Keep a good amount of privacy for yourself. The more folks know about you or your plans, the more you “show your belly” and make yourself vulnerable to the evil eye, the most common curse. To guard against this, and bring luck, wear your left sock inside out. And wear a silver dime around your ankle or neck to protect from conjuring.
Tie your shoes from left to right to keep you standing well. Don't drag or scuff your feet when you walk; that'll kick obstacles into your own path, as Aunt Nelly used to say.
Listen more than you speak. Set time aside for yourself to rest and heal. (My family never works on Sundays, except for on personal things.) And always think ahead. Take care of your body if you plan on doing faith healing—you need to be sure that any pains or symptoms you experience are “phantom pains” from working on a person and not something in your own body. For this and conjure work, prescribe yourself a monthly non-lather bath. (We'll look more at cleansing in a bit.)
Never leave used napkins or disposable drinks around people you don't trust. I take my trash home with me; I don't even toss out a cigarette butt. Same goes for hair and nails: keep them in a safe place or burn them to make sure no one else gets their hands on them.
Just about everyone has their own jack or personal charm they carry with them that protects the holder from all harm and danger, physical or spiritual.
Most importantly, find balance in your life, and always keep your home protected. It is your nest, and nothing else should set up shelter there.
SIGNS AND OMENS
Before doing any kind of work, the general rule is to watch for signs and omens, controlled and non-controlled, regarding a situation. We take these as messages from God and the spirits, and most folks do this for simple and mundane things. There's a farm off the side of the road I take going to work in the morning that is home to about five donkeys, including a solid white one. I always make it a point to notice which direction they're facing and where on the hill they are.
Since we've been isolated in these mountains for centuries, we know the pattern of these hills, the migration of the birds, the habits of the land animals and fish. We have also set a code to each unusual or special behavior they exhibit: if you see cows scratching themselves against farm equipment in the morning, you're going to receive some long-awaited news; if a cat washes its face with its back turned toward the fireplace or front door, it'll rain soon; these are non-controlled signs, events that cannot be affected by humans.
Controlled signs border on root work, as they are actions taken by someone, usually of unnatural origin, to effect a certain result. A couple examples are carrying a walnut to cure rheumatism or washing your hair in stump water to make it long and thick. We create the same in root work and watch for such signs on setting out to do a job. If heading to get medicine for a person or animal, the roots of the plant are examined: if they are gnarly and knotted, it's a bad sign; but if they are straight and strong, it's favorable.
Hearing or seeing certain birds upon starting can also be indications of the path ahead. For example, if you see a turkey vulture circling, and you're heading to cure an illness, it's not likely to work. However, these signs are treated in context. So if you're heading somewhere to lay a curse or get herbs for the same and you see a turkey vulture, it is a good sign.
If a rabbit crosses your path during a work, regardless of the type, its direction should be noted: if it crosses left to right, expect success; if it crosses right to left, it's not likely to work. If you see a cat, note the path it takes: if it comes up from behind you, Spirit backs you in the work. If it walks toward you, expect some opposition or obstacles. If it crosses your path, its direction foretells the same as the rabbit above. However, orange or calico cats are signs of sure success. If ants are crawling in your pathway going in a set direction, that is good, but if they are aimlessly walking around, go back and try the next day or set course for another action.
Now, we can't always just sit and wait for signs. Sometimes you won't see a bird or anything in your walks. This is why controlled omens have been harnessed through different forms of divination. Nobody here I know ever calls it divination, by the way. They just pull out cards or bones or a bowl of water, usually saying something like, “Let's see” or “I bet.” All three of the following methods have little recording in the past here, but just about everyone knows of someone who's done these things. Before practicing any kind of divination, you'll want to pray by the three highest names—because anything can be lurking about wanting to have a quick “chat.” Just as you wouldn't want to have a conversation with the creepy person at the gas station at 3 A.M., keep that same energy when speaking to spirits.
Remember, even the Devil can recite Scripture—and he can lead you to believe it, too, which is why we never read for ourselves. Mama will read for me and I'll read for her, because the sty in the eye can get in the way: you'll see and read what you want to instead of what you need to. Even then, there are times when I will cut my own cards and then send my mother a picture for interpretation, and she does the same, if we're not able to be under the same roof.
Remember to keep your head covered. If you're in your own home and you have it set right against unknown spirits, then you're fine without the covering.
Never do readings where you sleep, either, so you don't get woken up in the middle of the night. My mother has always slept on the couch. She wanted us to each have our own room growing up, and a bed hurts her back. So, since she sometimes read cards on the couch, she would give it a light dusting of baby powder afterward and wash her hair to get rid of any spiritual attachments or “ick” left behind—especially if she read for someone who wasn't blood.
