conjure – Page 3 – New World Witchery – The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft

Episode 123 – Everyday Magical Objects Revisited

Summary:

We dig back into the listener suggestions for everyday magical objects and look at another round of commonplace (or uncommonplace) items and how they can fit into a magical practice. Everything from the dapper gentlewitch’s accessories to photosensitive paper makes it into this one, so we hope you enjoy!

Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even if you can’t give, spread the word and let others know, and maybe we can make New World Witchery even better than it is now.

Producers for this show: Heather, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, Raven Dark Moon, WisdomQueen, Regina, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Little Wren, Khristopher, Tanner, Jody, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Catherine, Montine, Cynara at The Auburn Skye, Sarah at ConjuredCardea,The Trinket Witch, Victoria, Sherry, & AthenaBeth. (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 123 – Everyday Magical Objects Revisited

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You might want to take a quick listen back to our first Everyday Magical Objects episode if you aren’t familiar with what we’re doing in this one. You may also want to listen to our episodes featuring Robert Schreiwer and Robert Phoenix, since Cory mentions the event with them (which was a blast!).

Some of the books and folklore sources used for this episode include:

The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells, by Judika Illes
Ozark Magic & Folklore, by Vance Randolph
A Dictionary of Superstitions, by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem
“Louisiana Superstitions,” by Hilda Roberts (in the Journal of American Folklore, 1927)

Thank you to listeners Heather, Autumnn, Mahalia, Mila, Chris, & Jennifer for this episode’s Everyday Magical Object suggestions. Please feel free to send in your own suggestions for future objects!

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter! And check out our Facebook page! For those who are interested, we also now have a page on Pinterest you might like, called “The Olde Broom.” Have something you want to say? Leave us a voice mail on our official NWW hotline: (442) 999-4824 (that’s 442-99-WITCH, if it helps).

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Episode 122 – Divining the New Year

Summary:

We launch our eighth year of podcasting with an episode that looks forward to the coming months through divination. Lots and lots of divination! Laine and Cory try out several different divinatory methods (some they’ve used before, and some they haven’t), then break down what they see in the cards, beans, bones, or stones for the year ahead. Plus we do our Magical Object, which seems like child’s play but also has plenty of magical uses, too!.

Producers for this show: Heather, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, Raven Dark Moon, WisdomQueen, Regina, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Little Wren, Khristopher, Tanner, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Catherine, Montine, Cynara at The Auburn Skye, Sarah at ConjuredCardea,The Trinket Witch, Victoria, Sherry, & AthenaBeth. (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 122 – Divining the New Year

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Both of us use Cory’s method of cartomancy for one of our readings. You can find out more about that in his book, 54 Devils, or by reading these posts from our past:

Laine also uses the following methods/tools:

The Javamancy Board by Chas Bogan of Carnivalia/The Mystic Dream
The Rabbit Tarot, by Nakisha Elsje Vanderhoeven

Cory also uses the following methods/tools:

Rune Stones given to him as a gift, read using some of the information in Diana Paxton’s Taking Up the Runes
The Haindl Tarot pack, by Hermann Haindl (Rachel Pollack’s books are the top recommended interpretation guides)
His personal “bones” collection for bone readings. He uses elements of the technique in cat yronwode’s Throwing the Bones, as well as drawing on his experience. Some photos are below:

Cory’s rune from his divination, “Hagalaz”

Thank you to listener Maria, who suggested the Everyday Magical Object of marbles for this episode. Please feel free to send in your own suggestions for future objects!

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Incidental Music is “Laid Ten Dollars Down,” by the Black Twig Pickers, and is used under a Creative Commons License from the Free Music Archive.

Episode 117 – Everyday Magical Objects

Summary:

This is the episode in which we tackle some of the many wonderful submissions to our “everyday magical object” contest. We’ve got ideas for cat whiskers, subway coins, and skeleton keys, among others, and we’ll be introducing plans for our new segment.

