New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft

Summary: We talk with the Riverton Witch Via Hedera in this episode about folk magic on Turtle Island (North America), intersectional magic, what folk traditions we keep alive and which ones we leave behind, and how to weave magic into the things we make. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the … Continue reading "Episode 160 – Turtle Island Folk Magic with Via Hedera"

Summary: Laine and Cory revisit the idea of making magical books, including what they do differently now and some ideas that might help you put together your own magical text. We also do our second round of the Scott Cunningham “Natural Magic” book club. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the … Continue reading "Episode 159 – Making Magical Books"

Summary: This time we’re discussing the role of psychism in contemporary witchcraft with our guest, author Mat Auryn. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even if you can’t give, spread the word … Continue reading "Episode 158 – Psychic Witchcraft with Mat Auryn"

Summary: We look back at the past ten years to see how we’ve grown as a show and as practitioners of witchcraft. Then we launch our book club for 2020 with a look at Cunningham’s Earth Power. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a … Continue reading "Episode 157 – Evolving Witchery"

Summary: It’s time for our annual tradition of lessons and carols (with a little bit of a witchy flavor). We’re sharing songs and personal stories of travel and rest during the dark days of the waning year. Wishing you all a Merry Yule and Happy Holidays! Please check out our Patreon page! You can help … Continue reading "Episode 156 – Yuletide Cheer! 2019"

Summary: We’re discussing the power of names, both magical and mundane (and if there’s really a difference). We discuss the names we keep, the names thrust upon us, the names we lose, and the power of knowing a “true” name. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little … Continue reading "Episode 155 – Names and Magic"

Summary: As the spooky season is upon us, Laine and Cory decide it’s time to put on our masks, grab our pillow cases, and head out to do some trick-or-treating. It’s Halloween on New World Witchery, where we discuss the origins of the holiday both historical and folklorical, the value of spookiness for kids, favorite … Continue reading "Episode 154 – Halloween"

Summary: We finish our Doorways into Darkness All Hallows Read with a retelling of one of the most infamous doors of all: the door to the bloody chamber in the English tale, “Mr Fox” Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and … Continue reading "Special Episode – Mr Fox"

Summary: As we continue in our Doorways into Darkness All Hallows Read series, we visit York, Pennsylvania to explore the Seven Gates of Hell. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even if … Continue reading "Special Episode – The Seven Gates of Hell"

Summary: We talk about the value of end-of-life planning from a practical and spiritual standpoint, and look at the work of death midwives with our special guest, Victoria Young. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at … Continue reading "Episode 153 – Death Midwifery with Victoria Young"

Summary: We begin our All Hallows Read stories for 2019 with a story of an eerie office space, and a doorway that may be a gateway to something terrifying. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at … Continue reading "Special Episode – The Third Floor"

Summary: We discuss the power of connecting with ancestors (and just what we mean with that term), as well as finding spirituality while locked in a bathroom, with author, folk magician, and dancer Mallorie Vaudoise. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, … Continue reading "Episode 152 – Honoring Ancestors with Mallorie Vaudoise"

Summary: We’re digging through the mailbag to answer your questions from email, voicemail, social media and more! We talk about ancestral spirits, revisit our seaside sorcery show, and enjoy a saucy bit of verse on the topic of nekkid witches. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little … Continue reading "Episode 151 – Annual Owls 2019"

Summary: We talk about decks, divination, Taoist folk magic, and talismans with author and teacher Benebell Wen. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even if you can’t give, spread the word and … Continue reading "Episode 150 – Tarot and Taoist Magic with Benebell Wen"

Summary: In this episode we talk mermaids and manatees, sexy seashells, and far too many Disney movies. Join us down at the shore as we discuss the magic of (and around) the ocean! Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get … Continue reading "Episode 149 – Seaside Sorcery"

Summary: We’re taking a bit of a magical road trip and visiting a couple of witchy museum exhibits this time. We’ll stop by Cornell University to chat about the recent “The World Bewitch’d” exhibit there with one of the curators, then hop over to Cleveland, Ohio to visit the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick. … Continue reading "Episode 148 – Exhibiting Witchcraft"

Summary: This time we’re looking at a few more of the everyday objects our listeners have sent in and seeing what sorts of magic we can make of them. We talk astrology and wristwatches, trunk-or-treat altar spaces, and aromatherapy necklaces as magical door chimes. We hope you enjoy and share your own everyday objects with … Continue reading "Episode 147 – Everyday Magical Objects Redux"

Summary: We sit down and visit with old friends Chris Orapello and Tara-Love Maguire about the evolution of their Black Tree tradition of magic, the ways folk magic and witchcraft fit into a contemporary world, how natural magic and climate change impact one another, and what being in the witchy publishing world is like. Please … Continue reading "Episode 146 – Besom Stang and Sword with Chris and Tara"

