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I feel this!!!

Backwoods Witchcraft Book Review

I have always had a curiosity of how other live. I am not personally Appalachian, though I have ancestors who lived in those mountains for over a century before moving west. This book caught my interest in both ways. Maybe to learn something about the way my ancestors may have lived and also just some good old folk magic from another region. I originally read this book when it came out and I am expanding on a book review I did for Pagan and Witches Amino at that time. That book review is no longer on that app though you can find it on Good Reads under a different name.

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Contents:

Synopsis

What I Liked

What I Didn't Like

Overall Thoughts

Conclusion

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Published 2019

"In Backwoods Witchcraft, Jake Richards offers up a folksy stew of family stories, lore, omens, rituals, and conjure crafts that he learned from his great-grandmother, his grandmother, and his grandfather, a Baptist minister who Jake remembers could 'rid someone of a fever with an egg or stop up the blood in a wound.' The witchcraft practiced in Appalachia is very much a folk magic of place, a tradition that honors the seen and unseen beings that inhabit the land as well as the soil, roots, and plant life.

The materials and tools used in Appalachian witchcraft are readily available from the land. This 'grounded approach' will be of keen interest to witches and conjure folk regardless of where they live. Readers will be guided in how to build relationships with the spirits and other beings that dwell around them and how to use the materials and tools that are readily available on the land where one lives."

-from the back of the book

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What I Liked

This book starts broad and then narrows down to the work. Richards starts with the land, which if you've been around my blog you'll know that speaks to my heart. He talks about how the seasons and terrain effect the weather and how people live, including the why of people practicing this folk magic. He talks about the way the oil companies have changed the land, gives advice on how to connect to the land that are helpful for those who aren't in Appalachia as well, and actually encourages you to GO OUT experience and learn from the land. Not just learn from books and other people. One of the ways he says you can connect to the land is learning about your ancestry, if they've lived there for a long time. I love this idea and, looking back, when I was doing genealogical research myself and learned that my grandmother's family was from the area I had been living in I felt SO much more connected, even finding my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents' graves. Knowing that they had walked the same trails I had been walking unbeknownst to me was wild.

An important factor he talks about is that in Appalachia there is a difference between a witch and your average folk practitioner (which he calls a healer or doctor). I think a lot of us forget that just because you practice magic wouldn't have made people automatically believe you were a witch, and still today. Context, connection to community, and the type of works you do is a big factor.

There is so much spirit work in this book. A lot of working with the dead in particular, especially in graveyards. I enjoyed learning about the cultural things they do in the graveyard for the dead, and was able to see some similarities in how I grew up. Not just the dead but also working with animal spirits and how to respect them, a very insightful section. And there's talk about the little people of Appalachia, called Yunwi Tsunsdi by the Cherokee, and different stories of encounters and the best way to handle meeting them, or keeping them away.

Richards acknowledges the Cherokee influence on the practice of this folk magic, from superstitions and beliefs to plants used in specific ways. It's important to recognize when a marginalized community has had influence on our culture. Doing otherwise is just erasing their presence, and for Native Americans that's even shittier since this is their ancestral land.

Of course, I have to talk about the gardening and wildcrafting! He talks in depth about gardening by the signs and also using them for knowing the best time to get a haircut, for example. This is something my great-grandparents did. My grandpa told me they would hang an Old Farmer's Almanac calendar in the kitchen that told them when the signs where in the best place for different things. The harvesting also reminded me of things I've learned from my grandpa. Different signs and omens when harvesting can foretell misfortune or even weather conditions. And when you're life depends on what you can grow, that's a big deal.

I'm a sucker for old folk practices, they tend to be things people not from the area or with more "modern" sensibilities would pause at. Like the time my grandpa gave me a turkey beard to put under the truck seat of "the guy you like" (grandpa didn't know I didn't have a crush on anyone). This book is, of course, chock full of folk practices along a similar vein (though not that one in particular), like buying warts. Though this book focuses more on the formulas that are followed than specific workings themselves, though you will find those as well.

There's a specific section as well that focuses on different forms of divination common to the Appalachian mountains. One of them being reading playing cards, and it reminded me of learning to read them when I was a kid. This book is basically nostalgia for me, I'm realizing.

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What I Didn't Like

Richards makes the claim that the Cherokee are the only tribe in America that don't live on a reservation. This isn't accurate. I know this for a fact because there is a Native American settlement near me that is NOT a reservation, and they are quick to correct you. Maybe he meant that they never had a reservation or are the most well know? I'm not sure, it could be a wording issue.

