Latest Posts by lesorciercanadien - Page 3

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.

Getting ready to celebrate La Quinzou in Halifax 🌟 And I'll be acquiring a bigger altar by September, so I'm quite excited to paint folk art all over it and show the results. It will be so lovely to have more space for my practice. St. Anne's Day was relaxing and mindful, Saint Brigid also got her own altar cabinet recently, and I found an Acadian cookbook from which to reconnect with my family's dishes on special days.

St. Anne wall shrine

I painted a boat-shaped key holder into a wall shrine to St. Anne today, as her saint day is coming up soon.

I incorporated a canoe and a sash, as St. Anne was a protective saint of voyageurs during the fur trade. Red, green and white felt like her signature colors, and she is near the ocean, as she was a treasured saint among fishermen and sailors.

I'll try to find a little tea light platform to glue to the bottom of the shrine for a fake candle to rest.

Back online!

Hello everyone! I apologize for being inactive in a while. I just graduated from my final year of Costume Studies at Dalhousie University and I am now in a place where I can research and practice my faith to my heart's desire. More posts are incoming :) the goal for this year would be to fine-tune my festivals and holy days schedule and rituals, as well as implementing my practice in my daily life. My altar got a little refreshing, my cat is helping with my holiday book, and I found a frog in the Camp Hill Cemetery!

La Quinzou - Assumption Day - August 15th

Assumption Day is arriving soon, and I wanted to share with you all a ritual I do on this day every year.

La Quinzou is the Acadian national day in Canada, and Acadian culture, music and history is remembered and celebrated anywhere Acadian families settled or ended up being deported to. It is distinct from the French Canadian Saint Jean Baptiste Day (June 24th), to celebrate and demarcate Acadian culture as unique from other French Canadian cultures. Originally, the 15th of August was chosen by the Acadians to highlight their ties with France instead of Canada.

Their patron saint, the Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, also has an important day on August 15th - Assumption Day, where her earthly life ends and she ascends to Heaven to become Queen of the Universe and of the Heavens, being closer to God to act as intermediary between believers and God.

Subtle activities can be done that day if you don't have time for a ritual. You can pray for oceanic health, for mariners, and it's a good occasion to bless guardians with holy water. It's also good to acknowledge the first harvest of the year. This ritual is of my own composition and of how I interpret this holiday. Feel free to expand on it as you learn more on Acadian customs and culture!

Without further ado, here's my own ritual for La Quinzou:

Materials: a sky blue candle, sea salt, a shallow white bowl, holy water, a star-shaped object of your choice, a statue or image of the Virgin Mary, rosemary incense, a fresh white rose or an image of one.

A good idea to take a cold shower before the ritual to simulate being immersed in cold waters of this land, to don blue and white clothing, and to have the ritual take place at twilight when the first few stars appear in the sky. Call the four winds as you see fit, speak from your heart as to what these winds mean to you. The ritual has opened.

''Ave Maris Stella, mother of Jesus Christ and of the whole world, queen of the oceans and stars, you watch over us with warmth and charity. Queen of the Universe and the Heavens, your blue sky greets us every morning, and your starlight protects us in the darkest of nights. Your life was lived in full service to God and humankind, and we are eternally grateful. Your compassion and tenderness warms our hearts, and we know that with your Assumption, we can hope to have you back among us to give to us your Son one day. With your Assumption, we have hope in the eternal life of our souls as well.'' (light the blue candle).

Next, we bless the bowl as the vessel. Take the bowl and pour holy water in it. Place it in your hands and with incense lit underneath, say, ''by the sanctity of air, may you be blessed.''

Take salt and say the same line. Place the salt in the bowl. Take your bells and chime them three times, letting each ring die out before starting anew. This blesses the water, salt and vessel. Extend your hands over the bowl and say: ''Glory be to God for our sister the Moon and for the stars, who shine radiantly in the night sky of your making. Glory be to you, God, for our sister Water, who offers us life, in both ferocity and gentleness. Glory be to God for our brother Fire, in which you give us the light in the darkness. Glory be to God, we thank you and pray that we may serve you in greatest humility with the help of these elements. Amen.''

