SHOWNOTES FOR PODCAST SPECIAL – HAIRY MEN & BLOODY BONES
Summary
In our first Halloween storytelling episode, we look at two folktales: “WIley & the Hairy Man,” (as retold by Diane de las Casas) and “Raw Head & Bloody Bones” (as retold by S.E. Schlosser)
Cory will have a horror story about rabbits (of course) coming out through Misanthrope Press and their magazine Title Goes Here in the Fall (that’s sort of Halloween and Easter, right?).
Summary: In this episode, I’ll be telling stories from American folklore about how people learn witchcraft. We’ll hear tales of initiation and apprenticeship, solitary witches, witch apprenticeships, and find out just what witches do.
On our first episode back from summer break, we are looking at practicing magic alone, with a friend, or in a group. Plus we talk about finding teachers and styles of magical learning.
Summary
In our only June 2012 episode (sorry! I’ll be back from school soon!) Cory tells a few tales of magical saints. The saints range from canonical choices to folk tales to at least one very American folk saint.
Summary
On this episode of New World Witchery, we look at the world of plants and how it affects the world of witchcraft. We talk about sourcing herbs and roots, wild vs. cultivated plants, and whether you need to work with them at all.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!