Watch our interview with Joe LeDoux on our YouTube channel:

Or listen to the audio here:

When the curtain goes up, and the magician steps out, the sleight of hand begins. Even as you watch wonders unfold before you, your brain keeps telling you it’s all a trick. It’s not real magic. Or is it?

Because magic can be any unexplainable feat of spectacle, right? Aren’t the sensations you feel when you witness something awe-inspiring a form of magic? Don’t we all have the capacity within us not just to experience magic, but to make it as well?

Magician and artist Joe LeDoux brings magic to life through multiple means, and talking to him today will hopefully make you look at the world a little bit differently. And, of course he has a ghost story. Prepare to be amazed, today, on Homespun Haints.

About the Guest: Magical Artist Joe LeDoux

His whole life, Joe has been seeking something more than this mundane existence. After attending Massachusetts Art School for animation, Joe realized that he preferred live performance art. A meeting with Jeff McBride tipped him in the direction of performance magic, something he had always been interested in. Soon, Joe’s career as a professional magician entertainer was quickly growing. He even performed with Le Grand David for one memorable summer. Still, something was lacking.

Joe tells us about an epiphany he had that can be summed up as a quote from author Alan Moore: “It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists. It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need” (taken from GoodReads.com).

As it’s rather complicated and unique, he refers to what he does Art-as-Magic Experiences in Artistic Spaces. Comparing the terms “showman” and “shaman,” Joe proposes that one job of the traditional shaman was probably using performance (visible yet fake) magic as to demonstrate how (invisible yet real) magick works. Which reminds us of another Alan Moore quote: “Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.”

If Joe’s words in this interview inspired you, you’d probably love his book, Muhachi’s Book of Wisdom for Artists: Drawing Real-Life Inspiration From a Cartoon. Catch Joe’s next live performance as of this writing: at Boston’s West End Museum Feb 8, 4-6pm. He’ll be talking about his art on exhibit, performing some magic, and giving a presentation on the Ashcan School art movement. If you’re not in Boston, you can watch clips from his performances on his Youtube channel @joeledoux67. Follow Joe on IG @joeledouxmagic, or on FB.

The Bridge Houdini Jumped Off Of

First, Joe tells us a story about standing on Boston’s Mass. Ave. bridge, looking down at the water that Harry Houdini leapt into in handcuffs in 1908. Joe was attempting to work out a challenging magic trick where he’d make a mermaid appear on the beach. He was thinking of how the old stories once talked of a sea serpent in New England. He was also musing on the first UFO sighting in the US in 1693, over the nearby Muddy River in Boston.

A plan began to evolve. In June of 2013, Joe placed an announcement in the newspaper. Under the heading “paranormal events,” Joe’s announcement read that he had placed a spell over the entire city. The spell, he claimed, would make people see UFOs, fairies, and sea serpents all over Boston for one month.

The poem Joe wrote for the announcement inspired many people. Several readers submitted accounts of their sightings of magical creatures to his website. Instead of attempting to prove or refute the stories submitted, Joe read both imaginary and potentially real accounts as equally interesting resuts. Whether the real magic was in making people think they saw incredible things, manifesting actual paranormal phenomena, or inspiring people to stretch their imagination muscles, Joe feels that his ForJune Teller Spell was a success.

It was a perfect example, as Becky said in the episode, of the power of art.

Learning Grammar from a Grimoire and Spelling Your Spells

Language itself is magical. What would those first hominids think if we plucked them out of their time and deposited them in a modern setting? Wouldn’t they stare in amazement at how easily and quickly humans are now able to share complex ideas with each other; how we all seem to share a synchronizing, mystical connection? Even time travelers from just a couple hundred years ago would be amazed to see so much literacy across classes, and those from 50 years ago would be shocked at the entire libraries’ worth of knowledge that we can access from our pocket devices.

