The Red Church or the Art of Pennsylvania German Braucherei

by C.R. Bilardi

A comprehensive guide to the history, theory and practice of Pow Wow, this book draws upon historical documentation, traditional methods, and a life of personal experience. Pow Wow, or Braucherei, as it is known by its practitioners, is a system of folk magic that has its roots in Christian and Pre-Christian Germany, but its character is wholy American - the quintissential American magical system. Drawing on quotes from the Bible, qabalistic principles and old gromoires, it is empowered by the Holy Trinity, and most practitioners consider themselves to be Christian, much like the Cunning Folk of England. The final chapter, about Doctor Santee, references material and uses a photograph that is copyright GLHoke, and used with permission. "The Red Church: The Art of Pennsylvania German Braucherei is the finest book on German magic to be seen in decades. Comprehensive in its historical, philosophical and cultural roots, The Red Church is a book that will be appreciated by academics and modern practitioners of not just folk and ceremonial magic alike, but also energetic and faith healing, symbolism, and cultural psychology. Extensively researched and documented, no one interested in the survival of Medieval and Renaissance magic into the modern era should be without a copy of it within easy reach." - Mark Stavish, Director of Studies, Institute for Hermetic Studies, author of, The Path of Alchemy, Freemasonry - Rituals, Symbols and History of the Secret Society, and Between the Gates: Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection and the Body of Light.

Genres: Witchcraft, Magic, Nonfiction, Occult

548 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2009

Reviews

[Scott Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book, replete with lore and engagingly written.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is said to be the best book about Braucherei, and I can certainly understand why! In terms of its depth, comprehensiveness, contextualization, and making complex things a bit more accessible, it was exceptional! If you want to read and learn about Pennsylvania Dutch pow-wow, this is a must-read!

The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is that the author sometimes allows his opinions about Neo-pagans, what he considers multi-culturalism, and certain kinds of Christian churches to become annoying/dismaying --and that without even enough explanation of the logic behind his opinion. As an accomplished Braucher, he has great sympathy with folk-magic systems like Mexican curanderismo, English cunning-folk, etc., so he's not a fundamentalist or a simple bigot, but he does seems to be reacting to incidents or trends from a limited point of view, to put it kindly. My recommendation is to simply disregard those sentences (they are fairly few) when he gets grinding on one of his axes.

[Dr Charles Allen]

Very interesting read about the folk practices of Pennsylvania German braucherei. A must-read for anyone interested in this tradition.

[Michael Lamarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great in-depth look at Bracherei and how to study it. It's from a strictly Christian perspective which is argued to be either the "only way" to practice or some say it's a reductive approach. Either way, this is Bilardi's approach.

[josie ambrosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So detailed, so rich with lore and absolutely inapplicable to me and my armchair occultism

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit: I wanna disclaim that I am not someone who knows much about Braucherei, I’ve heard mixed opinions on the accuracy of the information but cannot attest myself.

Certainly very thorough, I would recommend to any potential researcher / practitioner as a VERY detailed starting point and a way to “know what you don’t know” / find what areas you want to delve more deeply into. I really enjoyed this read.