Occult or Amish?

  • Thread starter Thread starter James0235
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

James0235

Guest
Today I was told be my mother that at the house her sister was buying out in the middle of nowhere something strange was recently found.

Apparently someone left a plastic bag hanging on the front door. Inside were some grass, some stones, a stick, and a leaf.

My aunt was told by someone that this is just an amish symbol of prosperity. There are alot of amish in that particular area. But it just doesn’t sound amish to me.

I told them that it sounds occult related to me. The area does have a reputation for being home to more than your average number of practitioners of wicca, witchcraft, the occult, etc.

I recommended that they immediately burn the bag and it’s contents. But has anyone heard of this before?

James
 
No, but if she is Catholic I would recommend getting the house blessed when she moves in. 🙂 I honestly can’t see anything wrong with some grass, leaves, sticks, and stones. Those all have to do with the earth and seem pretty harmless to me. What makes you think it’s from the occult?
 
It sounds to me like the Amish thing would be the more parsimonious explanation, but I guess you never know.

Maybe it’s the blair witch
 
Just go ask someone who’s Amish to confirm whether or not it is Amish. If you’re in an Amish area, it should be easy to find someone to ask.

Considering that “prosperity” is not exactly the center of the Amish way of life, and the fact that I have not seen anything like that at any Amish house I’ve visited (and we have a good number of Amish in our area)… I’d say it’s not Amish.
 
It sounds like a superstition or cultural thing. Thats the first thing that came to my mind. What are the Amish? Primairly German descent? Perhaps it has something to do with German folk culture?

I say this because it reminds me of all the little peasanty things my Ukrainian (especially my Hutsul roots) and Polish grandparents do. There’s always some little quirky ritual they have handed down from living out in the boons’ in old country.
 
You know what it sounds like to me? A kid who found a bunch of “cool” stuff, stuck it in a bag, and put it in his/her “secret hiding place.”
 
Grace & Peace!

I’m not sure if this particular practice is Amish, but the sympathy between the Amish and other sects (such as the Shakers or others like the Oneida community, or some more obscure Pennsylvania communities) may partially explain this practice, if indeed it is Amish related.

Certain German theosophical communities (influenced by Jacob Boehme, for instance, the Lutheran mystic who was fond of alchemical and Qabbalistic imagery in his work–which is fascinating, very faithful, and incredibly edifying, by the way) were given to practices which hearken back to European magical practices (one of which, for instance, involved engraving metal plates with names of angels and related prayers in order to protect buildings from fire–apparently to good effect, if the accounts are to be believed). Hoodoo, as it is explicated in Johann Georg Hohman’s 19th century text “Long Lost Friend” (Der Lange Verborgene Freund) is a text which details some of these folk magical practices. While some of these practices are certainly related to the European grimoire tradition of occultism (such as the Solomonic tradition–the Greater Key of Solomon and the Lesser Key or Lemegeton), others are more closely related to Catholic folk surperstition which finds its way (through Lutheranism) into German/European folk custom. Examples of such superstitions would be similar to the use of the Agnus Dei (a wax seal which bears the image of the Lamb of God blessed by the Pope at certain seasons) to ward off lightning strikes when properly affixed to a building.

A more familiar face of this particular tradition are the “Pennsylvania Dutch” (Amish!) Hex Signs–colorful geometrical designs often painted on barns or homes to ward off evil and/or attract blessing. This design is meant to ensure abundance and goodwill:

http://www.amishnews.com/images/hexwinter.jpg

Under the Mercy,
Mark

Deo Gratias!
 
Whether it’s Amish Folklore, superstition or Occult, it doesn’t matter. It’s your house. Throw it out if you don’t want it in the house.
It could be the last of the garbage that the last owners forgot to throw away.

Honestly, it sounds more like folk tradition than anything pagan. In either case. It is a wish for good things for you from the previous owner. Take it for what it is, and move on.
 
rayne100,great advice. What a nice thought that the former owner would want to impart good wishes to the new owners.

And as Pope John Paul ll the Great said,“there is truth to be found in all religions”. (major paraphrase on my part)

Burn the contents of the bag, and offer up the prayers to God as the smoke travels to heaven, and don’t forget to also say a prayer for the former owners as well.👍
 
I know a few Amish…well…I knew them years ago…we used to write each other but since they have no phone or computer…we eventually lost contact…anyway…many Amish do have cultural ideas and beliefs…many of them border on the ‘superstitious’…IF it is Amish it is no more or less harmful than burying a statue of St. Joseph in your front yard when you’re trying to sell the house…I have a Catholic neighbor…I almost choked on my coffee when he told me of this practice while trying to sell his house…he seemed so…“normal” up to that point.

Maybe his house should be exorcised after it sells too:)
 
Publisher said:
I know a few Amish…well…I knew them years ago…we used to write each other but since they have no phone or computer…we eventually lost contact…anyway…many Amish do have cultural ideas and beliefs…many of them border on the ‘superstitious’…IF it is Amish it is no more or less harmful than burying a statue of St. Joseph in your front yard when you’re trying to sell the house…I have a Catholic neighbor…I almost choked on my coffee when he told me of this practice while trying to sell his house…he seemed so…“normal” up to that point.

Maybe his house should be exorcised after it sells too:)
Click to expand...
Ah St. Joseph in the back yard…If I’m not mistaken, that is mainly an Italian Catholic tradition, much like in mexican cultures, mothers will hang St. Anthony upside down to make him work harder at finding husbands for their daughters…
This is more cultural than religious. 🙂
 
Publisher said:
I know a few Amish…well…I knew them years ago…we used to write each other but since they have no phone or computer…we eventually lost contact…anyway…many Amish do have cultural ideas and beliefs…many of them border on the ‘superstitious’…IF it is Amish it is no more or less harmful than burying a statue of St. Joseph in your front yard when you’re trying to sell the house…I have a Catholic neighbor…I almost choked on my coffee when he told me of this practice while trying to sell his house…he seemed so…“normal” up to that point.

Maybe his house should be exorcised after it sells too:)
Click to expand...
Even If it is not Amish and it is pagan, the previous owners desire for the new owners to have good fortune is not any less valid or thoughtful.
 
What kind of bag was it? It sounds someone left their yard clippings there… j/k 🤷
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top