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MuseumsWealthy widow in England's biggest witch trial rememberedWitch-huntsHeading to Salem this October? 5 spots with true ghost storiesWitch-huntsScottish council votes to apologise to women persecuted as witches centuries agoStage magicHow Harry Houdini Became the Best Magician of All TimeCharmsThe Horns Hand Gesture: One Sign With Five Very Different MeaningsFestivalsWho Is La Catrina? Meet the Iconic Skeleton of Mexico鈥檚 Day of the DeadWitch-huntsSpooky Day Trips in Connecticut: Witchy History for HalloweenCharmsA Jurassic fossil turned talisman in Morocco links science and faithStage magicHarry Houdini returns from the grave in AI-generated Fox Nation series 100 years after his deathWitch-huntsConnecticut's forgotten witch trial pastMuseumsWealthy widow in England's biggest witch trial rememberedWitch-huntsHeading to Salem this October? 5 spots with true ghost storiesWitch-huntsScottish council votes to apologise to women persecuted as witches centuries agoStage magicHow Harry Houdini Became the Best Magician of All TimeCharmsThe Horns Hand Gesture: One Sign With Five Very Different MeaningsFestivalsWho Is La Catrina? Meet the Iconic Skeleton of Mexico鈥檚 Day of the DeadWitch-huntsSpooky Day Trips in Connecticut: Witchy History for HalloweenCharmsA Jurassic fossil turned talisman in Morocco links science and faithStage magicHarry Houdini returns from the grave in AI-generated Fox Nation series 100 years after his deathWitch-huntsConnecticut's forgotten witch trial past
EveryJaadu

Living practices

Practised today by communities who hold it as their own.

  1. Living
  2. Revived
  3. Fading
  4. Historical
  5. Legendary
  6. Performed
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindTraditionRiteCharmOracleSubstanceBeingFigureTextIllusionBelief
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
OrderBest knownA to ZNewestLiving first
馃嚫馃嚪 SurinameWinti An Afro-Surinamese tradition of spirit veneration and ancestral worshipTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 馃嚙馃嚡 Benin and 2 morePapa Legba A loa who stands at the crossroads and opens the gate between people and spiritsBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 3 moreCurandero A folk healer in Latin America and the United States who blends indigenous and Catholic traditions.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Living 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAlebrije Brightly painted Mexican sculptures of fantastical creatures, made from paper or woodTradition 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Living 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAluxaluxo'ob A small Maya spirit believed to guard fields and cause mischief if offended.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 2 moreCandombl茅 An Afro-Brazilian religion blending West African spirits with Catholic imageryTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living 馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePachamama The Andean mother goddess of space-time and the earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreLwa Spirits in Haitian Vodou that mediate between people and the creator god.Being 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 morePersonifications of death Figures from many cultures that embody the end of life and guide soulsFigure 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiVodou veve (sample)V猫v猫 Ground drawings that call the lwa.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 1 moreSaciSaci-perer锚 A one-legged prankster of Brazilian folklore who hides in dust devils and wears a magic red cap.Figure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 5 moreSoucouyant A shape-shifting vampire spirit of Caribbean folklore that sheds its skin to fly as a fireballBeing 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 1 moreDominican Vud煤Vud煤 Dominicano A syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion on Hispaniola with its own spirit lineages and titles.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living 馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 4 moreTrinidad Orisha A syncretic Afro-Caribbean faith blending Yoruba spirit work with Christian and other traditions in Trinidad.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living 馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 2 moreKromanti A ritual language spoken by ancestral spirits in Jamaican Maroon ceremoniesBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilPro-VidaPr贸-Vida, Integra莽茫o C贸smica An occultist group founded in Brazil that promises cosmic consciousness and earthly paradise.Tradition 路 Change and initiation 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 1 moreHaitian Vodou in CubaVod煤 Haitiano A Caribbean religious tradition brought by migrants and maintained in eastern CubaTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living 馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 1 moreSpiritual mapping A Christian practice of mapping locations to identify and pray against territorial demonsBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 3 moreDuppy A Caribbean term for a ghost or malevolent spirit, rooted in West African folklore.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoMercado de Sonora A Mexico City market known for herbal medicine and occult goodsTradition 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living 馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican RepublicAnaisa Pye A Dominican loa of love and wealth, linked to Saint Anne.Being 路 Love and attraction 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 4 moreJumbee A shadowy spirit of the dead in Caribbean folklore, often linked to evil deeds.Belief 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiBoum'ba Maza A family of water spirits in Haitian Vodou ritesBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Healing Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiF猫y A Haitian Vodou folk song used as a political anthem during military ruleTradition 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiRada lwa A family of cool-tempered spirits in Haitian VodouBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 1 morePetwo A family of hot and volatile spirits in Haitian VodouBeing 路 Power and authority 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚦馃嚠 Nicaragua and 3 moreHeadless priestel cura sin cabeza / paring pugot A headless Catholic spirit that haunts Central America and the Philippines as a warning against sacrilege.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiChristian-Vodou The blending of Haitian Vodou and Roman Catholicism into a single spiritual practiceTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living 馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoVelada A Mazatec healing ceremony using sacred plants to commune with the divineRite 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiBizango Haitian secret societies linked to Vodou and social controlTradition 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Living 馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 1 moreHaitian Vodou and homosexuality The place of LGBTQ people in Hait Vodou practice and beliefTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiHaitian CarnivalKanaval A major Caribbean festival of music, dance, and satire leading to Mardi Gras in HaitiTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 3 moreNago lwa A Haitian Vodou nation of masculine spirits rooted in Yoruba traditionsBeing 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 1 moreNine-Night A nine-day Caribbean wake rooted in Akan tradition to celebrate the deceased and guide their spirit home.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚡馃嚥 Jamaica and 1 moreKromanti dance A sacred Jamaican Maroon ceremony rooted in Asante traditions and ancestral possessionRite 路 Healing 路 Protection Living 馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 1 moreTrinidadian Vodunu A West African Vodun tradition practiced in Trinidad and Tobago with Catholic elementsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiMarassa Jumeaux The divine twins of Haitian Vodou, representing love, truth, and justice.Being 路 Love and attraction 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚙馃嚳 Belize and 3 moreSisimito A bipedal cryptid of Central American folklore, said to live in the mountains and caves.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Living 馃嚮馃嚜 VenezuelaDjucu A warm sea nut used as a lucky charm in the CaribbeanCharm 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 5 moreLoogaroo A shapeshifting vampire of Caribbean folklore, feared for its blood-drinking habits.Being 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚫馃嚮 El SalvadorChasca A spirit of the water in Salvadoran folklore who blesses respectful fishermenFigure 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚛馃嚥 DominicaBelie Belcan A loa of justice and protection in Dominican Vud煤, linked to Saint Michael.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚙馃嚙 Barbados and 2 moreObeah and Wanga A Caribbean folk magic tradition and a Haitian charm packet, referenced in Western occult texts.Tradition 路 Power and authority 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoMazatec shamanism A Mazatec healing tradition centered on visionary plant ceremonies called veladasTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚙馃嚳 BelizeTata DuendeNukuch Tat A thumbless forest spirit of Belizean folklore that protects animals and warns children.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚨馃嚜 PeruChakapa A leaf rattle used by Amazonian healers in ayahuasca ceremonies and spirit cleansing rituals.Rite 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.