He also seems to have a misunderstanding of how Catholics view saints. At least when I was growing up in a Catholic household, we viewed them as intermediaries or advisors not spiritual beings with more power than the average human. You choose a saint upon confirmation as someone to look up to and aspire to live like (I had chosen Joan of Arc). Though this is a common misunderstanding among protestants, I have noticed. The way he works with saints in the book is the way my mom views them, anyway.

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Overall Thoughts

I love this book. It really made me think about what I saw growing up and how we do things differently or similar. Whether or not you are in Appalachia, this book can give you some advice and maybe jog some thinking on the folk practices around you that maybe you never noticed. It is Christian. The folk practices in Appalachia use Psalms and call on saints and prophets, among other Christian iconography. There's a lot you can get out of it still if you aren't Christian (such as myself).

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Conclusion

There is magic all around us if we know where to look. Reading about where others have found it in their own lives can help us to see it around us too. Just make sure you go out and interact with it. You can find this book on amazon, Thriftbooks, Google Books, Woodshed, Coyote Supply Co., and more!

*grabs you and shakes you but gently cause I love you* you do not need to be ‘called’ to worship the gods. Just worship. Please just worship if it is what your heart wants.

do i want to be them or be with them?

I made a post about Hekate on here saying how much I love her and now my TikTok fyp is full of videos of her including one about ignoring signs she is calling. She literally said you love me so much than worship me. Which I'm fine with. I set up her alter and I'm still getting lots of videos from her . I don't know what more she wants.

Hekate tell me what you want from me please.

Spoonie Witchcraft- Full moon

So I have been thinking about low energy magic. As someone who is disabled I haven't had the energy to do withcraft the way I used to. I have not been doing much at all for the last year. There has been no moon water made, no ritutual magic, and I haven't even been able to smoke cleanse my home.

I have been stressed financially, as well as in extreme pain this past year. I decided to see what other spoonies had to say about what to do on a full moon. I want to do something, but I am not sure what I can or am able to do. I went to my witchy discord servers and Facebook groups and asked around. I also thought of a couple of ideas on my own as well.

Here are some ideas to use for the spoonie witch.

Sit outside under the full moon. This would be called moon bathing but sometimes theres a full ritual around it. However, just sitting out under the full moon and basking in its light is good enough. This is also only if weather permiting. Don't go out into a hurricane or other severe weather. You may just end up being blown away instead.

Prayer. Praying to the God's you believe in or work with in silence. Praying to your ancestors and giving them thanks for thier guidence and wisdom. Obviously this is more for pagan witches and not for the atheists.

Sigils. You can do sigils everywhere. You can draw a sigil on your palm and visualize its purpose. For example, drawing an abundance sigil and visualize money coming to you. It's a good simple spell. Can also draw sigils in your food with a knife or other utensil depending on what you are eating. Peanut butter jelly time!

Birthday candles. Using birthday candles in candle magic instead of regular candles can be a quick spell and still work just as effectively. Making wishes on cake is magic. Maybe make a wish on a chocolate swiss roll.

Tea and coffee. You speak intentions into your drinks. Maybe have a full moon tea blend and do this when the sun goes down. You can buy different blends of tea on etsy or at a farmers market.

Watching youtube videos. Watch videos about magic and the full moon. There might even be a live meditation on there you can join in on.

Tarot readings. A low spoonie tarot reading. A basic 3 card spread that is for fun and not the deep soul searching/healing that you may normally do. Another tarot idea is just to pull one card to just see what the message would be.

Gemstones on nightstand. Put stones on your nightstand that have the intentions you'd like to draw to you. For example, amethyst for protection against nightmares. Maybe green adventurine for bringing in luck and abundance to your life. Use black obsidian for protection against gossip. Well, by now, you get the idea.

Cleansing. There are multiple methods of cleansing. If you have enough energy, a small ritual shower could be what is needed to get more energy. Or, at the very least, feel more refreshed. If you can't stand for a shower, soaking in a tub with salt water will work. You may use a shower chair for the shower if you have one. I use a bar of soap that is hand-made by other witches. They tend to put essential oils and intentions, so there is a cleansing effect. If you are too low energy for that, going back to youttube idea; they have cleansing meditation music. You can sound cleanse with the music. You may also play witchy ambient music. There are a vast number of options for sound cleansing.