Place this bowl in your garden or in a pail to be disposed of later (under a tree or whatever strikes your fancy), and say: ''I offer this water to the all-powerful Mother Earth, in which the materials in this bowl come from. The earth offers us her oceans, lakes, rivers and brooks, and cradles us from birth until death. We are one with this Earth. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust we are and shall be. Amen.'' Set aside.

Adorn the altar with your rose, rosemary incense, and any star-shaped pieces you may have. After you are satisfied with its outcome, say with palms up: ''Mary, watch over our gardens and our crops so that we may feed everyone by the bounty of the Earth. May your holy waters flow over all living things in need of it and may everything be blessed in your presence.'' Take the rose and offer it up to the sky, say: ''I offer you this rose from the garden of my mind in memory of the purity of your soul and heart.'' Gently kiss the rose, and place it near the statue or image of Mary. Light the rosemary incense and stay there a while enjoying the atmosphere.

Any singing or reciting of canticles, hymns or prayers to Mary can be said here. It's up to you! Feel free to ask her for any favours you might need that day, or confide in her a while.

I hope you'll have have a lovely Quinzou, and enjoy some Acadian music while you're out and about!

Heritage Folk Witch Altar - Update

I wanted to personalize my altar to my practice further, so I decided to paint Quebec landscapes and notable animals that mean a lot to me. Some landscapes are derived from my grandmother's painting style, while others are inspired by Clarence Gagnon (1881-1942), an artist well-known for his Quebec landscapes of villages and sweeping views.

Panel 1: Black bear mother and her cub in a Charlevoix clearing in winter. Black bears are very common in the sub-boreal forests of Quebec, and I've had many dreams of them, sometimes as one myself. In Innu cosmology, black bears are very close in relationship to humans, and are often perceived as humans themselves. The clearing is directly from a Clarence Gagnon painting.

Panel 2: Bluejay resting in a flowered tree in St. Charles-de-Bourget, late spring (late May-June). My grandmother painted this exact bluejay on a wooden lamp, and I have fond memories of her bird paintings. She lives in that village, and she taught me to paint these kinds of flowers when I was 11, so it's a rather sentimental panel.

Panel 3: Canada Geese in the Saguenay Fjord in autumn. My grandfather often mentions the 'outardes' (Canada Geese) flying south or coming back, and he's always happy to see them. These birds are ferociously loyal to their families, and their endurance is tested and true. The song 'Les oies sauvages' from Mes Aieux has a special place in my heart. It's a song of familial strength and support mirrored in these geese.

Panel 4: A humpback whale having fun in the summer waters of Tadoussac. My grandparents love to go whale-watching in that region, and these whales journey a long way to come back north to our waters. Their communication styles are unique to each whale, and they form very close bonds with their children. My ancestors often visited Tadoussac in the summers to trade and communicate with other family groups, so it is a time of joy and gathering.

I discovered there are four additional panels, 2 on each side of the altar, which excites me, but it is anchored to my wall, so I'll have to wait until I move to think about painting some more.

St. Anne's Feast Day - July 26

St. Anne is the mother of the Virgin Mary, and the grandmother of Jesus. She gave birth to Mary very late in her life, and taught her all about the Christian way of life. She is often linked with books, and is the patron saint of grandparents.

Patron saint of Brittany and Canada, St. Anne has been venerated by Catholics in Canada since the first settlers' arrival and before. Voyageurs in the fur trade would pray and offer tokens to St. Anne for a safe passage through the wilderness to the trading posts, and for safe passage across the Great Lakes. She has also been adopted by some Indigenous cultures, notably the Innu of Labrador and Quebec (Nitassinan). She serves as a grandmother figure, and is known for her healing powers. As such, she is placed highly in Indigenous culture for those that practice elements of Christianity.

In 1650, Breton sailors experienced a nasty storm near Quebec. They vowed that if they made it to shore safe and sound, they'd honor St. Anne with a sanctuary. Landing safely, they build the shrine of Beaupré. This expanded into a basilica later.

