Cunning Folk - Blog Posts
The Herbs of Saint John
Before sunrise this morning I went out and took part in my first bit of French-Canadian folk magic (ie Sorcellerie). Since I’m really bad at timing things properly and planning ahead it was a little haphazard but overall I’m proud of myself for connecting with my ancestry.
I’ll provide links below but the quick and easy rundown is this: herbs are most magically potent on Saint John’s Eve and must be gathered between midnight and sunrise on Saint John’s feast day (June 24th). The herbs vary from place to place except for Mugwort (which sadly I haven’t found near my home), but I did find that yarrow grows in my yard which I find very exciting. The herbs must also be protected from sunlight for 24 hours before being dried and stored/used. If any of the herbs I’ve gathered this year remain by next Saint John’s Eve they must be discarded because they will have lost all power.
As I said before I harvested Yarrow from my yard but I was also able to gather some Bittersweet Nightshade, which for me has a special connection to The Great Earth-Indweller.
I added some Fayerieism flare to the gathering by performing a Plant Swaying Charm over both plants that I harvested from.
Blessings to you all
*the lighting is my porch light*
Half-formed ramble about magical identity
I’ve recently started coming to the realisation that, well that I don’t think “witch” really fits me anymore. This isn’t to say that I still don’t practice witchcraft or that it would be wrong to call me a witch, but more that my personal craft has developed in way that makes me question if it’s a moniker that still fits me.
Over the past several years, my craft has been moving more and more into the realm of charms and cures. I craft simple charms for people to gain luck and love. I walk folks through the processes of pulling off stagnant energy and uncrossing work. I still get requests to cleanse and bless homes. Owning a home and land for the past year has pushed me even more into the role of “village witch” I’ve started learning the language of my land, looking at potential plant and animal allies around me.
I think the two biggest influences for this change are my joining Fayerie Traditionalism/Fayerism and my study of folk magic
Fayerism focuses on spiritual ecology and the harmonious relationship between the Seen and Unseen worlds. Folk magic (as a magic of the people) is all about domestic life of the individual and the community.
All this is just a round about way of saying that I feel as if I’m growing into more of a “cunning woman” than a witch. My arte focuses on healing ailments (alongside modern medicine of course), attracting prosperity, and blessing those around me. I use my craft to help those around me whenever I and however I can, whether they be human or other-than-human persons.
And to be honest I’ve been moving away from the “witch” title for a while, although privately. Testing different mantles to find something that fit, sticking with “sorcerer/sorceress” for the most part. It wasn’t until last night that it stuck me how much like the cunning folk of Europe I’ve become.
I won’t correct any that call me “witch”, for as I said, I still practice witchcraft alongside other forms of magic. I’ll still be using the hashtag to appease the algorithms and I’ll still promote my services as a witch, but I think I’m going to start referring to myself as a “cunning woman” and see how that feels. I might even look into regional variants of the profession and see if the French had a localised term for the “cunning person/folk healer/white witch” as a nod to my ancestry