Witchcraft Off the Beaten Path

Part Two of a 2-part series on Conjure: North American Hoodoo & Voodoo. (Listen to Part One with Sarah from Conjured Cardea if you haven't!)  This episode is my interview with the wonderful Priestess Miriam, the co-founder of The Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans. We talked about the philosophy of voodoo, the concept of Voodoo as The Mind, and as God, and the philanthropy of Marie La...

Voodoo is often portrayed in the movies as zombies being raised from their graves by wicked practitioners of an evil form of magick. Most people know Voodoo as associated with Voodoo dolls, and not much else. There is SO much more to Voodoo. It has its roots in West Africa and Haiti, brought to North American shores via the slave trade. These stolen souls were forced here against their will, and m...

Another turn of the wheel is coming, and we're still having to social distance. Mabon, the Second of the three Harvests, is Tuesday, September 22nd. With a waxing Harvest Moon as well. How can you celebrate a solitary Mabon Ritual? This episode includes a simple guided visualization for a Solitary Mabon Ritual, for anyone who doesn't have their circle, friends, coven or family to circle with, and...

*** Had a little technical glitch towards the beginning, hopefully it's corrected!  Are you using sex in your witchcraft practice? If you're not, and you want to, it's definitely not h̶a̶r̶d̶ difficult. In this episode, I hope to take some of the mystery out of sex magick by showing you how to successfully perform sex magick even if you're easily distracted, like me, and unable to keep your m...

Candle Magick is usually one of the first methods of spell casting we witches are introduced to, but it's more than just beginner's magick. Much more. Candle magick is one of the easiest and most effective forms of spell casting a witch can perform. This episode is packed with information for the beginner spell caster as well as more seasoned, advanced practitioners.  Find me on Facebook , In...

Besides tarot, crystal ball gazing, palm reading, and runes, I had a hard time coming up with different forms of divination on my own, so I reached out, researched and compiled a list of divination methods that range from the every day to the completely weird. Those are my favorites, of course.  Find me on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and Tumblr

That one time I got to interview one of my favorite people and  something went horribly awry. But only on my voice, thankfully! My guest is Melissa Cynova, the best-selling author of Kitchen Table Tarot, Tarot Elements, and the upcoming Kitchen Table Magic. We had a super fun, animated conversation about her books, her tarot style, making the best of the worst year of her life, her forthcomin...

The mere word "Apothecary" can seem daunting, or even pretentious, but it just feels more authentic than "herb collection". This is a quick primer about how you can set up your very own Apothecary or Witch's Cabinet, starting with a few herbs and spices you probably already have in your kitchen spice cabinet. Think of it as a jumping off point if you've ever been interested in starting your o...

Sigil Magick is probably one of the oldest forms of spell casting magick we know. While there are more methods of sigil making than most of us will ever know, here are some really easy (easier than I can describe) methods of creating your own sigils. How to write your intention statements, a few easy ways to create the sigils themselves, and how to charge and activate your sigils.  Since...

Lughnasadh is often forgotten as one of the "Great Festivals" in the wheel of the year. But as a festival of thanks-giving, this first harvest festival can really be something special, this year, especially, in this bizarre year we're living. Plus, some bonus ridiculous outtakes at the end.  Find me on Facebook and Instagram , Twitter and Tumblr   If you're listening on a platform o...

This week I'm joined by Shiva Honey, best selling author, musician, purveyor of fine esoteric ritual goods, activist, and Satanist. You may have already seen her in the documentary "Hail Satan?" released in 2019. She was a founding member of The Satanic Temple in Detroit, and has served on the National and International Leadership Team for The Satanic Temple for many years in one capacity or anoth...

Covid is out of control, and the US is going to shit. Let's raise some energy, and do some magick.  We're raising positive energy, in whichever method you prefer: drums, dancing, clapping, chanting, sex/masturbation, singing, music - whichever method is the best to help you raise energy. We will all begin raising energy around 7:30 pm Central time, and then we all direct our energy at the sam...

The term "Satanism" seems to scare the crap out of most people who don't really know what modern Satanism is. I hope this will clear up some of the confusion about people sacrificing animals and small children, because they listened to Slayer in the 1980s. Here are some of the links I promised in the podcast:  Hail Satan? Trailer Watch Hail Satan on Hulu , buy or rent it from Amazon   "A...

