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Episode 104: Which Witch Pt.5
560 Plays1 year ago
Welcome back witches to another Which Witch episode. We're taking on a journey to learn all about the Hereditary Witch and the Death Witch. So get in witches for part 5 of our Which Witch series.
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Supercast & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft, or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our links below.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References:
- Wigington, Patti. (2023, April 5). Hereditary Witchcraft. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/about-hereditary-witchcraft-2562544
- Wigington, Patti. (2020, August 28). Appalachian Folk Magic and Granny Witchcraft. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/appalachian-folk-magic-4779929
- Willow Rose (2020). Six Ways to Work with Ancestors. The Way of the Witch. Six Ways to Work With Ancestors - The Way of Witch
- Henriques, Marta. Realm of the Death Witch: Navigating Spirituality, Magick, and the Beyond. (2024). https://medium.com/the-stardust-club/realm-of-the-death-witch-8c69c1a427ac
- Death-witch-envy. Death Witchcraft FAQ + Masterpost. (2018) Tumblr. https://magicianmew.tumblr.com/post/165734725824/death-witchcraft-faq-masterpost
- Kit. Beginner Death Witchcraft. (2019). Of Hearth and Bone. https://stygiantarot.tumblr.com/post/174386382644/beginner-death-witchcraft
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Witchcraft Theme
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft in the occult but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In, Loser. We're doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey. Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we've learned about the craft. So get in, witches, for our fifth installment of our Witch Witch series, this time covering death and hereditary witchcraft.
Sick Days and Immunity Jokes
00:00:47
Speaker
So just a disclaimer for this lovely episode, I'm once again sick with the Ramstein plague.
00:00:57
Speaker
I will say, though, your immune system is going to be like top tier. I know. It's just taking in all these germs and like building itself up. It's like we're just going to keep getting sick until we get them all.
00:01:08
Speaker
Literally, that's exactly what happened to the girls whenever. And here's the thing, it didn't happen when we moved here. But when we moved to England, the first like at least month every single week, my kids came home with something new. So it was hand, foot and mouth. The next week it was strep throat. The next week it was a stomach bug. It was literally something different every week. They miss like the first month of school. Like I swear to God, it was awful.
00:01:31
Speaker
Yeah, there's two things going around right now. So like half of the people are getting like a stomach virus and then the other half of us are getting whatever this is and it's like sinuses and coughing and sneezing. Yeah, it's the worst. It's all in your head.
00:01:53
Speaker
like all in your like face and just, you just feel like crop and sleepy. I just hope that you don't get the stomach one because that I would rather be sick with anything ever than be sick with anything with my stomach or my like, but because no, right? That's awful.
00:02:14
Speaker
awful. I made some elderberry syrup like the second Anthony was like I think I'm coming down with something. I made homemade chicken noodle soup with like all of the immune boosting stuff and then I made some elderberry syrup and we've both been taking it like crazy and I think that's why like his recovery was a lot faster than everyone else's
00:02:40
Speaker
And I haven't, like I've been sick, but I haven't been like everyone else. I haven't been like down for the count. Like everyone else that's been getting sick is like just too tired to do anything. And I'm like sleepy at night. Like by the end of the day, I'm like, okay, I've done a lot of things and I need to go to bed. But like during the day, I'm like up and cleaning and doing whatever, just doing it sick, I guess. I don't know. Yeah. It's like it's manageable even though.
00:03:07
Speaker
Like she wears it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I definitely wish that my sinuses weren't like clogged and blowing my nose 85 times a day. My poor nose is so raw. It hurts. Yeah. So hopefully I can make it through this episode without.
00:03:24
Speaker
too much. I have the most intense cough drops. Have you had these? Vapo cool severe buffets? I haven't. It's like chewing a menthol cigarette. Anthony was like, I'm going to try one with you because we were like, this is intense. We put them in our mouths in the car and at first we were like, oh, it's fine. And then immediately we were like, why is it spicy?
00:03:47
Speaker
It's so hot. And he was like, I'm just going to chew it. And he was like, that's worse. It tastes like an ashtray. So, um, yeah, they definitely like clear my sinuses while I am, you know, sucking on this cough drop. Yeah. But it burns my throat at the same time.
Discovering Local Pagan Groups
00:04:05
Speaker
So I don't know how good these are for me, but if it helps me get through the episode. Right. The Ricola honey ones, those are my favorite ones, the honey and women.
