8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

This will kill anything buried or laid on your property.

Vinegar and salt poured on a bag or doll found will kill it. It must never be touched. Pick it up with a stick or something and carry it far from the home after pouring vinegar over it.

Chickens used to be kept in the yards, some under the belief that they scratch up and kill any works out there.

Sew black rooster feathers into the bristles of a broom and dress it with whiskey and vinegar, then sweep the yard and porch heading outward to the edge of the property. This will kill any roots, especially those using black chicken parts, because the rooster dominates the hen.

Mix gunpowder, graveyard dirt, powdered skin from a graveyard snake, and hair from a solid white rabbit. This recipe will incapacitate and kill any root.

REVERSAL WORKS

Reversal is a form of cleansing in which the roots put against you are deflected back onto their maker. In Appalachian conjure justice is the balance of life, and every action warrants an equal reaction. Appalachian workers generally went by the biblical “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth,” meaning whatever punishment you dish out has to fit the crime. Many folks have requested things that I did not see as justified and I refused to do them. An unjustified work will go through; however, it can be reversed back on to you! If it is justified, it can't be reversed. However, remember that justice is subject to the eye of the beholder: what I think is fair punishment may seem diabolical to another, so follow your heart and morals and be wary if your target should have any lick of sense to know what's going on.

Reversal work is different from cursing work because you are not crafting the root; you're simply picking it up and throwing it back at the sender. Of course, the root can also be removed by cleansing—but sometimes folks need to learn their lesson by the hand of their own bitter roots! Here are a few recipes for sending witchcraft back to its maker:

Make a poke bag containing cornmeal, salt, and tobacco. Urinate on it while cursing their name and telling the root to go into the bag. Bury it at midnight on their property or somewhere they will walk over it. This of course requires you to know who did the original root and where they live.

To find out the person who threw against you, write the names of all suspects on separate sheets of paper. Roll the papers into wads using mud or clay from your property. Give them time to dry, then put on a pot of water to boil. One by one, drop each wad into the boiling water, calling for the enemy to be revealed as Judas was revealed a traitor in the end. The first paper that breaks free of its earthy prison and rises to the top is the one.

Take a candle into which you have carved “my enemies” backward from bottom to top so it reads “seimene ym.” Now take a knife and cut the tip of the candle flush so it matches the bottom. Carve the bottom like a pencil until you reveal the wick on that end. As you light the bottom of the candle, read Psalm 7 three times:

1 O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

6 Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

8 The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

Let the candle burn all the way down over the course of three days, lighting it as the hand of the clock goes down or as the sun sets.

You may also simply take a cleansing bath for nine days in a row at sunset, replacing your prayers with the recitation of Psalm 7:13–17.

Take a piece of very thin plywood and draw an image of the person who threw at you. Write their name on the back, and write yours above it. Nail the image to a tree with a long nail, but don't nail it all the way in. Over the course of nine days, hammer the nail in a bit more each time, reciting Psalm 7. On the ninth day, when you drive the nail all the way through, spit on the face of the image. Leave it there to rot. You can place the nail wherever on the photo you wish to hurt them back using the root they threw at you.

Draw a photo of the person on a piece of brown paper. If you don't know their name, write “All my enemies” over the heart of the image. Wad it up and shove it in the middle of a doughy cathead biscuit. Spit on it and work it into the center of the dough. Then take five new sewing needles and stick them into the dough, all points inward toward the center. Bake it on high as the sun goes down until it's black and charred. Wrap that blackened cathead biscuit in silver paper (aluminum foil) and bury it at a crossroads (one you suspect they pass a lot) at midnight while calling out, “You tried to trip me, but I trip you! Fall like Goliath at the heel!” Turn back the way you came and scuff the dirt under your feet, like a bull. Head home without looking back.

Wear a silver dime minted prior to 1964 in your left shoe. When you lose it, the spell is broken.

Draw a picture of your enemy, even just a generic drawing of a person if you don't know who it is, on a piece of paper. Take it to a graveyard entrance or a crossroad in a graveyard and dig a hole. Put some broom straws in the hole to act as a bed, then place the photo facedown over the straws. Light fire to the straws without touching the photo and let it consume the picture to ash. Bury it and stomp on the spot three times, then leave without looking back.

The most essential thing to all of these works, especially the very last that we have seen, is faith. Faith and doubt cannot live in the same house, nor can fear be allowed to stand outside the door. If you plan to do this work, you must do it with every bone of your body and have nothing but trust in God and the spirits. You must have a strong will: you'll be conjuring angels and battling Devils to a fuller degree than most have ever witnessed. This is a way of life, and while it isn't for everyone, it is a calling that is a reward in its own. There is of course no need to be a professional at this: most folks work and use some things here and there to simply better the deck that life deals them, and that is fine.

6 Back then, a man's horse was the foundation of his livelihood. It enabled him to work for his living or even seek help if needed. Stealing a horse was practically putting a person to death.

CONCLUSION

The stories of a people keep their culture alive. For a long time, a part of Appalachian culture and history has been missing, left behind by historians and scholars, left in pieces by folklorists who collected data regarding our medicines and superstitions. Until now, this work hasn't been recognized as an actual system, only a compilation of the “ignorant” beliefs we hold. Swept under the rug, placed in the corner, the conjurers and doctors of yore demand to be recognized for their contributions to the life and survival of many communities, especially during times of war and injustice. We don't expect to be understood, but we deserve to have our stories returned to us to carry into the continually progressing world we live in today.

Society is fragile, and we still recognize that here. At any moment, everything we know could come crashing down around us. But we know where we'll be and what we'll do. We'll continue to work with the land, our communities, and the Lord to get by. Thus, we may eventually need to fully return to these old, “barbaric” ways of superstition and magic that our ancestors relied on. So there it is. Revived and alive for another day.