March 19th Was Saint Joseph's Day. While I Worked All Day, This Looks Like A Beautiful Moment To Connect

My Current Inventory of Magic Tools

Here's a list of tools I use in my spiritual practice that can inspire others that are on this path! While some are heritage pieces that cost a lot of money up-front due to craftsmanship, the every-day tools are pretty inexpensive. For example, most candles can be found at the dollar store, and incense can be personalized to your taste. For my practice, I use cedar incense, since it is known as a cleansing plant in the Christian tradition, and many Acadian and Québécois households used cedar on Palm Sunday before palms became widely available.

Most of the heritage pieces, for anyone wanting to participate, I strongly encourage investing a few extra dollars to get good quality items! It will last you years of magical practice, and you can use them with pride.

La ceinture fléchée - the woven sash

A symbol of identity to the Métis living on the Canadian plains, the historical Huron-Wendat people, and historically worn by French voyageurs and fur traders and their indigenous partners in trade, these sashes were strapped around the waist. These were mostly useful in keeping the woollen coats closed, store belted tools, help with the strain of carrying heavy pelts, and prevent hernias and back strain on long canoe expeditions. The long strands on the end could also be used as impromptu sewing thread. These sashes would reach about 15cm to 25cm and its length easily passes 2 metres. These sashes were traded among indigenous groups for furs, and later, by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 19th century. It became a part of the traditional Québecois peasant clothing at least since 1776. As the sash travelled upriver to the plains and beyond, Métis groups adopted the sashes, elaborated on its craftsmanship, and truly made it one of their most recognized symbols. Depending on where the sash is woven, the colours can change. For example, for Québec, they preferred a blue colour scheme, for Montréal, red, and for those woven in between Ottawa and the Red River, black was more prominent. Hand-woven sashes can take up to 500 hours to complete. (1)

The one pictured above I bought from Etchiboy, a Métis artisan. The sash I bought was inspired from the Assomption sash motif, one of the oldest known woven patterns from the 18th century. I wear it on my woodland wanderings, for rituals, and cultural days. I especially wear it in winter to keep my coat closed. I chose to adopt the sash into my practice after lots of research. It is an item of rich history between the French and their indigenous allies, and a consequence of the fur trade in our country. I encourage anyone who's interested to buy from artisans who hand-weave them! There are machine-woven ones nowadays that might be less expensive, but nothing beats the quality of good wool and good weaving. With the richness of variety in the weaving patterns depending on the region they're from, why not have a sash that harkens back to the history of your region?

The walking stick or 'le gourdin'

In Québécois folktales, the stick, known as 'the gourdin', was most seen as a gift from a woodland fairy (like a guardian of all trees, or a mistress of the birds) to the intrepid hero Ti-Jean. This magical stick could thwack all his adversaries with the simple command of "tappe, gourdin!" (slap, stick!), among other fabulous deeds (2) This stick was a tool of protection on long journeys fraught with peril. So, what better companion to the Canadien witch than a walking stick? I use mine for every excursion, and have added to it some talismans of a wolf, owl and skull to keep evil spirits at bay. There's also a portable rosary around the stick, and the Ste. Anne of Beaupré religious medal. Historically, she was often a saint prayed to by voyageurs before they undertook the long and perilous journey to the fur trading posts, usually near present-day Montreal. (3)

The pocket knife

The pocket knife is a multi-talented tool of our trade! It can carve folksy figurines, cut wooden branches for weaving, harvest plants, cut curses, and keep les feux-follets (willow-the-wisps) at bay. Folklore has it that if you're out camping in the woods, fold you knife so that it creates a 90-degree angle, and stick it into the bark of a tree bordering your campsite. In the morning, if the blade is bloody, chances are it was the feux follet being intrigued by the space between the blade and the tree, and cutting its throat, thereby being free from its doomed roaming. (4) It is also a well-known tool in case you need to free a loup-garou (werewolf) from its curse by cutting it on its white spot on the forehead where he previously received communion as a kid. (5) By extension, it is a vital tool to break curses. Of course, don't make anyone bleed with the knife. That goes without saying. Treat the knife well, keep it sharp.

