Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia
Jun 2019 · Weiser Books
4.2star
5 reviewsreport
Ebook
240
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About this ebook
In Backwoods Witchcraft, Jake Richards offers up a folksy stew of family stories, lore, omens, rituals, and conjure crafts that he learned from his great-grandmother, his grandmother, and his grandfather, a Baptist minister who Jake remembers could "rid someone of a fever with an egg or stop up the blood in a wound." The witchcraft practiced in Appalachia is very much a folk magic of place, a tradition that honors the seen and unseen beings that inhabit the land as well as the soil, roots, and plant life.
The materials and tools used in Appalachia witchcraft are readily available from the land. This "grounded approach" will be of keen interest to witches and conjure folk regardless of where they live. Readers will be guided in how to build relationships with the spirits and other beings that dwell around them and how to use the materials and tools that are readily available on the land where one lives.
This book also provides instructions on how to create a working space and altar and make conjure oils and powders. A wide array of tried-and-true formulas are also offered for creating wealth, protecting one from gossip, spiritual cleansing, and more.
Ratings and reviews
4.2
5 reviews
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November 7, 2019
I liked the parts where I learned about the Cherokee, but I didn't enjoy the book. I couldn't finish it. There is a RIDICULOUS amount of Bible references and verses! I am not religious by any means. But, the amount of so called "Witchcraft" in this book is slim to nothing. To me, this book has been misleading! Beyond disappointed.
1 person found this review helpful
Bradley Scott
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October 20, 2019
A mighty fortress is our God was the school song where I attended university. I have sought that refuge and found it in many an odd place. God and Magick walk hand in hand in this thorough examination of Appalachian beliefs and mythology. I loved getting lost in the hills and valleys of this book and found a commonality with the material that I was taught by my own kinfolk here in the heart of the Ozarks. I call the common thread that weaves through all things the Holy Spirit. May we all come together.
1 person found this review helpful
Andrew Gitchell
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December 10, 2020
Excellent book, yes there is ALOT OF SCRIPTURE but that was what the Appalachians had and that's what they worked with. This book is a testament to the history of these people and a return to a more simple time.
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
While Jake Richards doesn't hold initiations, titles, or degrees, he clearly does hold his Appalachian heritage close to his blood and bones. He has practiced Appalachian folk magic for almost a decade and teaches classes on the subject in Jonesborough, Tennessee, where he owns Little Chicago Conjure, a supplier of Appalachian folk magic supplies and ingredients. Starr Casas, a veteran rootworker and traditional conjure woman, has been helping people for over 35 years through her ancestral art of old style conjure. She is one of the preeminent modern masters of this southern American style of folk magic, and she maintains an active teaching schedule. Starr is also among the organizers of the annual New Orleans Folk Magic Festival. Visit her at www.oldstyleconjure.com.
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