In Brittany, St. Anne's Feast Day is celebrated with torch-lit processions. She is the patron saint of sailors and Canadians at sea, fishermen, seamstresses, miners and the subterranean world, crafters of brooms, cabinetmakers, carpenters, pregnant women, childless people, lace makers, equestrians, vintage and second-hand clothes dealers.

Ways to celebrate her feast day include:

-offerings of chamomile tea, wine, flowers, and white candles

-dedicate a journal to her

-do something that heals you. Have you taken time to slow down and take care of yourself recently?

-take time to meditate on the subterranean level. Ground yourself and learn about the earth around you.

-learn about the ocean history around you (living in Nova Scotia, it's a bit easier to do, and she was well-loved by my Acadian ancestors)

-reach out to your grandmother if you haven't yet. She misses you. Or offer a candle for all your matrilineal female ancestors who passed away.

-sew something in her honor that day, perhaps an apron with red, green and white embroidery. Really make it for her.

-Offer roses, Queen Anne's lace, chamomile as flowers on your altar.

-Pray to St. Anne's Chaplet. This has a Saint Anne medal, and three groups of five beads, with each grouping separated by one larger, or distinct bead for a total of eighteen beads. The single larger beads may be in the shape of a rose.

-Tend to your garden lovingly.

St. Mary Magdalene's Day - July 22

I fell ill that day, but I still want to post something regarding this wonderful saint.

Known as 'The Apostle of the Apostles', Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus's most beloved disciples. She is steeped in controversy and mystery through the many legends surrounding her origins and her connection to Jesus. She has been known as Jesus's companion and partner as early as 1500 years ago through the Gospel of Philip in the Gnostic faith, and she is seen often in Gnostic texts (way before Dan Brown entertained the thought she was Jesus's wife).

The Easter egg is rumored to be connected to her, as she is the first to see Christ's Tomb empty, and shows the disciples this news by showing them an egg turned red by God.

In folk traditions, Mary Magdalene is invoked in magic spells, especially love magic. The eve of her feast is believed to be a great time for prophetic dreams. She is the patron saint of beauticians, hairdressers, aromatherapists, perfumers, pharmacists, lovers, prostitutes, prisoners, and any who pine after someone else.

France is where she is most commonly celebrated. There are about 125 shrines in her name. Legend has it that she fled the Holy Land and isolated in a cave in France, where she communed with angels, and became a mystic in Christian thought.

So, for her feast day, it can be a good time for:

-Divination by chalice (for her connection with the Holy Grail)

-Dream spells

-Love spells

-Meditations for connecting to your power

-Women's health campaigns

-Studying any metaphysical texts with active learning

-gifts of myrrh, a perfume bottle, and wine on the altar

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

La Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Saint John the Baptist Day) - June 24th 2022

My personal way of celebrating as a folk witch! Background information on the holiday from the Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages by Judika Illes. And my own French Canadian upbringing.

Happy Saint John the Baptist Day everyone!

This holiday is special for French Canadians all over. For many, it's a day to celebrate one's Quebec heritage and culture, and the French language in Quebec. For me, it is about acknowledging a very special saint in the Christian mythos: Saint John the Baptist.

John was born to Elizabeth, a relative of Mary (yes, that Mary). John kicked in the womb, excited to be near what will be the future Messiah not yet born. He was born before Jesus, and baptized followers in the River Jordan. He takes on the role of announcer of a Messiah to come for the followers. As he does so, he says, "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30). The sun declines in strength and longevity with each passing day after the solstice. John announces his declining presence to the upcoming Christmas sun, Jesus Christ, exactly six months from now. Let that sink in.

June 24th also coincides with the summer solstice on June 21st-22nd, and that is by no accident at all. This festival has been merged with Pagan summer solstice celebrations and has been celebrated since the 5th century, and it is among the oldest in the Church calendar. It is by no accident that people celebrate this day with bonfires! He is also the patron saint of tailors and a protector of witches, so that makes him one of my favorites.

So tonight, I'm enjoying some blueberry tea, and offered Saint John the Baptist some honey. I also blessed my wooden ring again as I do every June 24th, to re-commit my devotion as a Heritage Witch and folk practitioner.