00:04:15
Speaker
I don't feel like those do anything for me. Those and the cherry ones. Oh, the cherry ones. Yeah, those are like candy. Like the eucalyptus ones. Those are the only ones that seem to work for me. These ones are called winter frost. Well,
00:04:38
Speaker
and they're frosty. Yeah. You got it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So any coughs and stuff, just bear with us, guys. We'll get through it. I'm trying. I'm trying my best. Yes. I met- A little bit of a voice. Yeah. Just a little, but you still sound beautiful. It's fine. Oh, precious.
00:05:00
Speaker
One of my coworkers, I recently found out that she's also kind of witchy. We were just kind of talking and I think how she found out that I was is that she saw my witchy planner that I have and then she put two and two together because on my water bottle, my beautiful Stanley that you hate so much.
00:05:24
Speaker
I have two tarot card stickers on there. And she was like, oh, it was like one of those, like, are you? Yeah, of course I am. Are you? And she's doing a full moon ritual on Monday. And she was like, do you want to come? And I'm like, fuck yeah. That's awesome. So I'm just like, I'm so excited. I'm excited for you. I can't wait to hear all about it.
00:05:51
Speaker
Me too. And I guess she lives by the ocean too. So she's like, we're just going to go and have a bonfire on the beach. And I'm like, yes. Okay. This is something I can get down with. I'm sad. I'm not there. I know. I'm just like, Oh my God, this is cool. So we found out that this base, I don't think Scott did. If they did, they didn't like put it anywhere, but Ramstein has a pagan group that meets called open circle.
00:06:20
Speaker
I love that. Yeah, at the chapel. We have one here. I haven't checked it out yet because it's always like they only meet Saturdays at from 10 to 12. That's what this one is. Yeah, I can probably do it now. But whenever like we first got here, that was like primetime and we would record like whatever it's got. So I'm like, I'm never gonna go I guess. Yeah.
00:06:45
Speaker
Um, not that I was like feeling like I'm missing something, but I'm just like, Oh, it's meant to be. It'll be, you know, it'll be, but yeah. So I'm going to probably check it out eventually. But this Saturday we're going gallivanting somewhere.
European Butcher Story
00:07:00
Speaker
Yes. I'm going to take my sixth self out in nature. That will always help to make you feel better. I'm just going to keep sucking these Dean cough drops that are
00:07:15
Speaker
Very intense. Yeah. What else was I going to give a disclaimer for? I thought about two things, being sick and something else, but I don't remember. Are the puppies asleep? Well, I feel like that should just be a staple disclaimer is that there is a chance that you'll hear my dogs because they're crazy. Yeah. I love them, but they're insane.
00:07:41
Speaker
It wasn't a disclaimer though. We went to a butcher today to get some meat. And this butcher that's like right by our house, they have vending machines. Everything that you can get inside, you can get out of the vending machine. It's like a butcher vending machine.
00:08:01
Speaker
That's crazy. Yeah. Cause you know, everything's closed on Sundays. Anthony was like, this will be perfect for a day that we're like, Oh, I really want a steak, but everything's closed. I really want, I don't know. There was everything in them, like seafood, everything. That's cool. Yeah. So we took a picture and sent it to my brother. Oh, I'll send it to you right now. I have one of my friends. It's really hard to see cause the sun was shining today. So you just mostly see our reflections.
00:08:30
Speaker
But yeah, so we saw that and we were like, that's really cool. And then we went inside and got some meat and stuff. And then Anthony had asked about, he's gonna be like,
00:08:41
Speaker
cooking for some huge, important retirement for the base. He got volunteered to barbecue for it. I like that, but also intimidating. Yeah. He asked the butcher, he was like, I have this thing and this is what I'm looking for. He's like, it's no problem. He's like, call me the day before, I'll have it ready for you.
00:09:02
Speaker
So that, and then he gives us beers to go for free. He's like, here you go. I'm like only in Europe. Well, and only your husband because. I love that too. He makes smells with everyone. Yeah. I don't think that has really happened to me ever.
00:09:20
Speaker
But it has happened to you guys more times than I can count. You've been back. That's not including the seven years you were there before. So every time I turn around, I'm like, who is this? Oh, you just, um, okay. Okay. Yeah. But yeah. So I thought about that to tell you, cause I knew they had like our favorite grocery store out here is Etika. It is a gym of a grocery store.
