Podcast – Page 40 – New World Witchery – The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft

Episode 42 – Plants and Witchcraft

New World Witchery – Episode 42
Plants and Witchcraft
(complete shownotes at http://www.newworldwitchery.com)

Tales from the Witching Hour No. 3

Shownotes
A short episode in which we do a pre- and post- discussion of our Walpurgisnacht 2012 celebration.

Listen: Tales from the Witching Hour No. 3

Play:

Music
“Serenade,” by Schubert. From http://www.archive.org/

Podcast Special – Memphis Mojo

-SHOWNOTES FOR PODCAST SPECIAL – MEMPHIS MOJO–

Summary
In this episode, Cory takes you along with him on a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to discover that city’s magical and mystical side.

Play:
Download: New World Witchery Special – Memphis Mojo

-Sources-
Places:
Ebbo Spiritual Supply
Tater Red’s on Beale St.
A. Schwab’s on Beale St.
The Center for Southern Folklore
The Crystal Grotto at the Memorial Park Cemetery

Information:
“Nation Sack” from Lucky Mojo Curio Co. by Catherine Yronwode
“Voodoo Village” from Haunted America Tours

You can now request Card Readings from Cory via email, if you are so inclined.

Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter!

-Music-
Memphis Minnie: “Hoodoo Lady Blues”
Robert Johnson: “Come on in My Kitchen”
Marideth Sisco & Blackberry Winter: “Cold, Rain, & Snow,” and “On a Hill Lone & Gray”
Blind Mississippi Morris: “Mysterious Woman Blues”

Special Episode – Memphis Mojo

New World Witchery Special – Memphis Mojo
Cory takes you on a journey with him to Memphis, Tennessee, to explore the mystery and magic of that city.

(complete shownotes at http://www.newworldwitchery.com)

Podcast 41 – Spring Lore Spectacular!

-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 41–

Summary
This episode is all about the various springtime lore we received for our recent contest. It’s lots of bunnies, eggs, and the occasional swat on the behind in this show! Plus we have our contest winners announced.

Play:
Download: New World Witchery – Episode 41

-Sources-

Almost all the lore was listener submitted, but we do have a few links to share:

1. We received some great lore from Peter M, who runs a stellar blog on New England folklore. Check it out!
2. You should also check out folklore submitter Jen’s blog, Rue & Hyssop, which is delightful!
3. If you want to know more about gardening and astrology, we did several posts on the topic: Blog Posts 18, 19, & 20.
4. We mentioned two books: Old Wives’ Lore for Gardeners by Maureen & Brigit Boland, and Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
5. In case you can’t get enough of Cory, he was also on the March episode of Inciting a Brewhaha
6. You should definitely also listen to the 2012 episode of Between the Earth and Stars by Oraia Helene. It’s amazing!

Congratulations to our Spring Lore Contest winners!

1. Jen at Rue & Hyssop won the Card Reading from Cory
2. Kelly won the copy of Etched Offerings: Voices from the Cauldron of Story
3. StarRider won the Compass & Key Apothecary prize pack

Many thanks to all who entered! We think this was a great show and couldn’t have done it without you!

You can now request Card Readings from Cory via email, if you are so inclined.

Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter!

Promos & Music
Title music: “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues. From Magnatune.

Promo 1 – Between the Earth & Stars
Promo 2 – Lakefront Pagan Voice
Promo 3 – Pagan in Portland

Episode 41 – Spring Lore Spectacular!

New World Witchery – Episode 41
Spring Lore Spectacular!
(complete shownotes at http://www.newworldwitchery.com)

Podcast Special – Tricksters

-SHOWNOTES FOR PODCAST SPECIAL – TRICKSTERS–

Summary
This is a storytelling episode featuring several tales, songs, and rhymes about various New World trickster figures.

Play:
Download: New World Witchery Special – Tricksters

-Sources-
The tales today come from a variety of sources:
Mules & Men, by Zora Neale Hurston
A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore, by Harold Courlander
Favorite Folktales from Around the World, by Jane Yolen
AmericanFolklore.net – A site by author S.E. Schlosser
The Tar Baby and Other Rhymes of Uncle Remus, by Joel Chandler Harris
Myths, Legends, & Folktales of America, by David Leeming & Jake Page

Scholarly sources cited include:
The Witch Must Die, by Sheldon Cashdan
The Uses of Enchantment, by Bruno Bettelheim

We also have two blog posts that might be of interest:
Blog Post 150 – The Trickster’s Web
Blog Post 151 – New World Tricksters

We’ve got a Spring Lore Contest going on until March 21, 2012! We’re looking for Springtime Lore this time around: seed planting rituals & customs, fertility charms, spring cleaning spells, etc. Anything and everything related to Easter eggs, baby animals, April showers, and (shudder) bunnies. Send your entries to compassandkey@gmail.com to enter, and be sure to put “Spring Lore” in your subject line. Three participants will win one of three prizes: a copy of Etched Offerings: Voices from the Cauldron of Story from Misanthrope press (an anthology of pagan fiction featuring stories from several podcasters like Oraia Helene, Saturn Darkhope, & me!), an email card reading from Cory, and a goody box from Compass & Key Apothecary featuring several of our oils, curios, and mojo bags. More details coming soon!

You can now request Card Readings from Cory via email, if you are so inclined.

Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter!

Promos & Music
Title music: “Stagolee” by Hogman Maxey (from Archive.org).
Featured Songs:
“Tough Titty Cupcakes,” by Tricky Pixie
“Coyote Chant,” by Michael Drake
“Raven Song,” by Michael Drake

Special Episode – Tricksters

New World Witchery Special – Tricksters
A look at the figure of the trickster in North American folklore.

(complete shownotes at http://www.newworldwitchery.com)

Tales from the Witching Hour No. 2

Shownotes
This little episode finds us just back from a crossroads working, so we are discussing crossroads as magical spaces. You can find out more on crossroads at the Lucky Mojo page on them.

Also check out www.ismercuryinretrograde.com (just for fun!)

Listen: Tales from the Witching Hour No. 2

Play:

Music
“Serenade,” by Schubert. From http://www.archive.org/

Podcast 40 – Rhymes, Games, and Riddles

-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 40–

Summary
Today we look at a toychest full of children’s nursery rhymes, playground games, and riddles. We talk about how these sing-song verses can sometimes hide bits and pieces of valuable witch lore, as well as how they can be incorporated into one’s practice.

Play: 
Download: New World Witchery – Episode 40

-Sources-

The book I used for many of the rhymes herein contained is my son’s copy of Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola (the illustrations are excellent and very folk-arty). Some of the rhymes you hear are “The Crooked Sixpence,” “Old Mother Goose,” “Rabbit and Crow,” “Jack and Jill,” and “Two Blackbirds”
I mention The White Goddess by Robert Graves as a source of witchy riddle lore.
I also pull several riddles from Buying the Wind by Richard Dorson.
We have several posts on our blog focused on these topics. Check out “Blog Post 53 – Riddle Me This,” “Blog Post 54 – The Devil’s Nine Questions,” and “Blog Post 55 – Games” for more info.
I also highly recommend checking out Peter Paddon’s Crooked Path site, as he frequently discusses riddles and rhymes as a part of witchcraft practice.
The excellent article that kicked off this whole topic was “Rhyming Witchcraft,” by Elizabeth Yetter, submitted by listener Anastasia. Thanks!