Herbs and Foraging

He is associated with healing waters, and healing herbs. It is tradition to go into the woods on the eve of this day to harvest herbs to be used in spells and healing charms for the whole year, as they are extra powerful thanks to this saint. Please forage responsibly and safely, and bring a buddy! Notable herbs would be:

-Saint John's Wort

-Mullein

-Wormwood

-Mugwort

Notable and thematic songs I am listening to tonight:

-Bowen's Barley Field by Luc Arbogast

-Sentinel (Ultimum Cantum Arborum) by Luc Arbogast

-Le Picbois by Beau Dommage

-Promentory, composed by Trevor Jones from The Last of the Mohicans

Good morning, from my freshened up altar to yours!

French Canadian Witchcraft: Symbols, Guardians and Divination

(forgive the long post, but this is information I’ve been collecting through personal experience and Beltane Lowen’s book, along with lectures and other scholarly articles I’ve read.)

Symbols

Le fleur-de-lys: Can be used as a symbol for the Trinity, the triple worlds. The flower, the lily, is a symbol of purity and was often placed with the Virgin Mary (hence, a Goddess symbol). It of course also displays the sacred number 3. 

(Oh, this is my favourite painting done of Madeleine by Georges de la Tour, she just looks so pensive and looks like she’s learning lots of things, and the skull is just such a nice touch, a very witchy painting for me. ooh and fun fact: this painting was the one Ariel had in the Little Mermaid!)

Deities and Spirits

Saint Anne: The mother of the Virgin Mary, this saint was very popular among the French Canadians and Acadians living near the sea. Her feast day is July 26. She is matron saint of carpenters, single women, orphans, children, equestrians, grand-parents, housewives, lace workers, lost things, seamstresses, miners, clothes sellers, poverty, pregnancy, birthing, people who work in stables, teachers, sterility, and sailors (she protected against sea storms). I look up to her when I sew and keep my home clean and fresh. Her symbols are the threshold or a door, and books. She’s the matron saint of Brittany, and therefore, has Celtic connections. Her colours are green and red. 

Saint Marie Magdeleine: She is the matron saint of the Magdalen Islands (where my great-grandma came from). She was one of the female disciples of Jesus. She’s matron saint of women, spiritual revelations, of those that love to ponder and study, and discoverers of sacred mysteries, visions, apothecaries, jewellers, perfume makers, and pharmacists. I look up to her for vision quests and when I study witchcraft. She’s also someone I associate with sex, love, and the true meaning of loving someone for who they are. She’s been in religious debates among scholars if she was Jesus’s wife or not, but the mere implications that she could be are very appealing to me Pagan-wise, so there). I know, she’s been written as a repentent prostitute, but that was an addition made to the Bible long ago by a Pope so she’s not that for me. She’s witnessed Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and ressurection, so for me, she is a figure with which to work with spirits and death and rebirth. So I call on her for scrying and divination.

Virgin Mary: One of the prominent mother goddess figures, her symbols are cerulean blue, white and the lily, She protects women and children. I look up to her for learning love and compassion. 

The Devil: while the Church has painted a horrid image of the Devil in their structures, the Devil appears a lot in French Canadian folklore. He’s often there as a figure of temptation and getting seduced to act out of socially accepted norms (Church, right?), but, one could argue that there’s a primal wildness to this figure, as the French Canadian habitants were often very fearful of the forests when they came here. Some stories have heroes meet him in the forest, sometimes accompanied by little spirits and elves. He can transform into different beings, and sometimes, he appears as a fellow Voyageur (hence the liminal and sometimes dangerous aspects of the wilderness). He brings young women to dance wildly (something the Church frowned upon heavily, so let’s dance!!) In some stories, he helps build churches (I know, what the heck?) but the structure never ends up finished or it gets destroyed repeatedly. He’s basically a figure of mischief and wildness, of total chaos in the natural landscape, much like the Horned God. 