Back when the masses weren’t so educated, humans of yester-year conflated the ability to read and write with the ability to mystically manifest one’s will. Joe furthered our etymology studies today by explaining that the term magic “spells” comes from the ability to spell (once meaning to recite written words either by reading aloud or by memory). Similarly, the term “grimoire,” meaning a book of magical spells, comes from the same Old French word from which we got “grammar,” meaning the study of the rules of language and writing. Fascinating!

Here at Homespun Haints, we have a long tradition of musing about the magic of etymology. Here are more articles in our Etymology for Goth Polyglots Series:

• Etymology for Goth Polyglots: Bats!!!
• Not That Kind of Speculum
• Have You Been Naughty or Nice?

Are Fairies the Anthropomorphic Essences of Plants?

We have several guests who’ve talked with us about the nature of fairies. Joe mentions in passing this theory about fairies, but it caught our attention. What do you think? Are fairies (other than dryads) just plant essences? Have you seen a fairy, in Boston or otherwise? Did you observe increased fairy activity in June of 2013, by any chance? Did you at least have a spooky day?

The post The Greatest Shaman: A Magical Interview appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Oh, and there was that one time Martha saw a dryad. Also that one time a little devil broke young Vini’s window shade. Listen to hear their full stories:

Episode Summary

Vini and Martha have both seen some strange things that nobody else has seen. Devotees of Hecate and long-time practicing witches, the pair wrote a book together despite living far apart and having little else in common. And yet, their chemistry is on fire…much like a spell quickened with hot sauce.

Learn how they—and you—can create valuable magick from impecunious means, today, on Homespun Haints.

AI-generated transcript of this episode available upon request.

About the Guests: Vini and Martha, Co-Authors of Thrifty Witchery

Martha Kirby Capo

Author Martha Kirby Capo reminds us of our CUUPs days. Her calm confidence is all the evidence we need that she has rightfully earned her “crone” status. A Solitary Witch currently working with Brigid, Hekate, Pan, and Cernunnos, Martha is the page manager of Patheos Pagan’s shared blog The Agora, where she writes as The Corner Crone. She also leads Moments For Meditation on KPPR Pure Pagan Radio.

Martha has been extensively anthologized through Skinner House books, Flying Cow Productions, and various Llewellyn Publications. An award-winning poet and lyricist, she has written for several online and print magazines, including The Wild Hunt and Witchology. Martha has been a presenter at Florida Pagan Gathering, Turning the Tide, and Mystic South. She is a member of Circle Sanctuary and Everglades Moon, a Local Council representing the Covenant of the Goddess in Florida.

Her second book, Quantum Magick, is forthcoming. Follow for updates and also check out her witch mentoring services on Facebook or Instagram @the_corner_crone.

Vincent Higginbotham

Vincent Higginbotham has seen shadow people since early childhood, which was also when he knew he’d be a writer someday. His first book was about how witchcraft saved his life, as his practice helped him first to survive a decade living on the streets and then later to thrive as an author.

Mostly self-taught, Vini is not initiated in any traditional form or witchcraft practice. He follows his gut in all things magic but spends plenty of time researching to be sure his intuition is informed by wisdom before setting his intentions. It is Vini’s goal to empower others the way he wishes he had been empowered in his early years. He has a dedicated practice with the goddess Hekate and lives in the Southeastern US. He knows Martha because he also writes for Patheos.com; check out all his writing at viniwrites.com.

You can find the book Vini and Martha co-authored, Thrifty Witchery: Magick for the Penny-Pinching Practitioner, at Llewellyn Books, Amazon, or your local Barnes and Noble. If you’re local to Atlanta, you can see them presenting in-person at Mystic South, July 13-16, 2023.

Episode Show Notes About Practicing Magick on a Budget

Witchcraft: a private practice

In today’s age of public oversharing, Vini and Martha both stress that it’s important to keep some parts of your magickal practice private. You never know whose influence is going to change the outcome of your work. Becky immediately embraced the advice, and now won’t be sharing any more of her spells with us. But with your own copy of Thrifty Witchery, you might soon be able to get a peek through the witch window and reverse engineer your own spells.

Who is the Goddess Hecate?