Summary: We’re talking about the ways folk magic gets used for purposes of beauty-enhancement and attraction this time. We start with a little game of folklore fear factor (sort of), then discuss things like magical bathing and weaving a bit of magic into your wardrobe. (Apologies for some occasional sound/editing weirdness in this one) Please … Continue reading "Episode 145 – Glamour and Beauty Magic"

Summary: We’re talking about life as a swamp witch today with author Aaron Oberon! Aaron takes us through his work with “folkloric witchcraft” and the ways he both draws on his Southern roots and adapts them to meet contemporary needs. He’ll share his perspective on the Devil’s wife, making magical tools, and Queer identity in … Continue reading "Episode 144 – Southern Cunning with Aaron Oberon"

Summary: For this episode we decided to do a magical mental tour of the home, and explore how the different spaces in our dwelling places are used magically. We talk sex and protection in the bedroom, magical blankets and occult summonings in children’s rooms, and the power of the magical threshold. Please check out our … Continue reading "Episode 143 – The Magical Home"

Summary: We look at folk magic from a “new” perspective this time (which isn’t really very new at all). We discuss embedded spells in webpage code, shuffle-o-mancy and radio divination, and how to make a meme into a spell as we look at where magic and technology overlap (with special guest, Laine’s husband!). Please check … Continue reading "Episode 142 – Techno Sorcery and Digital Magic"

Summary: We return to our divination workings from back at the beginning of 2018 to see how everything came together (or in some cases, didn’t). Then we throw some cards to see what the year ahead will bring. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a … Continue reading "Episode 141 – New Years Divininations Revisited"

Summary We interview author and blogger Lilith Dorsey about her recent response to an article on “Black witches” in The Atlantic, as well as the role traditions and pop culture play in shaping contemporary witchcraft and folk magic. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a … Continue reading "Episode 140 – Culture and Witchcraft with Lilith Dorsey"

Summary: This time we’re chatting with poet, author, and witch Lisa Marie Basile about her book Light Magic for Dark Times, the intersections of self-care and folk magic, and the way magical practice and poetry can overlap. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a … Continue reading "Episode 139 – Light Magic for Dark Times with Lisa Marie Basile"

Hello everyone! We mentioned in our last show that we would be launching a new podcast soon, and today we’re getting the first episode out there! It’s called Myth Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast, and you can probably guess what our main subject will be. This really is just an introduction to us, … Continue reading "Sneak Peek: Myth Taken Episode 0-0"

Summary: We look back at 2018’s witchy highlights and talk about some of our upcoming projects for the new year, then discuss folk magical approaches to self care for the new year as well. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, … Continue reading "Episode 138 – A New Year and Magical Self Care"

Summary: In our annual holiday episode, we turn to the natural world for carols and lessons on the plants and animals of the Yuletide season. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. … Continue reading "Episode 137 – Yuletide Cheer! 2018"

Summary: We return under cover of darkness to the creaky gates and mossy tombstones of graveyards and crypts for this show. We cover a witch ring in a New York cemetery, spooky teenage trips to haunted graveyards, and holding your breath as you pass the local churchyard. Please check out our Patreon page! You … Continue reading "Episode 136 – Graveyard Lore Part II"

Summary: We have a conversation with Neopagan author and tradition elder Ivo Dominguez, Jr. about his work in growing his tradition, living through the Neopagan boom of the 80s and 90s, and the New Alexandrian Library project. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a … Continue reading "Episode 135 – Building a Magical Tradition with Ivo Dominguez Jr"

Summary: In this episode, we visit the crypts and churchyards to bring you some of our favorite graveyard lore. Huge thanks to those who submitted ideas for this! We’ve got more than enough for a part two another time, so if your submission isn’t here, don’t worry. We’ll be resurrecting it soon! Please check … Continue reading "Episode 134 – Graveyard Lore Part I"

Summary: Our final story comes from Chinese folklore, and tells the tale of a fisherman who generously shared his wine with a ghost and found out just what a good friend the dead can be. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a … Continue reading "Special Episode – All Hallows Read 2018 – Drinking Companions"

Summary: We roam down South for a story of a dancing corpse in the latest spooky October tale, “Aaron Kelly’s Bones.” Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even if you can’t … Continue reading "Special Episode – All Hallows Read 2018 – Aaron Kelly’s Bones"

Summary: Our Halloween storytelling continues with a popular legend that people have been telling for over a century, “A Pretty Girl in the Road.” Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even … Continue reading "Special Episode – All Hallows Read 2018 – A Pretty Girl in the Road"

Summary: We begin our annual tradition of spooky stories by hearing Washington Irving’s “The Adventure of the German Student.” Our theme this year is the dead returning from the grave, so prepare for a month of ghoulish delights! Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as … Continue reading "Special Episode – All Hallows Read 2018 – The Adventure of the German Student"

