#southern magic

[im-adrienne]

Whenever I listen to country western music stuff starts happening in my house. I hear a male voice in my bedroom harmonize with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson sometimes. I hear a woman’s voice harmonize with Coal Miner’s Daughter (that would be my Grannie) damn near every time. Different smells permeate through the house that remind me of family members. Them letting me know that they’re always around. Sometimes I even feel a pat on top of my head.

Music is so powerful in all forms of spirituality including folk pathways, witchcraft, paganism, etc. Music can connect you with people and places when you really need them.

Just thought I would share.

[thetranstexasgal]

Is 26 too young to be calling myself Mamaw? I do mean as in the title btw. Some of my friends are already saying I’m “Mamaw Maggie” and I’m already doing protection spells for folks around me and cooking for them if they’re hungry and all the other stuff a Mamaw does

[conjuremanj]

Words To Live By

[wishful-seeker]

Anyone here know free sources on American deep south folk lore? Or magic related to the south?

[nataliedecorsair]

If you are polite and courteous, the spirits will kindly agree to take a picture for you - and other spooky arts I drew this year >:) Most of the arts are taking place in Heather's world, including the gambling scene (don't look under the table...) INFO ABOUT THE CHARACTERS AND SETTING IS HERE The last art is another awkward monster art and you can find the backstory here Previous spooky & Heather's world art post is here (you can see some recurring characters throughout the art) More Mari Lwyd (who is a Welsh spirit and is being a "crossover" in my art) is here P.S. - bonus points to you if you can find all the hidden frogs 🐸

[cowgrlcunt]

humans are so hurtful

[the-northern-continent]

To me it 100% makes sense that the Inquisitor and Rook aren’t interested in blood magic.

When someone who grew up in Ferelden imagines a blood mage, they’re picturing their burnout cousin who brews moonshine and has punched a cop.

Northern Marchers, or anyone else who grew up within spitting distance of Tevinter, are picturing Mitch McConnell.

[inthedarktrees]

Vivien Leigh | A Streetcar Named Desire

[mydreamfortress]

I'm still in love with you

On this harvest moon

[thevirginwitch]

Thank you @thevintagefemme for tagging me in this post!

I have done a small amount of research on practices within the Texas area (local Texans, wya), however, a majority of these practices are going to stem from Mexican culture and beliefs. Typically, any non-indigenous practices were brought here from those who immigrated from Europe/Ireland/Scotland/etc.

That being said, it's beneficial to research Texas folklore. It will be difficult to find much, especially because it wasn't really considered "magic" or "witchcraft" back then - it was just considered 'superstition' or 'tradition'. And, not unlike Hoodoo/Voodoo practices from our lovely New Orleans neighbors, these traditions/practices typically were against the idea of witchcraft, and protected against witches.

NOW, onto a few specific items/resources:

A post about the use of snakes in Texas folk medicine

txwitchery on Tumblr - no longer active, but still has some useful things floating around

Texas Folklore masterpost by yours truly (will be updated regularly, just haven't been working on it as of recently)

And here are a few books I currently have in my to-read pile:

Black Cats, Hoot Owls, and Water Witches: Beliefs, Superstitions, and Sayings from Texas by Kenneth W. Davis (1989)

Death Lore: Texas Rituals, Superstitions, and Legends of the Hereafter (Publications of the Texas Folklore Society) by Kenneth Untidt

Legends of Texas (Publications of the Texas Folklore Society) by J. Frank Dobie (1924) - available to view online

Mexican Border Ballads and Other Lore by Mady Coggin Boatright (2000)

Some Still Do: Essays on Texas Customs (Publication of the Texas Folklore Society) by Francis Edward Abernethy (2000)

Texas Folk Medicine: 1,333 Cures, Remedies, Preventives, and Health Practices by John Q. Anderson (1970) - available to view online

(I have all these books in PDF form, so feel free to hit me up if you need copies!)

I hope this helps! (Also, feel free to DM me anytime - I love meeting new local folks, especially those interested in learning about folklore practices within the area!)

🆘️🆘️🆘️

does anyone have any resources on researching american southern folk magic?

NOT appalachian, im specifically looking for resources on texan (+ surrounding regions) folk magic and practices that are NOT appropriative as a very-much-white person. texas has a long, varied, bloody history of destroying/appropriating/assimilating mexican and native cultures and i am very wary of this as well.

i'm open to learning about other cultures' practices within this region, but i am looking more for things i can include in my own practice.

