American Folk Magick

by Silver RavenWolf

The author of "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" and "Angels" discusses the charms, spells, and herbs of the Pennsylvania Dutch region with its influences from native Pow Wow magick.

Genres: Wicca, Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Research, Paganism, Religion, Magick

291 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Silver RavenWolf (Pennsylvania) is a nationally recognized leader and elder of Wicca, and through her writing has been instrumental in guiding the future of one of the fastest-growing faiths in America today. The author of seventeen books, she has been interviewed by The New York Times, Newsweek Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, and her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Bust Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, the St. Petersburg Times, the National Review, Publishers Weekly, Body & Soul Magazine, and Teen Lit Magazine.

Her many titles include the bestselling Solitary Witch, Teen Witch, To Ride A Silver Broomstick, To Stir A Magick Cauldron, To Light A Sacred Flame, American Folk Magick, Angels: Companions in Magick, Silver’s Spells for Prosperity, Silver's Spells for Protection, Silver's Spells for Love, Halloween, and the Witches’ Night Out teen fiction series. Her new book Hedge Witch is forthcoming from Llewellyn in September 2008.

Reviews

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but I can't give it more than 3 stars. Some seemingly authentic pow-wow charms and prayers, mixed in with the author's snide and sometimes judgmental comments about religions other than her own. Which, is typical for Ravenwolf. She lumps Pennsylvania Dutch folk magic into her fantasy world of "every magical practice is witchcraft". Herbal info and recipes were educational and appreciated. More history and facts over opinions and bias would've deserved a higher rating.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brb I am banishing….

Tara strolled through a red forest
And in the red forest there was a red barn
In the red barn there was a red table, surrounded by red straw
On the red table lay a red knife
Beside the red knife was a loaf of red bread
Cut the red bread
The evil attached to Tara is dead.

[Steve Cran]

Pow Wow magick sometimes called Hex magick was primarily practiced in the state of Pennsylvania. It was a combination of Norse magickal practices, Christianity and Native American magickal practice. The state of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, a member of Britain's upper class. His father was a judge. William was a rather free thinker who believed in the rights of women and the right to choose your spiritual practices. He was rather outspoken about these beliefs and his father worried that could cause lots of problems, these were the times that anyone who disagreed with the church could be tried for witchcraft and burned at the stake. Eventually Great Britain gave him a tract of land as one of the colonies. He did so and it was one of the colonies that granted lots of religious freedom.



This was a boon for Europeans who engaged in magickal practices. Many of the colonist who came to settle in Pennsylvania hailed from the black Forest which the Rhine River flowed through. There were two groups of Germans who settled there. THe first group were protestants who tended to be simple austere people. The second group were German Catholics who tended to be wealthier and more colorful.



Pow Wow practitioners tended to be a quiet lot of people who did not want their practices to be associated with Witchcraft or magick. They tended to use herbs and chants for healing people. They also had spells to catch criminals, stop fires and wild dogs. Very rarely did they have practices pertaining to obtaining love or money.



Silver Ravenwolf has written a great book about this dying art of Magick. Herself a Wiccan she does note that there are differences between the two magickal systems. The Pow Wow being relatively inexpensive in terms of gathering material. While Pow Wow has been primarily Christian in it's outward orientation she has reworked some of the chants to a Wiccan perspective which is just as effective. Some may like this and some may not. Then again what magick is totally pure. They all have borrowed from others.



Pennsylvania was home to a variety of practioners. Some people practiced European Ceremonial Magick while others were Mason or British witches. There were also Rosicurians in Penn state as well. They all had to have had an influence on each other, Some Pow Wow practitioners communicated with these Ceremonial magicians via letter writing.



I originally got this book from the library but I was so impressed with it that I went ahead and ordered a used copy from Amazon.com. The book is out of print but if you are a beginner in magick this book is an excellent starting point.

[Julian S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving this 5 stars based on the healing portion alone. The system and chants to remove disease and pain were well worth the $7-10 I spent on this book used. They have worked every time I've used them, even for distance situations not really covered by the book. Please note I use a stone as described in the chapter before the chants are listed, though I kind of have my own take on how it's used.

The rest is decent too, I like the part with the listings of herbs particularly, as well as the info on hex signs, but the healing portion is what consistently blows me away. Her books later got rather fluffy, but this one is clearly solid and well-researched.

[Susan]

DNF

[Michael P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as it gave me insight to Dutch Folk magic and superstition

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say what you will about SRW and her work, this book rocks. I've used the incantation in this book to bring down fevers etc and it works. I enjoyed learning about Germanic (Penn. Dutch) side of magick and how it was incorporated into their daily lives. Lots of information. Worth having in your magickal library.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to have Silver Raven Wolf write a book about the folk magick that inspires each of us. Whether you are Pagan, from Appalachia, or looking to learn some of the lore and legend around your state, this is the book for you.

[Tammy Chance Cover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my first magick books. I love the humor and information in the book. I have now read all but three of her books. So I would say she turned me into a fan. I own 90% of all her books now too.

[Thalman8msn.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is soooo good.

[Jaymi Boswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to read about different sects of people that started up the country and the Pennsylvania Dutch are no different. I enjoy the home remedies, cultural aspects, and could do without the spells.

[Marquise De sade · Rating 4 out of 5]

One I still want to get.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book to read