Radical Bite: The Alarming Truth About Charms

Bite-sized content to get you thinking and challenge systems and structures. Brought to you by my botanica, Temperance Home & Bar--magical, radical self care for your home and bar.

Throughout the history of folk traditions, talismans and amulets have been used as charmed items thought to have powers of protection, good luck and even to help with things like fertility and positive health intentions.

You’ve probably heard of the lucky rabbit’s foot, but where did that idea come from? Well, like much Eurocentric superstition, it was probably rooted in racism. The History Channel says, “One theory is that European Americans appropriated rabbits’ feet from African American customs or jokes they didn’t fully understand.” It gets worse. The marketability of rabbit’s feet was tied to the tokenization of African spiritual practices to make it something that white folks wore around their necks.

Similarly, Medusa is thought by some anthropologists to be Libyan in origin. In the Libyan myths, Medusa is not a goddess, herself, or a woman, it is a charm meant to ward off evil, negativity and bad vibes. The idea being a face of a creature so hideous that it would serve as a sort of straw man against evil. This led to the evolution of people wearing Medusa heads on shields in battle and on armor. Wealthy households would have a medusa head charm hanging in the home, or around the neck of an affluent miss.

It’s likely the origin of Medusa inspired the Greek myth, which in some versions includes the blood of Medusa dripping into Libya at the hands of Perseus to create snakes in the ground.

Despite the evidence against it, some anthropologists still link the folk magic origins of magic charms to Europeans. For this reason it’s important that people truly understand the struggles and challenges that existed for ancient practitioners of color and decide at what level they engage. Sometimes the best way to create a magic charm is through allyship and understanding your place in the fabric of spirituality.

That's metaphorical, of course, and speaks to the importance have being mindful of the traditions of others in your practice. In the book Enchantments: A Modern Witch's Guide to Self-Possession, author, Mya Spalter says, "And that's what witches do: we look for magic, for divinity, in everything. What's more, we allow ourselves to find it, even in the seemingly mundane.”

That means you don't need charmed items in your practice. If you want them, you can make them yourself or shop from ethical witches who give back to their communities and avoid appropriation, or better yet, witches of color.

Here's the recipe for a charm bag you can make at home for more restful sleep:

• Lavender

• Lemon balm

• Catnip

• Ametrine Chips

• Hematite

• Cypress oil

• Purple Cloth

• White String

Wrap the items in a purple cloth and tie with white string. Put under your pillow for more restful sleep and better dreams.