The Virgin Mary and folk witchcraft

Follow: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Shop | Etsy | Patreon

Note: This article was originally published by @gritchenwitch on Instagram. To learn about me and my practice, including more info on folk witchcraft, mountain magic, knot work, and hearthcraft, please visit gritchenwitch.com or join my Patreon at patreon.com/gritchenwitch.

---

I wanted to talk a bit about the Blessed Mother and what she has to do with witchcraft.🌹

I mentioned in my stories this week that by far the most frequently asked questions I receive revolve around Mary’s statue on my altar. In most of my posts where she’s included, I receive comments and DM’s that are curious about how she could be present in the same place as witchcraft.

I can’t talk about Mary without first providing some context for my practice. The terms Appalachian folk magic, granny magic, mountain magic, etc. are new. They were the customs and superstitions performed in this cultural region (which connects the mountainous parts of the South, Midwest, Rust Belt, and Northeast), especially in those isolated communities that didn’t have access to aid.

These healers, yarb doctors, conjure folk, etc. blended their traditional healing practices with those of the Native Americans, the enslaved who escaped to the mountainous areas, and, especially in Western PA, the Pennsylvania Dutch.

While a big part of their work was faith healing and superstition, they also provided medical care. Many were experienced midwives and highly knowledgable about the benefits of herbs. As important as the feverfew they prescribed for fevers and migraines, they invoked certain saints and recited the appropriate psalms.

They didn’t refer to themselves as witches. They would’ve likely been offended by the title. From what I understand, one of the threats they protected against was, in fact, witchcraft. These were the witches of their imaginations and ones we still see impressions of today. If the communities’ healers used their faith and the Bible to combat illness and evil, then there must be individuals on the other side, contracting with the devil, flying on brooms at night and cursing their neighbors’ cows.

Over time, and especially in early America where witchcraft was becoming an atrocity, healers and witches became one and the same.

So, the short answer is that what I do isn’t exactly witchcraft, but right now, it’s the label I have. Like many in this community, my practice is mixed with others. The term “green witch” only hit my radar in the last decade, but it also fits.

Since I mention the Wheel of the Year (I love it because it fits so closely with our seasons) and include objects on my altar that are also commonly found in paganism, I think one misconception is that I built a pagan altar and then brought in Mary. My altar was always built with Mary in mind.

One other misconception is that my practice aligns with the Catholic church. I’m not (and never have been) Catholic. I was raised in the Orthodox faith, and even then, I don’t work under the umbrella of the institution. My practice would likely be considered heretical by any church. This stems back to early folk magic, where Bible and saints were called in a way that, a lot of times, was personal to the practitioner and not under the guidance of "the church."

As far as working with Mary, I keep her statue on my altar as a place to direct prayer (rather than speaking to the sky). While I do bring in other saints for specific direction, Mary is always with me, even if I’m just sitting there in silence.

While there have been many benefits I wasn’t expecting, here’s one that’s especially cool:

I’ve mentioned before that there are times I approach my altar while my emotions are wildly out of control (think: manic). I’ll find myself there overwhelmed, or sad, or angry, or jealous, and not have any direction aside from wanting justice for those feelings. Mary is there to say, “ok, I know what you’re feeling, but explain it to me. Then we decide what to do.”

Note: I made the choice not to use reverential capitalization in this post for clarity, not out of disrespect. I’m always happy to answer questions that are asked respectfully, but like with most things regarding faith, there are parts that are always evolving, and that I couldn’t articulate even if I wanted. For more info, here are a few sources that do an incredible job:

-St. Anthony’s Tongue podcast (@stanthonystongue)
-New World Witchery by Cory Thomas Hutcheson (@newworldwitchery)
-The Witch of the Monongahela by Thomas White