00:09:49
Speaker
But in their parking lot, they have a dairy vending machine. So you can come with your own glass bottles and get milk, which we don't drink milk, but I always thought it was so cool. And then we go to the butcher today and I was like, a meat vending machine? I think that was really cool. I was so excited for it.
Exploring Death and Hereditary Witchcraft
00:10:07
Speaker
Yeah. But we're not talking about meat vending machines. No, we're not. What are we talking about today?
00:10:17
Speaker
It's witch witch time. I'm excited about this. Tiffany, you're going to be covering death witches, death witchcraft. Yes. I'll be covering hereditary witchcraft. I'm excited about that. Which I will say, I didn't know anything about them coming into it, but my mind went death witches.
00:10:41
Speaker
Is this going to be like necromancy? Right. Nope. Nope. It is not. It is not. I mean, there were like a couple of accounts where they were like, you know, necromancy can fall and under this, but I think it's way cooler. Yeah. Well, I can't wait to hear about it. Let's get this cough out of the way. All right. So I'm kicking us off with.
00:11:08
Speaker
death witches and death witchcraft, if I can talk. I have a cough drop in my mouth. So death witches embrace death as a pivotal point in the cycle of life rather than fear it. They understand that the time between life and death should be a journey that is honored and respected.
00:11:32
Speaker
While death can be the passing of a living being, it can also be the loss of a job, a relationship, or even the aspect of oneself. Death doesn't necessarily relate to a person dying, but that peace is a large part of this practice. Because of these connections, this type of witchcraft is thought to be one of the more emotionally taxing and obscure types of witchcraft in practice. So should this be the path that you are drawn to, you need to keep this in mind.
00:12:02
Speaker
The way that death witchcraft differs from the traditional witchcraft practice is that they embrace a spiritual journey that is woven into the death and the afterlife. Spirituality, magic, and the ethereal are thought to converge with mortality, and this form of witchcraft acknowledges this.
00:12:22
Speaker
According to Spells of Magic site, death witchcraft can be defined as working with and honoring spirits of the dead as well as the power of death itself. They state that death witches reflect upon the concept of death, come to terms with their own death, and work through spiritual deaths within their lives. They also note that death witches communicate with the dead regularly, stating that they help the dead and in turn the dead help them in their practice.
00:12:52
Speaker
While it's often misunderstood and seen as a practice that embraces darkness, it actually seeks to understand the transformative power inherent in the inevitable end and has a very strong connection to the cycles of life and death. Those that practice death witchcraft have a sense of acceptance when it comes to impermanence and they share that belief that death is not an end, but simply a transition.
00:13:19
Speaker
Practices from this type of witchcraft challenge societal taboos surrounding death and it invites practitioners to embrace the inevitability of the end while finding meaning and purpose in the cycles of life. So to practice death witchcraft, a single common belief amongst death witches is that you must respect both the dead and the living. The dead are not your slaves. They're not there to give you power.
00:13:47
Speaker
and they are just as valuable as the practitioner. Death witches serve as guides for others seeking solace, understanding, or empowerment in the face of mortality, and they practice rituals that involve communing with the spirits,
00:14:03
Speaker
honoring ancestors and exploring the liminal spaces between life and death. A lot of this type of witchcraft revolves around caring for the dead. Some of the ways that this can be done is by tending to graveyards, and this can be as simple as cleaning up trash left behind or even pulling weeds, really just spending time walking through and becoming familiar with the cemetery itself.
00:14:27
Speaker
You can leave offerings for the dead. You can create an ancestral shrine. And for this, you should choose ancestors that resonate with you and create like a simple space for them somewhere in your home, somewhere in your home or on your altar. You can include pictures of them, things that you might associate with their life cycle or something that reminds you of them if you knew them during their lifetime.
00:14:54
Speaker
You can even write them letters as a form of communication with them and leave those on the altar space as well. Helping the dead pass on, helping loved ones through the mourning process, shadow works surrounding death, or even those other forms of like quote unquote deaths in your life like loss of job or relationship.
00:15:17
Speaker
honoring ancestors, honoring funeral rites of various cultures, preserving and drying your own herbs and plants, which I loved that this was included. Because after reading it, I was like, oh my gosh, that makes so much sense. But this is thought to be a simple way to experience decay and death within your own home, and also something that could be useful in your practice in many different ways. So as we always say, do your research.