The Fée (from the Lecture: Erik Lacharity and Morrigane Feu “Les Dames Fées: Ladies Fae in French-Canadian Traditional Witchcraft”, Raven’s Knoll Workshop, 2018.) There were rules of engagement with dealing with the Fée. Stories of the Fée were roadmaps for people. When someone meets them, it’s because they’re embarking on a life-changing journey. Stories with “Ti-Jean” are like this. Crossing a road, stream, forest, or taking a right turn at the crossroads, they meet a Fée. In French Canadian tradition, Fée doesn’t mean belle fée. Fée meant something that is enchanted with the means of affecting fate. This is no ordinary stick, it can do something. The Fée would give them something to help them, usually in sets of three. The exchange that took place, the hero had a quest but usually, there’s something in it for the Fée. An example of this is a talking horse previously being a stable boy, and at the completion of the journey, they turn back to their forms. Depending on the setting of the storyteller, ex: Acadia, there were lots of stories with the ocean, boats, nets etc. In the interior, there’d be forests and valleys, barley and cakes. The geographical context matters. The Raconteur makes it so that you yourself are in the myth because of your geographical location. Trou des Fées: a little cave or a little crack in a rock and leave an offering of cream or milk. Normandy, Gasgogne, Picardie, Belgians, they came here, and they had fairies called les lutins. Little red-bonneted fairies, really good blacksmiths, more dwarf-like. They’d sharpen tools too. When Ti-Jean is on his quest, the Fée can give him a knife to defend himself or to deliver someone from imprisonment. Three main classes and areas of affinity for the Fée: those that take on aspects of the woodlands (the Queen of all the Animals/Birds etc) they were very straight-to-the-point peoples. The Fée as protectors, about 30-40 stories of those. Others were sorcerers or magicians. Some Fée would give advice and help the hero. Stories where lost loved ones were some of those. Many of these stories featured Princes and Princesses, kingdoms, etc. because the settlers came here before the Revolution, so it was still important to them. French Canadians, almost all their divination and magic was centred around their love, sex and family life. These are reflected in the stories. For magical objects that the hero would have, sometimes it’s a stick, sometimes a napkin (when you set it on the table a whole feast would show up), little pieces of iron, and if you set it down it becomes a cookstove. Animals of the Fée would help you: Eagles and Horses, they were the big deal. Eagles and Horses were passenger animals in and out of the Fée land. Hero is coming out of subterranean kingdom and there’s this giant Eagle there and offers him passage out of the Fée lands, but he needs sustenance. Use your magical knife and cut off a chunk of your thigh and feed it to me. Ok… but he got a passage. It’s about sacrifice. Little lessons are all hidden in there. Formulas came with using these implements. Ex: This stick can beat people up. If robbers come and take my stuff, I’d take my stick and say “Joue mon gourdin!” and the stick would beat everybody up. “Napkin, give me food!” and poof, food. It’s not about the big magical words, you already have a tool that you know is Fée and it’s a simple command. Every animal that is white is Fée. “Adieu Aigle” and you’d turn into the Eagle. Whoops. The French Canadians were super practical people, just do the thing. They had no time for frilly stuff. Archetypes are super fluid in this tradition. Never pigeon-hole the Fée. Ladies Fée is a type of Fée. Dames Amorphosées: shape shifters, ex: The White Cat, usually very very beautiful, the cat hops into the pail with four toads and she turns into a Princess. Another form of transformation is the whole aspect of going from the pauper to the Prince/Princess. Sometimes it was a curse, but other times it was to disguise themselves. Woodland Ladies Fée: you’d encounter them in the forest, and they had dominion over something, like Birds (super connected to the Fée). With the male aspect, there were beings like the Eagle King or the Ant King (they’d be more specific with their animal dominions). Elemental Ladies: personifying fire and water. Both those elements were big deals. Blue Bonnet Lady: she’s frustrating for the hero, sometimes blowing out his match when he’s cooking pea soup. The Lady comes in on a cloud in the fog. Fog is a big deal. There are Courtly Ladies, like Fée Princesses, and lots of items she offers are scissors, twine, thread, things that are tied to female weaving magic. Sometimes the pauper and the princess switch roles, sometimes they’re the same person. The Witch is another figure. They can have Fée Witches. These were not the type of witches you want to meet. Some stories have the hero stumbling over this thatched hut, and you can stay for lodging, just feed the good oats to the black horse, and beat the white horse to a pulp. The white horse is actually a Prince that she transformed. So he takes the white horse away. The Three Sisters, they come up often in French Canadian folklore and healing traditions. In stories with giants that want to eat humans, replace them with pork and barley bouillon, make a type of beer with raw dough makes the water boil without it boiling. When superintendents of New France were coming here, wine became less available, so French Canadians often made spruce beer, given the lack of hops. There’s a reason why in France they go “We love our wine!” and we go like “we love our beer”. A year and a day and forgetfulness is a big motif in stories. Gifts: magic weapons, animals, objects, transportation, social status (pauper to princess), riches, love (gets a bit non-consent, but in those days there was not a whole lot of consent in marriage, that’s why they were so preoccupied about who they’re going to marry, so they can psychologically prepare).Go to the threshold of the woods, where the Fée usually are, sit down, and offer your offerings. Clearings are good too, the beings you encounter can surprise you. White animals, characters from stories, etc. Following the steps of the story can allow you to write your own story with that formulaic narrative of the old tales. If you read the tales and use them as guides and embark on the hero’s journey, lots of wisdom can be attained. Stories became mixed with Irish folklore, because when the Catholic Irish came over, we bonded with them and created new stories. 

