The Appalachian Magickal Tradition

Appalachian traditional magick has long been a mysterious craft, even amongst the pagan community. To find out just how mysterious it is, try a search on the internet ~ the results are filled with misinformation and outright fiction. One of the most interesting fictions on the topic is the statement that the craft died out completely around the turn of the 20th century and is no longer taught in the area. One might wonder what the motivation behind such statements truly is. It is better to think that the authors of such articles and websites are actually unaware of the continued existence of the tradition, rather than that they might be attempting to hijack and distort the native culture of these people for their own ends. It is also a reasonable assumption that those who are attempting an honest revival of Appalachian folk magick teachings would be given disinformation from the source, understanding why would require us to try an understand the culture from which these traditions draw their roots.

Appalachian heritage is unlike any other, it is a blend of European, Tsalagi and even African American heritage. The original settlers of the Appalachian mountains were by and large Scottish and Irish immigrants who were ill treated in the port cities where they first arrived in America, and longed for a wild desolate place similar to their own homeland. In time, these immigrants came to blend with the Native Americans (primarily the Cherokee) who were already in residence, and in later years with escaped and freed slaves. Knowing this background it is very easy to see how the descendants of these people would have a generalized anxiety and mistrust towards both outsiders and governmental institutions. One might think that the 'city' person asking questions about Appalachian magick and being turned down, or outright lied to would be the biggest road block in learning about the art~ however, it isn't the only one. Attitudes about witchery in the Appalachians would also deter anyone from learning about it.

The use of magick and witchcraft is so ingrained in the life of the Appalachian native that it is rarely ever considered magick at all by those who practice it, but rather just the way things are done. The word witch, or witch doctor is used not only to describe master practitioner's but also used as a verb for what they do, an example of this would be the statement that he or she can witch off warts or burns, etc. Appalachian charms and magick are practical and employ no ritual or doctrine, and allow the practitioner to carry on with whatever religion they choose to uphold without conflict. To further complicate the situation master practitioner's of Appalachian magick only choose to relate the art to those in their own bloodline, without compromise, this is thought to be where the strength of the magick comes from. The art itself is learned through a lifetime of anecdotal teachings rather than as a body of knowledge and is often picked up merely as a way of doing things. Here are a few examples of spells, hexes and signs that would be readily recognized by the Appalachian magician.

When you kill a snake, hang the body of the serpent in a tree to bring rain within the week. Do not be judgemental about this one. To people in the mountains snakes are real and deadly threat to pets, children and livestock and are dealt with as such.

To hex an enemy burn a pone of cornbread while speaking their name and then feed the crumbled bread to birds, to do less damage, but effectively annoy with a terrible migraine simply step into their footprints as you follow along behind them.

A screech owl crying outside your window at night is an omen of death for the person who hears it~ to prevent the omen from becoming reality tie a knot in the bed sheet under which you sleep. The knot may be untied by the light of day.

Never close a knife that you did not open, to do so will result in your own injury on the blade of a knife.

Illness and bad omens can be removed from the persons of a household by binding a broom especially for that purpose, and sweeping the entire household , but all dust must be swept out doors and not gathered in a dustpan.

The entire tradition is made up of small bits of knowledge like this, which is also considered a body of common knowledge amongst the people who are native to it's practice. Among practitioners the art of laying on hands and 'talking off' illness and disease are also common, as are methods of divination. Conjuring is a common word used in the practice and sometimes masters are referred to as Conjure men or women, but the summoning of spirits is not used, or at least not in a main stream way. The culture itself is remarkably hard to explain to an outsider as there is an entire lexicon of language and history that would have to be understood first, and that is traditionally passed on by heritage. In the end, beware any church or organization that labels themselves as teaching or having knowledge in this area, because the beliefs themselves dictate that a hereditary practitioner would rarely ,if ever ,divulge these secrets to an outsider.