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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in Pennsylvania witchcraft

Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Old Books Part 1: Ravenwolf's Hex Magic

Having stacks and stacks of boxes of books that Tom had had in his box storage room, I have decided to read some older books for the first time. My professional book reviews are of brand new books, and I won't be going into the same kind of detail on these older books here on my blog that I do when I review a new book for a magazine. These reviews will be shorter and more casual.

First up is Silver Ravenwolf's Hex Magic. It's full of spells I do not recommend anyone actually try, because she has taken traditional Penn. Deitsch spells and Wiccanized them in odd ways, and if one wants to learn that type of magic I would recommend learning from Urglaawe magical folk of whatever kind, hexmeisters or whatever. However, Urglaawe wasn't on the net ready to teach people at the time her book was written, and a lot of the personal stories are fascinating snapshots in time.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Erin Lale
    Erin Lale says #
    Thanks. Hadn't heard that story. I haven't thrown any review copies into the garbage but I did throw one across a hotel room once
  • Anthony Gresham
    Anthony Gresham says #
    I actually have that book in my collection. I like your phrase "seeing the world through Wicca tinted glasses". Mark Stavish who

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Over Stock, Over Stone

Pennsylvania historian Ned Heindel tells an interesting story in his book Hexenkopf: History, Healing, and Hexerei. Shortly after the First World War, a Lehigh County man in Eastern Pennsylvania's Witch Country went to a lawyer seeking a divorce on the grounds that his wife was a witch.

The tale will sound familiar to any student of European witch-lore. One night the man can't sleep, having drunk too much coffee that day. (It is precisely this type of telling detail, the storyteller in me wants to add, that really brings a story to life.) In the middle of the night, the man's wife gets out of bed, picks up a broom, and utters an incantation in Pennsylvania German:

Uber stock und uber stein.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Steven Posch
    Steven Posch says #
    Have you noticed how the print keeps getting smaller and smaller, too? My dad always says, "Age spares us nothing."
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    I love the OED, though it's a lot harder to lift now than when I was 20. I also love word derivations, so thanks for researching t
  • Steven Posch
    Steven Posch says #
    Thanks, Ted. I checked the OED for clarification (8 pages of definitions for "stock"!); according to which, the use of "stock" for
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    I enjoy your writings, Steven. Just want to point out that "Breeding Stock" can also refer to cattle.

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