00:15:45
Speaker
Make sure you're not leaving toxic plants within reach of children or pets while they're drying. Store them in sealed containers once they're completely dried. And make sure that you label them so that you know what they are. But basically, you would just take your herbs, your live herbs, and then hang them or however you're going to dry them. And watch them go through that process. And then once they're dried, you're going to store them and label them. And you could use them to dress candles and spellwork.
00:16:15
Speaker
cooking like all sorts of things. So I absolutely love that. Another thing you can do is death-related crafts. So this could be practiced by using bones and other types of remains through photography of abandoned or decaying locations, which I thought was kind of cool. I never would have thought of that.
00:16:36
Speaker
paintings of afterlife-related images, headstone rubbings or memento mori journals, stories, and poetry relating to death and beyond, or recycling objects like clothing and turning it into something new is thought to be symbolic of the life and death cycle. This type of witchcraft can also include necromancy, defined by Death Witch Envy on Tumblr as
00:17:01
Speaker
divination through the dead. So they further explain that their practice in necromancy includes talking to the dead to receive insights into the present or the future. And it's important to note here that not all death witches are necromancers and not all necromancers are death witches. The two don't always go hand in hand but they often have at least some crossover.
00:17:25
Speaker
And some more subtle and low energy practices would include reading or watching things related to death like forensics or like academic death work. If that's like if it's more of a vibe that you're looking for versus like factual information, you could even incorporate like fictional shows, movies or books into the mix.
00:17:49
Speaker
read myths and cultural practices that are related to the cycle of life and death, or even just reading and researching articles that examine the aspects of death in an academic sense.
00:18:01
Speaker
So some symbols would be skulls, bones, representations of mortality as a means of connecting with energies that surround the concept of death, and rituals that are practiced in death witchcraft will acknowledge and honor deceased loved ones, as well as recognize the importance of maintaining
00:18:22
Speaker
a connection with those that have crossed over. Rituals will also serve as a source of comfort, closure, and celebration of the impact a deceased individual had during their lifetime. And just some final thoughts. Remember that this formal witchcraft is thought to be extremely taxing on your emotions and very heavy, so should you choose to follow this path, understand that you need to put in the works
00:18:48
Speaker
to be emotionally aware of when you need to take a step back. The intensity in exploring this practice can also mean that you might start a project, a practice, or a ritual, and before it's finished, you need to take a break from it, and that's completely okay. Remember to always keep yourself safe mentally, emotionally, and physically when you're exploring death and this form of practice.
Defining Hereditary Witchcraft
00:19:14
Speaker
If this is something that you're like interested in and you're interested in learning about it, I would highly recommend going to your library or like ordering these books on Amazon if you have the means to do that because a lot of the information that's on the internet surrounding death witches or death witchcraft, it's very limited. It's not very vast, but there are a lot of books out there on it that I just didn't have
00:19:44
Speaker
access to at the time that we did this research. So I'm sure there's a ton more information that can be like, leaned from those books. But the internet is not the best resource for this one. So I even went to like YouTube and TikTok and I wasn't like, finding a whole lot of information. So but what I did find I really did love. That is very interesting. I like it.
00:20:11
Speaker
Yeah, a lot of stuff that we're already kind of doing that ties into that. But I wouldn't say that I'm a death witch or that I practice witchcraft or anything like that, but it's interesting. I told Anthony about that because he had asked earlier today what our episode was on. I told him we were doing one of these episodes, like a witch witch episode.
00:20:36
Speaker
that I was covering like death witchcraft. And he was like, that sounds really interesting. And so I told him a little bit about it. And he was like, that's so like, a lot of people do these things, but they wouldn't consider themselves like a death, like witchcraft practitioner or something. And I was like, yeah, it was really interesting to like, read it and learn about it. And then like, see some of the stuff that like either
00:21:01
Speaker
I do or if you have friends that are artists, I would have never thought working in photography on abandoned buildings or landscapes or something where they're like, oh, that's how I incorporate that into my craft. I thought that was really interesting. Yeah, it is very interesting.
00:21:25
Speaker
So shifting a bit into the next topic is going to be me and I'm going to talk about hereditary witchcraft. So this is kind of a controversial type of witchcraft just in a specific sense and I'm just going to get into it.