Maiden, mother, or crone? Earth, Hell, or Heavens? Olympian, demi-god, or titan? Homemaker, caregiver, or hero? There’s a lot of personalities stored inside Hecate, patron of witches. Stay tuned for this week’s bonus episode about Hekate, where we burp the lid to get a whiff of the trichotomous nature of this powerful ancient deity of ghosts and liminal spaces. See you at the crossroads!

How to Practice Magick on a Tight Budget

How do you stretch your magick budget? If you read Thrifty Witchery also, let us know your favorite tip to implement on our Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/homespunhaints. Seen a ghost, devil, or dryad? Please submit your true ghost story and you could be on our next episode of Homespun Haints! Quick, do it now, and have a spooky day!

Photo by JJ Jordan on Unsplash

The post Well-Heeled Magick on a Shoestring Budget appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Episode Trigger Warning

This episode contains true stories involving domestic violence, child abuse, and suicide. Nothing excessively graphic, but be aware.

AI-generated transcript of this episode available upon request.

Show Notes

What is the trick to telepathy?

Leon recommended to mentally become the other person, see/hear them, visualize yourself using their lips to speak in their voice. Give them a firm command. Then, purposefully forget all about it. Leon says you’ll know you’re doing it wrong if the person doesn’t get your message.

Diana sees this theory of telepathy as a form of communication, whereas Becky sees it as a form of mind control. How do you see it?

Is it telepathy or precognition?

How can you tell the difference between making things happen with your mind, and just knowing what is going to happen? Leon says it’s all about control and making decisions. But there’s some evidence nowadays that some things that we believe we are making decisions about (like muscle contractions) actually start happening before the conscious decision is made. Diana thinks in light of this new fascinating evidence, this is worth more discussion.

Does magical ability wane as you grow up?

Appropriately to his own Robinson Age, teenage Leon had two witchy friends named Jim. One had a penchant for light magick, and could control flames with his mind. The other had a penchant for black magick, and made a plan to sell his soul. As time went on, Leon gravitated to one Jim over the other. But perhaps the choice would’ve eventually been made for him, since the supernatural abilities waned as the friends matured.

What about the race car that Leon helped build?

It did indeed make the world’s fastest U-turn, and possibly the world’s largest skid mark. Leon worked with Craig Breedlove to build the car that made history. You can watch more about it here:

Does it mean something to find a lot of rocks while digging a grave?

Stay tuned—we are working on a bonus episode about grave-digging superstitions. We’ve heard that it’s unlucky to dig a grave in one day, but also to leave an open grave empty overnight. It certainly seems you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

Where are those photos?

Would you try this telepathy trick?

We hope you learned a lot about how to practice telepathy, how to tell the future, and how to choose your Jims wisely. Don’t miss the bonus episode associated with this episode, where we’ll hear even more stories of strange magickal coincidences. If you have a personal experience with telepathy, please tell us all about it on our Facebook Group, in the comments, or consider submitting your story to be our next guest on the show.

The post A Tale of Two Jims: The Trick to Telepathy appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen here:

Then, listen to the bonus episode, Italian House Spirits Can Make or Break your Home Renovation:

Episode Summary: Familiar Italian Ghosts

Every family has its own unique traditions. Our ancestors’ culture, our current location, and our religion all shape the rituals we do without even thinking, even if these rituals seem foreign, or even occultish, to those outside of our family unit.

Today we explore Italian folk magic from the perspective of Lisa, an author who shares the unique traditions her grandmother brought into her family. And, of course, there’s ghosts involved. Listen above for the full interview.

About the Guest: Lisa Marie Basile

Today’s guest grew up in an area of New Jersey steeped in Italian-American culture. Her view of the supernatural was shaped by her Italian dad, her Sicilian mom, and her magical-realist grandmother. Lisa founded, edits, and writes for Luna Luna Magazine (for which Alexandra Cohl interviewed Becky). She also founded ritual poetica. She authored The Magical Writing Grimoire, Light Magic for Dark Times, and City Witchery.

Connect with Lisa on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to read more of her writing and keep up with her publications at her website, lisamariebasile.com.