[steven-myself]

Voodoo- Hamidou Banor by Baldovino Barani for FACTORY Fanzine XXXVI

[conjuremanj]

How To Stop A Boo Hag From Riding You Or Your Family. Hoodoo Working.

In this post I'll be talking on Boo Hags and giving a working to capture one from writing you are a family member.

But before I do let's talk on what they actually are.

Where Did The Story Come From? Boo Hag is rooted in African American folklore, mostly by the Gullah-Geechee communities along low country. Now one origin of the Boo Hag is traced back to West African folklore and there is a creature known as the “Adze” or “Ade” a Adze.

What Are They? Boo hags are spirits, their similar to vampires that may be undead beings or spirits that feed off of living humans by sitting on their victims chest and sucking the energy or life sustenance from a person's breath, instead of their blood. I think their spirits of dead witches who continue to do bad after death, over time they change into this enity. Boo Hags can also give a person the medical condition known as "Sleep Paralysis"

You may wake up with strange scratches, recurring nightmares, exhaustion and illness as a result. All together, these symptoms will lead to mental illness or death

How To They Get In My House? They can easily enter your house through very small openings like a window, or a crack in a wall, key holes etc.

Fortunately, there are some warning signs that a Boo Hag may be close by. Some dogs are able to sense their presence and will start howling or barking. Crows will also recognize them. The air will be hot and damp, smell of rot and decay can happen. Now I never experienced one my self but if you have these signs then It could be a hag.

How Can One Hope To Stop Such Evil? For all of the Boo Hag’s power, there are a number of ways to keep her at bay.

Story goes that they obsessive-compulsive disorder and feels compelled to count the actions any small objects. Scattering sesame seeds around the bed will accomplish this as well can help you escape.

Who knows how fast they count but they do like to count. Sun light can destroy her.

Fake Hoodoo. I see this a lot, Boo Hag, hates the smell of asafoetida. This plaint is native to places like Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan so understand how did the African Americans use this in the south. DON'T BYE.

WORKING: To Catch a Boo Hags.

Get yourself a blue bottle. Haunt blue and a plain white candle. (You can bye these bottles cheap online or use a bud platinum bottle or a milk of magnesia bottle)

Clean the bottle out. Then turn the bottle on its side and place it by the door of the room or where you believe the hag might be coming in at.

Next place mustered seeds under the bed making a line from the bed all the way to the bottle, then around the bottle. (You can add a pinch of salt to it a well.

Light your white candle in the back behind the bottle. Pray the 23rd Psalms.

If and when the candle start making hussing or crackling sounds you have it trapped in the bottle. Take your cap and close the bottle up take it out side and dispose of it. The sun will destroy it.

[sesamenom]

interesting how in the FA "beyond lay the wilderness of Dungortheb, where the sorcery of Sauron and the power of Melian came together, and horror and madness walked", then in the TA the Fangorn-Lorien-Mirkwood triangle of Weird Sorcery Forests exists between the domains of saruman, galadriel, necromancer-sauron, and radagast

[angelunderheaven]

[blackwomenrule]

[samwisethewitch]

Please read Mountain Magic by Rebecca Beyer

I was on a break from social media when I read this one, so this isn't a full review, but I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Appalachian folk magic. This is especially relevant to Southern Appalachian lore since Beyer lives in North Carolina.

I loved Beyer's first book, Wild Witchcraft, and with this one, I think she's officially become one of my favorite authors. This is a very thorough collection of folklore and practice for how short it is, and it's organized in a way that is easier for my ADHD brain to follow than some other authors.

I also have to gush about the illustrations. Both of Beyer's books are beautifully illustrated, but I think the art in this one is especially incredible. It's worth having a physical copy for the info alone, but the gorgeous art really makes this a book I want to display in my home.

Finally, I've found Beyer really helpful as an example of combining a pagan religious worldview with a Christian folk magic tradition. Her first book is very much pagan, with info on the God and Goddess and the Wheel of the Year. In this book, she talks about how Christianity has always been at the core of Appalachian folk magic and doesn't try to "paganize" the practice, while also leaving room for readers to bring their own beliefs to the table and explore what feels comfortable for them. This book did not feel preachy in the way some books on American folk magic do.

But yeah, this is just a really fantastic book, and I absolutely think every folk witch needs a copy of it on their shelf!