-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 17-
Summary
This episode is all about the Ancestors—who they are and why they are important. In WitchCraft, Laine gets her hands dirty with pumpkin carving. And in Spelled Out, Cory looks at methods of Ancestor contact.
Play:
Download: New World Witchery – Episode 17
-Sources-
Interpreting Folk Lore, by Alan Dundes – This book has a good description of the Dumb Supper on p. 165
Ozark Magic & Folklore, by Vance Randolph – This also mentions the Dumb Supper
The Magical Power of the Saints, by Ray T. Malbrough – The source of the Ancestor Prayer Cory mentions in his segment
Witching Way of the Hollow Hill, by Robin Artisson – This book has a great description of the Red Meal
Grimoire for Modern Cunning Folk, by Peter Paddon – This one has good information on Tapping the Bone.
Alchemy Arts – The great witchy store in Chicago (which I incorrectly call “Alchemy Works” in the show)
Witchy Wearables – The great store that hosted the Podkin Super Moot
Pumpkin Bread – Recipe from Simply Recipes
Pumpkin Seeds – Recipe from Simply Recipes
Promos & Music
Title music: “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues. From Magnatune.
Promo 1 – Lakefront Pagan Voice
Promo 2 – Standing Stone & Garden Gate
Promo 3 – Inciting a Riot
New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft 
I listened to the show at work today and was cracking up when Laine said even Stephen Hawking could take her in a fight. I emailed my husband about it and this was his response:
Lol..but he has robot strength with that motorchair. If he gets that thing rolling down hill, he could potentially take out anyone not possessing super powers.
We’re getting a few friends together to do pumpkins this weekend so I was taking notes for all your carving/cooking tips. I’ve never cooked any pumpkin before so here’s hoping it turns out all right!
Anyway, you guys are awesome 🙂
Kelli Creighton
Hiya Kelli!
I hadn’t thought about the bionic man component of Hawking’s offensive capabilities! Good call, lol!
So glad that you enjoyed the pumpkin stuff, too. I just did my carving this past week, and it was lots of fun. Let us know how your baking/cooking turns out!
Thank you for being quite awesome yourself!!!
All the best,
-Cory
Great pod cast
Yes I laughed my head off at that – the Stephen Hawking bit. I feel the same about my upper body strength. however my hips could take on anybody. And I could probably strangle someone with my legs, anyway….. i won’t go into that, mu ha ha haaaaa
Looking forward to carving – I will be using turnips and swedes instead, I might buy a pumpkin too, haven’t decided yet. As a kid using turnips instead was something our family did and a lot of people did then – its a old British thing, these days everyone uses pumpkins and they look great so i might do that this year too. Turnips are quite difficult to carve up. When we were kids my mam made stew with the middle of the turnips – a lovely steak stew with turnip, carrots and potatoes yummy. It warmed us up before we went out.
Anyway I have waffled a bit
Loved the pod cast
Amanda
Thanks! Everyone seems to love the Stephen Hawking joke 🙂 Maybe we’ll have to make more use of him in future episodes, lol.
The turnips and swedes sound like a lot of work! But the stew afterwords sounds divine! I do love turnips in a good stew, myself.
Thanks for writing!
-Cory
Greetings Cory and Laine!
Sorry its been a minute since I have left any comments, my new job and school has kept me busy. I’m still doing well and always keep my mojo hand on me while I’m at school.
I just did a marathon listen of the past 2 episodes and the mini-episode. I loved the “Black Cat Murders” reading. It made me think of the Wompus Cat entry in “Spooky South,” ( http://www.amazon.com/Spooky-South-Hauntings-Strange-Happenings/dp/0762730633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287106247&sr=8-1 ) which is a great compilation of southern folk tales.
