Today I'm chatting with Casey Zabala about the anthology A Confluence of Witches. A Confluence of Witches aims to highlight how witchcraft has always been a diverse, constantly evolving, culturally specific practice with many lineages and rich traditions. It features essays, spells, and reflections from witches, traditional healers, herbalists, and artists on themes of magical activism, animism, and merging ancient practices with modern technologies, among other mystical subjects. The diverse representation of contributors will honor and celebrate the multicultural and multivalent ways that the witch operates within our society.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wandererstarot/ Casey's substack: https://notesfromthehedge.substack.com/ Casey's website: https://www.wandererstarot.com/ Modern Witches Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/witchesconfluence/ Modern Witches Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/modern-witches/id1583475537 Order "A Confluence of Witches": https://modernwitches.org/anthology

All about the energies and magic of November plus a few November holidays to highlight.

• Correspondences:
  • Crystals: citrine, cat’s eye, topaz
  • Animals: snake, eel, goose, raccoon 
  • Flower: chrysanthemum 
  • Deities: Pluto, Anubis, Kali, Inanna
• The sun is in Scorpio until November 22. Scorpio is a fixed water sign.
• Moon Phases
  • November 1: new moon in Scorpio
  • November 9: second quarter moon in Aquarius
  • November 15: full moon in Taurus
  • November 22: fourth quarter moon in Virgo
• November Ancient Holidays:
  • The Festival of Ceres (November 1): held in early November, was dedicated to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility.
  • The Roman Festival of Compitalia: a festival held in November dedicated to the Lares, the spirits of the ancestors and guardians of the home and fields.The Festival of the Dead (Nebra): celebrated by the Gauls and other Celtic tribes in late October or early November, dedicated to honoring deceased ancestors and included rituals and feasts to ensure the protection and favor of the spirits of the dead.
  • The Feast of Neptunalia (Early November): a festival dedicated to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea and water. It was celebrated in early November.
  • The Festival of Saturnalia: a major Roman festival held in mid-November to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture and time. Although Saturnalia was primarily celebrated in December, its influence and some of its preparations began in November. The festival involved feasting, gift-giving, and role reversals, reflecting themes of liberation and abundance.
• Modern Holidays:
  • All Saints' Day (November 1): a Christian holiday dedicated to honoring all saints, known and unknown. It follows All Hallows' Eve (Halloween) and is observed by many Christian denominations.
  • All Souls' Day (November 2): a day set aside to honor and pray for the souls of deceased loved ones who are believed to be in purgatory.
  • Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (November 1-2): a Mexican holiday that honors deceased loved ones and celebrates their lives. It overlaps with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.
  • Veterans Day (November 11): a U.S. holiday that honors military veterans who have served in the armed forces.
  • Thanksgiving (Fourth Thursday in November): a major American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, focusing on giving thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past year.

I'm chatting today with Jezmina and Paulina about their new book, Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling!

In Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling, Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele share the knowledge and personal experiences of being raised to be fortune-tellers. They share divination methods, tools, and techniques that have been created, adapted, or popularized by the Roma, including card reading, palmistry, dream divination, and tea-leaf and coffee reading. They share exercises to strengthen your intuition and discover your natural gifts, and explain how divination helps with shadow work, blockages, and self-awareness.

Find More:

romanistanpodcast.com

jezminavonthiele.com

romaniholistic.com

https://www.instagram.com/jezmina.vonthiele

https://www.instagram.com/romanistanpodcast

https://www.instagram.com/romaniholistic

Today I'm joined by author Judika Illes to chat about her newest book (and all the other things she's contributed to the witchcraft community!) Let us know - who is your favorite cinematic witch?

WITCHES: A COMPENDIUM is a concise compendium of witches through the ages, from earliest prehistory to some of the most significant modern practitioners, Witches explores who and what is a witch. Also included are an exploration of the sacred and the profane, the myths and misconceptions of witchcraft, a travel guide for the witch curious, and introductions to practicing witches of today.

 
Witches explores what a witch is and the different ways to be one. Judika Illes presents the history, mysteries, and diverse natures of witches from around the world. Featuring a who’s who ranging from famous—or infamous—historical witches such as Tituba, Sybil Leek, Aleister Crowley, Isobel Gowdie, and Countess Erzsebet Báthory (widely known as the Blood Countess) to popular literary, cinematic, and TV witches such as Endora, the Scarlet Witch, Melisandre, Storm, Agatha Harkness, and the Wicked Witch of the West, Witches also offers travel tips for witches and a guide to the tools of the trade such as brooms, wands, cauldrons, and mirrors.
 
