BOOK PROJECT: A Heretic's Bible: Reconstructing Finnish Folk Religion

I know that's a bit of a wordy title, but it's the most succinct I've been able to come up with! While many well-known syncretic folk magic systems contain Catholic elements, Finland made a nearly wholesale conversion to Protestant Lutheranism by the 1700s. (With the exception of the Eastern Orthodox folks in Karelia, of course.) This conversion happened slowly over hundreds of years, and it had a fascinating impact on the vernacular religion and folk magic of the Finns during the early modern period. While many volumes exist about Catholic mysticism and the cultures it syncretized with, there is almost nothing out there about the intersection of folk magic and Protestantism.

That's where The Heretic's Bible comes in. My goal is that, using this book, the modern folk practitioner can find pieces of this historically inspired path to incorporate into their spirituality. Use some of it, or all of it, but let it be a valuable resource for any folk magic practitioner seeking to understand how these two seemingly diametrically opposed religions can intersect.

Let's be clear, the word HERETIC is in the title. There is plenty in this book (ok ALL of this book) that the staunchest Lutheran would clutch their pearls at. Thankfully, that person probably isn't you. However, it does offer a framework where you can both pray to Mother Mary for compassionate healing AND to Hiisi for shadow work and connecting to your wild side all in the same spiritual practice rooted in cultural heritage and folkways.

I am currently working on this manuscript with the due date of April 2027, so I estimate its release will be in the Summer/Fall of 2028.