SWITCHING
Probably the most widely known form of divination—or spelling, as the old folks called it—is switching or water witching. Witching sticks would be used to lead a person to water, to treasures such as gold, or even the direction a person is in. Melungeons were often said to be excellent dowsers because they always found a gold or silver mine on their ridges, which they used to make counterfeit money, containing more precious metals than the government's currency. In the 1960s, dowsing rods were also used by the United States military to find mines, tunnels, hidden camps, and other things. They can also be used to find roots that have been planted on your property. According to tradition, the stick should be cut from a stone fruit tree, like peach, apple, plum, or dogwood. Some folks say you can also use willow or any wood that is flexible, but peach and apple seem to be the most common. In Appalachia, it's said there's a water witch in every generation of the family, but the youngest can't witch for water until the oldest has passed. There can only be one active water witch at a time. Some folks are never able to take up the sticks. It can make them sick, give them headaches, and cause a whole range of issues if they don't have the knack for it, but it never hurts to try.
Some folks said simple prayers while looking for water, using Bibles suspended on strings tied to house keys, with the string being placed in the book at the following verse and then hung on a forked branch driven into the ground, which would bend and sway if there was water beneath. Others simply prayed the verse Psalm 78:15–16:
15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
Witching sticks take on a few forms throughout the South. In southern Appalachia, it is the forked branch in a Y shape, with the leg of the Y being the smallest section. The two prongs of the Y are gripped, palms up, and held aloft at the base of the ribs with the leg of the Y pointing out and up a little bit. Keep the thumbs extended, with your palms at least 4 inches from the end of each prong. The stick should be cut about 4 to 6 inches behind the fork or where the prongs join together. Then cut the prongs to the same length, ideally between 10 and 14 inches.
The stick will indicate that water or whatever you're seeking is below by pulling or dipping downward or upward (it varies from person to person). The movement will be barely noticeable at first, but the closer you get, the stronger the pull will be. I heard a story of one man who didn't believe in such stuff, so he gave it a try. The stick pulled. Then it pulled again. He thought he'd outsmart it and everyone there, so he made the tightest grip he could on the prongs. Well, he stepped right over where the water was, and the stick pulled downward with such force it peeled the bark off where his hands were and snapped one of the prongs! Don't underestimate this stuff. If you're just starting out, the stick may pull even if you're just near the thing and not right over it. This is because you have to get used to being this channel, and the more you practice dowsing, the more on the mark you will be.
The second form of witching stick, often called a bobbing stick, is a long branch that is thicker on one end than the other. The thinner end can be held in the right or left hand, depending on who you ask, between the thumb and the two first fingers; the thickest part is left to dangle outward, bowing the branch a bit with its weight. The bobbing stick's meaning differs from the Y-shaped dowsing rod's. Once over water or near what you are looking for, the stick is said to bob or shake, meaning its bowed middle will vibrate. The stronger it gets, the closer you are. Held outward by the forefinger and thumb with the end resting against your palm, the stick should be about 20 inches long, and freshly cut. Usually bobbing sticks are used to determine the number of things, specifically the depth you'll have to dig to reach water, in which case the unit of measurement is either 1 foot or 10 feet per bob, depending on who you ask. It was often used after the pronged stick had identified the location. Count the number of vertical vibrations, and when the stick is finished, it will shake horizontally.
If you have the Gift and wish to continue using the same stick, depending on the wood and how long it's dried, you may be able to soak it in hot water overnight to make it flexible again. Nowadays, folks will also use L-shaped wire rods that are held in each hand at the shorter length. When they cross, that's the spot or a yes; if they point away from each other, it's a no; if they don't cross but point in a direction, head to that spot. They are usually 12 to 18 inches on the top part and the handle is generally 4 to 6 inches long and wrapped in plastic tubing. The handles of mine are made with straws cut to size. They can be made from wire bought at a craft store or made from old wire coat hangers. I've even heard of some folks using a coat hanger in its original form to dowse and witch for things, simply holding it at the corners with the hook facing out and up.
And some folks don't use tools at all—only their hands! Called hand tremblers, they walk around with their hands open, palms facing the ground, while shaking them like jazz hands. Once they are at the point of water or whatever they're looking for, a number of things happen: their hands stop shaking by themselves, they get warm or cold, or a feeling of needles comes to the hands and fingers.
Still yet, some folks carry the thing they are looking for on them, whether it's a small bottle of water, or a piece of coal, gold, or copper. After determining the depth of the water, for example, you can use different types of rock to determine what needs to be drilled through in order to get to the water source.
If you do decide to keep a stick to use and simply reanimate it with hot water overnight, do so while praying to the spirits to help you find whatever you're looking for. When you're not using the stick, wrap it up in a white cloth and store it somewhere dry. I'd recommend replacing your witching sticks every year, hunting them in the early spring or summer, when the wood is new, and burning them in the winter.
