Summary:
We look back at the subject of broom closets this time around, and then dive into the uses of everyday and household ingredients in folk magic.
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Producers for this show: Corvus, Diana Garino, Renee Odders, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, Ivory, The Witches View Podcast, Sarah, Molly, Corvus, Catherine, AthenaBeth, & Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!
CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT! It’s been a while, so we want to do a second round of our Audio Spellbook, so all you have to do is send us the sound of *you* describing your favorite spell which uses everyday ingredients (things you could find in a spice cabinet, grocery store, or backyard, for example). You can either record your spell and email it to us at compassandkey@gmail.com or call us and leave us a voice mail on our official NWW hotline: (442) 999-4824 (that’s 442-99-WITCH, if it helps). You can also get an extra entry by sharing either our Patreon page or our Contest Announcement via your favorite social media (make sure to tag us or get a screen capture you can email to us). What will you be entered to get? Well, you’ll get a NWW Annual Mailer (who can’t use an extra one of those, right?), a couple of bottles of our personally handmade condition oils, a folk charm or two, and a book or two to make it all even better!
Play:
Download: Episode 88 – Everyday Magic
-Sources-
Some of the previous episodes and website articles we mention in this show include:
- Episode 2 – Broom Closets & an Interview with Sarah Lawless
- Episode 27 – Spring Cleaning
- Episode 37 – The Audio Spellbook
- Blog Post 113 – Spiritual House Cleaning
- Blog Post 162 – Broom Lore
- Blog Post 182 – Lost in the Supermarket (Part I)
- Blog Post 183 – Lost in the Supermarket (Part II)
Cory also mentions his interview on the Witches’ View Podcast, where he talked about cleaning lore and brooms.
Some books worth checking out on the subject of everyday magic include
- Magic When You Need It and The Big Book of Practical Spells (forthcoming), both by Judika Illes
- The Magical Household, by David Harrington & Scott Cunningham
- The Black Folder, by cat yronwode (there are several essays in this about kitchen-cabinet spellwork)
- Spiritual Cleansing and A Century of Spells, both by Draja Mickaharic
We mention the awesome site Wolf & Goat as a place for finding really unique magical wares
Laine talks about Brazilian Bahia Bands as well
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Promos & Music
Title and closing music is “Pig Ankle Rag,” by The Joy Drops, and is used under a Creative Commons License (available at Soundcloud.com).
The featured song is “Call of the Whip-Poor-Will,” by The Stapleton Brothers. All music is from the Free Music Archive, used under a Creative Commons license.
New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft 
This episode got me thinking quite a bit. Like Laine, the first thing I might think of for protection would be a piece of jewelry as well. It’s taken me a while to realize that, in terms of magic, particularly everyday magic, I gravitate towards visual symbolism. I have always felt most drawn to things like the tarot, or individual charms. I am much less likely to use salt than I am to write something down on a piece of paper or put on a ring or carry some physical thing that reminds me of strength and protection, usually at least partly because of how it looks/its physicality. I carry a tarot card in my little zip pouch that houses my ID and bring it around with me every day, and I keep figurines/decorations that make me feel witchy or have some kind of magical significance for me. This is probably also why I like getting tattoos- something about those forms of visual symbolism draws me in a lot more than the use of herbs or candles (which of course have their own symbolism as well).
FYI, Bahia is spelled bah-EE-uh. The H is silent. 🙂
**pronounced! Not spelled. Yeesh.
I loved the bit about enchanting hand lotion for work. I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer at work with a few drops of Crown of Success and Steady Work. I may have also sprinkled some sugar in the lockers of co-workers I was having conflicts with.
Also the mention of those Brazilian bracelets got me thinking, because we had something a lot like that when I was in middle school (~15 years ago). A lot of gift shops sold these super flimsy bracelets with six or seven tiny seed beads braided into what was probably paper cord. They came in a rainbow of colors which each supposedly stood for a different desire, and you were supposed to wear it at all times – when it broke, your wish would come true. I went through a few of them, and it never even occurred to me until now that that was basically witchcraft.