Journaling. Journaling is something that can be done lying down. You can find some journal prompts on Tumblr, or you can find them on pintinterest. You can do shadow work journaling as a form of releasing. It's fun to select a new journal or even get a fancy pen.

Dressing up. If you have a witchy shirt, dress, or robes. It is fun to dress up on the full moon in honor of the moon. Like going to a magical witchy party. I have 2 witchy dresses, a witchy sweater, and a long sleeve stars and moons blouse. I also have a regular black dress for if I want to be more subtle.

Self care. It is okay to just watch a movie or binge watch a favorite TV show. You could also read a book for fun. If you are very into astrology, depending on the astrological sign of the moon phase, self care would be more important. Tomorrow, the full moon is in Pisces, and there is a lunar eclipse. Self care may be the best option during this full moon in September.

I wanted to say a big thank you to The Four Winds Coven on Discord as well as the modern witch collective for helping me brainstorm this list. There are more of us spoonie witches out there than we think. This list is also great for someone who is just too busy to do much either. I hope you all enjoy these tips and tricks!

What Native people say about the use of sage: you can use sage, but you cannot smudge as nothing you are doing (waving sage around) is actually smudging. Smudging is a ceremony and you are, we promise, not smudging. Please buy sage from either us, or someone who sources the sage from us. White sage may not be considered endangered by the US government but corperate sourcing is making it difficult for us to source sage for our own religious purposes. Let alone to sell it.

What white people hear: never use sage ever, don’t ever buy it, don’t own it, don’t even look at it.

Look, y’all. There’s a couple of facets to my talk today.

1) Yes! You can buy sage! You really, truly can! Buy it from either native sellers (go to a powwow! Eat our food, buy our stuff, watch some dancing!) Or buy it from a seller who sources the sage from native people. Pick one. And no, buying it from 5 Below doesn’t count.

2) you CANNOT smudge. This isn’t just you “shouldn’t”— this is a YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF SMUDGING. Waving a sage stick around your doorways IS NOT SMUDGING. It is smoke clensing. Smudging, depending on the tradition and tribe, could easily have dancing and drums involved. You, as a white person, do not have the cultural BACKGROUND to even know how it works. At all. Period.

3) please, for FUCKS SAKE, stop making posts here on tumblr where you tell other white people about cultural appropriation and what they can and cannot do. Please stop, your license has been revoked because none of you bother to get the facts right. We native people are FULLY CAPABLE OF DOING IT OURSELVES. Consider instead: a) reblogging our posts where we talk about it! We’re here! We have made posts!! b) Making a post that states what we said and then LINKS BACK TO US. Screenshot with a link if you must. Stop centering your own voices in these conversations. You are already centered in everything, stop centering yourselves in a native space.

I’m tired of this nonsense, y’all.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk ™

——

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I just wanna be hot and stoned for the rest of my life

I wanna burn down every single bridge I built cause I’m tired of being the only person that makes sure it doesn’t fall apart

Favorite Recipes

Witchcraft Recipe Book Masterpost

Here are all of my favorite witchy recipes compiled from all corners of Tumblr 🤗

Drinks

magick hot cocoa — @leodrune

heal your heart tea — @dumbass-mothcraft

energy boost tea — @mercurys-daughter

energizing tea — @witchy-studies

headache relief — @themanicnami

cleansing potion — @themanicnami

calm and happy tea — @the-starlight-witches

quincy's golden milk tea — @this-possum-cries

new years manifestation tea blend — @infernalwitxhcraft

dandelion dreams tea — @little-witchys-garden

healing apple cider [upg] — @thatdruidgal

samhain cider — @starsofdarknebula

samhain tea — @starsofdarknebula

good night lavender tea — @thecactuswitch

yule spell in a mug — @fairy-magick

Foods

lughnasadh herb bread -- outside source

litha orange honey cake -- @gardenfoxywitch

rosemary-honey shortbread -- outside source

enchanting flower and herb spread -- outside source

lavender earl grey cookies -- @coinandcandle

cozy butternut squash winter soup -- @kitchenwitchtingss

homemade butter thins crackers -- outside source

fire cider chutney soup [upg] -- @thatdruidgal

Remedies

fire cider -- outside source

four thieves vinegar -- outside source

Infusions

herb-infused oil -- outside source

rose oil -- outside source

pine needle spray -- outside source

cleansing spray -- @tears-of-amber

florida water cologne -- outside source

Misc

incense -- @magnoliawitchcraft

autumn incense -- outside source

cleansing salt — @theaetherwitch

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