Blog Post 84 – Diamonds and Clubs (Cards, part III)
Okay, so today I’m going to look at individual cards and their significance in my readings. I’ll basically tell you a few key words, then elaborate a bit on potential interpretations of these cards....
View ArticleBlog Post 85 – Hearts and Spades (Cards, part IV)
This post deals with the second half of the deck, the hearts and spades suits. Again, I’ll provide a few key words or images, and then elaborate a bit. Let’s get to it! Hearts This suit has to do...
View ArticleBlog Post 88 – Spreads (Cards, part V)
My sincere apologies for the lateness of this post, and because this may well be the only post I get out this week. However, it should tidy up the card reading series and it comes with photo...
View ArticleBlog Post 89 – The New World Witchery Guide to Cartomancy
Click to Download Greetings everyone! I know that I’ve been a bit scanty on blogging lately, for which I apologize most profusely. Unfortunately, I’m likely to stay busy with many irons in many fires...
View ArticleBlog Post 99 – Halloween
Ghostly greetings, everyone! As I near one hundred blog posts on this site, I thought I’d share something special for Halloween. It’s an article I’ve been working on for a while now, part of a series...
View ArticleBlog Post 104 – (A Little) More Colonial (and Native American) Magic
I thought in honor of the recent Thanksgiving festivities—at least those here in the US (and with a belated bow to the harvest feasting in Canada), I would take a brief look at some of the magical...
View ArticlePodcast 21 – Winter Lore
-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 21- Summary In this episode, we share some of the winter lore we received in our recent contest. We look at the various wonderful traditions from around the continent (and the...
View ArticleBlog Post 110 – The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
“ ‘I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come?’ said Scrooge. The Spirit answered not, but pointed onward with its hand. ‘You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not...
View ArticleBlog Post 120 – Divination in the New World (an Overview)
Greetings everyone! First of all, sorry for the complete absence of posts last week. I got a little swamped and didn’t get as much research time as I wanted, but hopefully today’s rather long article...
View ArticleBlog Post 121 – Watching Birds
Today we’ll be looking at birds and their place as divinatory aids in the New World, something we touched on briefly in the second post on Magical Animals. Birds have historically been turned to by...
View ArticlePodcast 25 – Divination and Destiny
-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 25- Summary In this episode, we look at different divination systems from the New World. We have a conversation about Destiny, and Laine talks about spinning wheels as magical...
View ArticleBlog Post 122 – Bibliomancy
I thought today we would take a look at one of the many divinatory systems found in the New World, and one which has remained popular through the centuries: bibliomancy. We discussed this topic...
View ArticleBlog Post 134 – Brujeria and Curanderismo: A (Very Brief) Overview
I’ve been combing back through a number of different posts lately, and seeing what areas we’ve covered in some detail (hoodoo, rootwork, and Pow-wow, mostly), which ones we’ve done some basic delving...
View ArticleBlog Post 139 – Eggs
In marble walls as white as milk, Lined with skin as soft as silk, Within a crystal fountain clear, A golden apple doth appear. No doors there are to this stronghold Yet thieves break in to steal the...
View ArticleBlog Post 143 – Apples
Inside a red barn, A white star… -Part of a riddle, the solution to which is “an apple” Do you remember that moment in Snow White & the Seven Dwarves when the evil Queen is using all manner of...
View ArticleBlog Post 144 – Walnuts
“As soft as silk, As white as milk, As bitter as gall, A strong wall, And a green coat covers me all” Walnut riddle from H.M. Hyatt, Adams Co., Entry No. 14379 Continuing with the Thanksgiving...
View ArticleBlog Post 147 – Reviews and Recommendations
Hi all! I’ve been reading a lot lately (but then, when am I not?). I’ve also managed to catch a couple of great movies as well. So I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on them with you! The excerpts...
View ArticlePodcast 40 – Rhymes, Games, and Riddles
-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 40– 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...
View ArticlePodcast 41 – Spring Lore Spectacular!
-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 41– 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...
View ArticleBlog Post 157 – Peaches
I love a good summer peach. Or peach cobbler. Or homemade peach ice cream. And I can’t tell you how much I miss my mother’s homemade brandied peaches (which were amazing over some hand-churned...
View ArticleBlog Post 159 – Birthday Superstitions
Hi all! No, this is not a shameless effort to harvest as many birthday wishes as I can, but today happens to be my birthday and I remembered a bit of magical lore that says it is particularly good...
View ArticleBlog Post 162 – Broom Lore
I recently helped out on a project for a local folklorist looking for information on broom lore, and wound up with easily twenty pages of notes on the topic from a wide variety of sources. I thought...
View ArticleBlog Post 165 – Dem Bones, part I
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Now hear the word of the Lord. -from “Dem Dry Bones,” Traditional Spiritual based on...
View ArticleBlog Post 166 – Dem Bones, part II
The Hoodoo told me to get a black cat bone The Hoodoo told me to get a black cat bone And shake it over their heads, they’ll leave your man alone -Ma Rainey, from “Louisiana Hoodoo Blues” Ossuary at...
View ArticleBlog Post 167 – Corpses
To get everyone in the holiday spirit, today I thought we might head down the gruesome path to the graveyard and see what we can dig up (figuratively, of course). That’s festive, right? Deck the halls...
View ArticleBlog Post 171 – Magical Cakes
King Cake Bagel, via Wikimedia Commons Laissez les bon temps rouler, y’all! It’s Mardi Gras, which means a last-minute pre-Lenten extravaganza of flesh, fun, and other words starting with the sixth...