00:21:48
Speaker
There are many things in witchcraft that people try to gate keep, and we've seen this many times, like that outdated belief that you have to be gifted a tarot deck and you can't buy one. And for whatever reason, there is this belief that you are born Wiccan or you're born a witch, and that's just not true. There's nothing in our DNA that marks us as witches like other things within our DNA. But what about witches, Marx?
00:22:15
Speaker
Yeah. And it's like if someone said that they were born Christian or Muslim or Hindu, those are all just religions. And like witchcraft, where it can be both a practice and a religion, you are not born Wiccan or Pagan or a witch or whatever. You can be raised by someone who is a witch or a Pagan
00:22:37
Speaker
or Wiccan or whatever they claim to be, and that's awesome. I am one of those children myself, but that doesn't necessarily make me a witch from birth, and it doesn't make you a witch from birth either. You might just be more comfortable in those spaces, but that doesn't make you a witch from your birth.
00:22:54
Speaker
You might even see people who can trace their ancestry back to the Salem Witch Trials and believe that because of that, they themselves are more of a witch, quote unquote, than other people. And that's also not the case. And as we know just from like basic research of studying the Salem Witch Trials, basically everyone who was accused of witchcraft and ultimately put to death were ordinary everyday people. So that doesn't make you a witch. So anyway,
00:23:23
Speaker
All that to say, you can be born with other traits that might make you more adept in practicing witchcraft. Say, for instance, you're born with psychic abilities or your clairs are just really heightened. And this can make you more adept in practicing certain types of divination like tarot because you're better able to pull things out of
00:23:42
Speaker
people's auric fields, for instance, and that's just one example. So when we think about hereditary witchcraft, don't think of it as a biological, or like, don't think of it as biological, because a biological link to witchcraft and magic does not exist. What does exist, though, are family traditions and beliefs that are handed down over the course of generations, and that is what we mean when we're talking about hereditary witchcraft.
00:24:08
Speaker
So all that to say, we're not saying that you're born a witch because we're not. And if anyone is telling you that, they've lost all credibility in my book because you're not born a witch.
Cultural Practices of Hereditary Witchcraft
00:24:19
Speaker
No, witchcraft is a choice and everyone can practice it should they choose to.
00:24:26
Speaker
So while we are cautious about the implications of hereditary witchcraft, there's absolutely a space for connecting with ancestors and using that in your practice and having that be hereditary witchcraft. There are many ways you can do this.
00:24:41
Speaker
by creating an altar. Most people, when you see this done, we practice on Samhain, Day of the Dead with a frienda, or just in honor of a loved one on a special occasion such as a birthday or a death anniversary, something like that. But you can do this anytime you're wanting to connect with your ancestors and connect with loved ones who have passed. And we've talked about creating an ancestral altar
00:25:06
Speaker
on previous episodes, like more than one episode. So I'm not going to go super deep into this, but to create an ancestral altar, you can be as intricate or minimalistic as you want. All you really need is the intention, but you can feel free to add pictures, maybe a few things
00:25:22
Speaker
to connect you to your ancestors, whether that be a specific drink, a beloved item. For instance, whenever I do ancestral altars for my father, I usually add a picture. I'll add a rum and coke as an offering, but also as something that ties back to my dad. Of course, it can be an offering of any kind, whether that be flowers, whether that be food, whether that be a specific drink. Any of those can work as
00:25:52
Speaker
just a basic, simple ancestral altar. And there's many different examples for things you could do online, but that is a really easy, easy way to connect with your ancestors if you are thinking about practicing hereditary witchcraft.
00:26:08
Speaker
Having a dumb supper is also, or holding a dumb supper is also another great example of this. Tiffany has talked about honoring your ancestors in detail on our Samhain episode in the first season. So I am not going to go into detail on what a dumb supper is and how to do this.
00:26:25
Speaker
But if you're interested in learning how to hold a dumb supper in honor of your ancestors or your past loved ones, or just as a way to celebrate salmon, check out that episode in season one. But essentially, it's just like it's having a very intentional dinner, setting a plate for your loved ones, correct, or your ancestors, or whoever you want in the spirit realm to come and visit you, and holding a ritualistic dinner in silence.
00:26:54
Speaker
I also pulled a lot of my information for that episode from Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Byer because she has an entire chapter dedicated to Samhain in a step-by-step guide to a dumb dinner from like serving to cleaning up. So if you want like a step-by-step guide, that book is fantastic and it's also beautiful. Yes. Yeah. So check that out.