Italian Ghost Folklore and Folk Magic

“Italian folk magic” is an outsider term. Most of the actual people who originally developed and still engage in this practice would never call it magic. Lisa explains that, from the inside, it’s viewed more as a series of folk traditions. These traditions blended with the mysticism of old Catholicism to become more spiritual than magical in nature. Benedicaria is therefore probably a more authentic term.

Benedicaria and ghost folklore varies between regions of Italy and even individual families. Do you recognize any of the following?

La Bella Umbriana

One of the most popular Italian house spirits from ghost folklore, La Bella Umbriana or Bella ‘Mbriana is usually a beneficial presence. According to the folklore, she is the lovelorn ghost of an Italian princess who wanders the streets of Naples in misery and madness. The king, her father, was said to reward families who offered her shelter in their homes. Carrying on the tradition, families may leave a chair open for her at the dinner table, greet her spirit upon entering their house, or honor her by keeping the home tidy and peaceful. In return, her presence can grant beauty, youth, protection, and wealth. Gently billowing curtains dappled with early afternoon sunbeams are a good sign that Bella ‘Mbriana is content with the state of the house.

But like any gorgeous, spurned, and slightly pazza Italian woman, it’s a very bad idea to get on Bella ‘Mbriana’s shit list. There is a Neapolitan idiom: “Casa accunciata morte apparicchiata.” This phrase roughly means something like “death will follow home renovations.” See, Bella ‘Mbriana highly values a safe, quiet home kept in perfect order. And nothing causes disorder in a home like renovations, or even, heaven forbid, moving. While you might be able to see past the rubble and wreckage to the promise of a future open kitchen or garden tub, Bella ‘Mbriana can’t. She’s a spirit, after all. She hears the saws sawing and hammers hammering, sees the exposed studs in demolished walls, and says “that’s it, I’m gonna kill somebody.”

Il Munaciello

The Munaciello, or the Little Monk, is a poltergeist-style sprite with various origin stories. He sneaks into your home through the plumbing. Not a challenge for him, with his small stature. Also the fact that, in 15th century Naples, “plumbing” was basically just a well. Mischevious and vengeful, il Munaciello may hide or steal your possessions. He may also break your dishes, blow in your ears while you sleep, and even grope your butt.

But having been abused and shunned in life for his unusual appearance, his spirit can sympathize with those who act strong in the face of misfortune and adversity. When you gain his sympathy, il Munaciello may sneak in to hide coins in your house. He may even leave little riddles that may reveal lucky lotto numbers. Are you thinking “I don’t want the ghost of a spiteful deformed child monk creeping up through my drains even if he does leave me a shiny quarter, thankyouverymuch”? Maintain a healthy relationship with Bella ‘Mbriana, and she’ll help prevent il Munaciello‘s nocturnal B&E.

Witches and Witch Hunts

It took a good long while for the more remote regions of Italy to transition from paganism to Christianity. When witch hunts hit their heyday in the 15th century, many Italians were secretly still involved in pagan cults. Regional folklore began to twist the narrative to reflect the pagan cultists as evil supernatural beings. While “witches” is a reasonable translation, in the stories they remind me more of fairies. Le Janare would impersonate human women. The infamous Malleus Maleficarum was written to help identify and persecute them. But before the inquisitors officially mansplained the supposed secrets to catching a janara, folk wisdom advised to just leave a bag of salt in the doorway. Much like the strzyga, the janara would be compelled to count all the grains of salt. This task would keep her occupied until sunrise. Since witches are nocturnal, that was usually enough to avoid major problems.

Unlike the more generic Janare (likely of the cult of Diana), there were also some very specific witchy boogeywomen. La Zucculara (likely of the Cult of Hecate) liked to play ding-dong-ditch while wearing loud clogs (or maybe hooves?). La Manalonga (likely of the cult of WTF) used her loooooong arms to reach out of wells and snatch you to your watery death. Tales of these spooky ghost-like “witches” of Italian folklore served to reinforce the connotation of paganism as evil. So you can see why a good Roman Catholic who practices folk traditions would strongly prefer the term Benedicare to “folk magic.”