Whatever type of tool you decide to try, test it out by walking your own property trying to find the water pipe that leads to your home. You might have wonderful luck the first time, or you might have to try a few times to see if the stick or rod will work for you. Keep a clear mind and focus on what it is you're after. You may also need to take breaks, as dowsing requires a good bit of concentration and muscle, and can be draining physically and spiritually. If dowsing gives you a headache, makes you nauseous, or gives you the shakes, it may not be for you.
Another tool in this practice is the plumb bob, which is a weighted object suspended by a thread whose movements indicate directions or yes/no responses. It's essentially a pendulum. A plumb bob was also used to find lost objects and even people, as in the murder case of Frances Silver in 1833. “Frankie” Silver was accused and hung on the crime of killing her husband, Charlie Silver. That morning, Charlie had chopped a week's worth of wood. Frankie told folks she suspected him of seeing another woman on these “hunting” trips of his; that's why he chopped so much wood—because he planned to be gone for a while. She made the first chop as he slept on the couch and the final one after he got up and fell to the floor.
She used the week's worth of wood to burn his body in the fireplace and hid those things that wouldn't burn, such as his belt buckle, metal buttons, and teeth, all over the property, under floorboards, and in tree stumps. He had been missing for a while when folks began noticing his absence, backed by Frankie's claims of him hunting, but all that wood he had chopped was gone. Charlie's father, John, worried about his boy, traveled over the mountains from Burke County to a farm about forty miles away in Zionville, Tennessee, to request aid from a slave owner whose slave, Jonas, had a knack for finding folks. Jonas wasn't there, though, so Williams, the owner, did it for him. He told John to draw a map of mountains and creeks and things that Charlie may have crossed on his trip. Williams tied the string to a rafter, pulled it back, and released it over the map. The plumb bob spun and swung for a while and then stopped like the needle of a compass right over where Charlie's home was. Williams, thinking it didn't work, pulled the string—but the plumb bob held its position over the square.
You can make a plumb bob from anything—a ring, a holed bullet, a holed quarter, a stone, a piece of broken plate. The string it is suspended from should be about the length from your hind knuckles to the inner bend of your arm. Hold the string between the thumb and index finger. Arch your hand and wrist up a bit, and hold it a good distance from yourself, keeping the hand at chest level. Establish your answers by asking it what yes is and what no is. It will swing clockwise, counterclockwise, side to side, or back and forth. These change depending on the person and can even change from time to time, so always ask it what yes or no is first.
To fine-tune the plumb bob, wind the string around a stick until the weight is 2 inches below. Take a sample of something you're looking for, such as money, aluminum, copper, or water, and place it on a table. Slowly unwind the string while holding it over the sample until the plumb bob starts moving at a maximum pace. It is now tuned to find that object.
NUMBERS AND COUNTING
Numbers play an important part in most magical systems, and Appalachian folk magic is no exception. The secrets of numbers have long been discovered in these hills, first through the Bible and then through lucky dream number books sold in pharmacies and trade outlets. Biblically, numbers are the foundation for the measurements of the world. They measure the days and nights and minutes and hours from the time man took his first shaking steps.
Numbers were used to set the firmament and the Earth alike: Christ had twelve disciples, died with five wounds, and expired in the ninth hour. There are seven Holy Spirits of God, He holds seven stars in his hand, and before His throne is a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes.
The Cherokee baptized children on the fourth day after birth, and they recognized seven directions: up, down, center, north, east, south, and west. Many of their medicines had to be applied four or seven times, with the corresponding song being sung the same number of times. They believed Creation was completed in seven days and they had seven clans.
Growing up, many southerners are warned against counting things without rhyme or reason. If you count the stars, you'll number your own days or years. If you count the teeth of a comb, you'll conjure bad luck to yourself. On the other hand, counting is accomplished for such goals as gaining wishes, in the case of counting one hundred white horses. Warts are counted and the same number of knots are made in string to tie them up and take them off. To cure hiccoughs, count backward from your age with your mouth closed.
Because of this, numbers have had a significant impact on mankind, especially those in the lowest livelihoods. Most folks back in the day were very poor and oftentimes had to drop out of school early to help the family either in the mines, in the timber mills, on the tracks, or on family land. Not everyone had a fair education according to today's standards, so what little they did know helped them in more ways than we can know today—counting money, estimating crop production, managing household income, and rationing—all just to get by. They didn't know much and often couldn't read, but if they could count and help raise a family right, that was all the blessing they needed.
I mentioned before the distinction between controlled and uncontrolled signs. With the distinctive nature of our relationship with Creation in the mountains, it's no wonder folks often looked outside the pages of the Good Book to find answers through the things that knew God first: the plants and animals, our eldest siblings. Growths and bends and odd appearances in nature were often interpreted in many ways, whether it was how low the wasps nested, how early the squirrels started foraging for nuts, how thick or thin an animal's fur was, or how many leaves or petals a randomly picked herb had; they all had a tale to tell.
