When I whitewashed my accent, I didn’t realize I was speaking a dying language.

When I ran away from home, I had no idea that the mountains would crumble behind me.

And now I stand as a stranger to my own lands;

Desperately trying to keep the memory of her alive.

-Ashley (Crowe) Rodriguez 2025

Jake Richards recently wrote a post pondering on the question “Is Appalachian Folk Magic a Closed Practice”. You can read it, here. It’s a really deep dive into the issue and provides a lot of information about threats to survival of our practices.

As I read his post, I realized that I had never thought too much about my stance on the issue. As a native Appalachian and tradition bearer, it’s probably important to think it through; but it’s complicated.

On one hand, I am very protective of these practices (even within the Appalachian community). I find myself rolling my eyes at people who declare themselves authorities on Appalachian Folk magic without the ‘right’ ties to the culture. Shoot, I can’t even tolerate the ‘incorrect’ pronunciation of the word Appalachian. (I’m working on it, I swear).

On the other hand, I am becoming increasingly aware that the living tradition I grew up in is dying. This is something that’s been happening for a while, but has certainly been accelerated by the opioid epidemic, destruction of land, globalization, and the lack of opportunity driving young people away.

So where does that put us? Maybe thinking through those things a bit more will help us figure that out.

Cultural Protection

It is important for cultures to protect the authenticity of their practice, especially living traditions that seldom make their way into the history books. This sense of protection is both natural and warranted.

Historically, our traditions and practices have been painted with a brush held by the ruling class. Those depictions usually range from outright lies to damning truths. The ruling class is all to quick to paint us as backwards or savage with little regard for the beauty held within our imperfect practice. (As if their cultures and traditions are free from imperfections).

To further complicate things, many people native to these cultures are reluctant to share with outsiders. My Community was very clannish, meaning that there was a rejection and mistrust of anyone outside of the Community. Even people from nearby towns or newer families within the Community were kept at arm’s length.

So, when someone comes to town with willingness to preserve our practices, they’re often met with side eyes and pursed lips.

Note: It’s a bit different when it comes to Storytelling. If you ask an Appalachian for a story, you can hardly get them to shut up. Of course, the stories we share with outsiders are a bit edited to protect certain aspects of our culture.

Cultural Preservation

Here’s the problem, though. In Appalachian Folk magic, there’s a noticeable gap in teaching/learning these traditions outright. In my case, my Grandmother decided not to pass down certain parts of our living tradition. As a result of that, I’ve spent a good amount of my adulthood reconstructing them.

That is where the work and research done by outsiders comes in handy. One particular experience I’ve recently had that demonstrates that fact perfectly.

As I mentioned before, I have been on a journey of reconstruction for (at least) the past decade. I’ve focused mainly on the Scots-Irish side of my heritage, although I have a significant amount of German in my lineage.

This year, I met a fellow by the name of Jack Montgomery. We were both presenting at a Pagan pride event. His presentation was on the Hexerei and Powwow traditions. Although it piqued my interest, I didn’t immediately make connections between my familial practice and Powow.

I bought his book (American Shamans-you can check it out here). A few months later, I did my Reiki Level 1 attunement. As soon as I got home, Spirit kept telling me to read his book. That book was definitely a door opener for me and it sent me on a whole new journey.

In a notable moment, I called my mom to discover where the German influence in our family came from. I knew that there were Dutch ties in my father’s family, but always assumed that the bulk of my mother’s family was Scots-Irish. They are the Duncan-Murdock clan after all.

When she answered and told me that my Great Grandma Grace (her Grandmother) was German, I was floored. What you have to understand is that she is the main reason I have been called to ‘witchcraft’. It is her practice that most informs my personal practice, today.

When I told my mom that I was asking because I was looking into Powwow, she said “I know what Powwow is.” That was confirmation that this is a big part of what I’ve been searching for. Since then, I’ve started to build connections between what I know of my Great Grandma’s practice, what my Grandma taught me (or didn’t team me), and the Powwow tradition.

All that happened as the result of someone taking the time to explore and document Appalachian folk practices. If not for that book, I may have never had this realization.

Practicing Discernment

So, how do we find this balance? How do we protect the authenticity of our culture while also letting others in?

It starts by practicing discernment. Knowing who to talk to and who to listen to is key.

First off, get to know the Speaker/Author. If not on a personal level (because that’s not always possible), check out their socials and/or body of work. Here are some Green Flags to look for:

• They are of the culture and can articulate their ties to the practice they’re speaking on
• If they are an outsider, they demonstrate that they have sourced their information from people within the culture
• They talk about Folk practices in terms of regions or make reference to the fact that many folk practices are regional in nature. (References to general Appalachian magic are fine, but look for smaller references to specific regions or notes about how practices vary between Communities and/or families)
• They reference experience and regard it as an equal source to academic works

If you cannot find significant information about the author/speaker, beware. There are a lot of people using AI to write and present things, and that’s obviously a very dangerous thing. You can also cross reference works to find similarities and verify authenticity. This is actually a fun and recommended practice, as you’ll find that a lot of cross-cultural traditions carry the same underlying beliefs.

The Verdict: Is Appalachian Folk Magic a ‘Closed’ Tradition?

While I’m not the final authority on the matter, I would say that Appalachian Folk Magic is not entirely a closed practice. I think it’s okay for people to engage with aspects of it, if they do so with genuine appreciation and respect. Acknowledging and crediting the original culture is crucial. What is NOT okay is presenting yourself as an expert without working with someone within the culture to verify authenticity.

But I want to pose another option or solution. Consider using the framework presented in Appalachian Folk Magic to explore your own culture. That’s what I do with Druidry and it’s been a satisfying journey, indeed.

Many of us have roots in these traditions, often more than we realize. By examining how our elders and ancestors lived, we can unearth the magic hidden within our heritage.

One significant boundary to overcome is the connections with Christian or Catholic beliefs. A lot of people have religious trauma and those aspects of the practice can understandably be triggering. To this, I would say to take your time and keep healing in mind. It may take time, but if you can achieve the healing it’s worth the work. If you can’t or don’t want to incorporate those things, alterations can also be made.

Personally, it’s taken me over 30 years to work on healing my own religious trauma, and I still face problems from time to time.

I’m going through that right now with Powwow. Embracing and growing in that practice means reconciling my relationship with prayer. I’ve already done a lot of work in that area, but not to the extent that I can pray with the same power and conviction that I did in church growing up.

This step is necessary, not only because the workings generally call for prayer, but also because that’s where my connection with Spirit is the strongest.

Long story short. Feel free to learn about and even incorporate Appalachian folk practices in your workings. Just make sure they’re properly sourced. But consider exploring your own cultural roots, as well. This journey can be incredibly rewarding and enlightening.

If you’re interested in more information about how to ‘pick out the poison’ or do some ancestral healing, let me know. Maybe it’s worth producing some content on that subject. I just need to know if the interest is there.