View ArticleBlog Post 179 – Book Release: Fifty-Four Devils
Folks, I’m really and truly happy to announce I’ve finished the expansion of the old cartomancy guide and it is officially released for your purchase and perusal! The book is called Fifty-Four Devils:...
View ArticlePodcast 57 – New Orleans
Summary: In this extended episode, we revisit our recent trip to the magical city of New Orleans. We’ll discuss the most recent Pagan Podkin Super Moot, places to see in the Crescent City, and hear...
View ArticleQuick Update – NOLA Swag Contest!
Hi all! If you’ve listened to the latest episode, you know we’re having another big contest right now. We had such generous sponsors this year we were able to put together a few extra swag bags for fan...
View ArticleQuick Update – A New Year, A(nother) New Giveaway!
There’s a bit of folk superstition about New Year’s Day that says whatever you want to be doing for the next twelve months, make sure you’re doing it on January 1st. You’re also not supposed to start...
View ArticleBlog Post 187 – Magical Hats
Cowboy hats for sale in Austin, TX (photo by Nika Vee, via Wikimedia Commons) There’s a line from the classic (well, sort of) movie Smokey & the Bandit in which Burt Reynolds’s character explains...
View ArticlePodcast 62 – Pregnancy and Birth Lore
Shownotes for Podcast 62 – Pregnancy and Birth Lore Summary: In this episode we’re trying out the wedding ring test, asking about spicy foods, and trying not to scare any birthmarks onto Laine’s baby...
View ArticleBlog Post 196 – Body Lore & Magic
Hans van Hayek, The Fortuneteller, 1892 (via Wikimedia) “My ears are burning; who’s talking about me?” “If your nose is itching, someone wants to kiss you.” “Your feet itch? You must be about to go...
View ArticleSpecial Episode – The Dumb Supper
Special Episode – The Dumb Supper Summary: This is our first 2017 #AllHallowsRead tale, “The Dumb Supper.” A girl and her friends try out a marriage divination ritual, and find out that things don’t...
View ArticleEpisode 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...
View ArticleEpisode 149 – Seaside Sorcery
Summary: In this episode we talk mermaids and manatees, sexy seashells, and far too many Disney movies. Join us down at the shore as we discuss the magic of (and around) the ocean! Please check out...
View ArticleEpisode 154 – Halloween
Summary: As the spooky season is upon us, Laine and Cory decide it’s time to put on our masks, grab our pillow cases, and head out to do some trick-or-treating. It’s Halloween on New World Witchery,...
View ArticleEpisode 155 – Names and Magic
Summary: We’re discussing the power of names, both magical and mundane (and if there’s really a difference). We discuss the names we keep, the names thrust upon us, the names we lose, and the power of...
View ArticleEpisode 163 – Dreams
Summary: This time we’re looking at dreamscapes and discussing sleep-based magic and folklore. We talk about lucid dreaming, dream interpretation, mara/nightmares, and ways to boost dreaming. We also...
View ArticleEpisode 175 – The Kitchen Sink Magic Book Club
Summary: Once again we dive into Cunningham’s Earth Power folk magic books, and get a little bit of everything! We talk candles, dolls, wax figures, mirrors, stars, and more in this one! Please check...
View ArticleEpisode 177 – The Stormy Spellcaster Book Club
Summary: We dampen our spirits–in the best possible way–and take a look at the folk magic of storms, fog, rain, and other wet weather in our latest Cunningham book club episode. Please check out our...
View ArticleEpisode 178 – A Cornucopia of Magic
Summary: We are filling up on magic at the dinner table as we look to the folklore and enchanted uses of ingredients like corn, apples, potatoes, and more! Please check out our Patreon page! You can...
View ArticleEpisode 179 – The Winter Witchery Book Club
Summary: We turn to the final chapters of our Scott Cunningham Natural Magic books to talk about the folklore and uses of snow and ice, as well as crafting your own rituals. Please check out our...
View ArticleEpisode 183 – Rules of Magic
Summary: We break into our first book club of 2021, then discuss our own personal “rules of magic.” We also do our monthly cartomancy draw, and answer a listener question about using coins as...
View ArticleEpisode 184 – Spirits, Sabbats, and Esbats
Summary: We use our book club to talk about gods, goddesses, and elementals. Then we dig into our personal practices regarding rituals for the Sabbats and Esbats. We answer a great listener question...
View ArticleEpisode 185 – Ozark Folk Magic with Brandon Weston
This time we have an interview with author, researcher, and practitioner Brandon Weston. We discuss woodpecker witches, seventh sons of seventh sons, passing power to avoid becoming a haint, and just...
View ArticleEpisode 186 – Folked Up Witchcraft with Via Hedera
We welcome back friend and folklorist witch Via Hedera. We talk about finding folklore resources, favorite places to connect with magic, and then get a little wild deciding who would win in a...
View ArticleEpisode 202 – Yuletide Cheer! 2021
Summary: We take a slightly different approach to our annual Yuletide festivities, and share a few songs, a lot of lore about favorite holiday traditions we DON’T practice, and a listener email about a...
View ArticleSpecial Episode – Folk Magician’s Notebook – January 2022
Summary: We launch the first in a monthly series of posts that will take a peek at folk magical influences for the coming lunation. We look at moon phases and signs, divination, a proverb and folktale...
View ArticleSpecial Episode – Folk Magician’s Notebook – February 2022
Summary: This time we look at all those peas and beans in our moon calendar, talk about the Aces of Cups and Hearts, and spend some time watching critters to tell us about the weather. We also hear a...
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