asking about superstitions, local healers, and stuff like that. People get jumpy when you call it magic or witchcraft.

As for written works, try focusing on historical stuff for your most local area. For me, the best I usually get is the Ozarks, which I'm technically in but barely so.

@serpentandthreads has a Discord server for folk magic practices, so people in there may be able to help and guide you to other sources!

As for the non-local books I use, here's a list. I use these books for correspondences, so be aware that not all are up to par. I'll put an asterisk by the ones I really recommend for information beyond the correspondences.

Elements of Witchcraft series. Various authors. 2020-2021.

Grovedaughter Witchery*. Bree NicGarran. 2016.

Kitchen Table Magic*. Melissa Cynova. 2017.

Potions, Elixirs & Brews*. Anais Alexandre. 2020.

The Ancient Magick of Trees. Gregory Michael Brewer. 2019. (Helps with tree identification and focuses on American and British trees.)

The Crystal Zodiac. Judy Hall. 2004.

The Encyclopedia of Crystals. Judy Hall. 2006.

The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients. Lexa Rosean. 2005.

Tree Magic. Sandra Kynes. 2021.

If you're interested in a look at Appalacian-based folk magic, I recommend Roots Branches & Spirits (H. Byron Ballard, 2021). If you're interested in city-based magic, I recommend City Witchery (Lisa Marie Basile, 2021). These two books can help you get a look at how things adapt and change in different places.

I hope this helps you, Lysanthiir!

~Jasper

[tybaltsjuliet]

Do you know of any good sources for info on witchcraft in the southern us? I know Appalachia has its own tradition but are there others?

yeah, there’s a lot of different traditions! off the top of my head - i know the ozarks (debatably southern, but, hey, so is florida) have their own, and, of course, hoodoo, louisiana voodoo, santería - all have strong footing in the south, too. i know it can be reductive to lump them under the witchcraft umbrella, but kind of the Big Three, to me, of magical practice in the south.

(this is also not really witchcraft per se, but in discussing southern occultism i never miss the chance to mention cassadaga, which began as a spiritualist camp in the 19th century and is a weird, wonderful place.)

unfortunately, i do not have good sources at hand - most of my own practice is based in british traditional and firner situ, and what i know of the southern traditions is just stuff i kind of absorbed growing up. i’ll open this up to anyone who can contribute, though!

[aspoonofsugar]

on jaunes inspiration being the maiden of orleans ( and how she was called the holy maiden or la pucelle ( the maiden ) a theory I have often seen and believe is that the crwby originally planned for jaune to be the next ozpin (but due to effectively gotten threats from fanbase to miles (the attacks on him ) they created oscar ( I mean the maiden powers came from ozpin and the wizard of oz in the books was a fraud who pretended to be a wizard and got into a leadership position which is like how jaune forged his transcripts and got into a position of leader both the wizard and jaune got trained by an active practicioner ( glynda trained oz in magic pyrrha trained jaune in combat ( though oz's best asset was still his head) plus the whole salem wanting to see ozpin burn ( jaunes inspiration being put to the fire for witchcraft ( among other things ) and salem witch trials being associated with witch burnings not to mention the ozark mountain range which includes the salem plateau. ( and

And I thought of the word Ozark, as in the Ozark Mountains/Plateau in the central/southern US, and I know that both Ozpin and Salem are (to a degree) named after places already

So I looked it up on Wikipedia, and it turns out that it’s split into subdivisions, including one called the Salem Plateau

Which made me think maybe I’m on to something here, speaking crackpottily

So then I looked at the etymology of Ozark(s), and learned that it might be a corruption of the French phrase meaning “of the arches,” (It is even suggested aux arcs is an abbreviation of aux arcs-en-ciel, French for “toward the rainbows) aux arcs

aux arcs

Ozark

Oz Arc

arc en ciel means rainbow

( jaunes family symbol on the shield is the rainbow ( and the only color jaune doesnt currently have in his design from the rainbow is the color green the one color missing from the rainbow)

Hi!

Mmmm I am sorry, but I am generally not interested in these kinds of theories...

When you start a series, you are gonna brainstorm for ideas... so obviously you are gonna come up with tons of plot-points you are not gonna use... I am only interested in what is in the final story... not because alternative ideas are bad or uninteresting, but simply because they were not written, so... there is really nothing to comment

In general, I don't like people deciding writers change things because threathened by the fandom... Unless it is stated by the writers themselves (like... for example Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes), I am not gonna get interested in such behind the scenes theories. Moreover, I think there is this idea going on in the fandom that Jaune has been somehow "downgraded" from MC and is now a secondary character. Well, imo this is simply wrong, he is a MC/deuteragonist and his importance is not less than the beginning. It is just this is an ensembled cast, so he has to share focus. His arc and story is still one of the most important in the series.

Oscar's introduction and story work for several reasons and I think he was always meant to be put in the narrative. His existence is foreshadowed since ep 2/3 when Blake speaks about a man with 2 souls. His story strongly parallels Ruby and they comment each other's arcs. I think the writers stated that since Jaune was growing they wanted a new newby that could give a fresh perspective on the other characters and the conflicts they were going through. Finally, his own allusion sets him up to be introduced later on. Princess Ozma/Tip is a key character in the Oz series, but she doesn't appear in the very first book. So, it makes sense for Oscar to appear after the first arc as the 8th true MCs after Pyrrha's death.

In short, I think the idea of having Oz reincarnate in Jaune is interesting and would bring a very complex dynamic and different plot-points and arcs for the characters. However, this is clearly not what the story wanted to do. Jaune and Oscar's arcs are similar, but different and both are important for the story... Having Oz reincarnate into Jaune would simply be a completely different series :) I also think it is totally fine for people to speculate and headcanon, though!

Thank you for the ask!