Producers for this show: Heather, Jenna, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, Corvus, Khristopher, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, Little Wren, J.C., Josette, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Catherine, AthenaBeth, Cynara at The Auburn Skye, Victoria, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Montine, Regina, Hazel, Michael, Patrick, & Sherry (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 117 – Everyday Magical Objects

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You might be interested to look back at some of our previous posts/shows on everyday magic, such as:

Cory mentions Peter Muise’s excellent blog, New England Folklore, as a source of local Yankeedom lore.

Some of the books used or referenced in this episode include:

Voodoo & Hoodoo, by Jim Haskins
Hoodoo Herb & Root Magic, by catherine yronwode
The Tradition of Household Spirits, by Claude Lecouteaux
The Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, & Sages, by Judika Illes
The Long Lost Friend, by John George Hohman (trans. By Daniel Harms)

Cory also mentions the concept of hobo nickels, which are worth looking at if you’ve never seen them, and laments not knowing as much about animal magic as the much-missed Gillian of Iron Powaqa.

Want to send us a holiday greeting for the Yuletide episodes in December? You can do that via email or at our voicemail: (442) 999-4824 (that’s 442-99-WITCH).

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Episode 113 – If You Don’t Have Homemade Wool of Bat, Storebought is Fine

For this episode, we’re looking at our personal practices and figuring out how we decide what ingredients to use, when, and why. We talk about sourcing magical ingredients, using spell kits, and how we “shop” for magic in the everyday world.

Producers for this show: Corvus, Diana Garino, Renee Odders, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, The Witches View Podcast, Sarah, Molly, Corvus, Catherine, AthenaBeth, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Little Wren, Jessica, Victoria, Daniel, Plum Deluxe Teas, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Montine, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, and Hazel (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 113 – If You Don’t Have Homemade Wool of Bat, Storebought is Fine

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We’ve covered magical ingredients in a couple of different episdoes, including Episode 11 – Magical Tools, Episode 60 – Aesthetics and Mechanics, Episode 88 – Everyday Magic, and one of our recent Patreon-only episodes on magical gifts.

You may also want to look at our series of articles on Supermarket Magic (part I and part II), which covers finding magical ingredients in mundane places.

Cory mentions the folk tradition of using “bear” and “skunk grease,” which you can find out more about in Vance Randolph’s Ozark Magic & Folklore and the Foxfire series.

We talk about the excellent (and now gone, although back episodes are still available) Lamplighter Blues show, which featured a regular “mundane ingredient” segment. Similarly, the Witches Brewhaha show frequently did a mundane magic section (although we cannot speak for its back episode status).

We’ll be launching a contest, which we literally come up with as we do the episode. A full announcement will come in the next week or so, but it will involve you sending us ideas for potential objects to use in magical ways. Sounds fun, right?!?

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Episode 109 – African American Hoodoo with Yvonne Chireau

Summary:

We discuss the role of hoodoo and folk magic in the African American community with our guest, Professor Yvonne P. Chireau.

Producers for this show: Corvus, Diana Garino, Renee Odders, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, The Witches View Podcast, Sarah, Molly, Corvus, Catherine, AthenaBeth, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Little Wren, Jessica, Victoria, Daniel, Plum Deluxe Teas, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Montine, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, and Hazel (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 109 – African American Hoodoo with Yvonne Chireau

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If you’re interested in hoodoo, check out our Resources-Magical Systems page under the heading “Hoodoo, Voodoo, Conjure, & Root Work” to find an extensive list of our posts and podcasts on the topic.

You should definitely check out Yvonne P. Chireau’s website, Academic Hoodoo, and her book Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition. I also accidentally mix up her work with the work of Katrina Hazzard-Donald, who has another good book on the subject called Mojo Workin’: The Old African American Hoodoo System. Chireau’s mentor, Albert Rabetau, has also written some essential reading, called Slave Religion: The Invisible Institution in the Antebellum South.