The rosary

Yes, my path has Catholic tools in it. Of course! Quebecois and Acadians of my ancestry were Catholic people primarily. It is a versatile tool in my practice, used for spellwork as well as meditative prayer. For those who are interested in praying the Rosary traditionally, I'll create a separate post. For spellwork purposes, I usually say a round of "Hail Mary" ten times before starting a spell for the ultimate protective shield. There is also known folk uses for the rosary in Acadian and Québécois communities. For example, to fidget with the rosary without intent or purpose brings about the Devil. (6) The rosary can also be used as a tool to find lost items. Simply toss the rosary over your shoulder, and the crucifix will point in the direction of the lost item. If you want good weather on your wedding day, hang up your rosary on your laundry cord the day before. (7). Rosaries nowadays even come in decade forms as portable rings for your pocket, and some are actual rings you can wear on your finger. I got a few rosaries myself. One for special rituals (I never toss that one over my shoulder!), and cheaper, more portable options for the tossing spell.

Holy medals

I amassed quite a collection of holy medals for individual saints. Other notable ones are those for the souls in Purgatory (worn on All Souls Day), the Holy Spirit at (worn on Pentecost or when I do divination), Jesus the Shepherd (it's comforting), Stella Maris (patron saint of Acadians). I have a few of the same for more frequented purposes, for example, I keep a Saint Luke medal on my artist's pencil case, since he is the patron saint of artists. Traditionally in Acadian communities, it was known that when your day was going awfully, and your bread dough just wouldn't rise, you just needed to boil some holy medals in water to turn your luck around (8). They are quite inexpensive, so it's fast and easy to grow a collection in a short period of time. Many catholic retailers sell them.

Divination tools : the playing cards, dice and coin

My divination tools can be found in anyone's cupboard and drawers. The trusty playing cards deck nowadays comes in such amazing variety of art, the one I picked for myself was the Bicycle Aviary Playing Cards. It has such a lovely folk art vibe to them! The way to divine them comes from sources of card-playing and superstitions from history and folktales from folklorist Marius Barbeau, and people over centuries carrying around the cards for entertainment and perhaps a glimpse into their futures. One guide on reading the cards: Fifty-Four Devils: The Art & Folklore of Fortune-Telling with Playing Cards by Cory Thomas Hutcheson. Dice can also be used in the same manner if you're doing a numerology-based divination. The coin can be used as a simple yes or no divination by playing 'heads or tails'. The coin can be a beautiful commemorative coin like mine, or a simple 'cenne noire' (blackened penny), or whatever currency you have on hand.

The sewing kit and fibre arts

I wanted to add this iconic cookie tin into the folk witch's repertoire, because we all had grandmothers who had this tin lying around with their tools to mend and sew anything. In my practice, and in my hobbies, I make clothing and I embroider. I can use this tin to house my relevant supplies to have some sacred time darning old socks, creating spiritual garments by hand, or embroidering pretty things. You can also draw sigils on the rim's inner side for blessing your items inside! There's also other uses for some of these tools in your home! For example, my great-great grandmother used to use her thimble to create the holes in her croxignoles, these woven doughnut style rings from the Magdalen Islands.

Musical spoons

Musical spoons, sometimes made of wood to be used for musical purposes, as shown here, or made from every-day metal spoons held together for the same effect, are an iconic instrument in French-Canadian folk music. I would recommend learning how to play them rhythmically and to use that as a grounding tool. I just find these way more authentic than a drum. Not to mention rhythmic foot tapping and step dances are frequently used in our folk music to set up a beat.

Woven Cloths

These beautiful cloths or 'serviettes' were woven by my mother on a giant hand-loom, often employed by local farmer's guilds in Québec. Les Cercles des Fermières du Québec sometimes has craft fairs where they sell these among other hand-crafted items. In folklore, the cloth was present when Ti-Jean needed to create a magical feast on the fly, create a magical tent for shelter, or carry around all his tools for his journey. These cloths however were almost always given by a fay creature, so best be cautious in eating food from it. Nowadays, it can be used as altar cloths, protective shields for your tools, or to apply healing energy to an ailment you carry. (9) I use mine to do my card readings, wrap special items. If you are lucky enough to find a 'catalogne', which is a heavy blanket woven on those big looms from scraps of old t-shirts, cottons and the like, that's like, a massive cloth you can have over your bed and its folkloric properties can be used for protection and good dreams. It is also the best weighted blanket for anxiety, tried and tested by me! Mine was woven by my grandmother.

