Doctoring the Devil: Notebooks of an Appalachian Conjure Man

By Christopher Moore

Book Overview

In this "great starting point for those hoping to practice Appalachian folk magic" (Publishers Weekly), conjure man Jake Richards shares the root work practices and traditional magic he learned from his family as he grew up in the hills and hollers of Appalachia.

Who were the old conjurors and witches of Appalachia? What were their practices and beliefs? How can you learn the ways of conjuring for yourself? Appalachian folk magic and conjure are little known today, but forty or fifty years ago just about every person you might ask in Appalachia either knew something about it themselves or knew someone who did it. These practices and "superstitions" are at the core of Appalachian culture.

In Doctoring the Devil, Jake Richards speaks to those questions and more, offering the various ways of rooting out the "devil"--any unfriendly spirit bringing bad luck, poor health, and calamities of all sorts.

Like the blue smoky mists that glide up the Appalachians, Jake leads his readers up the hillsides too, introducing us to folks along the way--hunters, farmers, blacksmiths, faith healers, preachers, and root-diggers. We'll also meet the local spirits and learn root ways. Further up the hill, we delve into Jake's notebooks--a personal collection of tried-and-true Appalachian recipes and roots for conjuring love, money, justice, and success.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578637333
• ISBN13: 9781578637331
• Release Date: April 2021
• Publisher: Weiser Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

So far so good

This book had a wine coupon in the front as if someone put it in there. Otherwise it looks to be a good book. It was in good condition.

Actually Five-Plus Stars !!

This workbook is the best cognitive approach (CBT) to recovery that I have read so far. Outstanding and easy to comprehend. ` In the 12-Step Programs, those of us who have not experienced an anthropomorphic God (i.e., one who intervenes in human affairs) have an uphill battle with the religionists who want to promote their Higher Power (usually Jesus). Even my beloved Bill W. wrote the Chapter to the Agnostics, which has been...

If you are feeling lost and bad about yourself

I love to read and re-read this book. It's not just about being sober, it's about being human. I feel like I have a personal private therapy session every time I pick up this book to read various passages. It is like you are being personally addressed and all your issues are diminished and you get "freed up". I only wish these authors were "on the road" giving seminars or something but, alas, don't find anything online about...

Vital

Alcoholism and drug addiction are the only two pathologies (character traits) that tell you, you don't have them. If you think you might have a problem, you do! If you do then I would suggest two books to read, "Alcoholics Anonymous" or "The Tao of Sobriety"--if you're serious about getting sober. David Gregson's and Jay Efran's new book "The Tao of Sobriety" has captured the pain, lonliness and absurd (comic) insanity of...

Thought-Provoking and Practical

I found "The Tao of Sobriety" to be extremely helpful on several counts. With over 20 years experience in the substance abuse treatment field, I found Gregson and Efran articulating ideas that I'd been working with in a coherent and practical framework. Their section on establishing "innocence in spirit" among patients who are plagued with guilt about their addiction is especially powerful and has been well received by several...