Summary: We’re digging through listener responses to our shows and topics to bring you an apology, some thoughts on the Sephora witch kit controversy, and folklore about rabbits and red hats. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some … Continue reading "Episode 133 – From You to Us – Listener Feedback 2018"

Summary: We’re joined in this episode by Paige from the Fat Feminist Witch podcast to talk about the importance of listening, reclaiming “scary words,” the power of podcasting and social media in witchy circles (for good and ill), intersectional witchcraft, and pop culture magic. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help … Continue reading "Episode 132 – Bodies, Gender, and Witchcraft with Paige from the Fat Feminist Witch"

Summary: Cory and Laine start an ongoing discussion of the use of magic in Disney films, looking at the cultural context, the fairy tale sources, and the specific practices found in some of the films. We cover Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Fantasia in this one. Please check out our Patreon page! You … Continue reading "Episode 131 – Disney Magic Part One"

Summary: This time around we’re chatting with author and talisman-maker Aidan Wachter about his workshop, chaos magic, the importance of breath, and dirt sorcery. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the same time. Even … Continue reading "Episode 130 – Dirt Sorcery and Six Ways with Aidan Wachter"

Summary: This time we have a crossover episode with the magical mamas from Betwixt and Between! In our portion of the conversation, we talk animism, hedgewitchery, and raising kids with witchy traditions (even when they’re not your own). Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as … Continue reading "Episode 129 – Raising Witchlets with Betwixt and Between"

Summary: We look at the supernatural folklore and mythology of the Borderlands area along the Mexican-U.S. boundary in this episode. We talk to author, professor, and story collector David Bowles about his experiences growing up there, the legends that permeate the culture in that region, and we share one of the stories from his collections. … Continue reading "Episode 128 – Borderlands Lore with David Bowles"

Summary: This is one of our “Tales from the Witching Hour” practical episodes in which we discuss spells or rituals we’ve tried and our experiences with them. This time, we talk about a joint effort to do Cunningham’s “Ritual of Gestures,” the ways it worked for us, and the ways it didn’t. Cory also breaks … Continue reading "Special Episode – The Ritual of Gestures Experiment"

Summary: This is a (highly experimental) episode that features three audio charms (or “sound sigils” as Cory calls them). They incorporate traditional materials but also some fairly out-there stuff, too. If you have audio sensory issues, we won’t blame you for skipping this one. Otherwise, we hope you enjoy this practical dive into “sensory witchcraft!” … Continue reading "Special Episode – Sound Sigils"

Summary: Laine and Cory discuss the role of the standard “five senses” within their witchraft, as well as how impairment or differences in those senses can inform or change our magical practice. We talk about incense, rune cookies, sensory deprivation, BDSM (this one may not be one for the youngsters!), and audio spellcasting. Please … Continue reading "Episode 127 – Witchcraft and the Senses"

Summary: In our continuing quest to explore the North American magical landscape, we turn to a massive section of the continent chock-full of magic: the Great Lakes Region. Special guests Scarlet from Lakefront Pagan Voice and Witchdoctor Utu from Dragon Ritual Drummers help us get a toe in some very big, mythically deep waters! … Continue reading "Episode 126 – Magic and the Great Lakes"

Summary: This time we’re looking at an aspect of magic that we’ve (surprisingly) not gotten into before: the elements. We discuss the Classical elements, other elemental systems (there may be a mention of Einsteinium involved), and what underlies the use of elements in magic. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support … Continue reading "Episode 125 – Elements"

Summary: We invite the lovely, myth-making Sylvia Lindsteadt onto our show to discuss her folktale-novel Tatterdemalion. We discuss the role the landscape has played in shaping her work, how the mythic word intrudes into the everyday in Northern California, and share a couple of tales that come from that region as well. Please check … Continue reading "Episode 124 – Tatterdemalion and the Magic of Northern California"

Summary: We dig back into the listener suggestions for everyday magical objects and look at another round of commonplace (or uncommonplace) items and how they can fit into a magical practice. Everything from the dapper gentlewitch’s accessories to photosensitive paper makes it into this one, so we hope you enjoy! Please check out our … Continue reading "Episode 123 – Everyday Magical Objects Revisited"

Summary: We launch our eighth year of podcasting with an episode that looks forward to the coming months through divination. Lots and lots of divination! Laine and Cory try out several different divinatory methods (some they’ve used before, and some they haven’t), then break down what they see in the cards, beans, bones, or stones … Continue reading "Episode 122 – Divining the New Year"

Summary: We return to a place you should already have forgotten (and we know if you haven’t) in our eerie, time-twisting tale for the 2017 holiday season. Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the show for as little as a dollar a month, and get some awesome rewards at the … Continue reading "Episode 121 – Yuletide Fear! 2017 (The Statue)"