In Appalachian spirituality and religion, demons and spirits are a very real and palpable presence, with just as much influence as anything else. Stories abound of demons in the woods and creeks, of dead men with spinning heads sitting on boulders, overseeing roads passing beneath, and folks with a wrong twinkle in their eye. Salvation and damnation both rose from these hills; this is their house, and it isn't a peaceful one. The doors slam with drug addiction, the foundation quakes with church revivals, the attic is filled with hollow angels singing songs of judgment, and the basement is a never-ending coal mine filled with knocks for every sin and failure of everyone in the Land of the Forgotten.

The Appalachian landscape has been a frightful terrain since the American frontier, when stories of black panthers were abundant. Today, our fears are more spiritual but no less dangerous. I've told you previously of how fragile the human body and spirit are. The slightest change and we could be brought to our deathbed, led either by disease or the hand of a haint. In doing this work, you need to stay protected. You need to be cleansed and cleansed again. The spirit is just like the body; it gets dirty and needs to shed skin. Sometimes with just general wear and tear, but other times via an attachment or something that got in through the cracks. It is here that spirituality and religion act as the immune system for the soul. So let's build your immune system.

SPIRITUAL BATHING

When you do this work, you want to make sure you are cleansed so nothing gets in the way of your goals. Cleansing by water has been done for thousands of years, and in Appalachia this was often achieved at the river—especially one where baptisms often took place. This is a sort of baptism itself, returning you to your organic self. A reset. We go through life today subconsciously sticking things to ourselves, such as stress and burdens. This weight further weakens you and will lead to haints wishing to follow you home and play with you and your life.

A haint is any spirit with ill intentions, whether it be an ancestor who lived and died badly, a wandering soul, a demon, or something else. The worst haints are those who have been long forgotten at their graves. They get bored sometimes, and you don't want to be their new form of entertainment!

The following cleansing bath will not only send away haints but will also remove the evil eye and any crossings set against you. Because nothing is ever accomplished overnight, cleansing baths are repeated in cycles. The normal recommendation is to take a cleansing bath over the course of either three to nine days in a row or certain days each week, such as every Sunday for three weeks. With cleansing baths, it is best to take them either before the sun rises or as it sets. If this doesn't work for you, you can work with the clock: take the bath as the hand of the clock goes downward from 12 A.M. or P.M. to 6 A.M. or P.M. This is done to send things away, because you are wanting to remove the bad stuff that has accumulated around you.

Back in the day before indoor plumbing, folks would fill a basin of water from the creek, taken up going with the flow of the water. Once this was done, they would either bathe right there from that basin or take it in the house to bathe, depending on the season and the weather. This way you washed with pure living water. After the bath, the basin would be dumped back into the creek or river, sending the bad stuff on its way. Folks also used to use laundry bluing that had been prayed over for a number of days to empower their clothes against ghosts and witches.

General Cleansing Bath

To prepare your cleansing bath, gather the following:

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 capful ammonia

3 tablespoons new salt bought specifically for this purpose

Blessed oil

Fill a bathtub with warm water. Once the tub is full, add the apple cider vinegar, ammonia, and salt as you pray Psalm 30 over the bath three times:

1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth?

10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

When taking the bath, recite the psalm again three times as you wash from head to toe in downward strokes only, not back and forth. When you have finished, drain the water, saving a cup or bucket of it for later. Once the rest of the water has drained, without drying off, you can take a normal shower or bath. Afterward, anoint your head, hands, and feet with blessed oil while saying the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Blessed oil: To start, pour your oil (olive oil is common in the South, but my mother has used vegetable oil or bacon grease if needed) into a small bottle. Repeat Psalm 23 over it three times a day for nine consecutive days (see page 66). This oil will then be used for protection. You may also use this oil to anoint the doorframes of your home, going from the back to the front of the house, inside to out, while praying the Lord's Prayer.

After anointing yourself, take the cup or bucket of water outside and cast it toward the sun. Return to the home without looking back. If you're working by the clock, go to the western point of your property and cast it to the west, again returning without looking back. To look back shows doubt, but I was taught to never look back for another reason: you may see the Thing, and that can make you vulnerable to it again.

For twenty-four to forty-eight hours after the bath, avoid crowded places such as concerts, shopping malls, and graveyards. You have stripped a layer from your spirit and are fresh as a newborn baby—and therefore just as vulnerable as one. The blessed oil helps protect you during this time.

Standard Blessing Bath

In the first bath, we removed everything bad from your spirit—but that space needs to be filled with something else until your spirit is fully rejuvenated. It's much like having a large abscess removed; it creates a pocket that the doctors have to fill to prevent further infection or issues. This is a general blessing bath to bring you good health and happiness.

You will need:

1 handful dandelion root (better if harvested while the moon is in the chest or Leo)

1 handful five-finger grass/cinquefoil

3 tablespoons church dirt

Bring a gallon of water to a boil, then add the dandelion root, five-finger grass, and church dirt and return to a boil for 7 minutes. Strain the herbs and let the water cool. Store the infused water in a gallon jug and use a third of the jug per tub of water for each washing, repeating the bath for three days in a row.

Take your normal bath before you take this spiritual bath.

When washing, do so either before the sun rises or as the hand of the clock goes up. Likewise, wash upward from your feet to your head, from your hands to your shoulders. After this bath, either air dry or pat dry with a towel but do not rub—otherwise you will be rubbing the work off. After the bath, lightly dust yourself with baby powder.

Again, save a bit of your bathwater to scrub your front doorstep or porch. This sets it further to draw your blessings.

HEAD AND FOOT WASHING

The head and feet are the roof and foundation for the home of the soul. Because of this, they are also the most vulnerable to being the targets for “shots” or “poison”—that is, works placed against you.