00:27:22
Speaker
if you are interested. And then lastly, something else that you could do to connect with your ancestors if you're thinking about becoming more of a hereditary witch or practicing in this way can be as easy as writing your ancestor or your past loved ones a letter. And you can do this for loved ones that you're close to, that you knew in the living, or you can even do this for ancestors that have passed that you have never even met.
00:27:50
Speaker
And I was reading an article about this and it's linked in our show notes, but the witch that was detailing what she does is she writes it in a journal, like her own personal shadow work journal. She will connect with her ancestors and practice hereditary witchcraft in that way as a way to connect with her ancestors. And it'll be ancestors that she never even knew in her actual living life. And so I'm just like, that is really interesting.
00:28:20
Speaker
Yeah. So there are many different types of examples of actual real life hereditary witchcraft that doesn't include being born into witchcraft or being born a witch or being born Wiccan because as we mentioned, that is not something that you can be. But just
00:28:45
Speaker
Just so you know that there are practices that are absolutely, like when we say hereditary witchcraft outside of just connecting with your ancestors, there are specific areas throughout the world that practice hereditary witchcraft, and this is what we're talking about. Some of these are close practices, however, so just take what I'm saying when it comes to these examples with a grain of salt. Do your own research if you're interested in any of these different types of hereditary witchcraft.
00:29:14
Speaker
And just be careful and cautious with how you practice because you don't want to step into a space where you're not welcome because you're not part of that culture. And that is totally different. Trying to insert yourself into a closed practice is totally different than a culture trying to gatekeep. And so just please understand that as well.
00:29:37
Speaker
So the first example and one of probably the most common form that we have here in America when it comes to hereditary witchcraft is Appalachian folk magic practitioners. They have been around for generations in the Appalachian mountain region and sometimes are known as granny magic or granny witchcraft practitioners. Appalachian magic is passed down from generation to generation and encompasses religious texts
00:30:06
Speaker
faith healing, traditional herbal medicine, and home remedies. And kind of the history about this and how this essentially came to be and these practices came to be
00:30:20
Speaker
When European settlers arrived in the colonies during the 18th century, they brought what they knew from their home countries, such as Scotland, Ireland, and England. And as they were settling into the area, they also learned from indigenous Americans about the plants, roots, and leaves that were native to the area. And from there, they added knowledge from German immigrants who arrived in Pennsylvania and began moving south into the region as well. And they also adopted those
00:30:50
Speaker
different practices from people who have African descent who escaped slavery from the South and their own cultural practices. And I know that there is a lot of conflicting information online about whether or not Appalachian folk magic is a closed practice. From what I've understood to be the case is that it actually is a closed practice and you should be kind of brought into that circle. And it's usually
00:31:20
Speaker
you're brought into that circle through hereditary witchcraft and having that information passed down from generation to generation. So for those of you who want more information or just information on this that's kind of like linked to it, you'll need to become supercast subscribers. Shubless. I don't know what I'm trying to say. Shameless plug there for our book club because we
00:31:48
Speaker
just read our March read for April book club was Grammar Girl by Hilary Burton Morgan. And she talks a lot about ablation folk magical practices in this book. And what she had mentioned in her grimoire that she released is that the information is passed down from mother to son and son to daughter. And I was trying to research that particular
00:32:15
Speaker
And it's online and I could not find anything. And I was like- Well, it was like mother to, like it came, it has to be like female to male, male to female. Cause I think like, was it her situation? Was that like nobody, there was no male that could tell her. So it ended up being like an uncle or something that called her and was like, all right, now it's your turn. Yeah. Which I felt, I loved that. Yeah. So just as an FYI there, it is, Appalachian folk magic is a closed practice.
How to Start Your Own Traditions
00:32:45
Speaker
So.
00:32:47
Speaker
Now, switching gears, we're going to go to Italy, and we're going to talk about Stregaria. And this is a hereditary witchcraft practice from Italy. The term Strega means witch in Italian, and the practice has roots in ancient Etruscan and Roman pre-Christian religions. There is a strong emphasis on the worship of nature and people. And Strega, who have passed this practice down through generations, often honor the spirits of the trees, animals, and other elements.