This celebration of witches and witchcraft also features:

• Sacred witches such as Baba Yaga, Lilith, Isis, Hekate, Diana, Circe, and Yemaya
• Familiars and creatures closely associated with witchcraft including cats, bats, crows, owls, and foxes
• Art witches like Moina Mathers, Vali Myers, Rosaleen Norton, Leonora Carrington, and Cameron
• Different schools of witchcraft including green witchery, kitchen witchery, Wicca, and Hekatean Witchcraft
• The various things witches do from divination to spirit working to spell-casting

Judika Illes is a lifelong student, lover, and practitioner of the magical arts. She is the author of numerous books devoted to spells, spirits, and witchcraft, including Encyclopedia of Spirits, as well as Pure Magic, Daily Magic, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages, and Magic When You Need It. She has been a professional tarot card reader for over three decades and is a certified aromatherapist. A native New Yorker, Judika teaches in the US and internationally, live and virtually. Follow her on Instagram @judikailles and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorJudikaIlles/.

Today I'm joined by author Kris Spisak to chat all about her newest (and fifth!) book, Becoming Baba Yaga.

Becoming Baba Yaga (https://redwheelweiser.com/book/becoming-baba-yaga-9781642970517/) is an in depth look at the Baba Yaga mythos and history through Slavic folklore. The book is filled with historical and cultural context and analyses, and is a comprehensive resource for anyone hoping to learn more about this ambiguous character and how her multifaceted presence still ripples through the present day. 

Spisak explores Baba Yaga’s connection to nature as an Earth goddess and as an herbalist. She also delves into the Shadow Self and Baba Yaga’s aspect as a trickster and places her in a modern context as not merely a witch of the woods but also as an archetype and force for finding your own path.

Find Kris:

https://kris-spisak.com/ 

https://kris-spisak.com/becoming-baba-yaga/

 https://www.instagram.com/kris.spisak/

 https://www.facebook.com/KSWriting

Kris Spisak earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William and Mary, her master of liberal arts from the University of Richmond, and did further graduate work in fiction through the University of Iowa. She taught college writing courses at schools including Virginia Commonwealth University before stepping away from the classroom to pursue her own writing work. Kris has been spotlighted in Writer’s Digest and HuffPost for her work as an editor and author dedicated to helping other writers. She is the author of The Baba Yaga Mask (a novel) and Get a Grip on Your Grammar. Kris fully believes that well-written words and well-told stories have always changed the world and that they will continue to. She can’t wait to tell you her next story.

I'm joined today by author and witch Michelle Tea to chat about her newest book, Modern Magic. We talk all about growing up as a goth witch in the 80s, finding your own ritual groove in your practice, playfulness in witchcraft, and more!

Find the Book:

⁠Modern Magic⁠

An enchanted sibling to the cult classic Modern Tarot, Modern Magic: Stories, Rituals, and Spells for Contemporary Witches, by professional tarot reader and feminist Icon, Michelle Tea provides a fascinating, magical history of spiritual traditions from around the world—giving all the tools, spells, and rituals to navigate our stressed-out lives.

Witty, down-to-earth, and wise, Tea bewitches us with personal tales about crafting her magical practice and coming into her own. She pairs enchanting stories from her days as a goth teen in Massachusetts with insights from her experiences as an adult to share her observations about the world as well as her vision for what it could be. Modern Magic gives us the tools to tap into a stronger, distinctive magic that lies within us, one that incorporates queer, feminist, anti-racist, intersectional values. 

About Michelle:

⁠Website⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠X⁠

Michelle Tea is the author of over a dozen books, including the cult-classic Valencia, the essay collection Against Memoir, and the speculative memoir Black Wave. She is the recipient of awards from the Guggenheim, Lambda Literary, and Rona Jaffe Foundations, PEN/America, and other institutions. Knocking Myself Up is her latest memoir.