Historical Archetypes and Associations

The Voyageur: The liminal figure in its own right, voyageurs were known to shift and adapt endlessly to their environment and cultures they found themselves in, whether in French Canada or among Indigenous peoples. Can be linked to the Wild Man. They combined their Catholic rituals with the mythologies and cosmologies of Indigenous cultures. They’re temperamental figures, but knowledgeable off the beaten path to keep you alive.

The Raconteur: The storyteller had an important place in French Canada, telling stories as old as the first settlers in North America and sometimes from the old country. Some of them were itinerant, asking for food and lodging in exchange for a story. They were known to stretch stories for multiple nights, ending on cliff-hangers. They weaved tales together, and had vast repertoires. They’re learned figures, with silver tongues and enchanting qualities.

The Violoneux: The violinist or fiddler, a key figure in French Canadian culture. They had an innate sense of rhythm and song, and could bring a whole room to dance. The jigs and reels are also inspired from traditional Irish and Scottish music, as the two cultures mingled. 

The Bewitched Canoe: It’s a popular story of French Canada. It’s a variant of the Wild Hunt. One version, written by Honoré Beaugrand in 1892, tells it like this: some loggers get lonely in their winter camp on New Year’s Eve, and wish to go home to visit their families. The Devil appears to them to offer them an easy and fast way to go back to their homes through a flying canoe, as long as they get back before dawn, otherwise, their souls would belong to him and they’d go to Hell. The embark, and they arrive home, partying the night away. They almost arrive to the camp by the skin of their teeth, but the Devil lets them go, mysteriously. This legend comes from the Poitou region of France, where an english nobleman named Gallery loved hunting. He loved it so much, he skipped mass. As punishment, he was cursed to ride in the skies for eternity, chased by horses and wolves, like a Wild Hunt. When the French arrived in North America, they combined this Wild Hunt variation with the Indigenous realities of using canoes as modes of transportation. Some stories have the voyageurs or loggers ride the skies every New Year’s Eve for all eternity, and in some versions they escape Hell. Consequently, New Year’s Eve is an important day for French Canadians, and is very liminal in its aspects. 

Divination

Most French Canadian divination traditions revolve around the family, love, and sex. Back in the day, they were very concerned with whom they’d end up marrying, if their child would carry through an illness, or how their family and love life was fairing.

Lowen described some divination methods that can be applicable to a French Canadian practice, namely: playing cards, dice, reading tea leaves, mirrors and crystal balls, dream interpretation. 

May 21st: Virgin Mary’s Day

While Mary has many feast days in the traditional Catholic calendar, this day was chosen by Pope Francis as a new feast day to foster a spirit of love and understanding in her name. Personally, I like this day for her, because it’s close to Mothers’ Day, and it goes great with the loving energies of May. 

