Folk Magic Formulary: Oils, Ointments, and Liniments
Price
$150
Duration
121 lessons, work at your own pace
About the Course
Did your life come with a book of formulas and instructions for using them? Formulas for dealing with any life situation, be it physical, mental, or spiritual?
I know mine didn't. I mean, when I was born, I wasn't given some big book of magic formulas to make my life easier. When my grandmother passed away, however, I did receive a large recipe book with lots of scraps of paper with a variety of things written on them. Tips and hints for running a smooth household, home remedies and of course, wonderful recipes for delicious food.Â
In the past, family receipt books were commonplace. These large books were written by ordinary housewives and sometimes men or doctors who were under the assumption they knew how to run a household and advised women accordingly. Called domestic receipt books, they contained everything from how to make candles, to how to cook, and to how to cure livestock from diseases. They also contained home remedies for treating the family for many common illnesses of the day because most people could not afford to go to a doctor. So, it was the mother's place to learn these things and take care of the family. Moms were the family doctor. Within plantation households, slave masters often relied on the herbal curing knowledge of the slave men and women - the rootdoctors - for healing illnesses that were not considered major. In fact, many times the slave remedies were recorded in these receipt books without acknowledging the source of the knowledge.Â
During the 1800s, we see many of these receipt books published for the general public. Domestic receipt books became a primary way of passing down common folk knowledge to subsequent generations. In our Folk Magic Formulary Master Classes, we focus on many herbs with a dual medicinal/magical capacity and teach our students how to harvest, harness, and use them in a variety of formulas to enhance and improve their daily lives.
Your Instructor
Denise Alvarado
Denise Alvarado was born and raised in the unique culture of New Orleans, Louisiana and has studied indigenous healing traditions from a personal and academic perspective for over four decades. Denise is a member of the American Anthropological Association, the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists, and the Association of Latina/o & Latinx Anthropologists. She is the author of Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits and Hoodoo Saints, The Magic of Marie Laveau, The Conjurer's Guide to St. Expedite, Editor in Chief of Hoodoo & Conjure magazine, Journal of American Rootwork and Gumbo Ya Ya, and over twenty books that focus on folk magic traditions of the American South. Her provocative artwork has been featured on several television shows including National Geographic's Taboo, The Originals, and Blue Bloods. Denise is a rootworker and tradition-keeper, a spiritual artist, and a teacher of Southern indigenous folkways.