Cited sources

Wikipedia "Ceinture Fléchée" consulted on Jan 21 2025/ 2. Barbeau 1st series/ 3. Podruchny / 4. Butler/ 5. Maillet / 6. Dupont 83. / 7. Dupont 122. / 8. Dupont 83. / 9. Barbeau 2nd series

Bibliography

Barbeau, Marius, « Contes populaires canadiens », The Journal of American Folkore, vol. 29, no 111, janvier-mars 1916, 154 p.

Barbeau, C.-Marius. “Contes Populaire Canadiens. Seconde Série.” The journal of American Folklore 30, no. 115 (Jan-Mar., 1917): 27-36. http://www.jstor.org/stable/534454. 

 Butler, Gary R. Histoire et traditions orales des Franco-Acadiens de Terre-Neuve. Québec 1995. p. 156

Dupont, Jean-Claude. Heritage d’Acadie. Collection Connaissance, éditions Lemeac. 1977. 

Maillet, Antonine. Rabelais et les traditions populaires en Acadie. Les presses de l’université Laval, Quebec. 1980. 

Podruchny, Carolyn. Making the Voyageur World: Traveler’s and Traders in the North American Fur Trade. University of Toronto Press. 2006.  

I bought the book Héritage d'Acadie by Jean-Claude Dupont, one of my favorite books on Acadian folk ways, and Luc Dupont sent me so many other books for free ❤️❤️❤️ my heart is so happy! Moonshadow is enjoying my scholarly spoils. I'm especially thrilled to receive the book on traditional Acadian medicine. That book is almost impossible to find still in print, and has been on my wishlist a very long time.

Lesson of the day: talk to your favorite authors and publishing houses. Especially in Acadian and French Canadian small print houses. They show so much generosity and openness in providing resources if you reach out.

New apartment, new altar!!!! I found a handmade kitchen hutch beautifully made by a carpenter in the 1970s. It reminded me of my grandpa's wood skills. My old one is still loved and cherished but at my girlfriend's place for us both. This one has a lot more space than my old one, storage and surface wise. I just finished painting Cap Éternité in Saguenay (bottom reference photo) on the altar backsplash area. The next project is designing stained glass windows for the doors on the cabinet hutch and installing lights at the top to illuminate the art. The one after that would be mythological creatures of French Canadian and Acadian folklore on the door medallions. I also plan to put in two sconces to hold vases of flowers on either end of the hutch, and paint more folk art designs on the hutch sides and drawers. The beginning of many a cherished moment painting this piece to make it come alive within my practice.

Moonshadow and Altar Time

this cat is clingy and adores spending time at the altar with me

A lovely Quinzou to everyone! I got dressed in my best ritual clothes, packed up my Stella Maris rosary (that Moonshadow loves to munch on..), enjoyed some live Acadian music and had an intimate little ritual for Mary.

The first woodland walk of autumn 2023

La Toussaint et le Jour des fidèles défunts - All Saints Day and All Souls Day

All Saints Day (La Toussaint) takes place on November 1st.

Liturgical colour: white

On this day, I celebrate the lives and stories of Saints known in the church, and those not canonized officially. It's a day to speak with your patron saint, look for your patron saint, or to simply just let their stories touch you for their example and lessons.

I bring out my statuettes of all my favorite saints, and put out the attributes they are associated with. Roses being associated with most saints and especially with the Virgin Mary, it is a fitting offering to put on an altar, if you have cats like I do who get into everything.

It's a great day to ask for your special requests, and ask for intercession with the help of a saint specific to your query. Any book on the saints can give you the attributes you're looking for.

All Souls Day (Le Jour des fidèles défunts) takes place on November 2nd.