The stories and songs interspersed in the episode are exerpts from the public domain recordings in the Library of Congress’ collection, Voices from the Days of Slavery. The voices you hear are “Uncle” Billy McCrae, Irene Williams, and Laura Smalley.

We’re also planning an excursion in early to mid-summer to see the ancient magical artifacts exhibit at the Penn Museum and we’d love for you to join us! You can find out about it in our Special Update post on it, or check out the Facebook Event page.

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Incidental music is “Hollow Poplar,” by Lucas Gonze, from the Free Music Archive.

Songs include “Conjur Man” and “Hoodoo Lady,” by Memphis Minnie, from Archive.org, and “Roll Jordan Roll,” by The Joy Drops, via SoundCloud.

Episode 107 – Enchanted Tennessee with Tony Kail and Rebecca Petersen

Summary:

We move across the state of Tennessee in this episode, discussing hoodoo in Memphis, the magical scene in Nashville, and hearing stories of the Bell Witch and a hexed gun along the way.

Producers for this show: Corvus, Diana Garino, Renee Odders, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, The Witches View Podcast, Sarah, Molly, Corvus, Catherine, AthenaBeth, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Little Wren, Jessica, Victoria, Daniel, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Montine, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, and Hazel (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 107 – Enchanted Tennessee with Tony kail and Rebecca Petersen

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If you enjoy this episode, you might like some of our other “travel” episodes, such as the ones on Salem, Pennsylvania, New Orleans, Memphis, and Appalachia.

You can check out Tony Kail’s book, A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo: Rootworkers, Conjurers, and Spirituals and find out more about his work on the Memphis Hoodoo website.

Rebecca Petersen runs the store Draconis Arcanum in Nashville.

The account of the Bell Witch you heard is taken from Tennessee: A Guide to the State, produced by the Works Project Administration.

The story of “Billy Jesse and the Witched Gun” comes from the book Foxfire 2.

We’re also planning an excursion in early to mid-summer to see the ancient magical artifacts exhibit at the Penn Museum and we’d love for you to join us! More details will be coming soon.

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Music:

“Cycles,” by Doug Hamer (Magnatune)
“Evil Devil Woman Blues,” by Memphis Minnie (with Kansas Joe McCoy) (org)
“Darlin’ Corey,” by Town Hall (from the Florida Folklife Collection)
Sedativa II, by DM (Magnatune)

Episode 106 – Money Magic

Summary:

We finally take a long-overdue look at various money magic and prosperity spells in our repertoire in this episode.

Producers for this show: Corvus, Diana Garino, Renee Odders, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, The Witches View Podcast, Sarah, Molly, Corvus, Catherine, AthenaBeth, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Little Wren, Jessica, Victoria, Daniel, Johnathan at the ModernSouthernPolytheist, Montine, Achija of Spellbound Bookbinding, and Hazel (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 106 – Money Magic

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We haven’t really covered money magic on its own before, but we have mentioned some aspects of the luck and prosperity in Episode 13 – Lucky Charms.

Additional sources/mentions:

We mention early experiences with the books Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf and Earth Power by Scott Cunningham.

We make extensive use of The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes.

Cory mentions a “money purse” spell found in the Brer Rabbit stories of Joel Chandler Harris.

There are several mentions of spells from the Lucky Mojo Rootwork Radio Hour with Cat Yronwode.

And we also suggest that perhaps all magic comes at a price (and via mummified animal curios) by invoking the English class standby, “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W. W. Jacobs.

We’re also planning an excursion in early to mid-summer to see the ancient magical artifacts exhibit at the Penn Museum and we’d love for you to join us! More details will be coming soon.

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Promos & Music

Title and closing music is “Homebound,” by Bluesboy Jag, and is used under license from Magnatune.