Tea’s cultural interventions include brainstorming the international phenomenon Drag Queen Story Hour, co-creating the Sister Spit queer literary performance tours, and occupying the role of Founding Editor at DOPAMINE Books, a Los Angeles-based, non-profit press that publishes work by edgy, emerging queer writers. In addition to helming the imprints Sister Spit Books at City Lights Publishers, and Amethyst Editions at The Feminist Press, Tea produced and hosted the popular Your Magic podcast, wherein she read tarot cards for Roxane Gay, Alexander Chee, Phoebe Bridgers and other artists, as well as the live tarot show Ask the Tarot on Spotify Greenroom and Instagram.

All about the energies and magic of October plus a few October holidays to highlight.

• Correspondences:
  • Crystals: Opal, tourmaline
  • Animals: bat, rat, crow, raven, dove 
  • Flower: calendula 
  • Deities: Athena, Hephaestus, Venus, Shiva, Cernunnos
• The sun is in Libra until October 23. Libra is a cardinal air sign.
• Moon Phases
  • October 2: new moon in Libra
  • October 10: second quarter moon in Capricorn
  • October 17: full moon in Aries
  • October 24: fourth quarter moon in Leo
• October Holidays:
  • Winter Nights (Vetrnaetr): an ancient Norse festival that marked the beginning of winter. It typically took place in late October or early November.
  • Feast of Pomona (Late October): The Feast of Pomona was dedicated to Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, trees, and orchards. Although not exclusively tied to October, it was often celebrated in late autumn as the harvest came to an end.
  • The Festival of Cailleach: The Cailleach, or the Old Hag, is a figure in Celtic mythology associated with winter, storms, and the land. Some traditions marked the transition to winter by honoring the Cailleach in late October.
  • Thesmophoria: an ancient Greek festival held in October in honor of Demeter and Persephone, goddesses associated with agriculture, fertility, and the cycle of life and death.
  • The Rites of Eleusis (Eleusinian Mysteries): secret religious rites held annually in honor of Demeter and Persephone, primarily in September but extending into early October. These rites were part of the broader context of harvest and fertility.
  • October 8 - Canadian Thanksgiving: celebrated on the second Monday of October. It’s a day for giving thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past year. The holiday is similar to the American Thanksgiving but occurs earlier due to Canada’s earlier harvest season.
  • October 11-12 - Yom Kippur: the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It typically falls in October, depending on the Hebrew calendar.
  • October 31 - Halloween: has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Halloween is associated with costumes, trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins (jack-o'-lanterns), haunted houses, and themes of the supernatural.
  • October 31-November1 - Samhain: an ancient Celtic festival that marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, traditionally celebrated from the evening of October 31st to the evening of November 1st. It is considered one of the four major Gaelic seasonal festivals and is often regarded as the Celtic New Year.
  • October 31 - Diwali: also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Hindu festivals. The date of Diwali varies each year based on the lunar calendar, but it often falls in late October or early November. This year the 5 day fest starts on October 29, but Diwali itself is October 31 to November 1.

Today I'm chatting with Dr. Cressida Stone about her book, The Secrets of Santa Muerte. I learned so much about this Mexican folk saint from the book but also just from this talk, so I know you will too!

The Secrets of Santa Muerte is a practical handbook on how to connect with the mysterious Mexican folk saint. Drawing from authentic Mexican sources and traditions, it details secret, esoteric knowledge that will foster a deep connection with the Saint of Death. The book covers the fascinating history of this revered folk saint as well as practical tips on how to:

• Create an altar to Santa Muerte and keep it cleansed of negative energies and free of demons.
• Interpret the acceptance of offerings and signs from Santa Muerte.
• Use the moon’s power to heighten your work with her.
• Work with her saint through candles and statues.
• Use color combinations in your spell work to achieve your desires.

Find Cressida Stone:

⁠Instagram⁠

Find The Secrets of Santa Muerte:

⁠Amazon⁠

⁠Red Wheel/Weiser⁠

Cressida Stone, author of Secrets of Santa Muerte, is an English writer. The author leads a double life as a British doctor of anthropology trained in classic methods at the University of Oxford, while also moving in occult circles as Cressida Stone, publishing grimoires on Santa Muerte, practicing witchcraft, and reading tarot cards for the wealthy elite, the disenfranchised, and sicarios alike. She has apprenticed in Mexico with brujos (witches) and shamans of Santa Muerte at temples to the Saint of Death, learning their ways of working with the folk saint. She embraces a non-dualistic philosophy of life and death.