Liturgical colour: purple

On this day, I commemorate my dearly departed, my known ancestors, and those I do not yet know about. In Quebec on this day, back in the 20th century and before, it was traditional to have a mass for the souls of the departed of that year, culminating in a cemetery visit. You weren't allowed to work the fields or cut wood that day, for fear of harming the roaming dead. It was a day to say prayers for the souls in purgatory, hoping they can find their way to everlasting rest.

Nowadays, communities in Quebec and francophone areas don't really do anything communally on this day. I for one, want to commemorate it! So, I made a list of all the names in my ancestors' lineages that I could find, and voiced them out loud one by one. I offered them pieces of poetry evoking the ocean, Acadian communities, and remembrances written by my great-aunt, and read to them a passage from the Bible. Then I offered some tea, sugar fudge and galettes, and told them about what was going on in my life this year.

I'm lucky to have biographies of my great-grandmothers to read again and again, and a great-aunt who writes of her Acadian culture so beautifully. It's turned into quite a personal day for me.

So, Happy Toussaint and Jour des fidèles défunts!

Skip Google for Research

As Google has worked to overtake the internet, its search algorithm has not just gotten worse.  It has been designed to prioritize advertisers and popular pages often times excluding pages and content that better matches your search terms 

As a writer in need of information for my stories, I find this unacceptable.  As a proponent of availability of information so the populace can actually educate itself, it is unforgivable.

Below is a concise list of useful research sites compiled by Edward Clark over on Facebook. I was familiar with some, but not all of these.

⁂

Google is so powerful that it “hides” other search systems from us. We just don’t know the existence of most of them. Meanwhile, there are still a huge number of excellent searchers in the world who specialize in books, science, other smart information. Keep a list of sites you never heard of.

www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.

www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.

https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.

www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.

http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.

www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.

www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.

www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free

In 2019, my mom had suffered a slipped disc in her spine, and she went through immense pain and fear as they were processing her through emergency. I was so scared she was going to remain paralyzed or hurt more, it ate at me for months. I visited her every day after work in the hospital. Of course she has nerves of steel, so she worked hard to recover and now she can walk just fine. Back when she was in hospital, she shared a room with an old woman who was also ailing. We got to know her and we learned she loved to quilt. When my mom got sent home, we received a package. In it was a handmade prayer quilt, with almost 50 strands hanging from its squares for every single person who wished her well. It was from that sweet lady's church quilting group. I was speechless at this amazing, powerful and thoughtful act. I painted her a dove and olives folkart box for her as a big thank you. I think of that great moment of humanity to this day.

i don’t think humans are inherently bad i just don’t. once i posted about how i can’t ever get poached eggs right and someone took time out of their day to send me tips on how to make them. they used their finite time on this planet to teach me how to poach an egg with no motivation other than helping a stranger have a better breakfast and if that isn’t proof humanity is worth saving i don’t know what is

Holy Week – La Semaine Sainte

Holy Week (April 13-April 19th 2025) – movable festivities

My favourite week when it comes to spirituality and activities to do! 

I started observing Holy Week in earnest in 2020, during our lockdowns. I remember my first observance as being one of anxiety, and a need to feel comfort. My practice helped me get through it, and I’m happy to share this special week with all of you this year. 

“Alleluia, Alleluia, L’carême s’en va, Il reviendra, À Mardi gras.” 

-cantique acadienne du Samedi Saint. (Halleluiah, Halleluiah, Lent is leaving, only coming back on Shrove Tuesday)

Palm Sunday (picture above: my front door's palm frond set up)

The week begins with Palm Sunday! I have memories of visiting my grandmother in Saguenay and she’d bring back palm fronds for us to weave. We usually wove them up in little beehive shapes and pinned them to our front doors for protection all year long, since they were blessed with Holy Water at the church service. Most churches have a basket where you can deposit the palm fronds of last year. These are burned and provide the ashes for the next Ash Wednesday. The fresh palm fronds can be used to weave little baskets, little beehives, or they can be cut to the proper length for a bookmark for your devotional books or Bibles. You can paint on them too! 

