-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 24-
Summary
Tonight’s show is all about the love…magic! We discuss different types of love spells, the ethics of casting them, the power of scent to inspire love, and the famous Love Potion #9.
Play:
Download: New World Witchery – Episode 24
-Sources-
Earth Power – Scott Cunningham
Ozark Magic & Folklore – Vance Randolph
Mules & Men and “Hoodoo in America” – Zora Neale Hurston
Voodoo & Hoodoo – Jim Haskins
Witches, Ghosts, & Signs – Patrick W. Gainer
Buying the Wind – Richard Dorson
The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook – Denise Alvarado
Promos & Music
Title music: “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues. From Magnatune.
Promo 1 – Forest Grove Botanica
Promo 2 – Wigglian Way
Promo 3 – The Infinite & the Beyond
New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft 
Ooh, I remembered another “love divination” we used to do in middle school and high school!
When we were done drinking our sodas from a can, we would work the tab back and forth in an effort to get it to break off from the can. As we did this, we’d go through the alphabet- whichever letter the tab broke off on was the first letter of the name of the boy that we had a crush on or would date.
I hadn’t thought about that in a long time!
We used to do that too Laine. Not to mention MASH, though I don’t know if that counts as love divination magic…
I was thinking about what you all were talking about how there are more spells to keep a man faithful than a woman. I was remembering that in Judika Iles’ Encyclopedia of 5000 spells she talks about how love magic was/is SURVIVAL magic in a patriarchal world (historical or present) where a woman depended on a man for a roof over her head, food, money, or not getting beat up by him. It’s still born out of sexism but in a deeper way than just “men cheat, women don’t.” (Except insofar as in patriarchy men have more freedom to cheat than women for a variety of reasons).
Anyway great show, love how you all are working through issues on the air and not just coming on pretending to have all the answers.
Hi Rebecca!
Yes, that’s a great point. It may be less about feminine “weakness” and much more about feminine empowerment in a male-dominated society. Good call on that! And thanks for the compliments on the show! We love doing it so I’m glad y’all like hearing it 🙂
Thanks!
-Cory
This is the first time I’ve listened to your show and find it quite interesting and enjoyable. I like the fact that you ask each other questions about your opinions on certain things and the fact that you don’t always agree! I, too, did the tab thing with the soda can. I can’t remember what letter I ended up on (it was, oddly, usually the same one each time).
And I forgot to ask what the name of that book/movie was… Water for Chocolate, or something of that nature? I’d like to look into picking it up and would like more info so I can find it!
Thanks Lizz! I hope you continue to enjoy our show. We generally try to keep the discussions fun, so I’m glad you’re getting into the format 🙂
The book we mentioned was Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (there is a movie based on the book in Spanish, with English subtitles). There was a movie that used a similar idea called “Simply Irresistible” which stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, which we also mentioned.
Thanks, and I hope you keep liking the show!
-Cory