- Joined
- Oct 31, 2024
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 7
an interesting little book i came across in a local shop. pretty dang quick read, right about 125 pages without the index, and while i'm certainly still chewing on the information presented in it, i do think it offered an interesting perspective on the practice it explores- personal as it is.
the book itself is, first and foremost, very personal to the author. i very much do not intend that as criticism- in fact, i view it as it's primary strength. oberon's writing is very intimate in a way that feels more like i'm reading a highly detailed letter from a friend about their personal practice than anything else. his openness about his life, experiences and background give context to the information being presented and, as a result, how it can potentially be utilized in the context of the reader's life. the rituals and spellwork described are fairly straightforward and instructive, he explains the purpose of the different aspects or ingredients, and will sometimes give alternatives if there are bits that some folks may be uncomfortable with. i appreciate that he puts appropriate emphasis on the importance of where these practices come from, the people and cultures that have contributed and influenced the folk practice he utilizes, and that he consistently hammers homes that learning and understanding the history of the land you work on is vital if you have any intentions of working with land spirits. it's definately from a small publisher- evident in some typos that made it through editing- but i think in some ways that serves the book well because it allows it to be as personal as it is.
my primary frustration, i think, is that the entire books is meant as a companion with a much larger, much harder to find (out of print) book; the silver bullet and other american witch stories by hubert j. davis. it isn't the most difficult book to find online, but a physical copy is prohibitively expensive. the silver bullet is a collection of folk tales from oral tradition in the american south put into writing, published in the 70's, i think. oberon's book and the rituals and spells within it are rooted in the stories if not directly taken from them, which he's very clear about from the beginning. i'll admit that i haven't cracked into the sivler bullet yet- though i very much intend to- and i did get through southern cunning without a ton of fuss, but oberon's book references the stories in the silver bullet offhand so consistently that it left me feeling like i was eavesdropping on the second half of a exploratory seminar at times. granted, in some ways, i do think i was. to oberon's credit, he's very upfront that the book is largely in reference to a different text in the first few pages, so maybe that's more a point against me than against oberon.
that aside, i do think that there's a lot of interesting things to consider in southern cunning. i genuinely do appreciate that oberon discusses christianity and how it's influenced his life, his practice, and his culture. he mentions ultilizing biblical scripture in his practice and explains quite throughly why and how, as well as touching on the history of ultilizing scripture and aspects of abrahamic faith within folk practice of the area as a whole. i will say that if i didn't already have some idea of that history, i would have found it a little lacking, but not so much in a "aw dang, i wish there was 100 pages about that in this exact book right now in front of me," way, but moreso in a "i need to do more research on this specifically," sort of way- granted, i do need to do more research on that specifically either way. ultimately, having recently been up to my eyes in texts from the 1500's and earlier, the discussion of christianity within occult practice and witchcraft weren't exactly jarring, and it was in some ways refreshing to have it approached from a modern perspective.
overall, i do think it was a good read and i'm glad i picked it up. it offered me some perspectives i hadn't considered and i do think that there are certain elements i would like to try to incorporate into my practice. i appreciate his thoughts on ancestor work- including some thoughts and ideas about how to navigate having ancestors that would really not be down with you as a person- and i do very much like the sort of reconstructist mindset he has when approaching the idea of blending folklore and practice. i think what he had to say about working with spirits in general was thoughtful- though also definately in line with my own feelings, so there's a bias there. it also added to my reading list so i can get some context, which is something i never have a problem with.
if anyone else here has read it, i'd love to hear some other input
the book itself is, first and foremost, very personal to the author. i very much do not intend that as criticism- in fact, i view it as it's primary strength. oberon's writing is very intimate in a way that feels more like i'm reading a highly detailed letter from a friend about their personal practice than anything else. his openness about his life, experiences and background give context to the information being presented and, as a result, how it can potentially be utilized in the context of the reader's life. the rituals and spellwork described are fairly straightforward and instructive, he explains the purpose of the different aspects or ingredients, and will sometimes give alternatives if there are bits that some folks may be uncomfortable with. i appreciate that he puts appropriate emphasis on the importance of where these practices come from, the people and cultures that have contributed and influenced the folk practice he utilizes, and that he consistently hammers homes that learning and understanding the history of the land you work on is vital if you have any intentions of working with land spirits. it's definately from a small publisher- evident in some typos that made it through editing- but i think in some ways that serves the book well because it allows it to be as personal as it is.
my primary frustration, i think, is that the entire books is meant as a companion with a much larger, much harder to find (out of print) book; the silver bullet and other american witch stories by hubert j. davis. it isn't the most difficult book to find online, but a physical copy is prohibitively expensive. the silver bullet is a collection of folk tales from oral tradition in the american south put into writing, published in the 70's, i think. oberon's book and the rituals and spells within it are rooted in the stories if not directly taken from them, which he's very clear about from the beginning. i'll admit that i haven't cracked into the sivler bullet yet- though i very much intend to- and i did get through southern cunning without a ton of fuss, but oberon's book references the stories in the silver bullet offhand so consistently that it left me feeling like i was eavesdropping on the second half of a exploratory seminar at times. granted, in some ways, i do think i was. to oberon's credit, he's very upfront that the book is largely in reference to a different text in the first few pages, so maybe that's more a point against me than against oberon.
that aside, i do think that there's a lot of interesting things to consider in southern cunning. i genuinely do appreciate that oberon discusses christianity and how it's influenced his life, his practice, and his culture. he mentions ultilizing biblical scripture in his practice and explains quite throughly why and how, as well as touching on the history of ultilizing scripture and aspects of abrahamic faith within folk practice of the area as a whole. i will say that if i didn't already have some idea of that history, i would have found it a little lacking, but not so much in a "aw dang, i wish there was 100 pages about that in this exact book right now in front of me," way, but moreso in a "i need to do more research on this specifically," sort of way- granted, i do need to do more research on that specifically either way. ultimately, having recently been up to my eyes in texts from the 1500's and earlier, the discussion of christianity within occult practice and witchcraft weren't exactly jarring, and it was in some ways refreshing to have it approached from a modern perspective.
overall, i do think it was a good read and i'm glad i picked it up. it offered me some perspectives i hadn't considered and i do think that there are certain elements i would like to try to incorporate into my practice. i appreciate his thoughts on ancestor work- including some thoughts and ideas about how to navigate having ancestors that would really not be down with you as a person- and i do very much like the sort of reconstructist mindset he has when approaching the idea of blending folklore and practice. i think what he had to say about working with spirits in general was thoughtful- though also definately in line with my own feelings, so there's a bias there. it also added to my reading list so i can get some context, which is something i never have a problem with.
if anyone else here has read it, i'd love to hear some other input