The persecution of Old World German Protestants and Anabaptists in the seventeenth century--following debilitating wars, the Reformation, and the Inquisition-- brought about significant immigration to America. Many of the immigrants, and their progeny, settled in the Appalachian frontier. Here they established a particularly old set of religious beliefs and traditions based on a strong sense of folk spirituality. They practiced astrology, numerology, and other aspects of esoteric thinking and left a legacy that may still be found in Appalachian folklore today. Based in part on the author's extensive collection of oral histories from the remote highlands of West Virginia, Signs, Cures, and Witchery; German Appalachian Folklore describes these various occult practices, symbols, and beliefs; how they evolved within New World religious contexts; how they arrived on the Appalachian frontier; and the prospects of those beliefs continuing in the contemporary world. By concentrating on these inheritances, Gerald C. Milnes draws a larger picture of the German influence on Appalachia. Much has been written about the Anglo-Celtic, Scots-Irish, and English folkways of the Appalachian people, but few studies have addressed their German cultural attributes and sensibilities. Signs, Cures, and Witchery sheds startling light on folk influences from Germany, making it a volume of tremendous value to Appalachian scholars, folklorists, and readers with an interest in Appalachian folklife and German American studies.

""Writing is a cover for necromancy", Carmen Innocencia accuses her creator, Flamingo Tongue, a young Jamaican writer. Carmen is not the only one of Flamingo's creations to confront her author, for her characters and their tragic, heartening story come vividly alive, perhaps too alive, and just to make sure she can control them, Flamingo makes doll figures of them, but even then... There is Alva Donovan, blinded in childhood, with one seeing eye, one dreaming eye, with whom Flamingo exchanges shoes and in whom she begins to fear she will lose herself. There are the other members of the Donovan family: Dahlia, Paul aka Made in China, and their parents Mama Milly and Daddy Clive the bee-keeper whose sudden, violent deaths set up the patterns of separation and eventual reconnection and healing that run through the novel. As Carmen's accusation suggests, this is a novel set at the cross-roads between the living and the dead - and the cemetery literally becomes the refuge of the orphaned children - between the harsh realities of the violence which spills over from an election campaign and a world where dreams, spirit possession and women who become snails are just as real."--BOOK JACKET.

Comments entertainingly on the bonds between superstitious beliefs and the practices and prescriptions of 17th- and 18-century English medical practitioners.

Ask almost any Christian to give 5 reasons why someone may not get healed or why they may have a series of constant problems and you will very likely hear generational curses named among them.In this timely book by Curry Blake, the truth about generational curses is clearly explained by expositional commentary. Not only does Bro. Curry bring biblical clarity to the topic, he also explains the real source of the problems and gives instruction in how to overcome the works of the enemy to live a life of victory.

Curse and Cure: Magic for Real Life is the book about witchcraft you've been waiting for. Written in the non-denominational and no bullshit, academic yet wildly approachable style Sabrina Scott is known for, this book will teach you all you need to know about getting started as a witch - all without any pushiness, gender essentialism, spiritual bypassing, and the idea that your practice needs to look like anyone else's. From in-depth musings on cultural background and different types of ancestors, to extensive teachings on energy work, magical timing, and ritual, to reminders about magical ethics, expertise, and what it means to be a discerning witch online, Curse and Cure is an indispensable magical guide for the discerning, smart witch making their way in today's scientific and spiritual world. Whether you've been dabbling in witchy spaces for a few decades, or just bought your first sticks of incense yesterday, your practice will be both solidified and transformed by the teachings in this book. Sabrina Scott is a professional witch and spiritual teacher with more than 20 years of experience, 200+ students, and clientele worldwide. She has been profiled by Vice, Broadly, Refinery29, Yahoo, Witches Magazine, Ghosts Magazine, and more. She is the creator of graphic novel Witchbody. This is her second book.