At what point are you too far removed to reconnect with your ancestor’s culture?

(This is my first post that wasn’t a reblog, so sorry if the formatting is garbage)

This is a question for the general witch community, but I’ve been thinking about it recently. I was listening to my favorite witch podcast, Books and Broomsticks, and I believe it was one of the Italian Folk magic episodes where they were discussing reconnecting to one’s culture. They were talking about at what point is someone too Americanized to be able to reconnect, if that’s possible, etc etc. This is just me asking for other peoples opinions. For example, if you have, let’s say a great grand parent or a great great grandparent that immigrated from Finland and once they immigrated they didn’t pass down traditions. So although your ancestor is from that country, since you weren’t raised around it, it would be similar to an outsider coming in. Or would it be a reconnection process of finding yourself again?

Also there are no wrong answers! I just want to hear everybody’s opinions and have a thoughtful discussion. Especially since a lot of witchy creators on tumblr have been complaining of a lack of content/discussions, so hopefully this adds a little something.

Hopefully this post will allow other posts like this to pop up and we can have some good ole fashion discussions. Hopefully everyone reading has a great day :)

The majority of my African ancestral heritage was lost during the slave trade and the Christianization of their beliefs (Technically, because of syncretism it wasn’t all “lost” I guess, but it doesn’t change the fact that a lot was changed for the sake of ensuring some African beliefs survived). Yoruba belief went from Vodun to branching off into other beliefs like HooDoo or was just abandoned altogether when my ancestors decided to be completely Protestant/Baptist and then pass that Christianity down instead.

I used to think that due to these decisions, I was too far removed to ever connect with Vodun, let alone even learn Yoruba language, but I’m very lucky I live in a time where accessibility to information from authentic Vodun priests/priestesses and various types of African folklore is available. Connecting with Vodun is difficult because I don’t have a direct relative that cares about our heritage, and since the majority of them are conservative Christians, I doubt they’ll even try, but I’ve been exploring on my own (mostly reading, meditating, and some ancestral work because you need a priest for more intense stuff). I’m proud to say that the Americanization and Christianization of my ancestors’ culture didn’t prevent me from connecting to Vodun. I have certainly experienced mind-blowing and heart warming things that’ll stay with me forever.

Oya o oya ile o

Oya mo ba l’oro’ke

Magic symbols from Australia’s forgotten chapter

From: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-17/magic-symbols-reveal-superstitious-colonial-past/11306586

A hexafoil carved into the walls of a stable. A hexafoil, also known as a daisy wheel, is thought to offer protection. Modern Wicca describes them as a sun motif, and a more secular point of view is that they are a geometric exercise for apprentices.

Painstakingly chiselled into century-old stone stable walls, tucked away in the back of a blacksmith’s workshop, lies a forgotten piece of Victoria’s colonial history.

It is a hexafoil — small, white, circular, and intricately carved with a witch’s mark.

It is one of many thought to be hidden in south-west Victoria, according to historian and Australian Magic Research Project Director Ian Evans.

“It’s a circular mark, probably about six inches across, and within the mark there are a number of arches made with the use of a protractor or compass and these look like the petals of a flower,” Dr Evans said.

Burn marks and hidden boots

Dr Evans said magic symbols like the hexafoil were often used by tradespeople and farm workers to protect buildings and animals without the knowledge of the property owners.

“It was not a case where there were wizards roaming around, this was the magic of the ordinary people of the cities, towns and countryside,” he said.

Stables and homesteads were common places to find signs of magic and superstition, but this is the first instance where researchers have looked at colonial-era buildings around Victoria to trace the lineage of Australia’s folk history.

Already, the researchers have found burn marks in more than 20 stables in the southern midlands of Tasmania and a boot beneath the floor of one of Brisbane’s oldest homes — both symbols of folk magic thought to ward off evil spirits and offer protection against misfortune and disease.

“The belief was if you hid, for instance, a child’s shoe in the house … that that would protect the child while the child lived in the home,” said Dr David Waldron, a senior history lecturer at Federation University.

Crosses on door hinges were thought to ward off evil spirits and protect against disease.

Filling in the forgotten chapter

Hexafoils, burn marks and hidden clothing are part of a set of ancient superstitions that date back to the Roman times, carried to Australia by the colonialists in the 18th century — especially the impoverished Irish.

“You get a lot in the papers at the time about trying to stamp out superstitions amongst the poor Irish Catholics,” Dr Waldron said.

The symbols could relate to deeply personal fears — those of mothers who worried they would lose their children to typhus, or farriers concerned for the safety of their horses.

