Hekate and the Witch Ghost

All Sorcery ifs Local and so one of the magical obsessions that I haven’t written much on yet is the magic of the Pine Barrens here in NJ. For years I attempted to make contact with Peggy Clevenger, a witch that was rumored to live in this area, so that I could get deeper insight into some of the mysteries of the area. I tried to contact her at one of the Blue Holes, where the Jersey Devil is rumored to emerge from. I hiked to the well in the Mt Misery area that her husband allegedly made boil after he died to confirm that he was in fact in hell. I attempted to summon her on the Forked River Mountain. I even tried a conjuration on the beach. A dozen different rituals at different locations, and while I occasionally made contact with spirits, none of them convinced me that they were Peggy. or any shadow thereof.

Eventually I brought the problem to Hekate. I used the the methods that I teach in the course for doing a “death walk” back to the area that she lived. I also used the methods Hekate provides for contacting the Lampads – local night nymphs that can help navigate the spirit-terrain of their area. At the next new moon, I found a three-way crossroads and performed the full rite from the course, laying out extra offerings for local spirits. After the main part of the rite I called “Mother Clevenger the Pines Witch” to the western gate of the mandala and she came. How did I know it was her? Well, I guess I still don’t, but spirits that show up at conjurations willy nilly usually stroke the ego of the summoner and are eager to talk. This spirits first words to me were “You are a stumbling moron, and if you did not have strong allies I am sure the woods would have killed you by now. It is only because of those allies that I am here.” 

I asked her if she would be willing to teach me about her craft, and she said that she didn’t know any fancy ceremonies. All she could tell me was about the woods and the plants in the area. That was more than enough for me, so after establishing a faster and more direct way to contact her she left. She has been instrumental in helping introduce me not only to the magic of the trees and plants in the Barrens, but spirits as well. Eventually I will share by “Book of the Barrens” though unless you live here it will only really serve as a model for what a hyper-local grimoire looks like.

So what do I want you take away from this tale?

First is that Sorcery is Local. Look for ways to bring your magic into sync with your specific environment. If everything you are doing is based on spirits in an English forest or the sister demons of a cave in Tibet, then you are missing out on some of the best mojo you can use.

Second is that if you are interested in the specific methods I used to get in touch with Peggy, registration for The Sorcery of Hekate Course is currently open. Click on the image below to find out the details about what has been called one of the hardest yet most rewarding magical training programs ever.