Don’t feed the spirits

Lisa tells us that, in her family traditions, the way to avoid a haunting was to avoid feeding the spirits. While this might sound simple (just don’t leave food out, right?) it’s actually a metaphor. Spirits are said to feed on discontent. Therefore, the best way to keep them hungry is to embrace the light, and live a complaint-free life.

We hope you enjoyed this delicious lesson in Italian ghost folklore and folk magic!

We had a blast chatting with Lisa, and can’t wait to devour all of her elegant magical written words. If you’re ready to delve deeper into the practice of writing as ritual and poetry as spellcraft, we believe Lisa can take you there.

The post Lean Into The Mystery appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen to this episode here:

Episode Summary

Why do those shadow ghosts Joelle sees in her peripheral vision always disappear when she looks straight at them? Is it that they shy away from eye contact, or does looking directly at them somehow limit her ability to perceive them? And what do they have to do with the invisible visitor that shared her childhood bedroom?

Episode Show Notes

About Joelle Velez

Joelle reads tarot, performs reiki, designs shirts, and crafts candles and oils for use in magickal practice. You can purchase her mystical goods and distance reiki on her Etsy store, or get yourself an early Halloween present from her online clothing shop. Connect with her on Instagram to keep up with her latest news.

Ectogasm discount

You can still use code HAINTS to save 10% off every order of $20 or more at ectogasm.net, and you really deserve more creepy couture. Thanks for helping to support our podcast!

Episode References about Shadow People

What’s the difference between shadow people in peripheral vision and spirits?

“Shadow people” is a phrase used to describe supernatural entities which appear as an absence of light. Physical objects cast shadows, but if you see a shadow that is not cast by a physical object, which appears to have agency—almost to cast itself—you might be looking at a shadow figure. The Hat Man is one famous shadow person with a sinister reputation. While previous guests have described shadow people as more sinister than spirits of the deceased, Joelle’s experience has been different.

Could anything else cause someone to see shadow people in their peripheral vision?

We’ve all seen things that we thought were eyelashes, stray hairs, or just plain shadows. But what if you eliminate all those “other” things and you still are seeing shadows in your peripheral vision. Could it be you’re seeing something that is supernatural?

Why do shadow people lurk in doorways?

Becky posits during this episode that doorways are liminal spaces, which always seem to be haunted. That comment led Diana deep down the rabbit hole of speculation, especially since she frequently saw shadows in her peripheral vision which darted through doorways while working at the haunted ski lodge. Catch up with Diana’s rambling thoughts here.

Can dogs sense spirits?

Joelle’s father recommended she bring the dog in her room to see if she would exhibit any strange behavior that could corroborate Joelle’s experiences. But throughout her stories, Joelle specifies multiple times that whatever dog was in the room had no reaction to what she was seeing.

It is indeed possible that, when a dog senses something that you sense, it’s not perceiving the ghost so much as perceiving your perception of the ghost. Smelling your fear, so to speak. It’s also very feasible that dogs just sense a lot of normal, rather than paranormal things that we cannot, and so they seem paranormal to us.

While the common trope of dogs’ superior sense of smell isn’t 100% scientifically accurate per-se, their hearing is demonstrably more sensitive, as is their night vision. With these heightened senses, there’s a good chance dogs can sense ghosts. And yet, as cat people, we just had to pose the argument that there’s at least one kind of companion animal that does it better.

What are spirit guides?

Joelle believes that everyone has a spirit guide. We’ve heard before that mediums have more of them, but that doesn’t mean that more are necessarily better. But what actually are spirit guides? Are spirit guides spirits of the deceased? If so, are they ancestors from this life, or friends from a past life? If not, are they guardian angels? Are they the same thing as spirit animals?

Based on an amalgam of the opinions of our diverse guests, my interpretation is as follows. Spirit guides are whatever you need them to be. They are equivalent to energy, a guiding force in our lives. Just because some people see a spectral wolf following beside them, while others see an angel of light descending from the heavens does not make either person wrong.

