Living Folk Magic

Folk magic is more than casting a spell or creating a ritual. It is a way of life, a way of living, a way of perceiving the world and all within it. Living Folk Magic explores how to build an entire folk magic practice—to understand the practices of folk magic so that they can be applied wherever they are needed.

Every culture has its folk magic—the magical practices that are shared by cultures, communities, locations, and different groups of people. Until recently, its sheer ubiquity caused it to be among the least respected schools of magic, often relegated to the ranks of “superstition” or “low magic.” Folk magic was something Grandma did, something for the old folks, something for modern young people to laugh about. However, in the twenty-first century, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of folk magic, a practice now treated with respect and approached with fascination. No longer something done in secret, there are now bestselling books and social media groups dedicated to the love of folk magic. Among the architects of this celebration and appreciation of folk magic is author Mary-Grace Fahrun, whose book Italian Folk Magic (Weiser Books, 2018) has been a major contributing factor to this phenomenon.

More and more, people want to practice folk magic but, unlike in the old days, they may not have elders to access for information. They are learning from books, social media, TikTok, and YouTube videos. But folk magic is more than casting a spell or creating a ritual. It is a way of life, a way of living, a way of perceiving the world and all within it. Although the details of folk magic practices vary by culture and community, there are shared commonalities. In her new book, Living Folk Magic, Fahrun explores how to build an entire folk magic practice—to understand the practices of folk magic so that they can be applied wherever they are needed.

Mary-Grace offers an exploration of the primary functions of folk magic—cleansing, protecting, blessing, cursing—as well as instructions on how to build altars (whether openly or secretly), practicing divination, communicating with spirits, and more. Her book is titled Living Folk Magic to emphasize that folk magic is not a dead thing of the past but something alive, vital, and modern. Her goal is to help readers actually live folk magic, so that it is a fulfilling and successful practice.