Colours and symbols:

cerulean blue and white

lilies 

mother goddess effigies

fleur-de-lys

Activities

light light blue and white candles in her honour

grace her altar with fresh lilies

brew a rejuvenating blend of tea like mint or ginseng

volunteer at a women’s shelter

help out your mom if you can (some mother relationships are toxic, it’s up to you)

honour the energies of creation

plant seeds today in your garden and in your mind

remember to show love and compassion to others

volunteer at a library and read books to children

spend time with your children if you have them

write what you are grateful for in your life, especially those that show you love

heck if you’re traditionally Catholic, some ‘Hail Mary’s are a good idea.

I welcome any further ideas in the comments if you have any :) 

Bibliography of Scholarly Articles and Books

Abbott, Frank, "The Devil Made Me Do It." Popular Spirituality in a Rural Quebec Parish, 1736-1901." Journal of the Canadian Historical Association/Revue de la Société historique du Canada, vol 27, no. 1 (2016): 1-30.

Abbott, Francis A. "The Body or the Soul? Religion and Culture in a Rural Quebec Paris, St-Joseph-de-Beauce, 1736-1901," Simon Fraser University Thesis, Fall 2012.

Anselme Chiasson. Les légendes des Iles de la Madeleine. Éditions des Aboitaux, 1969.

Anselme Chiasson. Le diable Frigolet et 24 autres contes des Iles de la Madeleine. Éditions de l'Acadie. 1991.

Arseneau, Danielle, "Growing Acadian Medicine: From the Acadian Homeland to Nova Scotia Gardens," Dalhousie University. 8 pages.

Arsenault, Georges. La Chandeleur en Acadie. Éditions La Grande Marée Ltée. 2011.

Arsenault, Georges. Contes, légendes et chansons de l'Ile-du-Prince-Édouard. Éditions La Grande Marée Ltée. 2018.

Arsenault, Georges. Noel en Acadie. Éditions La Grande Marée Ltée. 2005.

Arsenault, Georges. La Mi-Carême en Acadie. Éditions La Grande Marée Ltée. 2007.

Benoit Lacroix. Folklore de la mer et religion. Leméac. 1980.

Bergeron, Bertrand. Contes, legendes et recits du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. Trois Pistoles, 2004.

Bergeron, Florence. A force d'amour: biographie de Florida Gilbert. Société d'histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean. 2008.

Bouchard, Russel. L'exploration du Saguenay par J.-L. Normandin en 1732: Au coeur du Domaine du Roi. Journal original retranscrit, commente et annote. Septentrion, 2002.

Dawson, Nelson-Martin. Fourrures et forets metisserent les Montagnais: Regard sur les sang-meles au Royaume du Saguenay. Septentrion, 2011. 322 pages.

E.I. Robson. A Guide to French Fetes. Methuen & Co. Ltd. 1930.

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Bonjour and Hello!

My name is Laurence and I am a Heritage Witch. I chose this path in 2019 after research into my genealogical roots and heritage from Quebec and Acadia. I wanted to create a path for myself that was relevant to my experience growing up in my Quebec family and in the surrounding landscape around me. I have another Tumblr account, showing some French Canadian witch material, but I decided to hone the focus and create a new account just for this.

I research French Canadian and Acadian folk ways and history, using archive and scholarly sources to gain knowledge for my practice. I also aim to write a book about these practices for the modern witch. I want to have the information I gathered to be accessible to the wider witchcraft and Pagan community, for anyone that would be interested in adding these tidbits to their path.

As the book is being written, I am going to post some blog entries about my findings, and little tidbits of knowledge I've found.

This blog is a safe space for all witches and everyone that comes with an open mind. While French Canadian and Acadian culture is beautiful, I recognize the colonial aspects of the history and culture, and I aim to dismantle that. I will not entertain or tolerate Quebec nationalism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc. I support active reconciliation efforts with indigenous cultures and peoples, and while I recognize that French Canadians and Acadians have a shared cultural history with indigenous peoples, this blog will not post or teach indigenous practices. It is not my place to do so. This practice focuses on folk Catholicism as practiced by my ancestors. I do not support the Catholic Church and I want them to be held accountable for all the wrongs they have committed. This is a place of love and acceptance.

Stay tuned and I look forward to exploring and sharing further.

-Laurence