Even being able to see or sense this energy is a gift, or perhaps a talent that can be developed. but just because you may not see yours doesn’t mean it isn’t there. If you can’t sense yours, that may just mean its energy is taking a form that’s more amenable to you. You may sense it as a gut feeling. You may notice the recurrence of a particular number or image in the tangible world. They may just be those shadows in your peripheral vision.

How do you use a pendulum to communicate with ghosts and spirit guides?

A pendulum is a divining device used to answer yes/no questions. This can be complicated and meaningful, like an obsidian pyramid on a chain made of stones representing the colors of the chakras, and a board of potential answers, like yes, no, maybe, and undecided. You can watch how Becky used a fancy pendulum set to talk with some entities on a Civil War battlefield on our 2022 haunted Nashville trip. But a pendulum can also be Macgyvered out of your necklace by dropping a ring around it. Hell, a strand of hair with an earring or shoelace with a bead would even do the trick.

When using a pendulum for divining, the method is fairly simple. For your pleasure, here’s a quick primer on how to talk to ghosts with a pendulum.

How to use a pendulum to talk to ghosts and other entities:

1. Hold the dangling pendulum still.
2. Say (aloud, preferably) something like “give me your highest and truest ‘yes'”.
3. Wait patiently for the pendulum to sway back and forth. This direction now stands for “yes,” meaning the perpendicular direction would stand for “no”.
4. Completely still the pendulum with your other hand, and ask your yes/no question.
5. Wait patiently for the pendulum to swing back and forth, using the direction to glean your answer.
6. If the direction of sway is neither a clear yes or no, it’s either a “maybe” or your hand is jittery. You can always still the pendulum and try again.

Is pendulum divination real?

Is this practice vulnerable to faking or false-reads? Oh yes, absolutely. It’s ideal for the pendulum holder to attempt to relax, clear their mind, and focus on actually keeping their hand as still as possible. It’s tempting to try to hurry the pendulum up by giving it a little jostle, but if you consciously move your hand at all, you’ll never get an answer from anything outside your own conscious mind.

But with the fallibility of the human body, it’s easy to argue that your small subconscious movements influence the “answer” the “ghosts” are giving the pendulum. I’d like to reframe this objection with the response, “so what?” Our subconscious minds are amazing. Worlds worth of knowledge and information exist within our subconscious minds, that our conscious minds usually have very little access to. Some of this secret knowledge might come from the other side, or a higher power, who is really to say? I believe it’s fair to argue that, while the conscious mind is busy attempting to still the hand, the subconscious mind could be generating micro-movements that do actually answer our question. The pendulum is merely the amplifier which magnifies these tiny hints.

How do you use tarot cards to answer yes or no questions?

What if you don’t even have a hack pendulum, but you’ve got some cards? There are several ways card readers use the cards to quickly answer simple yes or no questions. One way is to pull any card as you usually do. If the card is upright it’s a yes, if it’s reversed, it’s a no.

Like a little more mysticism and well familiar with your deck? You could allow your own feelings about the card’s meaning to lean towards positive (“yes”) or negative (“no”). This technique allows for a third answer: “maybe,” for those cards that are neutral or unclear. It also allows the reader to use common playing cards, which may look identical when upright or reversed.

What can a parent do to help a haunted kid?

In this episode, Joelle laments that there was no right answer that her father could’ve known when she asked him about the entity in her bedroom. Really, “no right answer” is canon for being a parent in a lot of situations.

When your kids come to you saying they saw something that you can’t explain, our guests overwhelmingly advise reassuring your children that you believe they are telling the truth. Actually listen when they tell you about the entities they’re witnessing. And then go ahead and follow through on believing, because the kids are probably seeing more than you are. Those shadows you see in your peripheral vision might be images as clear as you and me to their young, impressionable eyes. Help them have the good kind of spooky day!

The post They Are Assigned To Us Before We Are Brought Earthside appeared first on Homespun Haints.