(features Acadian dialect terms for plants) Historically, Acadian communities like Chéticamp didn’t receive palms, it being troublesome to export to this isolated community in the Cape Breton Highlands. So, the faithful would bring cedar branches (thuya), club-moss (sévigny), juniper (chenave) or pine twigs (pruce) from the Highland mountains nearby. After being blessed at church, these tokens would be placed at the entrances of all buildings or assets on the property (fishing boats, cars, barns, and all rooms within the family home, even the cellar) for protection all year-round (1). If you want, feel free to find those plants responsibly and use them in your practice instead of palm fronds!

Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday: usually has church services relating specific stories from the Gospel. I don’t tend to do much on those days. Honestly, I usually use those days to do some spring cleaning, prepare myself for the coming day’s rituals and festivities, and take some quiet time for myself to read passages, or bake for the coming holiday. 

Maundy Thursday (picture above, my own Holy Oils)

The beginning of the Paschal Triduum (begins on this evening, into Holy Saturday’s Vigil). This day commemorates the Last Supper. The Chrism Mass is celebrated on this day, where the Holy Oils are blessed for the surrounding parishes. While this Mass is celebrated privately by the clergy in the Catholic Church, I like to celebrate in my own way. In the way that this celebration brings together all twelve apostles, as a Christian witch, I spend time with my meal that day, pondering on the apostles’ gifts they each possess, I contemplate what that Last Supper must have been like, and I bless my own oils for my folk magic purposes. Holy Oils: the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of the Catechumens, and the Holy Chrism Oil. The Oil of the Sick is pure olive oil and is used to anoint a sick or elderly person on the forehead and hands with a cross, paired with special prayers. They can be administered in any time and place. This can have a powerful impact on the placebo effect of faith on healing and bring courage and strength to the ailing person. The Oil of the Catechumens, also olive oil, is used for many things. It is used to anoint those about to undergo the Sacrament of Baptism, both infant and adults. This is to allow to receiver to be prepared to receive the wisdom and strength to learn Christian lessons during their religious quest. It is also used as a protection oil to ward off evil spirits on a baptism initiate. The Holy Chrism Oil is olive oil mixed with balsam. This oil represents strength, and the balsam is known as ‘the aroma of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 2:15). This oil is meant to give the receiver the gift of the Holy Spirit, and to devote something to God’s service. This oil is also used to anoint the altar and vessels used during Mass, as well as during the ordination of a priest. Already, these oils can have many uses within an individual folk practitioner’s spiritual habits, such as dedicating oneself to a path, blessing the altar, the working tools for rituals, and yourself when you need to reset your faith. During Holy Week on Holy Thursday, otherwise known as ‘The Chrism Mass’, the local bishop blesses enough new oils for every parish for later distribution. To bless these oils, the bishop does them in order as listed above, says a prayer to bless them individually. To bless the Chrism Oil, the bishop mixes oil from the balsam plant with the olive oil, breathes on the mixed oil to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit, and then says a prayer to consecrate it. For the individual practitioner, if you want officially blessed oils from the church, many Christian shops sell amounts of them, but if you want to individualize your practice, feel free to bless them yourself for a day where you’re feeling sick, need extra protection, or need to bless your space once more. 

Good Friday

On this day, we commemorate Jesus’s crucifixion and death on the cross. It’s a day of sorrow and reflection. For my part, I like attending Good Friday services in my area, and I wear all black on that day. 

It is tradition to remain silent from noon till 3pm, to commemorate Jesus’s last moments of life, as he is noted to have died at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Families with young children would encourage the kids to pray or to go to bed for a nap, to ensure they remained quiet. My great-grandmother has memories of going through that silent vigil with impatience! For myself, I like to take time to light a candle at 3pm, while doing my best to remain quiet without distractions from noon until that time. In church, the priest would ensure the Sanctuary where the Tabernacle resides is empty of the Host, and the candle extinguished. The altar is laid bare of décor. I do the same. I empty my Tabernacle lantern of the Host and make sure I don’t light candles near it. I take off my altar cloth and décor, and lay a black pall over the entire cabinet. 

