I picked this book up because I love folklore and American magical traditions, but I also love the New World Witchery Podcast and Cory and Lane's thoughtful look at magic and witchcraft in the New World. In Cory's book I am not disappointed with the detail and the curiosity of exploring this topic.
Explore Nearly 500 Samples of Folk Magic, Stories, Artifacts, Rituals, and Beliefs
One of the most comprehensive collections of witchcraft and folk magic ever written, New World Witchery shows you how to integrate folk traditions into your life and deepen your understanding of magic. Folklore expert Cory Thomas Hutcheson guides you to the crossroads of folk magic, where you'll learn about different practices and try them for yourself.
This treasure trove of witchery features an enormous collection of stories, artifacts, rituals, and traditions. Explore chapters on magical heritage, divination, familiars, magical protection, and spirit communication. Discover the secrets of flying, gathering and creating magical supplies, living by the moon, working contemporary folk magic, and more. This book also provides brief profiles of significant folk magicians, healers, and seers, so you can both meet the practitioners and experience their craft. With New World Witchery, you'll create a unique roadmap to the folk magic all around you.
Cory Thomas Hutcheson (Central Pennsylvania) is the cohost of the popular podcast New World Witchery. He has a doctorate in American Studies with specializations in folklore, religion, and ethnicity from Penn State. He is a contributor to the Oxford Handbook of American Folklore and Folklife Studies and American Myths, Legends, & Tall Tales, and he has written for popular occult publications, including Witches & Pagans
Table of Contents:
Contents
List of Exercises/Practical Work xiii
Chapter One: The Crossroads--An Introduction and Guide to This Book 1
FIRST RITE: NAMING
Chapter Two: Are You a Good Witch?--Defining and Categorizing New World Witchery 13
SECOND RITE: INITIATION
Chapter Three: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son--The Call to Witchcraft and Magic 35
Chapter Four: Killing the Moon--Initiation Rituals 53
THIRD RITE: CASTING THE SPELL Chapter Six: Hair, Milk, and Blood--Cursing Magics 91
FOURTH RITE: SECOND SIGHT
Chapter Seven: Wonders, Signs, and Tokens--Divination and Fortune-Telling 111
Chapter Eight: Bloody Sod and Silver Spade--Treasure-Hunting Magic 131
FIFTH RITE: FLIGHT
Chapter Nine: Salting Her Skin--The Witch in Flight 149
SIXTH RITE: CHEWING THE ROOT
Chapter Ten: Hidden in Plain Sight--Everyday Magical Ingredients 169
Chapter Eleven: Roots, Stones, and Bones--Gathering Magical Supplies 187
Chapter Twelve: Ladders, Dolls, and Bottles--Crafting Magical Objects 211
SEVENTH RITE: THE FAMILIAR
Chapter Thirteen: The Witch's Companion--Creatures and Witchcraft 233
Chapter Fourteen: The Dark Man in the Woods--Diabolical Rumors and Rites 249
EIGHTH RITE: HALLOWING THE GROUND
Chapter Fifteen: A Scratch above Her Eye--Defending Home and Hearth from Witchery 265
Chapter Sixteen: The Devil's Tramping Grounds--Magical Spaces and Places in the New World 281
NINTH RITE: CALLING THE MOON
Chapter Seventeen: Topsy-Turvy Days--A Calendar of Bewitched Days 301
Chapter Eighteen: At Dawn on the First of May--Magic by the Hour 323
TENTH RITE: WORKING THE CHARM
Chapter Nineteen: Devils' Books and Letters from Heaven-- The Written Word and Witchcraft 343
ELEVENTH RITE: NECROMANCY
Chapter Twenty: Those Are My Boys--Friendly Spirits in Folk Magic 361
Chapter Twenty-One: The Witch's Ghost--A Haunted Legacy of Magic 377
TWELFTH RITE: INVISIBILITY
Chapter Twenty-Two: Dangerous Games--Folk Magic in Contemporary Times 393
CODA
Coda--The Thirteenth Rite: Witches in the Popular Imagination for Better or Worse 409
Bibliography 415
Index 433
