{"id":16971,"date":"2018-05-01T01:10:44","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T06:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=17896"},"modified":"2018-05-01T21:41:10","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T02:41:10","slug":"book-review-the-tradition-of-household-spirits-by-claude-lecouteux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/05\/01\/book-review-the-tradition-of-household-spirits-by-claude-lecouteux\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices by Claude Lecouteux, translated by Jon E. Graham"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book <\/span>R<\/span>eview <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices\u201d <\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

by Claude Lecouteux, translated by Jon E. Graham<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Published by Inner Traditions<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

English translation copyright 2013 <\/span><\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pages: 228<\/span><\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA house is much more than a building. It is a microcosm, a living being with both a body and a soul. It speaks, even if its language is only creaking and cracking noises for the profane,\u201d Claude Lecouteux writes in the introduction to \u201cThe Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt speaks, even if its language is only creaking and cracking noises for the profane. Its wailings are evidence of an attack by hostile forces. \u2026 The house establishes a bond between itself and its inhabitants,\u201d he states.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Uncared for, a house will die. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Expressions in our lexicon echo the importance of this bond: to have a roof over one\u2019s head, to take someone out to the woodshed, to be on the threshold of life, to throw something out the window, and if you can\u2019t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Many old customs have been mistakenly thought of as superstitions, but Lecouteux traces them back to their origins.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[F]olk beliefs have extraordinary longevity and barely evolve as long as social and material conditions do not change,\u201d he wrote.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, the place a house was built was carefully considered. It took into account the place spirits and signs of good fortune such as where a coin was found, the place animals lay down, or the site where inhabitants had previously lived and had good fortune. Roadsides were typically preferred. The borders of fields were avoided. So were crossroads, sites where a house had burned down, former cemeteries, places where animals had had been killed, anywhere someone had committed suicide or a spot with an unmovable stone, Lecouteux tells us.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In various cultures, permission was required from the earth spirits before a house could be built, salt was used to bless the spot before construction, and work ended if, while placing the first beam, an ax generated a spark. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Everything from the houses\u2019s orientation, and the placement of doors and windows to the materials used and the sacrifices made were important to people. When and how they moved in was also dictated by a series of beliefs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery element of a building possesses magic and religious meaning,\u201d Lecouteux states at the start of chapter two. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The walls, the gutters, the roof and the corners were all associated with various traditions. There were rites and blessings, customs and ceremonies and taboos connected with every aspect of a home.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(Among the photos in the book is this German house having a timber frame with a man pattern and a cross.)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Entering a home is done by crossing a threshold, which can be considered a rite of passage. What must not leave by the door, but rather passed out a window were also closely followed \u2013 all so as not to anger the spirits and bring about misfortune.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lecouteux describes them all, across time and territories. He shares the stories, prayers, charms, offerings and practices to domestic deities people used to assure happiness and prosperity, and makes the \u201csad observation\u201d that \u201chouse spirits have vanished and with them the souls of our houses have fled, never to return.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

(Fairy loaves and fossilized sea urchins were traditionally kept on the kitchen windowsill of English homes to ensure magically that there will never be a shortage of bread.)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The French medieval scholar specializes in Europe during the Middle Ages, covering many esoteric subjects in his more than 15 books. He researches using source texts in the several languages he knows. That way, he explained in an interview in 2016 with Ben & Sol, he can correct assumptions others may have made with extrapolating information. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

77 sayings and beliefs are listed in the appendix \u2013 including \u201cThe spirits are granted the space between the doors, they should therefore never be slammed\u201d and \u201cWhen a person dies, the windows of a house should be opened so that the soul can leave\u201d \u2013 along with footnotes and a bibliography. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He went on to write \u201cDemons and Spirits of the Land: Ancestral Lore and Practices.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Click Images for Amazon Information<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lynn Woike<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/b>\u00a0was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Pinterest<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, and write to her at woikelynn\u00a0at gmail\u00a0dot com.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review \u201cThe Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices\u201d by Claude Lecouteux, translated by Jon E. Graham Published by Inner Traditions English translation copyright 2013 Pages: 228 \u201cA house is much more than a building. It is a microcosm, a living being with both a body and a soul. It speaks, even if its language is only creaking and cracking noises for the profane,\u201d Claude Lecouteux writes in the introduction to \u201cThe Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices.\u201d \u201cIt speaks, even if its language is only creaking and cracking noises for the profane. Its wailings are evidence of an attack by hostile forces. \u2026 The house establishes a bond between itself and its inhabitants,\u201d he states. Uncared for, a house will die. Expressions in our lexicon echo the importance of this bond: to have a roof over one\u2019s head, to take someone out to the woodshed, to be on the threshold of life, to throw something out the window, and if you can\u2019t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Many old customs have been mistakenly thought of as superstitions, but Lecouteux traces them back to their origins. \u201c[F]olk beliefs have extraordinary longevity and barely evolve as long as social and material conditions do not change,\u201d he wrote. For instance, the place a house was built was carefully considered. It took into account the place spirits and signs of good fortune such as where a coin was found, the place animals lay down, or the site where inhabitants had previously lived and had good fortune. Roadsides were typically preferred. The borders of fields were avoided. So were crossroads, sites where a house had burned down, former cemeteries, places where animals had had been killed, anywhere someone had committed suicide or a spot with an unmovable stone, Lecouteux tells us. In various cultures, permission was required from the earth spirits before a house could be built, salt was used to bless the spot before construction, and work ended if, while placing the first beam, an ax generated a spark. Everything from the houses\u2019s orientation, and the placement of doors and windows to the materials used and the sacrifices made were important to people. When and how they moved in was also dictated by a series of beliefs. \u201cEvery element of a building possesses magic and religious meaning,\u201d Lecouteux states at the start of chapter two. The walls, the gutters, the roof and the corners were all associated with various traditions. There were rites and blessings, customs and ceremonies and taboos connected with every aspect of a home.   (Among the photos in the book is this German house having a timber frame with a man pattern and a cross.)   Entering a home is done by crossing a threshold, which can be considered a rite of passage. What must not leave by the door, but rather passed out a window were also closely followed \u2013 all so as not to anger the spirits and bring about misfortune. Lecouteux describes them all, across time and territories. He shares the stories, prayers, charms, offerings and practices to domestic deities people used to assure happiness and prosperity, and makes the \u201csad observation\u201d that \u201chouse spirits have vanished and with them the souls of our houses have fled, never to return.\u201d   (Fairy loaves and fossilized sea urchins were traditionally kept on the kitchen windowsill of English homes to ensure magically that there will never be a shortage of bread.)   The French medieval scholar specializes in Europe during the Middle Ages, covering many esoteric subjects in his more than 15 books. He researches using source texts in the several languages he knows. That way, he explained in an interview in 2016 with Ben & Sol, he can correct assumptions others may have made with extrapolating information. 77 sayings and beliefs are listed in the appendix \u2013 including \u201cThe spirits are granted the space between the doors, they should therefore never be slammed\u201d and \u201cWhen a person dies, the windows of a house should be opened so that the soul can leave\u201d \u2013 along with footnotes and a bibliography. He went on to write \u201cDemons and Spirits of the Land: Ancestral Lore and Practices.\u201d Click Images for Amazon Information   *** About the Author: Lynn Woike\u00a0was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on\u00a0Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn\u00a0at gmail\u00a0dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}