If you've ever seen a voodoo doll in a movie or on television, you've undoubtedly seen someone, usually a mysterious woman with an exotic, French Creole accent, cursing someone and ceremoniously sticking pins into this little doll with the crossed eyes and the "OH NO!" facial expression. There's a bit more to voodoo than that . But let's start first, with Poppets & Dollies.  This one's fo...

This episode is a quick-ish primer on a few topics that need more than just a quick primer to cover. Seriously, if you want to learn in depth about binding, banishing, cursing or hexing, you should seek information from reputable, trusted sources. But if you want a jumping off point, just a gentle place to start, this might be what you're looking for. Chock full of warnings and caveats, this is in...

" I miss the days when witchcraft was underground. Nowadays, Becky thinks she’s a witch because she buys sage at Whole Foods." This episode is an opinion piece about The Witch Aesthetic, which has become so trendy the last few years. I have... feelings about this.  Find me on Facebook and Instagram and Tumblr   If you're listening on a platform other than Anchor, click here , then click...

This is the IG account for Sonya Renee Taylor - https://www.instagram.com/sonyareneetaylor/?hl=en Find me on Facebook and Instagram and Tumblr  If you're listening on a platform other than Anchor, click here , then click on the Message button to leave a voice message if there's something you'd like to say, or if you have an idea for a future podcast.

I don't step on cracks if I can help it. I throw salt over my left shoulder, whether I just used the salt in a recipe, or (gasp!) spilled it... Superstitions go back farther than any of us will probably ever know. But many of them come from right here in the US, in Appalachia. It's no doubt that THOSE superstitions were borne from Appalachia's beginnings in Scotland, Ireland, Italy and England, bu...

*** Content warning: religious abuse, sexual molestation Not all witches, pagans or heathens had the fortune to be raised in a way concordant to their beliefs or path once we reach adulthood. Sometimes, we have a lot of psychic scars - or even some physical scars - to heal from having been raised with Xianity. And those wounds can resurface in adulthood due to the shame and guilt caused by a toxic...

Movies about witchcraft are filled with amazing spells that work instantly, and with fireworks and brilliant flashes of light; that can set a very disappointing, unrealistic expectation for those just coming to witchcraft in any form. This is a fun look at a few of my favorite movies about witchcraft, and what they have to offer to the witch community, and what they don't have to offer.  *Con...

Witch Bottles date back to way farther than we may ever know, but they're not just created by witches. A little bit of history, a little bit of tongue-in-cheek-ness, and a little schadenfreude... and an exploding witch bottle.  Find me on Facebook and Instagram and Tumblr   If you're listening on a platform other than Anchor, click here , then click on the Message button to leave a voice...

High Priestess and published Author Amy Blackthorn joins me to talk about Botanical Magick, claiming your own agency as a witch, learning to overcome her personal traumas, and teaching others how to hone their witchcrafts. Find Amy's book Sacred Smoke here , and Blackthorn's Botanical Magic here . You can pre-order Blackthorn's Botanical Brews here .  Visit Amy Blackthorn's Hoodoo Blends , an...

Self Care can seem like an insurmountable task with everything else we're taking on during this Pandemic. But Spiritual Self Care for witches might be the one that gets away... the form of self care that gets neglected or prioritized last. Remember to be kind to yourself.  Find me on Facebook and Instagram and Tumblr  If you're listening on a platform other than Anchor, click here ,...

Sacred Herbalism is something that so many witches, myself included, practice on a regular/daily basis. We're surrounded by herbs and weeds that we can use to cast spells, conjure and just create magick. But which ones? How do you find them? Can you grow your own? How do you USE them, if you have them?  Join me as I talk to Cedar Stevens, Austin-area botanical witch and lead potioneer at Natu...

There are times when it's just not practical or even possible to cast a circle and perform a ritual, especially when you really, really need to do just that. Maybe it's an issue of being a broom closeted witch, quarantined with family or partners that just don't understand, appreciate or approve of your spiritual practices. Whatever the reason you need it, it's a good trick to learn how to Cast a...