Episode 99 – Checking Our Owls

Summary:

We tackle listener feedback this episode, addressing topics like discovering magical heritage, mojo bags, seasonal festivals, and adapting spells for others.

Producers for this show: Corvus, Diana Garino, Renee Odders, Ye Olde Magic Shoppe, Raven Dark Moon, The Witches View Podcast, Sarah, Molly, Corvus, Catherine, AthenaBeth, Jen Rue of Rue & Hyssop, Shannon, Little Wren, Michael M., Victoria, and Jessica (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 99 – Checking Our Owls

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We draw very much upon emails from you, our listeners, for this episode. Thank you! Some of our other sources, influences, and points of interest include:

Peter Paddon’s work, particularly on the process of recovering ancestral lore (such as that found in his Grimoire for Modern Cunning Folk).
Seriously, check out the Patreon page, because there are some cool perks to being a sponsor
We announced we’ll be hosting a get-together of sorts in Philadelphia in March 2017 to see the Penn Museum’s “Magic in the Ancient World” exhibit (along with other fun stuff). We are hoping to do this along with Chris & Tara from Down at the Crossroads, because they’re awesome people and will add a very magical touch to the event
We have a couple of posts on mojo bags, and there’s also a book on them called The Hand Book, by Talia Felix (I’ve not read it, but it looked the most interesting of the possible options available on Amazon).

We very much want your ghost stories! We’ll be doing a live Mixlr broadcast in October, and we’d love for you to join us for that and share your spookiest and ghastliest tales. If you can’t be with us live, feel free to email us your stories, or leave us a voice mail at (442)-99-WITCH (which is 442-999-4824).

We should be launching our newest podcast effort, Chasing Foxfire, this month. If you like folklore, this show will be connecting the dots between folk tales, science, nature, pop culture, literature, and more.

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

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).

Episode 95 – The Audio Spellbook Volume Two

Summary:

We bring you (or actually, YOU bring you) the second edition of our Audio Spellbook. This one is focused on the idea of “Everyday Magic,” which you can do using simple, common ingredients or tools. We have a nice set of spells for you covering everything from protecting you while you drive to helping to pay off overdue bills and finding things that are lost. Plus we finish with a funny little story of Appalachian witchcraft gone awry. Enjoy!

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, Shannon, Little Wren, and Jessica (if we missed you this episode, we’ll make sure you’re in the next one!). Big thanks to everyone supporting us!

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Download: Episode 95 – The Audio Spellbook Volume Two

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Thankfully, most of our sources for this episode are our wonderful listeners! Some listeners who also do fun magical stuff online are:

Cory shares a spell from Draja Mickaharic’s The Spiritual Worker’s Spellbook and a short witch story from The Silver Bullet, by Hubert Davis.
We’ll be attempting a live broadcast in late June, so stay tuned for details on that!

Also, we should be launching our newest podcast effort, Chasing Foxfire, in the next few months as well.

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

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).

Additional music:

Quiet Storm Surge – Stelle Stormfloij
Lucas Gonze – Hollow Poplar
& Mrs. Smith – Before You Go Using Your Voodoo
Kosta T – Red and Black
Silas Leachman – Fortune Telling Man
Sergei Cheriminsky – Mother’s Hands
Musicians from Marlboro – Dvorak’s Sextet in A Major
Teddy & Marge – Crossing My Fingers
The Joy Drops – Dill Pickle Rag
Doctor Turtle – It Looks Like the Future…

The above songs can found at the Free Music Archive and Soundcloud and are used under a Creative Commons License.
Thanks to Kellianna for the use of “Parting Glass” and “Oh Shenandoah,” from her album Traditions.

Episode 88 – Everyday Magic

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.

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!

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Download: Episode 88 – Everyday Magic

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Some of the previous episodes and website articles we mention in this show include:

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

If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter! And check out our Facebook page! For those who are interested, we also now have a page on Pinterest you might like, called “The Olde Broom.”

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.