Concerning Judika Illes: I had seen her giant books in the bookstore for some time now, and thumbed through the spirit one. I had almost bought them, but I just didn’t have the money. Well after the interview with her and getting an idea of what she was all about, I nerded out and bought both the “Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells” AND “Encyclopedia of Spirits.” I made the mistake of grabbing these books first though, and my girlfriend wanted to continue shopping…those books get heavy after a while. 😮
When I got home I began to thumb through 5000 spells, and I gotta say, Ms. Illes really knows her stuff. The section on the Evil Eye alone (yes, I went to it first thing) was worth the price, not to mention everything else.
So there’s my shameless plug. And a big thank you to Ms. Illes for going through the effort to get these books published. 😀
Now on to your Ancestors episode. Firstly, I got excited about carving Jack-o-Lanterns and I am so gonna bake some pumpkin seeds!
As far as Ancestral work goes, I am a big Artisson follower, and have participated in a large group Red Meal last Samhain. It truly is an experience to be apart of.
Ancestral work, which ties in to Faery Tradition work, are a big part of my practice. I have an altar set for my grandmother, my most precious and loved of family members, who passed a year and a half ago. She comes to me in dreams, and beyond that, my dreams tend to be prophetic, for lack of a better word.
I make bloodline ancestral petitions in concerns of protection and the well-being of loved ones, but for other sorcery needs, I will petition a spirit associated with the work.
*Now I’m about to get a bit into my views and beliefs of the function of the soul and spirit. I’m not saying that I’m right, or saying that this is all complete fact. This is just my personal understanding and beliefs. Disclaimer noted!*
I agree with the different types of Ancestry. There is Bloodline Ancestry, which is the ancestry of your “current” family, and Heritage Ancestry, the ancestry based on cultural and regional factors (like having a grandfather that’s Irish).
When it comes to Bloodline, I am not close with my family, and as far as I know, I am the one and only Pagan and sorcerer that the family has had. It doesn’t matter though, for when your family member becomes your ancestor, they are in a different state. Their human ego, the soul, is gone, and only remains in memory and expression in their spirit, their fetch. The fetch also “remembers” all the past existences and incarnations that it has been connected to.
That being said, Bloodline Ancestors have the potential to a great spirit resource.
Now on the topic of rebirth, as concerned with working with the Bloodline Ancestor.
Let’s start with time. Time is a measurement that has been constructed by man to measure the length between events that occur. If you remove the yardstick of time, existence is shown as a series of events that overlap one another. While we are alive, we are dead. While we are dead, we are being born. Our ancestors are also our descendants.
When we work with the ancestors, we work with their fetch, which could be attached to a “living soul,” and quite possibly our fetch is worked with by our descendants. Basically our fetch is our spiritual representation, and is connected to various forms of existence.
I know this is quite an abstract way of looking at things, and I really should take a bit more time to write out my thoughts, but I can just suggest some reading. I’m very influenced by Robin Artisson’s works, and suggest the “Witching Way of the Hollow Hill” to those interested in Old World Mysticism.
Also Eric De Vries has a great book on the subject called “Hedge-Rider.”
http://www.amazon.com/Hedge-Rider-Witches-Underworld-Eric-Vries/dp/0979616875/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287109995&sr=1-1
While I know this isn’t American Witchcraft, it is a good base for ancestral work. They aren’t gospel, as most books are not, but they do ring true to me.
Sorry for such a long post, I kind of rambled for a bit. Oh, and thanks for mentioning me in the show! Between you guys, Standing Stone, and Inciting a Riot, I’m gonna be a regular celebrity! 😛
-The best of blessings and great work as always!
Odom of the Evil Eye
Hi Odom!
Thanks so much for this very thoughtful and jam-packed reply! As a reader of many of the same authors you mention, I would definitely say someone looking for a Trad Craft style ancestral practice should look into those tomes. In general, they’re just excellent books on witchcraft, and the specific methods and techniques are quite useful, too.
Lol, sorry that Judika’s books wore you out with their weight. Once you get them home, the workout continues, though, as you keep putting them on the shelf, remembering a question you have, and pulling them back out again. They’re pretty fantastic!
Thanks again for this wonderful response! All the best!
-Cory