Ritual burn marks in a stable in Victoria. Burn marks were thought to protect against evil spirits.

Medical advancements and institutionalised education saw a decline in superstitious thought in the 19th century, but the ancient magic symbols still hide on homesteads and colonial properties around Australia.

In Victoria, these symbols have already been found on farming properties near Terang and Mortlake, close to Warrnambool.

Dr Evans said he was especially keen to hear from property owners from south-west Victoria with intact stables and farm buildings in the hopes of uncovering the truth about Australia’s folk magic past.

“It’s a lost and secret history,” he said.

“A forgotten chapter in Australian history.”

Personally, I think its amazing to see the “everyday” magic of the non-practitioner. When science and medicine wasn’t enough, people fell back to the old ways - and used these techniques to protect themselves, their families and their livelihoods. 

A Working Bibliography of Books On Rootwork/Conjure/Hoodoo That Are Actually Authored by Black Folk

 “Wherever there are Africans, or people of African descent, there is magic.”- Faith Mitchell

 My calling to rootwork is ancestral. However, I unfortunately I have yet to encounter elders in my life to apprentice under on this plane of existence.  Coming up, I didn’t know other people who identified themselves as rootworkers/hoodoos/conjurers etc. Being a scholar (among other identities), my entry point into hoodoo began with books, archives, and scholarly journals. As a result, I was able to garner a wealth of information as to what hoodoo is and isn’t, which recipes (old school hoodoos don’t cast ‘spells’) to use for what, to be able to engage in an intangible mentorship with the elders that came before me. All of these things have informed how I move through the world and grow stronger in my practice.

    As a result of a White spiritual hijacking of African Traditional Religions and Africana Magico-Spiritual practices (i.e. hoodoo), the vast majority of the information about hoodoo on and offline has been authored by white people, so much so that they have become the face of hoodoo (similar to white women and yoga). 

    For those of us who are looking to grow and learn from other Black practitioners, here is a working list of books. This list consists solely of non-fiction texts, however, there is a lot to learn from novels as well, perhaps I’ll create a part two some other time. 

Please hit me up if I am missing anything or if you have a personal connection with these texts, I’d love to be in conversation. 

Many of these mentioned texts can be found online for Free.99. 

Also, sorry this is a long ass post. 

My Personal Favorites:

   1. Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms & Practical Rituals - Luisah Teish

 2.  Of Mules & Men- Zora Neale Hurston

3. Working the Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing

4. Mojo Workin: The Old African American Hoodoo System- Katrina Hazzard-Donald

5. Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition- Yvonne P. Chireau

6. Secret Doctors: Ethnomedicine of African Americans by Wonda L. Fontenot ( I think this one might be out of print but much of it can be found online via Google Books) 

Honorable Mention: Tell My Horse- Zora Neale Hurston

 Ok, so this is one of my absolute favorite texts though it doesnt discuss American hoodoo. It focuses on Haitian Voodoo and Jamaican Obeah. However, there is a lot that can be learned from this text and how African magico-spiritual practices are indeed “scientific” as opposed to mere superstition. 

Additional texts that I haven’t gotten to reading yet or are simply not in my favorites (no shade, no tea):

7. Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies - Faith Mitchell

8. 365 Days of Hoodoo: Daily Rootwork, Mojo and Conjuration- Stephanie Rose Bird

9. Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo and Conjuring with Herbs- Stephanie Rose Bird

10. A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies and Rituals for Body and Spirit - Stephanie Rose Bird

11. African American Folk Healing- Stephanie Mitchem

12. Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life (Religion, Health, and Healing) - Stephanie Mitchem ED. 

13.  God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia - Cornelia Walker Bailey

14. Rootwork: Using the Folk Magick of Black America for Love, Money and Success- Tayannah Lee McQuillar

15. Voodoo & Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners- Jim Haskins

Thank you!

Yes thank you very much!!!

Witch Tool: Reversing Candles

One tool often called for and used in folk practices is the reversing candle. Doubly dipped - with red wax making up the inside and black wax making up the outside - these candles are a means of reversing the effects of curses, hexes, and other negative magic. Reversing candles can also be used on major days of the year as a more generic cleansing method. These days many practices use double action candles - one end made of black wax, the other of a color corresponding to the working (though typically red) - in place of a traditional reversing candle. With an extra bit of work and after carving the hexer’s name into the candle, many double action candles can be used as a sort of return to sender. Reversing and double action candles are traditionally dressed with oil and herbs before use.