Stone's book Secrets of Santa Muerte has been praised by Jason Miller, author of Consorting with Spirits, as "the most complete workbook I have found in English on the subject". Stone also received endorsements from numerous famous Mexican Santa Muerte witches and leaders, including Yuri Mendez, Bruja of the Three Virtues, who attests that "Cressida Stone has deep knowledge of the spirituality of Santa Muerte. She has traveled across Mexico where the roots of devotion to the Saint of Death truly originate. She honors our faith and shares the teachings of Santa Muerte clearly, aiding people to respectfully venerate and learn correctly about Santisima Muerte. This is because Cressida has been to those special places where devotion to Holy Death is deep and true.”

Sara is back for the part 2 we promised! She answers some follow up questions about the energy of the sabbats and then we dive into the topic of including children in celebrating the natural cycles and teaching them the magic of the world around them.

Find Sara:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/aranelsara/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/sara.aranel.7

It's such a joy to be joined today by author Amy Blackthorn! We're chatting about her history in witchcraft and her new book, Sacred Plant Magic. But I couldn't help myself, as an avid reader of all of Amy's books, to ask about some of her other works as well. You'll definitely learn a lot in this very fun episode.

Buy the Book: ⁠https://redwheelweiser.com/book/blackthorns-book-of-sacred-plant-magic-9781578638307/⁠

Renowned herbalist Amy Blackthorn shows readers how to bring plant spirits into their daily spiritual practice with therapeutic access, subconscious learning, and divining skills that help them understand plant spirits on a deeper level.

Blackthorn’s Botanical Magic showed a new generation of witches how scent affects people, whether they understand it or not. In Blackthorn’s Book of Sacred Plant Magic, we travel even deeper into the magical garden of scent. We know that a walk down a summer street can bring back the smell of childhood summers with friends, riding bikes and swimming. Spring breezes carry with them the clean soapy smell of your second-grade teacher. We experience scents not only in the here and now but also filtered through the lens of our past. Using the power of scent, we can create a sense of the sacred in our daily lives. Part reference guide, part recipe book, and part ritual journey, Blackthorn’s Book of Sacred Plant Magic offers readers an in-depth exploration of the vital connection between scents and magical practice.

Amy Blackthorn is a professional intuitive and the bestselling author of several books on botanical magic, including Blackthorn’s Botanical Magic, Blackthorn’s Botanical Brews, and Blackthorn’s Botanical Wellness. The founder of Blackthorn’s Botanicals, she has a certification in aromatherapy and was ordained by the Order of the Golden Gryphon. Amy lives in Delaware. Keep up with Amy’s book news at ⁠amyblackthorn.com⁠ and view her tea shop ⁠blackthornsbotanicals.com⁠

All about the energies and magic of September plus a few September holidays to highlight.

• Correspondences:
  • Crystals: sapphire, zircon, sardonyx 
  • Animals: bear, stag, fox 
  • Flowers: aster, morning glory 
  • Deites: Frigg, Hestia, Persephone, Odin
• The sun is in Virgo until September 22. Virgo is a mutable earth sign.
• Moon Phases
  • September 2: new moon in Virgo
  • September 11: second quarter moon in Sagittarius
  • September 17: full moon in Pisces
  • September 24: fourth quarter moon in Cancer
• Septemer Holidays:
  • Labor Day (U.S. and Canada): The first Monday in September celebrates the contributions of workers. In the U.S., it marks the unofficial end of summer.
  • Patriot Day (U.S.): September 11th is a day of remembrance for the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
  • International Day of Peace: Observed on September 21st, this day is dedicated to promoting world peace and ending violence and war.
  • Mid-Autumn Festival (China and other East Asian countries): Also known as the Moon Festival, this is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which often falls in September. It’s a time for family gatherings, moon gazing, and enjoying mooncakes. It falls September 17th this year.
  • Oktoberfest (Germany): While it starts in late September, Oktoberfest is a world-famous festival celebrating Bavarian culture with beer, food, and entertainment. Starts September 21st this year
  • Mabon on September 22: Mabon is a pagan festival celebrated as part of the Wheel of the Year, which marks the autumn equinox. It usually falls around September 21st to 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere, when day and night are of equal length. Mabon is a time to honor the second harvest and give thanks for the abundance of the Earth, as well as to acknowledge the coming darker days of winter.