00:33:17
Speaker
And there's also a strong emphasis on ancestral work as well. And one of the most important figures in this type of witchcraft is the goddess Diana. Diana is a lunar goddess associated with fertility, childbirth, and the hunt. And we've mentioned her many times on the podcast.
00:33:32
Speaker
But the emphasis here for Stregaria is on the use of tarot cards and other domination practices, as well as using herbalism, crystals, and natural materials within their work. And whenever I was looking more about this online, I couldn't find definitive, like,
00:33:54
Speaker
this is a close practice. So this could be something that you could say if you were really interested, learn more, do your research. But there is some, like when it comes to certain symbols with strigeria, like the Cornicello necklace, like that's something that
00:34:17
Speaker
Someone, it's kind of like tarot cards where someone's supposed to buy that for you and that's not necessarily like a closed practice and it's trying to gatekeep witchcraft. I believe within Stregaria, someone has to buy you the cornicello as a protection, like amulet.
00:34:32
Speaker
situation and you're not supposed to buy it yourself is what I gathered from it. And so even on, if you just look up the Cornicello necklace on TikTok, there's people who are like, do not buy this for yourself. Someone should be buying this for you. If you buy it for yourself, it's actually bad luck. And so I think that
00:34:50
Speaker
outside of just the practices also tie this back to like this hereditary witchcraft and having things passed down from generation to generation. So just make sure you're doing your own research, especially with this one because I know it's become really popular recently and this could be a close practice. And then moving on to Africa, African witchcraft is
00:35:16
Speaker
absolutely like one of the best examples throughout the world when it comes to hereditary witchcraft. We can honestly have an entire episode on this topic because there are so many different spiritual beliefs and practices throughout the continent of Africa and generalizing it down to a few paragraphs just doesn't seem right.
00:35:35
Speaker
However, what we can deduce from pretty much all of African witchcraft practices is this belief in the power of ancestors and spirits. Practitioners of African witchcraft work with ancestors and spirits to achieve their goals, and there is a strong connection between the spiritual world and nature using things like herbs, plants, and animals.
00:35:56
Speaker
The witch doctor or shaman plays a big part in African magical practices. And this is a spiritual leader who has the ability or gift to communicate with the spirits and ancestors and has the power to heal and protect. Usually within African witchcraft, the witch doctor or shaman is a highly respected individual within these cultures. And a lot of the beliefs and practices are passed down from generation to generation.
00:36:24
Speaker
So with all that being said, really just to sum up what we know about hereditary witchcraft, it's not that you are born a witch. It is
00:36:39
Speaker
practices that are passed down from generation to generation and so if this is something that you're interested in and say maybe you're the only person you've ever met who practices witchcraft and you want to be a part of her like some form of hereditary magic start now like well first of all connect with your ancestors and start working with your ancestors and practicing ancestral magic with those altar maybe having a dumb supper
00:37:04
Speaker
creating like trying to um writing letters to your ancestors those sort of things maybe even connecting with a psychic medium to kind of get you connected um with you know past loved ones but then also start now with
00:37:19
Speaker
putting things in motion for, say, your children, if you were to have them, or other family members that you can pass down because it doesn't have to be a situation of you're just waiting for something to be passed down to you.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:37:32
Speaker
You can start this yourself and pass these things down over generations and start your own ancestral magic and hereditary witchcraft practices. So that is it on hereditary magic. And death witchcraft. Yeah.
00:37:50
Speaker
These topics are really interesting because yeah, it was really it was really cool to learn more about death magic But then also with hereditary witchcraft as well like understanding exactly what it was what it's not yeah how you can empower yourself to practice it if you were interested even if Nothing has been passed down to you. Yeah. Yeah. No, this was a fun one and we even said this when we were looking at like
00:38:18
Speaker
what types of magic and witchcraft practices that we wanted to like research this episode. We just kind of like, you named off a bunch and I was like, I don't know, death witchcraft. And you were like, hereditary sounds like it would be in line. Yeah. And then they ended up being like very complimentary of each other. So I love that. Yes. Yeah.
00:38:40
Speaker
That's it for this episode of Get In Loser We're Doing Witchcraft. You can find our source material for this episode linked in the show notes. If you loved this episode, we would be forever thankful if you leave us a five-star review on wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you really love the show and want more Get In Loser content, check out our Supercast link provided in the show notes or search the Supercast website for Get In Loser We're Doing Witchcraft.
00:39:04
Speaker
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