“Mormons” Dig Folk Magic

Mormon Folk Magic, Joseph Smith’s Occult Reputation & Dave Butler’s Cunning Man The hosts discuss ongoing interest in Joseph Smith’s seer stones, treasure digging, and whether these practices should be labeled “occult,” referencing questions from the FAIR Conference and Mark Ashurst-McGee’s work on Joseph as a “village seer.” Dave Butler introduces his novel series Cunning Man, co-written with Aaron Ritchie, about Hiram Woolley, a very Mormon sugar beet farmer in 1935 Utah who battles literal and figurative demons of the Great Depression using his Grandma Hetty’s documentable folk-prayer lore, alongside his adopted Navajo son Michael. They explore definitions of magic and “occult” as “hidden,” Christian grimoires like Hohman’s The Long Lost Friend, Catholic folk practices (including burying St. Joseph statues), sympathetic magic, and LDS garment folklore as both symbolic and protective, including how such beliefs appear in Mormon history and culture.  00:00 Occult Joseph Smith  02:02 FAIR Conference Questions  04:26 Cunning Man Series  06:20 Mormon Indiana Jones  10:59 American Paladin Hiram  16:23 Grimoires and Psalm Magic  17:37 Catholic Folk Practices  21:36 Defining Magic and Occult  27:40 Saint Joseph House Spell  31:44 Sympathetic Magic Explained  33:32 Magic Underwear Folklore  38:30 Garment Protection Lore  40:06 Carthage Jail Accounts  42:21 Charm Versus Blessing  43:46 Chi Rho Stand In  46:59 Decline of Magic  50:26 Cunning Man Trilogy  10:59 Bautista and Mexico  58:23 AUB and Fundamentalists  01:01:20 Future Books Ideas  01:04:29 Hofmann and Folk Magic  01:06:43 Wrap Up and Recommendations