In some Acadian communities, if bad weather prevented the family from traveling to church, the family would set up a white cloth on the kitchen table, place the crucifix on it, and each family member needs to kiss it. Afterwards, the head of the family would recite from the Roman Missal. They also read their Way of the Cross (chemin de la croix) at home or in church. (2) It was also imperative to avoid butchering farm animals or go out hunting wild game on this day. Fishermen out at sea would do their Passiontide readings and note the direction from which the wind came from, for they knew that if they did so, the wind’s direction would remain faithful for the remaining year. 

Holy Saturday 

My all-time favourite spiritual and religious experience of the calendar year! I love it because I don’t think there’s any other day in the liturgical calendar where parishioners are expected to participate in as much as this day. It is meant to take the believer from the times of Genesis with the creation of all that exists in this world, to the first fire and the first waters, and translate that into the renewal of baptisms, the lighting of a new Easter fire, and the gradual lighting of all candles in the chapel to symbolise the growing victory of light in the face of so much darkness and death. All lights and church candles were extinguished since Thursday, and the only candle that will be lit is the Paschal candle, inscribed with this year’s date. I like to attend the University of King’s College Chapel services in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for this ritual, given the intimate chapel venue, the vibes of the clergy, and how lively it gets. We bring the Paschal candle outside and bless it with the fire from the Holy Spirit. We bless the baptismal font and the Holy Water inside, and a series of litanies and chants are done, as everyone holds a little candle in their hands, lit from that Paschal pillar. Once it hits midnight, the entire chapel lights up again, and all the bells chime loudly, announcing Christ’s resurrection. The choir bursts into joyful song, and it really is the most lively and impactful service. Partying ensues until dawn for us, with a feast of lamb and an array of dishes brought in from a multicultural scene. 

In Acadian communities, Holy Saturday celebrate their first midnight mass of the year (the other one being Christmas eve). From a small fire at the church entrance, parishioners light their own candles. Hymns of Halleluiah and joyful rhythms take the choir and congregation in song. I definitely want to see how these services are done in French, and one day, if I’m lucky, I’ll attend. 

Easter Sunday (photo above: the Saguenay River)

On Easter morning, before the sun comes up, many faithful in communities in Québec and some in Acadie would wake up and head over to the nearest brook to collect “l’eau de Pâques” (Easter Water). This coveted water would be known to heal certain ailments and protect against lightning. Often, it was noted as having the same virtues as Holy Water provided by a priest. It needed to be collected against the current of the brook, before sunrise. To do this journey was known to “voir danser le soleil de Pâques et aller au ruisseau quérir de l’eau de Pâques.” (to go see the Easter sun dance, and go seek out the Easter Water.) It was told that on Easter morning, the sun performs a dance as it rises, and that everyone should witness it at least once in their lifetime. (3) The sun is reputed to be brightest on that sunrise than any other time of year. In the south-west of Nova-Scotia, a formula needed to be recited while collecting this special water, “Bénie soit cette eau, qui guérit tous les maux.” (Made holy may this water be, to heal all ails.). This tradition still is practiced in the north-west of New Brunswick today. In regions of Québec and Acadie, it is paramount that parishioners and believers take at least one Eucharist mass between Ash Wednesday and la Quasimodo (the 2nd Sunday of Eastertide). It is known in those regions as “Faire ses Pâques” (Attend your Easters). Otherwise, you’d run the risk of becoming a loup-garou or have a damned soul if you skip seven years in a row.  

Feasts for Easter in Acadian communities ranged from a breakfast of as many eggs as one could eat if they were available, right down to home-grown chicken, wild game or salt meat. After a long March of dwindling cellar stores and not much meat left, families often made due with the remains of their provisions. (4) 

Sources:

Père Anselme Chiasson. Chéticamp, Histoire et Traditions Acadiennes. Éditions les Aboiteaux. 1972. p.214

Jean-Claude Dupont. Héritage d’Acadie. Éditions Leméac. 1977. p.77 

Ibid.,308

Jude Avery. Joie de Vivre – Love of Life: Isolated Acadians celebrate their culture through traditions and folklore. New World Publishing, 2021. P.28